Thoughts/OpEd Page 10
From a Christian Perspective; From a Drummer's Perspective
(and lately, the Spring of 2020, an American's perspective)
Some thoughts, some ideas, some concepts, some principles to contemplate.
(scroll down for new entries)
900. The Miami Mall/Alien-Thing
The Vaxx Crisis
Abbott and the Texas Border
901. Vigano Jumps the Shark
Oh, Finland!
902. LEGEND Update: Music is a Personal Thing
Does God Have it Wrong?
If You "Sort Of" Follow Politics
VOODOO DEATH
903. Wars!
Amalgamation
Biblical Fiction?
Headlines
We Have No Rights?
Abbott Makes the Stand
904. Who, What Should be Blessed?
905. Francis Seeks Unity
906. Another Use of "Soul" Creates Problems
907.The Archbishop Does it Again
Swift In The News
908. Eat for Strength
909. Babylon Truly is Confused
As I Look at the Headlines
910. Swift, Again
Tucker and Putin
911. Super Bowl Sunday (and Monday Observations, etc.)
They Knew
Tucker and Jones
Tucker Interviewed
912. SOUL
The Advance of A.I. and Robotics
Gongs!
Christians Get Their Kicks
913. "Meathead" Makes a Movie
Where Are We At?
I Did a Search
Stew Peters?
BTW - NBA
Zombie Deer Disease
914.The Results of "Lawfare"
Tucker and Benz
"Civil War"
915. Memories
The Problem with Pitcher Plants
Will Canada Criminalize Christianity?
916. Christian Nationalism in the News Again
917. Babylon and Eclipses
918. Are All Religions Equal?
919. Jesus Plus...?
What's the Point?
920. Iowa State
The Pope
A Senator and His Power
Two-Thirds Polled NOT for Free Speech
Do You Remember the Byrds?
Male/Female Brain Differences?
921. 900 Years?
922. Enquire of the Lord
So True
The Golden Rule
Serious Issues That Go Unnoticed
923. The FIX is IN
An Exploding Follow-Up
A Political Follow-Up. Whoa.
SOTU
924. 6 Cases Against... Americans
Do Illegal Immigrants Commit More Crime?
925. I See Faces
926. Pastors in Political Office
Pope: Aquinas is Needed
Aquinas in Procession
Why Government Lies
$35,000,000,000,000
927. False Prophets of Remote Viewing
The RFK SOTU
928. ANTICHRIST.NEWS
Tucker and Cuomo
Trump is Not a Conservative
An Incredibly Sad and Infuriating Video
929. NDEs, NDEs, NDEs, Oh My!
930. Russell D. Moore and Islam
931. Back to Drums
RFK Close to a VP Choice
A Dead Doctor Still Speaks
Eclipse Info-site
That's Not What It Means
932. Asylum Seekers "Melt Away"
933. Babylon Blesses Mascots
And Then There's This...
934. Wait. Are These Mistakes?
935. Just to Make Sure You Know
LEGEND Update - Finished
Don't Doubt UFOs
The Mother of All Rube Goldberg Machines
Which is the Most Corrupt?
Yes, The Steal Is On
Above Majestic
936. An Economist Warns of the Mark of the Beast
937. The Pope and I Agree
938. Nationalism by Christians
HUH???
Caitlin Facing Catfights?
Eddie Feigner
939. The WNBA?
Lawsuit Filed Against NCAA
Francis: Do Not Reject mRNA Injections
940. DEI or, is It DIE?
The America I Live In
941. Separation of C&S: Is it a Lie From the Pit of Hell?
942. Outsiders???
Ecosexuals?
Trump Bible. Cringe, anyone?
943. Owens/Shapiro
944. Christians Freak Out
ECLIPSE DOOM?
945. The Kettle Calls the Pot, Black
Iowa/LSU Aftermath
Prove Me Wrong
Have Mercy! We Told You
Trash-Talking Caitlin?
Frankenfoods
Epicenter - New Jersey
946. The Great American Eclipse, 2024
Laser Fires
947. OTHERS MAY YOU CANNOT /
THIS THING IS FROM ME
948. She WAS Fouled
Pray. Go to Prison
Eclipse Comes and Goes
949. The Psychology of Sports
Christians in Israel & Palestine
Anvils Over Their Heads
LEGEND UPDATE - 'Gideon'
A Plan All Along
950. Babylon: False Profits
Francis: A Transitional Pope?
The Power of Words
Are You Sure It's Food?
951. What Protestants Used to Be
952. How Is This Prophetic?
The Top of the World Stinks
New Page: The BIG Drum
953. Zombies Are Real
Thought Provoking. Fascinating. Terrifying.
954. Why Is Taylor Swift Important?
The Final Nail in America's Coffin?
955. The Food Conspiracy
956. Arrows in the Back
Disturbing Images
957. Why Are Pastors Against Prophecy?
*****************************
900.The Miami Mall/Alien-Thing - 1/9/24
I'm sure you have heard of the incident, last week, went totally viral, news casts, YouTube, blasted off and crashed and burned pretty quickly.
A mall in Miami, aliens/paranormal figures show up, people running, over 50 police cars arrive, a blurry video of a supposedly 8-10' tall being walking along, teenagers mob-hit the mall, hassling shoppers and causing problems in stores, and some kind of fight with "sticks," fireworks, so on and so forth. Then all the YT videos of people claiming to be there, seeing 'shadowy figures' but, 'solid.' People flipping out. More YT videos of close inspection of "the video." Debunking begins. The "alien" was actually 2 or 3 people walking along. But, all the questions. Why did everyone run? Why so many police cars? What were the odd, dark shadows seen in the elevated video?
Then came the videos from people claiming to be there, telling their stories, sounding authentic, then confessing they were telling lies, faking it, weren't even there.
This is our world. A confusing mess of muck and a lot of it "crying wolf." More of it from people seeking "likes" and website views. And plenty of honest people who have sound information but, can't get it out there because it isn't sensational enough to grab attention.
Oh, I have no doubt the world's elites are planning more war, more disease, more efforts to gain totalitarian control and bring on 1984. I have no doubts, there. Whether or not they succeed, let me, again, take you back to the book of Daniel, chapter 2.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. Couldn't remember it but, knows it had great significance. He asked all the astrologers and scientists and sorcerers and elites in the court to tell him the dream and the interpretation. They couldn't do it and protested nobody could. The king threatened them. Come up with the dream and interpretation, or else.
Off in the halls of the palace are young captives of Israel. Daniel and three of his friends are among them. They are in their teens. From chapter 1, we see Daniel coming into favor with the captain of the guards and he and his friends are brought before the king and he praises them for their testimony of health and wellness. Now, it is suggested Daniel could tell the king his dream because Daniel has a good connection with his God.
The teenager is brought into the enormous throne room before the most powerful potentate in the known world. Ancient writings and archaeological excavations put together a story that 10 TONS of gold adorned everything in that room, covered with liquid wealth that reflected the various flame lights throughout and made it the magnificent control-center of the ancient world.
Everybody's head is on the proverbial chopping block. The king is ticked off nobody can tell him his dream and what it means. Daniel asks for some time to commune with God and the king will have his answers. When Daniel returns, an astonished monarch is glued to his throne and the entire court riveted where they stand as young Daniel tells the king his dream and the interpretation.
The king saw an image. Head of gold, arms and chest of silver, stomach and hips of brass, legs of iron, feet of iron and clay and a stone cut out of a mountain, without man's hands, that strikes the image, knocks it down and grinds it to powder.
Nebuchadnezzar, the king, the empire of Babylon is the head of gold. Another kingdom would arise, shown as silver, and a third would arise, shown as brass, and still a fourth kingdom would arise, displayed in the dream as iron but, the feet were a mixture of iron and clay, which cannot bind, and weaken the image. Those weaker, inferior kingdoms would be the result of the fourth kingdom being divided. Mark that well. The Bible does not say it would fall to another power, another empire: it would be divided. They would mingle their seed in attempts to gain empire status but, no. Another empire will never arise after the fourth. The stone, cut out of a mountain without anything to do with mankind's tools or force or ingenuity, soars down and demolishes the image. It represents a kingdom God would establish that will never end.
The king is amazed. More praise, more accolades, more privileges for Daniel and his three friends.
You can look it up in history books, in encyclopedias, in the dictionary and you will find a parade of only four empires that ruled in the world of the Bible and God's chosen people. They are even shown in the book of Daniel, itself and by the time you get to the Gospels, with the "iron monarchy of Rome," God's word is absolutely established.
Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome; the Roman empire divided by the barbaric tribes that became the nations of Europe; and no matter how kings tried to marry daughters to sons to gain empiric control, none were successful. The 'mingled seed' failed every time. The Vatican and its popes hoped for world dominion. The British kings and monarchy claimed an empire but, it had no control over the land of the Bible or over other sovereign nations of Europe or Western Asia, let alone Eastern Asia. As western civilization advanced, so should have territorial control but, it could not be gained as hoped and fought for. Keiser Wilhelm, Mussolini, Hitler, the Soviet Union, none have brought about the empires they sought. Islam hopes for a world dominating caliphate that shall control the world. The totalitarian globalists hope, plan and execute strategies for world control. It is not going to happen. God said, no fifth empire and that is exactly what will be.
There is a difference between influence and control. People today speak of the American empire but, that is based on world-wide influence, not control of sovereign nations. And as America speaks more and more like a dragon, it becomes more and more hated by the leaders of the world, tired of America butting its nose into everybody's business. Nations are pulling away from the American petro dollar as the world's trading currency. It is losing its place among the nations. Yet, God says America has a prophetic destiny it will fulfill. While everything looks like it's about to explode, things will fall into final places the Bible predicted ages ago.
God means what He says, and says what He means. The totalitarian cabal shall not gain control of the world.
Before I close, back to the Miami Mall. The ease at which "aliens" being seen there whisked its way around the world via the web, shows how the majority of humanity has come to believe the universe is populated and seeks any kind of evidence to that belief. They are craving the entrance of "ET." In the last 80 years, and even in ancient texts and artwork, billions have seen all the "evidence" of "UFOs." The world is primed for "ET" to show itself. Based on what the Bible alludes to about life beyond Earth, and what kinds of supernatural deceptions, we are warned in prophecy are coming, I fully expect "ET/Devil's deceptions" to take place but, not at malls. If anything the "National Mall" at the U.S. capitol will be a place Satan drops down and reveals himself as a galaxian or universal traveler. That is the kind of entrance Satan will make. The prince of the power of the air; the ruler, the god of this world will appear before the great ruling capitols of the world, not as some kind of dark, ethereal creatures at shopping malls. Good grief.
Life beyond Earth, beyond the angelic host, whatever it is, is not malevolent. It is all in harmony with its Creator. No evil, ugly or weird looking creatures are going to invade earth. To the contrary. Satan will appear as an angel of light, bringing "good news" to humanity. Fallen, rebel angels at his command will appear as enlightened, brilliant beings; perhaps paranormal-like dead relatives claiming to bring hope and "peace" to the Earth.
Satan is the father of lies. He is the commanding general of all mis, dis and malinformation. He plays with humanity through the supernatural but, he is not going to attempt to scare Earth's population under his influence. He shall draw it in with deceptions that seem beneficial. He is the great destroyer and deceitful benefactor of the race.
As information swirls around the globe, the only, the ONLY thing that can be absolutely trusted is the Word of God, the Bible. It is trustworthy. A Deity that can tell us the exact order of empires and how many, centuries, millennia before things happen, is the God who tells the end, from the beginning, and what must come to pass because He is God and there is no other. He has no needs to be cryptic. Yes, He places events in symbolism but, the Bible, itself, offers keys to interpreting the symbols used to identify powers, nations and events. He will help the student of the Word discover all these treasures of knowledge and direction.
Expect confusion to build. Expect God to intervene on behalf of His commandment keeping people. Expect two sides to develop on Earth. Expect love to grow cold. Expect revival from God and deceptions from Lucifer to solidify. We have entered the time of the end. Prophetically, it was entered a long time ago and time has dragged, detours have developed because God seeks a people to be His remnant that He can guide, direct and use to finish the work of giving "the everlasting gospel" to the world. When will He have that final remnant? When will take them in hand on the final battlefield for the mind, who reflect the character of Christ to the world, and bring to an end the great rebellion?
Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
A mall in Miami, aliens/paranormal figures show up, people running, over 50 police cars arrive, a blurry video of a supposedly 8-10' tall being walking along, teenagers mob-hit the mall, hassling shoppers and causing problems in stores, and some kind of fight with "sticks," fireworks, so on and so forth. Then all the YT videos of people claiming to be there, seeing 'shadowy figures' but, 'solid.' People flipping out. More YT videos of close inspection of "the video." Debunking begins. The "alien" was actually 2 or 3 people walking along. But, all the questions. Why did everyone run? Why so many police cars? What were the odd, dark shadows seen in the elevated video?
Then came the videos from people claiming to be there, telling their stories, sounding authentic, then confessing they were telling lies, faking it, weren't even there.
This is our world. A confusing mess of muck and a lot of it "crying wolf." More of it from people seeking "likes" and website views. And plenty of honest people who have sound information but, can't get it out there because it isn't sensational enough to grab attention.
Oh, I have no doubt the world's elites are planning more war, more disease, more efforts to gain totalitarian control and bring on 1984. I have no doubts, there. Whether or not they succeed, let me, again, take you back to the book of Daniel, chapter 2.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. Couldn't remember it but, knows it had great significance. He asked all the astrologers and scientists and sorcerers and elites in the court to tell him the dream and the interpretation. They couldn't do it and protested nobody could. The king threatened them. Come up with the dream and interpretation, or else.
Off in the halls of the palace are young captives of Israel. Daniel and three of his friends are among them. They are in their teens. From chapter 1, we see Daniel coming into favor with the captain of the guards and he and his friends are brought before the king and he praises them for their testimony of health and wellness. Now, it is suggested Daniel could tell the king his dream because Daniel has a good connection with his God.
The teenager is brought into the enormous throne room before the most powerful potentate in the known world. Ancient writings and archaeological excavations put together a story that 10 TONS of gold adorned everything in that room, covered with liquid wealth that reflected the various flame lights throughout and made it the magnificent control-center of the ancient world.
Everybody's head is on the proverbial chopping block. The king is ticked off nobody can tell him his dream and what it means. Daniel asks for some time to commune with God and the king will have his answers. When Daniel returns, an astonished monarch is glued to his throne and the entire court riveted where they stand as young Daniel tells the king his dream and the interpretation.
The king saw an image. Head of gold, arms and chest of silver, stomach and hips of brass, legs of iron, feet of iron and clay and a stone cut out of a mountain, without man's hands, that strikes the image, knocks it down and grinds it to powder.
Nebuchadnezzar, the king, the empire of Babylon is the head of gold. Another kingdom would arise, shown as silver, and a third would arise, shown as brass, and still a fourth kingdom would arise, displayed in the dream as iron but, the feet were a mixture of iron and clay, which cannot bind, and weaken the image. Those weaker, inferior kingdoms would be the result of the fourth kingdom being divided. Mark that well. The Bible does not say it would fall to another power, another empire: it would be divided. They would mingle their seed in attempts to gain empire status but, no. Another empire will never arise after the fourth. The stone, cut out of a mountain without anything to do with mankind's tools or force or ingenuity, soars down and demolishes the image. It represents a kingdom God would establish that will never end.
The king is amazed. More praise, more accolades, more privileges for Daniel and his three friends.
You can look it up in history books, in encyclopedias, in the dictionary and you will find a parade of only four empires that ruled in the world of the Bible and God's chosen people. They are even shown in the book of Daniel, itself and by the time you get to the Gospels, with the "iron monarchy of Rome," God's word is absolutely established.
Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome; the Roman empire divided by the barbaric tribes that became the nations of Europe; and no matter how kings tried to marry daughters to sons to gain empiric control, none were successful. The 'mingled seed' failed every time. The Vatican and its popes hoped for world dominion. The British kings and monarchy claimed an empire but, it had no control over the land of the Bible or over other sovereign nations of Europe or Western Asia, let alone Eastern Asia. As western civilization advanced, so should have territorial control but, it could not be gained as hoped and fought for. Keiser Wilhelm, Mussolini, Hitler, the Soviet Union, none have brought about the empires they sought. Islam hopes for a world dominating caliphate that shall control the world. The totalitarian globalists hope, plan and execute strategies for world control. It is not going to happen. God said, no fifth empire and that is exactly what will be.
There is a difference between influence and control. People today speak of the American empire but, that is based on world-wide influence, not control of sovereign nations. And as America speaks more and more like a dragon, it becomes more and more hated by the leaders of the world, tired of America butting its nose into everybody's business. Nations are pulling away from the American petro dollar as the world's trading currency. It is losing its place among the nations. Yet, God says America has a prophetic destiny it will fulfill. While everything looks like it's about to explode, things will fall into final places the Bible predicted ages ago.
God means what He says, and says what He means. The totalitarian cabal shall not gain control of the world.
Before I close, back to the Miami Mall. The ease at which "aliens" being seen there whisked its way around the world via the web, shows how the majority of humanity has come to believe the universe is populated and seeks any kind of evidence to that belief. They are craving the entrance of "ET." In the last 80 years, and even in ancient texts and artwork, billions have seen all the "evidence" of "UFOs." The world is primed for "ET" to show itself. Based on what the Bible alludes to about life beyond Earth, and what kinds of supernatural deceptions, we are warned in prophecy are coming, I fully expect "ET/Devil's deceptions" to take place but, not at malls. If anything the "National Mall" at the U.S. capitol will be a place Satan drops down and reveals himself as a galaxian or universal traveler. That is the kind of entrance Satan will make. The prince of the power of the air; the ruler, the god of this world will appear before the great ruling capitols of the world, not as some kind of dark, ethereal creatures at shopping malls. Good grief.
Life beyond Earth, beyond the angelic host, whatever it is, is not malevolent. It is all in harmony with its Creator. No evil, ugly or weird looking creatures are going to invade earth. To the contrary. Satan will appear as an angel of light, bringing "good news" to humanity. Fallen, rebel angels at his command will appear as enlightened, brilliant beings; perhaps paranormal-like dead relatives claiming to bring hope and "peace" to the Earth.
Satan is the father of lies. He is the commanding general of all mis, dis and malinformation. He plays with humanity through the supernatural but, he is not going to attempt to scare Earth's population under his influence. He shall draw it in with deceptions that seem beneficial. He is the great destroyer and deceitful benefactor of the race.
As information swirls around the globe, the only, the ONLY thing that can be absolutely trusted is the Word of God, the Bible. It is trustworthy. A Deity that can tell us the exact order of empires and how many, centuries, millennia before things happen, is the God who tells the end, from the beginning, and what must come to pass because He is God and there is no other. He has no needs to be cryptic. Yes, He places events in symbolism but, the Bible, itself, offers keys to interpreting the symbols used to identify powers, nations and events. He will help the student of the Word discover all these treasures of knowledge and direction.
Expect confusion to build. Expect God to intervene on behalf of His commandment keeping people. Expect two sides to develop on Earth. Expect love to grow cold. Expect revival from God and deceptions from Lucifer to solidify. We have entered the time of the end. Prophetically, it was entered a long time ago and time has dragged, detours have developed because God seeks a people to be His remnant that He can guide, direct and use to finish the work of giving "the everlasting gospel" to the world. When will He have that final remnant? When will take them in hand on the final battlefield for the mind, who reflect the character of Christ to the world, and bring to an end the great rebellion?
Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
The Vaxx Crisis
I haven't posted much on this subject lately. As people try to deal with daily life beyond Covid, Covid isn't going away. The effects of the mRNA injections are not going away. Far from it. They are worsening.
Unless you go to news sites that actually continue to follow the situation and statistics being compiled by science/medical/journalist researchers, you might even think the whole thing is truly over.
There is no doubt Covid is a bio-weapon. There is no doubt it was begun in USA labs, transferred to labs in China, released, the planned "vaccine" was rolled out, and what now?
Hopefully, you have seen the headlines -
An estimated 17,000,000 people have died from adverse reactions created by the injection. The number of adverse reactions leaving people debilitated is obviously much greater.
The number of Americans that have died in 2023 is 158,000 greater than the average of previous years. The only new common denominator? Reactions from the Injections.
Miscarriages alarmingly higher than ever. Babies, children, teenagers, adults, all ages, all considered healthy, continue to "die suddenly."
All of this, of course, denied by Leftist minions loyal to their leaders and handlers.
Now, a German pathologist has gone public with his findings that the Covid spike protein is destroying and replacing sperm cells in vaccinated males. He is recommending that women think carefully before marrying injected males. His vilification shall now descend from those voices under the control of the elitist cabal that engineered this situation, still walking around free, still promoting the shots, still trying to control the narrative.
rumble.com/v46ewnh-german-pathologist-dr-arne-burkhardt-shows-how-vaxx-spike-proteins-are-repl.html
Voices began raising in 2020 that all this was coming. Those same voices continue but, you see, people have to carry on. They must continue to raise their families, provide, deal with life beyond the lockdowns. Because of the devastation created by them, especially to small businesses, even the controllers have had to admit, lest their coldhearted indifference accuse them outright, that measures taken were a mistake. Way too little. Way too late.
The bioweapon was, indeed, is indeed, a depopulation bioweapon. No, seventeen million people is hardly a blink of an eye compared to seven and a half billion people on Earth but, lest anyone forget, more than half the population of the planet was injected. The number of those receiving the more potent injections is unknown. The insane philosophy of the elites is to bring down the population to under 1 billion people. They now claim new viruses will come, bringing new waves of pandemics and more need for vaccines to be developed. It is not lost on those who refused to be injected, that so many of those who have been, repeatedly get Covid in some new strain; are basically facing a man-made Flu of such monstrous proportions it cannot be fathomed. Covid strains, new Flu strains, new bacterial infections, an ever growing list of fear-mongered plans to carry out the insanity of the elitist cabal.
Thankfully, billions are now awake, willing to listen to voices of reason and dissention from "official" pronouncements. Anthony Fauci (and cohorts), is a little devil, ignored by all but the most deluded of followers. The task of pushing around the planet's population will not be anywhere as easy the next time. What will that leave? Police power, force, and then, obviously, civil disobedience and insurrection; an actual fight for survival.
Those who believe we are living in the end times, try to convince people the world is going to end with the return of Christ, who said, point blank, the planet is going to enter its worst period in history. Most will not believe it. They refuse to acknowledge the place and authority of the Bible as God's voice to humanity. They will reject the absolute accuracy of prophecy and its warnings, and they will rise up against any and all who remain loyal to its principles and precepts.
This year is going to be bad enough with political wrangling, lies on top of lies, vitriol and violence, and possible to probable financial disaster. Man-made and natural disasters and of course, more wars will rule the headlines.
Everyone on Earth, not connected to Christ in a living and abiding faith, will experience things they never imagined could happen in "civilized" society becoming more animalistic with each passing year. In those places where humanity is considered nothing; they already live the horrors of man's inhumanity to man. Can it get any worse? Yes. It will come to all nations, all people.
For me, the only sensible thing is to turn to God and His Word and hang on to the faith of Jesus Christ. Everything will shake. Most will come down. God's church, His people, will remain. The gates of death shall never prevail upon them. Though they should die a martyr's death, they shall rise to immortality when Christ returns.
The only thing that remains solid ground is the Word of God.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Unless you go to news sites that actually continue to follow the situation and statistics being compiled by science/medical/journalist researchers, you might even think the whole thing is truly over.
There is no doubt Covid is a bio-weapon. There is no doubt it was begun in USA labs, transferred to labs in China, released, the planned "vaccine" was rolled out, and what now?
Hopefully, you have seen the headlines -
An estimated 17,000,000 people have died from adverse reactions created by the injection. The number of adverse reactions leaving people debilitated is obviously much greater.
The number of Americans that have died in 2023 is 158,000 greater than the average of previous years. The only new common denominator? Reactions from the Injections.
Miscarriages alarmingly higher than ever. Babies, children, teenagers, adults, all ages, all considered healthy, continue to "die suddenly."
All of this, of course, denied by Leftist minions loyal to their leaders and handlers.
Now, a German pathologist has gone public with his findings that the Covid spike protein is destroying and replacing sperm cells in vaccinated males. He is recommending that women think carefully before marrying injected males. His vilification shall now descend from those voices under the control of the elitist cabal that engineered this situation, still walking around free, still promoting the shots, still trying to control the narrative.
rumble.com/v46ewnh-german-pathologist-dr-arne-burkhardt-shows-how-vaxx-spike-proteins-are-repl.html
Voices began raising in 2020 that all this was coming. Those same voices continue but, you see, people have to carry on. They must continue to raise their families, provide, deal with life beyond the lockdowns. Because of the devastation created by them, especially to small businesses, even the controllers have had to admit, lest their coldhearted indifference accuse them outright, that measures taken were a mistake. Way too little. Way too late.
The bioweapon was, indeed, is indeed, a depopulation bioweapon. No, seventeen million people is hardly a blink of an eye compared to seven and a half billion people on Earth but, lest anyone forget, more than half the population of the planet was injected. The number of those receiving the more potent injections is unknown. The insane philosophy of the elites is to bring down the population to under 1 billion people. They now claim new viruses will come, bringing new waves of pandemics and more need for vaccines to be developed. It is not lost on those who refused to be injected, that so many of those who have been, repeatedly get Covid in some new strain; are basically facing a man-made Flu of such monstrous proportions it cannot be fathomed. Covid strains, new Flu strains, new bacterial infections, an ever growing list of fear-mongered plans to carry out the insanity of the elitist cabal.
Thankfully, billions are now awake, willing to listen to voices of reason and dissention from "official" pronouncements. Anthony Fauci (and cohorts), is a little devil, ignored by all but the most deluded of followers. The task of pushing around the planet's population will not be anywhere as easy the next time. What will that leave? Police power, force, and then, obviously, civil disobedience and insurrection; an actual fight for survival.
Those who believe we are living in the end times, try to convince people the world is going to end with the return of Christ, who said, point blank, the planet is going to enter its worst period in history. Most will not believe it. They refuse to acknowledge the place and authority of the Bible as God's voice to humanity. They will reject the absolute accuracy of prophecy and its warnings, and they will rise up against any and all who remain loyal to its principles and precepts.
This year is going to be bad enough with political wrangling, lies on top of lies, vitriol and violence, and possible to probable financial disaster. Man-made and natural disasters and of course, more wars will rule the headlines.
Everyone on Earth, not connected to Christ in a living and abiding faith, will experience things they never imagined could happen in "civilized" society becoming more animalistic with each passing year. In those places where humanity is considered nothing; they already live the horrors of man's inhumanity to man. Can it get any worse? Yes. It will come to all nations, all people.
For me, the only sensible thing is to turn to God and His Word and hang on to the faith of Jesus Christ. Everything will shake. Most will come down. God's church, His people, will remain. The gates of death shall never prevail upon them. Though they should die a martyr's death, they shall rise to immortality when Christ returns.
The only thing that remains solid ground is the Word of God.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Abbott and the Texas Border
I could not state I am a huge fan of Governor Abbott, here in Texas. As Texas prepares for a deep cold snap in the next few days (below zero wind chills), they are reminded of the event that froze their pipes and bodies just a few years ago; all those Texas windmills frozen stiff, gas line infrastructure all stopped up, and people that do not even live in Texas on a controlling board that infuriated millions of citizens in the state with their negligence. Most resigned, iirc. The Governor seems to give a fair amount of lip service to constituents on just about all subjects that arise down here. The border has been one of them. Not being a real Texan, I have never really gotten involved in learning how this state runs. Too many have told me it's a "good ol' boy" operation at most levels.
Now, the Governor is bringing out the national guard to stand down or keep out federal border patrol at one of the most used crossing locations in the state (where federal agents were ordered to cut wire to allow people in), Shelby Park, Eagle Pass, and stop the influx that have crossed the Texas border and allowed an actual invasion into the state, all illegal crossing sites considered.
To be accurate about this, you have to remember. International law states that once someone from a country, seeking refuge into another country, crosses that border, they are no longer refugees. Once people from around the world get into Mexico, their journey should legally stop there, and that is if they can show their lives were in danger in the nation they came from. Just seeking a better life does not make you a refugee. It makes you an immigrant. Coming into a nation illegally, just walking in, makes you an illegal immigrant, NOT an undocumented immigrant or worker. That's terminology invented by those on the Left to remove the term "illegal" from the standing of those just crossing the borders.
A nation is only a nation when it has borders and laws. America, the America under Joe Biden and most of Washington, D.C. for decades, has not been a nation. It's been freebeeland. It's been a land where illegal immigrants get free stuff, and are used to change the entire financial standing of the economy and worse... Democrats and Republicans hoping to make them all citizens in one fell swoop and get their votes. But, there is another aspect now on the boards.
The Texas National Guard standing down Federal agents to close the border. If that sounds like a recipe for the start of a civil war, get your forks ready to eat. Pick up your knives and spoons, people. The meal everyone with any common sense dreads is now on the table.
Why now? An election year; perhaps, definitely, the most important election in my generation is going to take place. The future of the Republic will be decided. America is already wounded and weakened by haters of the rule of law and the Constitution, written to curb government controls over Americans.
Needless to say, Biden will drop a lawsuit on Abbott and Texas. May even send troops here. Frankly, I believe the Left, thinking they are in control of the big guns, want a civil war. They could take out - military cooperating - all dissenters once and for all. It is not long rifles and cannons. It is not shotguns and pistols. It's hi-tech weaponry civilians do not have and would get obliterated by.
Some Dems have put into place a "new" law reigning in private militias. Old laws already address everything in it and the Dems even state those laws are ignored. DUH. Same as all other laws they ignore as they trash the Republic. The word is not seen once in their proposed law. Democracy? Constantly. That is the type of nation they want. A full democracy, majority rule, which the Founders of America recognized as mob rule and the foundation of every despotic regime known to man. Create a mob, then control it with totalitarian despotism.
Governor Abbott is too little, too late. The Declaration of Independence states it plainly enough -
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
The Federal government has been criminally delinquent regarding its responsibility to protect the nation's border from foreign passage. Now, with the nation, more sharply divided since the last civil war, is on the precipice again. Abbott should have acted as soon as he entered office. The fact is, every governor of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, for the last few decades should have acted. They didn't.
God help us. I mean that. The horrid spectacle of civil war is not an impossibility. If "The Plan" was ever to be implemented in its finality, it sure seems the time has arrived.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Now, the Governor is bringing out the national guard to stand down or keep out federal border patrol at one of the most used crossing locations in the state (where federal agents were ordered to cut wire to allow people in), Shelby Park, Eagle Pass, and stop the influx that have crossed the Texas border and allowed an actual invasion into the state, all illegal crossing sites considered.
To be accurate about this, you have to remember. International law states that once someone from a country, seeking refuge into another country, crosses that border, they are no longer refugees. Once people from around the world get into Mexico, their journey should legally stop there, and that is if they can show their lives were in danger in the nation they came from. Just seeking a better life does not make you a refugee. It makes you an immigrant. Coming into a nation illegally, just walking in, makes you an illegal immigrant, NOT an undocumented immigrant or worker. That's terminology invented by those on the Left to remove the term "illegal" from the standing of those just crossing the borders.
A nation is only a nation when it has borders and laws. America, the America under Joe Biden and most of Washington, D.C. for decades, has not been a nation. It's been freebeeland. It's been a land where illegal immigrants get free stuff, and are used to change the entire financial standing of the economy and worse... Democrats and Republicans hoping to make them all citizens in one fell swoop and get their votes. But, there is another aspect now on the boards.
The Texas National Guard standing down Federal agents to close the border. If that sounds like a recipe for the start of a civil war, get your forks ready to eat. Pick up your knives and spoons, people. The meal everyone with any common sense dreads is now on the table.
Why now? An election year; perhaps, definitely, the most important election in my generation is going to take place. The future of the Republic will be decided. America is already wounded and weakened by haters of the rule of law and the Constitution, written to curb government controls over Americans.
Needless to say, Biden will drop a lawsuit on Abbott and Texas. May even send troops here. Frankly, I believe the Left, thinking they are in control of the big guns, want a civil war. They could take out - military cooperating - all dissenters once and for all. It is not long rifles and cannons. It is not shotguns and pistols. It's hi-tech weaponry civilians do not have and would get obliterated by.
Some Dems have put into place a "new" law reigning in private militias. Old laws already address everything in it and the Dems even state those laws are ignored. DUH. Same as all other laws they ignore as they trash the Republic. The word is not seen once in their proposed law. Democracy? Constantly. That is the type of nation they want. A full democracy, majority rule, which the Founders of America recognized as mob rule and the foundation of every despotic regime known to man. Create a mob, then control it with totalitarian despotism.
Governor Abbott is too little, too late. The Declaration of Independence states it plainly enough -
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
The Federal government has been criminally delinquent regarding its responsibility to protect the nation's border from foreign passage. Now, with the nation, more sharply divided since the last civil war, is on the precipice again. Abbott should have acted as soon as he entered office. The fact is, every governor of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, for the last few decades should have acted. They didn't.
God help us. I mean that. The horrid spectacle of civil war is not an impossibility. If "The Plan" was ever to be implemented in its finality, it sure seems the time has arrived.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
901. Vigano Jumps the Shark - 1/15/24
Having mentioned Catholic Archbishop, Carlo Vigano, numerous times in the last year or two, my conclusion became one based on Roman Catholic geopolitical history: that Vigano is an agent of Rome; a plant to draw close to Protestants and gather information for the Vatican. His pronouncements against Pope Francis somehow leave him unscathed, when others fomenting criticisms against the Catholic potentate, are removed from their positions.
This new opinion of Vigano's jumps the proverbial "Fonzy" shark because of the scandal created by Cardinal Victor Fernandez and his book, The Art of Kissing; which he wrote as a young priest almost 30 years ago. Vigano wants the Swiss Guard to arrest the Pope for putting Fernandez into a new role in the office of being head of the Doctrine of Faith. I could write all the details and all the words used for all this man-made stuff Romanism has come up with over the centuries but, suffice to say, a man-made system always bogs down with man-made creations that always give him more power than God ever intended.
Vigano condemns the "Argentine Jesuit," in no uncertain terms and has the same things to hurl at the Bishop of Rome, whom he just refers to as Bergoglio, the Pope's formal last name. His open letter reads like a laundry list of every bad actor involved with apostate and global schemes to run the world. Like I stated before; I question whether Vigano compiles and writes these letters. I would guess he has subordinates that put all the info together for him.
No doubt the Cardinal's old book is filled with pornographic mental imagery and should be condemned for having anything to do with Christian literature. Condemning the writings of a cardinal is one thing. Condemning a pope is another.
In any case, there just seems no possible way this archbishop could get away with such condemnation of the "holy father," with nary a slap on the wrist from the claimed "Vicar of Christ." Something is way too odd to accept it all at face value.
twitter.com/CarloMVigano/status/1744347265123160184
www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/abp-vigano-fernandezs-blasphemous-sex-book-is-yet-another-fruit-of-the-vatican-ii-revolution/?utm_source=latest_news&utm_campaign=usa
"And – let’s say it! – if today the Vatican is reduced to a brothel, it is because since the time of Paul VI there was no desire to nip in the bud the lavender mafia that was encysted in the Vatican, instead favoring those who, being more blackmailable, gave greater guarantees of obedience. The pattern of how the deep church acted to infiltrate the Catholic Church is a mirror image of what the deep state followed to take control of civil governments, as recent news shows us. The sewer from which the infamous pamphlet of the Prefect of the former Holy Office re-emerged is the same from which the scandals of the characters mentioned in Epstein’s list emerge. We need a radical return to the God of the human race, through a purification of civil society and the ecclesial body. We need to oppose this attack with collective action, so that the Papacy may return to being a Beacon of Truth and a Harbor of Salvation, and not the megaphone of the antichristic synarchy of the World Economic Forum."
Stuff like that plays well with conservative evangelicals, as well as political conservatives. Vigano is a hero amongst them today but, the historical fact is, Protestants saw the RCC, the Popes and the Vatican as the system of the prophetic antichrist for very specific, biblical reasons for centuries of the Reformation and well before that. Vigano is, in fact, a part of the antichrist - "in place of Christ" - system the Bible warns of. I can tell you full-well the Archbishop is well aware of the once universal Protestant position on that subject and is just as diligent as former Jesuit, Francisco Ribera was to instill his policy of Futurism into the fabric of Protestant theology, to weaken it and destroy it. Vigano is an agent of Rome; no different than Catholic actors before him; loyal to the Papacy, loyal to Catholicism, loyal to the "Mother church."
The Bible warns of an apostasy, long ago begun by pagans in the form of Christians; who "infiltrated" the body of Christ. Paul, Peter, John and Jude especially warned of this infiltration. The Roman Catholic Church is the result.
Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood.
Act 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Act 20:31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
2Pet 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2Pet 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
2Pet 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not.
1John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
I am a Bible believing Christian. I am a Protestant. I do not subscribe to Romanism in any form; be it the Catholic version or any such copy version found in denominations professing Protestantism or the more watered down, "evangelical" communities. So many churches follow traditions and doctrines not found in the Bible. So many make rules and mandate allegiance to them, which is not in harmony with a 'Thus saith the Lord.' Faithful, sincere Roman Catholics and non-Catholics throughout the world need to be warned - Babylon is fallen, is fallen -
Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
Mother and "harlot" daughters are uniting, whether they realize it or not.
We are all fallen creatures that sin and make a wreck of life by foolish decisions but, there is one decision that can save us from ourselves - the daily, moment by moment decision to follow Christ and go to Him to be free from the penalty and power of sin. It's a daily battle. No one is freed from it and Christ shall have a people who reflect His character and victory to the world before He returns.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
This new opinion of Vigano's jumps the proverbial "Fonzy" shark because of the scandal created by Cardinal Victor Fernandez and his book, The Art of Kissing; which he wrote as a young priest almost 30 years ago. Vigano wants the Swiss Guard to arrest the Pope for putting Fernandez into a new role in the office of being head of the Doctrine of Faith. I could write all the details and all the words used for all this man-made stuff Romanism has come up with over the centuries but, suffice to say, a man-made system always bogs down with man-made creations that always give him more power than God ever intended.
Vigano condemns the "Argentine Jesuit," in no uncertain terms and has the same things to hurl at the Bishop of Rome, whom he just refers to as Bergoglio, the Pope's formal last name. His open letter reads like a laundry list of every bad actor involved with apostate and global schemes to run the world. Like I stated before; I question whether Vigano compiles and writes these letters. I would guess he has subordinates that put all the info together for him.
No doubt the Cardinal's old book is filled with pornographic mental imagery and should be condemned for having anything to do with Christian literature. Condemning the writings of a cardinal is one thing. Condemning a pope is another.
In any case, there just seems no possible way this archbishop could get away with such condemnation of the "holy father," with nary a slap on the wrist from the claimed "Vicar of Christ." Something is way too odd to accept it all at face value.
twitter.com/CarloMVigano/status/1744347265123160184
www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/abp-vigano-fernandezs-blasphemous-sex-book-is-yet-another-fruit-of-the-vatican-ii-revolution/?utm_source=latest_news&utm_campaign=usa
"And – let’s say it! – if today the Vatican is reduced to a brothel, it is because since the time of Paul VI there was no desire to nip in the bud the lavender mafia that was encysted in the Vatican, instead favoring those who, being more blackmailable, gave greater guarantees of obedience. The pattern of how the deep church acted to infiltrate the Catholic Church is a mirror image of what the deep state followed to take control of civil governments, as recent news shows us. The sewer from which the infamous pamphlet of the Prefect of the former Holy Office re-emerged is the same from which the scandals of the characters mentioned in Epstein’s list emerge. We need a radical return to the God of the human race, through a purification of civil society and the ecclesial body. We need to oppose this attack with collective action, so that the Papacy may return to being a Beacon of Truth and a Harbor of Salvation, and not the megaphone of the antichristic synarchy of the World Economic Forum."
Stuff like that plays well with conservative evangelicals, as well as political conservatives. Vigano is a hero amongst them today but, the historical fact is, Protestants saw the RCC, the Popes and the Vatican as the system of the prophetic antichrist for very specific, biblical reasons for centuries of the Reformation and well before that. Vigano is, in fact, a part of the antichrist - "in place of Christ" - system the Bible warns of. I can tell you full-well the Archbishop is well aware of the once universal Protestant position on that subject and is just as diligent as former Jesuit, Francisco Ribera was to instill his policy of Futurism into the fabric of Protestant theology, to weaken it and destroy it. Vigano is an agent of Rome; no different than Catholic actors before him; loyal to the Papacy, loyal to Catholicism, loyal to the "Mother church."
The Bible warns of an apostasy, long ago begun by pagans in the form of Christians; who "infiltrated" the body of Christ. Paul, Peter, John and Jude especially warned of this infiltration. The Roman Catholic Church is the result.
Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood.
Act 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Act 20:31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
2Pet 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2Pet 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
2Pet 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not.
1John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
I am a Bible believing Christian. I am a Protestant. I do not subscribe to Romanism in any form; be it the Catholic version or any such copy version found in denominations professing Protestantism or the more watered down, "evangelical" communities. So many churches follow traditions and doctrines not found in the Bible. So many make rules and mandate allegiance to them, which is not in harmony with a 'Thus saith the Lord.' Faithful, sincere Roman Catholics and non-Catholics throughout the world need to be warned - Babylon is fallen, is fallen -
Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
Mother and "harlot" daughters are uniting, whether they realize it or not.
We are all fallen creatures that sin and make a wreck of life by foolish decisions but, there is one decision that can save us from ourselves - the daily, moment by moment decision to follow Christ and go to Him to be free from the penalty and power of sin. It's a daily battle. No one is freed from it and Christ shall have a people who reflect His character and victory to the world before He returns.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Oh, Finland!
Like many people, I am among those who tend to romanticize Scandinavia. The enormous peninsula of Finland, Norway and Sweden; land of Vikings and fantastic mountain ranges, lakes, forests and northern lights; mystical, colorful auroras.
Finland's history, religiously speaking, has been Christian for centuries. 65% of the population are Lutherans. Why, then, is Finland harassing, if not oppressing politician Raivi Rasanen for being guilty of "hate speech" for quoting the Bible on social media? She has faced this for at least four years now, acquitted twice and once again, prosecutors want to haul her into court and put her away for being against, what the Bible openly condemns - homosexuality.
"Finnish Politician Räsänen Again Facing Demands For Prosecution Over Quoting Bible"
www.zerohedge.com/political/finnish-politician-rasanen-again-facing-demands-prosecution-over-quoting-bible
It seems logical to conclude; if they can, prosecutors will have to condemn the Bible at some point. Then, what will citizens do? The government is taking a bold stand against free speech. If it does not coincide with Leftist agenda, it is hate speech. It cannot just be another point of view. It must be classed as hate speech. That, logically, places all Bible believing Christians in harm's way of government persecution.
From the Finland Constitution -
"CHAPTER 1 FUNDAMENTAL PROVISIONS
Section 1.
"The Constitution
"Finland is a sovereign republic.
"The constitution of Finland is established in this constitutional act. The constitution shall guarantee the inviolability of human dignity and the freedom and rights of the individual and promote justice in society.
"CHAPTER 2. BASIC RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES
Section 6. Equality
Everyone is equal before the law.
"No one shall, without an acceptable reason, be treated differently from other persons on the ground of sex, age, origin, language, religion, conviction, opinion, health, disability or other reason that concerns his or her person.
Section 11. Freedom of religion and conscience
"Everyone has the freedom of religion and conscience.
"Freedom of religion and conscience entails the right to profess and practice a religion, the right to express one's convictions and the right to be a member of or decline to be a member of a religious community. No one is under the obligation, against his or her conscience, to participate in the practice of a religion."
Rasanen has been acquitted twice and we might assume, if she is brought before the court again, she would be acquitted again but, you see, new laws (Acts), about LGBTQ stand opposed to the basic language of the nation's Constitution. Exceptions have been made to previous law and order that thwart free speech and rights to express opinion.
This is taking place in other nations bowing to the homosexual agenda. Things will probably get worse before a backlash takes place. There's just no way to know. The entire cast of Western civilization is fluid and teetering on a precipice of collapse.
We know the Bible states Sodom and Gomorrah are signs of what shall be at the end of time. We're here.
Christ said the gates of hell (death) shall not prevail against His church. What can that mean in its broadest application? It means much of what mankind calls Christ's church, is not. It is man's church, adapted to man's standards and ideas of what is right and wrong, what is acceptable and what is not; and Christ predicted that in very strong language -
Mat 7:21 Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.
So, how should we decide what is iniquity? National constitutions, acts and laws? God forbid. That ultimately leads to the State becoming god. History is filled with such entities and the world has seen them in our day in North Korea, China, Cuba, the USSR and other totalitarian nations and/or regimes. U.S. federal agencies have put out documentation that people with strong religious beliefs regarding the second coming of Christ should be watched with suspicion.
I cannot apologize for stating the end of the world is coming. Prophecy stands like massive mountain ranges to look down on puny, infantile mankind trying to do away with God in open society, and even private society. Darkness is light to them. Light is darkness. Everything is being turned upside down. Thousands of years ago this was all predicted.
Seriously, one is a fool to disregard the Bible as just an ancient book filled with old stories, fables and useless, old-fashioned, out of date information; and humanity is all the guidance the need.
Their choice.
Rather amazing, is it not? God says you are free to do and say as you please. We just must realize a day of responsibility and accountability, judgment for all of us shall take place but, God is not hauling anyone into His court for even shouting how much they hate Him. He gives people time, generally, to live with our decisions and He tries to reason with us, that we shall take another path into the light of truth. The day of justice shall arrive, though.
Finland says, you cannot quote the Bible about things the law of Finland deems unacceptable or you shall be prosecuted. Their basis for that? Freedom from God. History shows it is a deadly path to take. It can be even worse for those who claim to speak for God and change His will according to theirs.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Finland's history, religiously speaking, has been Christian for centuries. 65% of the population are Lutherans. Why, then, is Finland harassing, if not oppressing politician Raivi Rasanen for being guilty of "hate speech" for quoting the Bible on social media? She has faced this for at least four years now, acquitted twice and once again, prosecutors want to haul her into court and put her away for being against, what the Bible openly condemns - homosexuality.
"Finnish Politician Räsänen Again Facing Demands For Prosecution Over Quoting Bible"
www.zerohedge.com/political/finnish-politician-rasanen-again-facing-demands-prosecution-over-quoting-bible
It seems logical to conclude; if they can, prosecutors will have to condemn the Bible at some point. Then, what will citizens do? The government is taking a bold stand against free speech. If it does not coincide with Leftist agenda, it is hate speech. It cannot just be another point of view. It must be classed as hate speech. That, logically, places all Bible believing Christians in harm's way of government persecution.
From the Finland Constitution -
"CHAPTER 1 FUNDAMENTAL PROVISIONS
Section 1.
"The Constitution
"Finland is a sovereign republic.
"The constitution of Finland is established in this constitutional act. The constitution shall guarantee the inviolability of human dignity and the freedom and rights of the individual and promote justice in society.
"CHAPTER 2. BASIC RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES
Section 6. Equality
Everyone is equal before the law.
"No one shall, without an acceptable reason, be treated differently from other persons on the ground of sex, age, origin, language, religion, conviction, opinion, health, disability or other reason that concerns his or her person.
Section 11. Freedom of religion and conscience
"Everyone has the freedom of religion and conscience.
"Freedom of religion and conscience entails the right to profess and practice a religion, the right to express one's convictions and the right to be a member of or decline to be a member of a religious community. No one is under the obligation, against his or her conscience, to participate in the practice of a religion."
Rasanen has been acquitted twice and we might assume, if she is brought before the court again, she would be acquitted again but, you see, new laws (Acts), about LGBTQ stand opposed to the basic language of the nation's Constitution. Exceptions have been made to previous law and order that thwart free speech and rights to express opinion.
This is taking place in other nations bowing to the homosexual agenda. Things will probably get worse before a backlash takes place. There's just no way to know. The entire cast of Western civilization is fluid and teetering on a precipice of collapse.
We know the Bible states Sodom and Gomorrah are signs of what shall be at the end of time. We're here.
Christ said the gates of hell (death) shall not prevail against His church. What can that mean in its broadest application? It means much of what mankind calls Christ's church, is not. It is man's church, adapted to man's standards and ideas of what is right and wrong, what is acceptable and what is not; and Christ predicted that in very strong language -
Mat 7:21 Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.
So, how should we decide what is iniquity? National constitutions, acts and laws? God forbid. That ultimately leads to the State becoming god. History is filled with such entities and the world has seen them in our day in North Korea, China, Cuba, the USSR and other totalitarian nations and/or regimes. U.S. federal agencies have put out documentation that people with strong religious beliefs regarding the second coming of Christ should be watched with suspicion.
I cannot apologize for stating the end of the world is coming. Prophecy stands like massive mountain ranges to look down on puny, infantile mankind trying to do away with God in open society, and even private society. Darkness is light to them. Light is darkness. Everything is being turned upside down. Thousands of years ago this was all predicted.
Seriously, one is a fool to disregard the Bible as just an ancient book filled with old stories, fables and useless, old-fashioned, out of date information; and humanity is all the guidance the need.
Their choice.
Rather amazing, is it not? God says you are free to do and say as you please. We just must realize a day of responsibility and accountability, judgment for all of us shall take place but, God is not hauling anyone into His court for even shouting how much they hate Him. He gives people time, generally, to live with our decisions and He tries to reason with us, that we shall take another path into the light of truth. The day of justice shall arrive, though.
Finland says, you cannot quote the Bible about things the law of Finland deems unacceptable or you shall be prosecuted. Their basis for that? Freedom from God. History shows it is a deadly path to take. It can be even worse for those who claim to speak for God and change His will according to theirs.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
902. LEGEND Update:
Music is a Personal Thing- 1/16/24
If you follow posts on the Recording Blog page, now well into the rerecording of the original LEGEND album, you know a situation developed over what kind of sound the entire album should have; how the mixes of each song should meld together.
One view is that each song is a piece of music in and of itself; with its own story/message, and it's own musical structure and tempo, its own vibe, each a stand-alone piece. If they are all different in tone, sound or levels each instrument takes, song to song, that's okay. It's a collection; an album. Much like a photo album, pictures may be taken from distances or close-ups, with people or without, of varying subject matter, in B&W or color or particular shades of something, like Sepia.
Another view is that each song should have a consistency of things that flow along, song to song. The same levels each instrument takes in the mixes; the above variations can be there but, some kind of consistency must be maintained in the overall sound of the album.
From my point of view, I began to realize I generally do not listen to this type of music anymore and people thereby ask the obvious question, Why not?
How can I be an integral part of a music project involving a music genre I don't really listen to? Good question. One I pondered heavily and decided that I am not the one to make such a decision about a project that is not just art, it's also a product for sale in a business venture designed to hopefully make a profit. That is the music industry.
At one time, growing up, such things were not as important as today. Bands, artists were far more into just making art, rather than if anything sells, and record companies allowed such individual pursuits in many genres developing out of the basic Blues, Jazz, Classical, Country and Rock and Roll genres that existed. Today? Not so much. Music is homogenized today. Apparently, genre to genre, people expect that in an album. Sameness. Some kind of consistency in the overall sound of an album. In some ways, especially reading comments on YouTube, you can see the obvious generation gap between people who grew up in my era of music and those growing up in the last 25 years. To my ears, a lot of music has become cookie cutter, banal presentations of sound lacking decent melody and song structure and composition. Much of it, as I have written before, to my ears, is just noise.
Now, when it comes to music, personal taste is acute. Anyone who denies that is just living in a fogbank of the mediocre. And as much as it may seem an offensive remark, today's youth are listening to drivel in the minds of people who lived in an era of such diverse development of genres that literally shocked the music world. Combinations of sound with culture was a fascinating journey of exploration. What the Beatles combined. What Cream combined. What Jimi Hendrix combined. What Miles Davis combined. What Emerson, Lake and Palmer combined. What Santana combined. What the Allman Brothers Band combined. What Black Sabbath combined. What Blood, Sweat and Tears and Chicago Transit Authority combined. What the Mahavishnu Orchestra combined, etc., etc., etc. was all new sound: combinations of sound and culture before them with the sound of Rock music.
LEGEND was a product of all of that. Each of us had our various influences, same as musicians today but, I believe the era of music I grew up in was a lot more adventurous and albums, such as the recording industry was, reflected more fluidity and variations. That is not a comment trying to make a statement that albums were a hodgepodge of food thrown at a wall to see what sticks. Balance was hampered by the technology. Listen to an old album and hear how a drum set was all in one stereo channel. Guitar and bass in the other. Vocals all over the place. It'll drive you nuts and yet, the music sounded free, because it was.
Over time, as the tech developed, and business took over art, things became more and more homogenized. Some would call it more well-ordered, balanced or "sophisticated," and that would be hard to argue. Some would call it banal, and that became hard to argue, as well. Some genres, like Heavy Metal, became absolutely metronomic. Then the digital age hit and music could be pieced together from parts within parts. Listeners could not know what they were actually listening to. The kind of mistakes or humanity one might hear in previous albums were replaced with engineered perfection via software and manipulation of things never dreamed possible. Music literally became more about the engineering than the musicians, and so it remains to this day; a constant battle between musicians and music producers.
As far as LEGEND Revisited - From the Lord, I am caught between two sides of what music was and what it is, in recorded fashion today. I recorded the original album in 1978, when things were beginning to change from adventure to more business minded production. Disco music was everywhere. Punk Rock was coming into vogue. Machines were about to take over the place of human drummers. The era of coldness was developing. LEGEND was at the tail end of the adventure days, on the edge of major changes taking place. I am rerecording this music in a totally different atmosphere than it was originally recorded and this has brought about some interesting obstacles in the road.
Why don't I listen to this type of music anymore? I get asked that, especially by young people who contact me. I'll tell you.
1. My conversion experience to the Christian faith changed my tastes in many ways. I became more cognizant of lyrics and message, even more so than as the lyricist in LEGEND. If I cannot understand the lyrics, I just don't bother to listen to the music. It's one of the reasons I was so into Fusion back then. No lyrics. It was all instrumental music. You can play almost any genre of Rock today and I'm clueless as to what is being sung.
2. Along with that is just a disdain for the messages contained in music. I was never into partying - sex, drugs and rock and roll before I became a Christian. I'm certainly not now, after becoming a follow of Jesus Christ. I don't listen to Country music but, I have great respect for its lyrical story tellers. I can understand what they are trying to get across, song to song and the sentiments contained basically match much of my worldview. Not all of it. Country music has changed a lot. Some of it is as bawdy in message as Hard Rock can be. I just don't care for the music as a genre..
3. The lack of decent melody and song structure/composition just leave me unable to develop an interest in almost all modern music today. Some bands seem to create time changes for the sake of time changes, making music as difficult to listen to as possible and that just leaves me shaking my head, not enjoying what I'm hearing. Just because I can appreciate the athletics of it all does not mean it becomes an enjoyable listening experience for me.
4. If the drummer is not interesting to my musical sensibilities, creating some kind of parts or showing some kind of imagination, as well as decent technique, an integral part of the sound is missing for me. I have never been into music with basic 2 and 4 drumming and never will be, regardless of anything else happening. A lot of Rock music genres may as well be programmed by drum machines. I am not moved by a static beat. I am easily bored. That is about my tastes, not the talents of drummers who are happy to just lay down a solid beat.
5. I don't like walls of sound. I like to hear each instrument separated by its own character and personality. Don't yell or scream or growl at me, either. I'm not into it. Wasn't when I was a kid; definitely not, 45 years later. And don't use what I still consider foul language. It isn't cool. It isn't necessary. It's immature and just contributes to the corruption of young minds; literally children that aren't children anymore. They've been abducted and brainwashed by perverse minds. Yeah, well, I do not care if that offends you. Children should remain children. And frankly, "adult language" is not adult at all. It's juvenile. When I hear parents using such language around their own children I just shake my head and feel sorrow. Why should music contain it? Well, someone says, it's just a reflection of what the reality is out there. Indeed. I don't need it. Nobody has to follow the crowd into a ditch.
That's about the gist of it, for me. Modern music, the genres and many subgenres of Rock, and I openly admit to not having heard much of it because it left me flat decades ago, just doesn't float my boat. I don't need my ears to bleed from guitar tones distorted to constant hurricane status. Honestly, as much as I loved the Mahavishnu Orchestra, I was not a fan of John McLaughlin's tone and I'm still not for a lot of his newer stuff I may check out on YT. Not much in nature is distorted sound. As close as you may come to it is the growl of predators. Otherwise nature is quite musical. Storms, like hurricanes and tornadoes, present distorted sounds that scare people. Why? Because humanity was created to hear melody, harmony and rhythm. The sound of destruction is not something God ever intended humanity to hear. That's the result of sin, of choosing another way than God required for humanity's benefit and blessing.
What Martin and Janne have created for the rerecording of the album have truly been things, even they admit has been different for them. In the context of each song, they have created some really cool things happening, and even to the aspect of something more akin to noise, when applied to the song, like The Battle of Armageddon, a song about the seven last plagues and end of the world, is appropriate and makes a real difference, artistically speaking. Yes, reality matters. I just don't know anyone who wants to live through a hurricane every day. War is a reality. Nobody wants to live through any war, let alone perpetual war.
For some reason, more than likely the new lyrics and storylines have given me a new perspective of the songs. I hear them, truly as musical pieces in the same frame I'd listen to Classical music. Things fit well. Things come across differently to my mind. Some things remain the same, somethings changed, all in the spirit of the original. That has been the philosophy of the project from the start, and yet, as words have meanings, they can mean different things to different people.
Ultimately, as I have mentioned on the Recording Blog, I feel less than capable of judging what an album should sound like today; for today's fans of the genre, whatever genre people place LEGEND in (which is more than likely not what we as a band placed it in), and I am leaving it to the ears of the record company owners to decide what kind of mixes the songs should have, to be a viable product in today's market. If I want people to listen to the new album, with its new lyrics and message, even if my intent was to create a kind of different atmospheric tone for the music and take it out of the Heavy Metal genre it somehow got encapsulated in, as it exists today, something I am not into and really never was, the aspect of music as business cannot be avoided. So, Manos and Kostas, at Sonic Age Records/Cult Rock Classics, will be the final arbiters of the basic sound the album shall have. I'm not going to make a fuss and start a range war over it. In today's music climate, I really don't know what is out there. They do. It's their job to know. I'll trust their take on it all.
Onward>>>
One view is that each song is a piece of music in and of itself; with its own story/message, and it's own musical structure and tempo, its own vibe, each a stand-alone piece. If they are all different in tone, sound or levels each instrument takes, song to song, that's okay. It's a collection; an album. Much like a photo album, pictures may be taken from distances or close-ups, with people or without, of varying subject matter, in B&W or color or particular shades of something, like Sepia.
Another view is that each song should have a consistency of things that flow along, song to song. The same levels each instrument takes in the mixes; the above variations can be there but, some kind of consistency must be maintained in the overall sound of the album.
From my point of view, I began to realize I generally do not listen to this type of music anymore and people thereby ask the obvious question, Why not?
How can I be an integral part of a music project involving a music genre I don't really listen to? Good question. One I pondered heavily and decided that I am not the one to make such a decision about a project that is not just art, it's also a product for sale in a business venture designed to hopefully make a profit. That is the music industry.
At one time, growing up, such things were not as important as today. Bands, artists were far more into just making art, rather than if anything sells, and record companies allowed such individual pursuits in many genres developing out of the basic Blues, Jazz, Classical, Country and Rock and Roll genres that existed. Today? Not so much. Music is homogenized today. Apparently, genre to genre, people expect that in an album. Sameness. Some kind of consistency in the overall sound of an album. In some ways, especially reading comments on YouTube, you can see the obvious generation gap between people who grew up in my era of music and those growing up in the last 25 years. To my ears, a lot of music has become cookie cutter, banal presentations of sound lacking decent melody and song structure and composition. Much of it, as I have written before, to my ears, is just noise.
Now, when it comes to music, personal taste is acute. Anyone who denies that is just living in a fogbank of the mediocre. And as much as it may seem an offensive remark, today's youth are listening to drivel in the minds of people who lived in an era of such diverse development of genres that literally shocked the music world. Combinations of sound with culture was a fascinating journey of exploration. What the Beatles combined. What Cream combined. What Jimi Hendrix combined. What Miles Davis combined. What Emerson, Lake and Palmer combined. What Santana combined. What the Allman Brothers Band combined. What Black Sabbath combined. What Blood, Sweat and Tears and Chicago Transit Authority combined. What the Mahavishnu Orchestra combined, etc., etc., etc. was all new sound: combinations of sound and culture before them with the sound of Rock music.
LEGEND was a product of all of that. Each of us had our various influences, same as musicians today but, I believe the era of music I grew up in was a lot more adventurous and albums, such as the recording industry was, reflected more fluidity and variations. That is not a comment trying to make a statement that albums were a hodgepodge of food thrown at a wall to see what sticks. Balance was hampered by the technology. Listen to an old album and hear how a drum set was all in one stereo channel. Guitar and bass in the other. Vocals all over the place. It'll drive you nuts and yet, the music sounded free, because it was.
Over time, as the tech developed, and business took over art, things became more and more homogenized. Some would call it more well-ordered, balanced or "sophisticated," and that would be hard to argue. Some would call it banal, and that became hard to argue, as well. Some genres, like Heavy Metal, became absolutely metronomic. Then the digital age hit and music could be pieced together from parts within parts. Listeners could not know what they were actually listening to. The kind of mistakes or humanity one might hear in previous albums were replaced with engineered perfection via software and manipulation of things never dreamed possible. Music literally became more about the engineering than the musicians, and so it remains to this day; a constant battle between musicians and music producers.
As far as LEGEND Revisited - From the Lord, I am caught between two sides of what music was and what it is, in recorded fashion today. I recorded the original album in 1978, when things were beginning to change from adventure to more business minded production. Disco music was everywhere. Punk Rock was coming into vogue. Machines were about to take over the place of human drummers. The era of coldness was developing. LEGEND was at the tail end of the adventure days, on the edge of major changes taking place. I am rerecording this music in a totally different atmosphere than it was originally recorded and this has brought about some interesting obstacles in the road.
Why don't I listen to this type of music anymore? I get asked that, especially by young people who contact me. I'll tell you.
1. My conversion experience to the Christian faith changed my tastes in many ways. I became more cognizant of lyrics and message, even more so than as the lyricist in LEGEND. If I cannot understand the lyrics, I just don't bother to listen to the music. It's one of the reasons I was so into Fusion back then. No lyrics. It was all instrumental music. You can play almost any genre of Rock today and I'm clueless as to what is being sung.
2. Along with that is just a disdain for the messages contained in music. I was never into partying - sex, drugs and rock and roll before I became a Christian. I'm certainly not now, after becoming a follow of Jesus Christ. I don't listen to Country music but, I have great respect for its lyrical story tellers. I can understand what they are trying to get across, song to song and the sentiments contained basically match much of my worldview. Not all of it. Country music has changed a lot. Some of it is as bawdy in message as Hard Rock can be. I just don't care for the music as a genre..
3. The lack of decent melody and song structure/composition just leave me unable to develop an interest in almost all modern music today. Some bands seem to create time changes for the sake of time changes, making music as difficult to listen to as possible and that just leaves me shaking my head, not enjoying what I'm hearing. Just because I can appreciate the athletics of it all does not mean it becomes an enjoyable listening experience for me.
4. If the drummer is not interesting to my musical sensibilities, creating some kind of parts or showing some kind of imagination, as well as decent technique, an integral part of the sound is missing for me. I have never been into music with basic 2 and 4 drumming and never will be, regardless of anything else happening. A lot of Rock music genres may as well be programmed by drum machines. I am not moved by a static beat. I am easily bored. That is about my tastes, not the talents of drummers who are happy to just lay down a solid beat.
5. I don't like walls of sound. I like to hear each instrument separated by its own character and personality. Don't yell or scream or growl at me, either. I'm not into it. Wasn't when I was a kid; definitely not, 45 years later. And don't use what I still consider foul language. It isn't cool. It isn't necessary. It's immature and just contributes to the corruption of young minds; literally children that aren't children anymore. They've been abducted and brainwashed by perverse minds. Yeah, well, I do not care if that offends you. Children should remain children. And frankly, "adult language" is not adult at all. It's juvenile. When I hear parents using such language around their own children I just shake my head and feel sorrow. Why should music contain it? Well, someone says, it's just a reflection of what the reality is out there. Indeed. I don't need it. Nobody has to follow the crowd into a ditch.
That's about the gist of it, for me. Modern music, the genres and many subgenres of Rock, and I openly admit to not having heard much of it because it left me flat decades ago, just doesn't float my boat. I don't need my ears to bleed from guitar tones distorted to constant hurricane status. Honestly, as much as I loved the Mahavishnu Orchestra, I was not a fan of John McLaughlin's tone and I'm still not for a lot of his newer stuff I may check out on YT. Not much in nature is distorted sound. As close as you may come to it is the growl of predators. Otherwise nature is quite musical. Storms, like hurricanes and tornadoes, present distorted sounds that scare people. Why? Because humanity was created to hear melody, harmony and rhythm. The sound of destruction is not something God ever intended humanity to hear. That's the result of sin, of choosing another way than God required for humanity's benefit and blessing.
What Martin and Janne have created for the rerecording of the album have truly been things, even they admit has been different for them. In the context of each song, they have created some really cool things happening, and even to the aspect of something more akin to noise, when applied to the song, like The Battle of Armageddon, a song about the seven last plagues and end of the world, is appropriate and makes a real difference, artistically speaking. Yes, reality matters. I just don't know anyone who wants to live through a hurricane every day. War is a reality. Nobody wants to live through any war, let alone perpetual war.
For some reason, more than likely the new lyrics and storylines have given me a new perspective of the songs. I hear them, truly as musical pieces in the same frame I'd listen to Classical music. Things fit well. Things come across differently to my mind. Some things remain the same, somethings changed, all in the spirit of the original. That has been the philosophy of the project from the start, and yet, as words have meanings, they can mean different things to different people.
Ultimately, as I have mentioned on the Recording Blog, I feel less than capable of judging what an album should sound like today; for today's fans of the genre, whatever genre people place LEGEND in (which is more than likely not what we as a band placed it in), and I am leaving it to the ears of the record company owners to decide what kind of mixes the songs should have, to be a viable product in today's market. If I want people to listen to the new album, with its new lyrics and message, even if my intent was to create a kind of different atmospheric tone for the music and take it out of the Heavy Metal genre it somehow got encapsulated in, as it exists today, something I am not into and really never was, the aspect of music as business cannot be avoided. So, Manos and Kostas, at Sonic Age Records/Cult Rock Classics, will be the final arbiters of the basic sound the album shall have. I'm not going to make a fuss and start a range war over it. In today's music climate, I really don't know what is out there. They do. It's their job to know. I'll trust their take on it all.
Onward>>>
*****************************
Does God Have it Wrong?
A Headline I just came across -
"Critics Slam WHO for Declaring War Against Meat and Calling for Worldwide Shift to Plant-Based Diet by 2025
Editor's Note: The story below is a perfect example of why we partnered with Prepper Beef to bring long-term storage, top-quality...
BY CASSIE B., NATURAL NEWS
JANUARY 16, 2024
From the Bible, the book of Genesis -
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Gen 1:29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
Gen 1:30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Gen 1:31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
The original diet all animal and human life had, as God created them all, was a plant-based diet. Nothing can be more clear from the testimony of Scripture. Nothing was meant to die, at all, let alone die to be food for something else.
I don't know what the agenda is for the World Health Organization. I am certain it is not to be in harmony with the Creator. That's for sure but, just because the WHO endorses a plant-based diet is no reason for me to chuck it. It's been my diet for 45 years. I'm going to stop it because some conservatives see it as suspicious? Not happening.
I mean, what? Did God get it wrong? Of course not. The eating of animal flesh was given because of the Flood and destruction of all plant life on Earth, around 1,700 years after creation. Everybody following that diet then did fine, thank you very much, and the same can be said for today.
You can be guaranteed there are no steak houses or fast food joints in Heaven. If you expect or hope to live there when this gig is over, you can expect to eat a plant-based diet for eternity. That's what's coming. Nobody needs beef to survive or be healthy, save for those with digestive systems that have been compromised in some way by the effects of sin upon the race. I have a new friend who suffers from pancreatitis. For more than fifty years this brave soul has suffered and fought through pain on almost a daily basis. That is the result of thousands of years of sin upon this world.
God did not get it wrong. Except for unusual cases, humanity benefits from a whole food, balanced, plant-based diet God designed humans to eat, from hundreds of different things that grow on trees, bushes, on top of or beneath the surface of the earth and the waters: fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds and nuts, combined in literally thousands of different ways, make for a complete and healthy diet. God intended it, is going back to it when Christ returns, and it will remain that way forever.
No, I didn't read the article. And no, I do not trust the WHO or endorse manufactured meat or anything they will endorse. Manufactured meat looks gross. It's hardly a representation of what a well-prepared vegetarian meal looks or tastes like and it will all contain elements of vaccines designed to take care of the human population "problem." It's hard enough finding fruits and vegetables with any flavor because it's grown from soil depleted with the effects of modern industrial farming, harvesting and market preparation. By the same token, don't even try to tell me a steak tastes great, when people need to have blood give it flavor or any number of condiments and spices and salt they cover it with.
“Two All Beef Patties, Special Sauce, Lettuce, Cheese, Pickles, Onions on a Sesame Seed Bun.”
Remember that jingle? I do. I was never into "Big Macs" back then but, it's pretty obvious if the jingle stopped at "Two all beef patties," they'd have been long gone from McDonald's menus right quick.
God does not make mistakes. And people disregarding His specific directives regarding the consumption of animals for food, do so at their own peril.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
"Critics Slam WHO for Declaring War Against Meat and Calling for Worldwide Shift to Plant-Based Diet by 2025
Editor's Note: The story below is a perfect example of why we partnered with Prepper Beef to bring long-term storage, top-quality...
BY CASSIE B., NATURAL NEWS
JANUARY 16, 2024
From the Bible, the book of Genesis -
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Gen 1:29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
Gen 1:30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Gen 1:31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
The original diet all animal and human life had, as God created them all, was a plant-based diet. Nothing can be more clear from the testimony of Scripture. Nothing was meant to die, at all, let alone die to be food for something else.
I don't know what the agenda is for the World Health Organization. I am certain it is not to be in harmony with the Creator. That's for sure but, just because the WHO endorses a plant-based diet is no reason for me to chuck it. It's been my diet for 45 years. I'm going to stop it because some conservatives see it as suspicious? Not happening.
I mean, what? Did God get it wrong? Of course not. The eating of animal flesh was given because of the Flood and destruction of all plant life on Earth, around 1,700 years after creation. Everybody following that diet then did fine, thank you very much, and the same can be said for today.
You can be guaranteed there are no steak houses or fast food joints in Heaven. If you expect or hope to live there when this gig is over, you can expect to eat a plant-based diet for eternity. That's what's coming. Nobody needs beef to survive or be healthy, save for those with digestive systems that have been compromised in some way by the effects of sin upon the race. I have a new friend who suffers from pancreatitis. For more than fifty years this brave soul has suffered and fought through pain on almost a daily basis. That is the result of thousands of years of sin upon this world.
God did not get it wrong. Except for unusual cases, humanity benefits from a whole food, balanced, plant-based diet God designed humans to eat, from hundreds of different things that grow on trees, bushes, on top of or beneath the surface of the earth and the waters: fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds and nuts, combined in literally thousands of different ways, make for a complete and healthy diet. God intended it, is going back to it when Christ returns, and it will remain that way forever.
No, I didn't read the article. And no, I do not trust the WHO or endorse manufactured meat or anything they will endorse. Manufactured meat looks gross. It's hardly a representation of what a well-prepared vegetarian meal looks or tastes like and it will all contain elements of vaccines designed to take care of the human population "problem." It's hard enough finding fruits and vegetables with any flavor because it's grown from soil depleted with the effects of modern industrial farming, harvesting and market preparation. By the same token, don't even try to tell me a steak tastes great, when people need to have blood give it flavor or any number of condiments and spices and salt they cover it with.
“Two All Beef Patties, Special Sauce, Lettuce, Cheese, Pickles, Onions on a Sesame Seed Bun.”
Remember that jingle? I do. I was never into "Big Macs" back then but, it's pretty obvious if the jingle stopped at "Two all beef patties," they'd have been long gone from McDonald's menus right quick.
God does not make mistakes. And people disregarding His specific directives regarding the consumption of animals for food, do so at their own peril.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
If You "Sort Of" Follow Politics
If you "sort of" follow politics, like I do, you see names in headlines, you know certain things are happening but, details, particulars are just not your bag. Take Fani Willis. What do I know about that name? It belongs to a prosecutor trying Trump in court on bogus charges of election interference. I know she is having or recently had an "improper relationship" with another prosecutor involved with the case somehow and she is having to defend herself and apparently doing so by circling the wagons and attacking others around her; especially "privileged white people." Same ol', same ol'.
What I did not know are things that fill in some interesting gaps in many other situations seen in the news these days. Oh, yeah. Lots of gaps, and the link is to some quick comments that I found really interesting. So, I share them here for you to check out -
Atlanta DA Fani Willis Plays the Race Card Giving Proactive Speech at Big Bethal AME Church
I didn't know what the AME Church is. It's the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Hm. How does it figure into everything happening today?
"Two high level takeaways. First, please pay attention to the venue {GO DEEP}, as CTH [Conservative Tree House] has documented for 10+ years the AME church network is the epicenter of racially driven political influence. BLM are the activist foot soldiers; AME are the network organizers. BLM harvest the ballots; AME are the precinct workers who scan them as many times as needed. This is the “Atlanta way,” that duplicates in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Detroit, Chicago, Baltimore and Madison.
"Second, Fani Willis must anticipate a major problem with her case and conduct if she is proactively going to the crew who will be tasked with circling the wagons on her defense. In this video soundbite Fani Willis plays the race card to her audience at Big Bethal AME church in Atlanta.
"Fani Willis’ full speech was 35 minutes long and filled with racially driven context.
"The AME church network is the same political system used by Barack “if I had a son” Obama, Benjamin Crump, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin in Miami-Dade/Orlando. The same network in Ferguson Missouri (Mike Brown), the same network in Baltimore, Maryland (Freddy Gray), and on it goes.
"The AME network is a system built on the guise of religion, but fraught with politics, racial division, the retention of pretenses and massive fraud."
The connective videos are embedded on the page linked.
"Sundance," as he goes by, a patriot and balanced thinker, often has very astute observations of things happening. I avail myself of them every week.
theconservativetreehouse.com/
What I did not know are things that fill in some interesting gaps in many other situations seen in the news these days. Oh, yeah. Lots of gaps, and the link is to some quick comments that I found really interesting. So, I share them here for you to check out -
Atlanta DA Fani Willis Plays the Race Card Giving Proactive Speech at Big Bethal AME Church
I didn't know what the AME Church is. It's the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Hm. How does it figure into everything happening today?
"Two high level takeaways. First, please pay attention to the venue {GO DEEP}, as CTH [Conservative Tree House] has documented for 10+ years the AME church network is the epicenter of racially driven political influence. BLM are the activist foot soldiers; AME are the network organizers. BLM harvest the ballots; AME are the precinct workers who scan them as many times as needed. This is the “Atlanta way,” that duplicates in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Detroit, Chicago, Baltimore and Madison.
"Second, Fani Willis must anticipate a major problem with her case and conduct if she is proactively going to the crew who will be tasked with circling the wagons on her defense. In this video soundbite Fani Willis plays the race card to her audience at Big Bethal AME church in Atlanta.
"Fani Willis’ full speech was 35 minutes long and filled with racially driven context.
"The AME church network is the same political system used by Barack “if I had a son” Obama, Benjamin Crump, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin in Miami-Dade/Orlando. The same network in Ferguson Missouri (Mike Brown), the same network in Baltimore, Maryland (Freddy Gray), and on it goes.
"The AME network is a system built on the guise of religion, but fraught with politics, racial division, the retention of pretenses and massive fraud."
The connective videos are embedded on the page linked.
"Sundance," as he goes by, a patriot and balanced thinker, often has very astute observations of things happening. I avail myself of them every week.
theconservativetreehouse.com/
*****************************
VOODOO DEATH
I recently mentioned researchers have concluded 17,000,000 people have died from the effects of the entire "Plandemic." Not to mentioned the many more effected by adverse reactions to the injections.
Watch this and see just how intrinsic to the plans of the globalist totalitarian cabal, fearmongering is in their pursuit of complete control over humanity. No kidding. I consider this one a must see -
rumble.com/v46ej7i-17-million-murdered-by-covid-vaccines-and-voodoo-death.html
Here we are four years later and we are still receiving pieces of he puzzle. The depth of the darkness of this evil is almost unimaginable.
I'll add this one in for good measure -
rumble.com/v47834i-can-the-mrna-covid-vax-change-your-dna-humanity-itself-forever-sounds-nutty.html
Watch this and see just how intrinsic to the plans of the globalist totalitarian cabal, fearmongering is in their pursuit of complete control over humanity. No kidding. I consider this one a must see -
rumble.com/v46ej7i-17-million-murdered-by-covid-vaccines-and-voodoo-death.html
Here we are four years later and we are still receiving pieces of he puzzle. The depth of the darkness of this evil is almost unimaginable.
I'll add this one in for good measure -
rumble.com/v47834i-can-the-mrna-covid-vax-change-your-dna-humanity-itself-forever-sounds-nutty.html
*****************************
903. Wars! - 1/20/2024
Matt 24:4 And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Matt 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Matt 24:6 And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that you are not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Matt 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in different places.
Matt 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Those words open a sequence of events that Christ gave to His disciples leading up to the fall of Jerusalem, as well as precursors to His coming again and the end of the world as we know it.
Within those harbingers of the cataclysmic second coming are wars and rumors of wars. I would again state that Christ knew His audience was not just the twelve disciples. First of all, a large company of people traveled with them but, much more than that, Christ knew His words were going to be read by billions of people at the end of time. It only makes sense that "wars" were not a sign just encompassing the land Christ lived in 2,000 years ago but, wars that were realized and known by people all over the globe. Wars have always been around. Not until the 20th century have their been "world wars," and even those wars, as brutal and devastating as they were, did not involve the whole world of great, influential, civilized nations. Now, we have leaders from many nations claiming World War 3 shall take place within 20 years or less. Here's a compilation -
endoftheamericandream.com/all-of-a-sudden-leaders-all-over-the-world-are-warning-that-world-war-iii-is-very-close/
As I have stated before, I do not agree with all the biblical last-day events interpreted by the author of the article but, he does his homework when it comes to compiling things happening in our world.
In 20 years I'll most certainly be laying in my dusty bed, asleep in Jesus. Frankly, I am quite satisfied with that because those who live through such a war, will face a world so torn apart, billions will not survive.
The USA is a war mongering nation because of the military industrial complex. It makes money. So, America is constantly engaged in armed conflict. Russia/Ukraine is the current war people are tired of hearing about. Israel/Hamas continues to rage as China and Taiwan tensions continue to rise. North Korea is a concern for South Korea, and frankly, any nation within its reach. The Iran/Pakistan situation heats up and the entire middle-east sits like a powder keg waiting to explode. Well, a gun powder keg is a very old-fashioned term that is such a speck of detonation compared to what militaries can explode today. You can mix and match any of the players above, the way analysts see things today. That does not include other nations with nuclear capability or just militaries that would engage in air and ground wars.
Jesus said when we hear about wars and rumors of wars we should not be troubled, the end is not yet. Imagine what He is saying there. How bad will the end of time be that nuclear war sits behind it on the scale of terror and destruction? That gives you an idea what is going to take place when the seven last plagues are poured out on the globe (Revelation 16).
I want you to notice something else. "Many shall come in My name saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."
Lots of Bibles translate the Greek as "I am the Christ."
Look at that statement closely. Does this imply false Christs will come along? Would not Christ have then stated; Many shall come in My name saying he is the Christ? That is not what Christ said.
The implication is that many will come in Christ's name; claiming to be an ambassador of Christ; claiming to be an emissary of Christ or a vicar of Christ; a stand-in for Christ; in the place of Christ saying, I am Christ or I am a Christ that is a deception; making Me out to be someone or something I am not. They shall deceive you with false information and lies about Me - what I am, what I came for, how I shall come again, etc.
That takes on an entirely different scope of deception.
I could easily state, with an obvious show of theological and historical force, that 266 Roman Catholic popes fill that warning perfectly but, the meaning could be much broader and take in many Protestant churches and others that create an unbiblical Christ in so many ways that deceive people to think He is something He is not; doing or not doing something, especially as far as details concerning His return. In that regard, Christ is not warning us of men coming along claiming they are Christ. He is warning us of those who come along claiming to speak for Christ and confuse their flocks with error or outright lies about the truths Christ taught. Indeed, yes, that goes much deeper and becomes far more dangerous than men who might show up claiming they are the Messiah. Most of the world population, using any common sense at all, would laugh at such a notion. Many have followed charismatic leaders to their deaths, like Jim Jones and others. Those are tragic instances of deceived people following false messiahs. What Christ was teaching is actually far more dangerous.
How many priests, pastors, ministers, evangelists, "reverends" and such do you imagine are in this world? There are over 37,000 Roman Catholic priests in America, alone. Not to count thousands of bishops. There are an estimated 150,000 Protestant ministers in America. That number increases exponentially when you count in smaller, unregistered churches and congregations. Multiply that by 200 nations of varying populations and religious makeup and the number of people out there claiming to be ambassadors for Christ; speaking different things about Christ and what He taught, which shows they cannot all be correct; they can all be wrong but, they cannot all be correct; and you have a situation that becomes incredibly confusing. Add in all the other religions or groups in this world and those claiming no religious faith at all and you have spiritual, prophetic Babylon - all claiming they proclaim the right path to Heaven; the right gate to pass through or, in the case of the rising popularity of atheism, there is no gate, no eternal place at all.
No war is more important or consequential than the war for human minds -
2Cor 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
2Cor 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
2Cor 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2Cor 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
2Cor 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
2Cor 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The greatest war, the most fierce war, the most consequential war ever fought is the one that exists between forces of light with forces of darkness; forces of good against forces of evil; forces of truth versus forces of error and lies. Whoever dies in physical wars among tribes, territories or nations shall yet rise again to receive the rewards of eternal life or eternal death. Two wars yet remain to decide those numbers: the battle of Armageddon coming and the battle for the New Jerusalem a thousand years from now. No wars carry greater consequence. All humanity, ALL of humanity for the last 6,000 years will face each other when the great white throne judgment takes place, (Revelation 20). The numbers standing upon the Earth in that place that day will be truly astronomical. Within the walls of the New Jerusalem shall stand the redeemed. Outside those gigantic walls, clear as crystal, will stand the lost of all ages, led by Lucifer and his rebel, fallen angels, in a final attempt to take the throne of God. It is an impossible scene to imagine. The Bible states fire falls from Heaven ("our God is a consuming fire" Hebrews 12:29), and devours the lost and the entire planet, turning it all into a vast, seething, churning, global lake of fire.
While the god of this world, Lucifer uses mankind to grapple for control of territory, wealth and power, it all is involved in a greater war for the conquering of souls for Christ or for Satan. We shall all stand on one side or the other in the last day this world in its present form exists.
Only one side shall enjoy residence on the Earth made new and exist through eternity as the home of God, His throne for His people forevermore.
Please, be on that side.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Matt 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Matt 24:6 And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that you are not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Matt 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in different places.
Matt 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Those words open a sequence of events that Christ gave to His disciples leading up to the fall of Jerusalem, as well as precursors to His coming again and the end of the world as we know it.
Within those harbingers of the cataclysmic second coming are wars and rumors of wars. I would again state that Christ knew His audience was not just the twelve disciples. First of all, a large company of people traveled with them but, much more than that, Christ knew His words were going to be read by billions of people at the end of time. It only makes sense that "wars" were not a sign just encompassing the land Christ lived in 2,000 years ago but, wars that were realized and known by people all over the globe. Wars have always been around. Not until the 20th century have their been "world wars," and even those wars, as brutal and devastating as they were, did not involve the whole world of great, influential, civilized nations. Now, we have leaders from many nations claiming World War 3 shall take place within 20 years or less. Here's a compilation -
endoftheamericandream.com/all-of-a-sudden-leaders-all-over-the-world-are-warning-that-world-war-iii-is-very-close/
As I have stated before, I do not agree with all the biblical last-day events interpreted by the author of the article but, he does his homework when it comes to compiling things happening in our world.
In 20 years I'll most certainly be laying in my dusty bed, asleep in Jesus. Frankly, I am quite satisfied with that because those who live through such a war, will face a world so torn apart, billions will not survive.
The USA is a war mongering nation because of the military industrial complex. It makes money. So, America is constantly engaged in armed conflict. Russia/Ukraine is the current war people are tired of hearing about. Israel/Hamas continues to rage as China and Taiwan tensions continue to rise. North Korea is a concern for South Korea, and frankly, any nation within its reach. The Iran/Pakistan situation heats up and the entire middle-east sits like a powder keg waiting to explode. Well, a gun powder keg is a very old-fashioned term that is such a speck of detonation compared to what militaries can explode today. You can mix and match any of the players above, the way analysts see things today. That does not include other nations with nuclear capability or just militaries that would engage in air and ground wars.
Jesus said when we hear about wars and rumors of wars we should not be troubled, the end is not yet. Imagine what He is saying there. How bad will the end of time be that nuclear war sits behind it on the scale of terror and destruction? That gives you an idea what is going to take place when the seven last plagues are poured out on the globe (Revelation 16).
I want you to notice something else. "Many shall come in My name saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."
Lots of Bibles translate the Greek as "I am the Christ."
Look at that statement closely. Does this imply false Christs will come along? Would not Christ have then stated; Many shall come in My name saying he is the Christ? That is not what Christ said.
The implication is that many will come in Christ's name; claiming to be an ambassador of Christ; claiming to be an emissary of Christ or a vicar of Christ; a stand-in for Christ; in the place of Christ saying, I am Christ or I am a Christ that is a deception; making Me out to be someone or something I am not. They shall deceive you with false information and lies about Me - what I am, what I came for, how I shall come again, etc.
That takes on an entirely different scope of deception.
I could easily state, with an obvious show of theological and historical force, that 266 Roman Catholic popes fill that warning perfectly but, the meaning could be much broader and take in many Protestant churches and others that create an unbiblical Christ in so many ways that deceive people to think He is something He is not; doing or not doing something, especially as far as details concerning His return. In that regard, Christ is not warning us of men coming along claiming they are Christ. He is warning us of those who come along claiming to speak for Christ and confuse their flocks with error or outright lies about the truths Christ taught. Indeed, yes, that goes much deeper and becomes far more dangerous than men who might show up claiming they are the Messiah. Most of the world population, using any common sense at all, would laugh at such a notion. Many have followed charismatic leaders to their deaths, like Jim Jones and others. Those are tragic instances of deceived people following false messiahs. What Christ was teaching is actually far more dangerous.
How many priests, pastors, ministers, evangelists, "reverends" and such do you imagine are in this world? There are over 37,000 Roman Catholic priests in America, alone. Not to count thousands of bishops. There are an estimated 150,000 Protestant ministers in America. That number increases exponentially when you count in smaller, unregistered churches and congregations. Multiply that by 200 nations of varying populations and religious makeup and the number of people out there claiming to be ambassadors for Christ; speaking different things about Christ and what He taught, which shows they cannot all be correct; they can all be wrong but, they cannot all be correct; and you have a situation that becomes incredibly confusing. Add in all the other religions or groups in this world and those claiming no religious faith at all and you have spiritual, prophetic Babylon - all claiming they proclaim the right path to Heaven; the right gate to pass through or, in the case of the rising popularity of atheism, there is no gate, no eternal place at all.
No war is more important or consequential than the war for human minds -
2Cor 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
2Cor 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
2Cor 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2Cor 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
2Cor 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
2Cor 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The greatest war, the most fierce war, the most consequential war ever fought is the one that exists between forces of light with forces of darkness; forces of good against forces of evil; forces of truth versus forces of error and lies. Whoever dies in physical wars among tribes, territories or nations shall yet rise again to receive the rewards of eternal life or eternal death. Two wars yet remain to decide those numbers: the battle of Armageddon coming and the battle for the New Jerusalem a thousand years from now. No wars carry greater consequence. All humanity, ALL of humanity for the last 6,000 years will face each other when the great white throne judgment takes place, (Revelation 20). The numbers standing upon the Earth in that place that day will be truly astronomical. Within the walls of the New Jerusalem shall stand the redeemed. Outside those gigantic walls, clear as crystal, will stand the lost of all ages, led by Lucifer and his rebel, fallen angels, in a final attempt to take the throne of God. It is an impossible scene to imagine. The Bible states fire falls from Heaven ("our God is a consuming fire" Hebrews 12:29), and devours the lost and the entire planet, turning it all into a vast, seething, churning, global lake of fire.
While the god of this world, Lucifer uses mankind to grapple for control of territory, wealth and power, it all is involved in a greater war for the conquering of souls for Christ or for Satan. We shall all stand on one side or the other in the last day this world in its present form exists.
Only one side shall enjoy residence on the Earth made new and exist through eternity as the home of God, His throne for His people forevermore.
Please, be on that side.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Amalgamation
I have mentioned this subject before and raise it again because of new information in fields of "science."
A statement from an old book -
"But if there was one sin above another which called for the destruction of the race by the flood, it was the base crime of amalgamation of man and beast which defaced the image of God, and caused confusion everywhere. God purposed to destroy by a flood that powerful, long-lived race that had corrupted their ways before him. He would not suffer them to live out the days of their natural life, which would be hundreds of years. It was only a few generations back when Adam had access to that tree which was to prolong life. After his disobedience he was not suffered to eat of the tree of life and perpetuate a life of sin. In order for man to possess an endless life he must continue to eat of the fruit of the tree of life. Deprived of that tree, his life would gradually wear out. The Spirit of Prophecy, Volume One, pg. 69. 1870
1870? How could an author in 1870 make such a comment, and include it in the kind of information Christ said would bring on His second coming - "such as it was in the days of Noah?" In the days of Noah, the amalgamation of man and beast was such a heinous crime before Heaven, along with all the other sin that engulfed the race, God destroyed the world with a global flood. The only thing that could make such a statement worthy of contemplation would be the amalgamation of man and beast (read man with beast) at the next close of world history.
Well, once again, researcher, Michael Snyder, puts some serious, compiled information before his readers -
themostimportantnews.com/archives/they-are-doing-some-real-island-of-dr-moreau-level-stuff-in-secret-labs-all-over-the-planet#google_vignette
While I state again, I do not endorse everything Mr. Snyder believes about last-day events, his research is important to seeing everything the Bible states about events leading up to the second coming of Christ is relevant and happening.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
A statement from an old book -
"But if there was one sin above another which called for the destruction of the race by the flood, it was the base crime of amalgamation of man and beast which defaced the image of God, and caused confusion everywhere. God purposed to destroy by a flood that powerful, long-lived race that had corrupted their ways before him. He would not suffer them to live out the days of their natural life, which would be hundreds of years. It was only a few generations back when Adam had access to that tree which was to prolong life. After his disobedience he was not suffered to eat of the tree of life and perpetuate a life of sin. In order for man to possess an endless life he must continue to eat of the fruit of the tree of life. Deprived of that tree, his life would gradually wear out. The Spirit of Prophecy, Volume One, pg. 69. 1870
1870? How could an author in 1870 make such a comment, and include it in the kind of information Christ said would bring on His second coming - "such as it was in the days of Noah?" In the days of Noah, the amalgamation of man and beast was such a heinous crime before Heaven, along with all the other sin that engulfed the race, God destroyed the world with a global flood. The only thing that could make such a statement worthy of contemplation would be the amalgamation of man and beast (read man with beast) at the next close of world history.
Well, once again, researcher, Michael Snyder, puts some serious, compiled information before his readers -
themostimportantnews.com/archives/they-are-doing-some-real-island-of-dr-moreau-level-stuff-in-secret-labs-all-over-the-planet#google_vignette
While I state again, I do not endorse everything Mr. Snyder believes about last-day events, his research is important to seeing everything the Bible states about events leading up to the second coming of Christ is relevant and happening.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*******************************************************************************
I should like to add an addendum here. A friend stated he is open-minded but, sans hi-tech, genetic engineering scientists use today, how could the pre-flood race possibly amalgamate man with beast? A very reasonable question. My reply is below -
We think of pre-flood and obviously a destroyed world, post-flood mankind as just agrarian in nature. Yet all the discoveries on land and under the sea of massive edifices and even an ancient "computer" testify to the ingenuity and advancement of the "men of renown." Everyone was a giant of sorts, physically. Adam, twice as tall as men now living; figure the race shrank a little in 1700 years but, giants remained fairly normal and giant intellects remained. Do I doubt the human race had ways of manipulating life that we could not understand? What if even fallen human eyesight in the early centuries allowed for seeing cells? I ask myself, will the redeemed need microscopes and telescopes? Do angels? How much could one brilliant man accomplish in nine centuries? How much could hundreds or thousands or a million accomplish in two or three centuries? To this day, no one can explain how ancient men made perfectly symmetric and perfectly smooth stone bowls and other types of carvings. How did they quarry, square and move perfectly symmetric stones weighing hundreds of tons? They've been discovered, used or left in ancient quarries, on three continents.
Today, humanists in the UFOlogy community believe all incredible discoveries in ancient places point to "ET" building things and creating things that seem to portray flight. The Nazca lines are believed to be evidence of that, though creationists tend to make them products of balloon flight and signs of some kind of hand communication to relay instructions of how to carve the lines. I deny "ancient astronauts" and "ancient aliens" but, I would not deny an advancement of the human race we rarely imagine or consider, well beyond hot air balloons and hand signals. Children place string between cans and communicate. What did the pre-flood, men of renown come up with?
Adam named all the animals, all the plants, named everything he saw. What kind of mind did he have? He could have read and memorized a medical manual.
Men today have built replica arks, using power tools and mathematics. What did Noah use? I'm not aware of any statement saying it took Noah one hundred and twenty years to build the ark because all he had was hand tools, and even if that: hammers, saws, chisels, spikes, and wooden plugs and dowels all take metal to craft. 120 years was just the time period God gave the human race, from the declaration its end would come. I surmise Noah preached far more than he built and mankind had far more to build with than typical hunter/gatherer civilizations.
If man with beast was not feasible then, certainly man with beast today is much worse than what the antediluvians did, and a definitive sign the end is upon us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
We think of pre-flood and obviously a destroyed world, post-flood mankind as just agrarian in nature. Yet all the discoveries on land and under the sea of massive edifices and even an ancient "computer" testify to the ingenuity and advancement of the "men of renown." Everyone was a giant of sorts, physically. Adam, twice as tall as men now living; figure the race shrank a little in 1700 years but, giants remained fairly normal and giant intellects remained. Do I doubt the human race had ways of manipulating life that we could not understand? What if even fallen human eyesight in the early centuries allowed for seeing cells? I ask myself, will the redeemed need microscopes and telescopes? Do angels? How much could one brilliant man accomplish in nine centuries? How much could hundreds or thousands or a million accomplish in two or three centuries? To this day, no one can explain how ancient men made perfectly symmetric and perfectly smooth stone bowls and other types of carvings. How did they quarry, square and move perfectly symmetric stones weighing hundreds of tons? They've been discovered, used or left in ancient quarries, on three continents.
Today, humanists in the UFOlogy community believe all incredible discoveries in ancient places point to "ET" building things and creating things that seem to portray flight. The Nazca lines are believed to be evidence of that, though creationists tend to make them products of balloon flight and signs of some kind of hand communication to relay instructions of how to carve the lines. I deny "ancient astronauts" and "ancient aliens" but, I would not deny an advancement of the human race we rarely imagine or consider, well beyond hot air balloons and hand signals. Children place string between cans and communicate. What did the pre-flood, men of renown come up with?
Adam named all the animals, all the plants, named everything he saw. What kind of mind did he have? He could have read and memorized a medical manual.
Men today have built replica arks, using power tools and mathematics. What did Noah use? I'm not aware of any statement saying it took Noah one hundred and twenty years to build the ark because all he had was hand tools, and even if that: hammers, saws, chisels, spikes, and wooden plugs and dowels all take metal to craft. 120 years was just the time period God gave the human race, from the declaration its end would come. I surmise Noah preached far more than he built and mankind had far more to build with than typical hunter/gatherer civilizations.
If man with beast was not feasible then, certainly man with beast today is much worse than what the antediluvians did, and a definitive sign the end is upon us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Biblical Fiction?
Do you know who Joyce Carol Oates is? I didn't, until a few minutes ago. She is referred to as a "famous author." Her famosity stops with me and I would guess billions of other people around the world.
So, why would professed Christians flip out because this "famous" author stated the Bible is a work of fiction? People all over the world state that every single day. Off the top of my head I could name a dozen people who never stop haranguing on the Bible and those who believe it.
I'm not even going to post the link to the story. Why would I give this woman anymore notoriety than she has been given by the headlines I am seeing at various Christian news sites? If professed Christians just felt sorry for her ignorance and prayed for her, maybe a different headline would emerge.
"The fool has said in his heart there is no God." How much more foolish if he or she says it out loud?
Have we learned nothing about the spirit of the Inquisition; Puritan condemnations and the stocks; let alone persecution of Christians around the world at the hands of Muslims and Hindus today?
'Do unto others as you would have them do to you.' Does something have to be more simple than that to get a point across? Christ was hounded by religious detractors every day of His ministry. Did He turn around with scathing rebukes for them for that? No. He rebuked them for their own apostasy and bold sins perpetuated in the name of Yehovah. He did not go after unbelievers. They pronounced their own fate upon themselves by rejecting the Gospel. He did not have anything to add to that. Why must professed Christians go after people who disagree with their faith? Could it be professed Christians are fans of this woman's work? What does this woman write? Apparently all kinds of novels and short stories, as well as poems, etc. Movies have been made from her books.
Does she persecute Christians? Does she write laws that affect Christians? Does she have some kind of massive influence over professed Christians? What threat is she, exactly, that would cause said "firestorm" on Twitter/X?
None. She is just an author among thousands down through the centuries who do not believe the Bible is the Word of God. So what? She is just a hammer worn out by the anvil. I used to believe the same thing. A die-hard atheist. Then, through elements of God's devising I came face to face with Bible prophecy and gave my life to Christ. Forty-five years later I still believe and people like Oates are just background noise in a crazy world. That's what they think of Christians. And the world keeps turning.
I will show this because it is pertinent. This, her statement, is quite telling -
the bible, as you call it, is a work of fiction; or rather, an anthology of fictions. it is not "the" bible for much of the world's population & those who claim it as their own select those verses that appeal to them while ignoring other verses. fertile ground for hypocrisy. https://t.co/fWT8lC4ipM
— Joyce Carol Oates (@JoyceCarolOates) January 12, 2024
Amen and amen. Spot on.
The Bible is actually the Bible for a few billion people on Earth. Catholics, alone, account for 1.2 billion of them. Whether or not the RCC teaches its contents correctly is another matter. So, Oates is woefully incorrect on that comment but, hypocrisy in professed Christianity??? Have mercy. Perish the thought, oh my soul.
The woman was born in 1938. C'mon people. You have nothing better to do than go after an 85 year-old woman? Seriously?
So, why would professed Christians flip out because this "famous" author stated the Bible is a work of fiction? People all over the world state that every single day. Off the top of my head I could name a dozen people who never stop haranguing on the Bible and those who believe it.
I'm not even going to post the link to the story. Why would I give this woman anymore notoriety than she has been given by the headlines I am seeing at various Christian news sites? If professed Christians just felt sorry for her ignorance and prayed for her, maybe a different headline would emerge.
"The fool has said in his heart there is no God." How much more foolish if he or she says it out loud?
Have we learned nothing about the spirit of the Inquisition; Puritan condemnations and the stocks; let alone persecution of Christians around the world at the hands of Muslims and Hindus today?
'Do unto others as you would have them do to you.' Does something have to be more simple than that to get a point across? Christ was hounded by religious detractors every day of His ministry. Did He turn around with scathing rebukes for them for that? No. He rebuked them for their own apostasy and bold sins perpetuated in the name of Yehovah. He did not go after unbelievers. They pronounced their own fate upon themselves by rejecting the Gospel. He did not have anything to add to that. Why must professed Christians go after people who disagree with their faith? Could it be professed Christians are fans of this woman's work? What does this woman write? Apparently all kinds of novels and short stories, as well as poems, etc. Movies have been made from her books.
Does she persecute Christians? Does she write laws that affect Christians? Does she have some kind of massive influence over professed Christians? What threat is she, exactly, that would cause said "firestorm" on Twitter/X?
None. She is just an author among thousands down through the centuries who do not believe the Bible is the Word of God. So what? She is just a hammer worn out by the anvil. I used to believe the same thing. A die-hard atheist. Then, through elements of God's devising I came face to face with Bible prophecy and gave my life to Christ. Forty-five years later I still believe and people like Oates are just background noise in a crazy world. That's what they think of Christians. And the world keeps turning.
I will show this because it is pertinent. This, her statement, is quite telling -
the bible, as you call it, is a work of fiction; or rather, an anthology of fictions. it is not "the" bible for much of the world's population & those who claim it as their own select those verses that appeal to them while ignoring other verses. fertile ground for hypocrisy. https://t.co/fWT8lC4ipM
— Joyce Carol Oates (@JoyceCarolOates) January 12, 2024
Amen and amen. Spot on.
The Bible is actually the Bible for a few billion people on Earth. Catholics, alone, account for 1.2 billion of them. Whether or not the RCC teaches its contents correctly is another matter. So, Oates is woefully incorrect on that comment but, hypocrisy in professed Christianity??? Have mercy. Perish the thought, oh my soul.
The woman was born in 1938. C'mon people. You have nothing better to do than go after an 85 year-old woman? Seriously?
*****************************
Headlines
Every once in a while I post some headlines I come across, to get points across about things I have posted in the last several years regarding major subjects we all face. Here are some more.
BREAKING: Professor and Election Expert J. Halderman Hacks into Dominion Voting Machine Tabulator in Court on Friday in Georgia in front of Judge Totenberg USING ONLY A PEN TO CHANGE VOTE TOTALS
For all those denying the criminal act that took place in the 2020 election, believing the "official" story of it being the safest and most fair election in history; you are wrong, grievously so. Sorry to be so blunt. Criminal minds did conspire to see to it Biden won by nefarious actions proven by video, proven by testimony, proven by forensic evidence, proven by real time demonstrations.
Journalist Who Tried to Cancel Novak Djokovic for Being Unvaccinated Collapses and Dies Suddenly at Australia Open
For all those refusing to believe the Covid plandemic was just one of those things that happens, nothing about it man-made or dangerous at the hands of man's direct intervention, you are wrong. It was planned, executed and people will continue to "die suddenly" from the injections; still an unknown concoction of ingredients that is causing terrible adverse reactions and death to millions around the globe. Thank God a couple billion people refused to get injected.
Transgender (Biological Male) Golfer Hailey Davidson Wins Women’s Tournament in Florida; Increases Chances to Move onto LPGA Qualifier
Everybody with common sense knows the situation regarding transgender women in female sports is an egregious affront to women. In an age when women's rights have been so pushed for a hundred years, now legions of those same voices today remain hypocritically silent. One does not have to wonder how those voices that have died away would react to see this absolutely repugnant hypocrisy displayed before the world. The world has gone mad, as predicted.
"Foreign developers - including Chinese, Russian, Iranian and Venezuelans - now own at least 40M acres of US land near military bases from coast-to-coast: Government admits it does NOT know full extent of land grab"
www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12983609/America-40-MILLION-acres-land-militry-bases-China-Russia-Iran.html
Watchdog Warns Biden Isn’t Keeping Track of China’s Takeover of U.S. Farms
For many years I have seen headlines surrounding the Chinese lending money to America and their purchase of American land and businesses. Voices trying to sound an alarm are ignored by most media outlets. The Chinese Communist Party is an enemy of Americanism, as are supporters of the CCP in American governance at federal, state and local levels. Arkansas governor, Sarah Huckabee has taken a stand against this process. Others are taking stands but, the future remains ominous because the possibility of raising farm products with dangerous elements within is now exponentially increased.
We are now seeing headlines of "Disease X" that is coming. The lunatics gaining control are so confident they just put it all out there now.
Obviously, I could place dozens of headlines here surrounding every subject concerning patriots in this nation and patriots of every nation that has stood for the principles of freedom and liberty granted by God.
We are not living in the same nation we grew up in. We are living in a nation divided and corrupted by the godless, the money hungry, the power hungry, the corrupt and violent. Predicted thousands of years ago.
The Republic is close to falling, irrevocably: spiritually, morally, lawlessly.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
BREAKING: Professor and Election Expert J. Halderman Hacks into Dominion Voting Machine Tabulator in Court on Friday in Georgia in front of Judge Totenberg USING ONLY A PEN TO CHANGE VOTE TOTALS
For all those denying the criminal act that took place in the 2020 election, believing the "official" story of it being the safest and most fair election in history; you are wrong, grievously so. Sorry to be so blunt. Criminal minds did conspire to see to it Biden won by nefarious actions proven by video, proven by testimony, proven by forensic evidence, proven by real time demonstrations.
Journalist Who Tried to Cancel Novak Djokovic for Being Unvaccinated Collapses and Dies Suddenly at Australia Open
For all those refusing to believe the Covid plandemic was just one of those things that happens, nothing about it man-made or dangerous at the hands of man's direct intervention, you are wrong. It was planned, executed and people will continue to "die suddenly" from the injections; still an unknown concoction of ingredients that is causing terrible adverse reactions and death to millions around the globe. Thank God a couple billion people refused to get injected.
Transgender (Biological Male) Golfer Hailey Davidson Wins Women’s Tournament in Florida; Increases Chances to Move onto LPGA Qualifier
Everybody with common sense knows the situation regarding transgender women in female sports is an egregious affront to women. In an age when women's rights have been so pushed for a hundred years, now legions of those same voices today remain hypocritically silent. One does not have to wonder how those voices that have died away would react to see this absolutely repugnant hypocrisy displayed before the world. The world has gone mad, as predicted.
"Foreign developers - including Chinese, Russian, Iranian and Venezuelans - now own at least 40M acres of US land near military bases from coast-to-coast: Government admits it does NOT know full extent of land grab"
www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12983609/America-40-MILLION-acres-land-militry-bases-China-Russia-Iran.html
Watchdog Warns Biden Isn’t Keeping Track of China’s Takeover of U.S. Farms
For many years I have seen headlines surrounding the Chinese lending money to America and their purchase of American land and businesses. Voices trying to sound an alarm are ignored by most media outlets. The Chinese Communist Party is an enemy of Americanism, as are supporters of the CCP in American governance at federal, state and local levels. Arkansas governor, Sarah Huckabee has taken a stand against this process. Others are taking stands but, the future remains ominous because the possibility of raising farm products with dangerous elements within is now exponentially increased.
We are now seeing headlines of "Disease X" that is coming. The lunatics gaining control are so confident they just put it all out there now.
Obviously, I could place dozens of headlines here surrounding every subject concerning patriots in this nation and patriots of every nation that has stood for the principles of freedom and liberty granted by God.
We are not living in the same nation we grew up in. We are living in a nation divided and corrupted by the godless, the money hungry, the power hungry, the corrupt and violent. Predicted thousands of years ago.
The Republic is close to falling, irrevocably: spiritually, morally, lawlessly.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
We Have No Rights?
People like Yuval Noah Harari and his minions would be a constant source of laughter if they were not so dangerous. Ah, yes. They believe the same about people like me, who believe in a Creator, etc.
Harari stated in a TedX Talk that animals have no rights, nor do homo sapiens. Cut us open and we have blood and guts like everything else but, no rights. Rights were created by human imagination; in their stories about God and all the rest of what has held together civilization for millennia.
Yes, yes, yes, I know humans can be "devils." We see it every single day. The side of common sense states, think of the alternative - no rights, just laws made by those who gain power. Harari stands as a poster-boy of the World Economic Forum; their darling brainwashing entity they send around the world to tell humanity the only thing that can save us is transhumanism: connecting all humanity, via brain chips and motherboards that would turn humanity into a literal Borg. Did you ever meet anyone, hear of anyone, read something from someone who told us the great Star Trek nemesis of the galaxy was a reality of humanity's future? Yet, here we are, facing humans who seek to control humanity through machinery and computerization; linking up all the world's population to a mainframe. Sci-Fi? Yes. Reality? For them, yes, and for all humanity that does not take a stand against such lunacy.
No, I am not a supporter of Alex Jones. I recognize his ability to state what is coming with a great deal of foresight and accuracy but, the stage show? No. Nonetheless, this InfoWars Video just shows Harari's warped mind in action. There can be no mistaking what the man is stating. A TedX Talk, no less; one of the most popular information sources on the internet.
Harari, is, of course, fully unaware of Bible prophecy. That is the reality of God and He tells humanity to consider His ability to tell the future, through fallen humanity, with astounding accuracy. Whatever Harari thinks humanity made up, it is wholly impossible to make things up that predict history centuries to over one thousand years in advance. No guesswork, either. It's all in the Bible, itself, aside from historical writings outside the Bible that put it all together.
Yuval Noah Harari is someone who deserves to be castigated for his ignorance and pronouncements. As much as it would be wonderful if he were converted, I tend to think his mind holds no room for God to make a plea. He is controlled by darkness.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
www.infowars.com/posts/video-wef-prophet-says-humans-have-no-rights-theyre-a-fairy-tale/
Harari stated in a TedX Talk that animals have no rights, nor do homo sapiens. Cut us open and we have blood and guts like everything else but, no rights. Rights were created by human imagination; in their stories about God and all the rest of what has held together civilization for millennia.
Yes, yes, yes, I know humans can be "devils." We see it every single day. The side of common sense states, think of the alternative - no rights, just laws made by those who gain power. Harari stands as a poster-boy of the World Economic Forum; their darling brainwashing entity they send around the world to tell humanity the only thing that can save us is transhumanism: connecting all humanity, via brain chips and motherboards that would turn humanity into a literal Borg. Did you ever meet anyone, hear of anyone, read something from someone who told us the great Star Trek nemesis of the galaxy was a reality of humanity's future? Yet, here we are, facing humans who seek to control humanity through machinery and computerization; linking up all the world's population to a mainframe. Sci-Fi? Yes. Reality? For them, yes, and for all humanity that does not take a stand against such lunacy.
No, I am not a supporter of Alex Jones. I recognize his ability to state what is coming with a great deal of foresight and accuracy but, the stage show? No. Nonetheless, this InfoWars Video just shows Harari's warped mind in action. There can be no mistaking what the man is stating. A TedX Talk, no less; one of the most popular information sources on the internet.
Harari, is, of course, fully unaware of Bible prophecy. That is the reality of God and He tells humanity to consider His ability to tell the future, through fallen humanity, with astounding accuracy. Whatever Harari thinks humanity made up, it is wholly impossible to make things up that predict history centuries to over one thousand years in advance. No guesswork, either. It's all in the Bible, itself, aside from historical writings outside the Bible that put it all together.
Yuval Noah Harari is someone who deserves to be castigated for his ignorance and pronouncements. As much as it would be wonderful if he were converted, I tend to think his mind holds no room for God to make a plea. He is controlled by darkness.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
www.infowars.com/posts/video-wef-prophet-says-humans-have-no-rights-theyre-a-fairy-tale/
*****************************
Abbott Makes the Stand
Texas governor, Greg Abbott, has made the stand, a declaration of Independence from the Federal government's recalcitrance and apostasy from lawful duty. His declaration is here -
gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/Border_Statement_1.24.2024.pdf
The statement makes it plain the Federal government, under the direction of Joe Biden, has totally failed in its Constitutional duty to protect the U.S. border of Texas.
"The federal government has broken the compact between the United States and the States. The Executive Branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting States, including immigration laws on the books right now. President Biden has refused to enforce those laws and has even violated them. The result is that he has smashed records for illegal immigration.
"Despite having been put on notice in a series of letters—one of which I delivered to him by hand—President Biden has ignored Texas’s demand that he perform his constitutional duties.
• President Biden has violated his oath to faithfully execute immigration laws enacted by Congress. Instead of prosecuting immigrants for the federal crime of illegal entry, President Biden has sent his lawyers into federal courts to sue Texas for taking action to secure the border.
• President Biden has instructed his agencies to ignore federal statutes that mandate the detention of illegal immigrants. The effect is to illegally allow their en masse parole into the United States.
• By wasting taxpayer dollars to tear open Texas’s border security infrastructure, President Biden has enticed illegal immigrants away from the 28 legal entry points along this State’s southern border— bridges where nobody drowns—and into the dangerous waters of the Rio Grande.
"Under President Biden’s lawless border policies, more than 6 million illegal immigrants have crossed our southern border in just 3 years. That is more than the population of 33 different States in this country. This illegal refusal to protect the States has inflicted unprecedented harm on the People all across the United States.
"James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and the other visionaries who wrote the U.S. Constitution foresaw that States should not be left to the mercy of a lawless president who does nothing to stop external threats like cartels smuggling millions of illegal immigrants across the border. That is why the Framers included both Article IV, § 4, which promises that the federal government “shall protect each [State] against invasion,” and Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which acknowledges “the States’ sovereign interest in protecting their borders.” Arizona v. United States, 567 U.S. 387, 419 (2012) (Scalia, J., dissenting).
"The failure of the Biden Administration to fulfill the duties imposed by Article IV, § 4 has triggered Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which reserves to this State the right of self-defense. For these reasons, I have already declared an invasion under Article I, § 10, Clause 3 to invoke Texas’s constitutional authority to defend and protect itself. That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary. The Texas National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and other Texas personnel are acting on that authority, as well as state law, to secure the Texas border."
What next? I imagine Abbott has counseled with attorneys, military leaders in the Texas National Guard, Border Patrol agents, State, County and Local border Reps, and come to this moment with due diligence. Biden, not being in control, will make a move decided by his handlers: Obama and company. In an election year, any armed conflict started by the Feds would be seen as a smorgasbord of political ads for any Representative involved this election cycle. I cannot imagine it happening. All the Governor has to do is shut down entrance into the state. Biden going postal, as he is want to do, will be a shot in his foot. Trump will definitely get involved when he sees the right time and only bolster his support nationwide. The Left will go apoplectic and run itself into a frenzy of hatred for Abbott and all others giving support to this stand. I'd expect any and all kinds of "black flag" operations to cripple this stand.
If the Texas border is shut down, illegal immigrants will move all their marches into the nation into NM, AZ and CA. That will put more pressure on those governors, especially CA because that state is in shambles because of illegal immigration and the financial burden placed on tax payers and the incredible burden placed on medical and hospital systems, as well as schools.
It is getting more and more obvious 2024 is going to be a bull ride of bull rides. The Fort Worth Rodeo is currently taking place. I happened to hear and take notice of an announcer stating the bulls are genetically modified. To be the biggest, strongest and craziest they can be? Logically. You watch these bovine beasts jumping four feet in the air, twisting and turning like a living "S" and you realize why so few contestants hit the 8 second mark still on top of the bull. Honestly?, they get up and walk away limping, holding hands, arms, backs, thankful to be wearing helmets and grills and chest vests because getting kicked, stepped on or butted by a raging bull is no fun. I cannot believe riders are not regularly crippled or killed.
They also tie some kind of rope around the bulls, over their genitals. It obviously ticks them off. I'd say the Federal government has been doing that to the U.S. citizenry for far too long and the nation is ticked off and ready to rumble. Trump will be "rumbler in chief."
More headlines about assassination. He needs to be wearing a vest, as well.
I'll call December 31st the 8 second mark for America. Either patriots are able to hang on till then or an absolute takeover of the nation by traitors to the Constitution will buck off everything and everyone in its way.
It's time to throw off those attempting to destroy the Republic. But, wait. There's more.
The election systems have not been addressed or fixed. More and more people are waking up to the fact Joe Biden was installed by fraud and criminal activity. And what will stop that from happening again? POTUS, Senate, House, all the way down to local officials. Do you think sources watching them with more suspicion will stop them? Wake up, my Friends. Desperate times meaning desperate measures and will not keep criminals from repeating the same tactics that won them power last time.
It's raging bull time, is what it is.
Hang on.
gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/Border_Statement_1.24.2024.pdf
The statement makes it plain the Federal government, under the direction of Joe Biden, has totally failed in its Constitutional duty to protect the U.S. border of Texas.
"The federal government has broken the compact between the United States and the States. The Executive Branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting States, including immigration laws on the books right now. President Biden has refused to enforce those laws and has even violated them. The result is that he has smashed records for illegal immigration.
"Despite having been put on notice in a series of letters—one of which I delivered to him by hand—President Biden has ignored Texas’s demand that he perform his constitutional duties.
• President Biden has violated his oath to faithfully execute immigration laws enacted by Congress. Instead of prosecuting immigrants for the federal crime of illegal entry, President Biden has sent his lawyers into federal courts to sue Texas for taking action to secure the border.
• President Biden has instructed his agencies to ignore federal statutes that mandate the detention of illegal immigrants. The effect is to illegally allow their en masse parole into the United States.
• By wasting taxpayer dollars to tear open Texas’s border security infrastructure, President Biden has enticed illegal immigrants away from the 28 legal entry points along this State’s southern border— bridges where nobody drowns—and into the dangerous waters of the Rio Grande.
"Under President Biden’s lawless border policies, more than 6 million illegal immigrants have crossed our southern border in just 3 years. That is more than the population of 33 different States in this country. This illegal refusal to protect the States has inflicted unprecedented harm on the People all across the United States.
"James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and the other visionaries who wrote the U.S. Constitution foresaw that States should not be left to the mercy of a lawless president who does nothing to stop external threats like cartels smuggling millions of illegal immigrants across the border. That is why the Framers included both Article IV, § 4, which promises that the federal government “shall protect each [State] against invasion,” and Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which acknowledges “the States’ sovereign interest in protecting their borders.” Arizona v. United States, 567 U.S. 387, 419 (2012) (Scalia, J., dissenting).
"The failure of the Biden Administration to fulfill the duties imposed by Article IV, § 4 has triggered Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which reserves to this State the right of self-defense. For these reasons, I have already declared an invasion under Article I, § 10, Clause 3 to invoke Texas’s constitutional authority to defend and protect itself. That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary. The Texas National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and other Texas personnel are acting on that authority, as well as state law, to secure the Texas border."
What next? I imagine Abbott has counseled with attorneys, military leaders in the Texas National Guard, Border Patrol agents, State, County and Local border Reps, and come to this moment with due diligence. Biden, not being in control, will make a move decided by his handlers: Obama and company. In an election year, any armed conflict started by the Feds would be seen as a smorgasbord of political ads for any Representative involved this election cycle. I cannot imagine it happening. All the Governor has to do is shut down entrance into the state. Biden going postal, as he is want to do, will be a shot in his foot. Trump will definitely get involved when he sees the right time and only bolster his support nationwide. The Left will go apoplectic and run itself into a frenzy of hatred for Abbott and all others giving support to this stand. I'd expect any and all kinds of "black flag" operations to cripple this stand.
If the Texas border is shut down, illegal immigrants will move all their marches into the nation into NM, AZ and CA. That will put more pressure on those governors, especially CA because that state is in shambles because of illegal immigration and the financial burden placed on tax payers and the incredible burden placed on medical and hospital systems, as well as schools.
It is getting more and more obvious 2024 is going to be a bull ride of bull rides. The Fort Worth Rodeo is currently taking place. I happened to hear and take notice of an announcer stating the bulls are genetically modified. To be the biggest, strongest and craziest they can be? Logically. You watch these bovine beasts jumping four feet in the air, twisting and turning like a living "S" and you realize why so few contestants hit the 8 second mark still on top of the bull. Honestly?, they get up and walk away limping, holding hands, arms, backs, thankful to be wearing helmets and grills and chest vests because getting kicked, stepped on or butted by a raging bull is no fun. I cannot believe riders are not regularly crippled or killed.
They also tie some kind of rope around the bulls, over their genitals. It obviously ticks them off. I'd say the Federal government has been doing that to the U.S. citizenry for far too long and the nation is ticked off and ready to rumble. Trump will be "rumbler in chief."
More headlines about assassination. He needs to be wearing a vest, as well.
I'll call December 31st the 8 second mark for America. Either patriots are able to hang on till then or an absolute takeover of the nation by traitors to the Constitution will buck off everything and everyone in its way.
It's time to throw off those attempting to destroy the Republic. But, wait. There's more.
The election systems have not been addressed or fixed. More and more people are waking up to the fact Joe Biden was installed by fraud and criminal activity. And what will stop that from happening again? POTUS, Senate, House, all the way down to local officials. Do you think sources watching them with more suspicion will stop them? Wake up, my Friends. Desperate times meaning desperate measures and will not keep criminals from repeating the same tactics that won them power last time.
It's raging bull time, is what it is.
Hang on.
*****************************
904. Who, What Should Be Blessed? - 1/27/24
If you come here regularly, you know my Protestant, Bible prophecy position on the Roman Catholic Church, its Papacy and its Vatican. Having been raised Catholic as a boy, now watching the Papacy from a Protestant position of truth and faith, I am really quite alarmed this present Pope has not been removed. On the other hand, it is not that surprising because all the world is entering an age of secularism or watered down reasons for faith, as is shown in the new PEW study of the "nones;" that ever growing group in Western civilization - America particularly - that has no particular affiliation to any faith. They check off "none" in all the boxes. More and more young people no longer believe in any god or deity at all, including the God of the Jewish and Christian faiths, and their Bible.
With everything else of moral fabric weakening in society, as Bible prophecy predicts, it should come as no surprise that the current Pope's theology is a weakened version of past Romanism's position on things. Francis sought to correct everyone's thinking on allowing for blessings on homosexual unions by stating moral perfection is not required to receive a blessing. Indeed. But, that is not the situation within homosexuality. Known sin is standing out right in front of the priest that would offer the blessing.
“When a couple spontaneously approaches to ask for it, the union is not blessed, but simply the people who have requested it together. Not the union, but the people, naturally taking into account the context, the sensitivities, the places in which one lives and the most suitable ways to do so,” Pope Francis continued.
www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256654/pope-francis-blessings-don-t-require-moral-perfection
Doublespeak.
Did or did not Christ state this -
John 5:12 Then they asked him, What man is that which said to you, Take up your bed, and walk?
John 5:13 And he that was healed knew not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.
John 5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, Behold, you are made whole: sin no more, or something worse happens to you.
John 8:10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said to her, Woman, where are those your accusers? has no man condemned you?
John 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn you: go, and sin no more.
Two prominent cases in the Gospel of John. The the lame man at the pool of Bethesda and the woman caught in adultery. Go and sin no more. Open sin cannot be blessed. We all struggle with sin. Most do not wear it on their shirt sleeve. Homosexuals do. That is their choice. Should they, as openly practicing sinners, be given blessings, encouragement to live in that chosen lifestyle and sinful way? Such a procedure turns the entirety of Christ's words and warning upside down and inside out.
Hebrews 10:26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.
Does that read like something that allows for blessing of people sinning willfully, openly, without remorse or repentance?
The issue of homosexuality is a hot button topic, no doubt. Among the youth of America, more and more equate themselves as L-Q+ society. You cannot blame those who believe the Bible for condemning sin. Those who openly practice it, when they have the distinct words of Christ telling anyone who is forgiven of their sins to go and sin no more, are obviously walking on dangerous ground.
Hebrews 12:13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Heb 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
Heb 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Heb 12:17 For you know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
Esau gave away his birthright for a bowl of stew. His natural hunger - no sin there - caused him to make a seriously foolish decision. He was rejected because of it. His brother got the birthright.
Homosexual physical intimacy is a sin. Gossip is a sin. Check out this passage from the book of James -
James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
Jas 3:2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.
Jas 3:3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.
Jas 3:4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.
Jas 3:5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
Jas 3:7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,
Jas 3:8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
Jas 3:9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
Jas 3:10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
Jas 3:11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?
Jas 3:12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
Fallen humans bless and curse out of the same mouth. Gossip, lying, deceiving, manipulating; we are all guilty in some way. Those who bridle their words, their thoughts behind those words, are on the doorstep of spiritual perfection of Christlike character. Yet, the priest can bless those who openly practice what God calls an abomination? No wrangling of principle into policy can save the Pope from this confusion but, as we have seen, the Roman Catholic Church is Babylon - confusion - Mother of harlots and abominations; "fallen, is fallen." Centuries of such twisting and perverting of truth is her history, while she claims to be the only true church, and her popes the vicars, "in place of" of Christ.
As things in this world continue to heat up, sides are being drawn. Society may see dozens of sides drawn but, in God's eyes there are but two - sheep and goats. His sheep, and the Adversaries goats.
Why do you think Baphomet, the symbol of the Church of Satan, is such a prominent symbol for that group? They claim they do not believe in God, thereby do not believe in a literal Devil but, they use an ancient symbol of his presence on Earth: the goat-head god. Satan easily controls the church after his name. He blinds the minds of those who will not receive the light of truth. They are children in his deceptive hands, easily molded into his image. And what are seen in so many images of Baphomet? Two children standing at his side, looking up adoringly at him.
You may recoil but, the use of Baphomet by the Church of Satan, twisting reality to suit their humanist doctrine, is no different than Francis stating you can bless people without blessing their openly sinful union. It is confusion, the foundation of spiritual, prophetic Babylon.
It is all happening now, in front of us. Two sides. Which one will you stand on?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
With everything else of moral fabric weakening in society, as Bible prophecy predicts, it should come as no surprise that the current Pope's theology is a weakened version of past Romanism's position on things. Francis sought to correct everyone's thinking on allowing for blessings on homosexual unions by stating moral perfection is not required to receive a blessing. Indeed. But, that is not the situation within homosexuality. Known sin is standing out right in front of the priest that would offer the blessing.
“When a couple spontaneously approaches to ask for it, the union is not blessed, but simply the people who have requested it together. Not the union, but the people, naturally taking into account the context, the sensitivities, the places in which one lives and the most suitable ways to do so,” Pope Francis continued.
www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256654/pope-francis-blessings-don-t-require-moral-perfection
Doublespeak.
Did or did not Christ state this -
John 5:12 Then they asked him, What man is that which said to you, Take up your bed, and walk?
John 5:13 And he that was healed knew not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.
John 5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, Behold, you are made whole: sin no more, or something worse happens to you.
John 8:10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said to her, Woman, where are those your accusers? has no man condemned you?
John 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn you: go, and sin no more.
Two prominent cases in the Gospel of John. The the lame man at the pool of Bethesda and the woman caught in adultery. Go and sin no more. Open sin cannot be blessed. We all struggle with sin. Most do not wear it on their shirt sleeve. Homosexuals do. That is their choice. Should they, as openly practicing sinners, be given blessings, encouragement to live in that chosen lifestyle and sinful way? Such a procedure turns the entirety of Christ's words and warning upside down and inside out.
Hebrews 10:26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.
Does that read like something that allows for blessing of people sinning willfully, openly, without remorse or repentance?
The issue of homosexuality is a hot button topic, no doubt. Among the youth of America, more and more equate themselves as L-Q+ society. You cannot blame those who believe the Bible for condemning sin. Those who openly practice it, when they have the distinct words of Christ telling anyone who is forgiven of their sins to go and sin no more, are obviously walking on dangerous ground.
Hebrews 12:13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Heb 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
Heb 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Heb 12:17 For you know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
Esau gave away his birthright for a bowl of stew. His natural hunger - no sin there - caused him to make a seriously foolish decision. He was rejected because of it. His brother got the birthright.
Homosexual physical intimacy is a sin. Gossip is a sin. Check out this passage from the book of James -
James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
Jas 3:2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.
Jas 3:3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.
Jas 3:4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.
Jas 3:5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
Jas 3:7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,
Jas 3:8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
Jas 3:9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
Jas 3:10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
Jas 3:11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?
Jas 3:12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
Fallen humans bless and curse out of the same mouth. Gossip, lying, deceiving, manipulating; we are all guilty in some way. Those who bridle their words, their thoughts behind those words, are on the doorstep of spiritual perfection of Christlike character. Yet, the priest can bless those who openly practice what God calls an abomination? No wrangling of principle into policy can save the Pope from this confusion but, as we have seen, the Roman Catholic Church is Babylon - confusion - Mother of harlots and abominations; "fallen, is fallen." Centuries of such twisting and perverting of truth is her history, while she claims to be the only true church, and her popes the vicars, "in place of" of Christ.
As things in this world continue to heat up, sides are being drawn. Society may see dozens of sides drawn but, in God's eyes there are but two - sheep and goats. His sheep, and the Adversaries goats.
Why do you think Baphomet, the symbol of the Church of Satan, is such a prominent symbol for that group? They claim they do not believe in God, thereby do not believe in a literal Devil but, they use an ancient symbol of his presence on Earth: the goat-head god. Satan easily controls the church after his name. He blinds the minds of those who will not receive the light of truth. They are children in his deceptive hands, easily molded into his image. And what are seen in so many images of Baphomet? Two children standing at his side, looking up adoringly at him.
You may recoil but, the use of Baphomet by the Church of Satan, twisting reality to suit their humanist doctrine, is no different than Francis stating you can bless people without blessing their openly sinful union. It is confusion, the foundation of spiritual, prophetic Babylon.
It is all happening now, in front of us. Two sides. Which one will you stand on?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
905. Francis Seeks Unity - January 27, 2024
I'm going to hit this one hard. You would think anyone exposed to a Bible for any length of time could see through this smokescreen for what it is but, alas, the harlot daughters of the Whore of Babylon the great seem to get more blind with each passing year.
The Pope held an ecumenical meeting in St. Paul's Basilica. About twenty-five hundred people in attendance: "Protestant" leaders from the various levels of Romanism-lite to more supposedly sturdy Protestant stock; to others in lines of thought all centered on "unity."
www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256639/christian-unity-must-be-rooted-in-prayer-pope-says-at-ecumenical-vespers
"About 2,500 faithful filled the Roman basilica for the solemn vespers for the solemnity of the conversion of St. Paul."
I would ask anyone with any familiarity of the apostle Paul in Scripture; would you need to wonder what Paul would say to a special temple built in his name, and a service in his name for his conversion to the Christian faith? Talk about turning over tables: Repeat.
1Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
1Cor 1:11 For it has been declared to me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
1Cor 1:12 Now this I say, that every one of you says, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas [Peter]; and I of Christ.
1Cor 1:13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
I imagine Paul denouncing such a special service, in such a magnificent building to honor his conversion, with some pretty stiff rebukes. A service on unity, no less. Can you see the confusion blossoming in the halls of St. Paul's within such a service? You should.
“All efforts to attain full unity are called to follow the same route as Paul, decentralizing our own ideas in order to hear the Lord’s voice and give him the space to take the initiative,” the pope continued. “Only a love that becomes gratuitous service, only the love that Jesus taught and embodied, will bring separated Christians closer to one another. Only that love, which does not appeal to the past in order to remain aloof or to point a finger, only that love which in God’s name puts our brothers and sisters before the ironclad defense of our own religious structures, will unite us.”
So, there is the Pope's basic understanding of "unity." That we all put aside our own religious structures, stop pointing fingers and serve people in love, as Paul did, as Christ did.
That resounds with people in this day and age.
And where was this meeting held? In one of the most ostentatious buildings on planet Earth. A building dedicated to the man who rebuked the Corinthians for their disunity as they placed special emphasis on various Christian leaders!
You cannot make this stuff up.
“Each baptized person is a member of the one body of Christ; what is more, everyone in this world is my brother or my sister, and all together we compose that ‘symphony of humanity’ of which Christ is the firstborn and redeemer,” the pope added.
Hm. Have you ever heard this pope denounce and reject the Roman Catholic doctrine of "Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus?" It means, 'Outside the Church [Roman Catholic] there is no salvation.' That doctrine has stood for the centuries the church of Rome claims historical preeminence over all other doctrinal faiths professing Christ as Head of His Church, not a pope.
As long as the Roman Catholic Church claims to have a stand-in, a vicar, a vice-Christ on Earth, there can be no unity between those who go by the Bible and Christ alone, with the professed "Mother of all churches."
Is unity to be based on love? No. Love is the obvious thread that binds all Christians together by default. When someone is born-again they have a divine love for all, born within them but, Jesus is the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life. You can love like Christ loved fallen mankind. You can be a "good samaritan" and still live in error, in doctrinal deceit, in heresy. And that will always divide. Truth divides.
Matt 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Matt 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Matt 10:36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
Rev 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shines in his strength.
Rev 2:12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things says he which has the sharp sword with two edges;
Rev 2:13 I know your works, and where you dwell, even where Satan's seat is: and you hold fast my name, and have not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwells.
Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication.
Rev 2:15 So have you also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
Rev 2:16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
What is the symbolic sword of Christ's mouth? His Word, His truth. There could be no unity with Satan's seat, the church in Rome: changing doctrines, adding man-made traditions, putting stumbling blocks before the people and ruining the faith once delivered to the saints. The Nicolaitans were the first group to really blend paganism and Christianity together and create an apostate religion. They crept into the church, just as Paul, Peter and Jude warned. There can be no unity with those who pervert the truth.
Eph 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called,
Eph 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Eph 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Eph 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
ONE BAPTISM. The Bible teaches baptism by immersion, under water, to show that one has died to self and the world's influences and risen into the life that is truth in Christ; alive in truth: a baptism, a public declaration only someone who has the ability to make choices and think things through, can make.
Mark 16:15 And he said to them, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mark 16:16 He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned.
The Roman Catholic Church used to have such a doctrine, as testified by huge baptismal tanks that can be found in ancient churches. Today, for centuries? No, babies are baptized; the "christening." Why? Because people put off baptism: a public declaration they have committed their lives to Christ and chosen to walk another way; and they too often died before making that commitment. How did the church address that reality? Just change the mode of baptism. Get people coming into life, not wait so long they die first. Sprinkle "holy" water on babies. Make paintings and artwork showing John the Baptist using a clam shell to pour some water on the head of Jesus, rather than the truth of Christ being immersed in water by John, to show Christ died to self to serve His Father in every word that proceeded from His mouth. Can babies believe? Can babies deny self and live to serve God?
That is Romanism. The adaptation, the adoption of anything that shall make it easier for people to become Roman Catholics. It is all a man-made, religious invention. It is not Christianity. It is the antithesis of Christianity. How has that truth of centuries past gotten lost? Has Rome changed? No, Protestantism has changed. And it draws ever closer back to Mother.
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.
Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Eph 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes an increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to the body of Christ, His church, to build people up into perfection of Christian character: the spiritual fulness, the stature of Christ. No popes, no cardinals, no basilicas, no masses, no wafers, no offices of doctrines and faith, no man-made traditions, no priests, no nuns, no statues, no "saints," no lighting of candles, kissing rings or anything else in every wind of doctrine put forth by men. No; speaking the truth, in love, is God's direction for achieving unity; only with those who care for and desire the truth in Christ.
Meetings do not bring unity. The love of truth brings unity, naturally; the same way the human body functions. Fingers don't have meetings with toes. Elbows don't have meetings with knees. The brain supplies everything necessary for the body to function in all its wonderful complexity. Christ is the head. His church, His people are His body. The Pope of the Roman Catholic Church is NOT the head of anything but, their man-made system of a continuation of the Roman empire. The sleight and craftiness, the "trickery and clever strategies" (ISV) of those who "crept in unawares" and changed "the faith once delivered to the saints" are exposed for what they are.
I marvel at leaders of other denominations so easily led astray by Rome. It is cunning and crafty. It changes no doctrines. It just changes what needs to be said. It lies to people. It is a political entity with religious politicians that say anything it has to, to gain advantage.
"For when Christians grow in the service of God and neighbor, they also grow in reciprocal understanding. Prayer for unity is the primary responsibility in our journey together.”
You can pray for unity till you are blue in the face but, until Rome admits she is not what she has claimed to be; she has repented of all her lies and machinations; she renounces all her doctrines of men, no unity with her is possible; not with those who believe the Bible and the Bible, alone, is the only rule of faith, doctrine, and discipline for the believer. It is not only not possible, it is condemned by God as apostasy from the faith.
Roman Catholics, of which I was raised among, need to understand the truth, as do those professing Protestant positions today. Not many do anymore. Today, everything is "evangelical." Nobody wants to be called a Protestant anymore. Too combative. Too confrontational. Too drastic in such an age of "love."
So, what has all this love gotten humanity? More and more people by the millions leaving the faith of their fathers; joining paganism, submitting to humanism, deceived by a system of men no less destructive than Romanism and false doctrine the daughters of Rome teach.
When Jesus prayed for His disciples; that they be one with Him and the Father, and each other, what did He pray?
John 17:17 Sanctify them through Your truth: Your word is truth.
John 17:18 As You have sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
John 17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
John 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word;
John 17:21 That they all may be one; as You, Father, are in me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that You have sent me.
Unity will come. We can be assured of that. It will for those who are sanctified by the truth. They will love one another and be willing to die for one another, as Christ loves His church and died for it to live and march on to victory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus
The Pope held an ecumenical meeting in St. Paul's Basilica. About twenty-five hundred people in attendance: "Protestant" leaders from the various levels of Romanism-lite to more supposedly sturdy Protestant stock; to others in lines of thought all centered on "unity."
www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256639/christian-unity-must-be-rooted-in-prayer-pope-says-at-ecumenical-vespers
"About 2,500 faithful filled the Roman basilica for the solemn vespers for the solemnity of the conversion of St. Paul."
I would ask anyone with any familiarity of the apostle Paul in Scripture; would you need to wonder what Paul would say to a special temple built in his name, and a service in his name for his conversion to the Christian faith? Talk about turning over tables: Repeat.
1Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
1Cor 1:11 For it has been declared to me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
1Cor 1:12 Now this I say, that every one of you says, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas [Peter]; and I of Christ.
1Cor 1:13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
I imagine Paul denouncing such a special service, in such a magnificent building to honor his conversion, with some pretty stiff rebukes. A service on unity, no less. Can you see the confusion blossoming in the halls of St. Paul's within such a service? You should.
“All efforts to attain full unity are called to follow the same route as Paul, decentralizing our own ideas in order to hear the Lord’s voice and give him the space to take the initiative,” the pope continued. “Only a love that becomes gratuitous service, only the love that Jesus taught and embodied, will bring separated Christians closer to one another. Only that love, which does not appeal to the past in order to remain aloof or to point a finger, only that love which in God’s name puts our brothers and sisters before the ironclad defense of our own religious structures, will unite us.”
So, there is the Pope's basic understanding of "unity." That we all put aside our own religious structures, stop pointing fingers and serve people in love, as Paul did, as Christ did.
That resounds with people in this day and age.
And where was this meeting held? In one of the most ostentatious buildings on planet Earth. A building dedicated to the man who rebuked the Corinthians for their disunity as they placed special emphasis on various Christian leaders!
You cannot make this stuff up.
“Each baptized person is a member of the one body of Christ; what is more, everyone in this world is my brother or my sister, and all together we compose that ‘symphony of humanity’ of which Christ is the firstborn and redeemer,” the pope added.
Hm. Have you ever heard this pope denounce and reject the Roman Catholic doctrine of "Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus?" It means, 'Outside the Church [Roman Catholic] there is no salvation.' That doctrine has stood for the centuries the church of Rome claims historical preeminence over all other doctrinal faiths professing Christ as Head of His Church, not a pope.
As long as the Roman Catholic Church claims to have a stand-in, a vicar, a vice-Christ on Earth, there can be no unity between those who go by the Bible and Christ alone, with the professed "Mother of all churches."
Is unity to be based on love? No. Love is the obvious thread that binds all Christians together by default. When someone is born-again they have a divine love for all, born within them but, Jesus is the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life. You can love like Christ loved fallen mankind. You can be a "good samaritan" and still live in error, in doctrinal deceit, in heresy. And that will always divide. Truth divides.
Matt 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Matt 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Matt 10:36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
Rev 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shines in his strength.
Rev 2:12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things says he which has the sharp sword with two edges;
Rev 2:13 I know your works, and where you dwell, even where Satan's seat is: and you hold fast my name, and have not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwells.
Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication.
Rev 2:15 So have you also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
Rev 2:16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
What is the symbolic sword of Christ's mouth? His Word, His truth. There could be no unity with Satan's seat, the church in Rome: changing doctrines, adding man-made traditions, putting stumbling blocks before the people and ruining the faith once delivered to the saints. The Nicolaitans were the first group to really blend paganism and Christianity together and create an apostate religion. They crept into the church, just as Paul, Peter and Jude warned. There can be no unity with those who pervert the truth.
Eph 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called,
Eph 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Eph 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Eph 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
ONE BAPTISM. The Bible teaches baptism by immersion, under water, to show that one has died to self and the world's influences and risen into the life that is truth in Christ; alive in truth: a baptism, a public declaration only someone who has the ability to make choices and think things through, can make.
Mark 16:15 And he said to them, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mark 16:16 He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned.
The Roman Catholic Church used to have such a doctrine, as testified by huge baptismal tanks that can be found in ancient churches. Today, for centuries? No, babies are baptized; the "christening." Why? Because people put off baptism: a public declaration they have committed their lives to Christ and chosen to walk another way; and they too often died before making that commitment. How did the church address that reality? Just change the mode of baptism. Get people coming into life, not wait so long they die first. Sprinkle "holy" water on babies. Make paintings and artwork showing John the Baptist using a clam shell to pour some water on the head of Jesus, rather than the truth of Christ being immersed in water by John, to show Christ died to self to serve His Father in every word that proceeded from His mouth. Can babies believe? Can babies deny self and live to serve God?
That is Romanism. The adaptation, the adoption of anything that shall make it easier for people to become Roman Catholics. It is all a man-made, religious invention. It is not Christianity. It is the antithesis of Christianity. How has that truth of centuries past gotten lost? Has Rome changed? No, Protestantism has changed. And it draws ever closer back to Mother.
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.
Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Eph 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes an increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to the body of Christ, His church, to build people up into perfection of Christian character: the spiritual fulness, the stature of Christ. No popes, no cardinals, no basilicas, no masses, no wafers, no offices of doctrines and faith, no man-made traditions, no priests, no nuns, no statues, no "saints," no lighting of candles, kissing rings or anything else in every wind of doctrine put forth by men. No; speaking the truth, in love, is God's direction for achieving unity; only with those who care for and desire the truth in Christ.
Meetings do not bring unity. The love of truth brings unity, naturally; the same way the human body functions. Fingers don't have meetings with toes. Elbows don't have meetings with knees. The brain supplies everything necessary for the body to function in all its wonderful complexity. Christ is the head. His church, His people are His body. The Pope of the Roman Catholic Church is NOT the head of anything but, their man-made system of a continuation of the Roman empire. The sleight and craftiness, the "trickery and clever strategies" (ISV) of those who "crept in unawares" and changed "the faith once delivered to the saints" are exposed for what they are.
I marvel at leaders of other denominations so easily led astray by Rome. It is cunning and crafty. It changes no doctrines. It just changes what needs to be said. It lies to people. It is a political entity with religious politicians that say anything it has to, to gain advantage.
"For when Christians grow in the service of God and neighbor, they also grow in reciprocal understanding. Prayer for unity is the primary responsibility in our journey together.”
You can pray for unity till you are blue in the face but, until Rome admits she is not what she has claimed to be; she has repented of all her lies and machinations; she renounces all her doctrines of men, no unity with her is possible; not with those who believe the Bible and the Bible, alone, is the only rule of faith, doctrine, and discipline for the believer. It is not only not possible, it is condemned by God as apostasy from the faith.
Roman Catholics, of which I was raised among, need to understand the truth, as do those professing Protestant positions today. Not many do anymore. Today, everything is "evangelical." Nobody wants to be called a Protestant anymore. Too combative. Too confrontational. Too drastic in such an age of "love."
So, what has all this love gotten humanity? More and more people by the millions leaving the faith of their fathers; joining paganism, submitting to humanism, deceived by a system of men no less destructive than Romanism and false doctrine the daughters of Rome teach.
When Jesus prayed for His disciples; that they be one with Him and the Father, and each other, what did He pray?
John 17:17 Sanctify them through Your truth: Your word is truth.
John 17:18 As You have sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
John 17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
John 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word;
John 17:21 That they all may be one; as You, Father, are in me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that You have sent me.
Unity will come. We can be assured of that. It will for those who are sanctified by the truth. They will love one another and be willing to die for one another, as Christ loves His church and died for it to live and march on to victory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus
*****************************
906. Another Use of "Soul" Creates Problems -
January 27, 2024
I was just reading an article at the Answers in Genesis website. The article is titled: Are Some People Born Gay?
It is written by Dr. Georgia Purdom and gets into studies claiming there is a genetic reason for homosexuality. In the article it states -
"The Root Problem Is Not Biology
"In many ways, the attempt to tie behavior to biology is an effort to normalize sin and remove responsibility for people’s feelings and actions. The idea of genetic determinism is rampant and important in evolutionary thought, as humans would have to be nothing more than “matter in motion” with no soul and merely the preprogrammed product of their genes.
"However, starting with a biblical worldview, we know that we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and have a soul (Matthew 16:26, 22:37). We are much more than the sum of our genes."
I read that paragraph and shook my head. What? What did I miss in the last 45 years?
Now let me show you the reason the Bible should be studied and not just read, as any other book. Remember, the ancient, original Hebrew and Greek writings were inspired. There is no such thing as inspired translations. Some would like to think there is but, no. Not the case.
I use a tool, a fantastic tool called Esword. It a free software package I have used for a long time now, along with other study programs available online or in CD form. In all of the posts I have placed here on my site where the Bible plays a part, I have just copied and pasted passages here from various translations. My usual Bible that I read and study from is the King James Version but, I have a couple dozen others and online one can find many dozens of translations to read and study from. With that background, let's check the verses Ms. Purdom references, in their context.
Matt 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Matt 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
Matt 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Purdom uses Matthew 16:26 to make a case that humans have a "soul." Having addressed this numerous times here; that man is a soul by creation: he is a living, breathing entity with a mind, etc., I'll not go over that again but, let us take a look more deeply at the verses. Let's do so with a translation of the King James that also includes numbers from Strong's Concordance of the Bible. He uses the King James Version.
Matt 16:24 ThenG5119 saidG2036 JesusG2424 unto hisG848 disciples,G3101 If anyG1536 man willG2309 comeG2064 afterG3694 me,G3450 let him denyG533 himself,G1438 andG2532 take upG142 hisG848 cross,G4716 andG2532 followG190 me.G3427
Matt 16:25 ForG1063 whosoeverG3739 G302 willG2309 saveG4982 hisG848 lifeG5590 shall loseG622 it:G846 andG1161 whosoeverG3739 G302 will loseG622 hisG848 lifeG5590 for my sakeG1752 G1700 shall findG2147 it.G846
Matt 16:26 ForG1063 whatG5101 is a manG444 profited,G5623 ifG1437 he shall gainG2770 theG3588 wholeG3650 world,G2889 andG2532 loseG2210 his ownG848 soul?G5590 orG2228 whatG5101 shall a manG444 giveG1325 in exchangeG465 for hisG848 soul?G5590
You will notice each of those words has a number associated with them; sometimes a couple numbers which correlate to Hebrew or Greek words in the concordance, which give basic definitions and usage of the words in how they are translated.
You will notice in verse 26 the word "soul" comes with the number G {Greek} 5590. That Greek word is "psuche;" pronounced 'psookay' or 'psookee' depending on your Greek dialect. Yes, Greece has dialects and pronunciation differences just like English does in England or America.
So, what does the word psuche mean, in general and biblical usage as defined by Dr. Strong?
psuchē
psoo-khay'
From G5594; breath, that is, (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from G4151, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from G2222, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew [H5315], [H7307] and [H2416]: - heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.
Total KJV occurrences: 104
The word is also translated "heart," "heartily," "life," "mind," and soul. Now, using another concordance, put together by Scottish author and scholar, Dr. Robert Young (both Young and James Strong were 19th century scholars), we find that heart appears 1 time; heartily - 1 time; life - 40 times; mind - 3 times; and soul - 58 times. Confused? So goes language.
If I say, "He's wearing a hat," you get the idea. What if I state, He's wearing a ball cap; He's wearing a Stetson, He's wearing a derby, He's wearing a chapeau, He's wearing a fedora, He's wearing a beanie, etc., etc., etc.? They're all hats. One is a French word, used in English. One is Russian connected to Greek, connected to English! Yeah... language is all over the place and translators try and take context into application, based on translator's knowledge and also, in the case of the Bible, their personal or collective theology. Ah, yes, it can get pretty sticky.
Remember, Dr. Strong is not inspired. The Bible is. There is no such thing as an "immortal soul" living inside humans.
Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. KJV
Gen 2:7 So the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground, breathed life into his lungs, and the man became a living being. ISV
Man does not have a soul. Man is a soul. Huge difference.
If we think in terms of emotions, heart and soul regards the depths of a person's thoughts that actuate their life. It's allegorical, not literal.
So, take a look at Matthew 16:25 for a second -
Matt 16:25 ForG1063 whosoeverG3739 G302 willG2309 saveG4982 hisG848 lifeG5590 shall loseG622 it:G846 andG1161 whosoeverG3739 G302 will loseG622 hisG848 lifeG5590 for my sakeG1752 G1700 shall findG2147 it.G846
"Wait a minute," you observe. "That's the same reference number as soul." Indeed. Which is why many translations translate it that way, as well -
Matt 16:25 For whosoever would save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it.
Matt 16:26 For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? or what shall a man give in exchange for his life? Revised Version
Matt 16:25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.
Matt 16:26 For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? World English Bible
Matt 16:25 For whoever desires to save his life shall lose it; but whoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.
Matt 16:26 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his life? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his life? A Faithful Version
Matt 16:25 Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it,
Matt 16:26 because what profit will a person have if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life? International Standard Version
Matt 16:25 for whoever may will to save his life, shall lose it, and whoever may lose his life for my sake shall find it,
Matt 16:26 for what is a man profited if he may gain the whole world, but of his life suffer loss? or what shall a man give as an exchange for his life? Young's Literal Translation (Yes, Dr. Young's translation).
Many others can be placed here. The word "soul," in both Hebrew and Greek, mean breath of life, something living and breathing, alive, including animals. The idea that a soul is some kind of ghostlike, ethereal, invisible entity living inside us is a notion and invention of pagan philosophy. The entire Bible tears the notion to shreds. Too few take the time to see the subject for what it really claims to say and the problematic knots it ties into far too many other subjects to leave it be.
Trying to claim homosexuality cannot be genetic because we each have this ghostlike entity from God existing in us; and God would not place an immortal homosexual "soul" in a person, is really over the top and completely non-theological. I do not believe homosexuality can be proven genetically. I just completely reject any theology based on the subject of a "soul" that lives inside humans and animals and gets out at death. Yes, that is why pet owners like to believe their beloved pets will be with them throughout eternity. They have a soul, so, they will be resurrected bodily and live with them forever. No such position can be taken from a Thus saith the Lord.
Having gone over this subject a number times in past posts, I bring it up repeatedly because it never goes away. To the contrary, it builds and builds this false premise that seems to edge its way into every subject that Christians get into these days. Sorry. It is based on falsehoods, once again, given to the Christian faith by paganism adopted by apostates and more specifically, paganism adopted by the the apostasy of the Roman Catholic Church.
The "soul" is going to be used by Satan to create such confusion and delusions in these last days it is going to freak people out. If you know your Bible, you may be sorely tested but, you can meet the test with a Thus saith the Lord.
I am not a doctor of theology. I just study the Bible with the tools available and read history that is applicable to any subject. So can you.
2Tim 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Tim 2:15 Give diligence to present yourself approved to God, a workman unashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
2Tim 2:15 Diligently study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of the truth;
2Tim 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
2Tim 2:15 Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.
The wording may change slightly, translation to translation, as better understanding of the ancient languages is learned but, the truth is discernible and knowable and eternally beneficial to anyone who digs it out as buried treasure, which it truly is.
You can know the truth, and the truth can make you free.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
It is written by Dr. Georgia Purdom and gets into studies claiming there is a genetic reason for homosexuality. In the article it states -
"The Root Problem Is Not Biology
"In many ways, the attempt to tie behavior to biology is an effort to normalize sin and remove responsibility for people’s feelings and actions. The idea of genetic determinism is rampant and important in evolutionary thought, as humans would have to be nothing more than “matter in motion” with no soul and merely the preprogrammed product of their genes.
"However, starting with a biblical worldview, we know that we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and have a soul (Matthew 16:26, 22:37). We are much more than the sum of our genes."
I read that paragraph and shook my head. What? What did I miss in the last 45 years?
Now let me show you the reason the Bible should be studied and not just read, as any other book. Remember, the ancient, original Hebrew and Greek writings were inspired. There is no such thing as inspired translations. Some would like to think there is but, no. Not the case.
I use a tool, a fantastic tool called Esword. It a free software package I have used for a long time now, along with other study programs available online or in CD form. In all of the posts I have placed here on my site where the Bible plays a part, I have just copied and pasted passages here from various translations. My usual Bible that I read and study from is the King James Version but, I have a couple dozen others and online one can find many dozens of translations to read and study from. With that background, let's check the verses Ms. Purdom references, in their context.
Matt 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Matt 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
Matt 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Purdom uses Matthew 16:26 to make a case that humans have a "soul." Having addressed this numerous times here; that man is a soul by creation: he is a living, breathing entity with a mind, etc., I'll not go over that again but, let us take a look more deeply at the verses. Let's do so with a translation of the King James that also includes numbers from Strong's Concordance of the Bible. He uses the King James Version.
Matt 16:24 ThenG5119 saidG2036 JesusG2424 unto hisG848 disciples,G3101 If anyG1536 man willG2309 comeG2064 afterG3694 me,G3450 let him denyG533 himself,G1438 andG2532 take upG142 hisG848 cross,G4716 andG2532 followG190 me.G3427
Matt 16:25 ForG1063 whosoeverG3739 G302 willG2309 saveG4982 hisG848 lifeG5590 shall loseG622 it:G846 andG1161 whosoeverG3739 G302 will loseG622 hisG848 lifeG5590 for my sakeG1752 G1700 shall findG2147 it.G846
Matt 16:26 ForG1063 whatG5101 is a manG444 profited,G5623 ifG1437 he shall gainG2770 theG3588 wholeG3650 world,G2889 andG2532 loseG2210 his ownG848 soul?G5590 orG2228 whatG5101 shall a manG444 giveG1325 in exchangeG465 for hisG848 soul?G5590
You will notice each of those words has a number associated with them; sometimes a couple numbers which correlate to Hebrew or Greek words in the concordance, which give basic definitions and usage of the words in how they are translated.
You will notice in verse 26 the word "soul" comes with the number G {Greek} 5590. That Greek word is "psuche;" pronounced 'psookay' or 'psookee' depending on your Greek dialect. Yes, Greece has dialects and pronunciation differences just like English does in England or America.
So, what does the word psuche mean, in general and biblical usage as defined by Dr. Strong?
psuchē
psoo-khay'
From G5594; breath, that is, (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from G4151, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from G2222, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew [H5315], [H7307] and [H2416]: - heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.
Total KJV occurrences: 104
The word is also translated "heart," "heartily," "life," "mind," and soul. Now, using another concordance, put together by Scottish author and scholar, Dr. Robert Young (both Young and James Strong were 19th century scholars), we find that heart appears 1 time; heartily - 1 time; life - 40 times; mind - 3 times; and soul - 58 times. Confused? So goes language.
If I say, "He's wearing a hat," you get the idea. What if I state, He's wearing a ball cap; He's wearing a Stetson, He's wearing a derby, He's wearing a chapeau, He's wearing a fedora, He's wearing a beanie, etc., etc., etc.? They're all hats. One is a French word, used in English. One is Russian connected to Greek, connected to English! Yeah... language is all over the place and translators try and take context into application, based on translator's knowledge and also, in the case of the Bible, their personal or collective theology. Ah, yes, it can get pretty sticky.
Remember, Dr. Strong is not inspired. The Bible is. There is no such thing as an "immortal soul" living inside humans.
Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. KJV
Gen 2:7 So the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground, breathed life into his lungs, and the man became a living being. ISV
Man does not have a soul. Man is a soul. Huge difference.
If we think in terms of emotions, heart and soul regards the depths of a person's thoughts that actuate their life. It's allegorical, not literal.
So, take a look at Matthew 16:25 for a second -
Matt 16:25 ForG1063 whosoeverG3739 G302 willG2309 saveG4982 hisG848 lifeG5590 shall loseG622 it:G846 andG1161 whosoeverG3739 G302 will loseG622 hisG848 lifeG5590 for my sakeG1752 G1700 shall findG2147 it.G846
"Wait a minute," you observe. "That's the same reference number as soul." Indeed. Which is why many translations translate it that way, as well -
Matt 16:25 For whosoever would save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it.
Matt 16:26 For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? or what shall a man give in exchange for his life? Revised Version
Matt 16:25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.
Matt 16:26 For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? World English Bible
Matt 16:25 For whoever desires to save his life shall lose it; but whoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.
Matt 16:26 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his life? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his life? A Faithful Version
Matt 16:25 Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it,
Matt 16:26 because what profit will a person have if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life? International Standard Version
Matt 16:25 for whoever may will to save his life, shall lose it, and whoever may lose his life for my sake shall find it,
Matt 16:26 for what is a man profited if he may gain the whole world, but of his life suffer loss? or what shall a man give as an exchange for his life? Young's Literal Translation (Yes, Dr. Young's translation).
Many others can be placed here. The word "soul," in both Hebrew and Greek, mean breath of life, something living and breathing, alive, including animals. The idea that a soul is some kind of ghostlike, ethereal, invisible entity living inside us is a notion and invention of pagan philosophy. The entire Bible tears the notion to shreds. Too few take the time to see the subject for what it really claims to say and the problematic knots it ties into far too many other subjects to leave it be.
Trying to claim homosexuality cannot be genetic because we each have this ghostlike entity from God existing in us; and God would not place an immortal homosexual "soul" in a person, is really over the top and completely non-theological. I do not believe homosexuality can be proven genetically. I just completely reject any theology based on the subject of a "soul" that lives inside humans and animals and gets out at death. Yes, that is why pet owners like to believe their beloved pets will be with them throughout eternity. They have a soul, so, they will be resurrected bodily and live with them forever. No such position can be taken from a Thus saith the Lord.
Having gone over this subject a number times in past posts, I bring it up repeatedly because it never goes away. To the contrary, it builds and builds this false premise that seems to edge its way into every subject that Christians get into these days. Sorry. It is based on falsehoods, once again, given to the Christian faith by paganism adopted by apostates and more specifically, paganism adopted by the the apostasy of the Roman Catholic Church.
The "soul" is going to be used by Satan to create such confusion and delusions in these last days it is going to freak people out. If you know your Bible, you may be sorely tested but, you can meet the test with a Thus saith the Lord.
I am not a doctor of theology. I just study the Bible with the tools available and read history that is applicable to any subject. So can you.
2Tim 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Tim 2:15 Give diligence to present yourself approved to God, a workman unashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
2Tim 2:15 Diligently study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of the truth;
2Tim 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
2Tim 2:15 Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.
The wording may change slightly, translation to translation, as better understanding of the ancient languages is learned but, the truth is discernible and knowable and eternally beneficial to anyone who digs it out as buried treasure, which it truly is.
You can know the truth, and the truth can make you free.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
907. The Archbishop Does it Again -
January 29, 2024
Once again, a speech by Archbishop Carlo Vigano makes the news. Well, makes it into Conservative news, at Conservative political and religious news sites, like The Gateway Pundit.
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/01/archbishop-vigano-denounces-globalist-elites-coup-detat-national/
If you read the speech, you will read a perfect speech, as far as naming the power brokers out to control the world. All the bad guys are in there. All their plans, schemes and actions are in there: there lies, their blackmail, their elitist mindset. They all seem mentioned but, this time, Vigano does not touch Bergoglio: Pope Francis. I find that interesting; seeing what he has stated about the Pope's administration up to this speech.
He begins with Lies -
"Lies. All the reasons given by the globalist network to legitimize their action are false, or rather: they are false pretexts that deliberately hide other unmentionable reasons.
"There is nothing scientific or rational about the measures taken to address recent crises. Instead, there is a willingness to hide their criminal intentions behind flimsy arguments, in pursuit of which we only waste time and energy.
"The pandemic farce, the crises in Ukraine and Palestine, global warming, and everything that in theory is said to justify the measures taken by governments, the European Union, and the United Nations against us, have the sole purpose of making any opposition impossible, in the name of emergencies that have been pre-planned down to the smallest detail."
In broad strokes he paints the full picture, as far as Jesuit inspired "Futurism" paints it. We have enemies, to be sure but, it is interesting, not that Vigano does not state the Vatican as an enemy but, does not state any religion as an enemy. Islam is seen around the world showing itself to be desirous of world conquest. Christians are persecuted all throughout Asia and Africa, with smaller amounts of violence seen in Europe and North America. Militant Islam is not a friend to anyone. Vigano does not mention a force with a billion and a half members in it, in a current process of taking over Europe.
"You may wonder why an Archbishop would consider it necessary to address issues that apparently have no relation to the Faith. I think that, after the past few years, it has now become clear that we are facing an epochal attack, the aim of which is the establishment of a synarchy presided over by the Antichrist.
"A world government, which they euphemistically call “global governance,” in which of course they will be in charge and we will obey or be socially or physically excluded."
Daniel 2 states there shall never again be a world ruling power after the Roman empire. How is it professed Christianity has been so captivated by some future antichrist cabal; a godless, political, humanistic club of elitists who have no compunction to make a claim of control be reason of religion. AntiChrist means - "in place of Christ." These entities care nothing for being in the place of Christ or any other supposed deity among mankind. God states, "in the days of these kings" - the European nations that developed as the ten toes of Daniel 2 from the division of the Roman empire - Christ's second coming will destroy them all. The New World Order is not a mingling of church craft and state craft God tells the world will seek control. The Vatican is that mix of priest and state craft the world needs to keep its eyes upon. Romanism has put itself in place of Christ.
"And in this epochal struggle, in this clash between Light and darkness, even those who are not Christians can be your allies, if with honesty and courage they understand that the very foundations of the Law of Nature, respect for the sacredness of life, the defense of the natural family, the right of parents to educate their children, and the protection of property, labor and business, are all in danger.
"Our apparent weakness, our disorganization, our means which are incomparably inferior to those available to the globalist elite may even be strengths, because they allow us to escape their control. We need to act outside the box, creating local, national and international networks that allow us to present a common front against the common enemy."
Where is such a declaration from God, in His Word, to be found? Where did Jesus ever state such plan of action? The Bible states no such thing. What are these marching orders given to us by Archbishop Vigano? They are as fatal to the work of God's church as humanism is. Call sin by its right name, yes. Calls for unity with any and all entities to stop globalists from gaining control? Book, chapter and verse, please?
"The dystopian world of slavery and death that the globalist delirium wants to build can be avoided if we know how to unite under the Cross of Christ. For it is only before the Cross that these wicked people lose all power and show themselves for what they really are."
How can there be any kind of unity between bodies of people, who disagree on Christ's plan of action to evangelize the world with His truth, when those truths are rejected by a mass of professed Christianity? We can all be wrong. We cannot all be right. I believe Christ was crucified once, for all. Romanism reenacts the crucifixion every single Mass, 24/7 around the world. Christ is in a perpetual state of immolation. There is nothing Klaus Schwab offers humanity that is close to being as dangerous as such an erroneous doctrine which Romanism perpetuates, along with dozens of others. Add to that all the doctrines of Rome her daughters perpetuate. To put that all aside, to stop globalists, is a backsliding that shall lead millions over a cliff. It is the defining moment of Lucifer's last dog and pony show. A show of universal unity that shall defy God's Law.
"A final recommendation, which I make to you as a Pastor: do not give in to the mentality of the world, which would like to make you ashamed of your honesty, your rectitude, and your religion, as if they were defects to be hidden. It is rather dishonesty, moral corruption, selfishness, and vice that ought to be ashamed."
Amen to that. Amen and Amen. Do not give in to any pressures that would make you ashamed of Protestantism as a guiding principle. The principle of Protestantism is not to be hidden. As weak and frail as we all our, those principles are not to be put aside for any such "unity." The dishonesty of the Papacy and its Vatican; moral and doctrinal corruption in so many churches, seen in headlines almost ever week, is what should be bringing shame.
I keep hearing many voices saying we are in a spiritual battle and yet, they can give no biblical reason for joining together to fight globalists while the truth that billions need gets put on a back shelf, save for the erroneous doctrines of Jesuit Futurism to guide their fight. God have mercy! It is spiritual, prophetic Babylon: confusion, growing ever bigger with each passing day.
I have no choice but, to continue to see Archbishop Vigano as an agent of the RCC to draw as many as possible back to Mother Rome; to her guidance and influence to be a dominant voice in world affairs; which shall bring on the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus Christ in power and glory to rescue His people from a world deceived by Satan, the fallen Archenemy of souls. "If possible" His deceptions will bring down even the very elect. Again, what does that imply? That it is impossible?
If I say, "If possible, I am going to get you to drop that glass;" does that make it impossible? No. It just implies I am going to look for and find a way to do it, if possible.
Globalism is a distraction, a smoke screen. A Satanic possibility of getting the world to look at something that will drag God's people into a stupor of focus on an enemy that is not the final enemy of truth and light. Does any of it pose a threat to anyone's place in the kingdom of God? How so? Getting a social credit score? How does that affect my place in the body of Christ? Those threatening deceptions are reserved for that which sits in professed Christianity, right in the front pews, behind the pulpits, all the more to deceive those "giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils."
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/01/archbishop-vigano-denounces-globalist-elites-coup-detat-national/
If you read the speech, you will read a perfect speech, as far as naming the power brokers out to control the world. All the bad guys are in there. All their plans, schemes and actions are in there: there lies, their blackmail, their elitist mindset. They all seem mentioned but, this time, Vigano does not touch Bergoglio: Pope Francis. I find that interesting; seeing what he has stated about the Pope's administration up to this speech.
He begins with Lies -
"Lies. All the reasons given by the globalist network to legitimize their action are false, or rather: they are false pretexts that deliberately hide other unmentionable reasons.
"There is nothing scientific or rational about the measures taken to address recent crises. Instead, there is a willingness to hide their criminal intentions behind flimsy arguments, in pursuit of which we only waste time and energy.
"The pandemic farce, the crises in Ukraine and Palestine, global warming, and everything that in theory is said to justify the measures taken by governments, the European Union, and the United Nations against us, have the sole purpose of making any opposition impossible, in the name of emergencies that have been pre-planned down to the smallest detail."
In broad strokes he paints the full picture, as far as Jesuit inspired "Futurism" paints it. We have enemies, to be sure but, it is interesting, not that Vigano does not state the Vatican as an enemy but, does not state any religion as an enemy. Islam is seen around the world showing itself to be desirous of world conquest. Christians are persecuted all throughout Asia and Africa, with smaller amounts of violence seen in Europe and North America. Militant Islam is not a friend to anyone. Vigano does not mention a force with a billion and a half members in it, in a current process of taking over Europe.
"You may wonder why an Archbishop would consider it necessary to address issues that apparently have no relation to the Faith. I think that, after the past few years, it has now become clear that we are facing an epochal attack, the aim of which is the establishment of a synarchy presided over by the Antichrist.
"A world government, which they euphemistically call “global governance,” in which of course they will be in charge and we will obey or be socially or physically excluded."
Daniel 2 states there shall never again be a world ruling power after the Roman empire. How is it professed Christianity has been so captivated by some future antichrist cabal; a godless, political, humanistic club of elitists who have no compunction to make a claim of control be reason of religion. AntiChrist means - "in place of Christ." These entities care nothing for being in the place of Christ or any other supposed deity among mankind. God states, "in the days of these kings" - the European nations that developed as the ten toes of Daniel 2 from the division of the Roman empire - Christ's second coming will destroy them all. The New World Order is not a mingling of church craft and state craft God tells the world will seek control. The Vatican is that mix of priest and state craft the world needs to keep its eyes upon. Romanism has put itself in place of Christ.
"And in this epochal struggle, in this clash between Light and darkness, even those who are not Christians can be your allies, if with honesty and courage they understand that the very foundations of the Law of Nature, respect for the sacredness of life, the defense of the natural family, the right of parents to educate their children, and the protection of property, labor and business, are all in danger.
"Our apparent weakness, our disorganization, our means which are incomparably inferior to those available to the globalist elite may even be strengths, because they allow us to escape their control. We need to act outside the box, creating local, national and international networks that allow us to present a common front against the common enemy."
Where is such a declaration from God, in His Word, to be found? Where did Jesus ever state such plan of action? The Bible states no such thing. What are these marching orders given to us by Archbishop Vigano? They are as fatal to the work of God's church as humanism is. Call sin by its right name, yes. Calls for unity with any and all entities to stop globalists from gaining control? Book, chapter and verse, please?
"The dystopian world of slavery and death that the globalist delirium wants to build can be avoided if we know how to unite under the Cross of Christ. For it is only before the Cross that these wicked people lose all power and show themselves for what they really are."
How can there be any kind of unity between bodies of people, who disagree on Christ's plan of action to evangelize the world with His truth, when those truths are rejected by a mass of professed Christianity? We can all be wrong. We cannot all be right. I believe Christ was crucified once, for all. Romanism reenacts the crucifixion every single Mass, 24/7 around the world. Christ is in a perpetual state of immolation. There is nothing Klaus Schwab offers humanity that is close to being as dangerous as such an erroneous doctrine which Romanism perpetuates, along with dozens of others. Add to that all the doctrines of Rome her daughters perpetuate. To put that all aside, to stop globalists, is a backsliding that shall lead millions over a cliff. It is the defining moment of Lucifer's last dog and pony show. A show of universal unity that shall defy God's Law.
"A final recommendation, which I make to you as a Pastor: do not give in to the mentality of the world, which would like to make you ashamed of your honesty, your rectitude, and your religion, as if they were defects to be hidden. It is rather dishonesty, moral corruption, selfishness, and vice that ought to be ashamed."
Amen to that. Amen and Amen. Do not give in to any pressures that would make you ashamed of Protestantism as a guiding principle. The principle of Protestantism is not to be hidden. As weak and frail as we all our, those principles are not to be put aside for any such "unity." The dishonesty of the Papacy and its Vatican; moral and doctrinal corruption in so many churches, seen in headlines almost ever week, is what should be bringing shame.
I keep hearing many voices saying we are in a spiritual battle and yet, they can give no biblical reason for joining together to fight globalists while the truth that billions need gets put on a back shelf, save for the erroneous doctrines of Jesuit Futurism to guide their fight. God have mercy! It is spiritual, prophetic Babylon: confusion, growing ever bigger with each passing day.
I have no choice but, to continue to see Archbishop Vigano as an agent of the RCC to draw as many as possible back to Mother Rome; to her guidance and influence to be a dominant voice in world affairs; which shall bring on the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus Christ in power and glory to rescue His people from a world deceived by Satan, the fallen Archenemy of souls. "If possible" His deceptions will bring down even the very elect. Again, what does that imply? That it is impossible?
If I say, "If possible, I am going to get you to drop that glass;" does that make it impossible? No. It just implies I am going to look for and find a way to do it, if possible.
Globalism is a distraction, a smoke screen. A Satanic possibility of getting the world to look at something that will drag God's people into a stupor of focus on an enemy that is not the final enemy of truth and light. Does any of it pose a threat to anyone's place in the kingdom of God? How so? Getting a social credit score? How does that affect my place in the body of Christ? Those threatening deceptions are reserved for that which sits in professed Christianity, right in the front pews, behind the pulpits, all the more to deceive those "giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils."
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Swift In The News
I just thought I'd post that Line and wonder how many people saw the word swift and instantly thought of Pop icon, Taylor.
I guess I've posted a couple things about her here, regarding lyrics in her songs and stuff she has gotten into on stage; being such an influence on young girls which, apparently, are called "Swifties."
Now we are seeing stories that the Left is so desperate they are going to try and use her, or already are, as a 'psyop' to gather more Democrat voters, while also using her relationship with a pro football player named Travis Kelse; whose team, the Kansas City Chiefs, is about to play the Super Bowl this weekend, and who is also in plenty of commercials hawking goods for manufacturers. Good ol' American capitalism at work. Honestly, I thought most of Taylor Swift's fans were not yet voting age. But, there's a catch. Now the headlines (in alt news media) are saying the relationship is fake, all business; based on testimony from people who know them.
You cannot make this stuff up. Well, you can but, most people don't think this crazy.
I read this article 'looking over the tops of my glasses,' and just shook my head. Everything about America has become so superficial it's amazing the world wants to come here, traveling through hell to get here. And while it's all just a dog and pony show in politics, the Biden administration (read Obama and Co. administration), is planning more war with Americans and half the planet. I have never seen such a hateful group of wannabe dictators in my life. They seem to be sprouting like weeds all over the world. As funny as it may seem, these actors are not laughing. They mean to control the world in a cabal of power never seen before on Earth.
Anyway, check out the story and realize hardly anything we see is the way it is. Reality: mis, dis and malinformation is the brainchild and purpose of government, and then blame woes on those who seek to tell the truth and expose it all.
www.zerohedge.com/technology/there-taylor-swift-psyop
I guess I've posted a couple things about her here, regarding lyrics in her songs and stuff she has gotten into on stage; being such an influence on young girls which, apparently, are called "Swifties."
Now we are seeing stories that the Left is so desperate they are going to try and use her, or already are, as a 'psyop' to gather more Democrat voters, while also using her relationship with a pro football player named Travis Kelse; whose team, the Kansas City Chiefs, is about to play the Super Bowl this weekend, and who is also in plenty of commercials hawking goods for manufacturers. Good ol' American capitalism at work. Honestly, I thought most of Taylor Swift's fans were not yet voting age. But, there's a catch. Now the headlines (in alt news media) are saying the relationship is fake, all business; based on testimony from people who know them.
You cannot make this stuff up. Well, you can but, most people don't think this crazy.
I read this article 'looking over the tops of my glasses,' and just shook my head. Everything about America has become so superficial it's amazing the world wants to come here, traveling through hell to get here. And while it's all just a dog and pony show in politics, the Biden administration (read Obama and Co. administration), is planning more war with Americans and half the planet. I have never seen such a hateful group of wannabe dictators in my life. They seem to be sprouting like weeds all over the world. As funny as it may seem, these actors are not laughing. They mean to control the world in a cabal of power never seen before on Earth.
Anyway, check out the story and realize hardly anything we see is the way it is. Reality: mis, dis and malinformation is the brainchild and purpose of government, and then blame woes on those who seek to tell the truth and expose it all.
www.zerohedge.com/technology/there-taylor-swift-psyop
*****************************
908. Eat for Strength - February 3, 2024
The religion of Christianity is a faith revolving around self-discipline; the control of self; the refinement of self through self-control, as one connects to God through Christ, through the Holy Spirit. The Bible is filled with the imagery necessary to get that point across. Christ is the Vine, His people are the branches. They produce fruit of faith; a life of loving obedience to His will, to the Father's will, connected to, drawing life through that Vine.
Christianity is not for the faint of heart. Consider Paul's "hall of faith, in Hebrews eleven; where he lays out the lives of patriarchs and states the world is not worthy for these great heroes of faith to have walked among them. Martyrs, going through the most terrible circumstances leading to death, will live forever; the reward for sustaining faith in the midst of trial. Others, just living their daily lives, making decisions we all have to make but, facing constant obstacles; and rather than take easy ways out, just kept moving forward in faith, remaining vigilant and resolute, knowing God would make a way, in His way, in His time.
Right now, around the world, people who only desire to live in peace with their fellow man, following the teachings of a Person who lived 2,000 years ago - Himself called the Prince of peace, a Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief; who was mercilessly tortured and crucified - are persecuted and killed by the thousands each year. They are mostly nameless to the world; save for the exact areas of their lives but, God will look at the lives of those who remained steadfast and they will live forever because they had a spark of constant forward life, connected to their Creator.
Most of us, called Christians, will not face death because of our faith. We live and die like everyone else - accidents, illness, old age...
Most fight inner battles like everyone else and one of those battles revolves around "food." I put food in quotes because biblically it is not food as God designed and calls things food but, it's edible. People eat it and don't drop dead. That does not make it healthy. That does not make it food, by God's declaration. It's considered food by human declaration. Big difference.
One of the toughest of all disciplines is this -
Ecclesiastes 10:17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
Eat for strength, not for "shethiy," in the Hebrew, which means intoxication. By implication, addiction. Eat for strength, not addiction.
In most developed nations humans struggle with food addictions or with "the battle of the bulge;" the war with taste versus discipline; eating for strength, not pleasure. It can become matters of life and death when various organ failure takes place, like for those with Pancreatitis. I met someone with that malady, that daily battle with stomach pain based on what they eat and how the body simply cannot digest what they eat. A lifetime of knowing pain so excruciating it just curls them up into a ball in bed to wait it out and get back to "normal." Eat something on the list of "never" and it could mean the most serious result of all. Imagine dying from something you eat, that others just consume without a thought.
It's the same for those with Celiac disease, or those with deadly nut or other allergies to things people eat for food. We see it in the news regularly.
Most of us, like myself, have reactions to things that can be uncomfortable to painful; call them intolerances to the chemicals and elements that make up food, like gluten in grains which our bodies just refuse to process like "normal" people. Some people use drugs to cope. Others use herbs to help. Others just live with pains or go without yet, there are those moments when eating for strength succumbs to the grind of going without and thinking, "Maybe, just this once..." No. Not that once. The effects of eating or drinking that which does not give strength and having their bodies tell them so in no uncertain terms, wins out, every time. Years of beating ourselves up with something God gave humanity to enjoy.
Our battles with food, and especially "edibles" has become epidemic. America, even in its children, is unhealthy. Succumbing to taste, rather than health, and perverting taste buds in the process, becoming addicted to sugars, to salt, to caffeine leading to problems of body and mind is now considered "normal."
The thing with Christianity is understanding why these issues exist. It's sin. It's fallen humanity; fallen everything in this world because of sin. God never intended for this situation to exist and in fact, shall bring things again to a paradise for all those who live a life of self-discipline through grace, through faith, through connection to His power to overcome.
I meet people who think Christianity is for weaklings; people who need a crutch to get through life. Such ignorance is the prevailing opinion when self-discipline becomes self-destruction of pride, which goes before fall -
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Athletes have tremendous self-discipline. The apostle Paul even made mention of it -
1Cor 9:24 Do you not know that those running in a race all run, but one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain.
1Cor 9:25 And everyone who strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.
1Cor 9:26 So then I run, not as if I were uncertain. And so I fight, not as one who beats the air.
1Cor 9:27 But I buffet my body, and lead it captive, lest proclaiming to others, I myself might be rejected.
Athletes practice and practice and practice; work hard, physically increasing endurance and strength and skills to win, yet, whatever they win, aside from some self-satisfaction and notoriety that all fades, all will come to nothing someday because the awards of humanity mean nothing to eternal life. There is no hall of fame in Heaven for sports accomplishments or for any accomplishments considered great by human standards. In fact, exactly the opposite -
Luke 16:14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knows your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
A "Super Bowl" is about to be played, again, for the 58th time, that millions will watch; which has no degree of necessary activity for spiritual life. The winning team will get a ring and receive a trophy. Only those who are diehard fans of football history will remember them for winning this coming game, a few years down the line. More popular around the world, by far, is Soccer; what the rest of the world calls football, and most Americans will not even know who teams are that compete for its final victory lap. Take any sport you want. Take any activity you want and hold it up. None of them come close to the discipline necessary to receive the eternal crown of life God shall give all those who love Him and fight the good fight of faith; marching towards and into the battle with self for developing a Christlike character. There is nothing more important to God than His children developing a character that shall live through eternity.
It is a sad fact of current conditions in that which is called Christendom, that most professed believers do not even engage in a battle for ascendancy over self. Their false theology has taught them once they are "saved" they cannot be lost, no matter what daily decisions they make and what sins they continue to commit, or whether they eat and drink and be merry in whatever they desire that skirts around the definitives of the Ten Commandments and laws of health God has declared. It's a delusion created by a thus saith the church or thus saith a preacher, not adhering to... well, let the Bible state it -
Act 20:22 And now, behold, I am going bound by the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall happen to me there,
Act 20:23 except that the Holy Spirit witnesses in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.
Act 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither do I count my life dear to myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus Christ, to testify fully the gospel of the grace of God.
Act 20:25 And now, behold, I know that you all will see my face no more, among whom I went proclaiming the kingdom of God.
Act 20:26 Therefore I testify to you on this day that I am pure from the blood of all.
Act 20:27 For I did not keep back from declaring to you all the counsel of God.
Act 20:28 Therefore take heed to yourselves, and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to feed the church of God which He has purchased with His own blood.
Act 20:29 For I know this, that after my departure grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30 Also men shall arise from your own selves, speaking perverse things in order to draw disciples away after them.
Act 20:31 Therefore watch and remember that for the time of three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
1Tim 6:11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness.
1Tim 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life, to which you are also called and have professed a good profession before many witnesses.
1Tim 6:13 I charge you before God (who makes all things alive) and in the sight of Christ Jesus (who witnessed the good confession to Pontius Pilate),
1Tim 6:14 that you keep the commandment without spot and without blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Tim 4:1 Therefore I solemnly witness before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is going to judge the living and the dead according to His appearance and His kingdom,
2Tim 4:2 preach the Word, be instant in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.
2Tim 4:3 For a time will be when they will not endure sound doctrine, but they will heap up teachers to themselves according to their own lusts, tickling the ear.
2Tim 4:4 And they will turn away their ears from the truth and will be turned to myths.
2Tim 4:5 But you watch in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fully carry out your ministry.
2Tim 4:6 For I am already being poured out, and the time of my release is here.
2Tim 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.
2Tim 4:8 Now there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that Day; and not to me only, but also to all those who love His appearing.
The apostle knew what was necessary to attain eternal life. He knew men would arise who would pervert that path to Christlike righteousness. The battle is real, and frankly, everyone knows it. Not everyone understands it or regards it as necessary to overcome the sins that so easily beset us, Heb. 12:1.
The battle with self, the battle within the mind, is the toughest thing any human can ever get involved with. It is not the greatest public relations, marketing campaign ever devised, that's for sure. It only appeals to those who want truth, want peace, want something more than this world offers and believe it or not, all people want that, they just don't know it because the Enemy has surrounded us with counterfeits, illusions, delusions, sophistries, and outright nonsense that has captivated the world and made it think Jesus Christ is something other than what He is: the most incredible and powerful Person who ever lived; who personified the eternal power of selfless love that attains to victory over self and sin.
Can that really be the dividing line for humanity? In God's eyes, yes. Most definitely. Anyone who excels at anything is considered great in the eyes of humanity. In God's eyes? He considers people worthy who connect with Him and gain victory over sin; the only muscles necessary being the "muscles" of faith; the only intelligence necessary is knowledge of the Word of God; the only talents necessary: those which the Holy Spirit gives to believers to share the Gospel with humanity.
Christ is the Lamb of God. How did a lamb ever excite so much passion and hate against it? His character. His life was a living rebuke of sin and self. He comes as the Lion of Judah and the roar of His return will cause the greatest of this world to shake like trembling puppies caught in the rain, surrounded by darkness and wolves.
No terror ever known to man will match what the world experiences when Christ returns in power and glory to rescue and gather His people up and take them home in the most spectacular and cataclysmic event in history. They will shout and exclaim a victory never experienced by people before: a victory of eating, drinking and living for strength, not for that which shall perish. Living to honestly sanctify spirit, soul and body in preparation for new bodies that shall never die, never experience illness or weakness or pain; eating from the Tree of Life, eating and experiencing things beyond their imaginations, forever.
It is all real. Those who experience being born again know it is true beyond all doubt. Those who gain victory over self will experience an entire universe made for discovery and eternal happiness.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Christianity is not for the faint of heart. Consider Paul's "hall of faith, in Hebrews eleven; where he lays out the lives of patriarchs and states the world is not worthy for these great heroes of faith to have walked among them. Martyrs, going through the most terrible circumstances leading to death, will live forever; the reward for sustaining faith in the midst of trial. Others, just living their daily lives, making decisions we all have to make but, facing constant obstacles; and rather than take easy ways out, just kept moving forward in faith, remaining vigilant and resolute, knowing God would make a way, in His way, in His time.
Right now, around the world, people who only desire to live in peace with their fellow man, following the teachings of a Person who lived 2,000 years ago - Himself called the Prince of peace, a Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief; who was mercilessly tortured and crucified - are persecuted and killed by the thousands each year. They are mostly nameless to the world; save for the exact areas of their lives but, God will look at the lives of those who remained steadfast and they will live forever because they had a spark of constant forward life, connected to their Creator.
Most of us, called Christians, will not face death because of our faith. We live and die like everyone else - accidents, illness, old age...
Most fight inner battles like everyone else and one of those battles revolves around "food." I put food in quotes because biblically it is not food as God designed and calls things food but, it's edible. People eat it and don't drop dead. That does not make it healthy. That does not make it food, by God's declaration. It's considered food by human declaration. Big difference.
One of the toughest of all disciplines is this -
Ecclesiastes 10:17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
Eat for strength, not for "shethiy," in the Hebrew, which means intoxication. By implication, addiction. Eat for strength, not addiction.
In most developed nations humans struggle with food addictions or with "the battle of the bulge;" the war with taste versus discipline; eating for strength, not pleasure. It can become matters of life and death when various organ failure takes place, like for those with Pancreatitis. I met someone with that malady, that daily battle with stomach pain based on what they eat and how the body simply cannot digest what they eat. A lifetime of knowing pain so excruciating it just curls them up into a ball in bed to wait it out and get back to "normal." Eat something on the list of "never" and it could mean the most serious result of all. Imagine dying from something you eat, that others just consume without a thought.
It's the same for those with Celiac disease, or those with deadly nut or other allergies to things people eat for food. We see it in the news regularly.
Most of us, like myself, have reactions to things that can be uncomfortable to painful; call them intolerances to the chemicals and elements that make up food, like gluten in grains which our bodies just refuse to process like "normal" people. Some people use drugs to cope. Others use herbs to help. Others just live with pains or go without yet, there are those moments when eating for strength succumbs to the grind of going without and thinking, "Maybe, just this once..." No. Not that once. The effects of eating or drinking that which does not give strength and having their bodies tell them so in no uncertain terms, wins out, every time. Years of beating ourselves up with something God gave humanity to enjoy.
Our battles with food, and especially "edibles" has become epidemic. America, even in its children, is unhealthy. Succumbing to taste, rather than health, and perverting taste buds in the process, becoming addicted to sugars, to salt, to caffeine leading to problems of body and mind is now considered "normal."
The thing with Christianity is understanding why these issues exist. It's sin. It's fallen humanity; fallen everything in this world because of sin. God never intended for this situation to exist and in fact, shall bring things again to a paradise for all those who live a life of self-discipline through grace, through faith, through connection to His power to overcome.
I meet people who think Christianity is for weaklings; people who need a crutch to get through life. Such ignorance is the prevailing opinion when self-discipline becomes self-destruction of pride, which goes before fall -
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Athletes have tremendous self-discipline. The apostle Paul even made mention of it -
1Cor 9:24 Do you not know that those running in a race all run, but one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain.
1Cor 9:25 And everyone who strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.
1Cor 9:26 So then I run, not as if I were uncertain. And so I fight, not as one who beats the air.
1Cor 9:27 But I buffet my body, and lead it captive, lest proclaiming to others, I myself might be rejected.
Athletes practice and practice and practice; work hard, physically increasing endurance and strength and skills to win, yet, whatever they win, aside from some self-satisfaction and notoriety that all fades, all will come to nothing someday because the awards of humanity mean nothing to eternal life. There is no hall of fame in Heaven for sports accomplishments or for any accomplishments considered great by human standards. In fact, exactly the opposite -
Luke 16:14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knows your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
A "Super Bowl" is about to be played, again, for the 58th time, that millions will watch; which has no degree of necessary activity for spiritual life. The winning team will get a ring and receive a trophy. Only those who are diehard fans of football history will remember them for winning this coming game, a few years down the line. More popular around the world, by far, is Soccer; what the rest of the world calls football, and most Americans will not even know who teams are that compete for its final victory lap. Take any sport you want. Take any activity you want and hold it up. None of them come close to the discipline necessary to receive the eternal crown of life God shall give all those who love Him and fight the good fight of faith; marching towards and into the battle with self for developing a Christlike character. There is nothing more important to God than His children developing a character that shall live through eternity.
It is a sad fact of current conditions in that which is called Christendom, that most professed believers do not even engage in a battle for ascendancy over self. Their false theology has taught them once they are "saved" they cannot be lost, no matter what daily decisions they make and what sins they continue to commit, or whether they eat and drink and be merry in whatever they desire that skirts around the definitives of the Ten Commandments and laws of health God has declared. It's a delusion created by a thus saith the church or thus saith a preacher, not adhering to... well, let the Bible state it -
Act 20:22 And now, behold, I am going bound by the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall happen to me there,
Act 20:23 except that the Holy Spirit witnesses in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.
Act 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither do I count my life dear to myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus Christ, to testify fully the gospel of the grace of God.
Act 20:25 And now, behold, I know that you all will see my face no more, among whom I went proclaiming the kingdom of God.
Act 20:26 Therefore I testify to you on this day that I am pure from the blood of all.
Act 20:27 For I did not keep back from declaring to you all the counsel of God.
Act 20:28 Therefore take heed to yourselves, and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to feed the church of God which He has purchased with His own blood.
Act 20:29 For I know this, that after my departure grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30 Also men shall arise from your own selves, speaking perverse things in order to draw disciples away after them.
Act 20:31 Therefore watch and remember that for the time of three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
1Tim 6:11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness.
1Tim 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life, to which you are also called and have professed a good profession before many witnesses.
1Tim 6:13 I charge you before God (who makes all things alive) and in the sight of Christ Jesus (who witnessed the good confession to Pontius Pilate),
1Tim 6:14 that you keep the commandment without spot and without blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Tim 4:1 Therefore I solemnly witness before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is going to judge the living and the dead according to His appearance and His kingdom,
2Tim 4:2 preach the Word, be instant in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.
2Tim 4:3 For a time will be when they will not endure sound doctrine, but they will heap up teachers to themselves according to their own lusts, tickling the ear.
2Tim 4:4 And they will turn away their ears from the truth and will be turned to myths.
2Tim 4:5 But you watch in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fully carry out your ministry.
2Tim 4:6 For I am already being poured out, and the time of my release is here.
2Tim 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.
2Tim 4:8 Now there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that Day; and not to me only, but also to all those who love His appearing.
The apostle knew what was necessary to attain eternal life. He knew men would arise who would pervert that path to Christlike righteousness. The battle is real, and frankly, everyone knows it. Not everyone understands it or regards it as necessary to overcome the sins that so easily beset us, Heb. 12:1.
The battle with self, the battle within the mind, is the toughest thing any human can ever get involved with. It is not the greatest public relations, marketing campaign ever devised, that's for sure. It only appeals to those who want truth, want peace, want something more than this world offers and believe it or not, all people want that, they just don't know it because the Enemy has surrounded us with counterfeits, illusions, delusions, sophistries, and outright nonsense that has captivated the world and made it think Jesus Christ is something other than what He is: the most incredible and powerful Person who ever lived; who personified the eternal power of selfless love that attains to victory over self and sin.
Can that really be the dividing line for humanity? In God's eyes, yes. Most definitely. Anyone who excels at anything is considered great in the eyes of humanity. In God's eyes? He considers people worthy who connect with Him and gain victory over sin; the only muscles necessary being the "muscles" of faith; the only intelligence necessary is knowledge of the Word of God; the only talents necessary: those which the Holy Spirit gives to believers to share the Gospel with humanity.
Christ is the Lamb of God. How did a lamb ever excite so much passion and hate against it? His character. His life was a living rebuke of sin and self. He comes as the Lion of Judah and the roar of His return will cause the greatest of this world to shake like trembling puppies caught in the rain, surrounded by darkness and wolves.
No terror ever known to man will match what the world experiences when Christ returns in power and glory to rescue and gather His people up and take them home in the most spectacular and cataclysmic event in history. They will shout and exclaim a victory never experienced by people before: a victory of eating, drinking and living for strength, not for that which shall perish. Living to honestly sanctify spirit, soul and body in preparation for new bodies that shall never die, never experience illness or weakness or pain; eating from the Tree of Life, eating and experiencing things beyond their imaginations, forever.
It is all real. Those who experience being born again know it is true beyond all doubt. Those who gain victory over self will experience an entire universe made for discovery and eternal happiness.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
909. Babylon Truly is Confused - 2/3/24
Here is an example of spiritual, prophetic Babylon that is most important to understand. It is a supreme example of how some will not draw truth out of the Bible as it interprets itself but, will put in the Bible their own agendas and preferences. Technically: exegesis - allowing the Bible to interpret itself and eisegesis - drawing conclusions of what the Bible teaches based on preconceived ideas and opinions.
I came upon an article written by a woman, a "scholar" of the Old Testament, which claims God endorses transgenderism in the Bible. Yes, you read that correctly.
VOICES: As an Ohioan and a Christian, I want all to have the right to flourish in their own gender identity
www.daytondailynews.com/ideas-voices/voices-as-an-ohioan-and-a-christian-i-want-all-to-have-right-to-flourish-in-their-own-gender-identity/Z7CD3IBZCBABPDJBPW24PTVDCI/
IDEAS & VOICES
By Esther Brownsmith
Jan 25, 2024
"Joseph, we are told, wore an “amazing technicolor dreamcoat.” But it wasn’t just any coat; it was, according to 2 Samuel 13:18, the kind of clothing that young princesses used to wear. This is just one of the ways that the Bible indicates that the “shapely and beautiful” Joseph (Genesis 39:6) crossed gender boundaries, and he was not the only one: Deborah led an army, Mordecai breast-fed his cousin Esther, and Daniel was probably a eunuch.
"For scholars like me who research the Bible, these are just a few of the ways that scripture portrays gender as a colorful spectrum, not a rigid binary. Even God is sometimes described with feminine language, as a midwife or nursing mother. Yes, the Bible was written in a patriarchal time, but it recognizes that people reimagined and reshaped their gender identities back then—just like they do today."
Now, my initial reaction was just shock and incomprehension. Well, I can't let it rest there. I have to check all this out from the source. Can an Old Testament scholar have such a thing correct? No.
First, why an OT scholar would begin an article about the Bible with the title of a Broadway musical is beyond me. That, in and of itself, shows a mixing of the sacred with the pagan that Babylon is all about: confusion.
That aside, her claim is that Israel, Jacob, made his son a coat that princesses wear. That Jacob saw how "shapely and beautiful" Joseph was, and made him a coat that exemplified and catered to Joseph's feminine inclinations. And the author states that was just one of the ways Joseph acted out his identification of being a female. Have I done anything to exaggerate the author's claims?
What does the Bible state?
Gen 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
Does the Bible say Israel loved Joseph because of his feminine inclinations? No. It says he loved Joseph and made him the coat because he was the son of his old age.
The author uses Genesis 39:6 as a description of Joseph to claim he was somehow feminine looking -
Gen 39:6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.
Hm. Maybe the King James got it wrong. Let's try some other translations -
Gen 39:6 And he left all he owned in Joseph's hand. And he did not know anything that he had, except the bread which he was eating. And Joseph was beautiful in form and beautiful of appearance.
Gen 39:6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not aught that was with him, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was comely, and well favoured.
Gen 39:6 and he leaveth all that he hath in the hand of Joseph, and he hath not known anything that he hath, except the bread which he is eating. And Joseph is of a fair form, and of a fair appearance.
Gen 39:6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand—and did not concern himself with anything that he had except the bread which he ate. And Joseph was handsome in form and good looking in appearance.
Gen 39:6 And he committed all that he had into the hands of Joseph; and he knew not of anything that belonged to him, save the bread which he himself ate. And Joseph was handsome in form, and exceedingly beautiful in countenance.
Gen 39:6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and, having him, he knew not aught save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was of beautiful form, and fair to look upon.
Ever see the statue of David, in the Vatican? Beautiful form? Without question. Michelangelo's work is beyond reproach for form and beauty of his capture of physical anatomy. But, there's more -
Gen 39:6 He left all that he had in Joseph’s hand. He didn’t concern himself with anything, except for the food which he ate. Joseph was well-built and handsome.
Well-built and handsome. Yeah, that figures in well with what comes next -
Gen 39:7 After these things, his master’s wife set her eyes on Joseph; and she said, “Lie with me.”
!!! How about a translation that leaves no doubt -
Gen 39:7 That's why, some time later, Joseph's master's wife looked straight at Joseph and propositioned him: "Come on! Let's have a little sex!" ISV
Does that read like Joseph had a feminine side his father or anyone else catered to?
What about these robes that princesses wore? Using the same translation and others -
2Sam 13:18 Now she was clothed in a long sleeved, multi-colored ornamental tunic, commonly worn by the king's virgin daughters. When Amnon's servant threw her out and locked the door after her,
2Sam 13:18 And a long tunic was on her, for so the virgin daughters of the king usually dressed. And his attendant brought her robes outside, and bolted the door after her.
2Sam 13:18 She had a garment of various colors on her; for the king’s daughters who were virgins dressed in such robes. Then his servant brought her out and bolted the door after her.
2Sam 13:18 —and upon her is a long coat, for such upper robes do daughters of the king who are virgins put on, —and his servant taketh her out without, and hath bolted the door after her.
2Sam 13:18 And she had a robe of many colors upon her, for the king's virgin daughters were clothed with such robes. Now his servant brought her out and bolted the door after her.
You will find translations that go both ways on this. A multi-colored robe or a long-sleeved tunic, a garment worn over clothes beneath. And remember this: there are a dozen generations between Joseph and David's daughter, Tamar, the princess mentioned in second Samuel. Generally speaking, a biblical generation is 30 years. That's 360 years. I am supposed to believe Jacob made a coat for Joseph that was, what, the original garment princesses wore centuries later? Or did such garments exist before Joseph, for princesses of pagan kings and Jacob made one for his son of his old age? The strapping young man a woman asked to have sex with?
Please. Do let us have common sense.
There is nothing that states the two garments were alike, save for being multi-colored. Look at society today. Look at descriptions of ancient society. Certain colors carried messages and identities for society. What we call royal blue or cardinal red were colors for the emperors of Rome, and other royal factions. They are the colors of Roman Catholic prelates, known as Cardinals. Yellow can be associated with the Sun or cowardice. Green means go. Red means stop. Yellow means caution. How many teams in sports can you identify by the team colors, the school colors? The ancient sanctuary God instructed Moses to build and the garments worn by the priests had certain, identifying colors for the fabrics. I once heard a sermon preached titled, The Gospel of the Colors, studied it out and put together a sermon of my own on the topic.
Whatever Jacob made for Joseph, we cannot see it and cannot know if it had any such identity with garments worn by princesses centuries later.
The author then mentions; "Deborah led an army, Mordecai breast-fed his cousin Esther, and Daniel was probably a eunuch."
I just had a Bible study with someone the other night and told them Daniel may have been a eunuch. Do you know what a eunuch is? Look it up.
H5631
סָרִס סָרִיס
sârı̂ys sâris
saw-reece', saw-reece'
From an unused root meaning to castrate; a eunuch; by implication valet (especially of the female apartments), and thus a minister of state: - chamberlain, eunuch, officer. Compare H7249.
Total KJV occurrences: 42
Eunuchs were castrated males often used to watch over harems. Castrated men posed no threat to kings and their women. Castrated men did not undergo such atrocity to identify with their feminine desires. To draw such a conclusion from the Bible is so wrong as to be pitiful, if not seriously ridiculous.
As to Modecai breast-feeding Esther -
Est 2:5 Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;
Est 2:6 Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
Est 2:7 And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.
Est 2:7 And he was rearing Hadassah (she is Esther) his uncle's daughter, for she had no father nor mother. And the young woman was fair of appearance and beautiful of form. And at the death of her father and mother, Mordecai took her for his daughter.
Est 2:7 and he is supporting Hadassah—she is Esther—daughter of his uncle, for she hath neither father nor mother, and the young woman is of fair form, and of good appearance, and at the death of her father and her mother hath Mordecai taken her to him for a daughter.
Est 2:7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
Translation after translation states it the same way. He brought up his uncle's daughter. I had to find something that can be equated with breast-feeding; anything in the Hebrew that would give a human mind such a preposterous conclusion.
Est 2:7 AndG2532 there wasG1510.7.3 to this manG3778 a childG3816 that he brought up,G2353.1 the daughterG2364 of the brotherG80 of his father,G3962 G1473 andG2532 her nameG3686 G1473 was Esther.G* And atG1722 G1161 theG3588 changeoverG3337 of herG1473 G3588 parents,G1118 he instructedG3811 herG1473 to himselfG1438 forG1519 a woman.G1135 AndG2532 [3wasG1510.7.3 1theG3588 2young woman]G2877 goodG2570 G3588 in appearance.G1491
What you are looking at there is the Apostolic Bible Polyglot w/Strong's numbers for reference of Hebrew and Greek words in the original manuscripts. Mordecai raised, trained, educated and disciplined Esther to become a woman, a wife. Breast-fed? Seriously? Maybe the reference is from another portion of the book of Esther. I could not find any such reference. To claim Mordecai breast-fed Esther is eisegesis in the extreme.
Lastly, we have Deborah, from the book of Judges.
Jdg 4:4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
Jdg 4:5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment.
Jdg 4:6 She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun.
Jdg 4:7 And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?”
Jdg 4:8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”
Jdg 4:9 And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.
Jdg 4:10 And Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him.
Deborah had the gift of prophecy and was married to a man named Lapidoth. She was loyal to God, sharp and fearless. Does the Bible say she led an army or she went up with an army led by Abinoam and Barak? Does the Bible even hint at Deborah identifying as a man? It does not. Again, eisegesis of extreme agenda.
From the article -
"A recent survey showed that fully 5% of adults under 30 identify as trans or non-binary. Not all of them seek a medical transition, but all of them are impacted by regulations that marginalize their right to live freely. As an Ohioan and a Christian, I want to live in a state where all people have the right to flourish in their own gender identity.
"Most Americans agree that religion should not dictate public policy, but these proposed rules are rooted in ingrained religious biases about gender roles. Those biases are unethical and unbiblical. Our trans neighbors are radiant gifts of God, just like Joseph and Deborah, and they are terrified by our government trying to legislate them out of existence."
Unbiblical? Who is unbiblical? The people who believe God made humans male and female, or those who believe humans can have any of dozens of "genders?" To claim Joseph and Deborah were transgenders is simply beyond the realm of credulity.
The government is not trying to legislate transgenders out of existence. State governments are trying to stop the physical mutilation of children not understood by society in general and medical science for all of modern history until today, to be capable of making such life-changing decisions. Especially is that the case where public school officials and teachers are encouraging children under 18 to get transgender surgeries without their parents knowledge!
What about the Bible portraying God as a woman? It does. No one can argue that. What I would argue is that God is not male or female. God is Deity, above all and different than all creation. As such, He has created in His creatures aspects of His Character and Nature. He made humans after His image and likeness. That does not make God male or female, anymore than it makes Him a cow or a tree or a mountain or a planet or a star.
Are engineers cars or buildings because they design them? Nor is God a woman because He designed and created one from the first man, from dirt He created the planet to be partially surfaced with. All creation has aspects of God's glory found in His character. Humans display some of it.
Based on the weight of evidence, I would not trust anything written by such a "scholar" as the author of this article.
When I was a child, I identified with Superman. "Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird. It's a plane. No! It's Superman!" And the tv show music played on. Hey, I identified with Superman. I took a towel, tied it around my neck, went down three flights of stairs in the apartment building I lived in, back in New Haven, CT; went out the back door and jumped off the back steps.
I came upon an article written by a woman, a "scholar" of the Old Testament, which claims God endorses transgenderism in the Bible. Yes, you read that correctly.
VOICES: As an Ohioan and a Christian, I want all to have the right to flourish in their own gender identity
www.daytondailynews.com/ideas-voices/voices-as-an-ohioan-and-a-christian-i-want-all-to-have-right-to-flourish-in-their-own-gender-identity/Z7CD3IBZCBABPDJBPW24PTVDCI/
IDEAS & VOICES
By Esther Brownsmith
Jan 25, 2024
"Joseph, we are told, wore an “amazing technicolor dreamcoat.” But it wasn’t just any coat; it was, according to 2 Samuel 13:18, the kind of clothing that young princesses used to wear. This is just one of the ways that the Bible indicates that the “shapely and beautiful” Joseph (Genesis 39:6) crossed gender boundaries, and he was not the only one: Deborah led an army, Mordecai breast-fed his cousin Esther, and Daniel was probably a eunuch.
"For scholars like me who research the Bible, these are just a few of the ways that scripture portrays gender as a colorful spectrum, not a rigid binary. Even God is sometimes described with feminine language, as a midwife or nursing mother. Yes, the Bible was written in a patriarchal time, but it recognizes that people reimagined and reshaped their gender identities back then—just like they do today."
Now, my initial reaction was just shock and incomprehension. Well, I can't let it rest there. I have to check all this out from the source. Can an Old Testament scholar have such a thing correct? No.
First, why an OT scholar would begin an article about the Bible with the title of a Broadway musical is beyond me. That, in and of itself, shows a mixing of the sacred with the pagan that Babylon is all about: confusion.
That aside, her claim is that Israel, Jacob, made his son a coat that princesses wear. That Jacob saw how "shapely and beautiful" Joseph was, and made him a coat that exemplified and catered to Joseph's feminine inclinations. And the author states that was just one of the ways Joseph acted out his identification of being a female. Have I done anything to exaggerate the author's claims?
What does the Bible state?
Gen 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
Does the Bible say Israel loved Joseph because of his feminine inclinations? No. It says he loved Joseph and made him the coat because he was the son of his old age.
The author uses Genesis 39:6 as a description of Joseph to claim he was somehow feminine looking -
Gen 39:6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.
Hm. Maybe the King James got it wrong. Let's try some other translations -
Gen 39:6 And he left all he owned in Joseph's hand. And he did not know anything that he had, except the bread which he was eating. And Joseph was beautiful in form and beautiful of appearance.
Gen 39:6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not aught that was with him, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was comely, and well favoured.
Gen 39:6 and he leaveth all that he hath in the hand of Joseph, and he hath not known anything that he hath, except the bread which he is eating. And Joseph is of a fair form, and of a fair appearance.
Gen 39:6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand—and did not concern himself with anything that he had except the bread which he ate. And Joseph was handsome in form and good looking in appearance.
Gen 39:6 And he committed all that he had into the hands of Joseph; and he knew not of anything that belonged to him, save the bread which he himself ate. And Joseph was handsome in form, and exceedingly beautiful in countenance.
Gen 39:6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and, having him, he knew not aught save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was of beautiful form, and fair to look upon.
Ever see the statue of David, in the Vatican? Beautiful form? Without question. Michelangelo's work is beyond reproach for form and beauty of his capture of physical anatomy. But, there's more -
Gen 39:6 He left all that he had in Joseph’s hand. He didn’t concern himself with anything, except for the food which he ate. Joseph was well-built and handsome.
Well-built and handsome. Yeah, that figures in well with what comes next -
Gen 39:7 After these things, his master’s wife set her eyes on Joseph; and she said, “Lie with me.”
!!! How about a translation that leaves no doubt -
Gen 39:7 That's why, some time later, Joseph's master's wife looked straight at Joseph and propositioned him: "Come on! Let's have a little sex!" ISV
Does that read like Joseph had a feminine side his father or anyone else catered to?
What about these robes that princesses wore? Using the same translation and others -
2Sam 13:18 Now she was clothed in a long sleeved, multi-colored ornamental tunic, commonly worn by the king's virgin daughters. When Amnon's servant threw her out and locked the door after her,
2Sam 13:18 And a long tunic was on her, for so the virgin daughters of the king usually dressed. And his attendant brought her robes outside, and bolted the door after her.
2Sam 13:18 She had a garment of various colors on her; for the king’s daughters who were virgins dressed in such robes. Then his servant brought her out and bolted the door after her.
2Sam 13:18 —and upon her is a long coat, for such upper robes do daughters of the king who are virgins put on, —and his servant taketh her out without, and hath bolted the door after her.
2Sam 13:18 And she had a robe of many colors upon her, for the king's virgin daughters were clothed with such robes. Now his servant brought her out and bolted the door after her.
You will find translations that go both ways on this. A multi-colored robe or a long-sleeved tunic, a garment worn over clothes beneath. And remember this: there are a dozen generations between Joseph and David's daughter, Tamar, the princess mentioned in second Samuel. Generally speaking, a biblical generation is 30 years. That's 360 years. I am supposed to believe Jacob made a coat for Joseph that was, what, the original garment princesses wore centuries later? Or did such garments exist before Joseph, for princesses of pagan kings and Jacob made one for his son of his old age? The strapping young man a woman asked to have sex with?
Please. Do let us have common sense.
There is nothing that states the two garments were alike, save for being multi-colored. Look at society today. Look at descriptions of ancient society. Certain colors carried messages and identities for society. What we call royal blue or cardinal red were colors for the emperors of Rome, and other royal factions. They are the colors of Roman Catholic prelates, known as Cardinals. Yellow can be associated with the Sun or cowardice. Green means go. Red means stop. Yellow means caution. How many teams in sports can you identify by the team colors, the school colors? The ancient sanctuary God instructed Moses to build and the garments worn by the priests had certain, identifying colors for the fabrics. I once heard a sermon preached titled, The Gospel of the Colors, studied it out and put together a sermon of my own on the topic.
Whatever Jacob made for Joseph, we cannot see it and cannot know if it had any such identity with garments worn by princesses centuries later.
The author then mentions; "Deborah led an army, Mordecai breast-fed his cousin Esther, and Daniel was probably a eunuch."
I just had a Bible study with someone the other night and told them Daniel may have been a eunuch. Do you know what a eunuch is? Look it up.
H5631
סָרִס סָרִיס
sârı̂ys sâris
saw-reece', saw-reece'
From an unused root meaning to castrate; a eunuch; by implication valet (especially of the female apartments), and thus a minister of state: - chamberlain, eunuch, officer. Compare H7249.
Total KJV occurrences: 42
Eunuchs were castrated males often used to watch over harems. Castrated men posed no threat to kings and their women. Castrated men did not undergo such atrocity to identify with their feminine desires. To draw such a conclusion from the Bible is so wrong as to be pitiful, if not seriously ridiculous.
As to Modecai breast-feeding Esther -
Est 2:5 Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;
Est 2:6 Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
Est 2:7 And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.
Est 2:7 And he was rearing Hadassah (she is Esther) his uncle's daughter, for she had no father nor mother. And the young woman was fair of appearance and beautiful of form. And at the death of her father and mother, Mordecai took her for his daughter.
Est 2:7 and he is supporting Hadassah—she is Esther—daughter of his uncle, for she hath neither father nor mother, and the young woman is of fair form, and of good appearance, and at the death of her father and her mother hath Mordecai taken her to him for a daughter.
Est 2:7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
Translation after translation states it the same way. He brought up his uncle's daughter. I had to find something that can be equated with breast-feeding; anything in the Hebrew that would give a human mind such a preposterous conclusion.
Est 2:7 AndG2532 there wasG1510.7.3 to this manG3778 a childG3816 that he brought up,G2353.1 the daughterG2364 of the brotherG80 of his father,G3962 G1473 andG2532 her nameG3686 G1473 was Esther.G* And atG1722 G1161 theG3588 changeoverG3337 of herG1473 G3588 parents,G1118 he instructedG3811 herG1473 to himselfG1438 forG1519 a woman.G1135 AndG2532 [3wasG1510.7.3 1theG3588 2young woman]G2877 goodG2570 G3588 in appearance.G1491
What you are looking at there is the Apostolic Bible Polyglot w/Strong's numbers for reference of Hebrew and Greek words in the original manuscripts. Mordecai raised, trained, educated and disciplined Esther to become a woman, a wife. Breast-fed? Seriously? Maybe the reference is from another portion of the book of Esther. I could not find any such reference. To claim Mordecai breast-fed Esther is eisegesis in the extreme.
Lastly, we have Deborah, from the book of Judges.
Jdg 4:4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
Jdg 4:5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment.
Jdg 4:6 She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun.
Jdg 4:7 And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?”
Jdg 4:8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”
Jdg 4:9 And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.
Jdg 4:10 And Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him.
Deborah had the gift of prophecy and was married to a man named Lapidoth. She was loyal to God, sharp and fearless. Does the Bible say she led an army or she went up with an army led by Abinoam and Barak? Does the Bible even hint at Deborah identifying as a man? It does not. Again, eisegesis of extreme agenda.
From the article -
"A recent survey showed that fully 5% of adults under 30 identify as trans or non-binary. Not all of them seek a medical transition, but all of them are impacted by regulations that marginalize their right to live freely. As an Ohioan and a Christian, I want to live in a state where all people have the right to flourish in their own gender identity.
"Most Americans agree that religion should not dictate public policy, but these proposed rules are rooted in ingrained religious biases about gender roles. Those biases are unethical and unbiblical. Our trans neighbors are radiant gifts of God, just like Joseph and Deborah, and they are terrified by our government trying to legislate them out of existence."
Unbiblical? Who is unbiblical? The people who believe God made humans male and female, or those who believe humans can have any of dozens of "genders?" To claim Joseph and Deborah were transgenders is simply beyond the realm of credulity.
The government is not trying to legislate transgenders out of existence. State governments are trying to stop the physical mutilation of children not understood by society in general and medical science for all of modern history until today, to be capable of making such life-changing decisions. Especially is that the case where public school officials and teachers are encouraging children under 18 to get transgender surgeries without their parents knowledge!
What about the Bible portraying God as a woman? It does. No one can argue that. What I would argue is that God is not male or female. God is Deity, above all and different than all creation. As such, He has created in His creatures aspects of His Character and Nature. He made humans after His image and likeness. That does not make God male or female, anymore than it makes Him a cow or a tree or a mountain or a planet or a star.
Are engineers cars or buildings because they design them? Nor is God a woman because He designed and created one from the first man, from dirt He created the planet to be partially surfaced with. All creation has aspects of God's glory found in His character. Humans display some of it.
Based on the weight of evidence, I would not trust anything written by such a "scholar" as the author of this article.
When I was a child, I identified with Superman. "Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird. It's a plane. No! It's Superman!" And the tv show music played on. Hey, I identified with Superman. I took a towel, tied it around my neck, went down three flights of stairs in the apartment building I lived in, back in New Haven, CT; went out the back door and jumped off the back steps.
That's me and mom playing in front of those steps. Did I get hurt? Of course I did. Thankfully, nothing broke but, my identity.
I would not dare to identify with an Old Testament scholar. The fact is, I do not need to. No one does. Anyone can study a Bible with the tools available and know the truth and the truth shall make us free. Free of confusion, especially.
Spiritual, prophetic Babylon is religious confusion. It exists everywhere. We are warned of it. It is going to take control of the entire world at some point. It could be argued it already does but, the end is not yet. It is approaching with due haste.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
I would not dare to identify with an Old Testament scholar. The fact is, I do not need to. No one does. Anyone can study a Bible with the tools available and know the truth and the truth shall make us free. Free of confusion, especially.
Spiritual, prophetic Babylon is religious confusion. It exists everywhere. We are warned of it. It is going to take control of the entire world at some point. It could be argued it already does but, the end is not yet. It is approaching with due haste.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
As I Look at the Headlines...
As I look at the headlines this morning all I see are fulfillments of biblical predictions that the coming of Christ draws near and the end of the world as we know it is building upon us.
For some people that reads like something a lunatic wrote. For others it reads like yesterday's, yesteryear's, yesterdecade's op/ed.
Still others will wonder why a seemingly intelligent person would write something so wild-eyed and extreme.
Then there are those, Christians, students of the Bible and history, who wholeheartedly agree. The headlines read like they were taken from Matthew 24; Luke 17 and 21; Mark 13; and sections of letters to the ancient church from Paul, James, Peter, John and Jude. Throw in things found in some of the Old Testament prophets, psalmists and information surrounding Noah's time and Sodom and Gomorrah's demise and you have a structure built on solid rock that the Bible is true, accurate, and its Author is warning the world to take their eyes off of things that are eternally negligent and worthless and set your eyes on things which are more real and necessary than your daily food.
I had a Bible study yesterday with someone who, like me, was raised Roman Catholic, quite unknowledgeable of the Bible, has visited a number of different churches, has no use or interest or respect for most all televangelists, recognizes the world seems to be going crazy and just didn't know what to think about everything religious and the who, what, where, why, when and how of "God." Raised to believe. Disappointed into disbelief, living a life emotionally torn to pieces... hope? Of what?
I began in the book of Daniel. Now I've shifted to what the final messages of love and warning from God to a sad and dying world say; in all the books mentioned above. The amount of information, even if we studied together every day, would take weeks, if not months to cover. And when all that information is seen and exhausted, you have new things happening in the world that verify it all, more and more, with startling reality. This new student of the Bible is markedly impressed.
It is now blatantly obvious, even removing Bible prophecy, that 2024 is going to bring some very major events to humanity. It may be that Antarctica is the only region on Earth where upheavals of mankind and nature are not taking place. It's going to get worse. It's going to get insanely worse. Then, it's all going to calm down. Peace and safety will seem to have finally come. Then, sudden destruction will arrive as a woman in travail with childbirth. The seven last plagues. Horrors beyond contemplation. Supernatural events no one yet knows of. The cataclysmic and catastrophic return of Jesus Christ with indescribable power and glory to a world in total, complete rebellion. The end of the world as we know it.
Yeah, it would be difficult for me to believe all that if it weren't for Bible prophecy. It opened my eyes 45 years ago and continues to guide me along, despite four and a half decades of personal life that is no poster boy for "all things bright and beautiful."
It seems less and less do I have anything to write about music or drums and drumming. Yes, the album project is moving along, albeit with some significant changes but, the realities of a world being turned upside down by human lunacy and what seems angry and tired nature, is taking front page space in my mind.
Jesus Christ is returning to Earth, is coming with the power of Deity and celestial glory and is going to have the final word on sin, rebellion and a world caught completely by surprise. Just in case you disbelieve that last statement, notice how Christ seemed extra-careful to get that point across in His discourse about the end of the world -
Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
Mat 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Mat 24:41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Mat 24:42 Watch therefore: for you do not know what hour your Lord does come.
Mat 24:43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have permitted his house to be broken up.
Mat 24:44 Therefore you also be ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes.
Mat 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?
Mat 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing.
Mat 24:47 Truly I say to you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
Mat 24:48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delays his coming;
Mat 24:49 And shall begin to strike his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
Mat 24:50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
Mat 24:51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Five times the Lord emphasized His return - however earnestly expected and hoped for - will be a surprise event. Other portions of Scripture state the same thing, like the parable of the ten virgins, which immediately follows Matthew 24 in chapter 25:1-13. All ten fell asleep. The cry went out; the bridegroom was coming. Only five made preparation to meet him in the darkness with oil in their lamps to light their way and no one knows when our Master is going to return. Then Paul and Peter stating Christ will come like a thief in the night. That does not mean secretly. It means unexpectedly. There is nothing secret about a woman going into childbirth (1 Thes. 5:1-3) or Peter stating everything will explode into noise and heat -
2Pet 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pet 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pet 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2Pet 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness.
I pray to God I shall be ready, should I be alive when it happens. I hope and pray the same for you.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
For some people that reads like something a lunatic wrote. For others it reads like yesterday's, yesteryear's, yesterdecade's op/ed.
Still others will wonder why a seemingly intelligent person would write something so wild-eyed and extreme.
Then there are those, Christians, students of the Bible and history, who wholeheartedly agree. The headlines read like they were taken from Matthew 24; Luke 17 and 21; Mark 13; and sections of letters to the ancient church from Paul, James, Peter, John and Jude. Throw in things found in some of the Old Testament prophets, psalmists and information surrounding Noah's time and Sodom and Gomorrah's demise and you have a structure built on solid rock that the Bible is true, accurate, and its Author is warning the world to take their eyes off of things that are eternally negligent and worthless and set your eyes on things which are more real and necessary than your daily food.
I had a Bible study yesterday with someone who, like me, was raised Roman Catholic, quite unknowledgeable of the Bible, has visited a number of different churches, has no use or interest or respect for most all televangelists, recognizes the world seems to be going crazy and just didn't know what to think about everything religious and the who, what, where, why, when and how of "God." Raised to believe. Disappointed into disbelief, living a life emotionally torn to pieces... hope? Of what?
I began in the book of Daniel. Now I've shifted to what the final messages of love and warning from God to a sad and dying world say; in all the books mentioned above. The amount of information, even if we studied together every day, would take weeks, if not months to cover. And when all that information is seen and exhausted, you have new things happening in the world that verify it all, more and more, with startling reality. This new student of the Bible is markedly impressed.
It is now blatantly obvious, even removing Bible prophecy, that 2024 is going to bring some very major events to humanity. It may be that Antarctica is the only region on Earth where upheavals of mankind and nature are not taking place. It's going to get worse. It's going to get insanely worse. Then, it's all going to calm down. Peace and safety will seem to have finally come. Then, sudden destruction will arrive as a woman in travail with childbirth. The seven last plagues. Horrors beyond contemplation. Supernatural events no one yet knows of. The cataclysmic and catastrophic return of Jesus Christ with indescribable power and glory to a world in total, complete rebellion. The end of the world as we know it.
Yeah, it would be difficult for me to believe all that if it weren't for Bible prophecy. It opened my eyes 45 years ago and continues to guide me along, despite four and a half decades of personal life that is no poster boy for "all things bright and beautiful."
It seems less and less do I have anything to write about music or drums and drumming. Yes, the album project is moving along, albeit with some significant changes but, the realities of a world being turned upside down by human lunacy and what seems angry and tired nature, is taking front page space in my mind.
Jesus Christ is returning to Earth, is coming with the power of Deity and celestial glory and is going to have the final word on sin, rebellion and a world caught completely by surprise. Just in case you disbelieve that last statement, notice how Christ seemed extra-careful to get that point across in His discourse about the end of the world -
Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
Mat 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Mat 24:41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Mat 24:42 Watch therefore: for you do not know what hour your Lord does come.
Mat 24:43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have permitted his house to be broken up.
Mat 24:44 Therefore you also be ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes.
Mat 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?
Mat 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing.
Mat 24:47 Truly I say to you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
Mat 24:48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delays his coming;
Mat 24:49 And shall begin to strike his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
Mat 24:50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
Mat 24:51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Five times the Lord emphasized His return - however earnestly expected and hoped for - will be a surprise event. Other portions of Scripture state the same thing, like the parable of the ten virgins, which immediately follows Matthew 24 in chapter 25:1-13. All ten fell asleep. The cry went out; the bridegroom was coming. Only five made preparation to meet him in the darkness with oil in their lamps to light their way and no one knows when our Master is going to return. Then Paul and Peter stating Christ will come like a thief in the night. That does not mean secretly. It means unexpectedly. There is nothing secret about a woman going into childbirth (1 Thes. 5:1-3) or Peter stating everything will explode into noise and heat -
2Pet 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pet 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pet 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2Pet 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness.
I pray to God I shall be ready, should I be alive when it happens. I hope and pray the same for you.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
910. Swift, Again - February 5, 2024
Taylor Swift is in the news again regarding her professed faith and positions taken in her life based on her faith.
I have no burden to mention anything about Ms. Swift and give her any more notoriety than she has. Which, in and of itself, seems rather silly, seeing she's as ubiquitous as a person can be in this life.
My position has been this, and remains this: when someone makes a public profession of the Christian faith and states things that go against the faith, I shall make comment between truth and error as I understand it.
First, again, we should start with what a Christian is, seeing she calls herself one. The term is only found three times in the Bible -
Act 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
Acts 26:28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, Almost you have persuaded me to be a Christian.
1Pet 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
The term Christian, Gr. Christianos, needless to say, is placed upon someone who chooses to follow the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, the Messiah (anointed one), Who offers salvation from sin to those who repent and are born-again. It is not someone who goes to a church building one or two days a week. It is not someone who has their name on the books of some denomination or congregation. It is not someone who says they are a Christian. It is someone whose name is written in the Lamb's book of life in Heaven, where it has been shown a personal connection has been made between a sinner to their Creator, Redeemer and Lord; and begins to live life based on the teachings of Christ, the actions in His life and by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God; which is the Word of God, the Bible and His will revealed through the gifts of the Holy Spirit in harmony with His Word. It is a spiritual journey. It is a process. It is not a religious hobby. It is not joining a religious social club. It is not about man-made duties or man-made rules or celebrating man-made holidays. It is not about some man-made person who reflects mankind's desires and will for life. In many ways it is the exact opposite of what people, calling themselves Christian, believe and do. That is why the Bible brings about the subject of Babylon, confusion, in the scenes of prophecy. Religious confusion. Ms. Swift is confused.
We are all sinner's in need of salvation from what we are. Iesou Christos, Yeshua Messiah is the central Figure and point of contact for all humanity to come to, to make personal connection to God. In many ways people show that connection or lack thereof in the face of profession of faith. We fall, we get up and keep going. We fall and keep marching to Zion. It is the same for all Christians. God knows them that are His,
2Tim 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows them that are his. And, Let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
From Christ's own perspective of what it means to be a follower of His, we have His own words -
Matt 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Those are self-explanatory, are they not? Everybody has "crosses" to bear in life. Heavy burdens. Stressors. Problems. Difficulties. Troubles. Obstacles. Mountains, if you will. We are asked to deny ourselves: finding ways to deal with mountains that are found in unrighteous ways of dealing with things, or even righteous ways which are not God's chosen ways for us to deal with things when they arise in our personal lives. The Christian denies him or herself and seeks God's will and chooses to follow it, even if the weight remains on them. Sooner or later Jesus will show the way He wants to lift the burden and give us His burden, which is light. That can mean light, as in weight or light, as in that spiritual wave form; the light of truth, which makes us free, indeed. It involves patience. It involves trust and faith and endurance. It is all based on love. Love for God. Love for our fellow humans. Even our enemies. It all involves seeing beyond this life into that life shall go on forever in peace, harmony, satisfaction, discovery and learning and experiencing things beyond our imaginations. The woman endures great pain and then delivers the child and the pain is dwarfed by the miracle of new life. That is why the experience is used to show us the reality of living as a Christian, with the hope of eternal life yet to come, and when it comes, whatever we have gone through will fade into nothingness.
Don't ask me if Ms. Swift has such an experience. My assessment is meaningless. God knows whether her life reflects that connection a Christian makes which changes their whole life.
The issue is Swift stating she is a Christian and supports the abortion of babies in the womb. There is no biblical information, cover to cover, that supports abortion. It is not there. Quite to the contrary. Though abortion is not mentioned in the Bible, God's telling humanity He knows us all before we are born, has shaped us in the womb, and despises the shedding of innocent blood is mentioned. If a battle exists in professed Christianity regarding this subject it is one based on a Thus saith the Lord versus a thus saith society. Supporters of abortion cannot use the Christian faith, should not use the Christian faith and dangerously place themselves in a position of eternal destruction by twisting the faith of Christ to support their position babies in a womb can be killed at will. Swift has now publicly done this. Whatever version of Christ, of the Heavenly Father, of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God she has in her mind, she has things as warped and twisted as can be. She is not the first. She shall not be the last. It's been going on for thousands of years -
2Pet 3:15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,
2Pet 3:16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
People have been twisting the Scriptures to suit their own agendas for millennia. It is done in all religious communions and organizations to some degree or another. Why? Because it is not an easy thing to lift our crosses every day and follow Christ. Life is not easy. Life, Christian life, is spiritual warfare with self and with an arch enemy, fallen angel and multitudes of angels that fell with him, and billions of humans who follow him - whether they know it or not - which are in this war every day. Our weak minds, seeking ways to get burdens off our back, are prone to rounding corners and doing what may seem like a small thing to escape the reality of the war the Christian engages in. My Friend, abortion is no small thing. Mankind has made it a small thing. To God, life is precious. Life is paramount. Christ gave His life to save humanity. How many babies have been killed who could have been scientific, medical or ministerial geniuses; heroes of faith that would have moved mountains to help humanity in its struggles?
Abortion is the murder of an innocent baby developing in the miracle of a mother's womb. Taylor Swift has publicly placed herself against the God she claims to believe in. Given her influence in this corrupt world hastening to its demise, she needs prayer and instruction and admonitions to take due heed of her statements.
Christians are ambassadors for Christ and His kingdom -
2Cor 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Every Christian is an ambassador for Christ, representing Christ and the principles of His kingdom in this world. It is a serious responsibility. We fail. We fall. We rise and keep going because God is love and His mercy is new every morning but, that does not mean we can just keep willfully spreading error when the truth comes; when the light of truth shines upon our minds. God said it as forcefully as can be stated to Moses and it remains true today -
Exodus 34:5 And the LORD came down in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
Exo 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Exo 34:7 Keeping mercy to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but Who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, to the third and to the fourth generation."
From Christ's teaching of an unjust servant -
Luke 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
Has much been given to Taylor Swift? Indeed. I know not the amount of spiritual light she has been given but, her place in this world is far above most of humanity. That does not make her special. That makes her the more responsible, as God states it. Much is required of her, in God's kingdom. Anyone with such a place in this world should know that they know what they are saying is truth when they speak for their faith in Christ and His kingdom. The principle lays upon all professed believers, regardless of their place in society. Better to say nothing at all, than state error which can cause an avalanche of problems for those influenced by erroneous beliefs.
It is not an fast or easy march through life. Yes Jesus promised this -
Matt 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matt 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls.
Matt 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
That is all true but, must be balanced with this -
Matt 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Matt 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Matt 10:36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
Matt 10:37 He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Matt 10:38 And he that takes not his cross, and follows after me, is not worthy of me.
Matt 10:39 He that finds his life shall lose it: and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
I have no burden to mention anything about Ms. Swift and give her any more notoriety than she has. Which, in and of itself, seems rather silly, seeing she's as ubiquitous as a person can be in this life.
My position has been this, and remains this: when someone makes a public profession of the Christian faith and states things that go against the faith, I shall make comment between truth and error as I understand it.
First, again, we should start with what a Christian is, seeing she calls herself one. The term is only found three times in the Bible -
Act 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
Acts 26:28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, Almost you have persuaded me to be a Christian.
1Pet 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
The term Christian, Gr. Christianos, needless to say, is placed upon someone who chooses to follow the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, the Messiah (anointed one), Who offers salvation from sin to those who repent and are born-again. It is not someone who goes to a church building one or two days a week. It is not someone who has their name on the books of some denomination or congregation. It is not someone who says they are a Christian. It is someone whose name is written in the Lamb's book of life in Heaven, where it has been shown a personal connection has been made between a sinner to their Creator, Redeemer and Lord; and begins to live life based on the teachings of Christ, the actions in His life and by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God; which is the Word of God, the Bible and His will revealed through the gifts of the Holy Spirit in harmony with His Word. It is a spiritual journey. It is a process. It is not a religious hobby. It is not joining a religious social club. It is not about man-made duties or man-made rules or celebrating man-made holidays. It is not about some man-made person who reflects mankind's desires and will for life. In many ways it is the exact opposite of what people, calling themselves Christian, believe and do. That is why the Bible brings about the subject of Babylon, confusion, in the scenes of prophecy. Religious confusion. Ms. Swift is confused.
We are all sinner's in need of salvation from what we are. Iesou Christos, Yeshua Messiah is the central Figure and point of contact for all humanity to come to, to make personal connection to God. In many ways people show that connection or lack thereof in the face of profession of faith. We fall, we get up and keep going. We fall and keep marching to Zion. It is the same for all Christians. God knows them that are His,
2Tim 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows them that are his. And, Let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
From Christ's own perspective of what it means to be a follower of His, we have His own words -
Matt 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Those are self-explanatory, are they not? Everybody has "crosses" to bear in life. Heavy burdens. Stressors. Problems. Difficulties. Troubles. Obstacles. Mountains, if you will. We are asked to deny ourselves: finding ways to deal with mountains that are found in unrighteous ways of dealing with things, or even righteous ways which are not God's chosen ways for us to deal with things when they arise in our personal lives. The Christian denies him or herself and seeks God's will and chooses to follow it, even if the weight remains on them. Sooner or later Jesus will show the way He wants to lift the burden and give us His burden, which is light. That can mean light, as in weight or light, as in that spiritual wave form; the light of truth, which makes us free, indeed. It involves patience. It involves trust and faith and endurance. It is all based on love. Love for God. Love for our fellow humans. Even our enemies. It all involves seeing beyond this life into that life shall go on forever in peace, harmony, satisfaction, discovery and learning and experiencing things beyond our imaginations. The woman endures great pain and then delivers the child and the pain is dwarfed by the miracle of new life. That is why the experience is used to show us the reality of living as a Christian, with the hope of eternal life yet to come, and when it comes, whatever we have gone through will fade into nothingness.
Don't ask me if Ms. Swift has such an experience. My assessment is meaningless. God knows whether her life reflects that connection a Christian makes which changes their whole life.
The issue is Swift stating she is a Christian and supports the abortion of babies in the womb. There is no biblical information, cover to cover, that supports abortion. It is not there. Quite to the contrary. Though abortion is not mentioned in the Bible, God's telling humanity He knows us all before we are born, has shaped us in the womb, and despises the shedding of innocent blood is mentioned. If a battle exists in professed Christianity regarding this subject it is one based on a Thus saith the Lord versus a thus saith society. Supporters of abortion cannot use the Christian faith, should not use the Christian faith and dangerously place themselves in a position of eternal destruction by twisting the faith of Christ to support their position babies in a womb can be killed at will. Swift has now publicly done this. Whatever version of Christ, of the Heavenly Father, of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God she has in her mind, she has things as warped and twisted as can be. She is not the first. She shall not be the last. It's been going on for thousands of years -
2Pet 3:15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,
2Pet 3:16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
People have been twisting the Scriptures to suit their own agendas for millennia. It is done in all religious communions and organizations to some degree or another. Why? Because it is not an easy thing to lift our crosses every day and follow Christ. Life is not easy. Life, Christian life, is spiritual warfare with self and with an arch enemy, fallen angel and multitudes of angels that fell with him, and billions of humans who follow him - whether they know it or not - which are in this war every day. Our weak minds, seeking ways to get burdens off our back, are prone to rounding corners and doing what may seem like a small thing to escape the reality of the war the Christian engages in. My Friend, abortion is no small thing. Mankind has made it a small thing. To God, life is precious. Life is paramount. Christ gave His life to save humanity. How many babies have been killed who could have been scientific, medical or ministerial geniuses; heroes of faith that would have moved mountains to help humanity in its struggles?
Abortion is the murder of an innocent baby developing in the miracle of a mother's womb. Taylor Swift has publicly placed herself against the God she claims to believe in. Given her influence in this corrupt world hastening to its demise, she needs prayer and instruction and admonitions to take due heed of her statements.
Christians are ambassadors for Christ and His kingdom -
2Cor 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Every Christian is an ambassador for Christ, representing Christ and the principles of His kingdom in this world. It is a serious responsibility. We fail. We fall. We rise and keep going because God is love and His mercy is new every morning but, that does not mean we can just keep willfully spreading error when the truth comes; when the light of truth shines upon our minds. God said it as forcefully as can be stated to Moses and it remains true today -
Exodus 34:5 And the LORD came down in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
Exo 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Exo 34:7 Keeping mercy to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but Who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, to the third and to the fourth generation."
From Christ's teaching of an unjust servant -
Luke 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
Has much been given to Taylor Swift? Indeed. I know not the amount of spiritual light she has been given but, her place in this world is far above most of humanity. That does not make her special. That makes her the more responsible, as God states it. Much is required of her, in God's kingdom. Anyone with such a place in this world should know that they know what they are saying is truth when they speak for their faith in Christ and His kingdom. The principle lays upon all professed believers, regardless of their place in society. Better to say nothing at all, than state error which can cause an avalanche of problems for those influenced by erroneous beliefs.
It is not an fast or easy march through life. Yes Jesus promised this -
Matt 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matt 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls.
Matt 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
That is all true but, must be balanced with this -
Matt 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Matt 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Matt 10:36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
Matt 10:37 He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Matt 10:38 And he that takes not his cross, and follows after me, is not worthy of me.
Matt 10:39 He that finds his life shall lose it: and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Tucker and Putin
Give radical Leftists enough rope and they will hang themselves every time.
It has been my observation that for most of the career of Tucker Carlson in news media, he has generally been late to the party. I've made that comment before. He's a nice guy, not really a Conservative on the Right and by his own admission, a Centrist. In the last year he has admitted to having his eyes opened about many things; including truth about radical, Leftist agenda; the Covid Plandemic and "vaccines;" the 2020 presidential election; the January 6th, 2021 "insurrection, show-trial, and miscarriages of justice associated with it all; the Ukraine war and other aspects of globalist mindset to control the world; including the Russian pipeline being blown up by the Biden administration, not Ukrainian "freedom fighters." Late to the realization of truth but, better late than never for the man. He's no longer a sassy kid in a bowtie. He's become frontline resistance to the totalitarians.
I wasn't going to comment on his upcoming interview with Russian leader, Vladimir Putin. I already know what the interview will show because I had my eyes opened about Putin and Russia years ago, when I thought the same things most Americans have been led to believe about the man, when, in fact, his approval rating in Russia was the highest of any leader of any country in the world, by a huge margin. At the time, around 80%. How much of a tyrant can a man be with such an approval rating? I began to listen to or read his speeches. He was getting blamed as the bogey man for everything bad happening in the world, when he was trying to stand up for his nation (Russia first) and any nation willing to partner with Russia to make the world a safer and better place. No, the man is not a 'saint.' On the other hand, compared to most American politicians in Washington, D.C., he's close enough. 'Me thinks the main stream news media protested too much' about him then, and even more so now.
Trump and Putin would have become friends. The Left was going apoplectic. They created lies and hoisted them on the world for four years and still push their barnyard defecation. Next to Putin, these people are downright demonic. Devils in 3-pc. suits and dresses.
Now I am reading of Democrats who want Carlson's American citizenship taken away; news attacks from the MSM have begun, and even the headline that the Ukraine government has put Carlson on a hitlist. Because of an interview??? Seriously? Just a political interview with the world's worst bad-guy? Wouldn't this Russian dictator/ creep show himself for what he is? Wouldn't Tucker be able to actually get Putin to admit to things he's done whereas, Megyn Kelly got sliced up pretty handily by the man in that 2018 interview? She came off looking like a schoolgirl out to make her ex-boyfriend look bad. Honestly? Tucker would not fair much better if he takes that approach. I tend to believe he'll just ask honest questions and let Putin answer them. Not a softball interview but, not a hardball interview, either.
Putin will explain the war with Ukraine and the world will see what voices have been saying for more than a decade: Ukraine was persecuting its own people. They asked Putin and Russia to intervene. Putin held off until it became a situation he could no longer ignore. Zelenskyy is little more than the leader of a Ukraine mafia working with American interests for nefarious ends, etc., etc., etc. Old news now for many but, for many others, shocking revelations the radical Left and "uniparty" cannot afford in an election year like this one.
I certainly hope Tucker stays safe. May God protect him from wicked plans laid by wicked minds.
Putin will have an interpreter with him, though over the years he has come to understand English. If he answers Carlson's questions like he has for years, when asked questions by Western and Eastern journalists, he is going to attack, in no uncertain terms, the West's abdication of most of the principles that have upheld it for centuries.
Yes, I'll watch the interview. Tens of millions will, if not hundreds of millions, maybe over a billion. That is why the radical Left and D.C. uniparty of RINOs do not want this interview to take place or be seen.
It just that simple, really. It's the same reason the uniparty cannot have Trump back in the White House. He is the biggest, or seems to be the biggest monkey wrench ever thrown into the corrupt gear box D.C. functions as or has ever experienced.
Dr. Stella Emmanuel, heroine during Covid, treating multiplied hundreds of patients with remedies that actually work, believes Trump has been raised up by God. True? I don't know. I do believe if Trump is elected, he and Putin will make the world a better place, at least for a short time.
We had reached a place, decades ago, that every "official story" should be examined and questioned. I woke up to that reality. More and more Americans and people around the world are waking up to that reality with each passing week. Imagine. Farmers and truckers and podcasters and regular people stating truth on the world wide web and it is making a difference. The one-time Fox news, #1 nighttime newscaster, Tucker Carlson, is now a member of that faction. Imagine that: in Russia, interviewing one of the most powerful men in the world and the world is angrier than hell at him. Makes you think.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
********************************
As an addendum, after watching the interview, Putin was Putin. He's very smart, was actually more measured than I anticipated but, still told the world the truth: factions of the West are doing stupid things, escalating problems; and Russians are actually puzzled at how stupid the West and the USA are being, hurting themselves, not Russia. The West will just state Putin lied and Tucker gave a softball interview.
One could only imagine the absolute embarrassing train wreck that would occur if Biden sat across a table from Putin and attempted an intelligent dialogue. Biden is, after all, "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/02/special-counsel-hur-finds-joe-biden-willfully-retained/
America, on its present course, is truly doomed. It's a planned destruction. A globalist puppet is POTUS. Unelected agencies run the nation, with global corporations and banksters. Only an America first; free of wars, free of godless iconoclasts; free of banker-controlled economy: a truly free-market economy; with set, controlled borders; following it's limited-government Constitution will survive. I could not say, with any confidence, that will take place.
Yes, America is in prophecy. God has a vested interest in having America fulfill its prophetic role. That will ultimately happen. When? God knows.
***********************************************
Another post-script here. It is 1 o'clock CT and I am shocked at something. Nothing stated by Putin, in the interview, was new to me but, the number of headlines and YT videos with the words shocked or shocking is really quite unbelievable. The number of people in alt news media who were still unaware of the Russia/Ukraine situation is alarming. The conflict has a 10-year history of broken agreements, a two-year war and the number of entities not aware of the truths behind it all reveals far more than the interview; when we live in such a fast information age. Even Tucker said Putin shared some shocking information. No he didn't. Everything he said is old news. Seriously. How can this lack of understanding exist? Can it truly be that this many people saw Putin as the Western media has portrayed him? That's just far more shocking to me.
Well, now, for however many new minds, the information is out there. What happens next? They can't touch Putin. Let's see how they hassle Carlson.
It has been my observation that for most of the career of Tucker Carlson in news media, he has generally been late to the party. I've made that comment before. He's a nice guy, not really a Conservative on the Right and by his own admission, a Centrist. In the last year he has admitted to having his eyes opened about many things; including truth about radical, Leftist agenda; the Covid Plandemic and "vaccines;" the 2020 presidential election; the January 6th, 2021 "insurrection, show-trial, and miscarriages of justice associated with it all; the Ukraine war and other aspects of globalist mindset to control the world; including the Russian pipeline being blown up by the Biden administration, not Ukrainian "freedom fighters." Late to the realization of truth but, better late than never for the man. He's no longer a sassy kid in a bowtie. He's become frontline resistance to the totalitarians.
I wasn't going to comment on his upcoming interview with Russian leader, Vladimir Putin. I already know what the interview will show because I had my eyes opened about Putin and Russia years ago, when I thought the same things most Americans have been led to believe about the man, when, in fact, his approval rating in Russia was the highest of any leader of any country in the world, by a huge margin. At the time, around 80%. How much of a tyrant can a man be with such an approval rating? I began to listen to or read his speeches. He was getting blamed as the bogey man for everything bad happening in the world, when he was trying to stand up for his nation (Russia first) and any nation willing to partner with Russia to make the world a safer and better place. No, the man is not a 'saint.' On the other hand, compared to most American politicians in Washington, D.C., he's close enough. 'Me thinks the main stream news media protested too much' about him then, and even more so now.
Trump and Putin would have become friends. The Left was going apoplectic. They created lies and hoisted them on the world for four years and still push their barnyard defecation. Next to Putin, these people are downright demonic. Devils in 3-pc. suits and dresses.
Now I am reading of Democrats who want Carlson's American citizenship taken away; news attacks from the MSM have begun, and even the headline that the Ukraine government has put Carlson on a hitlist. Because of an interview??? Seriously? Just a political interview with the world's worst bad-guy? Wouldn't this Russian dictator/ creep show himself for what he is? Wouldn't Tucker be able to actually get Putin to admit to things he's done whereas, Megyn Kelly got sliced up pretty handily by the man in that 2018 interview? She came off looking like a schoolgirl out to make her ex-boyfriend look bad. Honestly? Tucker would not fair much better if he takes that approach. I tend to believe he'll just ask honest questions and let Putin answer them. Not a softball interview but, not a hardball interview, either.
Putin will explain the war with Ukraine and the world will see what voices have been saying for more than a decade: Ukraine was persecuting its own people. They asked Putin and Russia to intervene. Putin held off until it became a situation he could no longer ignore. Zelenskyy is little more than the leader of a Ukraine mafia working with American interests for nefarious ends, etc., etc., etc. Old news now for many but, for many others, shocking revelations the radical Left and "uniparty" cannot afford in an election year like this one.
I certainly hope Tucker stays safe. May God protect him from wicked plans laid by wicked minds.
Putin will have an interpreter with him, though over the years he has come to understand English. If he answers Carlson's questions like he has for years, when asked questions by Western and Eastern journalists, he is going to attack, in no uncertain terms, the West's abdication of most of the principles that have upheld it for centuries.
Yes, I'll watch the interview. Tens of millions will, if not hundreds of millions, maybe over a billion. That is why the radical Left and D.C. uniparty of RINOs do not want this interview to take place or be seen.
It just that simple, really. It's the same reason the uniparty cannot have Trump back in the White House. He is the biggest, or seems to be the biggest monkey wrench ever thrown into the corrupt gear box D.C. functions as or has ever experienced.
Dr. Stella Emmanuel, heroine during Covid, treating multiplied hundreds of patients with remedies that actually work, believes Trump has been raised up by God. True? I don't know. I do believe if Trump is elected, he and Putin will make the world a better place, at least for a short time.
We had reached a place, decades ago, that every "official story" should be examined and questioned. I woke up to that reality. More and more Americans and people around the world are waking up to that reality with each passing week. Imagine. Farmers and truckers and podcasters and regular people stating truth on the world wide web and it is making a difference. The one-time Fox news, #1 nighttime newscaster, Tucker Carlson, is now a member of that faction. Imagine that: in Russia, interviewing one of the most powerful men in the world and the world is angrier than hell at him. Makes you think.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
********************************
As an addendum, after watching the interview, Putin was Putin. He's very smart, was actually more measured than I anticipated but, still told the world the truth: factions of the West are doing stupid things, escalating problems; and Russians are actually puzzled at how stupid the West and the USA are being, hurting themselves, not Russia. The West will just state Putin lied and Tucker gave a softball interview.
One could only imagine the absolute embarrassing train wreck that would occur if Biden sat across a table from Putin and attempted an intelligent dialogue. Biden is, after all, "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/02/special-counsel-hur-finds-joe-biden-willfully-retained/
America, on its present course, is truly doomed. It's a planned destruction. A globalist puppet is POTUS. Unelected agencies run the nation, with global corporations and banksters. Only an America first; free of wars, free of godless iconoclasts; free of banker-controlled economy: a truly free-market economy; with set, controlled borders; following it's limited-government Constitution will survive. I could not say, with any confidence, that will take place.
Yes, America is in prophecy. God has a vested interest in having America fulfill its prophetic role. That will ultimately happen. When? God knows.
***********************************************
Another post-script here. It is 1 o'clock CT and I am shocked at something. Nothing stated by Putin, in the interview, was new to me but, the number of headlines and YT videos with the words shocked or shocking is really quite unbelievable. The number of people in alt news media who were still unaware of the Russia/Ukraine situation is alarming. The conflict has a 10-year history of broken agreements, a two-year war and the number of entities not aware of the truths behind it all reveals far more than the interview; when we live in such a fast information age. Even Tucker said Putin shared some shocking information. No he didn't. Everything he said is old news. Seriously. How can this lack of understanding exist? Can it truly be that this many people saw Putin as the Western media has portrayed him? That's just far more shocking to me.
Well, now, for however many new minds, the information is out there. What happens next? They can't touch Putin. Let's see how they hassle Carlson.
*****************************
911. Super Bowl Sunday - 2/10/24
The "Super Bowl" is tomorrow. Being played in Las Vegas, otherwise affectionately known as "sin city" by those who patronize what goes on there and what the city is generally known for. Until the "big game" tomorrow, the last thing I remember about Las Vegas was the massacre; a horrifying event still shrouded in mystery and a plethora of unanswered questions.
I am seeing headlines of articles claiming the televised game will feature, not just its usual round of high dollar commercials but, those that show the Gospel, the Christian message. I just saw a headline that a Catholic Church App will be featuring a spot about prayer -
www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256778/catholic-prayer-app-hallow-to-air-commercial-during-super-bowl-lviii
“Let’s all just take 30 seconds during the Super Bowl, during the Lord’s day, to give thanks to God together. That’s really all Hallow is about, just spending time with God, just letting Christ into our hearts. It’s an honor to be able to use the Super Bowl, for the first time ever, as an opportunity for us all to pray.”
"The ad will feature Catholic actors Mark Wahlberg, who recently starred in “Father Stu,” and Jonathan Roumie, known for his role as Jesus in “The Chosen.” The teaser of the commercial shows both in a church — one blessing himself with holy water, the other receiving ashes on his forehead."
Maybe it's just me. When I look at the first sentence of the first paragraph of the article, I wonder how such things gain acceptance. Of course, anytime Christ can be placed before people it's a good thing. What I find rather alarming is the premise of the thought in the ad. Let's take 30 seconds during the Super Bowl; an event featuring a "contact" sport where people regularly get hurt, on purpose, for a lot of money, in a contest for a trophy, a ring, some extra money in athlete's bank accounts and some "bragging rights." A game where more incredibly foul language is said in three hours, than fish drink water. They call it "adult" language today. It's an event that has become infamous for its halftime extravaganzas featuring godless displays from entertainers, getting more and more filled with stuff millions get ticked off about every year and feel their children should not be exposed to. And I just read a headline that stated American football has now replaced baseball as "America's favorite pastime." Is it just me or do you also see the issues here?
The ad mentions "the Lord's day." Sunday is not the Lord's day. Sunday, the day of the SUN in pagan times, is not God's day of rest for humanity. That would be the seventh-day Sabbath of the fourth commandment; and Christ said so -
Mark 2:24 And the Pharisees said to him, Behold, why do they [Christ's disciples] on the sabbath day, that which is not lawful?
Mark 2:25 And he said to them, Have you never read what David did, when he had need, and was hungry, he, and they that were with him?
Mark 2:26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?
Mark 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
Mark 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Why is Sunday called the Lord's day? Because the Catholic Church made a change in the early centuries of the Christian faith; a change most of professed Christianity approves of, even if they reject everything else about Romanism and its influence and actions throughout history of the last 2000 years but, the fourth commandment places the Sabbath as the day to remember: a memorial of God's creation of this world and all original life on it: not the Venerabilis de Solis; the venerable day of the Sun. The day was pagan and is still pagan because it takes a holy God to make a day holy; not a church, not a pope, not man in any capacity of their human sphere and arrogance; to think to change what God gives to mankind. But, that is what the antichrist does - He "thinks to change times and laws," Daniel 7:25
So, the Catholic app considers it an honor to be part of the Super Bowl, to ask people, millions of people gathered in homes and sports bars, with all kinds of food and drink, watching grown men smash into each other for money, to take 30 seconds to pray. One would logically imagine people should pray that nobody gets hurt. Of course, even those professed Christians playing in this yearly contest have chosen to do so regardless of the physical risks, many that have lifelong implications when they can no longer play the game. Ever wonder what would happen to the players if they didn't wear all their armor; their protective gear? Yet, truth be told, ram your helmet into somebody and its a penalty. Grab someone's helmet or shoulder gear and it's a penalty. Hit somebody after the whistle is blown to end a play and it's a penalty. Hit a kicker in the midst of his action and it's a penalty. Be seen to hit someone out of a bad attitude, not "sportsmanship" and it's a penalty. Do not dare to take off a helmet and hit someone. That's a grievous act that will get you thrown out of a game, and possibly arrested if you hurt someone. Fights break out all the time, especially as the bruised and beaten athletes get close to the end of a game where they are losing. Frustration mounts. Tempers flair. Yep. Just a game of harmless fun.
I played the game when I was young. In a sandlot game, I saw a guy wreck his foot, badly. He got hit from behind. He dislocated his foot, which was hanging onto his leg by skin and his sock, literally. I tried to comfort him as we waited for an ambulance. His pain was intense. We all felt it. I had never seen anything like it. It was the last time I played football.
God does not endorse violence. In fact, exactly the opposite -
Gen 6:11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
Gen 6:12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
Gen 6:13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Psalm 11:5 The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
Jer 6:6 For thus has the LORD of hosts said, "Cut down trees and cast a mound against Jerusalem! She is the city to be punished; there is nothing but oppression in her midst.
Jer 6:7 As a fountain keeps fresh her waters, so she keeps fresh her evil; violence and spoil is heard in her; continually before Me are grief and wounds.
Jer 6:8 O Jerusalem, take warning, lest My soul depart from you; lest I make you desolate, a land without people."
In a day and age where "cage fighting" is immensely popular, as gladiators were popular in ancient Rome; in a day and age where violence is sport; where people make a difference between rioter's violence in cities and sport violence, is it a stretch that God calls the age "Babylon;" meaning spiritual, prophetic Babylon, an age of religious and human confusion?
Then comes the use in the commercial of two actors, Mark Wahlberg and Jonathan Roumie. Most people know Wahlberg is a practicing Catholic, a family man that "acts" in movies and generally uses a lot of foul language, and a lot of violence and action takes place in those films. It's all "acting," all fake. Just entertainment. Of course, he also plays other types of characters, as well: football players, and in his new movie, a Catholic priest but, is he known for those roles? Nope. He's a "badass" in most of his films.
Roumie plays Jesus in his widely popular tv series, "The Chosen." As you know, if you come here often, I have never seen the program. Don't want to and you know why. No sinner can possibly portray the sinless Son of man, Son of God, God on Earth, the Savior of mankind. It's a type of blasphemy that astounds me professed Christians flock to.
There is no such thing as "holy water" in the Bible. There is no such thing as placing ashes in the shape of a plus sign on a forehead in the Bible. There are no such things as dozens and dozens of traditions Romanism has maintained for centuries down through time, which many professed Protestant churches maintain, as daughters of the book of Revelation, chapter 17's "Mother."
Not having seen a super bowl since the 1970s I couldn't say when the whole crazy commercial-thing began, though I've seen some on YouTube over the years. Some are known to be pretty provocative, if not gross. And obviously, homosexuality and other perversions, biblically speaking, are now displayed as normalities for life.
I could never understand football players, praising God for gaining a touchdown, as though the Creator of the universe, who hates violence, is a fan of the game of football. They praise God while they smash into people. Well, defensive players, especially. Offensive players do their best to not get their body pummeled and crushed into the ground. They fail at that. As you watch the game you notice how players are getting up more slowly. They are tired and hurt. But... it's just a game.
"As many as 1.5 million young men participate in American football in the United States. An estimated 1.2 million football-related injuries are sustained annually."
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1947533/
"Over the course of the study period of 4 NFL seasons, 3,025 injuries were reported. Of the 3,025 injuries reported, 582 (19%) occurred during weeks 1-4 of the 2020-2021 regular season, whereas 1,292 (53%) occurred during preseason weeks 1-4, and 1,151 (38%) occurred during regular-season weeks 1-4 of NFL seasons 2016-2017, 2018-2019, and 2019-2020. There was a significant increase in the injury rate during weeks 1-4 of the 2020-2021 regular season for all comparisons with the injury rate both during the preseasons and the regular seasons of 3 recent past NFL seasons."
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8365220/
Super Bowl Sunday. The Kansas City Chiefs are playing. I remember when I watched the game, as a Green Bay Packer fan, when the two met in the first super bowl, back in 1967. The Packers were victorious.
I haven't watched a Super Bowl in almost 50 years. I'm going to watch this one. I suspect it will be filled with reasons to back up what I have written here, and Monday, I'll comment again, taking notice of things most people will not because they are rooting for teams, not contemplating eternity's approach upon a dying world.
I have said it often over the years. If there are sports in Heaven, the object is to get the other guy to win.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
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February 12, 2024
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I suppose if someone has not seen a Super Bowl in almost five decades, the Chiefs/49ers game was a decent one to see. Kind of boring until the end of the fourth quarter, into an overtime with new, bizarre rules, the Chiefs won in a dramatic finish. If I was still a football fan and had the money, I'd not pay such outrageous sums of money to see that game or any game. It was, after all, just a game; with but a few plays that may etch into a memory, and of all the things you could spend huge sums of money for, watching such a game is not one of them, for me, especially for entertainment purposes but, fans of sports are fans of sports. They'll save for a lifetime to see such an event. Apparently many did, reading reviews from people there. No one lost anything by seeing it on television. I might logically say they saw a lot more by viewing it that way, rather than being upper deck in Allegiant Stadium. Ah, but fans say, the atmosphere is electric. I imagine so. I found it that way to walk into Yankee stadium when I was young and only had to pay ten bucks for a seat.
SB ticket prices. I saw things from $900 for nosebleed seats, to $9500 to sit behind the teams, generally. Those prices skyrocketed to tens to a couple hundred thousand dollars for the SB. A skybox going for... 1.2 million dollars. ???? One particular fan was shown throughout the game in her box.
Four or five injuries, a couple personal fouls and no fights broke out. I'd be hard pressed to believe the halftime show would be seriously appreciated by anyone beyond "Usher" fans, of which I'm not. I had only heard the guy's name, never his R&B music. He obviously brought along some friends to the extravaganza, none of which I knew, and I couldn't understand a single word sung. From a music standpoint, I wasn't impressed but, that's purely a matter of subjective taste. Reviews of his performance are both positive and negative.
It is difficult for me to understand how the event went from 1967's football game to this bloated and overhyped spectacle it has become but, not really. As Christ said, the world will be building when He returns. It certainly is, as money flows for such man-made purposes.
Speaking of man-made purposes, as far as the commercials; I didn't see one that stood out for comic or dramatic reasons save for one with a young girl ice skating for her grandfather. I found that one touching. Others were just weird. The two commercials addressing the Christian faith went by so quickly as to be almost non-existent. Were it not for Mark Wahlberg's presence at the end of the one I referenced above, I'd only have wondered what the commercial was there for. One Chinese, Amazon-type, merchant company, Temu, paid around $35,000,000.00 for several spots. The Pfizer drug company commercial was so revolting, given its role in the pandemic, I truly hope the company is brought down to nothing.
******Edit here. I'll tell you something else revolting. Taylor Swift's boyfriend (or is that Travis Kelce's girlfriend?), not only got in his coach's face but, assaulted him. To see that and not see the coach send Kelce to the locker room for the rest of the game, was odd, indeed. Seeing Kelce is an integral part of the offense, and makes tons of money advertising for a bunch of companies, including Pfizer, I guess he can get away with such antics and totally un-sportsman-like conduct. No player in their right mind would have ever thought of approaching Vince Lombardi in such a manner. It would have cost him his career. To see Kelce holding the Lombardi trophy at the end of the game was a serious affront to anything that can be called "sportsmanship" (as well as an affront to Elvis).
The references to God, by players after the game concluded... how does one find the words to describe the image of God being a football fan, at all, let alone for such an event? Yes, God cares about the details of our lives, including our employment. Thanking God for playing a game you make millions of dollars playing, risking bodily injury to play it, in an atmosphere so far removed from anything the Lord would have seen when He was on Earth, aside from something at a Roman colosseum, is so bizarre, in principle, as to be what modern art is to Carl Bloch. Nothing like modern football existed throughout time in the realms of God's people living life, practicing their faith. Nay, to the extreme opposite. Christians ended up in Roman colosseums for disgusting and horrifying entertainment purposes where they sealed their lives in a martyr's death at the hands of gladiators or claws and teeth of starved beasts.
Where has humanity arrived?
At its confused end?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
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One more thing. I was otherwise occupied when a woman named Andra Day sang, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," which is considered the Black American National Anthem. I did here a Country music artist sing America, the Beautiful, and Reba sing the National Anthem. One might ask, can a nation have two national anthems? Sure, if one is as divided as this nation is.
The lyrics are from a poem written by James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938), in 1900 and addresses a love for God and country beyond the days of slavery and internal strife. The poem, set to music by Weldon's brother, was adopted to be lyrics and music for the NAACP, Negro National Anthem in 1919. The words are quite moving -
Lift every voice and sing,
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty,
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the list’ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.
Stony the road we trod
Bitter the chast’ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered
We have come, treading our path thro’ the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who hast by Thy might,
Led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we meet Thee,
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand, may we forever stand,
True to our God, true to our native land.
I wonder what Mr. Johnson would think of the BLM organization and its America-hating, communist leaders, or the George Floyd riots and all the destruction, or sports getting involved with racial politics? No. I don't wonder. The words of the song tell me all I need to know. He'd be aghast to see the divisions now, as bad as divisions between North and South before he was born.
You should notice the seventh line of the third section and its relation to Rev. 14:8; 17:1-6 and 18:1-5.
Johnson apparently considered himself an agnostic but, his Christian upbringing obviously influenced him and his poetry.
As you know, I do not believe in any race but, the human race. The amount of melanin in one's skin is a meaningless determination of character or intent in life, let alone one's station in life. Now, as more and more humans are born to "mixed" races, including Patrick Mahomes, millionaire MVP quarterback of the Chiefs, it becomes obvious "blacks and whites" are involved in division and strife caused by those elitists attempting to destroy America from without and within. They are the enemy. Those who work for them are the threats to the principles of Americanism and ruination of the Republic.
Will they be successful to full, entrenched, totalitarian victory? They certainly believe so.
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February 13,2024
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Stop the music. Stop the music. Not to make this post a book but, Okay, how I missed this, I do not know yet, I did. Big Time. Just not paying close enough attention for whatever reason in the moment.
The first of two ads during the game, from a "Christian" perspective, was the "He Gets Us" ad. The group has put other ads on tv. This one was a sixty-second spot, and all I recall is seeing portrayals of people washing the feet of other people. Some of the scenes looked a little odd and things were going by fast enough that I just didn't pick up on things meant to leave an impression decidedly unchristian, biblically speaking. Reading various news sites I frequent, I began to see things about the ad and decided to take a look. I found it on YouTube.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=94BqlDQ-Ppo
Foot washing is based on the Gospel of John, chapter 13; the events that took place when Jesus had a meal with His disciples before the Passover. He washed their feet and left an example for His disciples to follow. It's an act of humility, recognizing no one is better than anyone else. We are all sinners in need of salvation. Some churches practice this when they observe "communion." Now, some denominations and church groups observe communion every service, every day, (Roman Catholicism), and some, every week. Others do it once a month, or once every three months, etc., (Orthodox, Protestant or others). There is nothing in the Bible that stipulates how often this gathering and memorial of Christ's death should be observed. Foot washing is generally done with men and women dividing to separate quarters within a church building or home, where a smaller home church might meet, or any other place services are held; places rented by a church group. Some churches allow for married couples to also meet in a separate space to observe foot washing.
The ad proceeds to show various scenes where someone is washing the feet of another. Each scene is left open to interpretation -
1. Perhaps a son or son-in-law washing the feet of father or father-in-law in a dining room at home.
2. A police officer washing the feet of a man in a city alley, using a large bottle filled with water. It is in this scene lyrics begin, which I'll get to later.
3. A girl washing the feet of another girl, with another bottle of water, in a high school hallway in front of a trophy case; other students going about their own business. The girls are portrayed as being in two different social groups.
4. Two older men; a cowboy or rancher washing the feet of a Native American, in a galvanized tub out in the rough, desert West.
5. An older woman washing the feet of a teenage girl, in front of a "family planning clinic," where seven people are gathered around the corner of the building, taking a break from protesting, their signs held downward. One reads, 'Save the Unborn' and another 'Choice or Child.' Two other partial signs show the same premise. A motel sits in the background.
6. Two women sitting on the floor of a very messy kitchen, alcohol bottles on every surface; an obvious visual difference between the two women: one very "together;" the other very disheveled and distraught.
7. In a western oil field, two oil rigs in the background; a middle-aged, male oil worker washing the feet of a young girl/woman, "hippie" dressed, eco-protester.
8. A middle-aged woman washing the feet of a younger woman cradling a baby. She is portrayed with dirty jeans, with but a few belongings next to her. In the background, a bus dropping off passengers, adults and children, in what appears to be a cul-de-sac neighborhood.
9. A middle-age woman washing the feet of a seated younger woman, appearing to be a Muslim convert with an "Arabic-looking" husband standing next to her. A middle age man sits several feet away, pausing from planting some flowers in the bed outside the front of the house, next to another house in a presumed neighborhood.
10. This one has a lot going on. Two groups facing off, with bull-horns, angrily shouting at each other on the steps of an unknown building. Two young women sitting below them, on the steps, one is "black" washing the feet of one who is "white." Signs read, "Censorship," "Shut Him Up" and "Silence Hate."
11. Two older men, "white" and "black," sit with one foot each in a galvanized tub of water on the "porch" of a rustic restaurant of some kind. A bloodhound lies down alongside them.
12. An empty beach/ocean scene. One small, thin tree. A concrete area with a concrete bench. A depicted priest washes the feet of a carefully depicted transgender?; some roller skates off to his/her side.
13. The screen goes black and the words "JESUS DIDN'T TEACH HATE." "HE WASHED FEET," appear on the screen. "He Gets Us. All of Us" then appear. The "Jesus." Finally, "HeGetsUs.com/Love Your Neighbor" closes the ad out.
Honestly, each scene moved quickly enough that only the basic idea caught my thinking. The ad was over; most of it never really riveting in my mind. The next commercial was up or it went back to the game and the ad was gone for me. Putting differences aside and loving one another is what I caught.
How each of us might interpret each scene cannot really be moved by the words of the song, per se,' which are really few. The scenes change much faster than the words of the song move along; I caught some words at the expense of really looking at the scenes and vice-versa.
Don't ask me what you know is true
Don't have to tell you, I love your precious heart
I was standing
You were there
Two worlds collided
And they could never tear us apart.
The song is apparently a cover of a song by a band called INXS, Never Tear Us Apart.
The spot proposes to just have people get along, in love, and leave issues that arise between us to just be put aside. Love is more important. Acceptance is more important.
If you come to this site often enough, you know from what is posted here that is decidedly unbiblical because it only addresses half of the overall principle from the mouth of Jesus - Go, and sin no more. God is merciful. God is just. We may all be a mess but, the Bible places before us the information necessary to live a righteous life in Christ, through the influence of His life working in us by the influence and power of the Holy Spirit. It is not just "love" involved. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. His way. His truth. His life; unaltered by the notions and whims and confusion of mankind.
The commercial becomes that dangerous mix of spiritual, prophetic Babylon: religious confusion, designed to make people drunk, inebriated and unable to discern the whole truth of God. As the apostle Paul stated, recorded by Luke in the book of Acts -
Act 20:26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
Act 20:27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
The Bible, cover to cover, left to interpret itself, is the blueprint for faith. It is the measuring rule, the first and last standard, the guarded and inspired information necessary for salvation from the penalty and power of sin. History, doctrine, admonitions and warnings, promises, hope, guidance from on High; all of it given that believers can be complete, finished, whole, perfect in Christ Jesus.
The desire of the organization He Gets Us to get people thinking past our differences and loving one another is not a balanced message. Not if the Bible is allowed to speak fully to any issue that divides. Especially is that important to fully understand when Jesus stated He came to cause division. Division, dividing lines between truth and error, righteousness and unrighteousness are incredibly important to taking a stand at any time, let alone the end of time when Lucifer is going to ramp up his final deceptions and lies with all power, signs and lying wonders.
The fact is, Jesus did teach hate. He taught the Scriptures. The Bible teaches to hate sin. Sin is transgression of the law. Sin is not doing what we are convicted is right.
Psalm 97:10 You that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserves the souls of his saints; he delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
Psalm 101:3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
Psalm 119:104 Through your precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.
Psalm 119:113 SAMECH. I hate vain thoughts [Hebrew: divided thoughts in the mind of skeptics]: but your law do I love.
Psalm 119:163 I hate and abhor lying: but your law do I love.
And lest anyone think only sin is mentioned in this regard -
Psa 139:19 Surely you wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, you bloody men.
Psa 139:20 For they speak against you wickedly, and your enemies take your name in vain.
Psa 139:21 Do I not hate them, O LORD, that hate you? and am I not grieved with those that rise up against you?
Psa 139:22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them my enemies.
Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
Psa 139:24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Pro 6:16 There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him:
Pro 6:17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Pro 6:18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil,
Pro 6:19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
Make no mistake about this. It is distasteful, yes but, it is war: nothing less than war for the mind. We are all susceptible to Satan's deceptions. Even with the Word of God, Christ told us if possible the Devil will deceive the very elect; the most formidable level of believers in Christ. Only by clinging to truth, the entire truth of God, will believers be safe from deceptive messages and developments happening and yet to come.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
I am seeing headlines of articles claiming the televised game will feature, not just its usual round of high dollar commercials but, those that show the Gospel, the Christian message. I just saw a headline that a Catholic Church App will be featuring a spot about prayer -
www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256778/catholic-prayer-app-hallow-to-air-commercial-during-super-bowl-lviii
“Let’s all just take 30 seconds during the Super Bowl, during the Lord’s day, to give thanks to God together. That’s really all Hallow is about, just spending time with God, just letting Christ into our hearts. It’s an honor to be able to use the Super Bowl, for the first time ever, as an opportunity for us all to pray.”
"The ad will feature Catholic actors Mark Wahlberg, who recently starred in “Father Stu,” and Jonathan Roumie, known for his role as Jesus in “The Chosen.” The teaser of the commercial shows both in a church — one blessing himself with holy water, the other receiving ashes on his forehead."
Maybe it's just me. When I look at the first sentence of the first paragraph of the article, I wonder how such things gain acceptance. Of course, anytime Christ can be placed before people it's a good thing. What I find rather alarming is the premise of the thought in the ad. Let's take 30 seconds during the Super Bowl; an event featuring a "contact" sport where people regularly get hurt, on purpose, for a lot of money, in a contest for a trophy, a ring, some extra money in athlete's bank accounts and some "bragging rights." A game where more incredibly foul language is said in three hours, than fish drink water. They call it "adult" language today. It's an event that has become infamous for its halftime extravaganzas featuring godless displays from entertainers, getting more and more filled with stuff millions get ticked off about every year and feel their children should not be exposed to. And I just read a headline that stated American football has now replaced baseball as "America's favorite pastime." Is it just me or do you also see the issues here?
The ad mentions "the Lord's day." Sunday is not the Lord's day. Sunday, the day of the SUN in pagan times, is not God's day of rest for humanity. That would be the seventh-day Sabbath of the fourth commandment; and Christ said so -
Mark 2:24 And the Pharisees said to him, Behold, why do they [Christ's disciples] on the sabbath day, that which is not lawful?
Mark 2:25 And he said to them, Have you never read what David did, when he had need, and was hungry, he, and they that were with him?
Mark 2:26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?
Mark 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
Mark 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Why is Sunday called the Lord's day? Because the Catholic Church made a change in the early centuries of the Christian faith; a change most of professed Christianity approves of, even if they reject everything else about Romanism and its influence and actions throughout history of the last 2000 years but, the fourth commandment places the Sabbath as the day to remember: a memorial of God's creation of this world and all original life on it: not the Venerabilis de Solis; the venerable day of the Sun. The day was pagan and is still pagan because it takes a holy God to make a day holy; not a church, not a pope, not man in any capacity of their human sphere and arrogance; to think to change what God gives to mankind. But, that is what the antichrist does - He "thinks to change times and laws," Daniel 7:25
So, the Catholic app considers it an honor to be part of the Super Bowl, to ask people, millions of people gathered in homes and sports bars, with all kinds of food and drink, watching grown men smash into each other for money, to take 30 seconds to pray. One would logically imagine people should pray that nobody gets hurt. Of course, even those professed Christians playing in this yearly contest have chosen to do so regardless of the physical risks, many that have lifelong implications when they can no longer play the game. Ever wonder what would happen to the players if they didn't wear all their armor; their protective gear? Yet, truth be told, ram your helmet into somebody and its a penalty. Grab someone's helmet or shoulder gear and it's a penalty. Hit somebody after the whistle is blown to end a play and it's a penalty. Hit a kicker in the midst of his action and it's a penalty. Be seen to hit someone out of a bad attitude, not "sportsmanship" and it's a penalty. Do not dare to take off a helmet and hit someone. That's a grievous act that will get you thrown out of a game, and possibly arrested if you hurt someone. Fights break out all the time, especially as the bruised and beaten athletes get close to the end of a game where they are losing. Frustration mounts. Tempers flair. Yep. Just a game of harmless fun.
I played the game when I was young. In a sandlot game, I saw a guy wreck his foot, badly. He got hit from behind. He dislocated his foot, which was hanging onto his leg by skin and his sock, literally. I tried to comfort him as we waited for an ambulance. His pain was intense. We all felt it. I had never seen anything like it. It was the last time I played football.
God does not endorse violence. In fact, exactly the opposite -
Gen 6:11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
Gen 6:12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
Gen 6:13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Psalm 11:5 The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
Jer 6:6 For thus has the LORD of hosts said, "Cut down trees and cast a mound against Jerusalem! She is the city to be punished; there is nothing but oppression in her midst.
Jer 6:7 As a fountain keeps fresh her waters, so she keeps fresh her evil; violence and spoil is heard in her; continually before Me are grief and wounds.
Jer 6:8 O Jerusalem, take warning, lest My soul depart from you; lest I make you desolate, a land without people."
In a day and age where "cage fighting" is immensely popular, as gladiators were popular in ancient Rome; in a day and age where violence is sport; where people make a difference between rioter's violence in cities and sport violence, is it a stretch that God calls the age "Babylon;" meaning spiritual, prophetic Babylon, an age of religious and human confusion?
Then comes the use in the commercial of two actors, Mark Wahlberg and Jonathan Roumie. Most people know Wahlberg is a practicing Catholic, a family man that "acts" in movies and generally uses a lot of foul language, and a lot of violence and action takes place in those films. It's all "acting," all fake. Just entertainment. Of course, he also plays other types of characters, as well: football players, and in his new movie, a Catholic priest but, is he known for those roles? Nope. He's a "badass" in most of his films.
Roumie plays Jesus in his widely popular tv series, "The Chosen." As you know, if you come here often, I have never seen the program. Don't want to and you know why. No sinner can possibly portray the sinless Son of man, Son of God, God on Earth, the Savior of mankind. It's a type of blasphemy that astounds me professed Christians flock to.
There is no such thing as "holy water" in the Bible. There is no such thing as placing ashes in the shape of a plus sign on a forehead in the Bible. There are no such things as dozens and dozens of traditions Romanism has maintained for centuries down through time, which many professed Protestant churches maintain, as daughters of the book of Revelation, chapter 17's "Mother."
Not having seen a super bowl since the 1970s I couldn't say when the whole crazy commercial-thing began, though I've seen some on YouTube over the years. Some are known to be pretty provocative, if not gross. And obviously, homosexuality and other perversions, biblically speaking, are now displayed as normalities for life.
I could never understand football players, praising God for gaining a touchdown, as though the Creator of the universe, who hates violence, is a fan of the game of football. They praise God while they smash into people. Well, defensive players, especially. Offensive players do their best to not get their body pummeled and crushed into the ground. They fail at that. As you watch the game you notice how players are getting up more slowly. They are tired and hurt. But... it's just a game.
"As many as 1.5 million young men participate in American football in the United States. An estimated 1.2 million football-related injuries are sustained annually."
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1947533/
"Over the course of the study period of 4 NFL seasons, 3,025 injuries were reported. Of the 3,025 injuries reported, 582 (19%) occurred during weeks 1-4 of the 2020-2021 regular season, whereas 1,292 (53%) occurred during preseason weeks 1-4, and 1,151 (38%) occurred during regular-season weeks 1-4 of NFL seasons 2016-2017, 2018-2019, and 2019-2020. There was a significant increase in the injury rate during weeks 1-4 of the 2020-2021 regular season for all comparisons with the injury rate both during the preseasons and the regular seasons of 3 recent past NFL seasons."
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8365220/
Super Bowl Sunday. The Kansas City Chiefs are playing. I remember when I watched the game, as a Green Bay Packer fan, when the two met in the first super bowl, back in 1967. The Packers were victorious.
I haven't watched a Super Bowl in almost 50 years. I'm going to watch this one. I suspect it will be filled with reasons to back up what I have written here, and Monday, I'll comment again, taking notice of things most people will not because they are rooting for teams, not contemplating eternity's approach upon a dying world.
I have said it often over the years. If there are sports in Heaven, the object is to get the other guy to win.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
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February 12, 2024
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I suppose if someone has not seen a Super Bowl in almost five decades, the Chiefs/49ers game was a decent one to see. Kind of boring until the end of the fourth quarter, into an overtime with new, bizarre rules, the Chiefs won in a dramatic finish. If I was still a football fan and had the money, I'd not pay such outrageous sums of money to see that game or any game. It was, after all, just a game; with but a few plays that may etch into a memory, and of all the things you could spend huge sums of money for, watching such a game is not one of them, for me, especially for entertainment purposes but, fans of sports are fans of sports. They'll save for a lifetime to see such an event. Apparently many did, reading reviews from people there. No one lost anything by seeing it on television. I might logically say they saw a lot more by viewing it that way, rather than being upper deck in Allegiant Stadium. Ah, but fans say, the atmosphere is electric. I imagine so. I found it that way to walk into Yankee stadium when I was young and only had to pay ten bucks for a seat.
SB ticket prices. I saw things from $900 for nosebleed seats, to $9500 to sit behind the teams, generally. Those prices skyrocketed to tens to a couple hundred thousand dollars for the SB. A skybox going for... 1.2 million dollars. ???? One particular fan was shown throughout the game in her box.
Four or five injuries, a couple personal fouls and no fights broke out. I'd be hard pressed to believe the halftime show would be seriously appreciated by anyone beyond "Usher" fans, of which I'm not. I had only heard the guy's name, never his R&B music. He obviously brought along some friends to the extravaganza, none of which I knew, and I couldn't understand a single word sung. From a music standpoint, I wasn't impressed but, that's purely a matter of subjective taste. Reviews of his performance are both positive and negative.
It is difficult for me to understand how the event went from 1967's football game to this bloated and overhyped spectacle it has become but, not really. As Christ said, the world will be building when He returns. It certainly is, as money flows for such man-made purposes.
Speaking of man-made purposes, as far as the commercials; I didn't see one that stood out for comic or dramatic reasons save for one with a young girl ice skating for her grandfather. I found that one touching. Others were just weird. The two commercials addressing the Christian faith went by so quickly as to be almost non-existent. Were it not for Mark Wahlberg's presence at the end of the one I referenced above, I'd only have wondered what the commercial was there for. One Chinese, Amazon-type, merchant company, Temu, paid around $35,000,000.00 for several spots. The Pfizer drug company commercial was so revolting, given its role in the pandemic, I truly hope the company is brought down to nothing.
******Edit here. I'll tell you something else revolting. Taylor Swift's boyfriend (or is that Travis Kelce's girlfriend?), not only got in his coach's face but, assaulted him. To see that and not see the coach send Kelce to the locker room for the rest of the game, was odd, indeed. Seeing Kelce is an integral part of the offense, and makes tons of money advertising for a bunch of companies, including Pfizer, I guess he can get away with such antics and totally un-sportsman-like conduct. No player in their right mind would have ever thought of approaching Vince Lombardi in such a manner. It would have cost him his career. To see Kelce holding the Lombardi trophy at the end of the game was a serious affront to anything that can be called "sportsmanship" (as well as an affront to Elvis).
The references to God, by players after the game concluded... how does one find the words to describe the image of God being a football fan, at all, let alone for such an event? Yes, God cares about the details of our lives, including our employment. Thanking God for playing a game you make millions of dollars playing, risking bodily injury to play it, in an atmosphere so far removed from anything the Lord would have seen when He was on Earth, aside from something at a Roman colosseum, is so bizarre, in principle, as to be what modern art is to Carl Bloch. Nothing like modern football existed throughout time in the realms of God's people living life, practicing their faith. Nay, to the extreme opposite. Christians ended up in Roman colosseums for disgusting and horrifying entertainment purposes where they sealed their lives in a martyr's death at the hands of gladiators or claws and teeth of starved beasts.
Where has humanity arrived?
At its confused end?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*******************************************
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One more thing. I was otherwise occupied when a woman named Andra Day sang, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," which is considered the Black American National Anthem. I did here a Country music artist sing America, the Beautiful, and Reba sing the National Anthem. One might ask, can a nation have two national anthems? Sure, if one is as divided as this nation is.
The lyrics are from a poem written by James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938), in 1900 and addresses a love for God and country beyond the days of slavery and internal strife. The poem, set to music by Weldon's brother, was adopted to be lyrics and music for the NAACP, Negro National Anthem in 1919. The words are quite moving -
Lift every voice and sing,
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty,
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the list’ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.
Stony the road we trod
Bitter the chast’ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered
We have come, treading our path thro’ the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who hast by Thy might,
Led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we meet Thee,
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand, may we forever stand,
True to our God, true to our native land.
I wonder what Mr. Johnson would think of the BLM organization and its America-hating, communist leaders, or the George Floyd riots and all the destruction, or sports getting involved with racial politics? No. I don't wonder. The words of the song tell me all I need to know. He'd be aghast to see the divisions now, as bad as divisions between North and South before he was born.
You should notice the seventh line of the third section and its relation to Rev. 14:8; 17:1-6 and 18:1-5.
Johnson apparently considered himself an agnostic but, his Christian upbringing obviously influenced him and his poetry.
As you know, I do not believe in any race but, the human race. The amount of melanin in one's skin is a meaningless determination of character or intent in life, let alone one's station in life. Now, as more and more humans are born to "mixed" races, including Patrick Mahomes, millionaire MVP quarterback of the Chiefs, it becomes obvious "blacks and whites" are involved in division and strife caused by those elitists attempting to destroy America from without and within. They are the enemy. Those who work for them are the threats to the principles of Americanism and ruination of the Republic.
Will they be successful to full, entrenched, totalitarian victory? They certainly believe so.
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February 13,2024
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Stop the music. Stop the music. Not to make this post a book but, Okay, how I missed this, I do not know yet, I did. Big Time. Just not paying close enough attention for whatever reason in the moment.
The first of two ads during the game, from a "Christian" perspective, was the "He Gets Us" ad. The group has put other ads on tv. This one was a sixty-second spot, and all I recall is seeing portrayals of people washing the feet of other people. Some of the scenes looked a little odd and things were going by fast enough that I just didn't pick up on things meant to leave an impression decidedly unchristian, biblically speaking. Reading various news sites I frequent, I began to see things about the ad and decided to take a look. I found it on YouTube.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=94BqlDQ-Ppo
Foot washing is based on the Gospel of John, chapter 13; the events that took place when Jesus had a meal with His disciples before the Passover. He washed their feet and left an example for His disciples to follow. It's an act of humility, recognizing no one is better than anyone else. We are all sinners in need of salvation. Some churches practice this when they observe "communion." Now, some denominations and church groups observe communion every service, every day, (Roman Catholicism), and some, every week. Others do it once a month, or once every three months, etc., (Orthodox, Protestant or others). There is nothing in the Bible that stipulates how often this gathering and memorial of Christ's death should be observed. Foot washing is generally done with men and women dividing to separate quarters within a church building or home, where a smaller home church might meet, or any other place services are held; places rented by a church group. Some churches allow for married couples to also meet in a separate space to observe foot washing.
The ad proceeds to show various scenes where someone is washing the feet of another. Each scene is left open to interpretation -
1. Perhaps a son or son-in-law washing the feet of father or father-in-law in a dining room at home.
2. A police officer washing the feet of a man in a city alley, using a large bottle filled with water. It is in this scene lyrics begin, which I'll get to later.
3. A girl washing the feet of another girl, with another bottle of water, in a high school hallway in front of a trophy case; other students going about their own business. The girls are portrayed as being in two different social groups.
4. Two older men; a cowboy or rancher washing the feet of a Native American, in a galvanized tub out in the rough, desert West.
5. An older woman washing the feet of a teenage girl, in front of a "family planning clinic," where seven people are gathered around the corner of the building, taking a break from protesting, their signs held downward. One reads, 'Save the Unborn' and another 'Choice or Child.' Two other partial signs show the same premise. A motel sits in the background.
6. Two women sitting on the floor of a very messy kitchen, alcohol bottles on every surface; an obvious visual difference between the two women: one very "together;" the other very disheveled and distraught.
7. In a western oil field, two oil rigs in the background; a middle-aged, male oil worker washing the feet of a young girl/woman, "hippie" dressed, eco-protester.
8. A middle-aged woman washing the feet of a younger woman cradling a baby. She is portrayed with dirty jeans, with but a few belongings next to her. In the background, a bus dropping off passengers, adults and children, in what appears to be a cul-de-sac neighborhood.
9. A middle-age woman washing the feet of a seated younger woman, appearing to be a Muslim convert with an "Arabic-looking" husband standing next to her. A middle age man sits several feet away, pausing from planting some flowers in the bed outside the front of the house, next to another house in a presumed neighborhood.
10. This one has a lot going on. Two groups facing off, with bull-horns, angrily shouting at each other on the steps of an unknown building. Two young women sitting below them, on the steps, one is "black" washing the feet of one who is "white." Signs read, "Censorship," "Shut Him Up" and "Silence Hate."
11. Two older men, "white" and "black," sit with one foot each in a galvanized tub of water on the "porch" of a rustic restaurant of some kind. A bloodhound lies down alongside them.
12. An empty beach/ocean scene. One small, thin tree. A concrete area with a concrete bench. A depicted priest washes the feet of a carefully depicted transgender?; some roller skates off to his/her side.
13. The screen goes black and the words "JESUS DIDN'T TEACH HATE." "HE WASHED FEET," appear on the screen. "He Gets Us. All of Us" then appear. The "Jesus." Finally, "HeGetsUs.com/Love Your Neighbor" closes the ad out.
Honestly, each scene moved quickly enough that only the basic idea caught my thinking. The ad was over; most of it never really riveting in my mind. The next commercial was up or it went back to the game and the ad was gone for me. Putting differences aside and loving one another is what I caught.
How each of us might interpret each scene cannot really be moved by the words of the song, per se,' which are really few. The scenes change much faster than the words of the song move along; I caught some words at the expense of really looking at the scenes and vice-versa.
Don't ask me what you know is true
Don't have to tell you, I love your precious heart
I was standing
You were there
Two worlds collided
And they could never tear us apart.
The song is apparently a cover of a song by a band called INXS, Never Tear Us Apart.
The spot proposes to just have people get along, in love, and leave issues that arise between us to just be put aside. Love is more important. Acceptance is more important.
If you come to this site often enough, you know from what is posted here that is decidedly unbiblical because it only addresses half of the overall principle from the mouth of Jesus - Go, and sin no more. God is merciful. God is just. We may all be a mess but, the Bible places before us the information necessary to live a righteous life in Christ, through the influence of His life working in us by the influence and power of the Holy Spirit. It is not just "love" involved. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. His way. His truth. His life; unaltered by the notions and whims and confusion of mankind.
The commercial becomes that dangerous mix of spiritual, prophetic Babylon: religious confusion, designed to make people drunk, inebriated and unable to discern the whole truth of God. As the apostle Paul stated, recorded by Luke in the book of Acts -
Act 20:26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
Act 20:27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
The Bible, cover to cover, left to interpret itself, is the blueprint for faith. It is the measuring rule, the first and last standard, the guarded and inspired information necessary for salvation from the penalty and power of sin. History, doctrine, admonitions and warnings, promises, hope, guidance from on High; all of it given that believers can be complete, finished, whole, perfect in Christ Jesus.
The desire of the organization He Gets Us to get people thinking past our differences and loving one another is not a balanced message. Not if the Bible is allowed to speak fully to any issue that divides. Especially is that important to fully understand when Jesus stated He came to cause division. Division, dividing lines between truth and error, righteousness and unrighteousness are incredibly important to taking a stand at any time, let alone the end of time when Lucifer is going to ramp up his final deceptions and lies with all power, signs and lying wonders.
The fact is, Jesus did teach hate. He taught the Scriptures. The Bible teaches to hate sin. Sin is transgression of the law. Sin is not doing what we are convicted is right.
Psalm 97:10 You that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserves the souls of his saints; he delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
Psalm 101:3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
Psalm 119:104 Through your precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.
Psalm 119:113 SAMECH. I hate vain thoughts [Hebrew: divided thoughts in the mind of skeptics]: but your law do I love.
Psalm 119:163 I hate and abhor lying: but your law do I love.
And lest anyone think only sin is mentioned in this regard -
Psa 139:19 Surely you wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, you bloody men.
Psa 139:20 For they speak against you wickedly, and your enemies take your name in vain.
Psa 139:21 Do I not hate them, O LORD, that hate you? and am I not grieved with those that rise up against you?
Psa 139:22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them my enemies.
Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
Psa 139:24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Pro 6:16 There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him:
Pro 6:17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Pro 6:18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil,
Pro 6:19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
Make no mistake about this. It is distasteful, yes but, it is war: nothing less than war for the mind. We are all susceptible to Satan's deceptions. Even with the Word of God, Christ told us if possible the Devil will deceive the very elect; the most formidable level of believers in Christ. Only by clinging to truth, the entire truth of God, will believers be safe from deceptive messages and developments happening and yet to come.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
They Knew
Billions of people now understand, based on the evidence, that the entire "pandemic" was a planned event.
Elitist lunatics (yes, I call them that, also based on the evidence and definition of the word in typical use), want to control the earth, depopulate the Earth for easier control, and will continue in their attempts to gain control through expensive wars that ruin national budgets; through disease and harmful/deadly drugs; through laws and thereby controlled famines and starvation; through man-made disasters and other avenues of diabolical device.
While billions now realize this and are rising up in many nations, billions do not believe any such threats exist. Many have been taught, from infancy, to believe what they are told by those in positions of responsibility. The idea of dark minds, with extremely deep pockets, creating darks plans, with willful contempt for humanity seems little but "conspiracy theories" they have been told to reject.
With the abundance of evidence that now exists, along with the voices of courage to proclaim it all, I came upon a new bit of evidence, linked here. You can read, you can actually listen to the fact that the U.S. government knew and were part of the plan to inject citizens with a harmful concoction before anyone had yet died from the so-called naturally occurring virus.
A simple group phone call, recorded in February of 2020, proves who knew what and the plans already in place to produce a "vaccine" to "protect" the public. It has now killed more people than the virus and left many more debilitated for life.
"Audio recording leaked from AstraZeneca: Covid was classified a national security threat by the US Government/DOD on February 4, 2020.
Recorded at an internal executive meeting at the end of 2020. This recording has not been published previously anywhere."
sashalatypova.substack.com/p/audio-leaked-from-astrazeneca-covid
A satanic plan does not jump out and say "Boo!" The policy of evil can be based on the Hegelian policy to create a problem and provide the solution, itself a greater problem. Evil comes in all shapes and sizes. It comes with smiles and "concern for our welfare." It comes with the same attitude that led Caiaphas to proclaim, 'Better that one Man die than the whole nation perish.' So, they killed that one innocent Man who told them the truth, and then they attempted to kill all of His followers, and then their own nation was destroyed because of their wickedness and rejection of truth.
The global cabal failed in this last attempt at world-wide domination; something they claimed was a once in a hundred year event and yet, they are now claiming "disease X" is coming and the world must prepare. So, I would say, do so. Prepare. Prepare to hear more fear mongering, more lies, more mis, dis and malinformation from all sources of responsibility and authority. Prepare to think for yourself, to act for your own survival and that of loved ones who will listen to reason, who think for themselves. Prepare to seriously have to take a stand against all attempts to remove your freedom and liberty for the sake of "your family and loved ones," "your neighbors," "your fellow countrymen," all in the name of "love," and "God."
Prepare.
Elitist lunatics (yes, I call them that, also based on the evidence and definition of the word in typical use), want to control the earth, depopulate the Earth for easier control, and will continue in their attempts to gain control through expensive wars that ruin national budgets; through disease and harmful/deadly drugs; through laws and thereby controlled famines and starvation; through man-made disasters and other avenues of diabolical device.
While billions now realize this and are rising up in many nations, billions do not believe any such threats exist. Many have been taught, from infancy, to believe what they are told by those in positions of responsibility. The idea of dark minds, with extremely deep pockets, creating darks plans, with willful contempt for humanity seems little but "conspiracy theories" they have been told to reject.
With the abundance of evidence that now exists, along with the voices of courage to proclaim it all, I came upon a new bit of evidence, linked here. You can read, you can actually listen to the fact that the U.S. government knew and were part of the plan to inject citizens with a harmful concoction before anyone had yet died from the so-called naturally occurring virus.
A simple group phone call, recorded in February of 2020, proves who knew what and the plans already in place to produce a "vaccine" to "protect" the public. It has now killed more people than the virus and left many more debilitated for life.
"Audio recording leaked from AstraZeneca: Covid was classified a national security threat by the US Government/DOD on February 4, 2020.
Recorded at an internal executive meeting at the end of 2020. This recording has not been published previously anywhere."
sashalatypova.substack.com/p/audio-leaked-from-astrazeneca-covid
A satanic plan does not jump out and say "Boo!" The policy of evil can be based on the Hegelian policy to create a problem and provide the solution, itself a greater problem. Evil comes in all shapes and sizes. It comes with smiles and "concern for our welfare." It comes with the same attitude that led Caiaphas to proclaim, 'Better that one Man die than the whole nation perish.' So, they killed that one innocent Man who told them the truth, and then they attempted to kill all of His followers, and then their own nation was destroyed because of their wickedness and rejection of truth.
The global cabal failed in this last attempt at world-wide domination; something they claimed was a once in a hundred year event and yet, they are now claiming "disease X" is coming and the world must prepare. So, I would say, do so. Prepare. Prepare to hear more fear mongering, more lies, more mis, dis and malinformation from all sources of responsibility and authority. Prepare to think for yourself, to act for your own survival and that of loved ones who will listen to reason, who think for themselves. Prepare to seriously have to take a stand against all attempts to remove your freedom and liberty for the sake of "your family and loved ones," "your neighbors," "your fellow countrymen," all in the name of "love," and "God."
Prepare.
*****************************
Tucker and Jones
If you don't like to read papers or watch documentaries to gain information; if you want an extreme crash course on why and how things got where they are and where they are going, you MUST, not ought to, not should; you must watch this conversation between Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones. It is the most succinct laying out of the who, what, when, where, why and how you are likely to ever hear.
Jones can get on my nerves with his personality on his own program but here, he just lays it all out in a fashion, seriously, only someone mentally impaired could not understand. It is Jones at his best and he slays the dragons with ease.
I doubt this remains on YT. It is far too convincing and powerful. Watch it while you can. If it's lost to YT it will certainly make it to other platforms, like Rumble.
Whatever you may think of Alex Jones, when it comes to world events, he has done homework far beyond most of the rest of us. He knows. I wish he was a real student of Bible prophecy. Maybe he shall be, one day. Currently, he is into Futurism. Still, he has an understanding of the pulse of globalism.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOnfumxzUt4
A Kanye West interview is tacked onto the video. I didn't watch it.
Jones can get on my nerves with his personality on his own program but here, he just lays it all out in a fashion, seriously, only someone mentally impaired could not understand. It is Jones at his best and he slays the dragons with ease.
I doubt this remains on YT. It is far too convincing and powerful. Watch it while you can. If it's lost to YT it will certainly make it to other platforms, like Rumble.
Whatever you may think of Alex Jones, when it comes to world events, he has done homework far beyond most of the rest of us. He knows. I wish he was a real student of Bible prophecy. Maybe he shall be, one day. Currently, he is into Futurism. Still, he has an understanding of the pulse of globalism.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOnfumxzUt4
A Kanye West interview is tacked onto the video. I didn't watch it.
*****************************
Tucker Interviewed
Whatever my beliefs about Tucker Carlson have been in the last several years, they have evolved in the last year, maybe even the last several months. That is interesting because, in this interview, Carlson mentions his own views of things keep evolving.
The only thing that is paramount for me is the truth. It is the only thing we can absolutely own and no one can take from us. I have held that conviction for 50 years now, even before I became a Christian and probably a focal point that God used to recreate me to become a Christian.
Carlson, in this short interview, his first since his interview of Putin, reveals things the man reveals with almost childlike wisdom, if you know what I mean. He states things simply, yet very succinctly, including the importance of truth. There is a depth to his answers, his reasoning, that should be heard in our national leaders that shows a vacuum, an abyss of such thinking from them. They are like toys, moved around in a playroom by others in control, comparatively speaking. They can attack him but, I believe I could guarantee none would debate him.
Tucker is on the money these days, getting closer to 'cutting edge' by the month. It's impressive to see, all in a self-deprecating style that poses no threat to anyone's thinking unless they are un-American in principle. Big surprise from those attacking him.
Check it out -
twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1757117841151557943
The only thing that is paramount for me is the truth. It is the only thing we can absolutely own and no one can take from us. I have held that conviction for 50 years now, even before I became a Christian and probably a focal point that God used to recreate me to become a Christian.
Carlson, in this short interview, his first since his interview of Putin, reveals things the man reveals with almost childlike wisdom, if you know what I mean. He states things simply, yet very succinctly, including the importance of truth. There is a depth to his answers, his reasoning, that should be heard in our national leaders that shows a vacuum, an abyss of such thinking from them. They are like toys, moved around in a playroom by others in control, comparatively speaking. They can attack him but, I believe I could guarantee none would debate him.
Tucker is on the money these days, getting closer to 'cutting edge' by the month. It's impressive to see, all in a self-deprecating style that poses no threat to anyone's thinking unless they are un-American in principle. Big surprise from those attacking him.
Check it out -
twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1757117841151557943
*****************************
912. SOUL - February 14, 2024
I have posted a lot of biblical information about death and "hell" and the "soul." As well as information about the UFO phenomena. I believe it shall all be used as a final, Satanic deception in these last days. More develops on this front, almost weekly these days.
Along with the UFO phenomena, that many people do not know of or realize, is the growing body of people who supposedly communicate with extra-terrestrial beings and are influencing millions of people around the world, especially with the advent of the internet. They are "channelers," no different from those who claim to communicate with the dead, as "mediums," in the practice and belief in "spiritism," a deceptive practice condemned in the Bible.
The paranormal is another vein of spiritualism that has gained the attention of millions, even the military powers of the Earth. It is often combined with the UFO phenomena.
Over the years of watching these subjects, there is one thing that connects them all, regardless of the divergence of their approach to existence and life. That is, the SOUL: the existence of something that lives or resides in or is part of the body, that can leave the body during life or certainly at death. Almost all religions, New Age philosophies; basically every philosophical "ism" known to man, besides atheism and naturalism, revolves around this concept. Some see it as a ghostlike entity. Others as light or some kind of essence of energy. Some claim it is conscience or consciousness, joined to a universal consciousness: some beneficent Borg collective, if you will. The term "collective" is often used in many circles of these, especially New Age philosophies.
Religions have a deity, or deities; a source(s) of power and authority. The other philosophies of life beyond atheistic death and finality, have sources that are entwined with the universe; flows of light and energy.
The one thing all these New Age/ET things seem to have in common, beyond a "soul" is the idea that everything revolves around you. Your desires. Your goals. Your affirmation and importance. What you want to achieve. Your place in the universal whole and how to achieve it all, and indeed, it is a guarantee you will achieve it all, sooner or later because you never die. Your soul, your energy, your essence, your conscience, your consciousness lives on, forever. The "source" sees to that.
If you listen to these channelers, these messengers of a soon coming evolution of human development and understanding, all you hear is ambiguous nonsense, much the same as ancient philosophies I have heard from Asia. Listening to some swami or teacher is like listening to a verbal junk food. It's all air. It's strings of words that sound interesting, somehow deep, that mean literally nothing. These New Age channelers even speak in supposed tongues of ETs and can spout out sounds and syllables like a machine gun. It's really quite amazing. If you have ever heard people who can speak the English language in rapid fire procession at the end of some tv commercials; ramp that up a few notches to get the performance from those who claim to be controlled or used by ETs to get their message across.
The ETs compose dozens of lifeforms, from what are called the Nordics and Pleiadeans; tall, beautiful Caucasian-looking beings; to lizard creatures; to the ubiquitous Greys, and many others. If one should ask how is it that random evolution took place on other planets, the intelligent beings all have one head, two eyes, a nose, mouth and a couple ears, two arms and legs and basic anatomy like humans, regardless of colors and other cosmetic differences, they either have no answer or, the "source" began with that, and in fact, Earth is just a seeding project; an experiment of beings living far longer than us, which are humanity's progenitors. Wait. You say, "That sounds like Hollywood." "That sounds like movie and television storylines." Indeed.
I bring this up because these movements and their messages are ascending fast. I have heard these supposed galaxian beings, these universal entities are going to finally make their appearance around 2025/2026, after a very fateful 2024. I have been saying this for years. Decades, now. The Devil will be the destroyer and then the benefactor of the race. Minds smarter than mine, from over a century ago proclaimed this, just looking at Revelation, without today's advanced technology and lunacy among mankind to guide their conclusions. Satan will use spiritualism and the UFO/ET phenomenon to pull this off. To just bump into random YouTube videos in the side bar and check them out and hear this same line of reasoning from channelers and those claiming to speak for "ETs" supposedly involved in our existence from the beginning, as well as NDEs: those with "Near Death Experiences," is grounds for surety for me. And you should know there are dozens and dozens of these people with YT channels putting out these messages - the soul, coming ET visitation, the paranormal, and other growing in popularity philosophies and sophistries that are displacing the faith of Christianity in Western civilization. False Christianity: spiritual, prophetic Babylon, is also growing, and in many ways linked to these other philosophies simply by believing in an immortal soul that resides in humans. It's actually quite staggering to realize just how easily Satan will deceive professed Christians through this erroneous belief, direct from his bag of lies from the very beginning - "You shall not surely die."
I am thoroughly convinced the entire tent of spiritualism is being raised on Earth to gather together the world's populace to stand against the law of God and the truth as it is in Jesus. Consider most other religions consider Jesus a prophet, a great teacher; and many of these New Age philosophies consider Jesus Christ just one of many ascended masters, teachers and holy men giving guidance to humanity down through time, throughout the conceived universe and its billions of years of existence, and they also hold to their being many universes, a multi-verse; a recent concept of modern science that has absolutely no evidence for existence.
There is something very obvious many seem to miss or ignore. If Lucifer has a false explanation of Bible prophecy to deceive, to destroy, would you not think he shall see to it that it shall seem to be coming true? Would he not make sure such events do take place? Just because something happens that people proclaim does not automatically make it biblical truth. Using a cafeteria, food bar approach to Bible prophecy may seem to have all kinds of predictions coming to pass. That does not make them biblically sound. The entire industry of counterfeiting money should tells us that. It has to look and feel like the real thing to work. So it is with spiritualism and apostasy and false religions and philosophies.
Nobody is asking people to believe a fence post is a god, is a source of all knowledge and power. Nobody is asking anybody to believe the "source" looks like a clown. Deception from Lucifer is not some card trick. It is not some sleight of hand. It involves supernatural - "all power, signs and lying wonders."
The atheist will have no barriers of safety from this overmastering dog and pony show, supernatural delusional extravaganza coming upon the Earth. Other religions will be taken captive. All other philosophies will be gathered into this net, including most of professed Christianity. Yet God states in His Word He will have a remnant, a remaining group of believers to hold up His truth and take the stand against the delusions that shall take the world captive. They are described simply like this -
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Another, well-used verse in harmony with it -
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
The issue is plain. It is clear. All deceptive, delusional movements on Earth will conspire, under the Enemy's control, to do damage, to undo, to redo, in man's image the testimony and faith of Jesus Christ and the commandments of God. That is the final battle. It is found within the teachings of Christ and Ten Commandments. Either do away with all of it or change it, or just ignore certain aspects of it, and the trap for humanity shall be set, and the remnant shall stand.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Along with the UFO phenomena, that many people do not know of or realize, is the growing body of people who supposedly communicate with extra-terrestrial beings and are influencing millions of people around the world, especially with the advent of the internet. They are "channelers," no different from those who claim to communicate with the dead, as "mediums," in the practice and belief in "spiritism," a deceptive practice condemned in the Bible.
The paranormal is another vein of spiritualism that has gained the attention of millions, even the military powers of the Earth. It is often combined with the UFO phenomena.
Over the years of watching these subjects, there is one thing that connects them all, regardless of the divergence of their approach to existence and life. That is, the SOUL: the existence of something that lives or resides in or is part of the body, that can leave the body during life or certainly at death. Almost all religions, New Age philosophies; basically every philosophical "ism" known to man, besides atheism and naturalism, revolves around this concept. Some see it as a ghostlike entity. Others as light or some kind of essence of energy. Some claim it is conscience or consciousness, joined to a universal consciousness: some beneficent Borg collective, if you will. The term "collective" is often used in many circles of these, especially New Age philosophies.
Religions have a deity, or deities; a source(s) of power and authority. The other philosophies of life beyond atheistic death and finality, have sources that are entwined with the universe; flows of light and energy.
The one thing all these New Age/ET things seem to have in common, beyond a "soul" is the idea that everything revolves around you. Your desires. Your goals. Your affirmation and importance. What you want to achieve. Your place in the universal whole and how to achieve it all, and indeed, it is a guarantee you will achieve it all, sooner or later because you never die. Your soul, your energy, your essence, your conscience, your consciousness lives on, forever. The "source" sees to that.
If you listen to these channelers, these messengers of a soon coming evolution of human development and understanding, all you hear is ambiguous nonsense, much the same as ancient philosophies I have heard from Asia. Listening to some swami or teacher is like listening to a verbal junk food. It's all air. It's strings of words that sound interesting, somehow deep, that mean literally nothing. These New Age channelers even speak in supposed tongues of ETs and can spout out sounds and syllables like a machine gun. It's really quite amazing. If you have ever heard people who can speak the English language in rapid fire procession at the end of some tv commercials; ramp that up a few notches to get the performance from those who claim to be controlled or used by ETs to get their message across.
The ETs compose dozens of lifeforms, from what are called the Nordics and Pleiadeans; tall, beautiful Caucasian-looking beings; to lizard creatures; to the ubiquitous Greys, and many others. If one should ask how is it that random evolution took place on other planets, the intelligent beings all have one head, two eyes, a nose, mouth and a couple ears, two arms and legs and basic anatomy like humans, regardless of colors and other cosmetic differences, they either have no answer or, the "source" began with that, and in fact, Earth is just a seeding project; an experiment of beings living far longer than us, which are humanity's progenitors. Wait. You say, "That sounds like Hollywood." "That sounds like movie and television storylines." Indeed.
I bring this up because these movements and their messages are ascending fast. I have heard these supposed galaxian beings, these universal entities are going to finally make their appearance around 2025/2026, after a very fateful 2024. I have been saying this for years. Decades, now. The Devil will be the destroyer and then the benefactor of the race. Minds smarter than mine, from over a century ago proclaimed this, just looking at Revelation, without today's advanced technology and lunacy among mankind to guide their conclusions. Satan will use spiritualism and the UFO/ET phenomenon to pull this off. To just bump into random YouTube videos in the side bar and check them out and hear this same line of reasoning from channelers and those claiming to speak for "ETs" supposedly involved in our existence from the beginning, as well as NDEs: those with "Near Death Experiences," is grounds for surety for me. And you should know there are dozens and dozens of these people with YT channels putting out these messages - the soul, coming ET visitation, the paranormal, and other growing in popularity philosophies and sophistries that are displacing the faith of Christianity in Western civilization. False Christianity: spiritual, prophetic Babylon, is also growing, and in many ways linked to these other philosophies simply by believing in an immortal soul that resides in humans. It's actually quite staggering to realize just how easily Satan will deceive professed Christians through this erroneous belief, direct from his bag of lies from the very beginning - "You shall not surely die."
I am thoroughly convinced the entire tent of spiritualism is being raised on Earth to gather together the world's populace to stand against the law of God and the truth as it is in Jesus. Consider most other religions consider Jesus a prophet, a great teacher; and many of these New Age philosophies consider Jesus Christ just one of many ascended masters, teachers and holy men giving guidance to humanity down through time, throughout the conceived universe and its billions of years of existence, and they also hold to their being many universes, a multi-verse; a recent concept of modern science that has absolutely no evidence for existence.
There is something very obvious many seem to miss or ignore. If Lucifer has a false explanation of Bible prophecy to deceive, to destroy, would you not think he shall see to it that it shall seem to be coming true? Would he not make sure such events do take place? Just because something happens that people proclaim does not automatically make it biblical truth. Using a cafeteria, food bar approach to Bible prophecy may seem to have all kinds of predictions coming to pass. That does not make them biblically sound. The entire industry of counterfeiting money should tells us that. It has to look and feel like the real thing to work. So it is with spiritualism and apostasy and false religions and philosophies.
Nobody is asking people to believe a fence post is a god, is a source of all knowledge and power. Nobody is asking anybody to believe the "source" looks like a clown. Deception from Lucifer is not some card trick. It is not some sleight of hand. It involves supernatural - "all power, signs and lying wonders."
The atheist will have no barriers of safety from this overmastering dog and pony show, supernatural delusional extravaganza coming upon the Earth. Other religions will be taken captive. All other philosophies will be gathered into this net, including most of professed Christianity. Yet God states in His Word He will have a remnant, a remaining group of believers to hold up His truth and take the stand against the delusions that shall take the world captive. They are described simply like this -
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Another, well-used verse in harmony with it -
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
The issue is plain. It is clear. All deceptive, delusional movements on Earth will conspire, under the Enemy's control, to do damage, to undo, to redo, in man's image the testimony and faith of Jesus Christ and the commandments of God. That is the final battle. It is found within the teachings of Christ and Ten Commandments. Either do away with all of it or change it, or just ignore certain aspects of it, and the trap for humanity shall be set, and the remnant shall stand.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
The Advance of A.I. and Robotics
Fascinating. Frightening. Round and round and round it goes. Where it stops, nobody knows.
Well... not exactly.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b03ibtVYhw
The speed at which things are happening is astounding. The possible dangers, compounding.
Well... not exactly.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b03ibtVYhw
The speed at which things are happening is astounding. The possible dangers, compounding.
*****************************
Gongs!Gongs!Gongs!Gongs!
I am a lover of gongs, or Tam-Tams as they are more specifically referred to when it comes to the typical model that is used in Classical music, as well as Rock music genres. When Jazz orchestras were popular, you'd see them amongst all the sounds a Big Band drumist used.
Gongs have been around for many centuries, even in the B.C. era. They come in various shapes and sizes, mostly disk-shaped but, in the last few decades metalsmiths have come up with quite an array of shapes for them.
Right now I own just one 40" instrument. As you can see from my time in the 70s I had a number of them from 18" to 48" as well as very small, Chinese theater gongs. Amazingly, I know exactly where all those gongs are today, kept by the drummer who bought my entire drum set back in 1979. He still has it all.
The sonority of gongs are not just for explosive musical statements but, are used in various settings for healing from stress and anxiety. Because of all the varieties they come in, percussionists have been creating soundscapes with them for years, now. I have never felt an 80" gong up close and personal. It is claimed it can actually mess with your internal organs if one is struck with power and you stand right in front of it. Even softly it will vibrate your whole body. The shipping weight of an 80" gong is 475lbs. Yeah. Heavy instrument. To give you an idea of how large 80" is, that's the typical height of a doorway in your home.
There are a lot of gong videos on YouTube. Paiste, the Swiss cymbal company, probably has the lion's share of gongs you'll see on YT but, most other cymbal companies make them as well. Having watched dozens of gong videos I found this one to be the best I've seen thus far. The reason for that is not just the player, using some techniques musicians have found to produce sound on them but, the sound tech who works with her. It's a pretty immersive and engulfing TEDx. Check it out (and wear some headphones or IEMs) -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2781w1bO24
Encounter with gongs - an expansive experience: Karen Stackpole at TEDxExpressionCollege
Gongs have been around for many centuries, even in the B.C. era. They come in various shapes and sizes, mostly disk-shaped but, in the last few decades metalsmiths have come up with quite an array of shapes for them.
Right now I own just one 40" instrument. As you can see from my time in the 70s I had a number of them from 18" to 48" as well as very small, Chinese theater gongs. Amazingly, I know exactly where all those gongs are today, kept by the drummer who bought my entire drum set back in 1979. He still has it all.
The sonority of gongs are not just for explosive musical statements but, are used in various settings for healing from stress and anxiety. Because of all the varieties they come in, percussionists have been creating soundscapes with them for years, now. I have never felt an 80" gong up close and personal. It is claimed it can actually mess with your internal organs if one is struck with power and you stand right in front of it. Even softly it will vibrate your whole body. The shipping weight of an 80" gong is 475lbs. Yeah. Heavy instrument. To give you an idea of how large 80" is, that's the typical height of a doorway in your home.
There are a lot of gong videos on YouTube. Paiste, the Swiss cymbal company, probably has the lion's share of gongs you'll see on YT but, most other cymbal companies make them as well. Having watched dozens of gong videos I found this one to be the best I've seen thus far. The reason for that is not just the player, using some techniques musicians have found to produce sound on them but, the sound tech who works with her. It's a pretty immersive and engulfing TEDx. Check it out (and wear some headphones or IEMs) -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2781w1bO24
Encounter with gongs - an expansive experience: Karen Stackpole at TEDxExpressionCollege
*****************************
Christians Get Their Kicks
Indeed, this one has to make it into the "This Week in Babylon" posts for one of the most incredibly godless things I have yet come across in the confusion that is present in this age.
Regardless of any position or conviction you might have about the American game of football and its popularity in society, this story is one that just drops the jaw of people who understand the sacredness of a book millions have died for owning and reading down through time.
"Ohio megachurch pastor kicks Bible off stage during Super Bowl Sunday service
Pastor: 'We believe that church can and should be fun'
"With play-by-play announcers, color commentary, a referee, and a stage covered in AstroTurf, the Crossroads pulpit resembled Allegiant Stadium more than any church on Sunday morning as Senior Pastor Brian Tome and Pastor Alli Patterson sported football jerseys as they took the stage for the “pregame” coin flip."
From there a Bible, with a cover looking like football stitching, was place-kicked, as well as one punted into the congregation.
Most megachurches are nothing more than religious entertainment centers designed to bring in and keep young people engaged in the faith. The problem is the faith they engage in. Is it "the whole counsel of God"? - Acts 20:27.
Kicking a Bible... it is hard to imagine the ignorance behind such a thing but, in this day and age, ignorance is so rampant in professed Christianity it is little more than an industry, a business for many "ministries." It's "fun."
The word "fun" is not found in any translation of an English Bible I am aware of. Given there are many dozens of translations out there, I'd like to see the verse it's applied to. Synonyms for the word are shown as these, in a Thesaurus -
Strongest matches Weak matches
The weak match, "merry," is a word found in the KJV and it comes from Hebrew words meaning something that is "good," as well as being happy, glad and cheerful, and also tipsy or inebriated. In no way will you find the words associated with anything of an amusement like kicking a ball, let alone the Word of God. Perhaps an enemy of the faith would find amusement is such a thing.
"Fun" is not in the Bible. Joy is, happiness is, cheerfulness is, gladness is, etc. Fun? No. The religion of God is not meant to be fun. It is not for purposes of amusement. To claim a church service; coming into the presence of God, the Sovereign of the universe, "can and should be fun," is alarmingly vacant of the plan of salvation from sin and anything associated with worshiping God in spirit and truth.
Nobody in their right mind would put down or deny fun in life. Just watch penguins and puppies. You know the Creator has a sense of humor. Children live to have fun and parents are tasked with their guidance for children to understand time and place for all things, especially worship of the Savior, who died for them. Calvary stands as a mountain against making "church" "fun." When God's professed people come into His presence to seek His blessing, guidance and salvation from sin? It is a startling reality of where so much of professed Christianity is and why it is so weak as an influence to change society. It's become a bad joke in the eyes of millions, if not billions around the world who look at America, a falling nation.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Regardless of any position or conviction you might have about the American game of football and its popularity in society, this story is one that just drops the jaw of people who understand the sacredness of a book millions have died for owning and reading down through time.
"Ohio megachurch pastor kicks Bible off stage during Super Bowl Sunday service
Pastor: 'We believe that church can and should be fun'
"With play-by-play announcers, color commentary, a referee, and a stage covered in AstroTurf, the Crossroads pulpit resembled Allegiant Stadium more than any church on Sunday morning as Senior Pastor Brian Tome and Pastor Alli Patterson sported football jerseys as they took the stage for the “pregame” coin flip."
From there a Bible, with a cover looking like football stitching, was place-kicked, as well as one punted into the congregation.
Most megachurches are nothing more than religious entertainment centers designed to bring in and keep young people engaged in the faith. The problem is the faith they engage in. Is it "the whole counsel of God"? - Acts 20:27.
Kicking a Bible... it is hard to imagine the ignorance behind such a thing but, in this day and age, ignorance is so rampant in professed Christianity it is little more than an industry, a business for many "ministries." It's "fun."
The word "fun" is not found in any translation of an English Bible I am aware of. Given there are many dozens of translations out there, I'd like to see the verse it's applied to. Synonyms for the word are shown as these, in a Thesaurus -
Strongest matches Weak matches
The weak match, "merry," is a word found in the KJV and it comes from Hebrew words meaning something that is "good," as well as being happy, glad and cheerful, and also tipsy or inebriated. In no way will you find the words associated with anything of an amusement like kicking a ball, let alone the Word of God. Perhaps an enemy of the faith would find amusement is such a thing.
"Fun" is not in the Bible. Joy is, happiness is, cheerfulness is, gladness is, etc. Fun? No. The religion of God is not meant to be fun. It is not for purposes of amusement. To claim a church service; coming into the presence of God, the Sovereign of the universe, "can and should be fun," is alarmingly vacant of the plan of salvation from sin and anything associated with worshiping God in spirit and truth.
Nobody in their right mind would put down or deny fun in life. Just watch penguins and puppies. You know the Creator has a sense of humor. Children live to have fun and parents are tasked with their guidance for children to understand time and place for all things, especially worship of the Savior, who died for them. Calvary stands as a mountain against making "church" "fun." When God's professed people come into His presence to seek His blessing, guidance and salvation from sin? It is a startling reality of where so much of professed Christianity is and why it is so weak as an influence to change society. It's become a bad joke in the eyes of millions, if not billions around the world who look at America, a falling nation.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
913. "Meathead" Makes a Movie - 2/17/24
Yes, I know that title is pejorative. I also realize Rob Reiner is pejorative. Actor, producer, radical Leftist, Rob Reiner, Archie Bunker's son-in-law, in the television show "All in the Family," back in the 70's, was referred to as "Meathead" in the program by the ever radically insulting Archie, played by Carroll O'Connor. The program was pejorative in the extreme by the standards of tv in the day. My parents and I were shocked by things stated on the program. It was funny in a very edgy, 'are we sure we should laugh' kind-of-way.
Reiner has produced a documentary, "God & Country," released to theaters this month, about the rise of "Christian Nationalism" in America, and making a statement against its dangers to "democracy." He especially fears what he calls the cult of Trump and MAGA. I could sit here and write all day long on the things Reiner believes and stands for that are detrimental to the survival of the Republic but, in this case, you may be surprised to see me actually agree with, at least the basic premise of what is referred to as "Christian Nationalism" and Reiner's disdain for it. Why? Because the Bible actually has things to state towards it.
First, Reiner's film. Not having seen it, I could only go by what I know of the idea from what is out there, as well Reiner's own comments on Conservatism in America, which he stands against in no uncertain terms; which I base on his own interviews and remarks.
"Rob Reiner Says Politically Active Christians Are Acting ‘Antithetical To Jesus’
"Don't you love it when non-Christian Hollywood elites weigh in on what they think Jesus's teachings are?"
clashdaily.com/2024/02/rob-reiner-says-politically-active-christians-are-acting-antithetical-to-jesus/
"First look: Film dives into threats of Christian nationalism"
www.axios.com/2024/02/14/god-country-film-christian-nationalism-racism
I can pull all kinds of points from those two articles but, suffice to say, professed Christians get insulted or angry and Leftists applaud and cheer. Christians are ignorant of some salient points, though. Don't ask me how, when "Jesus' Teachings" are straight and pointed enough.
Christian nationalism is an ideology that desires the Christian faith to be the dominant social and political influence in America, as it once was. Anyone who argues that is ignorant of American history. That said, the history of America does not make it a Christian nation, governed by the religion of Christianity. God forbid! It has made it a nation with a majority of citizens who profess the Christian religion but, in fact, no nation can be a Christian nation. I have posted on this extensively and shall place here the main point of it from Christ's own mouth -
John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from here.
That is as plain as it can be stated. Christ's kingdom is not from, of or on this world, now. It is in the hearts of believers and causes them, should cause them to act with Christlikeness in all things. Being political is not one of them, for Jesus was not political, as much as Jews in His day wanted Him to be; to take down the Roman empire. Someday, Earth shall have the physical kingdom upon it but, not in this timeframe. Christ is not a king of any earthly nation. He is not a president. He is not a ruler of any land or state. No. In fact, the Bible states Lucifer is "the ruler of this world." Adam handed it over to him when he fell. Indeed, now we can see the necessity of understanding Genesis literally. It is not metaphor. It is not allegorical. It is not fanciful storytelling. It is history.
The name, Jesus Christ or any form thereof, in any language, is not on any document of law and authority found in American jurisprudence. Some of the sincere and mindful men who were involved in the founding of this nation wanted it as such but, they were outvoted every step of the way and the first amendment to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, understood as granted by God to a free people, states Congress shall make no law regarding an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. No religion was to be given preeminence. No religion was to be denied by government intrusion.
Somehow Reiner and his side of the coin believes faith should not be a driving influence for those elected to civil service; that reference to God and His sovereignty should have no place in political thought and practice. That's just ignorance of American history. And that is not to state such influence was always good, either. It was not and some of the Founders, like Madison and Jefferson stood against it when it caused persecution. Even Davy Crockett stood against it when Sunday laws ruined Americans lives by denying them basic rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.
Here's the thing, the second beast of Revelation 13 is the United States of America. No other nation fits into the time frame of the chapter. No other nation in history has the Christian heritage, ambassadorship and missionary influence of America, as a lamb - Christ Jesus. At the same time, no other nation has begun to speak as a dragon as the American empire, having become the busibody of the planet, engaged in constant wars for money and power, all the while claiming to be benign. America has 750 military bases in 80 nations. It spends BILLIONS of dollars to run and keep them there. Americans are going poor because of the tax dollars taken from them to provide for this war machine. The corrupt American government has become the greatest threat to Americans in the world. It has become so sickening, Representatives are leaving their offices because of it. More on that later.
Now, the kicker. According to Rev. 13:13,14 major events are coming -
Rev 13:13 And he does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
Rev 13:14 And deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
In two verses a tremendous amount of information is given.
#1. The first beast of the chapter is historically, practically and biblically one and only one power ever known to exist that meets all the marks given it in prophecy - the Papacy, the Vatican, the Roman Catholic system of religion. It is a church and it is a state - a union of church and state: decidedly what the U.S. Constitution/Bill of Rights denies America should have.
#2. Despite speaking like a secular dragon it is prophesied America will speak as the devil, from a religious standpoint. It shall ultimately deceive the world with a religious revival based on false wonders and miracles it shall work in the sight of the Papacy and call for the world to make an image to the Papacy. Do not miss this point. "Eikon," in the Greek, does not only mean a statue or a painting as an image. It also means to look and act in the same way, as a son is "the spitting image of his father." America shall make a union of church and state. How? By enforcing the mark of papal power and authority, which is, in her own words and authority down through time as the change of the fourth commandment, seventh-day Sabbath to the third commandment, Sunday sacredness in the Roman Catholic version. All claimed Protestant churches follow her in this tradition with absolutely no biblical instruction to do so, as she has pointed out for centuries.
Through a deceitful, satanic miracle-working revival, which will seem to have the fire of God upon it, His presence and authority, the government of the United States, going more and more influenced by secular globalists with each passing year, will be forced by a power of religion never yet seen in this nation, to let go of its own laws and Constitution (which it has been doing for decades in many other matters), and institute Sunday as the national day of rest and advocate all other nations to do so. Impossible, you say? You have not been paying attention to what has been happening in America since the 1980s.
As I have posted many times before; there is a great difference between "separation of church and state" with separation of God from state. A huge difference. Keeping church separated from state is a key to American freedom and liberty never known in the world before. No popes. No kings or queens. No ruling church administration of any kind. Religion has its role and the state has its role in the fabric of the nation. What Reiner sees coming, advancing, is something that is beyond the faith of millions influencing society through proclaiming doctrine and what it sees as truth. It is pushing into the realm of the state. Not that religion should not be an influence upon individuals in national governance. Reiner has no use for it, as a rather nominal Jew but, historically, America has been better when Christianity was a major influence upon society. Just look at the preambles of most State constitutions. They claim thankfulness to God for freedom and liberty we have in America. The secularization of the land, and the government, in its individual representatives, is destroying the Republic, on purpose, by design. Millions of Americans, of all faiths, see it and are getting more than ticked-off by it. They are being financially ruined by government's interference in their lives - their God-given freedoms and liberties - as America sends billions of dollars supposedly helping other nations it just makes deals with. A clash of unprecedented proportions is coming. Bible prophecy predicted it 2000 years ago.
Do not ever forget the role of the Papacy in these movements. The Papacy, itself, shall be used of Lucifer to display and deceive with "all power, signs and lying wonders." The entire planet is to be engulfed in a supernatural warfare never beheld or felt before by human eyes and senses.
I have little in common with Rob Reiner, and his own ignorance of American history and provisions for God to be part of the fabric of society and government of this nation is most sorrowful. That said, again, there is a difference between separation of church and state, the epitome of what the Vatican is and the United States Congress is not, and separation of God from state, which has fallen upon the nation and its government. America is falling. How far shall it fall before this predicted false revival takes place and an establishment of religion is made law of the land? I do not know. All I can say is, Watch. It shall come. Prophecy is never wrong.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Reiner has produced a documentary, "God & Country," released to theaters this month, about the rise of "Christian Nationalism" in America, and making a statement against its dangers to "democracy." He especially fears what he calls the cult of Trump and MAGA. I could sit here and write all day long on the things Reiner believes and stands for that are detrimental to the survival of the Republic but, in this case, you may be surprised to see me actually agree with, at least the basic premise of what is referred to as "Christian Nationalism" and Reiner's disdain for it. Why? Because the Bible actually has things to state towards it.
First, Reiner's film. Not having seen it, I could only go by what I know of the idea from what is out there, as well Reiner's own comments on Conservatism in America, which he stands against in no uncertain terms; which I base on his own interviews and remarks.
"Rob Reiner Says Politically Active Christians Are Acting ‘Antithetical To Jesus’
"Don't you love it when non-Christian Hollywood elites weigh in on what they think Jesus's teachings are?"
clashdaily.com/2024/02/rob-reiner-says-politically-active-christians-are-acting-antithetical-to-jesus/
"First look: Film dives into threats of Christian nationalism"
www.axios.com/2024/02/14/god-country-film-christian-nationalism-racism
I can pull all kinds of points from those two articles but, suffice to say, professed Christians get insulted or angry and Leftists applaud and cheer. Christians are ignorant of some salient points, though. Don't ask me how, when "Jesus' Teachings" are straight and pointed enough.
Christian nationalism is an ideology that desires the Christian faith to be the dominant social and political influence in America, as it once was. Anyone who argues that is ignorant of American history. That said, the history of America does not make it a Christian nation, governed by the religion of Christianity. God forbid! It has made it a nation with a majority of citizens who profess the Christian religion but, in fact, no nation can be a Christian nation. I have posted on this extensively and shall place here the main point of it from Christ's own mouth -
John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from here.
That is as plain as it can be stated. Christ's kingdom is not from, of or on this world, now. It is in the hearts of believers and causes them, should cause them to act with Christlikeness in all things. Being political is not one of them, for Jesus was not political, as much as Jews in His day wanted Him to be; to take down the Roman empire. Someday, Earth shall have the physical kingdom upon it but, not in this timeframe. Christ is not a king of any earthly nation. He is not a president. He is not a ruler of any land or state. No. In fact, the Bible states Lucifer is "the ruler of this world." Adam handed it over to him when he fell. Indeed, now we can see the necessity of understanding Genesis literally. It is not metaphor. It is not allegorical. It is not fanciful storytelling. It is history.
The name, Jesus Christ or any form thereof, in any language, is not on any document of law and authority found in American jurisprudence. Some of the sincere and mindful men who were involved in the founding of this nation wanted it as such but, they were outvoted every step of the way and the first amendment to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, understood as granted by God to a free people, states Congress shall make no law regarding an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. No religion was to be given preeminence. No religion was to be denied by government intrusion.
Somehow Reiner and his side of the coin believes faith should not be a driving influence for those elected to civil service; that reference to God and His sovereignty should have no place in political thought and practice. That's just ignorance of American history. And that is not to state such influence was always good, either. It was not and some of the Founders, like Madison and Jefferson stood against it when it caused persecution. Even Davy Crockett stood against it when Sunday laws ruined Americans lives by denying them basic rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.
Here's the thing, the second beast of Revelation 13 is the United States of America. No other nation fits into the time frame of the chapter. No other nation in history has the Christian heritage, ambassadorship and missionary influence of America, as a lamb - Christ Jesus. At the same time, no other nation has begun to speak as a dragon as the American empire, having become the busibody of the planet, engaged in constant wars for money and power, all the while claiming to be benign. America has 750 military bases in 80 nations. It spends BILLIONS of dollars to run and keep them there. Americans are going poor because of the tax dollars taken from them to provide for this war machine. The corrupt American government has become the greatest threat to Americans in the world. It has become so sickening, Representatives are leaving their offices because of it. More on that later.
Now, the kicker. According to Rev. 13:13,14 major events are coming -
Rev 13:13 And he does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
Rev 13:14 And deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
In two verses a tremendous amount of information is given.
#1. The first beast of the chapter is historically, practically and biblically one and only one power ever known to exist that meets all the marks given it in prophecy - the Papacy, the Vatican, the Roman Catholic system of religion. It is a church and it is a state - a union of church and state: decidedly what the U.S. Constitution/Bill of Rights denies America should have.
#2. Despite speaking like a secular dragon it is prophesied America will speak as the devil, from a religious standpoint. It shall ultimately deceive the world with a religious revival based on false wonders and miracles it shall work in the sight of the Papacy and call for the world to make an image to the Papacy. Do not miss this point. "Eikon," in the Greek, does not only mean a statue or a painting as an image. It also means to look and act in the same way, as a son is "the spitting image of his father." America shall make a union of church and state. How? By enforcing the mark of papal power and authority, which is, in her own words and authority down through time as the change of the fourth commandment, seventh-day Sabbath to the third commandment, Sunday sacredness in the Roman Catholic version. All claimed Protestant churches follow her in this tradition with absolutely no biblical instruction to do so, as she has pointed out for centuries.
Through a deceitful, satanic miracle-working revival, which will seem to have the fire of God upon it, His presence and authority, the government of the United States, going more and more influenced by secular globalists with each passing year, will be forced by a power of religion never yet seen in this nation, to let go of its own laws and Constitution (which it has been doing for decades in many other matters), and institute Sunday as the national day of rest and advocate all other nations to do so. Impossible, you say? You have not been paying attention to what has been happening in America since the 1980s.
As I have posted many times before; there is a great difference between "separation of church and state" with separation of God from state. A huge difference. Keeping church separated from state is a key to American freedom and liberty never known in the world before. No popes. No kings or queens. No ruling church administration of any kind. Religion has its role and the state has its role in the fabric of the nation. What Reiner sees coming, advancing, is something that is beyond the faith of millions influencing society through proclaiming doctrine and what it sees as truth. It is pushing into the realm of the state. Not that religion should not be an influence upon individuals in national governance. Reiner has no use for it, as a rather nominal Jew but, historically, America has been better when Christianity was a major influence upon society. Just look at the preambles of most State constitutions. They claim thankfulness to God for freedom and liberty we have in America. The secularization of the land, and the government, in its individual representatives, is destroying the Republic, on purpose, by design. Millions of Americans, of all faiths, see it and are getting more than ticked-off by it. They are being financially ruined by government's interference in their lives - their God-given freedoms and liberties - as America sends billions of dollars supposedly helping other nations it just makes deals with. A clash of unprecedented proportions is coming. Bible prophecy predicted it 2000 years ago.
Do not ever forget the role of the Papacy in these movements. The Papacy, itself, shall be used of Lucifer to display and deceive with "all power, signs and lying wonders." The entire planet is to be engulfed in a supernatural warfare never beheld or felt before by human eyes and senses.
I have little in common with Rob Reiner, and his own ignorance of American history and provisions for God to be part of the fabric of society and government of this nation is most sorrowful. That said, again, there is a difference between separation of church and state, the epitome of what the Vatican is and the United States Congress is not, and separation of God from state, which has fallen upon the nation and its government. America is falling. How far shall it fall before this predicted false revival takes place and an establishment of religion is made law of the land? I do not know. All I can say is, Watch. It shall come. Prophecy is never wrong.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Where Are We At?
Where are we at and what's happening?
A new poll/survey/research by the Barna Group shows that preteens in America are becoming more secularized than ever.
"America’s preteen children are following in the unfortunate spiritual footsteps of the generations that have preceded them. New research released by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University shows that the foundational beliefs held by 8- to-12-year-olds put them on track to abandon biblical Christianity in record numbers."
www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/CRC-Release-Raising-Spiritual-Champions-4-Febuary-6-2024-3.pdf
Public education, modern American entertainment and culture are taking its tolls, along with the parental lives of these young Americans paving the way. Honestly, I am glad my children are grown, making decisions on their own, right or wrong, because parents today have a tremendously difficult job, especially Christian parents, and frankly, parents of any faith. The culture is heavy and viscous. I pray for my own adult children. I pray for my own wanderings from the era of my parents, far more solid than my generation.
"GOP Rep. Mark Green Will Not Seek Reelection After Leading Impeachment of DHS Secretary Mayorkas: “I Have Come to Realize Our Fight is Not Here Within Washington, Our Fight is With Washington”
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/02/gop-rep-mark-green-will-not-seek-reelection/
I mentioned this instance earlier. Someone goes to D.C. to do right by their constituents and finds out they are not warring with China or Russia. They are at war with government corruption of their own nation.
The fact is, Green states the founders expected people to go to Washington for just a short time, perform their elected civil service and go back to their lives in their home states. The Framers were not seeking to establish career politicians. Many are calling Green a coward for leaving: that he should stay and fight. Frankly, let them run for office and get elected and go to D.C. and fight and see what they would be up against; when everything you believe in is being destroyed all around you by money and people; organizations and powers far outside D.C. that have constant open doors and ears to their un-American desires and plans. Yes, leaving only presents a problem when others of the same convictions will not seek to replace Green in his seat. THAT is exactly what is causing the pot to boil and raising up a movement to stop it. How bad could it get?
'Civil War' After Donald Trump Win May Be 'Worth It': Evangelical Preacher
Andrew Wommack said “civil war” would be “worth it” if it meant getting Trump back into the White House
“I’ve actually had people say that if Trump was to be elected if we got a conservative Congress, that they fear that we would have another civil war,” Wommack said during a Wednesday episode of his Truth & Liberty show.
“And you know what? I don’t want a civil war, I don’t know anybody that does, but would it be worth it? To turn this nation back? I believe it would.”
www.newsweek.com/civil-war-donald-trump-worth-it-andrew-wommack-1868670
endtimeheadlines.org/2024/02/andrew-wommack-said-civil-war-would-be-worth-it-if-it-meant-getting-trump-back-into-the-white-house/
You will notice the difference between the two headlines.
Womack is certainly not alone. For me, secession is the answer. Civil war with the government is a non-starter. A civil war exists and has existed for decades now. It's the culture war. How's that going for patriots in America? Ask the hundreds in jail for being present Jan. 6, 2021, even just on the grounds, not in the Capitol building. I imagine Trump would pardon everyone in jail at present and see to it no one else was incarcerated but, three years these souls have languished in this disgusting miscarriage of justice, with no end in sight. It's one of dozens of outrageous things these traitors in D.C. keep pulling off with their corrupt "uni-party."
The question is, as prophecy is correct and predicts: a false, miracle-working revival is going to take place at some point. Is this thought of "civil war" part of that future development? Time will tell.
Sheriff’s Source: 2 Million Terrorists Have Entered U.S.
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/02/sheriffs-source-2-million-terrorists-have-entered-u/
Let's say that number is greatly exaggerated. Let's say the number is closer to two-hundred thousand. No, let's drop that to twenty thousand. No, let's make it lower. Make it 2,000 terrorists have crossed the border into America. There are 50 states. That means groups or bands, gangs, cells of 40 terrorists, per state, could be planning to wreak havoc in America. Two million??? Seriously? That is three times the population of Wyoming.
Do you honestly think American politicians, in their isolation from reality and everyday life, care about citizens throughout this land? The Biden administration is a criminal enterprise. All presidents not seriously closing the borders to illegal entry during their administrations are traitors to their oaths of office. All governors, all elected civil servants not seeking to stop illegal immigrations are traitors to their oaths of office.
Well, we'll see what they think about the borders of America when disaster strikes Washington, D.C. and surrounding areas they live in. We'll see what they say when American cities are beset with catastrophes, when large gatherings, like sports games, are attacked. Why have dozens of destructive acts taken place at food manufacturing plants in this nation? Water, food, infrastructure, all vulnerable? Smart tenth graders could run this nation better than empty suits in Washington.
That stated, remember, signs of the times include violence and corruption, disease and even famine is a possibility in this land of plenty. It is all around us and shall grow worse, just as Christ and the prophets have told us. If two million terrorists are living in this land, we won't need to see natural disasters. We'll see enough at the hands of human devils bent on terrorizing the nation.
"China Expands Mark of the Beast to Include CBDCs! Coming Fast to the West"
Experts in the region believe the Chicoms keep secret how the scoring truly works so the system can go on as long as possible to “impact behavior.”
Stateside, more Americans are beginning to realize that the transition to a cashless system allows them to be easily controlled in a similar manner.
The mark of the beast is here! https://t.co/DIEDvS0aR1
— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) February 15, 2024
That headline and text obviously comes from Infowars.
www.infowars.com/posts/china-expands-mark-of-the-beast-to-include-cbdcs-coming-fast-to-the-west/
I find it interesting Alex Jones is so up on everything happening in this world but, seems totally unaware that what he believes, concerning Bible prophecy - the policy of Futurism - is a product of Roman Catholic Jesuits and Catholic theology bent on stopping the Protestant Reformation from pointing out the RCC, Papacy and Vatican as the Beast, the power of antechristos in prophecy.
One must only ask a simple question. If China is expanding the mark of the beast, then China must be the beast of Revelation 13 and fourth beast and last horn of Daniel 7, right? I'd like to see anyone take the marks given in Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 and apply them to China and the CCP. I can hardly imagine anything more futile, if not utterly ridiculous.
No, of course I do not deny China has come up with a system to control buying and selling. That makes it the beast? Really? All other marks and identifiers just get cast aside? They are no longer important? They have no past, present or future use to students of history and prophecy?
Well, in this case Alex Jones is barking up a tree with no prophetic raccoon in it. He's wrong.
Swarms of Earthquakes along the West Coast. A swarm of earthquakes in Oklahoma. An earthquake off the Florida coast. Rumblings in New York and Eastern Canada. Harbingers of big ones to come?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
A new poll/survey/research by the Barna Group shows that preteens in America are becoming more secularized than ever.
"America’s preteen children are following in the unfortunate spiritual footsteps of the generations that have preceded them. New research released by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University shows that the foundational beliefs held by 8- to-12-year-olds put them on track to abandon biblical Christianity in record numbers."
www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/CRC-Release-Raising-Spiritual-Champions-4-Febuary-6-2024-3.pdf
Public education, modern American entertainment and culture are taking its tolls, along with the parental lives of these young Americans paving the way. Honestly, I am glad my children are grown, making decisions on their own, right or wrong, because parents today have a tremendously difficult job, especially Christian parents, and frankly, parents of any faith. The culture is heavy and viscous. I pray for my own adult children. I pray for my own wanderings from the era of my parents, far more solid than my generation.
"GOP Rep. Mark Green Will Not Seek Reelection After Leading Impeachment of DHS Secretary Mayorkas: “I Have Come to Realize Our Fight is Not Here Within Washington, Our Fight is With Washington”
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/02/gop-rep-mark-green-will-not-seek-reelection/
I mentioned this instance earlier. Someone goes to D.C. to do right by their constituents and finds out they are not warring with China or Russia. They are at war with government corruption of their own nation.
The fact is, Green states the founders expected people to go to Washington for just a short time, perform their elected civil service and go back to their lives in their home states. The Framers were not seeking to establish career politicians. Many are calling Green a coward for leaving: that he should stay and fight. Frankly, let them run for office and get elected and go to D.C. and fight and see what they would be up against; when everything you believe in is being destroyed all around you by money and people; organizations and powers far outside D.C. that have constant open doors and ears to their un-American desires and plans. Yes, leaving only presents a problem when others of the same convictions will not seek to replace Green in his seat. THAT is exactly what is causing the pot to boil and raising up a movement to stop it. How bad could it get?
'Civil War' After Donald Trump Win May Be 'Worth It': Evangelical Preacher
Andrew Wommack said “civil war” would be “worth it” if it meant getting Trump back into the White House
“I’ve actually had people say that if Trump was to be elected if we got a conservative Congress, that they fear that we would have another civil war,” Wommack said during a Wednesday episode of his Truth & Liberty show.
“And you know what? I don’t want a civil war, I don’t know anybody that does, but would it be worth it? To turn this nation back? I believe it would.”
www.newsweek.com/civil-war-donald-trump-worth-it-andrew-wommack-1868670
endtimeheadlines.org/2024/02/andrew-wommack-said-civil-war-would-be-worth-it-if-it-meant-getting-trump-back-into-the-white-house/
You will notice the difference between the two headlines.
Womack is certainly not alone. For me, secession is the answer. Civil war with the government is a non-starter. A civil war exists and has existed for decades now. It's the culture war. How's that going for patriots in America? Ask the hundreds in jail for being present Jan. 6, 2021, even just on the grounds, not in the Capitol building. I imagine Trump would pardon everyone in jail at present and see to it no one else was incarcerated but, three years these souls have languished in this disgusting miscarriage of justice, with no end in sight. It's one of dozens of outrageous things these traitors in D.C. keep pulling off with their corrupt "uni-party."
The question is, as prophecy is correct and predicts: a false, miracle-working revival is going to take place at some point. Is this thought of "civil war" part of that future development? Time will tell.
Sheriff’s Source: 2 Million Terrorists Have Entered U.S.
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/02/sheriffs-source-2-million-terrorists-have-entered-u/
Let's say that number is greatly exaggerated. Let's say the number is closer to two-hundred thousand. No, let's drop that to twenty thousand. No, let's make it lower. Make it 2,000 terrorists have crossed the border into America. There are 50 states. That means groups or bands, gangs, cells of 40 terrorists, per state, could be planning to wreak havoc in America. Two million??? Seriously? That is three times the population of Wyoming.
Do you honestly think American politicians, in their isolation from reality and everyday life, care about citizens throughout this land? The Biden administration is a criminal enterprise. All presidents not seriously closing the borders to illegal entry during their administrations are traitors to their oaths of office. All governors, all elected civil servants not seeking to stop illegal immigrations are traitors to their oaths of office.
Well, we'll see what they think about the borders of America when disaster strikes Washington, D.C. and surrounding areas they live in. We'll see what they say when American cities are beset with catastrophes, when large gatherings, like sports games, are attacked. Why have dozens of destructive acts taken place at food manufacturing plants in this nation? Water, food, infrastructure, all vulnerable? Smart tenth graders could run this nation better than empty suits in Washington.
That stated, remember, signs of the times include violence and corruption, disease and even famine is a possibility in this land of plenty. It is all around us and shall grow worse, just as Christ and the prophets have told us. If two million terrorists are living in this land, we won't need to see natural disasters. We'll see enough at the hands of human devils bent on terrorizing the nation.
"China Expands Mark of the Beast to Include CBDCs! Coming Fast to the West"
Experts in the region believe the Chicoms keep secret how the scoring truly works so the system can go on as long as possible to “impact behavior.”
Stateside, more Americans are beginning to realize that the transition to a cashless system allows them to be easily controlled in a similar manner.
The mark of the beast is here! https://t.co/DIEDvS0aR1
— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) February 15, 2024
That headline and text obviously comes from Infowars.
www.infowars.com/posts/china-expands-mark-of-the-beast-to-include-cbdcs-coming-fast-to-the-west/
I find it interesting Alex Jones is so up on everything happening in this world but, seems totally unaware that what he believes, concerning Bible prophecy - the policy of Futurism - is a product of Roman Catholic Jesuits and Catholic theology bent on stopping the Protestant Reformation from pointing out the RCC, Papacy and Vatican as the Beast, the power of antechristos in prophecy.
One must only ask a simple question. If China is expanding the mark of the beast, then China must be the beast of Revelation 13 and fourth beast and last horn of Daniel 7, right? I'd like to see anyone take the marks given in Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 and apply them to China and the CCP. I can hardly imagine anything more futile, if not utterly ridiculous.
No, of course I do not deny China has come up with a system to control buying and selling. That makes it the beast? Really? All other marks and identifiers just get cast aside? They are no longer important? They have no past, present or future use to students of history and prophecy?
Well, in this case Alex Jones is barking up a tree with no prophetic raccoon in it. He's wrong.
Swarms of Earthquakes along the West Coast. A swarm of earthquakes in Oklahoma. An earthquake off the Florida coast. Rumblings in New York and Eastern Canada. Harbingers of big ones to come?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
I Did a Search...
I was talking with someone yesterday and the Covid "pandemic"/"vaccines" came into the discussion. The guy's mother got the vaccine. Shortly thereafter she died. Her health was good, as far as the family understood. The guy's brother is livid and certain the injection was the cause.
I mentioned to my friend the number of known serious adverse effects the mRNA vaccines cause. I wasn't sure about that number and said so but, today I decided to check it out. I did a search on the 4conservative.com search engine because I have no faith or trust in such a search performed on Google or any other major engine. I went through 10 pages of hits and they were all main stream media, main stream medical, government, leftist run fact-check sites and pharmaceutical company sites telling me adverse effects are rare and cover the typical soreness, red, itchy, rash, dizziness, etc. reactions. A Pfizer hit and a CDC hit covered the rising heart problems; myocarditis, etc. but, nothing accurately truthful for case numbers. Nothing was wholly truthful. Much was outright lies.
I gave up the search engine and decided to search some websites I know reported on the adverse effects that began once the injection roll-out began. I went to Infowars; that dreaded mis, mal and disinformation/conspiracy theory site and in the hits was a video of a public forum put together by Sen. Ron Johnson (R - Wisconsin), on 12/7/22. Old now but, I clicked on it. The speakers on the panel and those testifying were a PhD/medical doctor who's who; former employee and whistleblowers, vaccine victims and more of people speaking out within the last three or four years -
Dr. Peter McCullough, Dr. Pierre Kory, Dr. Paul Marik, Dr. Robert Malone, ICAN Attorney Aaron Siri, Esq., OpenVAERS Founder Liz Willner, Edward Dowd, Dr. Harvey Risch, Dr. Ryan Cole, journalist Del Bigtree, and more.
Two videos are featured. The first, a 30 minute overview of things stated by panelists and guests. The second, a three-hour, full forum video.
Why drug company CEOs and other high level employees; why government officials, including Anthony Fauci and co.; why WHO, CDC and other leaders of such organizations have not been arrested and locked up is, in itself, an incredible breakdown of law and order against the greatest criminal act ever perpetuated against humanity.
www.infowars.com/posts/doctors-and-victims-detail-massive-death-adverse-reactions-from-covid-vaccines/
banned.video/watch?id=6393d6d4ba9ae416e180a5be
banned.video/watch?id=639135a715b39a0e1d21eaf0
If you watch these, prepare to be upset on so many levels about something so wrong on so many levels.
I mentioned to my friend the number of known serious adverse effects the mRNA vaccines cause. I wasn't sure about that number and said so but, today I decided to check it out. I did a search on the 4conservative.com search engine because I have no faith or trust in such a search performed on Google or any other major engine. I went through 10 pages of hits and they were all main stream media, main stream medical, government, leftist run fact-check sites and pharmaceutical company sites telling me adverse effects are rare and cover the typical soreness, red, itchy, rash, dizziness, etc. reactions. A Pfizer hit and a CDC hit covered the rising heart problems; myocarditis, etc. but, nothing accurately truthful for case numbers. Nothing was wholly truthful. Much was outright lies.
I gave up the search engine and decided to search some websites I know reported on the adverse effects that began once the injection roll-out began. I went to Infowars; that dreaded mis, mal and disinformation/conspiracy theory site and in the hits was a video of a public forum put together by Sen. Ron Johnson (R - Wisconsin), on 12/7/22. Old now but, I clicked on it. The speakers on the panel and those testifying were a PhD/medical doctor who's who; former employee and whistleblowers, vaccine victims and more of people speaking out within the last three or four years -
Dr. Peter McCullough, Dr. Pierre Kory, Dr. Paul Marik, Dr. Robert Malone, ICAN Attorney Aaron Siri, Esq., OpenVAERS Founder Liz Willner, Edward Dowd, Dr. Harvey Risch, Dr. Ryan Cole, journalist Del Bigtree, and more.
Two videos are featured. The first, a 30 minute overview of things stated by panelists and guests. The second, a three-hour, full forum video.
Why drug company CEOs and other high level employees; why government officials, including Anthony Fauci and co.; why WHO, CDC and other leaders of such organizations have not been arrested and locked up is, in itself, an incredible breakdown of law and order against the greatest criminal act ever perpetuated against humanity.
www.infowars.com/posts/doctors-and-victims-detail-massive-death-adverse-reactions-from-covid-vaccines/
banned.video/watch?id=6393d6d4ba9ae416e180a5be
banned.video/watch?id=639135a715b39a0e1d21eaf0
If you watch these, prepare to be upset on so many levels about something so wrong on so many levels.
*****************************
Stew Peters?
The question mark implies a question as to where this literal freedom fighter in journalism stands right now. I haven't seen his broadcasts for quite awhile. Mostly because the titles of the videos are not subjects I feel the need to hear things about. Today, though, part of the video title was about Tucker Carlson coming out against Ben Shapiro regarding Israeli interests in government, war with Hamas, etc. ???
Lately, I have seen these "feuds" in headlines between Shapiro and others. It certainly does not look good in the sense of Conservatives versus the Leftist destruction of America. Infighting is always the Devil's plan. Always. I have seen it in churches and ministries. It began as infighting in Heaven to start this entire war between right and wrong, light and darkness, good and evil, call it what you will. Satan is constantly able to cause divisions in camps that are supposed to be in concert fighting sin and all that clutches to it, destroying civilizations down through time. Western civilization is at that point.
I am not a fan of Shapiro. I appreciate some positions he takes but, as a committed Jewish person, he is not going to understand the faith of the Messiah he rejects. Rejecting the Messiah as Jews do, puts them in a very precarious position down through time. At the same time, Jews convert to Christ all the time. It was the apostle Paul's great hope. The Gospel was first given to the Jews. The Gospel is in the Old Testament. Those people of God were meant to bring the light of salvation to the world. In rejecting the Messiah and the plan of salvation as God delivered it to them; He then went to the Gentiles, and now both Jew and Gentile - converted, born-again to new life in Christ - make up His church on Earth. As Paul said; there is neither Jew nor Greek, male or female, you are all one in Christ Jesus.
That does not do away with international situations, nor does it do away with distinction between men and women. It just places before believers the essential nature of God's church, the body of Christ; the Head of the church of those born-again to new life in truth, in Christ, through the influence of the Holy Spirit. Nobody is better than anybody else. Nobody is worse than anybody else. We should be all one in Christ. Why all the divisions?
Yes, you can see this is not political. Not biblically, anyway. That's where I draw a line. I keep things biblical, in principle. But that line must also extend to issues where people begin broad-stroking entire groups of humanity. Those who side with the premise that there are different races and some are more dangerous than others lose me fast. There is one race - the human race. Geographic location has nothing to do with the value of any human being, nor does the amount of melanin in their skin or the cosmetic features of their group, for whatever genetic reasons exist for those slight differences. Beauty of character is what God looks for. Physical beauty can exist all throughout the world but, if someone physically attractive, by any standards known to the human race, is a self-centered, unkind, uncaring, unfeeling person, that's a pretty ugly front. Salvation, change of heart is what God is after. He desires a people sanctified spirit, soul and body: mentally, emotionally, physically healthy people to represent Him in this world.
Tucker Carlson, all political commentators, have, should have the freedom to express themselves however they want, including Stew Peters and any guests he has on his broadcast. That said, we all have freedom to reject any notion that stands opposed to the Gospel, which stands opposed to all mankind's natural directives and desires. Sin is sin. We are all caught into it in some degree and need salvation from it and victory over it. Without that, whatever group runs the world is pretty pointless.
Yes, our children are in grave danger; exposed to things that corrupt young, vulnerable minds. All should speak out against the darkness engulfing the nation and the world. That said, no single or multiple groups of humanity are more messed up than any other, including professed Christianity, which God holds far more accountable because of their profession of faith.
Stew Peters... I am not in harmony with addressing an entire group of people as dangerous because of geographic heritage or genetic makeup. There are evil people in all groups, in all nations. All of us are sinners in need of salvation. If you call yourself a Christian there is no other outlook one can safely have but, to remain biblical, in the surety of God's Word, not the political wrangling of those who reject God and His message of salvation to the human race.
I reject the notion any group set apart by human categorization of genetics or geographical heritage can be bad by nature. We are all fallen and bad by nature and need a new nature, Christ's nature, implanted through conversion.
Never forget what Christ said -
Luke 18:18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luke 18:19 And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? none are good, save one, that is, God.
I would plead and warn and entreat; we do all we can to meet Him in peace, when Christ returns.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Lately, I have seen these "feuds" in headlines between Shapiro and others. It certainly does not look good in the sense of Conservatives versus the Leftist destruction of America. Infighting is always the Devil's plan. Always. I have seen it in churches and ministries. It began as infighting in Heaven to start this entire war between right and wrong, light and darkness, good and evil, call it what you will. Satan is constantly able to cause divisions in camps that are supposed to be in concert fighting sin and all that clutches to it, destroying civilizations down through time. Western civilization is at that point.
I am not a fan of Shapiro. I appreciate some positions he takes but, as a committed Jewish person, he is not going to understand the faith of the Messiah he rejects. Rejecting the Messiah as Jews do, puts them in a very precarious position down through time. At the same time, Jews convert to Christ all the time. It was the apostle Paul's great hope. The Gospel was first given to the Jews. The Gospel is in the Old Testament. Those people of God were meant to bring the light of salvation to the world. In rejecting the Messiah and the plan of salvation as God delivered it to them; He then went to the Gentiles, and now both Jew and Gentile - converted, born-again to new life in Christ - make up His church on Earth. As Paul said; there is neither Jew nor Greek, male or female, you are all one in Christ Jesus.
That does not do away with international situations, nor does it do away with distinction between men and women. It just places before believers the essential nature of God's church, the body of Christ; the Head of the church of those born-again to new life in truth, in Christ, through the influence of the Holy Spirit. Nobody is better than anybody else. Nobody is worse than anybody else. We should be all one in Christ. Why all the divisions?
Yes, you can see this is not political. Not biblically, anyway. That's where I draw a line. I keep things biblical, in principle. But that line must also extend to issues where people begin broad-stroking entire groups of humanity. Those who side with the premise that there are different races and some are more dangerous than others lose me fast. There is one race - the human race. Geographic location has nothing to do with the value of any human being, nor does the amount of melanin in their skin or the cosmetic features of their group, for whatever genetic reasons exist for those slight differences. Beauty of character is what God looks for. Physical beauty can exist all throughout the world but, if someone physically attractive, by any standards known to the human race, is a self-centered, unkind, uncaring, unfeeling person, that's a pretty ugly front. Salvation, change of heart is what God is after. He desires a people sanctified spirit, soul and body: mentally, emotionally, physically healthy people to represent Him in this world.
Tucker Carlson, all political commentators, have, should have the freedom to express themselves however they want, including Stew Peters and any guests he has on his broadcast. That said, we all have freedom to reject any notion that stands opposed to the Gospel, which stands opposed to all mankind's natural directives and desires. Sin is sin. We are all caught into it in some degree and need salvation from it and victory over it. Without that, whatever group runs the world is pretty pointless.
Yes, our children are in grave danger; exposed to things that corrupt young, vulnerable minds. All should speak out against the darkness engulfing the nation and the world. That said, no single or multiple groups of humanity are more messed up than any other, including professed Christianity, which God holds far more accountable because of their profession of faith.
Stew Peters... I am not in harmony with addressing an entire group of people as dangerous because of geographic heritage or genetic makeup. There are evil people in all groups, in all nations. All of us are sinners in need of salvation. If you call yourself a Christian there is no other outlook one can safely have but, to remain biblical, in the surety of God's Word, not the political wrangling of those who reject God and His message of salvation to the human race.
I reject the notion any group set apart by human categorization of genetics or geographical heritage can be bad by nature. We are all fallen and bad by nature and need a new nature, Christ's nature, implanted through conversion.
Never forget what Christ said -
Luke 18:18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luke 18:19 And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? none are good, save one, that is, God.
I would plead and warn and entreat; we do all we can to meet Him in peace, when Christ returns.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
BTW - NBA
I have never watched an NBA All-star game. I was never into basketball. Yeah, I knew names like Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West, Larry Byrd and Oscar Robertson, etc., but, watching guys go back and forth all night just never caused an interest in me.
Well, the other night, at a friend's, we tuned into the NBA All-star game. I had absolutely no idea such an opening extravaganza awaited my eyes. I was shocked. You'd have thought a bunch of demigods were being introduced.
The game, itself, was not a game, a contest, at all. It was simply an exhibition of what individual players can do. No defense. No nothing but, lazy professional basketball players having an evening of getting together and shooting hoops. I stopped watching it at after the unintelligible singer turned the event into another extravaganza and the second half just produced more of the first. I had already remarked during the first quarter, "If it continues on like this the score will be 200+."
Watching the Super Bowl and now the NBA gig, which, btw, garnered a final 211 to 186 final score, it seems indicative of the nation itself. America has become bloated. Government, manufacturing, marketing, "all show and no go." I can't say "action;" all talk and no action because sports involves action and America is a very active nation around the world. The thing is, the principles that founded the nation are evaporating. Our actions around the world are making enemies who are now entering the country at will. What comes next is predictable, and many are predicting it. It's inevitable.
Corruption exists in every field of endeavor and life in America, just as the Bible predicted. Such as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it also be in the days of the coming of the Son of man.
There is a statement by the apostle Paul I have referenced before that fits well for these times -
2Tim 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2Tim 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Tim 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, without self-control, savage, despisers of those that are good,
2Tim 3:4 Traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Tim 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it: from such turn away.
The Devil is preparing the world for the final dog and pony show; a form of godliness that denies the truth and its power and authority. Humanity desires more and more flare and spectacle and less and less character. It dropped ancient Rome. It will drop the entire world as Satan prepares his final, spectacular deceptions.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Well, the other night, at a friend's, we tuned into the NBA All-star game. I had absolutely no idea such an opening extravaganza awaited my eyes. I was shocked. You'd have thought a bunch of demigods were being introduced.
The game, itself, was not a game, a contest, at all. It was simply an exhibition of what individual players can do. No defense. No nothing but, lazy professional basketball players having an evening of getting together and shooting hoops. I stopped watching it at after the unintelligible singer turned the event into another extravaganza and the second half just produced more of the first. I had already remarked during the first quarter, "If it continues on like this the score will be 200+."
Watching the Super Bowl and now the NBA gig, which, btw, garnered a final 211 to 186 final score, it seems indicative of the nation itself. America has become bloated. Government, manufacturing, marketing, "all show and no go." I can't say "action;" all talk and no action because sports involves action and America is a very active nation around the world. The thing is, the principles that founded the nation are evaporating. Our actions around the world are making enemies who are now entering the country at will. What comes next is predictable, and many are predicting it. It's inevitable.
Corruption exists in every field of endeavor and life in America, just as the Bible predicted. Such as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it also be in the days of the coming of the Son of man.
There is a statement by the apostle Paul I have referenced before that fits well for these times -
2Tim 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2Tim 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Tim 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, without self-control, savage, despisers of those that are good,
2Tim 3:4 Traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Tim 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it: from such turn away.
The Devil is preparing the world for the final dog and pony show; a form of godliness that denies the truth and its power and authority. Humanity desires more and more flare and spectacle and less and less character. It dropped ancient Rome. It will drop the entire world as Satan prepares his final, spectacular deceptions.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Zombie Deer Disease
I remember when Mad Cow Disease - Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy - came around, at least in the general news of the day, back in the late 80's - early 90s and beyond, I was doing prophecy seminars and in my presentations on biblical diet and health, I mentioned BSE would someday make it into the human food chain. It did. No special prediction on my part. It was common sense.
BSE got into cattle and dairy cows by eating feed made up of grains and animal parts from flesh already contaminated with the disease. Cows Don't Eat Animals. They are herbivores. They eat grass. The animal food industry thinks they know better than God what to feed these creatures now used for food. The industry puts all kinds of ground up creatures in animal foods. I remember when I saw it in the news that King Crab shells were ground up and placed in animal feed for more "nutrition." It's only common sense such "food" will cause the herbivore creatures that eat it to develop disease. From there it mutates just enough to effect humans that eat the flesh of diseased animals. Cows, cattle, sheep by the millions were put down when it was discovered. Scientists fear the Bird Flu jumping to humans. Tens of millions of birds eaten for food have been put down.
Cases of BSE in humans, a variant called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, developed but, remained rare. Over 200 cases are known around the world. Do I doubt that shall increase exponentially in some way?
Now we have the variant which is being discovered in Deer for 20 years and getting worse. I have mentioned it here. Zombie Deer Disease, like BSE, eats away the nervous system and brain. It is nearly 100% fatal. It is thought it may jump to humans because of venison eating.
nypost.com/2024/02/20/lifestyle/scientists-fear-100-fatal-zombie-deer-disease-will-mutate-to-infect-humans-there-are-no-contingency-plans/
When Christ stated the signs, the happenings leading up to His return, disease was mentioned -
Matt 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
The Greek word translated 'pestilences,' is 'loimos.' It means a plague or a pest. It literally means disease. In my lifetime there have been some serious illnesses that have developed, seemingly out of nowhere, like Legionaire's Disease, in 1976. It still persists. A.I.D.S, of course, and now variants of SARS CoV2, and others. Bubonic Plague has returned. I posted on that awhile back. A disease from fleas on rats killed half of Europe's population in the 14th century. Today, we are now seeing warnings for "Disease X." We are well beyond natural problems. We now face manmade problems created in laboratories around the world. There shall be a reckoning for the way mankind treats the Earth and each other, in their rejections of God's instructions and warnings.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
BSE got into cattle and dairy cows by eating feed made up of grains and animal parts from flesh already contaminated with the disease. Cows Don't Eat Animals. They are herbivores. They eat grass. The animal food industry thinks they know better than God what to feed these creatures now used for food. The industry puts all kinds of ground up creatures in animal foods. I remember when I saw it in the news that King Crab shells were ground up and placed in animal feed for more "nutrition." It's only common sense such "food" will cause the herbivore creatures that eat it to develop disease. From there it mutates just enough to effect humans that eat the flesh of diseased animals. Cows, cattle, sheep by the millions were put down when it was discovered. Scientists fear the Bird Flu jumping to humans. Tens of millions of birds eaten for food have been put down.
Cases of BSE in humans, a variant called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, developed but, remained rare. Over 200 cases are known around the world. Do I doubt that shall increase exponentially in some way?
Now we have the variant which is being discovered in Deer for 20 years and getting worse. I have mentioned it here. Zombie Deer Disease, like BSE, eats away the nervous system and brain. It is nearly 100% fatal. It is thought it may jump to humans because of venison eating.
nypost.com/2024/02/20/lifestyle/scientists-fear-100-fatal-zombie-deer-disease-will-mutate-to-infect-humans-there-are-no-contingency-plans/
When Christ stated the signs, the happenings leading up to His return, disease was mentioned -
Matt 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
The Greek word translated 'pestilences,' is 'loimos.' It means a plague or a pest. It literally means disease. In my lifetime there have been some serious illnesses that have developed, seemingly out of nowhere, like Legionaire's Disease, in 1976. It still persists. A.I.D.S, of course, and now variants of SARS CoV2, and others. Bubonic Plague has returned. I posted on that awhile back. A disease from fleas on rats killed half of Europe's population in the 14th century. Today, we are now seeing warnings for "Disease X." We are well beyond natural problems. We now face manmade problems created in laboratories around the world. There shall be a reckoning for the way mankind treats the Earth and each other, in their rejections of God's instructions and warnings.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
914. The Results of "Lawfare" - 2/21/24
"Oh Lord, You know I have no friend like You.
If Heaven's not my home, Oh Lord, what will I do?
The angels beckon me through Heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore."
Those are lyrics from a hymn sung at youth rallies a lot, as well as church gatherings and services. It's a fairly happy melody about a very sad, tragic truth: the demise of Earth as time moves along and the place of the people of God just gets more and more squeezed out, and it becomes impossible to live in a world controlled by evil.
The time shall come when all magnets of life on Earth will lose their hold on those who love and serve their Creator. All desires for life on Earth will evaporate. Temptations will lose their power. Allurements will turn to dust. Thus, He comes and rescues them from a world gone, literally mad, and with the resurrected redeemed of all ages, takes them home to live with Him for a thousand years. Then everybody comes back to this dark, destroyed planet and after one last standoff by the resurrected lost of all ages, the planet will be consumed by the fire ignited by the full glory of God and sin and sinners and a lost, polluted, tired world will be consumed and reduced to ashes from which God will recreate this world more beautiful than it was to begin with and the eons of eternity will move along without end.
That abbreviated explanation revolves around the reason this world ends. A combination of sin and its effects; a loss of love, compassion, reason, logic, common sense and engulfing net of satanic character; and a war against the law of God and its effects will bring the world to an end. We know this because of some specific passages in the books of Daniel and Revelation -
Dan 6:4 Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
Dan 6:5 Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.
Dan 6:8 Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
Dan 6:12 Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
Dan 6:15 Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Dan 9:8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
Dan 9:9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
Dan 9:10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
Dan 9:11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
Dan 9:12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
Dan 9:13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.
In the book of Daniel we see a constant battle between God's law and man's laws. We see a failure of God's people to obey His laws and trouble comes with that unreasonable choice. The book is meant to inform us of future events. Hence, we should conclude the same kind of war shall exist at the end of time, with the same type of consequences.
Rev 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
The Ark in the earthly temple, in the Most Holy place, contained the two tables of stone, the ten commandments. In Heaven, there abides the the Ark the earth was pattered after, containing God's law; the standard of character, His testimony for the order of life in His realm.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
In Satan's wrath he makes war with God's people; always has, always will; and God's people, ultimately are those who keep His commandments and the testimony and faith of Jesus Christ. The blessing of obeying through grace, faith and love grant the redeemed the right to eat from the tree of life and live in the city of God forever.
Perhaps a couple other passages back all this up with reasonable explanation -
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
2Thes 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
2Thes 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2Thes 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
1John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
Now, let me add two more passages to this. In Matthew, Christ stated those who thought they should receive eternal life when Jesus returns are told they did not do the will of the Father in Heaven. We are told what a significant aspect of the will of God is -
1Thes 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
1Thes 4:4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel [life] in sanctification and honour;
1Thes 4:5 Not in the lust of concupiscence [lustful desire], even as the Gentiles which know not God:
Fornication. We all know what that is, generally speaking. If we look more deeply we see this -
Rev 14:3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
Rev 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
Rev 14:5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
The 144,000 are representative of those, alive at the end of time who shall make up that remnant of believers taking the final stand against apostasy, evil, and abandonment of the authority of the law of God. They have not been defiled with women, they are virgins. This is not speaking of physical virginity but, spiritual. They have not religiously, doctrinally fornicated with the Mother Whore or her harlot daughters. In the mouths of the 144k, what they say and stand for, is found no guile, no lies, and they are without fault before the throne of God. They have passed through the judgment hour and been found blameless, just like their Lord. They have been fully sanctified. They are Christlike in character. They shall be ready for translation to Heaven when Jesus returns.
Rev 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
Rev 2:21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
Rev 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
The tie-in is pretty obvious, is it not? Links in a great chain of truth. The Bible interprets itself. Line upon line, here a little, there a little, the truth emerges as one great, golden whole.
Prophetic, spiritual Babylon makes all the world drunk with her fornication with the kings of the Earth: other religions, no religions; the powers and authority of men. She has not married them. She just lays down with them, for power and control. She claims righteousness, just like Jesus stated people will claim when He returns. She claims sole authority to speak for God. It is all the wrath of the dragon, Satan, who controls her, and his war against God and His law. He has used her to corrupt "the faith once delivered unto the saints." "Apostasy" resides on her life and foundation, walls and roof of corruptions. Her doctrines are corrupt. Her words contain the poison of lies and pagan traditions, regardless of all her pretended piety. God calls His people out of Babylon, out of the religious confusion and corruption of doctrine and faith; of Mother and her daughters; those churches who continue to follow the traditions of Mother. He calls His people to worship Him in spirit [mental intelligence and acuity], and truth. A coming world super-church is going to develop. It will contain abominations from her cup of corruption; her wine that makes her adherents confused and drunk. She cares not who she beds with. She only cares that she has final control.
Now. Lawfare. We are familiar with the term "warfare." It describes the processes of war. "Lawfare" has come into use because of law and its apostate agents being used to wage war; a cultural war, a spiritual war, a political war, a financial war against all those who stand up for the principles of Americanism and the freedom and liberty granted by God to speak what we will, when, where, why and how we will. People are being arrested in the middle of the night by armed federal, state and/or local agents. Threats are made for them to bow down to the godless pressures of those committed to destroying America with immorality, financial suicide, and a total disregard of the rule of law, using policies of mutilated law to destroy people. Lawfare. It is being waged against innocent Americans who protested at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. It is being waged against Donald Trump; the truly elected President, criminally and fraudulently removed from office. The recent egregious judgment by a judge run afoul of all honor and integrity, of $354,000,000; what is it doing? Now, the district attorney claims she will seize all of Trumps assets if he does not pay this amount. To whom? The corruption here is so thick it would choke a Blue whale. Many others find themselves pressured by lawfare like this but, what now?
Truckers are resisting deliveries to NYC businesses. Companies are making plans to move out or changing plans to move into NY. The governor has tried to calm fears that she, herself has promoted. If they can do this to an ex-president and his businesses, they could do it to anybody. The entire world is watching this play out. The entire civilized world, maintaining some kind of lawful existence, can only look at this lawfare and act accordingly when it comes to doing business with entities in NYC. But, the picture of lawfare is so much larger than this.
The time is coming when all those who will not worship the beast and his image, will not bow down to the apostate laws of man, will see to it that all those who will not obey will not be allowed to buy or sell. Their existence will be threatened. The technology is here to accomplish the task. All that remains are the events that will lead to the final apostasy and rebellion against the law of God.
Ten simple commands, and He added no more, Deut. 5:22. They have all been under attack down through time but, one has been under consistent attack for almost 2,000 years: the seventh-day Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Constantine, emperor of Rome, created the first Sunday law. From there, the church of Rome began an apostasy, a slide from truth that has seen dozens of statements claiming she has the authority to change the law and did; placing the first day of the week, Sunday, "in place of" the seventh-day Sabbath as the day to "remember." It is her 3rd commandment, having taken apart the tenth to fill out the void left by removing the second: forbidding image worship. Nothing in religious history can be more plain than the apostasy of the once faithful and renowned church in Rome which became the Roman Catholic Church, its Papacy and its Vatican, and now its very own nation state power. It is the greatest apostasy of corruption in world history. It is the greatest cult in world history, with one man claiming to be God on Earth, the vicar, the stand-in for Christ on Earth. For centuries this has been known but, today, has all but been forgotten. Romanism has not changed her doctrines. Protestantism has backslid from its place in history. Today, a radical pope sits in "the chair of Peter." Confusion has ramped up severe, strange notches. The one-world super-church is on its way.
Lawfare is far from over. A national and international Sunday law shall take place as events develop to drag the world into a revolution of false revival, "all power, signs and lying wonders" at the hands of the great Deceiver and "a time of trouble such as never was or ever shall be" shall descend upon this Earth in waves of destruction and terror such as has never been experienced before.
Lawfare shall literally set up the end of this world.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
If Heaven's not my home, Oh Lord, what will I do?
The angels beckon me through Heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore."
Those are lyrics from a hymn sung at youth rallies a lot, as well as church gatherings and services. It's a fairly happy melody about a very sad, tragic truth: the demise of Earth as time moves along and the place of the people of God just gets more and more squeezed out, and it becomes impossible to live in a world controlled by evil.
The time shall come when all magnets of life on Earth will lose their hold on those who love and serve their Creator. All desires for life on Earth will evaporate. Temptations will lose their power. Allurements will turn to dust. Thus, He comes and rescues them from a world gone, literally mad, and with the resurrected redeemed of all ages, takes them home to live with Him for a thousand years. Then everybody comes back to this dark, destroyed planet and after one last standoff by the resurrected lost of all ages, the planet will be consumed by the fire ignited by the full glory of God and sin and sinners and a lost, polluted, tired world will be consumed and reduced to ashes from which God will recreate this world more beautiful than it was to begin with and the eons of eternity will move along without end.
That abbreviated explanation revolves around the reason this world ends. A combination of sin and its effects; a loss of love, compassion, reason, logic, common sense and engulfing net of satanic character; and a war against the law of God and its effects will bring the world to an end. We know this because of some specific passages in the books of Daniel and Revelation -
Dan 6:4 Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
Dan 6:5 Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.
Dan 6:8 Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
Dan 6:12 Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
Dan 6:15 Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Dan 9:8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
Dan 9:9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
Dan 9:10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
Dan 9:11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
Dan 9:12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
Dan 9:13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.
In the book of Daniel we see a constant battle between God's law and man's laws. We see a failure of God's people to obey His laws and trouble comes with that unreasonable choice. The book is meant to inform us of future events. Hence, we should conclude the same kind of war shall exist at the end of time, with the same type of consequences.
Rev 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
The Ark in the earthly temple, in the Most Holy place, contained the two tables of stone, the ten commandments. In Heaven, there abides the the Ark the earth was pattered after, containing God's law; the standard of character, His testimony for the order of life in His realm.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
In Satan's wrath he makes war with God's people; always has, always will; and God's people, ultimately are those who keep His commandments and the testimony and faith of Jesus Christ. The blessing of obeying through grace, faith and love grant the redeemed the right to eat from the tree of life and live in the city of God forever.
Perhaps a couple other passages back all this up with reasonable explanation -
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
2Thes 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
2Thes 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2Thes 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
1John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
Now, let me add two more passages to this. In Matthew, Christ stated those who thought they should receive eternal life when Jesus returns are told they did not do the will of the Father in Heaven. We are told what a significant aspect of the will of God is -
1Thes 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
1Thes 4:4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel [life] in sanctification and honour;
1Thes 4:5 Not in the lust of concupiscence [lustful desire], even as the Gentiles which know not God:
Fornication. We all know what that is, generally speaking. If we look more deeply we see this -
Rev 14:3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
Rev 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
Rev 14:5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
The 144,000 are representative of those, alive at the end of time who shall make up that remnant of believers taking the final stand against apostasy, evil, and abandonment of the authority of the law of God. They have not been defiled with women, they are virgins. This is not speaking of physical virginity but, spiritual. They have not religiously, doctrinally fornicated with the Mother Whore or her harlot daughters. In the mouths of the 144k, what they say and stand for, is found no guile, no lies, and they are without fault before the throne of God. They have passed through the judgment hour and been found blameless, just like their Lord. They have been fully sanctified. They are Christlike in character. They shall be ready for translation to Heaven when Jesus returns.
Rev 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
Rev 2:21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
Rev 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
The tie-in is pretty obvious, is it not? Links in a great chain of truth. The Bible interprets itself. Line upon line, here a little, there a little, the truth emerges as one great, golden whole.
Prophetic, spiritual Babylon makes all the world drunk with her fornication with the kings of the Earth: other religions, no religions; the powers and authority of men. She has not married them. She just lays down with them, for power and control. She claims righteousness, just like Jesus stated people will claim when He returns. She claims sole authority to speak for God. It is all the wrath of the dragon, Satan, who controls her, and his war against God and His law. He has used her to corrupt "the faith once delivered unto the saints." "Apostasy" resides on her life and foundation, walls and roof of corruptions. Her doctrines are corrupt. Her words contain the poison of lies and pagan traditions, regardless of all her pretended piety. God calls His people out of Babylon, out of the religious confusion and corruption of doctrine and faith; of Mother and her daughters; those churches who continue to follow the traditions of Mother. He calls His people to worship Him in spirit [mental intelligence and acuity], and truth. A coming world super-church is going to develop. It will contain abominations from her cup of corruption; her wine that makes her adherents confused and drunk. She cares not who she beds with. She only cares that she has final control.
Now. Lawfare. We are familiar with the term "warfare." It describes the processes of war. "Lawfare" has come into use because of law and its apostate agents being used to wage war; a cultural war, a spiritual war, a political war, a financial war against all those who stand up for the principles of Americanism and the freedom and liberty granted by God to speak what we will, when, where, why and how we will. People are being arrested in the middle of the night by armed federal, state and/or local agents. Threats are made for them to bow down to the godless pressures of those committed to destroying America with immorality, financial suicide, and a total disregard of the rule of law, using policies of mutilated law to destroy people. Lawfare. It is being waged against innocent Americans who protested at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. It is being waged against Donald Trump; the truly elected President, criminally and fraudulently removed from office. The recent egregious judgment by a judge run afoul of all honor and integrity, of $354,000,000; what is it doing? Now, the district attorney claims she will seize all of Trumps assets if he does not pay this amount. To whom? The corruption here is so thick it would choke a Blue whale. Many others find themselves pressured by lawfare like this but, what now?
Truckers are resisting deliveries to NYC businesses. Companies are making plans to move out or changing plans to move into NY. The governor has tried to calm fears that she, herself has promoted. If they can do this to an ex-president and his businesses, they could do it to anybody. The entire world is watching this play out. The entire civilized world, maintaining some kind of lawful existence, can only look at this lawfare and act accordingly when it comes to doing business with entities in NYC. But, the picture of lawfare is so much larger than this.
The time is coming when all those who will not worship the beast and his image, will not bow down to the apostate laws of man, will see to it that all those who will not obey will not be allowed to buy or sell. Their existence will be threatened. The technology is here to accomplish the task. All that remains are the events that will lead to the final apostasy and rebellion against the law of God.
Ten simple commands, and He added no more, Deut. 5:22. They have all been under attack down through time but, one has been under consistent attack for almost 2,000 years: the seventh-day Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Constantine, emperor of Rome, created the first Sunday law. From there, the church of Rome began an apostasy, a slide from truth that has seen dozens of statements claiming she has the authority to change the law and did; placing the first day of the week, Sunday, "in place of" the seventh-day Sabbath as the day to "remember." It is her 3rd commandment, having taken apart the tenth to fill out the void left by removing the second: forbidding image worship. Nothing in religious history can be more plain than the apostasy of the once faithful and renowned church in Rome which became the Roman Catholic Church, its Papacy and its Vatican, and now its very own nation state power. It is the greatest apostasy of corruption in world history. It is the greatest cult in world history, with one man claiming to be God on Earth, the vicar, the stand-in for Christ on Earth. For centuries this has been known but, today, has all but been forgotten. Romanism has not changed her doctrines. Protestantism has backslid from its place in history. Today, a radical pope sits in "the chair of Peter." Confusion has ramped up severe, strange notches. The one-world super-church is on its way.
Lawfare is far from over. A national and international Sunday law shall take place as events develop to drag the world into a revolution of false revival, "all power, signs and lying wonders" at the hands of the great Deceiver and "a time of trouble such as never was or ever shall be" shall descend upon this Earth in waves of destruction and terror such as has never been experienced before.
Lawfare shall literally set up the end of this world.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Tucker and Benz
There are very few people you come across in this life who are walking encyclopedias on any given subject. Mike Benz is one of them, when it comes to the history of American censorship, where we are, and where it's going, based on the evidence. This is a mind-blowing explanation. At least, it was for me and I am compelled to share it. It is one of those things Americans, who love their country and its God-given freedoms and liberties, should watch and listen to carefully -
twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1758529993280205039
twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1758529993280205039
*****************************
"CIVIL WAR"
civil
adjective
1. relating to ordinary citizens and their concerns, as distinct from military or ecclesiastical matters
Example: civil aviation
2. courteous and polite
Example: they were comparatively civil to their daughter
3. (of time) fixed by custom or law rather than being natural or astronomical
Example: civil twilight
Why is the term "civil" war in use? None of the above definitions apply to a "civil war" as we understand it, any more or less than any other type of war, and actually do not apply to any type of war, at all.
All war concerns citizens. No war is polite. No wars are customary.
Well, the use of the term "civil" can mean that which pertains to a state and its citizens. Therefore, a war between citizens; or a war between State power and its citizens is a civil war.
A new movie is coming out, entitled, "CIVIL WAR." It's a $50m production. It shows the American government at war with its citizens; bombing American cities.
Many commentators over the years have mentioned how Hollywood always seems to portray things, supposedly fiction and fantasy, that end up being reality; as though the entire film industry is used by powers that be to indicate realities of what is coming sooner or later. Especially is that the case with dystopian-type movies. In such a tense and potentially explosive climate as exists in America right now, why would a movie about civil war be made and released? More specifically, why would a politically hard Leftist-leaning Hollywood make such a movie?
We are being told that the situation at the Texas border is growing more tense by the day.
Governors are sending national guard troops and police presence to help the effort of blocking the invasion of illegal immigrants into the nation.
"Dr. Phil" goes on Joe Rogan's podcast and tells the world what he saw at the border and it's a parade of confusing, inept, literally government self-destruction of law and order.
Yet, questions remain about the intentions of Texas governor, Greg Abbott.
While razor wire gets installed in some places, other spots are turned into flowing streams and rivers of humanity into the state; nothing being done to stop it.
When asked to speak about the World Economic Forum plans for the future of the world, Abbott would say nothing negative about the globalist entity, and apparently, has even been a guest of the WEF.
It is now coming to thought that the entire situation at the border is a ruse; one to set up a potential reason to claim civil war is upon us, at which point the Federal government clamps down on Texas and thereby makes the call to claim any dissident opinion in America against the Federal government is a potential "threat to national security" and a rounding up of American citizens begins. Anyone with antigovernment opinions found online or any kind social communication will be rendered null and void. The elections slated for this November will be halted, Biden removed from office via the 25th Amendment, and someone with an actual mind that functions installed as POTUS, that is nothing more than a rabid globalist puppet. That would be the end of America as we know it.
Possible?
Indeed, things are weird: truth stranger than fiction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0oSimYTU18&t=135s
adjective
1. relating to ordinary citizens and their concerns, as distinct from military or ecclesiastical matters
Example: civil aviation
2. courteous and polite
Example: they were comparatively civil to their daughter
3. (of time) fixed by custom or law rather than being natural or astronomical
Example: civil twilight
Why is the term "civil" war in use? None of the above definitions apply to a "civil war" as we understand it, any more or less than any other type of war, and actually do not apply to any type of war, at all.
All war concerns citizens. No war is polite. No wars are customary.
Well, the use of the term "civil" can mean that which pertains to a state and its citizens. Therefore, a war between citizens; or a war between State power and its citizens is a civil war.
A new movie is coming out, entitled, "CIVIL WAR." It's a $50m production. It shows the American government at war with its citizens; bombing American cities.
Many commentators over the years have mentioned how Hollywood always seems to portray things, supposedly fiction and fantasy, that end up being reality; as though the entire film industry is used by powers that be to indicate realities of what is coming sooner or later. Especially is that the case with dystopian-type movies. In such a tense and potentially explosive climate as exists in America right now, why would a movie about civil war be made and released? More specifically, why would a politically hard Leftist-leaning Hollywood make such a movie?
We are being told that the situation at the Texas border is growing more tense by the day.
Governors are sending national guard troops and police presence to help the effort of blocking the invasion of illegal immigrants into the nation.
"Dr. Phil" goes on Joe Rogan's podcast and tells the world what he saw at the border and it's a parade of confusing, inept, literally government self-destruction of law and order.
Yet, questions remain about the intentions of Texas governor, Greg Abbott.
While razor wire gets installed in some places, other spots are turned into flowing streams and rivers of humanity into the state; nothing being done to stop it.
When asked to speak about the World Economic Forum plans for the future of the world, Abbott would say nothing negative about the globalist entity, and apparently, has even been a guest of the WEF.
It is now coming to thought that the entire situation at the border is a ruse; one to set up a potential reason to claim civil war is upon us, at which point the Federal government clamps down on Texas and thereby makes the call to claim any dissident opinion in America against the Federal government is a potential "threat to national security" and a rounding up of American citizens begins. Anyone with antigovernment opinions found online or any kind social communication will be rendered null and void. The elections slated for this November will be halted, Biden removed from office via the 25th Amendment, and someone with an actual mind that functions installed as POTUS, that is nothing more than a rabid globalist puppet. That would be the end of America as we know it.
Possible?
Indeed, things are weird: truth stranger than fiction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0oSimYTU18&t=135s
*****************************
915. Memories - February 24, 2024
I read an article this evening on "storage" of memories.
Yes, think about that for a few moments. What are memories? Faint or vivid, they are remembrances that are not 1's and 0's. They are not photos or files. They are nothing physical. They are psychological. They are not kept in filing cabinets of a brain. The brain provides pathways to create or make memories but, where are they stored? Yesterday. One week ago. One year ago. One decade ago. One lifetime ago. I'm 69. I have memories from age 3. How many memories are saved in our... minds? If you say "brains" you misplace the premise. Brains are physical. Memories are not. Fascinating? Incredibly so.
It presents a scientific problem for those who believe in Materialism, Naturalism, Darwinism. The mind is not the brain. What is it then? Some say the "soul." Having covered that at length, from a biblical position, the Bible is silent on a ghostlike entity that gets out of the body at death. That's Greek philosophy, not biblical truth. To the contrary. More on that in a minute.
This article gets into it more -
https://evolutionnews.org/2024/02/are-memories-stored-in-the-brain/
There's a YouTube video that goes along with it. It's quite thought provoking if not mind-blowing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7seE0pA9om4
The very end of the video presents a fact, a biblical fact, which is this - we do not have a soul. We are a soul.
God breathed into the dirt (the form of a human), the breath of life and man became a living soul, Genesis 2:7.
That said, the video, and the article, make the claim this subject proves man has a "soul:" some kind of other being associated with our physical nature that lives outside or beyond the physical life.
"In his excellent video, Cunningham notes the remarkable and quite strong evidence for memory retention in near-death experiences (NDEs). In fact, memories in NDEs are often clear, precise and comprehensive. Of course, this does not mean that memories are “stored” in the immaterial human soul; “storage” has no meaning, except as a metaphor, when applied to memories. But as Cunningham points out in his video, there is undeniable evidence for the existence of the human soul and for its continued existence immediately after death, and we have memories, even enhanced memories, after we die."
Does the Bible teach that? It, emphatically does not -
Psa 146:1 Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Psa 146:2 While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises to my God while I have any being.
Psa 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
Psa 146:4 His breath goes forth, he returns to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
Ecc 6:12 For who knows what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spends as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?
Ecc 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead do not know any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Ecc 9:6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
Ecc 9:10 Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, where you are going.
So, why is the "soul" mentioned in Psalm 146:1? In the framework of the Hebrew mind, the biblical understanding from God, to what a human is, the soul is the deep, emotional nature of a human. Some call it "heart," knowing we do not mean the organ in our chest that pumps our blood through our bodies. We mean the depths of perceptions people have about things we encounter in life or ponder in life, as we live, including what comes after life. The Bible says, a resurrection day will come, when Christ returns. Or, the resurrection of the lost to meet the final executive judgment and destruction of everything cursed by sin. That's it. Souls do not leave the body at death. The breath of life does and goes back to God who gave it.
Psalm 104:29 You hide your face, they are troubled: you take away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
Ecclesiastes 12:5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goes to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
Ecc 12:6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
Ecc 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.
Spirit. A supernatural, ghostlike entity that leaves the body at death?
Strong's Concordance -
H7307
rûach
roo'-akh
From H7306; wind; by resemblance breath, that is, a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions): - air, anger, blast, breath, X cool, courage, mind, X quarter, X side, spirit ([-ual]), tempest, X vain, ([whirl-]) wind (-y).
Total KJV occurrences: 378
Taking the Hebrew word "ruach" and making it out to be a ghost that leaves the body at death is just a gross misuse of the word and its definition. The ruach goes back to God who gave it. What did He give to Adam? The breath of life. Yet we have spirit, we have that nature. What is it? Soul is the emotional nature of man. Spirit is the intellectual nature of man. Spirit, soul and body. Mental, emotional, physical.
Despite the issue of the "soul" in the discussion, memories and their storage are a fascinating subject; one that gives God the glory.
One more thing. The subject of NDEs; Near Death Experiences. Near death, means just that. Near death, not dead. The Bible is plain on that. Nothing survives death. Even the memories people have of us will someday fade away. Yet NDEs have very vivid memories. An enigma, to be sure.
One must never discount the activity of the Father of lies, the great deceiver. His existence and those of the angels that followed him in his rebellion is very real. He lived in Heaven. He knows it well. He knows the lives of human generations, languages, events; all human history. Placing in the minds of NDEs or people who supposedly do clinically die, memories or visions or experiences claimed - going to Heaven, to "hell," to the past or future, all of that is easily manipulated by the father of lies. Never discount that.
I seem to go over this every week now because it is in the news every week now. Satan is preparing his final deceptions. Make preparations. The final battle for the mind is coming.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Yes, think about that for a few moments. What are memories? Faint or vivid, they are remembrances that are not 1's and 0's. They are not photos or files. They are nothing physical. They are psychological. They are not kept in filing cabinets of a brain. The brain provides pathways to create or make memories but, where are they stored? Yesterday. One week ago. One year ago. One decade ago. One lifetime ago. I'm 69. I have memories from age 3. How many memories are saved in our... minds? If you say "brains" you misplace the premise. Brains are physical. Memories are not. Fascinating? Incredibly so.
It presents a scientific problem for those who believe in Materialism, Naturalism, Darwinism. The mind is not the brain. What is it then? Some say the "soul." Having covered that at length, from a biblical position, the Bible is silent on a ghostlike entity that gets out of the body at death. That's Greek philosophy, not biblical truth. To the contrary. More on that in a minute.
This article gets into it more -
https://evolutionnews.org/2024/02/are-memories-stored-in-the-brain/
There's a YouTube video that goes along with it. It's quite thought provoking if not mind-blowing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7seE0pA9om4
The very end of the video presents a fact, a biblical fact, which is this - we do not have a soul. We are a soul.
God breathed into the dirt (the form of a human), the breath of life and man became a living soul, Genesis 2:7.
That said, the video, and the article, make the claim this subject proves man has a "soul:" some kind of other being associated with our physical nature that lives outside or beyond the physical life.
"In his excellent video, Cunningham notes the remarkable and quite strong evidence for memory retention in near-death experiences (NDEs). In fact, memories in NDEs are often clear, precise and comprehensive. Of course, this does not mean that memories are “stored” in the immaterial human soul; “storage” has no meaning, except as a metaphor, when applied to memories. But as Cunningham points out in his video, there is undeniable evidence for the existence of the human soul and for its continued existence immediately after death, and we have memories, even enhanced memories, after we die."
Does the Bible teach that? It, emphatically does not -
Psa 146:1 Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Psa 146:2 While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises to my God while I have any being.
Psa 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
Psa 146:4 His breath goes forth, he returns to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
Ecc 6:12 For who knows what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spends as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?
Ecc 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead do not know any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Ecc 9:6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
Ecc 9:10 Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, where you are going.
So, why is the "soul" mentioned in Psalm 146:1? In the framework of the Hebrew mind, the biblical understanding from God, to what a human is, the soul is the deep, emotional nature of a human. Some call it "heart," knowing we do not mean the organ in our chest that pumps our blood through our bodies. We mean the depths of perceptions people have about things we encounter in life or ponder in life, as we live, including what comes after life. The Bible says, a resurrection day will come, when Christ returns. Or, the resurrection of the lost to meet the final executive judgment and destruction of everything cursed by sin. That's it. Souls do not leave the body at death. The breath of life does and goes back to God who gave it.
Psalm 104:29 You hide your face, they are troubled: you take away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
Ecclesiastes 12:5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goes to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
Ecc 12:6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
Ecc 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.
Spirit. A supernatural, ghostlike entity that leaves the body at death?
Strong's Concordance -
H7307
rûach
roo'-akh
From H7306; wind; by resemblance breath, that is, a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions): - air, anger, blast, breath, X cool, courage, mind, X quarter, X side, spirit ([-ual]), tempest, X vain, ([whirl-]) wind (-y).
Total KJV occurrences: 378
Taking the Hebrew word "ruach" and making it out to be a ghost that leaves the body at death is just a gross misuse of the word and its definition. The ruach goes back to God who gave it. What did He give to Adam? The breath of life. Yet we have spirit, we have that nature. What is it? Soul is the emotional nature of man. Spirit is the intellectual nature of man. Spirit, soul and body. Mental, emotional, physical.
Despite the issue of the "soul" in the discussion, memories and their storage are a fascinating subject; one that gives God the glory.
One more thing. The subject of NDEs; Near Death Experiences. Near death, means just that. Near death, not dead. The Bible is plain on that. Nothing survives death. Even the memories people have of us will someday fade away. Yet NDEs have very vivid memories. An enigma, to be sure.
One must never discount the activity of the Father of lies, the great deceiver. His existence and those of the angels that followed him in his rebellion is very real. He lived in Heaven. He knows it well. He knows the lives of human generations, languages, events; all human history. Placing in the minds of NDEs or people who supposedly do clinically die, memories or visions or experiences claimed - going to Heaven, to "hell," to the past or future, all of that is easily manipulated by the father of lies. Never discount that.
I seem to go over this every week now because it is in the news every week now. Satan is preparing his final deceptions. Make preparations. The final battle for the mind is coming.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
The Problem with Pitcher Plants
Here's a cool article on plants. Wait. Keep reading. Regardless of which side of the fence you're on in the creation/materialistic debate, there's something you may not know. I sure didn't make the connections, and these connections exist throughout nature.
You know what a Pitcher Plant is, right? Small types of plants with a bulbous flower on it that has a "lid." They emit an odor that attracts small bugs. The bugs fly inside and land on the sides of the "pitcher." The walls of the flower are coated with a very slippery substances which insects cannot grab sufficiently. They slide down into the plant which contains a mixture of water and digestive enzymes. The lid closes. The bugs drown and ultimately are digested in the watery grave. Amazing.
The Venus Flytrap is another type of carnivorous plant. You've seen pictures. Two sides that connect by a lower hinge. The inner sides have small, hair-like "feelers" on them. The outer edges have little, interlocking short tentacles. Again a secretion develops on the insides of the plant which is very aroma virtuous. Along comes a bug. It lands inside and when it touches the tiny hairs twice, the two sides instantly close, so fast, the fly cannot escape. The edges interlock, forming a plant jail of incarceration and death, as, again, digestive juices break down the bug and a meal ensues.
I had no idea the other types of carnivory plants that exist with varying aspects of attraction, entrapment and digestion. So, what's the big deal? Well, Naturalists have a very difficult time explaining how these necessary elements could evolve simultaneously by small changes over time because if all the parts are not there and functioning correctly, the plant obviously dies for lack of food. Can't allure, can't trap, can't digest, can't eat, can't survive. Survival of the fittest removes the plant from nature. Why do we have them around?
The Creationist would simply state a Grand Designer and Maker of life equipped these plants with their necessary features when He created them. Something referred to by the term "irreducible complexity." The information necessary to be and perform what these plants do would fill a library. Every part has a very complex existence. Take away any vital part and the plant cannot survive. It only survives with completed parts.
I'm a believer in fiat creation because creation testifies to it, in so many ways arguing against it seems a wholly futile enterprise. God lives because He is life. He is real because information only comes from an informant; a cause. The more complex the information, the more complex the informant that writes and reveals it, as man discovers it.
I wonder what the train of my life would have been if these models of life were taught in school when I was growing up, rather than the typical lightning hits a hot pool of hot chemicals and life is born, Frankenstein-stuff found in schoolbooks for a century now. I'll never know but, I am thankful I now know what I do, and the hope it provides.
evolutionnews.org/2024/02/carnivory-in-plants-a-problem-for-evolution/
You know what a Pitcher Plant is, right? Small types of plants with a bulbous flower on it that has a "lid." They emit an odor that attracts small bugs. The bugs fly inside and land on the sides of the "pitcher." The walls of the flower are coated with a very slippery substances which insects cannot grab sufficiently. They slide down into the plant which contains a mixture of water and digestive enzymes. The lid closes. The bugs drown and ultimately are digested in the watery grave. Amazing.
The Venus Flytrap is another type of carnivorous plant. You've seen pictures. Two sides that connect by a lower hinge. The inner sides have small, hair-like "feelers" on them. The outer edges have little, interlocking short tentacles. Again a secretion develops on the insides of the plant which is very aroma virtuous. Along comes a bug. It lands inside and when it touches the tiny hairs twice, the two sides instantly close, so fast, the fly cannot escape. The edges interlock, forming a plant jail of incarceration and death, as, again, digestive juices break down the bug and a meal ensues.
I had no idea the other types of carnivory plants that exist with varying aspects of attraction, entrapment and digestion. So, what's the big deal? Well, Naturalists have a very difficult time explaining how these necessary elements could evolve simultaneously by small changes over time because if all the parts are not there and functioning correctly, the plant obviously dies for lack of food. Can't allure, can't trap, can't digest, can't eat, can't survive. Survival of the fittest removes the plant from nature. Why do we have them around?
The Creationist would simply state a Grand Designer and Maker of life equipped these plants with their necessary features when He created them. Something referred to by the term "irreducible complexity." The information necessary to be and perform what these plants do would fill a library. Every part has a very complex existence. Take away any vital part and the plant cannot survive. It only survives with completed parts.
I'm a believer in fiat creation because creation testifies to it, in so many ways arguing against it seems a wholly futile enterprise. God lives because He is life. He is real because information only comes from an informant; a cause. The more complex the information, the more complex the informant that writes and reveals it, as man discovers it.
I wonder what the train of my life would have been if these models of life were taught in school when I was growing up, rather than the typical lightning hits a hot pool of hot chemicals and life is born, Frankenstein-stuff found in schoolbooks for a century now. I'll never know but, I am thankful I now know what I do, and the hope it provides.
evolutionnews.org/2024/02/carnivory-in-plants-a-problem-for-evolution/
*****************************
Will Canada Criminalize Christianity?
This is an astounding sign of the times.
"Canada is set to criminalise Christianity with the introduction of an amendment to the Criminal Code that could see believers face jail time for expressing historic Christian teachings.
"Bill C-367, if passed, would make it illegal to reiterate certain parts of the Bible, stripping away the “good faith” defence for what is deemed by the state as “hate speech” or “antisemitism.”
caldronpool.com/canada-set-to-criminalise-christianity/
Under the globalist, Justin Trudeau, Canada has become a tragic country of extremes in government, causing great upheaval and like America, now has warring factions between provinces, as America has between states; culturally, legally, morally speaking. New lines have been drawn, removing freedoms and liberty for millions of once, protected citizens by rights that come from God.
"This means that citing religious beliefs as justification for words or actions that the state effectively regards as “heresy” will no longer be accepted as a valid defence under the law.
"The bill states: “The enactment amends the Criminal Code to eliminate as a defence against wilful promotion of hatred or antisemitism the fact that a person, in good faith, expressed or attempted to establish by an argument an opinion or a religious subject or an opinion based on a belief in a religious text.”
Justin Trudeau... I don't know how the guy remains in office. Of course, I say the same thing about Joe Biden, various legislators and governors in America and other elected leaders around the world.
How can such strongly divergent sides exist in a world finding out more and more about the intricacies of life with each passing modern year? Ah. Irrevocable choices are being made for each of our worldviews.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
"Canada is set to criminalise Christianity with the introduction of an amendment to the Criminal Code that could see believers face jail time for expressing historic Christian teachings.
"Bill C-367, if passed, would make it illegal to reiterate certain parts of the Bible, stripping away the “good faith” defence for what is deemed by the state as “hate speech” or “antisemitism.”
caldronpool.com/canada-set-to-criminalise-christianity/
Under the globalist, Justin Trudeau, Canada has become a tragic country of extremes in government, causing great upheaval and like America, now has warring factions between provinces, as America has between states; culturally, legally, morally speaking. New lines have been drawn, removing freedoms and liberty for millions of once, protected citizens by rights that come from God.
"This means that citing religious beliefs as justification for words or actions that the state effectively regards as “heresy” will no longer be accepted as a valid defence under the law.
"The bill states: “The enactment amends the Criminal Code to eliminate as a defence against wilful promotion of hatred or antisemitism the fact that a person, in good faith, expressed or attempted to establish by an argument an opinion or a religious subject or an opinion based on a belief in a religious text.”
Justin Trudeau... I don't know how the guy remains in office. Of course, I say the same thing about Joe Biden, various legislators and governors in America and other elected leaders around the world.
How can such strongly divergent sides exist in a world finding out more and more about the intricacies of life with each passing modern year? Ah. Irrevocable choices are being made for each of our worldviews.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
916. Christian Nationalism
in the News Again - 2/24/24
This subject is unlikely to go away. With actor, director, producer Rob Reiner's documentary paving the road, Leftist commentary and "warnings" about Christian Nationalism will increase and not stop until the next Leftist is encased in office in the White House, and even then, it will continue until all dissent against government corruption is stopped.
"But Ray. You are against Christian Nationalism [CN], yourself." Indeed. It is prophetic in nature. I see it as a fulfillment of what is coming, based on Revelation 13:11-18. America fulfills the marks of the second beast in Rev. 13. This nation will act in like fashion as the first beast in the chapter: the Roman Catholic Church system, its Papacy and Vatican State. An unprecedented revival of "all power, signs and lying wonders" will force legislators to bow to the will of an angry America, tired of civil servant cowardice, globalist intentions & plans and Leftist lunacy.
But, first, this new attack on CN. CN is an ideological position that Christians and the religion of Christianity should control Federal, State and Local government. Yes, obvious problems exist with such a premise. Which version of Christianity? How to address the obvious flaws in the premise standing against the Constitution's Bill of Rights and First Amendment - "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
But, there is the other side. I am being touted as a CN because of the ignorance of the Leftist's understanding of American history.
"An award-winning investigative journalist for Politico claimed during an MSNBC panel on Thursday that believing rights come from God is a marker of "Christian nationalism."
www.christianpost.com/news/god-given-rights-are-christian-nationalist-heidi-przybyla-says.html
"Przybyla went on to make a distinction between Christians and "Christian nationalists," which she said are "very different." What unites all Christian nationalists, she said, "is that they believe that our rights as Americans, as all human beings, don't come from any earthly authority."
"They don't come from Congress, they don't come from the Supreme Court, they come from God," she added. "The problem with that is that they are determining — man, men, and it is men — are determining what God is telling them."
Now, the ignorance in that statement is rather extreme. First, free-will should cause everyone to determine what God is telling them. "We ought to obey God rather than men," Acts 5:29. God will speak to anyone who will listen. He speaks through His Word, the Bible. He speaks through the gifts of the Spirit given to believers. He speaks through circumstances and conditions that surround us. He speaks through observation of His creation all around us. He speaks through impressions upon our thoughts and minds. He speaks in a thousand ways. So, yes, men and women are to determine what God is telling us. Pryzbyla's obvious disdain for God's stated order of humanity is also a sign of biblical ignorance.
She believes I am an extremist, as someone who believes rights, inalienable rights, rights you cannot be alienated from, come from God. The historic precedent for that fact, as the Founders, the Framers understood the matter, is found in our very foundation document - the Declaration of Independence -
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.-- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
I do not have to be anything close to a CN in believing the above principles, which founded this nation and its government. The Framers were not Christian Nationalists. Quite the opposite. They wrote the above as being "self-evident." Hence, no kings, no queens, no royal rulers, no religious rulers of any kind. The government is to be controlled by the citizenry; not the citizenry controlled by elected civil servants that make up the governments of national, state and local responsibility and accountability to protect the citizen's inalienable rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, granted by the Creator. Who is meant by the Creator is historically obvious but, even if it wasn't, a Creator of some Personage gave rights to Americans; inalienable rights that are self-evident. Elected civil servants do not give rights. They officiate and protect rights granted by the Creator.
In researching this subject I came upon a document, an amicus brief put forth in a Supreme Court case. If you read pages 21-25 you will see some of the finest proposals of the truth of this subject you'll ever come upon.
www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/17/17-689/23236/20171208180608614_17-689%20FML%20Amicus%20Brief.pdf
It's more than that. A website dedicated to addressing addressing the Declaration, the Constitution and Bill of Rights has this to state -
"Most importantly, the Declaration, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are based on the idea that all people have certain fundamental rights that governments are created to protect. Those rights include common law rights, which come from British sources like the Magna Carta, or natural rights, which, the Founders believed, came from God. The Founders believed that natural rights are inherent in all people by virtue of their being human and that certain of these rights are unalienable, meaning they cannot be surrendered to government under any circumstances."
constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/white-papers/the-declaration-the-constitution-and-the-bill-of-rights
It's a good read. Pretty informative of the history of it all.
I am not a CN. Indeed, I am one who believes there is danger in Christian Nationalism the same as Leftists basically see things but, to mangle American history and documentation so flagrantly is inexcusable. This "award-winning investigative journalist" needs to investigate and educate herself in American history 101.
Now, the article, itself, found in a Christian news service website, has its share of antagonists standing against the premise put forth by Pryzbyla. You can read that yourself. One comment is most insightful -
"This is a civics failure, a talent failure, an intelligence failure, a historical failure, an ethics failure ... shall I keep going? Elites we will always have. But my heavens, we need better elites."
Regardless of the personal piety and beliefs of individual men who gathered to discuss and see the founding of this nation through a war and plenty of backlash, they understood the Bible to state things clearly on this matter -
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2 Whosoever therefore resists the power, resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Rom 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Will you then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and you shalt have praise of the same:
Rom 13:4 For he is the minister of God to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid; for he bears not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that does evil.
Rom 13:5 Wherefore you must be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
Rom 13:6 For, for this cause you pay taxes also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
Rom 13:7 Render therefore to all their dues: taxes to whom taxes are due; custom to whom custom; respect to whom respect; honor to whom honor.
The role of government is mapped out there for anyone to read and the Founders understood their role to create a government of, by and for the people. No "Divine Right of Kings." No, "In place of Christ" priests or popes. The rule of law was put together to guard the rights of citizens and limit government power. And mind you, the apostle Paul was referencing the government of the Roman empire in control at that time; the most expansive and powerful government known to mankind.
The Republic of Rome had its corruptions like all governments because people are fallen sinners in need of salvation but, the Roman empire allowed for various faiths to exist, including Paul's Jewish faith before he became a Christian and wrote his letter to the Roman church. Rome changed. So did the Roman church. Corruption broke out, much as it has in the American government today. From there, persecution of faiths out of harmony with the Roman government ensued. Satan was working to set up an empire that would rid the Earth of "the faith once delivered unto the saints." His corrupting of the Church at Rome led to the rise of the Roman Catholic Church and its priesthood and Papacy. From there it became superstitions, traditions and doctrines corrupted by paganism. Persecutions again developed and for over a thousand years those who just wanted to live by the faith of Jesus and the Bible were harassed, oppressed and persecuted to prisons and deaths of unimaginable tortures: heresy punished by death a good thing for the heretic and the world, according to the doctrine of the RCC. That gave rise to the Reformation but, it being a child of Rome, also dealt harshly with anyone who varied from the positions of church leaders and doctrinal statements of beliefs. That gave rise to the founding of America and a total separation of church and state. But, the principles that guided the young nation have now been superseded by more corruption and godlessness which has given rise to ignorance, immorality and abject nonsense. That is giving rise to a citizenry exhausted by political power grabs and corruption. Hence, Christian Nationalism and Dominion theology as a remedy. Backed by a false miracle-working revival coming, which Rev. 13 portrays, this nation will yet speak as the dragon who controls the Roman church apostasy and once again, persecution shall come. It shall advance world-wide and set up the return of Christ to rescue His people from extinction.
If we do not learn from history, we repeat it. A very basic principle understood by the Founders yet, even they knew the Great Experiment of America was fraught with possible destruction and stated so in their own writings. They had no such thing as the technology all around us today, that can make totalitarian rule all the much more swift and operational. What can stand in its way? Well, one of two things. Real righteousness or a fake righteousness. The Bible states both will engage in a final combat of will. The final battle is not between true religion and globalists. The final battle is between true and fake religion. The fake will seem to win. The true will emerge victorious in the most incredible rescue ever witnessed by the human race: the second coming of Christ.
Christianity, true Christianity, desires peace with all men yet, our Leader, our God told us divisions will come, battle for minds will arise; stands will have to be taken that the gospel of the kingdom; the everlasting gospel can go to all the world as a witness to all nations, all people. Then shall the end come, Matt. 24:14; Rev 14:6.
Gargantuan issues are involved, far more important than anything mankind can get into for its own entertainment and respite. We each have our battles and struggles. We each have decisions to make, every moment of every day. One group is walking toward God and His truth, His way, His life, and one is walking away from it. Which group shall you be in when human probation closes, all cases decided and the final events will burst upon the planet?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
"But Ray. You are against Christian Nationalism [CN], yourself." Indeed. It is prophetic in nature. I see it as a fulfillment of what is coming, based on Revelation 13:11-18. America fulfills the marks of the second beast in Rev. 13. This nation will act in like fashion as the first beast in the chapter: the Roman Catholic Church system, its Papacy and Vatican State. An unprecedented revival of "all power, signs and lying wonders" will force legislators to bow to the will of an angry America, tired of civil servant cowardice, globalist intentions & plans and Leftist lunacy.
But, first, this new attack on CN. CN is an ideological position that Christians and the religion of Christianity should control Federal, State and Local government. Yes, obvious problems exist with such a premise. Which version of Christianity? How to address the obvious flaws in the premise standing against the Constitution's Bill of Rights and First Amendment - "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
But, there is the other side. I am being touted as a CN because of the ignorance of the Leftist's understanding of American history.
"An award-winning investigative journalist for Politico claimed during an MSNBC panel on Thursday that believing rights come from God is a marker of "Christian nationalism."
www.christianpost.com/news/god-given-rights-are-christian-nationalist-heidi-przybyla-says.html
"Przybyla went on to make a distinction between Christians and "Christian nationalists," which she said are "very different." What unites all Christian nationalists, she said, "is that they believe that our rights as Americans, as all human beings, don't come from any earthly authority."
"They don't come from Congress, they don't come from the Supreme Court, they come from God," she added. "The problem with that is that they are determining — man, men, and it is men — are determining what God is telling them."
Now, the ignorance in that statement is rather extreme. First, free-will should cause everyone to determine what God is telling them. "We ought to obey God rather than men," Acts 5:29. God will speak to anyone who will listen. He speaks through His Word, the Bible. He speaks through the gifts of the Spirit given to believers. He speaks through circumstances and conditions that surround us. He speaks through observation of His creation all around us. He speaks through impressions upon our thoughts and minds. He speaks in a thousand ways. So, yes, men and women are to determine what God is telling us. Pryzbyla's obvious disdain for God's stated order of humanity is also a sign of biblical ignorance.
She believes I am an extremist, as someone who believes rights, inalienable rights, rights you cannot be alienated from, come from God. The historic precedent for that fact, as the Founders, the Framers understood the matter, is found in our very foundation document - the Declaration of Independence -
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.-- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
I do not have to be anything close to a CN in believing the above principles, which founded this nation and its government. The Framers were not Christian Nationalists. Quite the opposite. They wrote the above as being "self-evident." Hence, no kings, no queens, no royal rulers, no religious rulers of any kind. The government is to be controlled by the citizenry; not the citizenry controlled by elected civil servants that make up the governments of national, state and local responsibility and accountability to protect the citizen's inalienable rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, granted by the Creator. Who is meant by the Creator is historically obvious but, even if it wasn't, a Creator of some Personage gave rights to Americans; inalienable rights that are self-evident. Elected civil servants do not give rights. They officiate and protect rights granted by the Creator.
In researching this subject I came upon a document, an amicus brief put forth in a Supreme Court case. If you read pages 21-25 you will see some of the finest proposals of the truth of this subject you'll ever come upon.
www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/17/17-689/23236/20171208180608614_17-689%20FML%20Amicus%20Brief.pdf
It's more than that. A website dedicated to addressing addressing the Declaration, the Constitution and Bill of Rights has this to state -
"Most importantly, the Declaration, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are based on the idea that all people have certain fundamental rights that governments are created to protect. Those rights include common law rights, which come from British sources like the Magna Carta, or natural rights, which, the Founders believed, came from God. The Founders believed that natural rights are inherent in all people by virtue of their being human and that certain of these rights are unalienable, meaning they cannot be surrendered to government under any circumstances."
constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/white-papers/the-declaration-the-constitution-and-the-bill-of-rights
It's a good read. Pretty informative of the history of it all.
I am not a CN. Indeed, I am one who believes there is danger in Christian Nationalism the same as Leftists basically see things but, to mangle American history and documentation so flagrantly is inexcusable. This "award-winning investigative journalist" needs to investigate and educate herself in American history 101.
Now, the article, itself, found in a Christian news service website, has its share of antagonists standing against the premise put forth by Pryzbyla. You can read that yourself. One comment is most insightful -
"This is a civics failure, a talent failure, an intelligence failure, a historical failure, an ethics failure ... shall I keep going? Elites we will always have. But my heavens, we need better elites."
Regardless of the personal piety and beliefs of individual men who gathered to discuss and see the founding of this nation through a war and plenty of backlash, they understood the Bible to state things clearly on this matter -
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2 Whosoever therefore resists the power, resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Rom 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Will you then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and you shalt have praise of the same:
Rom 13:4 For he is the minister of God to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid; for he bears not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that does evil.
Rom 13:5 Wherefore you must be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
Rom 13:6 For, for this cause you pay taxes also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
Rom 13:7 Render therefore to all their dues: taxes to whom taxes are due; custom to whom custom; respect to whom respect; honor to whom honor.
The role of government is mapped out there for anyone to read and the Founders understood their role to create a government of, by and for the people. No "Divine Right of Kings." No, "In place of Christ" priests or popes. The rule of law was put together to guard the rights of citizens and limit government power. And mind you, the apostle Paul was referencing the government of the Roman empire in control at that time; the most expansive and powerful government known to mankind.
The Republic of Rome had its corruptions like all governments because people are fallen sinners in need of salvation but, the Roman empire allowed for various faiths to exist, including Paul's Jewish faith before he became a Christian and wrote his letter to the Roman church. Rome changed. So did the Roman church. Corruption broke out, much as it has in the American government today. From there, persecution of faiths out of harmony with the Roman government ensued. Satan was working to set up an empire that would rid the Earth of "the faith once delivered unto the saints." His corrupting of the Church at Rome led to the rise of the Roman Catholic Church and its priesthood and Papacy. From there it became superstitions, traditions and doctrines corrupted by paganism. Persecutions again developed and for over a thousand years those who just wanted to live by the faith of Jesus and the Bible were harassed, oppressed and persecuted to prisons and deaths of unimaginable tortures: heresy punished by death a good thing for the heretic and the world, according to the doctrine of the RCC. That gave rise to the Reformation but, it being a child of Rome, also dealt harshly with anyone who varied from the positions of church leaders and doctrinal statements of beliefs. That gave rise to the founding of America and a total separation of church and state. But, the principles that guided the young nation have now been superseded by more corruption and godlessness which has given rise to ignorance, immorality and abject nonsense. That is giving rise to a citizenry exhausted by political power grabs and corruption. Hence, Christian Nationalism and Dominion theology as a remedy. Backed by a false miracle-working revival coming, which Rev. 13 portrays, this nation will yet speak as the dragon who controls the Roman church apostasy and once again, persecution shall come. It shall advance world-wide and set up the return of Christ to rescue His people from extinction.
If we do not learn from history, we repeat it. A very basic principle understood by the Founders yet, even they knew the Great Experiment of America was fraught with possible destruction and stated so in their own writings. They had no such thing as the technology all around us today, that can make totalitarian rule all the much more swift and operational. What can stand in its way? Well, one of two things. Real righteousness or a fake righteousness. The Bible states both will engage in a final combat of will. The final battle is not between true religion and globalists. The final battle is between true and fake religion. The fake will seem to win. The true will emerge victorious in the most incredible rescue ever witnessed by the human race: the second coming of Christ.
Christianity, true Christianity, desires peace with all men yet, our Leader, our God told us divisions will come, battle for minds will arise; stands will have to be taken that the gospel of the kingdom; the everlasting gospel can go to all the world as a witness to all nations, all people. Then shall the end come, Matt. 24:14; Rev 14:6.
Gargantuan issues are involved, far more important than anything mankind can get into for its own entertainment and respite. We each have our battles and struggles. We each have decisions to make, every moment of every day. One group is walking toward God and His truth, His way, His life, and one is walking away from it. Which group shall you be in when human probation closes, all cases decided and the final events will burst upon the planet?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
917. Babylon and Eclipses - 2/24/24
I came upon an article at World Net Daily.
Biblical expert: Solar eclipse to mark 'beginning of judgment upon America'
April's total darkness will be 'a uniquely powerful sign from God,' says author-pastor
www.wnd.com/2024/02/biblical-expert-solar-eclipse-mark-beginning-judgment-upon-america/
Now, out of hand, right out of the gate, I reject this premise. Why? I'm no "biblical expert" but, I don't need to be. I recognize right away this premise probably rises from the prophetic worldview of Futurism, when it comes to understanding last-day events. I reject Futurism in favor of the principles of interpretation found in Historicism.
Reading the article, you are met with a barrage of "expertism." Now, truth be told, I am generally fascinated by the celestial out there and the keen movements of heavenly bodies being able to predict future positions; hence, predicting eclipses. The one coming is going to go directly over my area of the nation, here in Texas.
I am not as enthused about eclipses as others are. It's a very small event, really. You're talking about something the size of a dime, basically. Last time, here in Texas, we saw a partial eclipse and the air got noticeably cooler as the light gradually diminished but, not anywhere near fully. Storm clouds could make the day more dark. This coming eclipse, being a full one, will change things more but, for me, I'd as soon see it on the web when it's happening or all over. I have seen them before, in places I have lived. Interesting but, not something I drop everything to stare at.
Is this coming event a harbinger of judgment coming upon America? My first question is, seeing the path of the event covers a whole lot more territory than America, splitting right through Mexico, does Mexico get judged, too? It skirts the Northeast, Southern border of Canada. Does Canada get judged, as well? Hey, all things considered, Canada, America and Mexico getting judged by God seems more than necessary but, do we listen to a "biblical expert" to warn us?
Consider the Flood. Noah was told by God what was coming. Warn anyone who would listen. God used Moses to warn Pharaoh of judgments coming. Darkness was the ninth plague on Egypt. The darkness was over the whole land, totally dark, so as people could not see each other and just stayed inside. BTW, Egypt is about 45% larger than Texas. Nineveh was about to be judged. God told Jonah. Jonah (under protest), warned the city. Darkness fell on the land when Christ was crucified. Three and a half years, then forty years later, per Daniel's prophecy and Christ's warnings, the Jews were dropped as God's chosen people and Jerusalem's destruction came to pass. Back in 1780 a darkness covered the Eastern United States. As the darkness increased, livestock headed to their evening enclosures. The Connecticut State House burned candles to go about their business. It was thought to be the end of the world. President Kennedy mentioned that day in a speech of his. Others noticed it resembled Matthew 24:29, backed up by a blood red moon and then in 1833, a phenomenal meteor shower that did the exact opposite, making it easy to read a newspaper in the dark of night, by the clock.
The "expert" claims, by reason of astronomy, that these eclipses surrounded biblical events, some listed above. But, when I read this, I had to stand back and exercise some critical thinking -
"In the Bible, solar events are recorded as having a remarkable and sometimes supernatural significance. Control over the sun was demonstrated by God in the three-day Plague of Darkness, and is prophesied to be an essential part of the End Times. The Prophet Joel (2:31) predicted, “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” The Prophet Amos makes a similar prediction: “And in that day – declares my God – I will make the sun set at noon, I will darken the earth on a sunny day.”
Okay. Fair enough. And those events coincided with 1780, just when the young nation of America was rising into being, becoming the second beast of Rev. 13. The meteor shower of 1833, never since duplicated, added to the nature of events students of Bible prophecy could not help but notice, especially after the Pope was taken captive by Napoleon's general, Berthier, and died in exile, while newspapers exclaimed Romanism received a "deadly wound." 1789 the U.S. Constitution was ratified. The Papacy received its deadly wound in 1798. In 1800 a new pope was on the throne. The deadly wound began to heal. In 1870 the doctrine of infallibility was made dogma in Vatican 1. In 1929 the Vatican was made a City/State, it's own little 9 acre nation. JP2 became the most powerful pope in a thousand years. But, I digress. Back to eclipses and judgments.
"In giving rebuke to Hezekiah to inform him that he would die from his illness, the prophet Isaiah (13:9) wrote, “The stars and constellations of heaven shall not give off their light; The sun shall be dark when it rises, And the moon shall diffuse no glow.” As Isaiah predicted – and as much later calculated by NASA – on March 5 in 702 BC, the 16th year before Hezekiah’s death, a prominent solar eclipse appeared over the Middle East. Its path crossed the Arabian Peninsula and the obscuration of the sun over Israel was more than 60 percent.
Sixteen years??? That's as close as God can get to a death sentence, with some darkness only covering 60% of a nation smaller than the size of Florida?
“From a biblical point of view, a solar eclipse is meant to be a sign from God,” said Biltz, citing Genesis 1:14. “It is a sign that is beyond man’s control, something he cannot manipulate.”
Gen 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Gen 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
Seems to me Gen. 1:14 is talking about light, not darkness.
H226
אוֹת
'ôth
oth
Probably from H225 (in the sense of appearing); a signal (literally or figuratively), as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.: - mark, miracle, (en-) sign, token.
Total KJV occurrences: 79
I'll let it sneak in but, I'll need a lot more evidence concerning this expert's conclusions about April 8.
"With a bit of research, Biltz discovered that a solar eclipse took place in 1948, the year Israel declared itself a nation, and again in 1967, when Israel emerged victorious from the Six-Day War and unified Jerusalem. With a little more research, he discovered another solar eclipse in 1492, the year the Jews were expelled from Spain and Portugal. Remarkably, a partial solar eclipse appeared above both Rome and Jerusalem in 67 AD. One year later, Nero committed suicide and in the year 70, the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans."
Uh-oh. And there it is. Futurism. The misapplication of Old Testament prophecies of physical Israel being an integral part of last-day events. Right from the pen of the Jesuit father of Futurism, Francisco Ribera.
But, again, does an eclipse within a year constitute a warning of judgment from God? This is an unfortunate and immature stance on "the Prince of the power of the air" and his movements on Earth to deceive, even the very elect. Make no mistake about it. Satan is obviously going to fulfill his own prophecies of what will happen before "the rapture."
Why would an eclipse in 1492 have any significance at all? So what if Jews were expelled from Spain and Portugal. What does that have to do with anything of a prophetic nature in the Bible? What about the other 12,000 eclipses over a 5,000 year period the author claims NASA states have taken place? Is this not the epitome of a cafeteria style approach to proclaiming doctrinal positions and events?
There is nothing remarkable about a partial solar eclipse appearing over Rome and Jerusalem and a YEAR later Nero dies and THREE years later, Jerusalem was destroyed. Please, do let us have common sense, here.
“The first of Nisan has a huge biblical meaning. It's the beginning. And just like it's the beginning of the inauguration of the tabernacle, I believe it's going to be the beginning of judgment upon America.”
“And Rosh Chodesh Nisan was the beginning of the three days of darkness in Egypt,” Biltz added. “The nice thing about eclipses is that no false prophet can fake it, like Pharaoh in Egypt trying to have his magicians multiply the frogs. An eclipse speaks in every language. It doesn't have to be translated. It is a uniquely powerful sign from God.”
No, "prophets" cannot fake an eclipse. They can certainly fake an explanation of them.
“Nisan is the very beginning of the religious calendar,” Biltz said. “It is the very day God's glory fell on Moses' tabernacle, and the glory failed. It's the Inauguration Day of Moses’ tabernacle. It's also the same day, though, that day Nadav and Avihu died for offering strange incense. So it has a huge biblical meaning. It's the beginning. And just like it's the beginning of the inauguration of the tabernacle, I believe it's going to be the beginning of judgment upon America.”
First, the essence of this is so convoluted it's hard to stay focused. We have the timing of the inauguration of the Temple, filled with the glory of God, synonymous with judgment of America? The death of Nadab and Abihu, Aaron's sons (Lev. 10:1,2), happened because of their express disobedience to God's direct commands regarding the priestly services they were part of. America has no direct covenant with God. No direct commands from God different from all people and all nations exposed to the light of truth has He given to Americans or American leaders. No doubt the nation is one of prophecy and no doubt the nation has been blessed and has squandered those blessings but, in that, all nations exposed to the light of truth for the last 500 years are guilty. No nation operates as God requests and desires, least of all the nation of Israel. They have not repented of their actions towards their Messiah 2,000 years ago. If any nation should suffer judgment, that should be the one, yet our "expert" states eclipses formed a frame around their victories in war and statehood, which is meaningless to Bible prophecy. Jesus said the nation was coming down and it came down, period. "Israel", biblical, spiritual Israel, is now made up of converted Jew and Gentile citizens of Jerusalem above, the mother of us all, Gal. 6:15,16; 4:26. The current Israel is hardly the "Holy Land." It's a business model for tourists.
We are told the partial eclipse of 2017 ushered in hurricanes. And all other destructive hurricanes upon America for the last 50 years?
The author mentions the Talmud, using the Talmud. That, alone, disqualifies him to speak upon issues of NT prophecy and the Christian faith. The Jewish Talmud -
"The entire Talmud consists of 63 tractates, and in the standard print, called the Vilna Shas, there are 2,711 double-sided folios. It is written in Mishnaic Hebrew and Jewish Babylonian Aramaic and contains the teachings and opinions of thousands of rabbis (dating from before the birth of Christ through to the fifth century AD) on a variety of subjects, including halakha, Jewish ethics, philosophy, customs, history, and folklore, and many other topics. The Talmud is the basis for all codes of Jewish law and is widely quoted in rabbinic literature."
The Talmud is precisely what the Messiah rebuked the Sanhedrin for in rejecting Him and the truth. They were going by the opinions and the traditions and commandments of men, rather than a plain, Thus saith the Lord found in the Scriptures of the day, the Old Testament. Christ had to fight against constant rabbinic traditions that confused the truth. It is unthinkable a professed Christian pastor would reference it to back up a prophetic position he takes. I find that astonishing.
Am I saying nothing will happen this year, despite the eclipse? Of course not. Political, financial, religious, philosophic prognosticators from every quarter are saying America is going to face all kinds of dire problems this year. We don't need an amateur astronomer to tell us that. It's obvious as a train wreck. America has been collapsing into this mess for decades.
This is spiritual, prophetic Babylon. It is no different than all the preachers and authors predicting the secret rapture was to take place at various times in the last 50 years. It has not happened and biblically, no secret rapture, seven-year tribulation is going to happen. It's Futurism, the child of the Papacy's Jesuit priests from 500 years ago, embellished and renewed by apostate Protestantism's abandonment of it's duties and place in history.
Confusion abounds, my Friends.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Biblical expert: Solar eclipse to mark 'beginning of judgment upon America'
April's total darkness will be 'a uniquely powerful sign from God,' says author-pastor
www.wnd.com/2024/02/biblical-expert-solar-eclipse-mark-beginning-judgment-upon-america/
Now, out of hand, right out of the gate, I reject this premise. Why? I'm no "biblical expert" but, I don't need to be. I recognize right away this premise probably rises from the prophetic worldview of Futurism, when it comes to understanding last-day events. I reject Futurism in favor of the principles of interpretation found in Historicism.
Reading the article, you are met with a barrage of "expertism." Now, truth be told, I am generally fascinated by the celestial out there and the keen movements of heavenly bodies being able to predict future positions; hence, predicting eclipses. The one coming is going to go directly over my area of the nation, here in Texas.
I am not as enthused about eclipses as others are. It's a very small event, really. You're talking about something the size of a dime, basically. Last time, here in Texas, we saw a partial eclipse and the air got noticeably cooler as the light gradually diminished but, not anywhere near fully. Storm clouds could make the day more dark. This coming eclipse, being a full one, will change things more but, for me, I'd as soon see it on the web when it's happening or all over. I have seen them before, in places I have lived. Interesting but, not something I drop everything to stare at.
Is this coming event a harbinger of judgment coming upon America? My first question is, seeing the path of the event covers a whole lot more territory than America, splitting right through Mexico, does Mexico get judged, too? It skirts the Northeast, Southern border of Canada. Does Canada get judged, as well? Hey, all things considered, Canada, America and Mexico getting judged by God seems more than necessary but, do we listen to a "biblical expert" to warn us?
Consider the Flood. Noah was told by God what was coming. Warn anyone who would listen. God used Moses to warn Pharaoh of judgments coming. Darkness was the ninth plague on Egypt. The darkness was over the whole land, totally dark, so as people could not see each other and just stayed inside. BTW, Egypt is about 45% larger than Texas. Nineveh was about to be judged. God told Jonah. Jonah (under protest), warned the city. Darkness fell on the land when Christ was crucified. Three and a half years, then forty years later, per Daniel's prophecy and Christ's warnings, the Jews were dropped as God's chosen people and Jerusalem's destruction came to pass. Back in 1780 a darkness covered the Eastern United States. As the darkness increased, livestock headed to their evening enclosures. The Connecticut State House burned candles to go about their business. It was thought to be the end of the world. President Kennedy mentioned that day in a speech of his. Others noticed it resembled Matthew 24:29, backed up by a blood red moon and then in 1833, a phenomenal meteor shower that did the exact opposite, making it easy to read a newspaper in the dark of night, by the clock.
The "expert" claims, by reason of astronomy, that these eclipses surrounded biblical events, some listed above. But, when I read this, I had to stand back and exercise some critical thinking -
"In the Bible, solar events are recorded as having a remarkable and sometimes supernatural significance. Control over the sun was demonstrated by God in the three-day Plague of Darkness, and is prophesied to be an essential part of the End Times. The Prophet Joel (2:31) predicted, “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” The Prophet Amos makes a similar prediction: “And in that day – declares my God – I will make the sun set at noon, I will darken the earth on a sunny day.”
Okay. Fair enough. And those events coincided with 1780, just when the young nation of America was rising into being, becoming the second beast of Rev. 13. The meteor shower of 1833, never since duplicated, added to the nature of events students of Bible prophecy could not help but notice, especially after the Pope was taken captive by Napoleon's general, Berthier, and died in exile, while newspapers exclaimed Romanism received a "deadly wound." 1789 the U.S. Constitution was ratified. The Papacy received its deadly wound in 1798. In 1800 a new pope was on the throne. The deadly wound began to heal. In 1870 the doctrine of infallibility was made dogma in Vatican 1. In 1929 the Vatican was made a City/State, it's own little 9 acre nation. JP2 became the most powerful pope in a thousand years. But, I digress. Back to eclipses and judgments.
"In giving rebuke to Hezekiah to inform him that he would die from his illness, the prophet Isaiah (13:9) wrote, “The stars and constellations of heaven shall not give off their light; The sun shall be dark when it rises, And the moon shall diffuse no glow.” As Isaiah predicted – and as much later calculated by NASA – on March 5 in 702 BC, the 16th year before Hezekiah’s death, a prominent solar eclipse appeared over the Middle East. Its path crossed the Arabian Peninsula and the obscuration of the sun over Israel was more than 60 percent.
Sixteen years??? That's as close as God can get to a death sentence, with some darkness only covering 60% of a nation smaller than the size of Florida?
“From a biblical point of view, a solar eclipse is meant to be a sign from God,” said Biltz, citing Genesis 1:14. “It is a sign that is beyond man’s control, something he cannot manipulate.”
Gen 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Gen 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
Seems to me Gen. 1:14 is talking about light, not darkness.
H226
אוֹת
'ôth
oth
Probably from H225 (in the sense of appearing); a signal (literally or figuratively), as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.: - mark, miracle, (en-) sign, token.
Total KJV occurrences: 79
I'll let it sneak in but, I'll need a lot more evidence concerning this expert's conclusions about April 8.
"With a bit of research, Biltz discovered that a solar eclipse took place in 1948, the year Israel declared itself a nation, and again in 1967, when Israel emerged victorious from the Six-Day War and unified Jerusalem. With a little more research, he discovered another solar eclipse in 1492, the year the Jews were expelled from Spain and Portugal. Remarkably, a partial solar eclipse appeared above both Rome and Jerusalem in 67 AD. One year later, Nero committed suicide and in the year 70, the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans."
Uh-oh. And there it is. Futurism. The misapplication of Old Testament prophecies of physical Israel being an integral part of last-day events. Right from the pen of the Jesuit father of Futurism, Francisco Ribera.
But, again, does an eclipse within a year constitute a warning of judgment from God? This is an unfortunate and immature stance on "the Prince of the power of the air" and his movements on Earth to deceive, even the very elect. Make no mistake about it. Satan is obviously going to fulfill his own prophecies of what will happen before "the rapture."
Why would an eclipse in 1492 have any significance at all? So what if Jews were expelled from Spain and Portugal. What does that have to do with anything of a prophetic nature in the Bible? What about the other 12,000 eclipses over a 5,000 year period the author claims NASA states have taken place? Is this not the epitome of a cafeteria style approach to proclaiming doctrinal positions and events?
There is nothing remarkable about a partial solar eclipse appearing over Rome and Jerusalem and a YEAR later Nero dies and THREE years later, Jerusalem was destroyed. Please, do let us have common sense, here.
“The first of Nisan has a huge biblical meaning. It's the beginning. And just like it's the beginning of the inauguration of the tabernacle, I believe it's going to be the beginning of judgment upon America.”
“And Rosh Chodesh Nisan was the beginning of the three days of darkness in Egypt,” Biltz added. “The nice thing about eclipses is that no false prophet can fake it, like Pharaoh in Egypt trying to have his magicians multiply the frogs. An eclipse speaks in every language. It doesn't have to be translated. It is a uniquely powerful sign from God.”
No, "prophets" cannot fake an eclipse. They can certainly fake an explanation of them.
“Nisan is the very beginning of the religious calendar,” Biltz said. “It is the very day God's glory fell on Moses' tabernacle, and the glory failed. It's the Inauguration Day of Moses’ tabernacle. It's also the same day, though, that day Nadav and Avihu died for offering strange incense. So it has a huge biblical meaning. It's the beginning. And just like it's the beginning of the inauguration of the tabernacle, I believe it's going to be the beginning of judgment upon America.”
First, the essence of this is so convoluted it's hard to stay focused. We have the timing of the inauguration of the Temple, filled with the glory of God, synonymous with judgment of America? The death of Nadab and Abihu, Aaron's sons (Lev. 10:1,2), happened because of their express disobedience to God's direct commands regarding the priestly services they were part of. America has no direct covenant with God. No direct commands from God different from all people and all nations exposed to the light of truth has He given to Americans or American leaders. No doubt the nation is one of prophecy and no doubt the nation has been blessed and has squandered those blessings but, in that, all nations exposed to the light of truth for the last 500 years are guilty. No nation operates as God requests and desires, least of all the nation of Israel. They have not repented of their actions towards their Messiah 2,000 years ago. If any nation should suffer judgment, that should be the one, yet our "expert" states eclipses formed a frame around their victories in war and statehood, which is meaningless to Bible prophecy. Jesus said the nation was coming down and it came down, period. "Israel", biblical, spiritual Israel, is now made up of converted Jew and Gentile citizens of Jerusalem above, the mother of us all, Gal. 6:15,16; 4:26. The current Israel is hardly the "Holy Land." It's a business model for tourists.
We are told the partial eclipse of 2017 ushered in hurricanes. And all other destructive hurricanes upon America for the last 50 years?
The author mentions the Talmud, using the Talmud. That, alone, disqualifies him to speak upon issues of NT prophecy and the Christian faith. The Jewish Talmud -
"The entire Talmud consists of 63 tractates, and in the standard print, called the Vilna Shas, there are 2,711 double-sided folios. It is written in Mishnaic Hebrew and Jewish Babylonian Aramaic and contains the teachings and opinions of thousands of rabbis (dating from before the birth of Christ through to the fifth century AD) on a variety of subjects, including halakha, Jewish ethics, philosophy, customs, history, and folklore, and many other topics. The Talmud is the basis for all codes of Jewish law and is widely quoted in rabbinic literature."
The Talmud is precisely what the Messiah rebuked the Sanhedrin for in rejecting Him and the truth. They were going by the opinions and the traditions and commandments of men, rather than a plain, Thus saith the Lord found in the Scriptures of the day, the Old Testament. Christ had to fight against constant rabbinic traditions that confused the truth. It is unthinkable a professed Christian pastor would reference it to back up a prophetic position he takes. I find that astonishing.
Am I saying nothing will happen this year, despite the eclipse? Of course not. Political, financial, religious, philosophic prognosticators from every quarter are saying America is going to face all kinds of dire problems this year. We don't need an amateur astronomer to tell us that. It's obvious as a train wreck. America has been collapsing into this mess for decades.
This is spiritual, prophetic Babylon. It is no different than all the preachers and authors predicting the secret rapture was to take place at various times in the last 50 years. It has not happened and biblically, no secret rapture, seven-year tribulation is going to happen. It's Futurism, the child of the Papacy's Jesuit priests from 500 years ago, embellished and renewed by apostate Protestantism's abandonment of it's duties and place in history.
Confusion abounds, my Friends.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
918. Are All Religions Equal? - 2/24/24
That's a question posed to a Catholic priest in Mexico -
"Father Eduardo Hayen Cuarón, director of the weekly newspaper Presencia of the Diocese of Ciudad Juárez in Mexico, recently responded to the question of whether all religions are equal, good, and true.
"Responding on X Feb. 4, the priest addressed the following question: “I am an open-minded person and I believe that all religions are equal; they are all like rivers that one way or another flow into the sea. As long as religions lead man to do good, any religion is good and true, right?”
Before I share the priest's answer, as reported by the Catholic News Service, it seems one should look at some qualifiers here.
Equal. Equal based on what parameters? The questioner seems to base this query on whether religions lead people to do good. If so, it is good and true. But that leads to understand both "good" and "true."
Good. What is good? What is goodness?
True. What is true? What it truth?
Do all religions lead into the same philosophical sea? That is a common position taken by millions today. All religions lead to the same God. Do they?
The question engenders the writing of a book on the subject.
According to a PEW research study, 84% of the 2010 world population were somehow connected to a religion. The major religions by percentage -
Christian
Muslim
Hindu
Buddhists
Folk Religions (traditions, cultural religions of aboriginal peoples on the continents)
Other religions - Baha’is, Jains, Shintoists, Sikhs, Taoists, followers of Tenrikyo, Wiccans and Zoroastrians, etc.
Jews.
www.pewresearch.org/religion/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-exec/
Interestingly, the third largest group is that which claims no group affiliation: people who just believe in deity or a universal spirit. Base on news reports it seems that group has grown exponentially in the last decade.
We know both ancient history and modern times can show professed Christians, Muslims and Hindus kill people, unprovoked to do so by other's actions, not of their religious faith and even of their religious faith in some parameter or capacity of belief. The same can be said for Jews and those of folk religions. So, how do we define "good" within those parameters? Not by any normal definition or understanding of "good" put into practice. All religions are not "good" by normal definition. But, "good" can be destabilized by dogma within a religious faith.
How much difference is there between the state taking lives of criminals bent on harming life and taking the life of heretics and sinners bent on deception and costing people eternal life? Some religions teach it is better to remove such ones from human society and even take their life lest they cause harm to the minds of others with what are considered heresies, deceptions, sophistries and lying falsehoods. Yeah, sort that one out.
Within "Christianity" are a shocking 45,000 different groups. I remember when that number was around 30k back in the late 80s/90s. How is that possible with just one central figure/teacher and four very small documents of His life? The answer to that question equals another book of information and history.
Islam sees just seven variants. Hindu believers have four basic sects, following four different deities but, in fact, the number of deities in the Hindu faith numbers millions. When a former Hindu told me that, I dropped my jaw. If you were to sit down and try to cover every concept known to life, beginning with love, would you even come up with a hundred? How can there be millions of deities?
That brings up truth. They cannot all be true. They can all be false. They cannot all be true. That means they cannot all be equal, if truth means more than error. In the Christian faith there are errors to guard against, yes, but, beyond that, an entity, a fallen angel termed 'the father of lies' by the central Figure of that faith; as well as 'a murderer from the beginning,' exists in a war for minds. He is deadly and only God's Sovereignty keeps him from destroying all life on Earth and the very globe, itself. The last person anyone needs to worry about starting a nuclear war is Vladimir Putin. Lucifer, Satan, the Devil, the destroyer is the one to watch out for. He would subject the planet to nuclear war in a heartbeat if he could.
Other religions have their bad guys, as well, even some of their deities are pretty nasty.
Ultimately, all religions are not good by every definition. All religions are not true and certainly not equal. All do not lead to the same sea or deity. All religions may have facets of truth and goodness. But, then one needs an authoritative source to standardize those qualities. All religions have source material they go by, whether written or oral traditions. They obviously do not wholly harmonize with each other. Each believes their source is true and without equal, generally speaking.
As near as I can see, the answer to the question is a solid , No. All religions are not, cannot be equal, good and true in nature.
How did the priest answer the question?
"Hayen responded that “it is good to have an open mind to try to perceive all that is good in religions. Without a doubt, Muslims are very observant in prayer and fasting; Buddhists also mortify the body, and Jehovah’s Witnesses are tenacious in promoting their magazine by knocking on doors.”
“But judging a religion by some good elements it may have is not a valid criterion to say that it is the true religion. Not all religions are true. No,” the priest said.
“If we affirm that there is only one God,” the Mexican priest continued, “then there is only one divine truth, and therefore one religion is the true one. So be careful not to be so open-minded, so open that you are eventually left in a frightening spiritual confusion. Chesterton said that ‘having an open mind is like having an open mouth: It’s not an end, but a means.’ And the end, he said, is to close your mouth on something solid.”
The priest also said that at one point in his life he also believed “the tale that any religion leads to God and that therefore we should not bother finding the true one.”
“Many religions teach things contrary to those of other religions, so not all of them are true. Don’t get confused. If there is only one God, only one religion is the true one,” he continued.
Hayen does not come right out and state which religion is the only true one but, the article author does -
"No. 2105 of the catechism points out in this regard that “the duty of offering God genuine worship concerns man both individually and socially. This is ‘the traditional Catholic teaching on the moral duty of individuals and societies toward the true religion and the one Church of Christ.’”
"The catechism explains that “the social duty of Christians is to respect and awaken in each man the love of the true and the good. It requires them to make known the worship of the one true religion which subsists in the Catholic and apostolic Church.”
Depending on the catechism used, you will find the "one true religion subsists in the one, holy, catholic, apostolic church." The following is taken from an online Catechism -
"As the first Vatican Council noted, "the Church herself, with her marvelous propagation, eminent holiness and inexhaustible fruitfulness in everything good, her catholic unity and invincible stability, is a great and perpetual motive of credibility and irrefutable witness for her divine mission." page 216, par. 812
www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/216/#zoom=z
As a Bible-believing Protestant I must doctrinally and historically reject that description as a very large mountain of narcissistic religiosity.
That said, let each be convinced in their own mind.
I believe in the biblical Deity, the Creator and Sovereign of the universe and His divine Messenger, His only begotten Son who came here to show mankind the way, the truth and the life that leads to life everlasting. Of course, all professed Christians say that, don't they? All 45,000 groups of their 2+ billion adherents on this globe.
And you wonder why the term "Babylon;" confusion, is applied to religions and humanity at the end of time?
I trust what Jesus said, If you will seek God, seek truth with all your heart, you will it and Him. He is drawing you to Him, whether you realize it or not. It may be confusing but, follow that which leads to a truth that changes human hearts by virtue of that Deity which can tell the future with exacting precision. That God is the Author of the Bible and its prophecies.
Isaiah 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
"Father Eduardo Hayen Cuarón, director of the weekly newspaper Presencia of the Diocese of Ciudad Juárez in Mexico, recently responded to the question of whether all religions are equal, good, and true.
"Responding on X Feb. 4, the priest addressed the following question: “I am an open-minded person and I believe that all religions are equal; they are all like rivers that one way or another flow into the sea. As long as religions lead man to do good, any religion is good and true, right?”
Before I share the priest's answer, as reported by the Catholic News Service, it seems one should look at some qualifiers here.
Equal. Equal based on what parameters? The questioner seems to base this query on whether religions lead people to do good. If so, it is good and true. But that leads to understand both "good" and "true."
Good. What is good? What is goodness?
True. What is true? What it truth?
Do all religions lead into the same philosophical sea? That is a common position taken by millions today. All religions lead to the same God. Do they?
The question engenders the writing of a book on the subject.
According to a PEW research study, 84% of the 2010 world population were somehow connected to a religion. The major religions by percentage -
Christian
Muslim
Hindu
Buddhists
Folk Religions (traditions, cultural religions of aboriginal peoples on the continents)
Other religions - Baha’is, Jains, Shintoists, Sikhs, Taoists, followers of Tenrikyo, Wiccans and Zoroastrians, etc.
Jews.
www.pewresearch.org/religion/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-exec/
Interestingly, the third largest group is that which claims no group affiliation: people who just believe in deity or a universal spirit. Base on news reports it seems that group has grown exponentially in the last decade.
We know both ancient history and modern times can show professed Christians, Muslims and Hindus kill people, unprovoked to do so by other's actions, not of their religious faith and even of their religious faith in some parameter or capacity of belief. The same can be said for Jews and those of folk religions. So, how do we define "good" within those parameters? Not by any normal definition or understanding of "good" put into practice. All religions are not "good" by normal definition. But, "good" can be destabilized by dogma within a religious faith.
How much difference is there between the state taking lives of criminals bent on harming life and taking the life of heretics and sinners bent on deception and costing people eternal life? Some religions teach it is better to remove such ones from human society and even take their life lest they cause harm to the minds of others with what are considered heresies, deceptions, sophistries and lying falsehoods. Yeah, sort that one out.
Within "Christianity" are a shocking 45,000 different groups. I remember when that number was around 30k back in the late 80s/90s. How is that possible with just one central figure/teacher and four very small documents of His life? The answer to that question equals another book of information and history.
Islam sees just seven variants. Hindu believers have four basic sects, following four different deities but, in fact, the number of deities in the Hindu faith numbers millions. When a former Hindu told me that, I dropped my jaw. If you were to sit down and try to cover every concept known to life, beginning with love, would you even come up with a hundred? How can there be millions of deities?
That brings up truth. They cannot all be true. They can all be false. They cannot all be true. That means they cannot all be equal, if truth means more than error. In the Christian faith there are errors to guard against, yes, but, beyond that, an entity, a fallen angel termed 'the father of lies' by the central Figure of that faith; as well as 'a murderer from the beginning,' exists in a war for minds. He is deadly and only God's Sovereignty keeps him from destroying all life on Earth and the very globe, itself. The last person anyone needs to worry about starting a nuclear war is Vladimir Putin. Lucifer, Satan, the Devil, the destroyer is the one to watch out for. He would subject the planet to nuclear war in a heartbeat if he could.
Other religions have their bad guys, as well, even some of their deities are pretty nasty.
Ultimately, all religions are not good by every definition. All religions are not true and certainly not equal. All do not lead to the same sea or deity. All religions may have facets of truth and goodness. But, then one needs an authoritative source to standardize those qualities. All religions have source material they go by, whether written or oral traditions. They obviously do not wholly harmonize with each other. Each believes their source is true and without equal, generally speaking.
As near as I can see, the answer to the question is a solid , No. All religions are not, cannot be equal, good and true in nature.
How did the priest answer the question?
"Hayen responded that “it is good to have an open mind to try to perceive all that is good in religions. Without a doubt, Muslims are very observant in prayer and fasting; Buddhists also mortify the body, and Jehovah’s Witnesses are tenacious in promoting their magazine by knocking on doors.”
“But judging a religion by some good elements it may have is not a valid criterion to say that it is the true religion. Not all religions are true. No,” the priest said.
“If we affirm that there is only one God,” the Mexican priest continued, “then there is only one divine truth, and therefore one religion is the true one. So be careful not to be so open-minded, so open that you are eventually left in a frightening spiritual confusion. Chesterton said that ‘having an open mind is like having an open mouth: It’s not an end, but a means.’ And the end, he said, is to close your mouth on something solid.”
The priest also said that at one point in his life he also believed “the tale that any religion leads to God and that therefore we should not bother finding the true one.”
“Many religions teach things contrary to those of other religions, so not all of them are true. Don’t get confused. If there is only one God, only one religion is the true one,” he continued.
Hayen does not come right out and state which religion is the only true one but, the article author does -
"No. 2105 of the catechism points out in this regard that “the duty of offering God genuine worship concerns man both individually and socially. This is ‘the traditional Catholic teaching on the moral duty of individuals and societies toward the true religion and the one Church of Christ.’”
"The catechism explains that “the social duty of Christians is to respect and awaken in each man the love of the true and the good. It requires them to make known the worship of the one true religion which subsists in the Catholic and apostolic Church.”
Depending on the catechism used, you will find the "one true religion subsists in the one, holy, catholic, apostolic church." The following is taken from an online Catechism -
"As the first Vatican Council noted, "the Church herself, with her marvelous propagation, eminent holiness and inexhaustible fruitfulness in everything good, her catholic unity and invincible stability, is a great and perpetual motive of credibility and irrefutable witness for her divine mission." page 216, par. 812
www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/216/#zoom=z
As a Bible-believing Protestant I must doctrinally and historically reject that description as a very large mountain of narcissistic religiosity.
That said, let each be convinced in their own mind.
I believe in the biblical Deity, the Creator and Sovereign of the universe and His divine Messenger, His only begotten Son who came here to show mankind the way, the truth and the life that leads to life everlasting. Of course, all professed Christians say that, don't they? All 45,000 groups of their 2+ billion adherents on this globe.
And you wonder why the term "Babylon;" confusion, is applied to religions and humanity at the end of time?
I trust what Jesus said, If you will seek God, seek truth with all your heart, you will it and Him. He is drawing you to Him, whether you realize it or not. It may be confusing but, follow that which leads to a truth that changes human hearts by virtue of that Deity which can tell the future with exacting precision. That God is the Author of the Bible and its prophecies.
Isaiah 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
919. Jesus Plus...? - February 25, 2024
If you are a professing Christian, you are probably aware of all the different denominations, churches and groups that make the same profession of faith as you do but, have very different beliefs on some very integral subjects to the religion of Yeshua Messiah, Iesou Christos, Jesus Christ; meaning - God saves through His anointed One.
Right away you will notice three things. His perceived Jewish name and title, Greek transliteration and English equivalent. Right there exists potential differences that slip into the doctrinal statements of various bodies of believers and I have not even opened the Bible yet.
I read an article just now, titled "The World Treats the Bible like a Pick and Choose Buffet." Amen to the truth of that statement. I generally call it 'cafeteria-style religion' in my posts. While I agree with the title and the concept, the article left me a little off-center, if you will. This paragraph is what caused concern for me -
"Merriam-Webster defines religion as “a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices.” Essentially, religion is humankind’s attempt to reach God; it’s people saying, “I want to get to God, so I’ll make up a system of approach.” The Bible, however, portrays a God who has reached down to humankind and has already made Himself available."
harbingersdaily.com/why-the-world-treats-the-bible-like-a-pick-and-choose-buffet/
There is an attitude, belief and theological practice amongst many professed believers that "religion" is something out of harmony with the faith of Jesus. Of the many Bible translations I use, the King James Version remains the one I use most. I have mentioned this here before but, again, please notice this passage -
James 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Religious, religion. The context makes a powerfully positive use of the terms. Let me show you Strong's and Thayer's concordances for the first term.
G2357
θρῆσκος
thrēskos
thrace'-kos
Probably from the base of G2360; ceremonious in worship (as demonstrative), that is, pious: - religious.
Total KJV occurrences: 1
G2357
θρῆσκος
thrēskos
Thayer Definition:
1) fearing or worshipping God
2) to tremble
2a) trembling, fearful
Part of Speech: adjective
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: probably from the base of G2360
So, if anyone seems to be a God-fearing person; someone who respects, reverences and worships God but, is a gossip, that person's religion (threskeia), is vain, empty, worthless. Pure religion, clean and clear worship of God, is to take care of those in need and keep oneself uncontaminated by the world; its influence; per what Jesus taught - to be in the world but, not of the world. You have to live in this world but, you do not have to act or behave like those who only care about this world.
Interestingly enough, of the translations I use, they all but, one use the terms 'religious' and 'religion' in those texts. The other uses the terms 'worships/worship.' So, the Bibles most people use have the words in their source of truth and yet, for some reason, "religion" is seen as a bad thing. Man-made ceremony and ritual is worthless for salvation, yes but, the other side of the worship coin shows us practical godliness is what true, pure religion is.
That's the first paragraph that hit me wrong. The next is this one -
"Legalism is a “Jesus plus” mentality. It’s Jesus plus ceremony, Jesus plus ritual, Jesus plus personal piety, Jesus plus religious activity, Jesus plus mystical spirituality. But Jesus plus anything else equals nothing. Jesus plus nothing equals everything. That’s how God sees it."
If you go to the article and read it (it's short), in vain will you see any statements from the Gospels, save for one, Luke 18:18-23, about the rich young ruler and his 'legalism.' But, that was not the actual problem.
Luke 18:18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luke 18:19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
Luke 18:20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
Luke 18:21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
Luke 18:22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
Luke 18:23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
Luke 18:24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
Luke 18:25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
The issue was not the man's legalism. He knew keeping the commandments was not enough, lest he would not have asked Christ what to do to inherit eternal life. He was empty, still, even after all his commandment keeping. His problem was not legalism. His problem was love of money and possessions. Christ offered him a place in His team as an apostle and he turned it down, being sorrowful he had to give away all he had to follow the Messiah.
So here was have a misplaced emphasis on a passage of Scripture, by the article's author, to make a point about legalism. The rest of the article is vacant of any information from the Gospels. Why?
From the apostle Paul, yes. We get information from Paul. From Christ, no. I spoke with a man a few weeks ago who told me he went to school to enter the ministry but, left after a time because the churches are so far off from what Jesus taught. They all reference Paul's epistles, as though the faith is the faith of Paul, not Jesus. I agreed. The man left the faith. His belief seems sincere but, the Bible is no longer his source of truth. The education he got, the church he was part of let him down. He could not reconcile the beliefs the church taught with the Bible he could read for himself. It was a disheartening conversation for me. He's a very astute man. Very sincere. I believe he is sincerely wrong to drop the faith because of one aspect of it put forth erroneously by one church he was part of and others he checked out.
Legalism is trying to save oneself by their good works, something the author mentions is present in most other religions in the world, including attitudes in professed Christianity. That said, if I read the teachings of Jesus, I see that Jesus, plus my cooperation, my obedience, is everything. Jesus without my cooperation, my obedience, is worthless. It shows I have no vital connection to Christ. My religion would be just as vain as someone trying to keep a bunch of man-made rituals for salvation. Notice -
Mat 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Mat 4:6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Mat 4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Mat 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
The very first confrontation shown between Christ and Satan and what do we see? Live by the Word, do not tempt God, worship God and Him alone. Those are do's and don'ts, are they not?
Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Who repents? We do. Though God leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4), we have to choose to turn from our sins and follow Christ. He isn't going to yank us along. We have to make a choice. We make it. Not God. God's choice already took place. He sent His Son to save us from our sins. Does that save the world? It does not. Why? Because people refuse to repent of their sins. That is Jesus plus something. Make no mistake about that. Jesus plus nothing is nothing. He cannot save anyone who will not cooperate in the plan of salvation.
Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Mat 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
I cannot know your comprehension level but, it seems to me a child in grammar school can understand the meaning of Christ's words there. Righteousness; right thinking, right being, right living is a requirement to enter the kingdom of Heaven. It's not an option. It cannot be a righteousness of ritual and ceremony but, there must be righteousness. It is to be a righteousness of faith; trust in God's work in us to make us like Christ; Christlike, with a life lived in accordance with God's will.
Anyone can go through the Gospels and see the teaching of Jesus that makes up His religion. It is not the religion of Paul, or Peter, James and John. It is the faith of Jesus. We are to do what Christ says to do if we expect to go to Heaven. The difference between legalism and the religion of Christ is not the doing. It is how we do it. Are we living in the power of grace through faith unto good works? Or, are we not born-again, not connected to the vine, as branches naturally bearing good fruit? Big difference between the doing. Do we obey because we have to or because we want to and love to because it works to bring peace and comfort to know we are in harmony with God and His commandments. And that means all ten of them, and every aspect of how they break down in the teachings of Christ and the rest of Scripture.
Please notice this paragraph -
"As Paul wrote to the believers in Colosse about dietary restrictions and specific days of worship, he said that these were “a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (Colossians 2:17). Notice the difference between shadow and substance. A shadow has no reality. It’s the reality that creates the shadow. You wouldn’t hug the shadow of your spouse or pet the shadow of your dog."
What you just read is a common twisting of Paul's writings, just as Peter warned people were doing in his day, 2 Peter 3:15,16.
Notice the context of Colossians 2 -
Col 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
Col 2:7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
The context is a warning about man-made philosophy, religious arrogance, man-made traditions based on the world's teachings, not those of Christ. What next?
Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Many in professed Christianity boldly claim the ten commandments were nailed to the cross and are no more valid or necessary. That is an abomination of twisting Paul's writings. Just look at the wording.
Jewish believers were entering the faith, telling Gentile believers they had to keep the law of Moses; those commandments he wrote down in a book, as God spoke to him. In actual fact, those commands for the nation were not the laws of Moses. They were God's laws but, the term, 'the law of Moses' became synonymous with them. They contained various aspects of guidance God gave the people to maintain the national heritage of being the people of God: the ceremonial laws for the sanctuary services and priesthood; laws for the civil existence of the people and penalties for disobedience; and health laws to keep them well and strong, based on law God gave to Noah, well before the nation of Israel was established and are still engaged as a result but, Judaizers, as they were called, told the new Gentile believers they had to keep all those laws that governed Israel under the leadership of Moses. It became such a huge issue a general assembly of the church leaders gathered to address the controversy in Acts 15. Paul was teaching the ceremonial laws, the statutes and judgments were no longer in effect. Circumcision was no longer in effect for salvation because the Gentiles were repenting and being born-again, filled with the Holy Spirit without being circumcised. The ten commandments, the moral law, written with the finger of God in stone, was not an issue. Never. Now watch -
Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat [food], or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Col 2:18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
Col 2:19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
Col 2:20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
Col 2:21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
Col 2:22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
Col 2:23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
Food - the controversy over eating animals sacrificed to idols in the Gentile marketplace, as well as rabbinical restrictions about washing eating utensils, pots, cups, etc., which Christ already addressed, Mark 7:1-23.
Drink - The same.
Holy days - Rabbinical or traditional national holidays not part of God's calendar.
New moons - The monthly observances no longer necessary from the Hebrew national calendar.
The Sabbath days - The yearly Sabbath feasts as part of the Hebrew national calendar, no longer necessary.
Those things were shadows of things to come, fulfilled in Christ; at least those things God instituted. The commandments of men should obviously not even be an issue at all yet, Judaizers made it all requirements for Gentiles to join the new faith. But, the seventh-day Sabbath of the fourth commandment? If Judaizers were ticked off at Paul for telling Gentiles they need not keep the law of Moses, what do you suppose they would have said and done if they believed Paul was attempting to do away with the moral law and fourth commandment!
Beyond that, the very wording of the fourth commandment denies the interpretation many Christians place upon Paul's words.
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Paul wrote the Colossians were being seduced and erroneously led by theological errors of Judaizers telling the new believers they had to keep the law of Moses and other rabbinical traditions. He said those things which God instituted were shadows of things to come. But, the fourth commandment says to remember the Sabbath day because it points you back, not forward, to the original creation. The Sabbath is a memorial of creation week. It does not point forward to anything Christ accomplished in His life, death and resurrection, nor His ministry in Heaven or His triumphant return. It points you back to creation which gives the entire moral law its foundation as sovereign over all the universe.
Apparently, there were problems involving worshipping angels being thrust upon the Gentiles. Other worldly doctrines were placed upon them. What you might touch, taste or handle, all things based on the commandments and doctrines of men. The Judaizers were causing tremendous problems for Gentile believers with all their worthless religiosity. Paul chided it all as a show of worshipping a strong will and a display of humility and neglecting physical desires but, it was all worthless.
The confusion over this portion of Scripture, because people refuse to study the Bible, in context, comparing Scripture with Scripture, allowing the Bible to interpret itself, is so rampant it's a religious epidemic.
We are all sinners, all errant and prone to mistakes of judgment and I am not throwing the author of the article under the bus but, I am showing how today's professed Christians are hardly better than the ancient Judaizers. They cause confusion: spiritual prophetic Babylon.
Jesus plus us is everything. Jesus without us is nothing. He is not saving anyone who will not cooperate with every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. He is not forcing anyone into Heaven. He is not dragging anyone in kicking and screaming. He is not pushing anyone through the gates. He leads the redeemed through Heaven's great gates of pearl. He is the Shepherd. We are His sheep following His voice, right through the gates of Heaven. He said, 'Go and sin no more.' He did not say, 'Go and don't concern yourself with obedience. I'll take care of it because I do not need your cooperation in the plan of salvation. You only need to accept what I did for you. Just accept that and you are saved. Just believe.' That is not the totality and fulness of what Christ said. Just believe what? James said, the devils believe and they tremble, James 2:19. Why? Because they know and believe Christ is the way to salvation and they refused to repent of their rebellion in Heaven. They chose to follow the voice of the rebel, Lucifer and choose to live like they want to, which they believe is true freedom. Is it? They tremble, knowing their time is short and destruction awaits for them.
The religion of Satan is 'Do whatsoever thou wilt.' 'Do whatever you want. That is true freedom.'
God says, choose your freedom. Freedom in sin or freedom from sin. Our choice. Millions, billions have chosen freedom in sin. Sin is transgression of the law, 1 John 3:4. Millions choose to disobey the commandments. We live in an age where millions do not even know what the commandments say. Many who believe they know, only know the Roman Catholic version. They have never laid eyes on Exodus 20:1-17; even those who are not Catholics and claim to be Bible-believing people. All they know is what their clergy tell them from the pulpit each week. Many do not even take a Bible to church. They just sit and listen and forget what was said in a day or two. They are confident that they believe and will go to Heaven. What may Jesus state to them when He comes?
Matt 7:21 Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matt 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works?
Matt 7:23 And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you workers of iniquity.
Jesus plus those who will do the will of the heavenly Father shall enter Heaven.
God will judge each person based on the light that shined upon them in life: whatever truth they were exposed to and how they responded to it. We have to respond to it. We have to cooperate with it, within our sphere of life. God has not and is not going to do it for us. He will empower us to obey. He will change us, renovate us, recreate our minds in His grace that obedience and cooperation become desires, not burdens. Love obeys. Simple as that. God will have a people who represent Him in these last days, His remnant, that stand for the principles of His kingdom and obey them.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Right away you will notice three things. His perceived Jewish name and title, Greek transliteration and English equivalent. Right there exists potential differences that slip into the doctrinal statements of various bodies of believers and I have not even opened the Bible yet.
I read an article just now, titled "The World Treats the Bible like a Pick and Choose Buffet." Amen to the truth of that statement. I generally call it 'cafeteria-style religion' in my posts. While I agree with the title and the concept, the article left me a little off-center, if you will. This paragraph is what caused concern for me -
"Merriam-Webster defines religion as “a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices.” Essentially, religion is humankind’s attempt to reach God; it’s people saying, “I want to get to God, so I’ll make up a system of approach.” The Bible, however, portrays a God who has reached down to humankind and has already made Himself available."
harbingersdaily.com/why-the-world-treats-the-bible-like-a-pick-and-choose-buffet/
There is an attitude, belief and theological practice amongst many professed believers that "religion" is something out of harmony with the faith of Jesus. Of the many Bible translations I use, the King James Version remains the one I use most. I have mentioned this here before but, again, please notice this passage -
James 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Religious, religion. The context makes a powerfully positive use of the terms. Let me show you Strong's and Thayer's concordances for the first term.
G2357
θρῆσκος
thrēskos
thrace'-kos
Probably from the base of G2360; ceremonious in worship (as demonstrative), that is, pious: - religious.
Total KJV occurrences: 1
G2357
θρῆσκος
thrēskos
Thayer Definition:
1) fearing or worshipping God
2) to tremble
2a) trembling, fearful
Part of Speech: adjective
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: probably from the base of G2360
So, if anyone seems to be a God-fearing person; someone who respects, reverences and worships God but, is a gossip, that person's religion (threskeia), is vain, empty, worthless. Pure religion, clean and clear worship of God, is to take care of those in need and keep oneself uncontaminated by the world; its influence; per what Jesus taught - to be in the world but, not of the world. You have to live in this world but, you do not have to act or behave like those who only care about this world.
Interestingly enough, of the translations I use, they all but, one use the terms 'religious' and 'religion' in those texts. The other uses the terms 'worships/worship.' So, the Bibles most people use have the words in their source of truth and yet, for some reason, "religion" is seen as a bad thing. Man-made ceremony and ritual is worthless for salvation, yes but, the other side of the worship coin shows us practical godliness is what true, pure religion is.
That's the first paragraph that hit me wrong. The next is this one -
"Legalism is a “Jesus plus” mentality. It’s Jesus plus ceremony, Jesus plus ritual, Jesus plus personal piety, Jesus plus religious activity, Jesus plus mystical spirituality. But Jesus plus anything else equals nothing. Jesus plus nothing equals everything. That’s how God sees it."
If you go to the article and read it (it's short), in vain will you see any statements from the Gospels, save for one, Luke 18:18-23, about the rich young ruler and his 'legalism.' But, that was not the actual problem.
Luke 18:18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luke 18:19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
Luke 18:20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
Luke 18:21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
Luke 18:22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
Luke 18:23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
Luke 18:24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
Luke 18:25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
The issue was not the man's legalism. He knew keeping the commandments was not enough, lest he would not have asked Christ what to do to inherit eternal life. He was empty, still, even after all his commandment keeping. His problem was not legalism. His problem was love of money and possessions. Christ offered him a place in His team as an apostle and he turned it down, being sorrowful he had to give away all he had to follow the Messiah.
So here was have a misplaced emphasis on a passage of Scripture, by the article's author, to make a point about legalism. The rest of the article is vacant of any information from the Gospels. Why?
From the apostle Paul, yes. We get information from Paul. From Christ, no. I spoke with a man a few weeks ago who told me he went to school to enter the ministry but, left after a time because the churches are so far off from what Jesus taught. They all reference Paul's epistles, as though the faith is the faith of Paul, not Jesus. I agreed. The man left the faith. His belief seems sincere but, the Bible is no longer his source of truth. The education he got, the church he was part of let him down. He could not reconcile the beliefs the church taught with the Bible he could read for himself. It was a disheartening conversation for me. He's a very astute man. Very sincere. I believe he is sincerely wrong to drop the faith because of one aspect of it put forth erroneously by one church he was part of and others he checked out.
Legalism is trying to save oneself by their good works, something the author mentions is present in most other religions in the world, including attitudes in professed Christianity. That said, if I read the teachings of Jesus, I see that Jesus, plus my cooperation, my obedience, is everything. Jesus without my cooperation, my obedience, is worthless. It shows I have no vital connection to Christ. My religion would be just as vain as someone trying to keep a bunch of man-made rituals for salvation. Notice -
Mat 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Mat 4:6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Mat 4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Mat 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
The very first confrontation shown between Christ and Satan and what do we see? Live by the Word, do not tempt God, worship God and Him alone. Those are do's and don'ts, are they not?
Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Who repents? We do. Though God leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4), we have to choose to turn from our sins and follow Christ. He isn't going to yank us along. We have to make a choice. We make it. Not God. God's choice already took place. He sent His Son to save us from our sins. Does that save the world? It does not. Why? Because people refuse to repent of their sins. That is Jesus plus something. Make no mistake about that. Jesus plus nothing is nothing. He cannot save anyone who will not cooperate in the plan of salvation.
Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Mat 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
I cannot know your comprehension level but, it seems to me a child in grammar school can understand the meaning of Christ's words there. Righteousness; right thinking, right being, right living is a requirement to enter the kingdom of Heaven. It's not an option. It cannot be a righteousness of ritual and ceremony but, there must be righteousness. It is to be a righteousness of faith; trust in God's work in us to make us like Christ; Christlike, with a life lived in accordance with God's will.
Anyone can go through the Gospels and see the teaching of Jesus that makes up His religion. It is not the religion of Paul, or Peter, James and John. It is the faith of Jesus. We are to do what Christ says to do if we expect to go to Heaven. The difference between legalism and the religion of Christ is not the doing. It is how we do it. Are we living in the power of grace through faith unto good works? Or, are we not born-again, not connected to the vine, as branches naturally bearing good fruit? Big difference between the doing. Do we obey because we have to or because we want to and love to because it works to bring peace and comfort to know we are in harmony with God and His commandments. And that means all ten of them, and every aspect of how they break down in the teachings of Christ and the rest of Scripture.
Please notice this paragraph -
"As Paul wrote to the believers in Colosse about dietary restrictions and specific days of worship, he said that these were “a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (Colossians 2:17). Notice the difference between shadow and substance. A shadow has no reality. It’s the reality that creates the shadow. You wouldn’t hug the shadow of your spouse or pet the shadow of your dog."
What you just read is a common twisting of Paul's writings, just as Peter warned people were doing in his day, 2 Peter 3:15,16.
Notice the context of Colossians 2 -
Col 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
Col 2:7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
The context is a warning about man-made philosophy, religious arrogance, man-made traditions based on the world's teachings, not those of Christ. What next?
Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Many in professed Christianity boldly claim the ten commandments were nailed to the cross and are no more valid or necessary. That is an abomination of twisting Paul's writings. Just look at the wording.
Jewish believers were entering the faith, telling Gentile believers they had to keep the law of Moses; those commandments he wrote down in a book, as God spoke to him. In actual fact, those commands for the nation were not the laws of Moses. They were God's laws but, the term, 'the law of Moses' became synonymous with them. They contained various aspects of guidance God gave the people to maintain the national heritage of being the people of God: the ceremonial laws for the sanctuary services and priesthood; laws for the civil existence of the people and penalties for disobedience; and health laws to keep them well and strong, based on law God gave to Noah, well before the nation of Israel was established and are still engaged as a result but, Judaizers, as they were called, told the new Gentile believers they had to keep all those laws that governed Israel under the leadership of Moses. It became such a huge issue a general assembly of the church leaders gathered to address the controversy in Acts 15. Paul was teaching the ceremonial laws, the statutes and judgments were no longer in effect. Circumcision was no longer in effect for salvation because the Gentiles were repenting and being born-again, filled with the Holy Spirit without being circumcised. The ten commandments, the moral law, written with the finger of God in stone, was not an issue. Never. Now watch -
Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat [food], or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Col 2:18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
Col 2:19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
Col 2:20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
Col 2:21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
Col 2:22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
Col 2:23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
Food - the controversy over eating animals sacrificed to idols in the Gentile marketplace, as well as rabbinical restrictions about washing eating utensils, pots, cups, etc., which Christ already addressed, Mark 7:1-23.
Drink - The same.
Holy days - Rabbinical or traditional national holidays not part of God's calendar.
New moons - The monthly observances no longer necessary from the Hebrew national calendar.
The Sabbath days - The yearly Sabbath feasts as part of the Hebrew national calendar, no longer necessary.
Those things were shadows of things to come, fulfilled in Christ; at least those things God instituted. The commandments of men should obviously not even be an issue at all yet, Judaizers made it all requirements for Gentiles to join the new faith. But, the seventh-day Sabbath of the fourth commandment? If Judaizers were ticked off at Paul for telling Gentiles they need not keep the law of Moses, what do you suppose they would have said and done if they believed Paul was attempting to do away with the moral law and fourth commandment!
Beyond that, the very wording of the fourth commandment denies the interpretation many Christians place upon Paul's words.
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Paul wrote the Colossians were being seduced and erroneously led by theological errors of Judaizers telling the new believers they had to keep the law of Moses and other rabbinical traditions. He said those things which God instituted were shadows of things to come. But, the fourth commandment says to remember the Sabbath day because it points you back, not forward, to the original creation. The Sabbath is a memorial of creation week. It does not point forward to anything Christ accomplished in His life, death and resurrection, nor His ministry in Heaven or His triumphant return. It points you back to creation which gives the entire moral law its foundation as sovereign over all the universe.
Apparently, there were problems involving worshipping angels being thrust upon the Gentiles. Other worldly doctrines were placed upon them. What you might touch, taste or handle, all things based on the commandments and doctrines of men. The Judaizers were causing tremendous problems for Gentile believers with all their worthless religiosity. Paul chided it all as a show of worshipping a strong will and a display of humility and neglecting physical desires but, it was all worthless.
The confusion over this portion of Scripture, because people refuse to study the Bible, in context, comparing Scripture with Scripture, allowing the Bible to interpret itself, is so rampant it's a religious epidemic.
We are all sinners, all errant and prone to mistakes of judgment and I am not throwing the author of the article under the bus but, I am showing how today's professed Christians are hardly better than the ancient Judaizers. They cause confusion: spiritual prophetic Babylon.
Jesus plus us is everything. Jesus without us is nothing. He is not saving anyone who will not cooperate with every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. He is not forcing anyone into Heaven. He is not dragging anyone in kicking and screaming. He is not pushing anyone through the gates. He leads the redeemed through Heaven's great gates of pearl. He is the Shepherd. We are His sheep following His voice, right through the gates of Heaven. He said, 'Go and sin no more.' He did not say, 'Go and don't concern yourself with obedience. I'll take care of it because I do not need your cooperation in the plan of salvation. You only need to accept what I did for you. Just accept that and you are saved. Just believe.' That is not the totality and fulness of what Christ said. Just believe what? James said, the devils believe and they tremble, James 2:19. Why? Because they know and believe Christ is the way to salvation and they refused to repent of their rebellion in Heaven. They chose to follow the voice of the rebel, Lucifer and choose to live like they want to, which they believe is true freedom. Is it? They tremble, knowing their time is short and destruction awaits for them.
The religion of Satan is 'Do whatsoever thou wilt.' 'Do whatever you want. That is true freedom.'
God says, choose your freedom. Freedom in sin or freedom from sin. Our choice. Millions, billions have chosen freedom in sin. Sin is transgression of the law, 1 John 3:4. Millions choose to disobey the commandments. We live in an age where millions do not even know what the commandments say. Many who believe they know, only know the Roman Catholic version. They have never laid eyes on Exodus 20:1-17; even those who are not Catholics and claim to be Bible-believing people. All they know is what their clergy tell them from the pulpit each week. Many do not even take a Bible to church. They just sit and listen and forget what was said in a day or two. They are confident that they believe and will go to Heaven. What may Jesus state to them when He comes?
Matt 7:21 Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matt 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works?
Matt 7:23 And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you workers of iniquity.
Jesus plus those who will do the will of the heavenly Father shall enter Heaven.
God will judge each person based on the light that shined upon them in life: whatever truth they were exposed to and how they responded to it. We have to respond to it. We have to cooperate with it, within our sphere of life. God has not and is not going to do it for us. He will empower us to obey. He will change us, renovate us, recreate our minds in His grace that obedience and cooperation become desires, not burdens. Love obeys. Simple as that. God will have a people who represent Him in these last days, His remnant, that stand for the principles of His kingdom and obey them.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
*****************************
What's the Point?
Have you ever come to a place in life where you said that to yourself or to others?
As you know, my life was turned upside down last year. My current situation... I'm okay but, it would be easy for me to say, What's the point? Do I reside in a senior assisted living situation till the day I die? No more drums or making them or making music. No workshop to make anything. Trouble sleeping. Losing any semblance of process or purpose. Just going through motions each day. Another stroke developing? Not knowing what my own personal future holds because direction seems to have been halted? The stress of it all, in its own sphere. And my own stress is nothing compared to the stress of millions, hundreds of millions, billions of people with clouds of uncertainty hanging over their heads. You are probably one of them.
Well, I know what the Bible says about just taking life one day at a time because there's enough messed up stuff in each day to spend energy being concerned about tomorrow. Deal with tomorrow when tomorrow comes. God will take care of it, whatever it is. It is a very hard lesson for this old bird to deal with, all things considered.
This website has changed from total drums to mostly Bible commentary on last-day events and signs of the times before Christ returns. When people communicate with me how they appreciate things I'm writing, I am certainly gratified. As I often go over things I've written, correcting typos and such, I often know I could write more in any given post but, truly, the purpose of these posts is not to be exhaustive upon any subject but, to hopefully create interest, cause thinking, whet appetites and move people to investigate matters themselves.
Our nation is in dire trouble of demise; a serious issue of the collapse of the Republic. What's the point? To take a stand on the principles of Americanism, however one can, and do what we can to keep the Republic from breaking down into totalitarian rule. If it does. All hell breaks forth on all of us. That's a temporary concern.
The more important concern is what happens as the entire world reaches demise and collapse. What's the point? Our existence beyond this current age of reckless abandon, entertainment, materialism, cults of death and, as Jesus said, The love of many becoming callous and cold.
Even if America falls, the world will continue on, will it not? What's the point? Truth and the experience of it freeing us because the days are evil and shall get worse. Your mind and truth is all you can really own in this world. Your character is yours. It can never be taken away. That's the bottom-line point of life - developing a character God can bring into the kingdom of Heaven.
Do you know what I saw a little while ago? An article, stating some pointers, speakers at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Committee convention, wanted to give Trump to win the election. One of the speakers there, Kari Lake, now running for a D.C. Senate seat from Arizona, stated this -
“President Trump needs to keep doing exactly what he is doing, reaching the people of this country with his incredible hard work and policies that are going to bring us back to some strong economic times, safety and security, and world peace,” she concluded.
www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/02/25/exclusive-megyn-kelly-kari-lake-others-what-trump-needs-win-2024/
I don't have anything against what Lake stated but, do you recognize her words? If you are a student of the Bible you would instantly recognize them. I have placed them in posts numerous times. Here they are again -
1Thes 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write to you.
1Thes 5:2 For you know perfectly that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night.
1Thes 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction shall come upon them, as birth pains upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
1Thes 5:4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
1Thes 5:5 You are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
1Thes 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
1Thes 5:7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that are drunk are drunk in the night.
1Thes 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
What's the point? The apostle Paul, under inspiration, saw what would come at the end of time. A time would come when "peace and safety" would be declared. The Greek word translated "safety" also means "security." When people are saying that, under whatever circumstances develop on this earth to cause it, sudden destruction shall then come because it will all be a deceptive ruse, based on a false, "miracle" working revival that shall take a global stand against the law of God, in favor of the law of men.
So, what's the point? As much as I doubt Trump will occupy the White House again, for reasons I have stated before, given the current corruption that controls Washington, D.C. and State capitols, and cost him the election in 2020, suppose Trump somehow overcomes it all and does become POTUS again. As I have written before, now, supposedly, there is a "plan" of some kind, a military plan, a patriot plan, seeing Trump is POTUS, not Biden, to drop a hammer of exposure to round up of traitors in this nation, never seen before. A massive change of direction. An enormous legal and security effort to stop and incarcerate all treasonous villains that have so much power and control at present. Will it happen? I have absolutely no idea. What's the point?
If Trump is elected under some kind of "thrilling" circumstances and a wave of excitement touches off something associated with Christian Nationalism and a return to God in the fabric of American political action and citizen life, should I doubt what will develop from it, given Daniel's prophecies; John's prophecies in Revelation, and the insights given throughout the rest of Scripture about last-day events before the return of Christ?
The point is, I would have readers here study for themselves. Do not depend on me. Do not trust me. Do not expect me to have the specific information needed to make it through what's coming. Every preacher, every teacher should exist to become obsolete; that those moved by their efforts learn to think for themselves and gather information for themselves and share it with others, that such a process never ends and the work of God can be finished on Earth. People, everybody living needs to figure out what their place in all that is coming shall be, from God, their Creator, not from human sources. We all need a vital, living connection to God through the Spirit to open our minds to truth and close them to error. The final Satanic deceptions will be mind blowing and overwhelming and the only safety and security, the only peace that shall make it through shall come from God's Word; through truth and Christ in His people's minds, alive and present, preparing them for what is coming - the end of the world and second coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords.
That's the point, for me. To keep watching. To keep commenting. To plant seeds that shall being forth fruit in the minds of those who want truth more than anything and want to connect to its Author and live with Him forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
As you know, my life was turned upside down last year. My current situation... I'm okay but, it would be easy for me to say, What's the point? Do I reside in a senior assisted living situation till the day I die? No more drums or making them or making music. No workshop to make anything. Trouble sleeping. Losing any semblance of process or purpose. Just going through motions each day. Another stroke developing? Not knowing what my own personal future holds because direction seems to have been halted? The stress of it all, in its own sphere. And my own stress is nothing compared to the stress of millions, hundreds of millions, billions of people with clouds of uncertainty hanging over their heads. You are probably one of them.
Well, I know what the Bible says about just taking life one day at a time because there's enough messed up stuff in each day to spend energy being concerned about tomorrow. Deal with tomorrow when tomorrow comes. God will take care of it, whatever it is. It is a very hard lesson for this old bird to deal with, all things considered.
This website has changed from total drums to mostly Bible commentary on last-day events and signs of the times before Christ returns. When people communicate with me how they appreciate things I'm writing, I am certainly gratified. As I often go over things I've written, correcting typos and such, I often know I could write more in any given post but, truly, the purpose of these posts is not to be exhaustive upon any subject but, to hopefully create interest, cause thinking, whet appetites and move people to investigate matters themselves.
Our nation is in dire trouble of demise; a serious issue of the collapse of the Republic. What's the point? To take a stand on the principles of Americanism, however one can, and do what we can to keep the Republic from breaking down into totalitarian rule. If it does. All hell breaks forth on all of us. That's a temporary concern.
The more important concern is what happens as the entire world reaches demise and collapse. What's the point? Our existence beyond this current age of reckless abandon, entertainment, materialism, cults of death and, as Jesus said, The love of many becoming callous and cold.
Even if America falls, the world will continue on, will it not? What's the point? Truth and the experience of it freeing us because the days are evil and shall get worse. Your mind and truth is all you can really own in this world. Your character is yours. It can never be taken away. That's the bottom-line point of life - developing a character God can bring into the kingdom of Heaven.
Do you know what I saw a little while ago? An article, stating some pointers, speakers at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Committee convention, wanted to give Trump to win the election. One of the speakers there, Kari Lake, now running for a D.C. Senate seat from Arizona, stated this -
“President Trump needs to keep doing exactly what he is doing, reaching the people of this country with his incredible hard work and policies that are going to bring us back to some strong economic times, safety and security, and world peace,” she concluded.
www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/02/25/exclusive-megyn-kelly-kari-lake-others-what-trump-needs-win-2024/
I don't have anything against what Lake stated but, do you recognize her words? If you are a student of the Bible you would instantly recognize them. I have placed them in posts numerous times. Here they are again -
1Thes 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write to you.
1Thes 5:2 For you know perfectly that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night.
1Thes 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction shall come upon them, as birth pains upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
1Thes 5:4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
1Thes 5:5 You are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
1Thes 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
1Thes 5:7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that are drunk are drunk in the night.
1Thes 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
What's the point? The apostle Paul, under inspiration, saw what would come at the end of time. A time would come when "peace and safety" would be declared. The Greek word translated "safety" also means "security." When people are saying that, under whatever circumstances develop on this earth to cause it, sudden destruction shall then come because it will all be a deceptive ruse, based on a false, "miracle" working revival that shall take a global stand against the law of God, in favor of the law of men.
So, what's the point? As much as I doubt Trump will occupy the White House again, for reasons I have stated before, given the current corruption that controls Washington, D.C. and State capitols, and cost him the election in 2020, suppose Trump somehow overcomes it all and does become POTUS again. As I have written before, now, supposedly, there is a "plan" of some kind, a military plan, a patriot plan, seeing Trump is POTUS, not Biden, to drop a hammer of exposure to round up of traitors in this nation, never seen before. A massive change of direction. An enormous legal and security effort to stop and incarcerate all treasonous villains that have so much power and control at present. Will it happen? I have absolutely no idea. What's the point?
If Trump is elected under some kind of "thrilling" circumstances and a wave of excitement touches off something associated with Christian Nationalism and a return to God in the fabric of American political action and citizen life, should I doubt what will develop from it, given Daniel's prophecies; John's prophecies in Revelation, and the insights given throughout the rest of Scripture about last-day events before the return of Christ?
The point is, I would have readers here study for themselves. Do not depend on me. Do not trust me. Do not expect me to have the specific information needed to make it through what's coming. Every preacher, every teacher should exist to become obsolete; that those moved by their efforts learn to think for themselves and gather information for themselves and share it with others, that such a process never ends and the work of God can be finished on Earth. People, everybody living needs to figure out what their place in all that is coming shall be, from God, their Creator, not from human sources. We all need a vital, living connection to God through the Spirit to open our minds to truth and close them to error. The final Satanic deceptions will be mind blowing and overwhelming and the only safety and security, the only peace that shall make it through shall come from God's Word; through truth and Christ in His people's minds, alive and present, preparing them for what is coming - the end of the world and second coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords.
That's the point, for me. To keep watching. To keep commenting. To plant seeds that shall being forth fruit in the minds of those who want truth more than anything and want to connect to its Author and live with Him forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
920. Iowa State - February 27, 2024
[Edit: 3/7/24 - I discovered it is the University of Iowa, not Iowa State. My apologies to any Hawkeyes]
Because I have been exposed to some college basketball recently I have come upon Caitlin Clark, the now, highest scoring, female player in NCAA history.
Now this may seem weird but, watching her and Iowa State play, even though I have nothing to do with that school, nor do I have any kind of investment of interest in the NCAA, it's team standings, "March Madness," etc., when I watch Clark and Iowa St. play, I get tears in my eyes. I've watched past games they have played from last year's season, as well as snippets from this year's games, on YouTube, and for some odd reason I become an emotional train wreck watching her and them do their thing. Why is that? What is it? I have never been a real fan of basketball, ever. Then, it hit me.
For all her bravado on the court, being a maestro of sorts, conducting her team and even the fans that crowd the Iowa St. arena, she is a very humble individual who pays constant tribute to her teammates and openly states she "loves them to death" and could never have accomplished what she has without them and her coaches and the support of her family. She shoots like a laser, passes and assists like a machine, and breaks records left and right for triple/doubles. The woman is, in a word, a phenomenon. What she has, shows, and sees with her teammates and they with her is a unit that consistently works in concert towards a mission that has a goal, which, indeed, resembles what Christ's church should have. Brotherly love. Passion for the cause and its mission. A love for truth and excitement for what it can do in people. The church has had those elements at certain times in history but, it always gets derailed. It dwindles and fades and time marches on, one revival at a time. I have written this before but, I imagine when the apostle Paul resurrects and is told how much time has transpired he will exclaim, 'You mean it took two thousand years to get this done?!? Two thousand years??? The church needs a revival of "primitive godliness" and "apostolic purity."
When I watch Iowa St. my mind envisions Christ's church engaged in its mission and completing the work He gave it to do. Whether Iowa St. wins is of no consequence to me. I have no spiritual connection to a basketball team or its school but, in principle, I see what shall one day be, in the church, through the church, with the church.
When Clark is interviewed after games, she often states she and her teammates just have to believe, keep believing. Is that all they do? That is the popular theology today. Just believe. As I wrote previously, the attitude is, the belief is, Christ plus nothing is everything. We cannot add to it. We cannot enhance it. Is that the attitude of Clark and her teammates at Iowa St.: just believe? Obviously not. They work hard, practice and play hard, with passion and fire; energy that comes from their mission and goal and pressing towards it with each passing game. They went to the finals last year and lost to LSU. They are obviously going to March Madness looking to go all the way this year. When will Christ's church finally do what Christ bids them do to finish their mission on Earth? It is a personal work, it is a collective work of Christ in us, the hope of glory. No, man cannot claim his salvation by good works but, man can obviously enhance the experience of salvation by cooperating with Christ in their sanctification and the progress of the gospel, obeying Christ in love.
The fruit tree does not bear fruit to prove it's a fruit tree. The fruit tree bears fruit because it is a fruit tree. God created it to be so. God recreates human beings to be Christlike and bear fruit of His character and it is not some party to go to. It is not a game. It is the most severe effort any human will ever put into something. What did Christ say?
Mark 12:28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Mark 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Matt 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Does that sound like a game? No. No game. Serious human effort is involved. Sacrifice. Deep understanding and commitment. Daily choices. Moment by moment decisions to obey when all your being is tempting you to disobey. Do you believe? What did the father of the possessed son state -
"Lord, I believe. Help THOU mine unbelief." Mark 9:24
You must help help my unbelief, my moments of weakness. Change me, Lord. Recreate in me Your mind and strength. No excuses. No games. No fooling around. No self-deception; just self-examination and "pressing forward for the prize of the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
The church of Christ, His people; those born-again and living His life as they dedicate themselves to His teachings and impress upon their lives, have the most important mission ever known or ever will be known. They are engaged in a spiritual warfare for the salvation of souls for the eternal kingdom. They fall, they get back up and keep marching as the Captain of their salvation leads their way, Hebrews 2:10. They believe, yes but, is that all that should take place? Nay. Far from it. There is no such thing as Christ alone, without the cooperation of His people. Were it not so, the end would have taken place 2,000 years ago. Christ could have led His armies of believers over the whole Earth to redeem it for His glory. Is that what He did? No. It is not. He went back to Heaven to minister to His people throughout the globe, and gave the Holy Spirit to them, with talents and spiritual gifts, to go to war, to fight the good fight of faith, to march to Zion, to sing hymns and pray together, fellowshipping in the light of truth, going "forth conquering and to conquer" until the work He gave His church to do, for the church militant to become the church triumphant, is accomplished.
That is what I envision and see when I watch Iowa St. How they function as a unit is beautiful to behold, as far as sports go. It's pretty exciting. There is seemingly nothing Caitlin Clark cannot do but, is that not what Jesus said to His disciples.
John 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
John 14:13 And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John 14:14 If you shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
John 14:15 If you love me, keep my commandments.
Yes, a basketball team's performance is a faint shadow of importance compared to the reality of the forward progress of the gospel of the kingdom. It is, perhaps, one of the greatest of the world's counterfeits, to misplace attention needed to advance the gospel. Sports. The arena. The spectacle. The huge crowds. The roars of approval. The athletes as heroes, as leaders, as guides, even as messiahs, just like other distractions, like politics. False messiahs. Fallen humans playing games. Think about it.
The Bible has its heroes, to be sure. Enoch. Noah. Moses. Joshua, Caleb, Deborah, Samson, Elijah, David, the 12 apostles, Paul, and certainly heroes of faith down through time and centuries but, all of it revolves around the only true Messiah and Superhero; the pivotal point of human history and the only reason this Earth continues on without total destruction from a powerful enemy bent on taking down the world for His own use and glory. He fails because he is not God. Immanuel, Iesou Christos is God with the power to wipe out all forces of evil with a word but, that is not His plan. His plan is to use His people, to refine and ennoble their characters to fit them up for eternity; to see to it this rebellion never takes place again. We learn what we live through. The principle has always been true: whatever does not kill us, makes us stronger. Even the death of the saints of God down through time is referred to as seed for the gospel. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the gospel. Nobody dies for basketball. Hundreds of millions have died for Christ and the gospel, right to this day, somewhere in the world.
It will take much more willpower from on high than any basketball team will ever have, to finish the work Christ has given His people to perform by grace, through faith, unto good works, Eph. 2:8-10. To do what no human force on the planet has ever done before: in love, in steadfast hope, in a completed work of Christ within the tabernacle of each heart and mind to create a full image of the stature of Christ in each life: Christlikeness, the 144,000, the final remnant, to stand against the world at its cataclysmic, catastrophic end. Beyond epic. Beyond "biblical." It shall be an everlasting story throughout eternity.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Because I have been exposed to some college basketball recently I have come upon Caitlin Clark, the now, highest scoring, female player in NCAA history.
Now this may seem weird but, watching her and Iowa State play, even though I have nothing to do with that school, nor do I have any kind of investment of interest in the NCAA, it's team standings, "March Madness," etc., when I watch Clark and Iowa St. play, I get tears in my eyes. I've watched past games they have played from last year's season, as well as snippets from this year's games, on YouTube, and for some odd reason I become an emotional train wreck watching her and them do their thing. Why is that? What is it? I have never been a real fan of basketball, ever. Then, it hit me.
For all her bravado on the court, being a maestro of sorts, conducting her team and even the fans that crowd the Iowa St. arena, she is a very humble individual who pays constant tribute to her teammates and openly states she "loves them to death" and could never have accomplished what she has without them and her coaches and the support of her family. She shoots like a laser, passes and assists like a machine, and breaks records left and right for triple/doubles. The woman is, in a word, a phenomenon. What she has, shows, and sees with her teammates and they with her is a unit that consistently works in concert towards a mission that has a goal, which, indeed, resembles what Christ's church should have. Brotherly love. Passion for the cause and its mission. A love for truth and excitement for what it can do in people. The church has had those elements at certain times in history but, it always gets derailed. It dwindles and fades and time marches on, one revival at a time. I have written this before but, I imagine when the apostle Paul resurrects and is told how much time has transpired he will exclaim, 'You mean it took two thousand years to get this done?!? Two thousand years??? The church needs a revival of "primitive godliness" and "apostolic purity."
When I watch Iowa St. my mind envisions Christ's church engaged in its mission and completing the work He gave it to do. Whether Iowa St. wins is of no consequence to me. I have no spiritual connection to a basketball team or its school but, in principle, I see what shall one day be, in the church, through the church, with the church.
When Clark is interviewed after games, she often states she and her teammates just have to believe, keep believing. Is that all they do? That is the popular theology today. Just believe. As I wrote previously, the attitude is, the belief is, Christ plus nothing is everything. We cannot add to it. We cannot enhance it. Is that the attitude of Clark and her teammates at Iowa St.: just believe? Obviously not. They work hard, practice and play hard, with passion and fire; energy that comes from their mission and goal and pressing towards it with each passing game. They went to the finals last year and lost to LSU. They are obviously going to March Madness looking to go all the way this year. When will Christ's church finally do what Christ bids them do to finish their mission on Earth? It is a personal work, it is a collective work of Christ in us, the hope of glory. No, man cannot claim his salvation by good works but, man can obviously enhance the experience of salvation by cooperating with Christ in their sanctification and the progress of the gospel, obeying Christ in love.
The fruit tree does not bear fruit to prove it's a fruit tree. The fruit tree bears fruit because it is a fruit tree. God created it to be so. God recreates human beings to be Christlike and bear fruit of His character and it is not some party to go to. It is not a game. It is the most severe effort any human will ever put into something. What did Christ say?
Mark 12:28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Mark 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Matt 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Does that sound like a game? No. No game. Serious human effort is involved. Sacrifice. Deep understanding and commitment. Daily choices. Moment by moment decisions to obey when all your being is tempting you to disobey. Do you believe? What did the father of the possessed son state -
"Lord, I believe. Help THOU mine unbelief." Mark 9:24
You must help help my unbelief, my moments of weakness. Change me, Lord. Recreate in me Your mind and strength. No excuses. No games. No fooling around. No self-deception; just self-examination and "pressing forward for the prize of the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
The church of Christ, His people; those born-again and living His life as they dedicate themselves to His teachings and impress upon their lives, have the most important mission ever known or ever will be known. They are engaged in a spiritual warfare for the salvation of souls for the eternal kingdom. They fall, they get back up and keep marching as the Captain of their salvation leads their way, Hebrews 2:10. They believe, yes but, is that all that should take place? Nay. Far from it. There is no such thing as Christ alone, without the cooperation of His people. Were it not so, the end would have taken place 2,000 years ago. Christ could have led His armies of believers over the whole Earth to redeem it for His glory. Is that what He did? No. It is not. He went back to Heaven to minister to His people throughout the globe, and gave the Holy Spirit to them, with talents and spiritual gifts, to go to war, to fight the good fight of faith, to march to Zion, to sing hymns and pray together, fellowshipping in the light of truth, going "forth conquering and to conquer" until the work He gave His church to do, for the church militant to become the church triumphant, is accomplished.
That is what I envision and see when I watch Iowa St. How they function as a unit is beautiful to behold, as far as sports go. It's pretty exciting. There is seemingly nothing Caitlin Clark cannot do but, is that not what Jesus said to His disciples.
John 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
John 14:13 And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John 14:14 If you shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
John 14:15 If you love me, keep my commandments.
Yes, a basketball team's performance is a faint shadow of importance compared to the reality of the forward progress of the gospel of the kingdom. It is, perhaps, one of the greatest of the world's counterfeits, to misplace attention needed to advance the gospel. Sports. The arena. The spectacle. The huge crowds. The roars of approval. The athletes as heroes, as leaders, as guides, even as messiahs, just like other distractions, like politics. False messiahs. Fallen humans playing games. Think about it.
The Bible has its heroes, to be sure. Enoch. Noah. Moses. Joshua, Caleb, Deborah, Samson, Elijah, David, the 12 apostles, Paul, and certainly heroes of faith down through time and centuries but, all of it revolves around the only true Messiah and Superhero; the pivotal point of human history and the only reason this Earth continues on without total destruction from a powerful enemy bent on taking down the world for His own use and glory. He fails because he is not God. Immanuel, Iesou Christos is God with the power to wipe out all forces of evil with a word but, that is not His plan. His plan is to use His people, to refine and ennoble their characters to fit them up for eternity; to see to it this rebellion never takes place again. We learn what we live through. The principle has always been true: whatever does not kill us, makes us stronger. Even the death of the saints of God down through time is referred to as seed for the gospel. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the gospel. Nobody dies for basketball. Hundreds of millions have died for Christ and the gospel, right to this day, somewhere in the world.
It will take much more willpower from on high than any basketball team will ever have, to finish the work Christ has given His people to perform by grace, through faith, unto good works, Eph. 2:8-10. To do what no human force on the planet has ever done before: in love, in steadfast hope, in a completed work of Christ within the tabernacle of each heart and mind to create a full image of the stature of Christ in each life: Christlikeness, the 144,000, the final remnant, to stand against the world at its cataclysmic, catastrophic end. Beyond epic. Beyond "biblical." It shall be an everlasting story throughout eternity.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
The Pope
Pope Francis is the claimed 266th "Papa" of the Roman Catholic Church. He has divided that Church; being a communist, globalist, leftist individual that has confused and angered who knows how many sheep in his flock of 1.2 billion. A "modernized" Catholic Church adores him. A traditional Catholic Church wants him out. More than probably, most Catholics, not essentially involved in their faith, nominal Catholics, go through their religious routines and think it is all just more "stuff" that has happened over the centuries and "This too, shall pass."
He is aged and ill now and sunset is growing closer for him. He has installed more Cardinals than his predecessors and thereby created a path for the next vote for a Pontifex Maximus like him; if such beholden attitudes in religious politics works the same as secular politics. Creating allies is what it is all about. Of course, there is only one election for the "Holy See" of Rome. Once in, you are in the claimed "Chair of Peter" for the rest of your life.
Bergoglio (his real last name), is a member of the Jesuit priesthood; the first to be elected from that branch of Romanism. The history of the Jesuits is one of intrigue and is basically the C.I.A. of the Vatican. Many books have been written, by both Catholics and non-Catholics, about the Jesuit order and it's a pretty dark history, although, most authors admit, the secret history of the Jesuits, being the clandestine actors they have been down through time, makes it difficult to pin down their activities around the world. I have posted the Jesuit Oath here on my site and you can read it online. It is so outrageous it has been rather easy in these modern times to dismiss it as nonsense; an erroneous pledge that does not and never took place in the admission of new priests into the ranks. It's just a "Protestant" lie. One might ask why the Jesuit order has been tossed out of most countries it has entered; some historians claiming all countries it has entered, save for one: the U.S.A.
At 87, Pope Francis will either abdicate the throne for health reasons or pass away and many see that happening fairly soon, all things considered. I even saw an article of priests praying for it to happen soon -
www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/group-of-priests-caught-joking-about-the-pope-dying-on-their-youtube-channel/ar-BB1j6Yy2
The priests involved in this YouTube channel apologized for the humor but, make no mistake: Francis has negatively agitated the Catholic world with his pontificate.
I am no longer a Roman Catholic. I left that faith in my teen years. I left all faith in my teen years. I became a Christian at 24 and became a Bible-believing Protestant.
In seeing the works and machinations of the Papacy and Vatican in Bible prophecy (for no other power in history matches all the biblical marks of the apostate power known as the anti-Christ "little horn" of Daniel and the "beast" in Revelation), I reckon the next pope is going to be a seriously effective stage master in geo-religio-political events coming. He will be a very different influence, much more to the image of JP2, than Francis, even if the allies of Francis elect someone like him; for the Papacy is a role. It is a stage for the ambassador of the "dragon" who places his "seat" in Rome and seeks world dominion through the beast power. While most of Christendom waits for some Jew or Muslim or maniacal globalist to become the anti-Christ, prophecy has declared that power has been here for ages and shall regain much of its once absolute power and influence in the West and parts of the East, wherever it went. It has lost much of that influence but, prophecy says its "deadly wound," given in 1799, when Pius VI died in captured exile, will be healed. That healing has been building for two centuries. A new pope on the throne in 1800. In 1870 the doctrine of infallibility was made dogma. Vatican City/State was declared in 1929 and the supposed true and only Church of Jesus Christ became a nation on 9 acres of land in Rome. Jesus said His kingdom is not of this world but, for the papacy, it can change the very words of Christ to mean something else. It claims authority from Christ to do so; therefore a little, walled kingdom on Earth for the "Vicar of Christ," with its own little army (Swiss Guards) and bank and all kinds of religio-political offices.
John Paul II became the most powerful pope in a thousand years and then what happened? The scandals of child sex abuse hit and everything came to a screeching halt. Still, even while that scandal continues, the Catholic Church, sure of its place in the world, continues on making allies; worst of all apostate Protestants; even while angering prelates and people in its fold. It plays the odds. Communism, globalism now vie for control. The West is disintegrating. So, it plays the field to see who she can bed down next. That is the entire history of the Whore of Babylon in prophecy. She fornicates with the kings of the earth. Her power may seem moot right now but, her plans are in action and God's people are asked and tasked with the mission of warning the world with the Three Angel's Messages of Revelation 14:6-12; the last messages of warning to go out to the world before Christ returns. Aided by the final call to come out of spiritual, prophetic Babylon in Rev. 18, the world will be lightened with the glory of God; illuminated with powerful truth that shall cause the world to split into just two groups: those on the side of Christ and His remnant church, and those on the side of the coming world-wide superchurch. A supernatural battle will ensue. True miracles, false, fake "miracles:" "all power signs and lying wonders." Truth versus error and lies. Basically the same stuff you see everyday in politics but, with the addition of supernatural power Democrats and Republicans cannot claim.
When it happens, when it all develops into the story on the daily newswires, you will be on one side or the other. No in between sides. No slackers. No non-committals. All humanity divided into the era of sheep and goats. Humanity's probation will close, all cases decided and then the final events will take place: a planet engulfed in the seven last plagues and Christ shall return in glory.
The pope will be right in the middle of it all. More, he'll be on top of it all.
2Thes 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Thes 2:4 Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Thes 2:5 Do you not remember, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Thes 2:6 And now you know what withholds him that he might be revealed in his time.
2Thes 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity does already work: only he who now hinders will do so, until he [the man of sin] be taken out of the way.
2Thes 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Thes 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Thes 2:10 And with all deceivable unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Thes 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Thes 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
He is aged and ill now and sunset is growing closer for him. He has installed more Cardinals than his predecessors and thereby created a path for the next vote for a Pontifex Maximus like him; if such beholden attitudes in religious politics works the same as secular politics. Creating allies is what it is all about. Of course, there is only one election for the "Holy See" of Rome. Once in, you are in the claimed "Chair of Peter" for the rest of your life.
Bergoglio (his real last name), is a member of the Jesuit priesthood; the first to be elected from that branch of Romanism. The history of the Jesuits is one of intrigue and is basically the C.I.A. of the Vatican. Many books have been written, by both Catholics and non-Catholics, about the Jesuit order and it's a pretty dark history, although, most authors admit, the secret history of the Jesuits, being the clandestine actors they have been down through time, makes it difficult to pin down their activities around the world. I have posted the Jesuit Oath here on my site and you can read it online. It is so outrageous it has been rather easy in these modern times to dismiss it as nonsense; an erroneous pledge that does not and never took place in the admission of new priests into the ranks. It's just a "Protestant" lie. One might ask why the Jesuit order has been tossed out of most countries it has entered; some historians claiming all countries it has entered, save for one: the U.S.A.
At 87, Pope Francis will either abdicate the throne for health reasons or pass away and many see that happening fairly soon, all things considered. I even saw an article of priests praying for it to happen soon -
www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/group-of-priests-caught-joking-about-the-pope-dying-on-their-youtube-channel/ar-BB1j6Yy2
The priests involved in this YouTube channel apologized for the humor but, make no mistake: Francis has negatively agitated the Catholic world with his pontificate.
I am no longer a Roman Catholic. I left that faith in my teen years. I left all faith in my teen years. I became a Christian at 24 and became a Bible-believing Protestant.
In seeing the works and machinations of the Papacy and Vatican in Bible prophecy (for no other power in history matches all the biblical marks of the apostate power known as the anti-Christ "little horn" of Daniel and the "beast" in Revelation), I reckon the next pope is going to be a seriously effective stage master in geo-religio-political events coming. He will be a very different influence, much more to the image of JP2, than Francis, even if the allies of Francis elect someone like him; for the Papacy is a role. It is a stage for the ambassador of the "dragon" who places his "seat" in Rome and seeks world dominion through the beast power. While most of Christendom waits for some Jew or Muslim or maniacal globalist to become the anti-Christ, prophecy has declared that power has been here for ages and shall regain much of its once absolute power and influence in the West and parts of the East, wherever it went. It has lost much of that influence but, prophecy says its "deadly wound," given in 1799, when Pius VI died in captured exile, will be healed. That healing has been building for two centuries. A new pope on the throne in 1800. In 1870 the doctrine of infallibility was made dogma. Vatican City/State was declared in 1929 and the supposed true and only Church of Jesus Christ became a nation on 9 acres of land in Rome. Jesus said His kingdom is not of this world but, for the papacy, it can change the very words of Christ to mean something else. It claims authority from Christ to do so; therefore a little, walled kingdom on Earth for the "Vicar of Christ," with its own little army (Swiss Guards) and bank and all kinds of religio-political offices.
John Paul II became the most powerful pope in a thousand years and then what happened? The scandals of child sex abuse hit and everything came to a screeching halt. Still, even while that scandal continues, the Catholic Church, sure of its place in the world, continues on making allies; worst of all apostate Protestants; even while angering prelates and people in its fold. It plays the odds. Communism, globalism now vie for control. The West is disintegrating. So, it plays the field to see who she can bed down next. That is the entire history of the Whore of Babylon in prophecy. She fornicates with the kings of the earth. Her power may seem moot right now but, her plans are in action and God's people are asked and tasked with the mission of warning the world with the Three Angel's Messages of Revelation 14:6-12; the last messages of warning to go out to the world before Christ returns. Aided by the final call to come out of spiritual, prophetic Babylon in Rev. 18, the world will be lightened with the glory of God; illuminated with powerful truth that shall cause the world to split into just two groups: those on the side of Christ and His remnant church, and those on the side of the coming world-wide superchurch. A supernatural battle will ensue. True miracles, false, fake "miracles:" "all power signs and lying wonders." Truth versus error and lies. Basically the same stuff you see everyday in politics but, with the addition of supernatural power Democrats and Republicans cannot claim.
When it happens, when it all develops into the story on the daily newswires, you will be on one side or the other. No in between sides. No slackers. No non-committals. All humanity divided into the era of sheep and goats. Humanity's probation will close, all cases decided and then the final events will take place: a planet engulfed in the seven last plagues and Christ shall return in glory.
The pope will be right in the middle of it all. More, he'll be on top of it all.
2Thes 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Thes 2:4 Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Thes 2:5 Do you not remember, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Thes 2:6 And now you know what withholds him that he might be revealed in his time.
2Thes 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity does already work: only he who now hinders will do so, until he [the man of sin] be taken out of the way.
2Thes 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Thes 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Thes 2:10 And with all deceivable unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Thes 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Thes 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
A Senator and His Power
An AP story tells the problem with America.
I generally do not comment on politics unless it involves religious issues or corruption, which is a sign of the times before Christ returns: wide spread, rampant corruption, such as it was in the days of Noah before the Flood, Genesis 6:11,12.
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), announced from the Senate floor he is going to step down as Republican Senate leader in November. The Associated Press has a story on this, and the author, probably without realizing it, portrays significant problems with the dysfunctional Federal government we now have.
McConnell is considered a RINO by Conservatives: Republican In Name Only. He is the leader of the GOPe: the Grand Old Party establishment (elite).
Take a look at some paragraphs in the article -
"BY MICHAEL TACKETT
Updated 2:32 PM CST, February 28, 2024
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November.
"McConnell, who turned 82 last week, announced his decision Wednesday in the well of the Senate, the chamber where he looked in awe from its back benches in 1985 when he arrived and where he grew increasingly comfortable in the front row seat afforded the party leaders."
Despite being Tackett's opinions, his wording exposes the problem with party politics.
The Founders of the American nation; the Framers of the Constitution, never intended elected civil servants to be 'career politicians,' with power, who could or would get comfortable in leadership positions. No. Civil servants were to serve their terms and then go home and pick up life where they left off in private life. McConnell is the epitome of a career politician. He openly states it -
“I love the Senate,” he said. “It has been my life. There may be more distinguished members of this body throughout our history, but I doubt there are any with more admiration for it.”
That last sentiment can be debated but, it cannot be debated the man made a career out of politics.
The word "power" appears in the article three times, and you could easily assume being a Senate leader comes with powers other senators cannot or do not have.
For one, NO ONE in elective civil service is to have power, period. They are servants of the people, in Washington, D.C. to do the will of the citizens who voted them into office. The Senate has no power of its own, no more than the House of Representatives. The President has no power beyond being Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. Even with that, a POTUS cannot declare a war. He can command the military when the Congress declares war. That power, in and of itself, to send troops anywhere on Earth to protect Americans from all enemies foreign and domestic, has been sorely abused in my lifetime. "Wars" have been and are being fought that Congress made no declarations upon. They are police state actions, at best, in principle; actions involving warfare. Politics, and the power of politics and the powers of money in Washington start these actions and support them, McConnell being a main proponent of this corruption in government.
"His decision punctuates a powerful ideological transition underway in the Republican Party, from Ronald Reagan’s brand of traditional conservatism and strong international alliances, to the fiery, often isolationist populism of former President Donald Trump."
There we see the corruption of the American Press, obvious throughout the article. Trump and MAGA - Making American Great Again - is not isolationist in principle. It is "America First" and there is an enormous gulf of difference between the two. Trump sought partnership with other nations, making sure America was not ripped off in the process because money going around the world is the money of Americans no longer able to live within the American greatness they had enjoyed before "wealth redistribution" became epidemic through Washington's "elected civil servants."
"He spoke at times haltingly, his emotions evident, as he looked back on his career."
That word appears appears enough times in the article to lead one to believe having a career in D.C. as a politician is an honorable thing; gaining power to run things as a politician believes is right; totally forgetting the actual laws and Constitutional limitations they are bound by and the people who sent them there.
"President Joe Biden, who has had a productive working relationship with McConnell, said he was sorry to hear the news."
It should have been, it is impossible for any elected civil servant who knows their place and the limitations of the Constitution, to have a working relationship with the alleged criminal, Joe Biden. The Press is in collusion with that alleged criminal history, as are the alphabet agencies who protect the D.C. elite and their corruptions. McConnell works well with radical Democrats and its current leader because McConnell is basically one of them - the "Uniparty" that now exists. And the article displays this boldly.
"The senator had been under increasing pressure from the restive, and at times hostile wing of his party that has aligned firmly with Trump. The two have been estranged since December 2020, when McConnell refused to abide Trump’s lie that the election of Democrat Biden as president was the product of fraud."
Only an absolute liar or incredibly ignorant person would have written that paragraph. The only way Trump could lie about the fraud was to present erroneous evidence of what took place before, during and after the election. NO ONE in America, NO ONE has been able to take apart the mountains of evidence that show fraud took place - evidence based on videos, written testimony of first-hand observers, scientific forensic evidence and a challenge by numerous researchers and experts in their fields to debate anyone who differs with their evidence. For the author of the article to claim Trump is lying is easy grounds for a libel lawsuit. It is hard to imagine the AP allowed the article to stand, as written. It stands because the Press is as corrupt as D.C. is. It's an astounding historic reversal of the honorable role the Press was meant to play in the fabric of this nation, a role I grew up witnessing. Even if the Press was mostly populated by Democrats they were a far cry from what exists in the Press today, the same as John F. Kennedy was a far cry from what Democrats are today.
"McConnell endorsed Reagan’s view of America’s role in the world and the senator has persisted in face of opposition, including from Trump, that Congress should include a foreign assistance package that includes $60 billion for Ukraine."
The fact is, McConnell has presided over $100B given to Ukraine in funds and weaponry. Biden has corruption written all over his and his son's and brother's activities in Ukraine, something else the current mainstream Press refuses to cover; instead, covering for Biden at every pass, until things became too saturated to hide anymore. The alternative press actually doing investigation has shown the truth of this matter for years now. Was McConnell ignorant of all this corruption? How could he be?
"Against long odds he managed to secure 22 Republican votes for the package now being considered by the House." [Another $25B]
“Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular moment in time. I have many faults. Misunderstanding politics is not one of them,” McConnell said.
No, McConnell does not misunderstand the function of politics in his party or in D.C., or all of America, which is why he consistently backs RINO candidates in state and federal elections. He is a political animal, part of a machine that destroys people who do not play by their rules and their policies. And mind you, I am not a Republican. I am a registered Independent. And, I rarely vote because the process and corruption is so saturated and systemic. Reading stories of what McConnell has presided over to stop Conservative Republicans from running in new offices is reprehensible, at best. If I were to belong to a political party it would be the Constitution Party, one that has no hope of making a serious difference at the national level because of the corrupt, two-party system that has been enthroned in this nation. And that is just as well because, being a Christian, an ambassador for Christ, becoming a secular political agent is not part of my role as a citizen of Christ's kingdom but, the corruption in D.C. has paved the way for harassment, oppression and persecution of Christians in this nation and voices within the kingdom must speak up.
"Trump has pulled the party hard to the ideological right, questioning longtime military alliances such as NATO, international trade agreements and pushing for a severe crackdown on immigration, all the while clinging to the falsehood that the election was stolen from him in 2020."
Trump has done no such thing. The GOP is hardly America first, certainly not Conservative, not even abiding by their own party platform. It is part of the corrupt "swamp" that has "power" the Founders NEVER intended for elected civil servants to have.
The paragraph contains bold-faced inaccuracies, if not lies. Trump questioned NATO's existence because of NATO's role and stated premise, which is no longer necessary. Why should America commit billions of dollar's to its existence? Russia? Please. Putin took American corruption to the cleaners in his Carlson interview and has done so for years. The elites in D.C. had no problem loving Russia when it suited them in Obama's administration. Trump says he'll partner with Putin and Russia to make the world a better and safer place and Democrats go apoplectic and the Press descended on Trump with more lies about collusion with Russia than pizza brands in the freezers at grocery stores. Trump did not crack down on immigration. Trump tried to crack down on illegal immigration. That is just another thing the corrupt Press refuses to tell the truth about. Even to show that more demonstrably; Dr. Phil goes down to the border, reports on what he sees; none of it good, and the Press is now after him. The Press is nothing more than a wing of the Democrat Party.
I would love to see Michael Tackett in a debate with anyone taking a studied, researched stand on the 2020 election and attempt to show, on the weight of the evidence, Trump was not legally elected to a second term.
"Their relationship has essentially been over since Trump refused to accept the results of the Electoral College. But the rupture deepened dramatically after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. McConnell assigned blame and responsibility to Trump and said that he should be held to account through the criminal justice system for his actions."
And there you have Senator McConnell in his true role; a uniparty anti-Trumper. Are you aware, Dear Reader, Donald Trump has not actually been charged with a crime that anyone can show he committed during the events of January 6, 2021? He can be shown on video telling people to be peaceful. When the trouble began he told people to leave and go home. There is no collusion with anyone involved, to force their way into the Capitol, let alone an armed insurrection. The entire thing is "bollocks" as the British would say. Yet McConnell believes in the corrupt, show-trial, J6 Committee of D.C. elites persecuting people armed with nothing more than a cellphone when they were invited into the building by Capitol police! How many videos do Americans need to see to have the events of January 6th placed on a platform of actual truth by the weight of the evidence, much of which the J6 Committee has knowingly withheld? Obviously, Michael Tackett, is not interested in truth, just typical copy and paste journalism and Republicrat talking points.
Mitch McConnell represents everything wrong with Washington, D.C. It is an embarrassment to the Founders. The world that sees America is now headed by an old, mentally disabled man of a nation just as corrupt as any third-world sinkhole.
Persecution is coming. The land of the free, home of the brave is instigating it. It comes at the hands of cowards and elitists and enemies of righteousness: those who pompously declare they believe in American exceptionalism but, obviously show they do not believe in the principles of Americanism the Founders and Framers believed in.
May God help America.
I generally do not comment on politics unless it involves religious issues or corruption, which is a sign of the times before Christ returns: wide spread, rampant corruption, such as it was in the days of Noah before the Flood, Genesis 6:11,12.
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), announced from the Senate floor he is going to step down as Republican Senate leader in November. The Associated Press has a story on this, and the author, probably without realizing it, portrays significant problems with the dysfunctional Federal government we now have.
McConnell is considered a RINO by Conservatives: Republican In Name Only. He is the leader of the GOPe: the Grand Old Party establishment (elite).
Take a look at some paragraphs in the article -
"BY MICHAEL TACKETT
Updated 2:32 PM CST, February 28, 2024
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November.
"McConnell, who turned 82 last week, announced his decision Wednesday in the well of the Senate, the chamber where he looked in awe from its back benches in 1985 when he arrived and where he grew increasingly comfortable in the front row seat afforded the party leaders."
Despite being Tackett's opinions, his wording exposes the problem with party politics.
The Founders of the American nation; the Framers of the Constitution, never intended elected civil servants to be 'career politicians,' with power, who could or would get comfortable in leadership positions. No. Civil servants were to serve their terms and then go home and pick up life where they left off in private life. McConnell is the epitome of a career politician. He openly states it -
“I love the Senate,” he said. “It has been my life. There may be more distinguished members of this body throughout our history, but I doubt there are any with more admiration for it.”
That last sentiment can be debated but, it cannot be debated the man made a career out of politics.
The word "power" appears in the article three times, and you could easily assume being a Senate leader comes with powers other senators cannot or do not have.
For one, NO ONE in elective civil service is to have power, period. They are servants of the people, in Washington, D.C. to do the will of the citizens who voted them into office. The Senate has no power of its own, no more than the House of Representatives. The President has no power beyond being Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. Even with that, a POTUS cannot declare a war. He can command the military when the Congress declares war. That power, in and of itself, to send troops anywhere on Earth to protect Americans from all enemies foreign and domestic, has been sorely abused in my lifetime. "Wars" have been and are being fought that Congress made no declarations upon. They are police state actions, at best, in principle; actions involving warfare. Politics, and the power of politics and the powers of money in Washington start these actions and support them, McConnell being a main proponent of this corruption in government.
"His decision punctuates a powerful ideological transition underway in the Republican Party, from Ronald Reagan’s brand of traditional conservatism and strong international alliances, to the fiery, often isolationist populism of former President Donald Trump."
There we see the corruption of the American Press, obvious throughout the article. Trump and MAGA - Making American Great Again - is not isolationist in principle. It is "America First" and there is an enormous gulf of difference between the two. Trump sought partnership with other nations, making sure America was not ripped off in the process because money going around the world is the money of Americans no longer able to live within the American greatness they had enjoyed before "wealth redistribution" became epidemic through Washington's "elected civil servants."
"He spoke at times haltingly, his emotions evident, as he looked back on his career."
That word appears appears enough times in the article to lead one to believe having a career in D.C. as a politician is an honorable thing; gaining power to run things as a politician believes is right; totally forgetting the actual laws and Constitutional limitations they are bound by and the people who sent them there.
"President Joe Biden, who has had a productive working relationship with McConnell, said he was sorry to hear the news."
It should have been, it is impossible for any elected civil servant who knows their place and the limitations of the Constitution, to have a working relationship with the alleged criminal, Joe Biden. The Press is in collusion with that alleged criminal history, as are the alphabet agencies who protect the D.C. elite and their corruptions. McConnell works well with radical Democrats and its current leader because McConnell is basically one of them - the "Uniparty" that now exists. And the article displays this boldly.
"The senator had been under increasing pressure from the restive, and at times hostile wing of his party that has aligned firmly with Trump. The two have been estranged since December 2020, when McConnell refused to abide Trump’s lie that the election of Democrat Biden as president was the product of fraud."
Only an absolute liar or incredibly ignorant person would have written that paragraph. The only way Trump could lie about the fraud was to present erroneous evidence of what took place before, during and after the election. NO ONE in America, NO ONE has been able to take apart the mountains of evidence that show fraud took place - evidence based on videos, written testimony of first-hand observers, scientific forensic evidence and a challenge by numerous researchers and experts in their fields to debate anyone who differs with their evidence. For the author of the article to claim Trump is lying is easy grounds for a libel lawsuit. It is hard to imagine the AP allowed the article to stand, as written. It stands because the Press is as corrupt as D.C. is. It's an astounding historic reversal of the honorable role the Press was meant to play in the fabric of this nation, a role I grew up witnessing. Even if the Press was mostly populated by Democrats they were a far cry from what exists in the Press today, the same as John F. Kennedy was a far cry from what Democrats are today.
"McConnell endorsed Reagan’s view of America’s role in the world and the senator has persisted in face of opposition, including from Trump, that Congress should include a foreign assistance package that includes $60 billion for Ukraine."
The fact is, McConnell has presided over $100B given to Ukraine in funds and weaponry. Biden has corruption written all over his and his son's and brother's activities in Ukraine, something else the current mainstream Press refuses to cover; instead, covering for Biden at every pass, until things became too saturated to hide anymore. The alternative press actually doing investigation has shown the truth of this matter for years now. Was McConnell ignorant of all this corruption? How could he be?
"Against long odds he managed to secure 22 Republican votes for the package now being considered by the House." [Another $25B]
“Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular moment in time. I have many faults. Misunderstanding politics is not one of them,” McConnell said.
No, McConnell does not misunderstand the function of politics in his party or in D.C., or all of America, which is why he consistently backs RINO candidates in state and federal elections. He is a political animal, part of a machine that destroys people who do not play by their rules and their policies. And mind you, I am not a Republican. I am a registered Independent. And, I rarely vote because the process and corruption is so saturated and systemic. Reading stories of what McConnell has presided over to stop Conservative Republicans from running in new offices is reprehensible, at best. If I were to belong to a political party it would be the Constitution Party, one that has no hope of making a serious difference at the national level because of the corrupt, two-party system that has been enthroned in this nation. And that is just as well because, being a Christian, an ambassador for Christ, becoming a secular political agent is not part of my role as a citizen of Christ's kingdom but, the corruption in D.C. has paved the way for harassment, oppression and persecution of Christians in this nation and voices within the kingdom must speak up.
"Trump has pulled the party hard to the ideological right, questioning longtime military alliances such as NATO, international trade agreements and pushing for a severe crackdown on immigration, all the while clinging to the falsehood that the election was stolen from him in 2020."
Trump has done no such thing. The GOP is hardly America first, certainly not Conservative, not even abiding by their own party platform. It is part of the corrupt "swamp" that has "power" the Founders NEVER intended for elected civil servants to have.
The paragraph contains bold-faced inaccuracies, if not lies. Trump questioned NATO's existence because of NATO's role and stated premise, which is no longer necessary. Why should America commit billions of dollar's to its existence? Russia? Please. Putin took American corruption to the cleaners in his Carlson interview and has done so for years. The elites in D.C. had no problem loving Russia when it suited them in Obama's administration. Trump says he'll partner with Putin and Russia to make the world a better and safer place and Democrats go apoplectic and the Press descended on Trump with more lies about collusion with Russia than pizza brands in the freezers at grocery stores. Trump did not crack down on immigration. Trump tried to crack down on illegal immigration. That is just another thing the corrupt Press refuses to tell the truth about. Even to show that more demonstrably; Dr. Phil goes down to the border, reports on what he sees; none of it good, and the Press is now after him. The Press is nothing more than a wing of the Democrat Party.
I would love to see Michael Tackett in a debate with anyone taking a studied, researched stand on the 2020 election and attempt to show, on the weight of the evidence, Trump was not legally elected to a second term.
"Their relationship has essentially been over since Trump refused to accept the results of the Electoral College. But the rupture deepened dramatically after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. McConnell assigned blame and responsibility to Trump and said that he should be held to account through the criminal justice system for his actions."
And there you have Senator McConnell in his true role; a uniparty anti-Trumper. Are you aware, Dear Reader, Donald Trump has not actually been charged with a crime that anyone can show he committed during the events of January 6, 2021? He can be shown on video telling people to be peaceful. When the trouble began he told people to leave and go home. There is no collusion with anyone involved, to force their way into the Capitol, let alone an armed insurrection. The entire thing is "bollocks" as the British would say. Yet McConnell believes in the corrupt, show-trial, J6 Committee of D.C. elites persecuting people armed with nothing more than a cellphone when they were invited into the building by Capitol police! How many videos do Americans need to see to have the events of January 6th placed on a platform of actual truth by the weight of the evidence, much of which the J6 Committee has knowingly withheld? Obviously, Michael Tackett, is not interested in truth, just typical copy and paste journalism and Republicrat talking points.
Mitch McConnell represents everything wrong with Washington, D.C. It is an embarrassment to the Founders. The world that sees America is now headed by an old, mentally disabled man of a nation just as corrupt as any third-world sinkhole.
Persecution is coming. The land of the free, home of the brave is instigating it. It comes at the hands of cowards and elitists and enemies of righteousness: those who pompously declare they believe in American exceptionalism but, obviously show they do not believe in the principles of Americanism the Founders and Framers believed in.
May God help America.
*****************************
Two-Thirds Polled NOT for Free Speech
An outfit named FIRE: the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression; a First Amendment advocacy group, takes polls every year to see where Americans stand. This year, almost two-thirds of Americans (1,000 people polled), believe the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights goes too far. Here's the breakdown -
"Based on your own thoughts about the First Amendment, can you tell us what you think about the following statement: "The First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees."
44% believe that statement does not describe their thoughts at all.
56% believe that statement does describe their thoughts - slightly, somewhat, mostly or definitely.
www.thefire.org/research-learn/national-speech-index-january-2024-topline-results
Things are not looking good in the Republic of the United States of America.
One of the questions was this -
"There are always some people whose ideas are considered offensive or dangerous by other people. Of the following ideas below, which one do you consider the most offensive?"
Twelve ideas are presented; from "All Whites are racist oppressors" - 19%; down to "The Catholic Church is a pedophilic institution" - 3%.
I wondered what the percentage would be if the statement read - "The Catholic Church is the anti-Christ beast of Bible prophecy."
Nobody has an inalienable right, granted by God, not to be offended. Everybody has the inalienable right, granted by God, to offend anyone else with something they believe. Civil society basically decrees no one should go out of their way to offend people but, people have the right to believe whatever they choose, according to conscience. If it offends someone, sorry, not sorry. Everybody has the God given, inalienable right to believe and profess with their speech whatever they believe. In America, that means the Church of Satan; Communists; neo-Nazis; avowed racists; Trump haters; Biden haters; America haters, Christian haters; Muslim haters; Taylor Swift haters or Ted Nugent haters, whatever.
Fewer and fewer people seem willing to live with that right. If that right is no longer accepted by Americans, and seen as the God-given inalienable right America's Founders put into law; a right they believed you cannot be alienated from, America ceases to be America and any right could be taken away by those offended by what we each believe.
I have placed here many posts about Bible prophecy. I have placed here many principles of Protestantism, as well as the policies of Romanism. Regardless of who or what someone believes about the prophetic power of anti-Christ in the Bible, someone in America would be offended. The fact is, in some places in this world, anything you believe that is associated with your faith in the Bible can be considered a crime; including negative beliefs about homosexuality or transgenders or Islam or Mohammed.
In America, the Supreme Court is going to hear arguments on corporate censorship and State laws prohibiting it.
www.christianpost.com/news/supreme-court-considers-restrictions-on-social-media-censorship.html
Prophecy declares America shall not remain a "shining city on a hill." It began as a lamb but, shall end up speaking as a dragon, Rev. 13:11-18. Our rights shall be made crimes; hate crimes.
God help America.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************************************************************************************************************************
Here's another case I just came across. I used to live in Maine. Maine now has LGBTQ anti-discrimination laws. It also has assisted tuition money available BUT, not to parents of children that attend private Christian schools that teach anything negative about anything the State considers okay.
www.christianpost.com/news/christian-school-must-follow-maines-lgbt-policies-court-rules.html
Consider this.
A Christian school holds to biblical standards; standard known and upheld for centuries in Western civilization. Those standards are crumbling. Still, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
Maine cannot make laws prohibiting conscience. If the State offers tuition assistance to Maine citizens, it cannot deny that money just because citizens believe something contrary or offensive to Maine legislators and moral laws they create. Civil government is to address civil life, not morality. People's sexual choices should not be protected by law. They can engage in whatever consensual sexual proclivities they choose. Moral laws about sexual contact between adults have been removed. Their choices to change their biological sex, which cannot be changed for their "identifying" with the opposite sex, should not be protected by law against beliefs which do not religiously side with those personal choices. Homosexuals do not have a gene that causes them to be homosexuals. Citizens may not discriminate against other citizens who believe or practice things they might not but, neither can the State discriminate against citizens who do not believe what legislators do. It has to work both ways or totalitarianism is a few steps away.
No one would argue it is not a tightrope to walk on but, the rope exists and should it fall, persecution comes, always.
"Based on your own thoughts about the First Amendment, can you tell us what you think about the following statement: "The First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees."
44% believe that statement does not describe their thoughts at all.
56% believe that statement does describe their thoughts - slightly, somewhat, mostly or definitely.
www.thefire.org/research-learn/national-speech-index-january-2024-topline-results
Things are not looking good in the Republic of the United States of America.
One of the questions was this -
"There are always some people whose ideas are considered offensive or dangerous by other people. Of the following ideas below, which one do you consider the most offensive?"
Twelve ideas are presented; from "All Whites are racist oppressors" - 19%; down to "The Catholic Church is a pedophilic institution" - 3%.
I wondered what the percentage would be if the statement read - "The Catholic Church is the anti-Christ beast of Bible prophecy."
Nobody has an inalienable right, granted by God, not to be offended. Everybody has the inalienable right, granted by God, to offend anyone else with something they believe. Civil society basically decrees no one should go out of their way to offend people but, people have the right to believe whatever they choose, according to conscience. If it offends someone, sorry, not sorry. Everybody has the God given, inalienable right to believe and profess with their speech whatever they believe. In America, that means the Church of Satan; Communists; neo-Nazis; avowed racists; Trump haters; Biden haters; America haters, Christian haters; Muslim haters; Taylor Swift haters or Ted Nugent haters, whatever.
Fewer and fewer people seem willing to live with that right. If that right is no longer accepted by Americans, and seen as the God-given inalienable right America's Founders put into law; a right they believed you cannot be alienated from, America ceases to be America and any right could be taken away by those offended by what we each believe.
I have placed here many posts about Bible prophecy. I have placed here many principles of Protestantism, as well as the policies of Romanism. Regardless of who or what someone believes about the prophetic power of anti-Christ in the Bible, someone in America would be offended. The fact is, in some places in this world, anything you believe that is associated with your faith in the Bible can be considered a crime; including negative beliefs about homosexuality or transgenders or Islam or Mohammed.
In America, the Supreme Court is going to hear arguments on corporate censorship and State laws prohibiting it.
www.christianpost.com/news/supreme-court-considers-restrictions-on-social-media-censorship.html
Prophecy declares America shall not remain a "shining city on a hill." It began as a lamb but, shall end up speaking as a dragon, Rev. 13:11-18. Our rights shall be made crimes; hate crimes.
God help America.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************************************************************************************************************************
Here's another case I just came across. I used to live in Maine. Maine now has LGBTQ anti-discrimination laws. It also has assisted tuition money available BUT, not to parents of children that attend private Christian schools that teach anything negative about anything the State considers okay.
www.christianpost.com/news/christian-school-must-follow-maines-lgbt-policies-court-rules.html
Consider this.
A Christian school holds to biblical standards; standard known and upheld for centuries in Western civilization. Those standards are crumbling. Still, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
Maine cannot make laws prohibiting conscience. If the State offers tuition assistance to Maine citizens, it cannot deny that money just because citizens believe something contrary or offensive to Maine legislators and moral laws they create. Civil government is to address civil life, not morality. People's sexual choices should not be protected by law. They can engage in whatever consensual sexual proclivities they choose. Moral laws about sexual contact between adults have been removed. Their choices to change their biological sex, which cannot be changed for their "identifying" with the opposite sex, should not be protected by law against beliefs which do not religiously side with those personal choices. Homosexuals do not have a gene that causes them to be homosexuals. Citizens may not discriminate against other citizens who believe or practice things they might not but, neither can the State discriminate against citizens who do not believe what legislators do. It has to work both ways or totalitarianism is a few steps away.
No one would argue it is not a tightrope to walk on but, the rope exists and should it fall, persecution comes, always.
*****************************
Do You Remember The Byrds?
I was ten years old when the song, "Turn, Turn, Turn" by The Byrds was released. It was a song written by Pete Seeger and contained lyrics which came from the book of Ecclesiastes. It first came out as a folk song in 1959 but, The Byrds made it famous and it is still used in commercials to this day.
My point here is not nostalgia. No. My point is, The American Rock band, The Byrds, made famous a song containing text from the Bible. Here is the biblical passage the song relates to -
Ecc 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Ecc 3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
Ecc 3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
Ecc 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
Ecc 3:5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
Ecc 3:6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
Ecc 3:7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
Ecc 3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Senator Mitch McConnell, regarding his stepping down from being Republican Senate leader, mentioned the first verse of this passage.
I find nothing in the passage that someone could find offensive. Perhaps "a time to kill?" War is mentioned in the last sentence. What is verse 3 speaking of? Perhaps capital punishment? Planting and harvesting is addressed in verse two. It cannot represent killing plants but, perhaps killing animals for food? Regardless, society functions within all the ramifications of the words in the passage and people used to get along with those basic balances of life. The State does not care if someone sings such a song.
Suppose someone sings a song using Bible passages to comment on life regarding war in things like Israel or the Palestinians? Regarding Russia or Ukraine? Regarding fraud with Trump or Biden? Regarding the Earth and creation with "climate change?" Regarding morality with homosexuality or gender? Now we have a situation. At one time, nothing in the Bible was considered wrong, even if people rejected religious faith. The Bible had common sense realities in its pages. Today, no. The Bible is becoming a book filled with dangerous ideas for many in society, and they do not want such ideas freely expressed.
This is why I stand against radical Leftism. Someone might say I should not take stands against anything because my witness for the truth of the Gospel and other subjects in the Bible might be rejected but, that is not the concern of the Christian witness or ambassador for Christ. It may be using common sense not to put something in the Bible forward that would greatly confuse someone without some previous understanding. You cannot build a wall on sand. You start with a foundation but, you cannot withhold truth from people dying in their sins.
Jesus offended people every single day of His ministry. He taught the truth. He is the truth. Still, He told His disciples He had many things to tell them but, they could not bear them at the time before His death, John 16:12. Even Jesus practiced common sense in sharing the truth. Timing can be crucial.
That said, timing in America is experiencing train wrecks. There is no right time anymore. You cannot say anything that will not offend someone but, such as it was in the life of Christ and His apostles and the early church and so shall it be here at the end of time.
We can seek to please everyone and fail. People pleasers exist and always have. They create confusion. If we displease our Creator, if we displease God, we are confused. God will either successfully straighten us out or we shall perish in our rejection of His plan of salvation from sin and confusion.
God's people are going to be seen as enemies of society. "Yes, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution," 2 Timothy 3:12. Many already are. As it gets worse, decisions must be made. God's way or man's? God's law or man's? Life or death?
May God help us to make right decisions that will pave our way into eternity.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
My point here is not nostalgia. No. My point is, The American Rock band, The Byrds, made famous a song containing text from the Bible. Here is the biblical passage the song relates to -
Ecc 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Ecc 3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
Ecc 3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
Ecc 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
Ecc 3:5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
Ecc 3:6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
Ecc 3:7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
Ecc 3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Senator Mitch McConnell, regarding his stepping down from being Republican Senate leader, mentioned the first verse of this passage.
I find nothing in the passage that someone could find offensive. Perhaps "a time to kill?" War is mentioned in the last sentence. What is verse 3 speaking of? Perhaps capital punishment? Planting and harvesting is addressed in verse two. It cannot represent killing plants but, perhaps killing animals for food? Regardless, society functions within all the ramifications of the words in the passage and people used to get along with those basic balances of life. The State does not care if someone sings such a song.
Suppose someone sings a song using Bible passages to comment on life regarding war in things like Israel or the Palestinians? Regarding Russia or Ukraine? Regarding fraud with Trump or Biden? Regarding the Earth and creation with "climate change?" Regarding morality with homosexuality or gender? Now we have a situation. At one time, nothing in the Bible was considered wrong, even if people rejected religious faith. The Bible had common sense realities in its pages. Today, no. The Bible is becoming a book filled with dangerous ideas for many in society, and they do not want such ideas freely expressed.
This is why I stand against radical Leftism. Someone might say I should not take stands against anything because my witness for the truth of the Gospel and other subjects in the Bible might be rejected but, that is not the concern of the Christian witness or ambassador for Christ. It may be using common sense not to put something in the Bible forward that would greatly confuse someone without some previous understanding. You cannot build a wall on sand. You start with a foundation but, you cannot withhold truth from people dying in their sins.
Jesus offended people every single day of His ministry. He taught the truth. He is the truth. Still, He told His disciples He had many things to tell them but, they could not bear them at the time before His death, John 16:12. Even Jesus practiced common sense in sharing the truth. Timing can be crucial.
That said, timing in America is experiencing train wrecks. There is no right time anymore. You cannot say anything that will not offend someone but, such as it was in the life of Christ and His apostles and the early church and so shall it be here at the end of time.
We can seek to please everyone and fail. People pleasers exist and always have. They create confusion. If we displease our Creator, if we displease God, we are confused. God will either successfully straighten us out or we shall perish in our rejection of His plan of salvation from sin and confusion.
God's people are going to be seen as enemies of society. "Yes, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution," 2 Timothy 3:12. Many already are. As it gets worse, decisions must be made. God's way or man's? God's law or man's? Life or death?
May God help us to make right decisions that will pave our way into eternity.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Male/Female Brain Differences?
"Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus." I remember when that book came out, back in 1992. It created quite a stir and discussion and nobody got offended, as I recall. Well, look, the Bible says, God created humans male and female. Everything got created male and female after their kind and order. That's just plain biblical teaching. For millennia humanity has functioned within that reality.
Now, in a new study from Stanford, we have evidence that male and female brains are different. No surprise there for the Bible-believer. The rub? Well, chromosomes do make a difference. Can a man or women truly, realistically "identify" with the opposite sex? Are there really more than two genders beyond societal decree?
A study like this, aided by Artificial Intelligence, no less, seems pretty cutting edge; though differences in brains has been known for quite some time, as far as medical science goes but, now it is more keenly understood in the mapping of brain functions. Can we avoid wondering how this new information will rock societal boats?
med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2024/02/men-women-brain-organization-patterns.html
"The team then wondered if they could create another model that could predict how well participants would do on certain cognitive tasks based on functional brain features that differ between women and men. They developed sex-specific models of cognitive abilities: One model effectively predicted cognitive performance in men but not women, and another in women but not men. The findings indicate that functional brain characteristics varying between sexes have significant behavioral implications.
“These models worked really well because we successfully separated brain patterns between sexes,” Menon said. “That tells me that overlooking sex differences in brain organization could lead us to miss key factors underlying neuropsychiatric disorders.”
“Our AI models have very broad applicability,” Menon said. “A researcher could use our models to look for brain differences linked to learning impairments or social functioning differences, for instance — aspects we are keen to understand better to aid individuals in adapting to and surmounting these challenges.”
Ohhhh, boy. Can you not see the war that is being brewed in the gender cauldron?
Humans can say what they will but, they can only be what God created them to be. Everything else is just an act. This is not to say genetic defects cannot exist. They do, in so many other areas, including brain function. Disorders result from these anomalies. Today, such disorders are no longer considered disorders. Confusion abounds.
Science will always be behind the Creator. Always catching up, never ahead. Modern mankind has a hard time with that. They are loathe to learn it. They will, though. One way or another.
Now, in a new study from Stanford, we have evidence that male and female brains are different. No surprise there for the Bible-believer. The rub? Well, chromosomes do make a difference. Can a man or women truly, realistically "identify" with the opposite sex? Are there really more than two genders beyond societal decree?
A study like this, aided by Artificial Intelligence, no less, seems pretty cutting edge; though differences in brains has been known for quite some time, as far as medical science goes but, now it is more keenly understood in the mapping of brain functions. Can we avoid wondering how this new information will rock societal boats?
med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2024/02/men-women-brain-organization-patterns.html
"The team then wondered if they could create another model that could predict how well participants would do on certain cognitive tasks based on functional brain features that differ between women and men. They developed sex-specific models of cognitive abilities: One model effectively predicted cognitive performance in men but not women, and another in women but not men. The findings indicate that functional brain characteristics varying between sexes have significant behavioral implications.
“These models worked really well because we successfully separated brain patterns between sexes,” Menon said. “That tells me that overlooking sex differences in brain organization could lead us to miss key factors underlying neuropsychiatric disorders.”
“Our AI models have very broad applicability,” Menon said. “A researcher could use our models to look for brain differences linked to learning impairments or social functioning differences, for instance — aspects we are keen to understand better to aid individuals in adapting to and surmounting these challenges.”
Ohhhh, boy. Can you not see the war that is being brewed in the gender cauldron?
Humans can say what they will but, they can only be what God created them to be. Everything else is just an act. This is not to say genetic defects cannot exist. They do, in so many other areas, including brain function. Disorders result from these anomalies. Today, such disorders are no longer considered disorders. Confusion abounds.
Science will always be behind the Creator. Always catching up, never ahead. Modern mankind has a hard time with that. They are loathe to learn it. They will, though. One way or another.
*****************************
921. 900 Years? - 3/2/24
Genesis is a much debated book of the Bible, for a couple centuries. It wasn't always that way in religion or science, for that matter. Many of the great scientific minds that developed new branches of science and made important discoveries were creationists. It could be argued most of them were. That history is obviously underappreciated by today's overall attitudes in science.
Today, it seems common that scientists will right papers under assumed names so their education or careers are not jeopardized. One man in Russia, Alexander Kudryavtsev, head of a genetics department in a Russian academy of science, openly made reference to the book of Genesis, in a positive way, about age, and was subsequently fired. The Russian Orthodox Church is claiming he was fired for discriminatory reasons.
Of course, you don't get to be head of a department in a science institute by floating theories that cannot be proven, can you? I mean, it is a proven fact life spontaneously emerged from a hot puddle of various chemicals when it was struck by lightening, right? Science has observed and duplicated that event in a lab, have they not? No, quite wrong, actually. Many heads of science departments in this world believe unproven stories. They may be the currently accepted models but, methodological science is what it is. If you cannot observe, test and repeat, it cannot be called conclusive proof. And given headlines constantly declare "science" has to constantly rethink things once accepted as fact, especially with the James Webb space telescope sending back information that has caused many a sleepless night for Big Bang astronomers, you might think science would be a little more open to ideas. All ideas, that do not fight against reason and common sense. Some astronomers have posited the notion life on Earth came from a meteor. Of course, how did the original life that ended up on a meteor come into being? How did it survive entry into our atmosphere and impact upon the ground? Well, they claim to have found such meteors.
Okay, so, if we can believe in meteors that render no absolute explanation for how microscopic life ended up on a meteor, it seems odd Dr. Kudryavtsev could be fired for stating mankind lived for 900 years, according to Genesis. Why is that so shockingly ridiculous that it should cause his removal? Because we do not see anyone living that long now?
"Kudryavtsev, who headed the Russian Academy of Science's Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, made a presentation at a conference in 2023 in which he said people had lived for some 900 years prior to the era of the Biblical Flood and that "original, ancestral and personal sins" caused genetic diseases that shortened lifespans.
"He also claimed that children "up to the seventh generation are responsible for the sins of their fathers," according to the Russian news website Meduza."
Mind you, this is Russia, the bogeyman of the world, at present. And yet, the Russian Orthodox Church spokespeople find this situation opposed to Russian law -
"The head of the Russian church's commission on family issues, Fyodor Lukyanov, said Kudryavtsev's dismissal "for religious beliefs and statements in accordance with these beliefs violates the ethics of the scientific community," RIA-Novosti said.
"We have already gone through Soviet times, when genetics was long considered a pseudoscience," Lukyanov said. The Soviet Union under Josef Stalin suppressed conventional genetics in favour of the theories of Trofim Lysenko, who contended that acquired characteristics could be inherited by offspring."
Hm. Josef Stalin suppressed science. Communists suppress science? At one time, church leaders suppressed science. So, apparently history shows both religious and secular suppression of science. If science bugs people, if it indicates a conclusion that is against a norm - a long established and tightly held position - it should be or will be suppressed? Is that how this all works? So much for science being the light at the end of a tunnel.
Scientifically, we do not observe humans living for centuries. Trees, yes. Thousands of years. Other organisms, yes, centuries and thousands of years. Some whales (mammals) and sharks can live a couple centuries. Land Tortoises can live for centuries. Humans, we do not now observe that so, Genesis must be wrong, a story, a tall-tale.
The Hunzas, in the mountains of India, which I have mentioned in previous posts, live an average of 120 years. An average of 120 years. Some have lived longer. Many scientists have visited the villages of these people to study them and done so since the 1800s. But, 900 years old? C'mon. Tall tales.
I believe the Bible. I believe the themes of the book can be divided, as theologians long have done; separating its literature into history, poetry and symbolic prophecy. Genesis is historical. Ah, but, it does not jive with today's popular science so, it must be poetical, allegorical, metaphorical. It cannot be true history. Well, New Testament writers considered it history, and commented on its information that way. The Gospel writers quoted Christ as believing it's history. Paul and Peter obviously understood the book as literal history.
Gen 5:5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
Gen 5:8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
Gen 5:11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
Gen 5:14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
Gen 5:17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
Gen 5:20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
Gen 5:23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
Gen 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
Gen 5:27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.**
Gen 5:31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.
Lamech gave birth to Noah and there the biblical record changes to give information about the deluge and end of life on Earth because of the increased, overwhelming wickedness that developed. Up to that point in history, the human race is said to have lived centuries, fresh from the hands of God's creation. Diseases, copying errors of DNA, other catastrophes and cataclysmic events and wars and other factors were not as prevalent as today. Methuselah is listed as the oldest living man in the genealogy but, each of the listed patriarchs had sons and daughters, not directly part of the Genesis record of human life and could have lived even longer than their listed siblings but, that record is not available, if there was one. It is said, documents in the famed library of Alexandria, Egypt had such documentation but, all was lost in the infamous fire that destroyed its contents.
Enoch is mentioned at only 365 years because God took him from the Earth. It is often said, that God told Enoch, who walked with Him, was so close with God in his daily relationship and connection to his Maker, the Lord said, "Enoch, you are walking closer to My home than yours, these days. Why don't you just come live with me from now on." It's just a notation in the genealogy but, what an important one it is.
After the Flood event, Noah is stated to have lived 950 years in total. Then we begin to see something different.
The Bible history shows a more detailed list of the genealogy of Noah's sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth because it led up to the tower of Babel event through the life of Nimrod, a descendent of Noah's son, Ham through his son, Cush. When the Bible picks up the lifespans of the patriarchs again we read -
Gen 11:10 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:
Gen 11:11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
Now we have to do a little math and we see that Shem lived 602 years. Quite a drop from his father.
Gen 11:12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:
Gen 11:13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
Whoah. 438 years. At this point, the human race, such as it expanded from the lives of Noah and his sons and grandchildren, had to be asking themselves what was happening.
Gen 11:14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:
Gen 11:15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
433 years.
Gen 11:16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:
Gen 11:17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.
Gen 11:18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:
Gen 11:19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.
We drop to 239 years.
Gen 11:24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:
Gen 11:25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.
We drop two more generations and hit Nahor, who only lives 148 years. This is a monumental problem, would you not think so? Nahor gives birth to Terah, the father of Abram [Abraham; married Sarah].
Gen 11:32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.
We climb 50 years but, then we drop back -
Gen 23:1 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.
Gen 25:7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.
Gen 25:8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
Full of years? Sarah was gone at 127. Abraham gone at 175 yet, the Bible offers no explanation for the dwindling lifespans of the patriarchs. By the time we get to Moses we read he lived 120 years, albeit, still vigorous -
Deut 34:7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
By the time we get to the Psalms we see this; a unique song, written by Moses -
Psa 90:1 A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Psa 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Psa 90:3 You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!”
Psa 90:4 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.
Psa 90:5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning:
Psa 90:6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
Psa 90:7 For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed.
Psa 90:8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.
Psa 90:9 For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
Psa 90:10 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
Moses recollects the lifespans of the patriarchs before him and even a thousand years is nothing. Seventy, maybe 80 is where mankind stops today, in Moses' day, even though he lived to 120, the average age of the Hunzas.
There is no reason, biblically, or logically, to deny the historical record of the lives of the patriarchs. There is also no reason to deny Dr. Kudryavtsev's position that the effects of sin dropped the lifespans of humanity.
Exo 34:6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
Exo 34:7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
Responsibility and accountability of each generation is reckoned by God. Without repentance and change, well, do we not see the effects of sin upon children who steal, destroy and kill every day in the news? Children, literally, are involved in heinous crimes. They have no remorse, no sorrow, no sense of morality. They post their dark, criminal actions on social media. We view such actions with horror but, know this. The entire world is moving towards that attitude again. Worst of all, it will think it is acting on God's behalf -
John 16:1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.
John 16:2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
John 16:3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.
Such as it was then, so it shall be now, and has been, down through the centuries. The Catholic Church, by dogma, persecuted and took lives. Ignorant Protestants, daughters of Rome, took lives. Islam takes lives. Hindus take lives. It's a never ending horror movie in the name of a deity.
I will mention the Hebrews here.
Gen 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
Gen 15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
Gen 15:15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
Gen 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
God gave the world around Abraham four hundred years to repent. The Hebrews were made slaves in Egypt. The whole land knew of Abraham and his God. By the time the Pharaoh in Moses' day was in power, he claimed he didn't know Moses' God. Highly unlikely. It was thought in ancient times if you won in battle or controlled people, your god was more powerful than theirs. Pharaoh would have known, by the chronicles of his own nation, how the Hebrews became slaves in Egypt, especially the story of Joseph and his brothers. Egypt suffered the result of rejecting God in the ten plagues. Pharaoh and his army were destroyed in the Red Sea.
The cup of iniquity of the pagan nations was not full until Moses had the leadership of Israel. Egypt suffered the results of rejecting God's plans. One by one God led the Hebrews in routing and removing the pagan nations around them; submitting themselves to debauchery and wickedness, all too often corrupting the faith of God's people in the process. Rahab, from Jericho, said the whole city was well aware of the Hebrews and their conquests and she helped the Hebrew spies, and saved herself and her family as a result. Jericho came down. One by one the pagan nations came down but, the Hebrews did not follow God's plans completely and some of the nations were left standing as Israel made them pay tribute to exist. Huge error in judgment. King David sought to finish the work God gave the ancient Hebrews. Sin had multiplied to enormous lengths again. It even affected David, the man after God's own heart and his son, Solomon. It's all God had to work with.
God saw that mankind's evil would develop again and just allowed nature to take its course. Lifespans decreased. Four thousand years after the Flood, we stand at the precipice of another end of sin, a full up of iniquity; by the fire, power and glory of Christ's return.
I have no reason not to believe humans lived for nine centuries thousands of years ago. I also have no reason not to believe humans shall live forever when Christ returns. Many scientists throughout the world believe that. They are professed Christians. They have absolutely no scientific explanation for such a belief. By faith, they'll wait till science class opens up in Heaven's university of higher learning and discovery but, the current world we live in denies God, denies the Bible, denies, even common sense, and those who take a stand for the Bible and its Author can be ostracized and marginalized and removed from their livelihoods of teaching and research.
I would hope Dr. Kudryavtsev is given back his position. He's correct, and no science can disprove his beliefs and conclusions. What we observe today has been chronicled in the Bible for a reason. It's a warning. God is sovereign.
The wages of sin is death but, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Romans 6:23.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Today, it seems common that scientists will right papers under assumed names so their education or careers are not jeopardized. One man in Russia, Alexander Kudryavtsev, head of a genetics department in a Russian academy of science, openly made reference to the book of Genesis, in a positive way, about age, and was subsequently fired. The Russian Orthodox Church is claiming he was fired for discriminatory reasons.
Of course, you don't get to be head of a department in a science institute by floating theories that cannot be proven, can you? I mean, it is a proven fact life spontaneously emerged from a hot puddle of various chemicals when it was struck by lightening, right? Science has observed and duplicated that event in a lab, have they not? No, quite wrong, actually. Many heads of science departments in this world believe unproven stories. They may be the currently accepted models but, methodological science is what it is. If you cannot observe, test and repeat, it cannot be called conclusive proof. And given headlines constantly declare "science" has to constantly rethink things once accepted as fact, especially with the James Webb space telescope sending back information that has caused many a sleepless night for Big Bang astronomers, you might think science would be a little more open to ideas. All ideas, that do not fight against reason and common sense. Some astronomers have posited the notion life on Earth came from a meteor. Of course, how did the original life that ended up on a meteor come into being? How did it survive entry into our atmosphere and impact upon the ground? Well, they claim to have found such meteors.
Okay, so, if we can believe in meteors that render no absolute explanation for how microscopic life ended up on a meteor, it seems odd Dr. Kudryavtsev could be fired for stating mankind lived for 900 years, according to Genesis. Why is that so shockingly ridiculous that it should cause his removal? Because we do not see anyone living that long now?
"Kudryavtsev, who headed the Russian Academy of Science's Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, made a presentation at a conference in 2023 in which he said people had lived for some 900 years prior to the era of the Biblical Flood and that "original, ancestral and personal sins" caused genetic diseases that shortened lifespans.
"He also claimed that children "up to the seventh generation are responsible for the sins of their fathers," according to the Russian news website Meduza."
Mind you, this is Russia, the bogeyman of the world, at present. And yet, the Russian Orthodox Church spokespeople find this situation opposed to Russian law -
"The head of the Russian church's commission on family issues, Fyodor Lukyanov, said Kudryavtsev's dismissal "for religious beliefs and statements in accordance with these beliefs violates the ethics of the scientific community," RIA-Novosti said.
"We have already gone through Soviet times, when genetics was long considered a pseudoscience," Lukyanov said. The Soviet Union under Josef Stalin suppressed conventional genetics in favour of the theories of Trofim Lysenko, who contended that acquired characteristics could be inherited by offspring."
Hm. Josef Stalin suppressed science. Communists suppress science? At one time, church leaders suppressed science. So, apparently history shows both religious and secular suppression of science. If science bugs people, if it indicates a conclusion that is against a norm - a long established and tightly held position - it should be or will be suppressed? Is that how this all works? So much for science being the light at the end of a tunnel.
Scientifically, we do not observe humans living for centuries. Trees, yes. Thousands of years. Other organisms, yes, centuries and thousands of years. Some whales (mammals) and sharks can live a couple centuries. Land Tortoises can live for centuries. Humans, we do not now observe that so, Genesis must be wrong, a story, a tall-tale.
The Hunzas, in the mountains of India, which I have mentioned in previous posts, live an average of 120 years. An average of 120 years. Some have lived longer. Many scientists have visited the villages of these people to study them and done so since the 1800s. But, 900 years old? C'mon. Tall tales.
I believe the Bible. I believe the themes of the book can be divided, as theologians long have done; separating its literature into history, poetry and symbolic prophecy. Genesis is historical. Ah, but, it does not jive with today's popular science so, it must be poetical, allegorical, metaphorical. It cannot be true history. Well, New Testament writers considered it history, and commented on its information that way. The Gospel writers quoted Christ as believing it's history. Paul and Peter obviously understood the book as literal history.
Gen 5:5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
Gen 5:8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
Gen 5:11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
Gen 5:14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
Gen 5:17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
Gen 5:20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
Gen 5:23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
Gen 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
Gen 5:27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.**
Gen 5:31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.
Lamech gave birth to Noah and there the biblical record changes to give information about the deluge and end of life on Earth because of the increased, overwhelming wickedness that developed. Up to that point in history, the human race is said to have lived centuries, fresh from the hands of God's creation. Diseases, copying errors of DNA, other catastrophes and cataclysmic events and wars and other factors were not as prevalent as today. Methuselah is listed as the oldest living man in the genealogy but, each of the listed patriarchs had sons and daughters, not directly part of the Genesis record of human life and could have lived even longer than their listed siblings but, that record is not available, if there was one. It is said, documents in the famed library of Alexandria, Egypt had such documentation but, all was lost in the infamous fire that destroyed its contents.
Enoch is mentioned at only 365 years because God took him from the Earth. It is often said, that God told Enoch, who walked with Him, was so close with God in his daily relationship and connection to his Maker, the Lord said, "Enoch, you are walking closer to My home than yours, these days. Why don't you just come live with me from now on." It's just a notation in the genealogy but, what an important one it is.
After the Flood event, Noah is stated to have lived 950 years in total. Then we begin to see something different.
The Bible history shows a more detailed list of the genealogy of Noah's sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth because it led up to the tower of Babel event through the life of Nimrod, a descendent of Noah's son, Ham through his son, Cush. When the Bible picks up the lifespans of the patriarchs again we read -
Gen 11:10 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:
Gen 11:11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
Now we have to do a little math and we see that Shem lived 602 years. Quite a drop from his father.
Gen 11:12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:
Gen 11:13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
Whoah. 438 years. At this point, the human race, such as it expanded from the lives of Noah and his sons and grandchildren, had to be asking themselves what was happening.
Gen 11:14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:
Gen 11:15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
433 years.
Gen 11:16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:
Gen 11:17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.
Gen 11:18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:
Gen 11:19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.
We drop to 239 years.
Gen 11:24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:
Gen 11:25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.
We drop two more generations and hit Nahor, who only lives 148 years. This is a monumental problem, would you not think so? Nahor gives birth to Terah, the father of Abram [Abraham; married Sarah].
Gen 11:32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.
We climb 50 years but, then we drop back -
Gen 23:1 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.
Gen 25:7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.
Gen 25:8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
Full of years? Sarah was gone at 127. Abraham gone at 175 yet, the Bible offers no explanation for the dwindling lifespans of the patriarchs. By the time we get to Moses we read he lived 120 years, albeit, still vigorous -
Deut 34:7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
By the time we get to the Psalms we see this; a unique song, written by Moses -
Psa 90:1 A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Psa 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Psa 90:3 You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!”
Psa 90:4 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.
Psa 90:5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning:
Psa 90:6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
Psa 90:7 For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed.
Psa 90:8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.
Psa 90:9 For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
Psa 90:10 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
Moses recollects the lifespans of the patriarchs before him and even a thousand years is nothing. Seventy, maybe 80 is where mankind stops today, in Moses' day, even though he lived to 120, the average age of the Hunzas.
There is no reason, biblically, or logically, to deny the historical record of the lives of the patriarchs. There is also no reason to deny Dr. Kudryavtsev's position that the effects of sin dropped the lifespans of humanity.
Exo 34:6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
Exo 34:7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
Responsibility and accountability of each generation is reckoned by God. Without repentance and change, well, do we not see the effects of sin upon children who steal, destroy and kill every day in the news? Children, literally, are involved in heinous crimes. They have no remorse, no sorrow, no sense of morality. They post their dark, criminal actions on social media. We view such actions with horror but, know this. The entire world is moving towards that attitude again. Worst of all, it will think it is acting on God's behalf -
John 16:1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.
John 16:2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
John 16:3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.
Such as it was then, so it shall be now, and has been, down through the centuries. The Catholic Church, by dogma, persecuted and took lives. Ignorant Protestants, daughters of Rome, took lives. Islam takes lives. Hindus take lives. It's a never ending horror movie in the name of a deity.
I will mention the Hebrews here.
Gen 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
Gen 15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
Gen 15:15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
Gen 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
God gave the world around Abraham four hundred years to repent. The Hebrews were made slaves in Egypt. The whole land knew of Abraham and his God. By the time the Pharaoh in Moses' day was in power, he claimed he didn't know Moses' God. Highly unlikely. It was thought in ancient times if you won in battle or controlled people, your god was more powerful than theirs. Pharaoh would have known, by the chronicles of his own nation, how the Hebrews became slaves in Egypt, especially the story of Joseph and his brothers. Egypt suffered the result of rejecting God in the ten plagues. Pharaoh and his army were destroyed in the Red Sea.
The cup of iniquity of the pagan nations was not full until Moses had the leadership of Israel. Egypt suffered the results of rejecting God's plans. One by one God led the Hebrews in routing and removing the pagan nations around them; submitting themselves to debauchery and wickedness, all too often corrupting the faith of God's people in the process. Rahab, from Jericho, said the whole city was well aware of the Hebrews and their conquests and she helped the Hebrew spies, and saved herself and her family as a result. Jericho came down. One by one the pagan nations came down but, the Hebrews did not follow God's plans completely and some of the nations were left standing as Israel made them pay tribute to exist. Huge error in judgment. King David sought to finish the work God gave the ancient Hebrews. Sin had multiplied to enormous lengths again. It even affected David, the man after God's own heart and his son, Solomon. It's all God had to work with.
God saw that mankind's evil would develop again and just allowed nature to take its course. Lifespans decreased. Four thousand years after the Flood, we stand at the precipice of another end of sin, a full up of iniquity; by the fire, power and glory of Christ's return.
I have no reason not to believe humans lived for nine centuries thousands of years ago. I also have no reason not to believe humans shall live forever when Christ returns. Many scientists throughout the world believe that. They are professed Christians. They have absolutely no scientific explanation for such a belief. By faith, they'll wait till science class opens up in Heaven's university of higher learning and discovery but, the current world we live in denies God, denies the Bible, denies, even common sense, and those who take a stand for the Bible and its Author can be ostracized and marginalized and removed from their livelihoods of teaching and research.
I would hope Dr. Kudryavtsev is given back his position. He's correct, and no science can disprove his beliefs and conclusions. What we observe today has been chronicled in the Bible for a reason. It's a warning. God is sovereign.
The wages of sin is death but, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Romans 6:23.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
922. Enquire of the Lord - 2/2/24
I learned something new today, I thought I'd share.
Psalm 27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
In the previous post I mentioned the Heavenly classrooms that are coming for all the redeemed down through the ages: an eternity of learning and discovery yet to come. No possible boredom. Every interest allowing new insights into the smallest and largest of things in God's universe and in His character and love for His children.
King David just wanted to stay in God's house, his temple, every day, enquiring of the Lord - asking questions his soul desired answers for. Wouldn't you love to do that? How many questions about your own life do you have? Well, David was king and had all kinds of responsibilities and duties and tasks to perform, and spending time in the Lord's temple was limited, even for him. So it generally is for us; which is why God gave the Sabbath to mankind: a day to rest and reflect on God's creation, His character, government and purposes and how to act in accordance with it all, in living the sanctified life. Indeed, the task of a lifetime.
The Hebrew word translated "enquire" is -
H1239
בָּקַר
bâqar
baw-kar'
A primitive root; properly to plough, or (generally) break forth, that is, (figuratively) to inspect, admire, care for, consider: - (make) inquire (-ry), (make) search, seek out.
Total KJV occurrences: 7
David wanted to inspect, admire, care for and consider the beauty of Jehovah's character: His goodness and mercy, His truth, His infinite knowledge and love.
David was a fighter from his youth. Goliath. Enemies all around, hunted as he was. Then he became king and waged war against God's enemies. God told him he shed too much blood and his son, Solomon would build a temple and glorious it was, too. It was a marvel, admired throughout the then known region. Perhaps this was more marvelous -
1Kings 3:5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”
1Ki 3:6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.
1Ki 3:7 And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in.
1Ki 3:8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude.
1Ki 3:9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
1Ki 3:10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.
1Ki 3:11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right,
1Ki 3:12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.
1Ki 3:13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.
1Ki 3:14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
1Ki 3:15 And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
Solomon asked for something most men would forgo for other things like wealth, power, long life. Solomon was well grown when these events took place. Yet, he considered himself a child, unable to govern the nation. The next story we see is the situation between the two harlots claiming a babe as theirs. Solomon said, cut the child in half and give a half to each woman. Everyone was shocked but, the real mother of the child exploded with pleas not to hurt the babe. Solomon said, 'She is the real mother. The child belongs to her.' His wisdom went far and wide from that point on.
Then, a queen, hearing of Solomon's wisdom, made a trip -
1Kings 10:1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions.
1Ki 10:2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind.
1Ki 10:3 And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her.
1Ki 10:4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,
1Ki 10:5 the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the LORD, there was no more breath in her.
1Ki 10:6 And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom,
1Ki 10:7 but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard.
1Ki 10:8 Happy are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!
1Ki 10:9 Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness.”
1Ki 10:10 Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
An amazing story. David wanted to search God's beauty. Solomon sought the Lord for His wisdom. The queen went to Solomon, seeking to test him and marveled at Solomon's mind and his entire court, dedicated to serving the Most High God.
One day, a member of the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus, came to speak with Christ by night, to ask Him questions and seek answers to deep spiritual things. He became confused at the answers he received, John 3. As time went on, he found some light in those answers and defended Christ when divisions were happening because of His ministry and the enemies He was making in the leadership, John 7:50,51. When Jesus was crucified, Nicodemus brought 75 pounds of spices to place on the Lord and His burial clothes, as was the custom of the day, and with Joseph of Arimathea, laid Him in the tomb gifted for the purpose, John 19:38-42. Nicodemus was a changed man.
Anyone who takes the time to search and seek God, to inspect and consider His character and wisdom, shall find Him because God is already seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth, John 4:24. Those who ask for wisdom will find it. Those who ask hard questions will find answers and while they may not understand everything they find, in due time God will arrange affairs, circumstances and conditions of life to gain what we seek of the beauty of the Lord, and be richly blessed by it.
People who believe the God of the Bible is some despicable tyrant are fully ignorant of the Bible's whole portrayal of human history and God's trying to save man from himself. We suffer pain and confusion because of sin. It isn't God's fault. He began with everything perfect, including the created angel, Lucifer. Freedom of will changed Lucifer into the Devil. Lies caused Adam and Eve to distrust their Creator. Cain killed his brother Abel because of jealousy. The Jews rejected their Messiah because of gross, man-made religious rules and grave ignorance of their place as God's ambassadors of the kingdom. History is filled with enough ignorance of God to fill the oceans.
Take the time know God. Everything will fall into place and light will fall upon your mind and things will make sense, maybe for the first time in your life.
Jer 9:23 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,
Jer 9:24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Psalm 27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
In the previous post I mentioned the Heavenly classrooms that are coming for all the redeemed down through the ages: an eternity of learning and discovery yet to come. No possible boredom. Every interest allowing new insights into the smallest and largest of things in God's universe and in His character and love for His children.
King David just wanted to stay in God's house, his temple, every day, enquiring of the Lord - asking questions his soul desired answers for. Wouldn't you love to do that? How many questions about your own life do you have? Well, David was king and had all kinds of responsibilities and duties and tasks to perform, and spending time in the Lord's temple was limited, even for him. So it generally is for us; which is why God gave the Sabbath to mankind: a day to rest and reflect on God's creation, His character, government and purposes and how to act in accordance with it all, in living the sanctified life. Indeed, the task of a lifetime.
The Hebrew word translated "enquire" is -
H1239
בָּקַר
bâqar
baw-kar'
A primitive root; properly to plough, or (generally) break forth, that is, (figuratively) to inspect, admire, care for, consider: - (make) inquire (-ry), (make) search, seek out.
Total KJV occurrences: 7
David wanted to inspect, admire, care for and consider the beauty of Jehovah's character: His goodness and mercy, His truth, His infinite knowledge and love.
David was a fighter from his youth. Goliath. Enemies all around, hunted as he was. Then he became king and waged war against God's enemies. God told him he shed too much blood and his son, Solomon would build a temple and glorious it was, too. It was a marvel, admired throughout the then known region. Perhaps this was more marvelous -
1Kings 3:5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”
1Ki 3:6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.
1Ki 3:7 And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in.
1Ki 3:8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude.
1Ki 3:9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
1Ki 3:10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.
1Ki 3:11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right,
1Ki 3:12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.
1Ki 3:13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.
1Ki 3:14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
1Ki 3:15 And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
Solomon asked for something most men would forgo for other things like wealth, power, long life. Solomon was well grown when these events took place. Yet, he considered himself a child, unable to govern the nation. The next story we see is the situation between the two harlots claiming a babe as theirs. Solomon said, cut the child in half and give a half to each woman. Everyone was shocked but, the real mother of the child exploded with pleas not to hurt the babe. Solomon said, 'She is the real mother. The child belongs to her.' His wisdom went far and wide from that point on.
Then, a queen, hearing of Solomon's wisdom, made a trip -
1Kings 10:1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions.
1Ki 10:2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind.
1Ki 10:3 And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her.
1Ki 10:4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,
1Ki 10:5 the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the LORD, there was no more breath in her.
1Ki 10:6 And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom,
1Ki 10:7 but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard.
1Ki 10:8 Happy are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!
1Ki 10:9 Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness.”
1Ki 10:10 Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
An amazing story. David wanted to search God's beauty. Solomon sought the Lord for His wisdom. The queen went to Solomon, seeking to test him and marveled at Solomon's mind and his entire court, dedicated to serving the Most High God.
One day, a member of the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus, came to speak with Christ by night, to ask Him questions and seek answers to deep spiritual things. He became confused at the answers he received, John 3. As time went on, he found some light in those answers and defended Christ when divisions were happening because of His ministry and the enemies He was making in the leadership, John 7:50,51. When Jesus was crucified, Nicodemus brought 75 pounds of spices to place on the Lord and His burial clothes, as was the custom of the day, and with Joseph of Arimathea, laid Him in the tomb gifted for the purpose, John 19:38-42. Nicodemus was a changed man.
Anyone who takes the time to search and seek God, to inspect and consider His character and wisdom, shall find Him because God is already seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth, John 4:24. Those who ask for wisdom will find it. Those who ask hard questions will find answers and while they may not understand everything they find, in due time God will arrange affairs, circumstances and conditions of life to gain what we seek of the beauty of the Lord, and be richly blessed by it.
People who believe the God of the Bible is some despicable tyrant are fully ignorant of the Bible's whole portrayal of human history and God's trying to save man from himself. We suffer pain and confusion because of sin. It isn't God's fault. He began with everything perfect, including the created angel, Lucifer. Freedom of will changed Lucifer into the Devil. Lies caused Adam and Eve to distrust their Creator. Cain killed his brother Abel because of jealousy. The Jews rejected their Messiah because of gross, man-made religious rules and grave ignorance of their place as God's ambassadors of the kingdom. History is filled with enough ignorance of God to fill the oceans.
Take the time know God. Everything will fall into place and light will fall upon your mind and things will make sense, maybe for the first time in your life.
Jer 9:23 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,
Jer 9:24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
So True
Got an email the other day. So True.
The corruption of the American federal justice department is systemic saturation now. I believe forces larger than humanity are engaged, and truly, the entire world is on the line. That's just speaking from a temporary viewpoint of where America stands. Obviously eternal issues play into it all but, for the time being, this really is the last year America remains largely free, with liberty and justice for most. If it goes awry it will be liberty and justice for some. Then, liberty and justice for none, save for those in control.
God help us.
God help us.
*****************************
The Golden Rule
I wonder this morning how many people in the world, in Western civilization, in America, know the Golden Rule.
Do you know what it is? You've heard of it? Maybe not. You may not have heard of it before because it just isn't practiced much anymore. The Golden Rule, the bottom line premise, principle and actuation to balance and safeguard any society is a simple standard spoken by Christ, found in Matthew 7:12 -
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Do to others what you would have them do to you. According to Jesus, the entire code of biblical law and information rests on that principle. It is the undergirding of law and information from the prophets. It is religious faith and action 101. It is a principle, all but lost in modern society. There seems no part of society that functions by it anymore. Find one.
Politics? Please. It has gotten so ugly it's an embarrassment before the world, given American politicians see this nation as some moral figurehead around the globe. That is called hypocrisy.
Business? Seriously? Everything is marketing. Everything is visual and sensory perceptions. Everything is sales. Everything is money-making. There are few products that are made by companies that truly care about human welfare. The food industry, especially. The cheapest materials, producing junk with no natural nutrition. Make it look nice. Package it nicely. Sell it. Perhaps the drug companies more than any of them are guilty; with their commercials with music in the background, fields, blue skies, water, flowers, beaches, mountains, picnics, families, parties... an endless list of scenes designed to keep your attention while a voice telling viewers side effects include possible death... you cannot make this stuff up.
Religion. God have mercy, that subject makes for volumes. The one place where the Golden Rule should be rote, chiseled into minds, is into religious faith claiming connection to God. Professed Christians can be some of the meanest, most dangerous people in the world, who will tear you to shreds with soul destroying gossip, the man-made rules and power struggles for dominion over denominational control, policies of Romanism and popery... to be expected in Catholicism but, not in that which professes principles of Protestantism. Include all religious practitioners in this, all religions. The Golden Rule is so absent in so much of religion today it's a crime against God.
Do to others what you would have them do to you. Tell the truth. Don't lie. Don't manipulate for advantage. Don't play games with people. Be honest. Stand up for righteousness. When someone falls, help them up. When someone trips up, hold them steady. Just treat people like you want to be treated.
No, life on Earth cannot be Heaven. Evil is growing. Humanity is becoming unreasonable because it will not reason with God. That does not absolve anyone from following the Golden Rule. You cannot claim to be a follower of God and do things behind people's backs, treating them very unlike what you would want done to you.
The Devil's rule is simple - Whatsoever thou wilt. Do whatever you want, whatever you can get away with to get ahead, to gain, to be in control. Don't get mad. Get even.
It's a political season. Political attack ads are beginning to grow all around us like noxious weeds. Do unto others...
I go for a walk everyday and pass by and walk the grounds of the VA hospital here. Across from the back side of the hospital is a stretch of road that is just a dump. People driving into the VA just throw all their food trash and containers and other trash along this stretch of road. They have it in their possession for days, hours, maybe just minutes but, would they want people throwing trash in their yard? Why throw it out on someone else' property? It makes no sense but, people are just unwilling to do to others what they would have others do to them.
Heaven will be Heaven because the Golden Rule will be part of the entire psyche of each person there. Of all creatures there. Of everything there. If we cannot practice the Golden Rule here, we will not live in that place where that rule is the essence of life when this life is over.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Do you know what it is? You've heard of it? Maybe not. You may not have heard of it before because it just isn't practiced much anymore. The Golden Rule, the bottom line premise, principle and actuation to balance and safeguard any society is a simple standard spoken by Christ, found in Matthew 7:12 -
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Do to others what you would have them do to you. According to Jesus, the entire code of biblical law and information rests on that principle. It is the undergirding of law and information from the prophets. It is religious faith and action 101. It is a principle, all but lost in modern society. There seems no part of society that functions by it anymore. Find one.
Politics? Please. It has gotten so ugly it's an embarrassment before the world, given American politicians see this nation as some moral figurehead around the globe. That is called hypocrisy.
Business? Seriously? Everything is marketing. Everything is visual and sensory perceptions. Everything is sales. Everything is money-making. There are few products that are made by companies that truly care about human welfare. The food industry, especially. The cheapest materials, producing junk with no natural nutrition. Make it look nice. Package it nicely. Sell it. Perhaps the drug companies more than any of them are guilty; with their commercials with music in the background, fields, blue skies, water, flowers, beaches, mountains, picnics, families, parties... an endless list of scenes designed to keep your attention while a voice telling viewers side effects include possible death... you cannot make this stuff up.
Religion. God have mercy, that subject makes for volumes. The one place where the Golden Rule should be rote, chiseled into minds, is into religious faith claiming connection to God. Professed Christians can be some of the meanest, most dangerous people in the world, who will tear you to shreds with soul destroying gossip, the man-made rules and power struggles for dominion over denominational control, policies of Romanism and popery... to be expected in Catholicism but, not in that which professes principles of Protestantism. Include all religious practitioners in this, all religions. The Golden Rule is so absent in so much of religion today it's a crime against God.
Do to others what you would have them do to you. Tell the truth. Don't lie. Don't manipulate for advantage. Don't play games with people. Be honest. Stand up for righteousness. When someone falls, help them up. When someone trips up, hold them steady. Just treat people like you want to be treated.
No, life on Earth cannot be Heaven. Evil is growing. Humanity is becoming unreasonable because it will not reason with God. That does not absolve anyone from following the Golden Rule. You cannot claim to be a follower of God and do things behind people's backs, treating them very unlike what you would want done to you.
The Devil's rule is simple - Whatsoever thou wilt. Do whatever you want, whatever you can get away with to get ahead, to gain, to be in control. Don't get mad. Get even.
It's a political season. Political attack ads are beginning to grow all around us like noxious weeds. Do unto others...
I go for a walk everyday and pass by and walk the grounds of the VA hospital here. Across from the back side of the hospital is a stretch of road that is just a dump. People driving into the VA just throw all their food trash and containers and other trash along this stretch of road. They have it in their possession for days, hours, maybe just minutes but, would they want people throwing trash in their yard? Why throw it out on someone else' property? It makes no sense but, people are just unwilling to do to others what they would have others do to them.
Heaven will be Heaven because the Golden Rule will be part of the entire psyche of each person there. Of all creatures there. Of everything there. If we cannot practice the Golden Rule here, we will not live in that place where that rule is the essence of life when this life is over.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
*Serious Issues That Go Unnoticed*
I'm posting this because I consistently see headlines on alt news websites that report on it, piecemeal.
Russia is the bogeyman of the West these days and has been since Obama left office. Before that, in their usual hypocritical fashion, Leftists loved Russia because Leftists are basically wealth-redistribution communists. Once Putin began to really open up Russia to Capitalism and world trade and Western thought the Left had no use for it. Today, China has become the Left's poster child for how government should run.
So, not to say Russia is a totally free country. It isn't. It does not have total free speech or religious freedom but, that said, how do you suppose it compares to government in England?
rumble.com/v4hb6ic-russia-versus-britain-which-nation-jails-more-people-over-social-media-post.html
I am not surprised. You might be.
This is really why, who and what you can trust today is a major matter of concern. Multi-national Corporate news media? No. The Uniparty American government? Definitely, no.
It goes farther than that, of course. Marketing and advertisements? No. Big Pharma? No. The U.N., W.H.O., C.D.C., W.E.F., and other such organizations that gain more and more control of human movement and operations? No. These all have shown they cannot be trusted to guard, to protect God-given rights and God's law of liberty, James 2:12.
We all would be wise to never place unfettered trust in anyone or anything that seeks power over others; mind, emotions or physical, beyond common sense laws and societal balance. Yet, even there. Who decides what laws and balance? The people who make and write the laws. Well, that has gotten pretty unworthy of trust and fidelity, in almost all the nations, perhaps a definite, all the nations in the West and the rest of the world. Who and what, then, can you trust?
As for me; I will trust the LORD and His Word. That will never fail.
While I do not endorse everything you will see on this sight - or any information/news/religious website for that matter - this article brings things into light, things happening to crush free speech, that should concern us all.
discernreport.com/there-is-a-war-on-free-speech-and-they-wont-ever-be-satisfied-until-it-is-completely-eradicated/
Russia is the bogeyman of the West these days and has been since Obama left office. Before that, in their usual hypocritical fashion, Leftists loved Russia because Leftists are basically wealth-redistribution communists. Once Putin began to really open up Russia to Capitalism and world trade and Western thought the Left had no use for it. Today, China has become the Left's poster child for how government should run.
So, not to say Russia is a totally free country. It isn't. It does not have total free speech or religious freedom but, that said, how do you suppose it compares to government in England?
rumble.com/v4hb6ic-russia-versus-britain-which-nation-jails-more-people-over-social-media-post.html
I am not surprised. You might be.
This is really why, who and what you can trust today is a major matter of concern. Multi-national Corporate news media? No. The Uniparty American government? Definitely, no.
It goes farther than that, of course. Marketing and advertisements? No. Big Pharma? No. The U.N., W.H.O., C.D.C., W.E.F., and other such organizations that gain more and more control of human movement and operations? No. These all have shown they cannot be trusted to guard, to protect God-given rights and God's law of liberty, James 2:12.
We all would be wise to never place unfettered trust in anyone or anything that seeks power over others; mind, emotions or physical, beyond common sense laws and societal balance. Yet, even there. Who decides what laws and balance? The people who make and write the laws. Well, that has gotten pretty unworthy of trust and fidelity, in almost all the nations, perhaps a definite, all the nations in the West and the rest of the world. Who and what, then, can you trust?
As for me; I will trust the LORD and His Word. That will never fail.
While I do not endorse everything you will see on this sight - or any information/news/religious website for that matter - this article brings things into light, things happening to crush free speech, that should concern us all.
discernreport.com/there-is-a-war-on-free-speech-and-they-wont-ever-be-satisfied-until-it-is-completely-eradicated/
*****************************
923. The FIX is IN - 3/5/24
People say I should have hope. Give me a reason and I will. Until then ...
"Merrick Garland Declares Election Integrity Racist, Threatens Red States
'We are challenging efforts by states and jurisdictions to implement discriminatory, burdensome and unnecessary restrictions on the ballot, including those related to mail-in voting, the use of drop boxes, and voter ID requirements...'
headlineusa.com/merrick-garland-voter-integrity-efforts-are-unnecessary/
Think of the requirements you need to sign up for things, to have a bank account, to licenses, to get benefits from local, state or federal programs, etc., etc., etc. but, if you require a citizen I.D. to vote for elected civil servants you'll run the risk of government threat and criminal retribution? This is the United States of America? Please. Do not insult the intelligence of people willing to think critically and just compare what the nation used to be and what it is.
"Biden AG Merrick Garland, speaking at an Alabama church, says election integrity efforts — such as voter ID requirements and restrictions on ballot "drop boxes" — are "discriminatory, burdensome, and unnecessary." pic.twitter.com/UExpO3nGbD
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 3, 2024"
Discriminatory on whom? Not those who follow the rules laid down by federal and state legislatures. Not those who are, indeed, legal citizens. Not those who are willing to allow the actual number of votes for a candidate decide elections. Not for those who consider the Constitution of the nation and each State constitution the law of the land.
Burdensome to whom? To illegal voters without U.S citizenship and a form of I.D. to prove that significant necessity.
This is another point to be raised. Were it not for Garland speaking in a Christian church, it is moot. Garland was raised a Conservative Jew. He does not receive Christ as Messiah, as far as I have looked the subject up. How then, does someone who rejects Jesus Christ as their Messiah get to speak in a Christian church? What are the leaders of that church involved in? You reject the plan of salvation, the only reason for a church to exist - to proclaim the plan of salvation - and you get to speak from the sacred desk to people who do supposedly accept the plan of salvation and Christ as the way, the TRUTH and the life? What is wrong with that picture? Anyone can and should pray for Merrick Garland to accept Christ as his Lord and Savior. Until then, he has no reason to be asked to stand in a church pulpit and address professed Christians about anything, let alone take a stand against citizens who want things done according to the law that he is supposed to administrate and be an agent of protection for; millions of whom are Christians.
You cannot make this stuff up.
Spiritual, prophetic Babylon.
Like the previous post, these people, speaking in churches - where truth and righteousness is a Heavenly mandate and requirement or else you are in trouble with GOD - are simply untrustworthy and corrupt. The Attorney General of the United States tells a congregation, the world, and Heaven he is going to stand in the way of those seeking to stop the possibility of election fraud and criminal activity, like took place in 2020 and 22 (and he knows it). He will go after those who seek election integrity and following of Federal and State legislated laws and rules or state legislatures that write laws to make certain things are done right, according to the law.
Without repentance, Merrick Garland has stated his own eternal outcome, in public. He makes the teaching of Christ, which is supposed to be the criteria for what takes place in any house of God, come alive with due effect -
Mat 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
Mat 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
Mat 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
Mat 12:36 But I say to you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Mat 12:37 For by your words you shalt be justified, and by your words you shalt be condemned.
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
John 3:20 For every one that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
John 3:21 But he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 12:47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
John 12:48 He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
Luke 12:1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trampled one another, he began to say to his disciples first of all, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Luke 12:2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.
Luke 12:3 Therefore whatsoever you have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
I have addressed spiritual, prophetic Babylon for quite awhile now. The above is the epitome of the policy proclaimed in Scripture.
Rev 17:1 And one of the seven angels who had the seven vials came and spoke with me, saying to me, "Come here; I will show you the judgment of the great whore who sits upon many waters;
Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication."
Church and state getting together is the epitome of the policy of Babylon. The Church of Rome displays that policy to every degree imaginable in its Papacy and Vatican. Yet, here we see a supposed Protestant church having a Jewish man speak to them about, not the gospel, not the truth as it is in Jesus but, political matters. Babylon. Confusion. Corruption.
The people in power, just as the Bible predicts, are corrupt. Not all. Some in D.C. have honorable intentions. Fulfilling them, in the systemic swamp, is pretty much impossible unless all who truly care about the principles of Americanism take a stand, regardless of threat or outcome. How many of those hearts and minds exist in D.C. and State capitols in this nation? I have reasonable doubt there exist very many.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
"Merrick Garland Declares Election Integrity Racist, Threatens Red States
'We are challenging efforts by states and jurisdictions to implement discriminatory, burdensome and unnecessary restrictions on the ballot, including those related to mail-in voting, the use of drop boxes, and voter ID requirements...'
headlineusa.com/merrick-garland-voter-integrity-efforts-are-unnecessary/
Think of the requirements you need to sign up for things, to have a bank account, to licenses, to get benefits from local, state or federal programs, etc., etc., etc. but, if you require a citizen I.D. to vote for elected civil servants you'll run the risk of government threat and criminal retribution? This is the United States of America? Please. Do not insult the intelligence of people willing to think critically and just compare what the nation used to be and what it is.
"Biden AG Merrick Garland, speaking at an Alabama church, says election integrity efforts — such as voter ID requirements and restrictions on ballot "drop boxes" — are "discriminatory, burdensome, and unnecessary." pic.twitter.com/UExpO3nGbD
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 3, 2024"
Discriminatory on whom? Not those who follow the rules laid down by federal and state legislatures. Not those who are, indeed, legal citizens. Not those who are willing to allow the actual number of votes for a candidate decide elections. Not for those who consider the Constitution of the nation and each State constitution the law of the land.
Burdensome to whom? To illegal voters without U.S citizenship and a form of I.D. to prove that significant necessity.
This is another point to be raised. Were it not for Garland speaking in a Christian church, it is moot. Garland was raised a Conservative Jew. He does not receive Christ as Messiah, as far as I have looked the subject up. How then, does someone who rejects Jesus Christ as their Messiah get to speak in a Christian church? What are the leaders of that church involved in? You reject the plan of salvation, the only reason for a church to exist - to proclaim the plan of salvation - and you get to speak from the sacred desk to people who do supposedly accept the plan of salvation and Christ as the way, the TRUTH and the life? What is wrong with that picture? Anyone can and should pray for Merrick Garland to accept Christ as his Lord and Savior. Until then, he has no reason to be asked to stand in a church pulpit and address professed Christians about anything, let alone take a stand against citizens who want things done according to the law that he is supposed to administrate and be an agent of protection for; millions of whom are Christians.
You cannot make this stuff up.
Spiritual, prophetic Babylon.
Like the previous post, these people, speaking in churches - where truth and righteousness is a Heavenly mandate and requirement or else you are in trouble with GOD - are simply untrustworthy and corrupt. The Attorney General of the United States tells a congregation, the world, and Heaven he is going to stand in the way of those seeking to stop the possibility of election fraud and criminal activity, like took place in 2020 and 22 (and he knows it). He will go after those who seek election integrity and following of Federal and State legislated laws and rules or state legislatures that write laws to make certain things are done right, according to the law.
Without repentance, Merrick Garland has stated his own eternal outcome, in public. He makes the teaching of Christ, which is supposed to be the criteria for what takes place in any house of God, come alive with due effect -
Mat 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
Mat 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
Mat 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
Mat 12:36 But I say to you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Mat 12:37 For by your words you shalt be justified, and by your words you shalt be condemned.
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
John 3:20 For every one that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
John 3:21 But he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 12:47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
John 12:48 He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
Luke 12:1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trampled one another, he began to say to his disciples first of all, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Luke 12:2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.
Luke 12:3 Therefore whatsoever you have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
I have addressed spiritual, prophetic Babylon for quite awhile now. The above is the epitome of the policy proclaimed in Scripture.
Rev 17:1 And one of the seven angels who had the seven vials came and spoke with me, saying to me, "Come here; I will show you the judgment of the great whore who sits upon many waters;
Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication."
Church and state getting together is the epitome of the policy of Babylon. The Church of Rome displays that policy to every degree imaginable in its Papacy and Vatican. Yet, here we see a supposed Protestant church having a Jewish man speak to them about, not the gospel, not the truth as it is in Jesus but, political matters. Babylon. Confusion. Corruption.
The people in power, just as the Bible predicts, are corrupt. Not all. Some in D.C. have honorable intentions. Fulfilling them, in the systemic swamp, is pretty much impossible unless all who truly care about the principles of Americanism take a stand, regardless of threat or outcome. How many of those hearts and minds exist in D.C. and State capitols in this nation? I have reasonable doubt there exist very many.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
An Exploding Follow-Up
As a follow-up to the previous post, I received an email that brought about this post.
Back in January, iirc, I began to notice stories in the news that Atlanta prosecutor, Fani Willis, heading up the RICO case against Donald Trump, was speaking in churches, propping herself up as if doing God's business in this thoroughly nonsensical case brought forth against the 45th POTUS. Playing the race card and heading into Black History Month, she was getting accolades and invitations to speak at churches.
Then came revelations of her adulterous affair with an assistant prosecutor brought in on the case. Doing some searches, the revelations became court testimony mid-February, around the 15th, in a trial brought forth to dismiss her from her position for issues involved in that affair. On the 17th, this admitted adulteress (for which no apparent repentance has been rendered), was invited to speak at the Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church, in Atlanta. She spoke for around 20 minutes, claiming how many people were writing to her and sending a particular text of Scripture to encourage her -
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, says the LORD.
The appearance at this church brought about an explosion of response throughout that denomination, as well as her appearances and/or praise from pastors of other churches in the "Black" community, AFTER the revelations of her affair were legally rendered in court. Rumors before her trial and testimony are one thing. Established truth is another. Why would a professing Christian church praise an admitted adulteress? Now, if she wholly and sincerely repented and asked forgiveness from God and dropped her political hack, attack case on Trump, that would be something to be thankful for but, using pulpits to defend herself in her mockery of truth and honesty, as though she has done nothing wrong, is about as bold as can be put forth and frankly, seriously ignorant of the Christian faith and a very dangerous path. That goes for those who praise her and give her place to speak her self-deception in what should be places honoring truth and righteousness.
Not following the RICO case, aside from headlines, nor Willis' trial for her lack of integrity in her office, I really was unaware at the number of public Press and private articles on websites and YouTube videos of this entire situation, from the viewpoint of the "Black" Christian community, as well as those commenting from other Christian communities. A lot of people are completely disgusted by this praise being heaped on Willis. That's a good thing.
I just see more and more "confusion;" spiritual, prophetic Babylon on display. It is truly becoming a daily monster of madness to behold.
We are all sinners in need of a Saviour and God's gracious invitation to salvation through Christ: His life, death, resurrection, ministry in Heaven and glorious return to rescue His remnant and resurrect the millions of faithful worshipers down through time and begin the everlasting life of His church militant as the church triumphant. The Gospel of God, of Christ, of grace, of the kingdom, of peace, of truth and hope is what we all need, desperately, I would add. None of us have any stones to throw at anyone else. I certainly don't. That truth cannot dispel or displace the necessity to stand up for principle, especially in these days of spiritual confusion abounding everywhere in this world. Darkness grows. It is worse, far worse, when darkness is called light -
Matt 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye be single, your whole body shall be full of light.
Matt 6:23 But if your eye be evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness!
We are all making eternal decisions, whether we realize it or not. Time is running out. The coin rolling around the funnel has picked up a lot of speed and events are going to unveil with rapidity that will shock us. Whether you and I are or not, people out there are getting ready to meet the Lord in peace upon His return.
I hold fast my belief, if God does not step in and do something, America is going down in a way not intended by its Founders. America is in prophecy and has a prophetic role to fulfill. That role will bring it down, in a different way and while that way shall take place sooner or later, because prophecy is never wrong; the nation certainly could head down a detour that could last decades. Will it? I believe we shall soon know.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Back in January, iirc, I began to notice stories in the news that Atlanta prosecutor, Fani Willis, heading up the RICO case against Donald Trump, was speaking in churches, propping herself up as if doing God's business in this thoroughly nonsensical case brought forth against the 45th POTUS. Playing the race card and heading into Black History Month, she was getting accolades and invitations to speak at churches.
Then came revelations of her adulterous affair with an assistant prosecutor brought in on the case. Doing some searches, the revelations became court testimony mid-February, around the 15th, in a trial brought forth to dismiss her from her position for issues involved in that affair. On the 17th, this admitted adulteress (for which no apparent repentance has been rendered), was invited to speak at the Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church, in Atlanta. She spoke for around 20 minutes, claiming how many people were writing to her and sending a particular text of Scripture to encourage her -
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, says the LORD.
The appearance at this church brought about an explosion of response throughout that denomination, as well as her appearances and/or praise from pastors of other churches in the "Black" community, AFTER the revelations of her affair were legally rendered in court. Rumors before her trial and testimony are one thing. Established truth is another. Why would a professing Christian church praise an admitted adulteress? Now, if she wholly and sincerely repented and asked forgiveness from God and dropped her political hack, attack case on Trump, that would be something to be thankful for but, using pulpits to defend herself in her mockery of truth and honesty, as though she has done nothing wrong, is about as bold as can be put forth and frankly, seriously ignorant of the Christian faith and a very dangerous path. That goes for those who praise her and give her place to speak her self-deception in what should be places honoring truth and righteousness.
Not following the RICO case, aside from headlines, nor Willis' trial for her lack of integrity in her office, I really was unaware at the number of public Press and private articles on websites and YouTube videos of this entire situation, from the viewpoint of the "Black" Christian community, as well as those commenting from other Christian communities. A lot of people are completely disgusted by this praise being heaped on Willis. That's a good thing.
I just see more and more "confusion;" spiritual, prophetic Babylon on display. It is truly becoming a daily monster of madness to behold.
We are all sinners in need of a Saviour and God's gracious invitation to salvation through Christ: His life, death, resurrection, ministry in Heaven and glorious return to rescue His remnant and resurrect the millions of faithful worshipers down through time and begin the everlasting life of His church militant as the church triumphant. The Gospel of God, of Christ, of grace, of the kingdom, of peace, of truth and hope is what we all need, desperately, I would add. None of us have any stones to throw at anyone else. I certainly don't. That truth cannot dispel or displace the necessity to stand up for principle, especially in these days of spiritual confusion abounding everywhere in this world. Darkness grows. It is worse, far worse, when darkness is called light -
Matt 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye be single, your whole body shall be full of light.
Matt 6:23 But if your eye be evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness!
We are all making eternal decisions, whether we realize it or not. Time is running out. The coin rolling around the funnel has picked up a lot of speed and events are going to unveil with rapidity that will shock us. Whether you and I are or not, people out there are getting ready to meet the Lord in peace upon His return.
I hold fast my belief, if God does not step in and do something, America is going down in a way not intended by its Founders. America is in prophecy and has a prophetic role to fulfill. That role will bring it down, in a different way and while that way shall take place sooner or later, because prophecy is never wrong; the nation certainly could head down a detour that could last decades. Will it? I believe we shall soon know.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
A Political Follow-Up. Whoa.
Yes, I believe the Fix is In: machinations are being designed and put in place to make certain Donald Trump does not win the 2024 election.
First, before you check out the article and info, know, again, the United State of America IS NOT a Democracy. It is a Constitutional Republic that employs certain elements of democracy in the functions of government. The Founders of this nation rejected a pure democracy because a democracy is just a rule of the majority and the majority could turn ugly (mob mentality) and there goes the nation. Well, like what is happening.
The article is, to me, jaw dropping; at the continued boldness these traitorous puppets of globalism are willing to state about their intentions -
www.infowars.com/posts/election-interference-dem-michigan-sec-of-state-coordinating-with-5-battleground-secs-of-state-to-fight-a-common-adversary/
The "common adversary" is, of course, Donald Trump and the desires of Americans supporting the MAGA agenda: America first.
Secretaries of State, working together to plan on how they can secure the election for their chosen candidate, rather than allow the people to decide who shall win seats in Congress and who electors shall vote for, for POTUS, is, obviously, the antithesis of a democracy. Of course, a democracy is, by design, allowing the citizens of a nation freedom and liberty to vote for candidates. That would be legal citizens. That is the simplicity of a democracy. A Constitutional Republic safeguards the will of the citizenry through the rule of law. All are equal under the law. No one is above the law, least of all elected civil servants. That is why government was intended to be limited by rules and laws contained in the constitutions of the nation and the states. Otherwise tyranny is a short step away.
This is really sickening to read. Not just the apparent ignorance of the principles of American government the Founders declared and died for but, the arrogance these puppets of ruthless anti-American interests outside this nation display to have things go THEIR way, which is NOT how a democracy works.
They are planning to interfere with the election again; knowing their state and the federal justice departments will do nothing to prevent, stop or criminally charge them for. A democracy? God forbid!
"Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced she’s “coordinating” with six other secretaries of state of battleground states to fight a “common adversary” ahead of the 2024 election.
"In an interview with the anti-Trump MeidasTouch PAC on Wednesday, Benson said she and other Democrat secretaries of state fought a “coordinated effort to undermine the will of the people” in the 2020 election, and are working more closely together this cycle to do it again.
“One of the things we saw in 2020 was that particularly in battleground states, we are all battling–were all battling–a common adversary, a nationally coordinated effort to undermine the will of the people, before, during and after Election Day,” she said."
So, what did they do? They coordinated an effort to undermine the will of the people, before, during and election day! They messed with voting machines, they messed with ballots, they messed with everything they could and hey, Katie Hobbs is a friend of Benson and what do you know! Hobbs won in Arizona over intensely popular Kari Lake in '22 and pulled it off because of the cowards and criminals behind it all in both parties! See? Cheating works, kids. You, too, can control outcomes with good planning and gutless co-conspirators. Man, whodathunk?
The problem this time around is that Joe Biden can barely find his way around the WH and shakes hands with invisible people, needs his wife to guide him around, with aids that whisk him away from any kind of probing questions put before him, as he is pumped up with drugs and medications to keep his dementia in check as much as possible. The entire world sees this and laughs at America. Joe Biden is not POTUS and even if he were, he cannot operate the office. Others obviously are. He cannot possibly compete in a second election.
So, Democrats are feverishly looking for ways, any ways they can come up with, to keep Trump off the ballot. They are failing. Citizens see it, save for the most radical Leftists who only see what they are taught to see. Even there, surveys show more and more Democrats will not vote for Biden because they believe he is now too old and too feeble to hold the office. They'll either stay home and 10% are now slated, according to a recent survey, to vote for Trump!
Yeah, man, these Secs of State will really have to come up with some good planning to pull this off. We know they'll do their best.
MAGA Republicans and many Independent voters are hoping the election is too big to rig; that a Trump landslide will be the biggest in American history, surpassing 2020, so all efforts to fix the votes will show they are nothing but fraud.
We'll see.
May God turn these deluded Democrats before they drive over a cliff of their own creation with their destruction of America.
First, before you check out the article and info, know, again, the United State of America IS NOT a Democracy. It is a Constitutional Republic that employs certain elements of democracy in the functions of government. The Founders of this nation rejected a pure democracy because a democracy is just a rule of the majority and the majority could turn ugly (mob mentality) and there goes the nation. Well, like what is happening.
The article is, to me, jaw dropping; at the continued boldness these traitorous puppets of globalism are willing to state about their intentions -
www.infowars.com/posts/election-interference-dem-michigan-sec-of-state-coordinating-with-5-battleground-secs-of-state-to-fight-a-common-adversary/
The "common adversary" is, of course, Donald Trump and the desires of Americans supporting the MAGA agenda: America first.
Secretaries of State, working together to plan on how they can secure the election for their chosen candidate, rather than allow the people to decide who shall win seats in Congress and who electors shall vote for, for POTUS, is, obviously, the antithesis of a democracy. Of course, a democracy is, by design, allowing the citizens of a nation freedom and liberty to vote for candidates. That would be legal citizens. That is the simplicity of a democracy. A Constitutional Republic safeguards the will of the citizenry through the rule of law. All are equal under the law. No one is above the law, least of all elected civil servants. That is why government was intended to be limited by rules and laws contained in the constitutions of the nation and the states. Otherwise tyranny is a short step away.
This is really sickening to read. Not just the apparent ignorance of the principles of American government the Founders declared and died for but, the arrogance these puppets of ruthless anti-American interests outside this nation display to have things go THEIR way, which is NOT how a democracy works.
They are planning to interfere with the election again; knowing their state and the federal justice departments will do nothing to prevent, stop or criminally charge them for. A democracy? God forbid!
"Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced she’s “coordinating” with six other secretaries of state of battleground states to fight a “common adversary” ahead of the 2024 election.
"In an interview with the anti-Trump MeidasTouch PAC on Wednesday, Benson said she and other Democrat secretaries of state fought a “coordinated effort to undermine the will of the people” in the 2020 election, and are working more closely together this cycle to do it again.
“One of the things we saw in 2020 was that particularly in battleground states, we are all battling–were all battling–a common adversary, a nationally coordinated effort to undermine the will of the people, before, during and after Election Day,” she said."
So, what did they do? They coordinated an effort to undermine the will of the people, before, during and election day! They messed with voting machines, they messed with ballots, they messed with everything they could and hey, Katie Hobbs is a friend of Benson and what do you know! Hobbs won in Arizona over intensely popular Kari Lake in '22 and pulled it off because of the cowards and criminals behind it all in both parties! See? Cheating works, kids. You, too, can control outcomes with good planning and gutless co-conspirators. Man, whodathunk?
The problem this time around is that Joe Biden can barely find his way around the WH and shakes hands with invisible people, needs his wife to guide him around, with aids that whisk him away from any kind of probing questions put before him, as he is pumped up with drugs and medications to keep his dementia in check as much as possible. The entire world sees this and laughs at America. Joe Biden is not POTUS and even if he were, he cannot operate the office. Others obviously are. He cannot possibly compete in a second election.
So, Democrats are feverishly looking for ways, any ways they can come up with, to keep Trump off the ballot. They are failing. Citizens see it, save for the most radical Leftists who only see what they are taught to see. Even there, surveys show more and more Democrats will not vote for Biden because they believe he is now too old and too feeble to hold the office. They'll either stay home and 10% are now slated, according to a recent survey, to vote for Trump!
Yeah, man, these Secs of State will really have to come up with some good planning to pull this off. We know they'll do their best.
MAGA Republicans and many Independent voters are hoping the election is too big to rig; that a Trump landslide will be the biggest in American history, surpassing 2020, so all efforts to fix the votes will show they are nothing but fraud.
We'll see.
May God turn these deluded Democrats before they drive over a cliff of their own creation with their destruction of America.
*****************************
Pulpit Protection
It is often the case that a headline can broadly implicate far more than those actually involved in a matter. It is something I see regularly and perhaps I am guilty of it myself. This can be the case when commenting about the subject of spiritual, prophetic Babylon: confusion out there caused by false doctrine brought to the world by false leaders or false shepherds, if you will. Many such leaders and shepherds exist but, also, like those who want to condemn the police, there are many officers who do their jobs above and beyond the call of duty and rarely get exposed for the good they do, potentially putting themselves in harm's way every day. Many sincere, honest Christians are found in all churches, regardless of things that happen in those church congregations or denominations at the hands of leaders. Spiritual, prophetic Babylon is a reality, though and in exposing the confusion, God wants people to be aware and come out of Babylon, out of religious erroneous doctrinal confines and stand on the eternal platform of truth established by God in His Word; wholly, completely to our advantage; living in a crazy world getting crazier by the week.
Such is the case in a church, a megachurch in Phoenix, Arizona. Every person who has stood in a place of leadership is likely to put his foot in his mouth sooner or later. It's fallen humanity. That said, there is a line that would hardly seem possible to cross, even in this day and age but, this one looks like even that area is now seen as... common, acceptable, no big deal?
In speaking about marriage, a husband and wife pastoral couple, dressed in camouflage clothing, joked about sexual contact; what men need, what women need. The husband stated he'd let the congregation fill in the blanks for "p" and "d" in the three P's and three D's, and the congregation laughed and... well, you can watch it for yourself -
twitter.com/Protestia/status/1765698251171262483
I know many would cringe at such speech from a pulpit. Who protects the pulpit from such speech? Generally, the elders of a church would address things like that. Elders being those who are well-versed in Scripture, of spiritually mature minds; chosen leaders for the flock; not necessarily 'older' men/"senior citizens" in a congregation. Deacons can also be guardians of the pulpit. The task is to have men stand there who are understanding of the sacredness of the position and responsibility of it; not the furniture, the calling. It is generally true a congregation, a church will rise no higher than its leaders. Again, no stone throwing here. Just pointing out spiritual realities of the times we are living in. More and more humor and entertainment has taken the place of exposition of the Word and the whole counsel of God. Things are changing, rapidly.
As Babylon becomes more and more controlled by dark forces and minds become numb to sacred, spiritual realities, more and more of this type of thing will take place. Remember the truth of these statements -
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
2Cor 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2Cor 4:4 In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, so that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should not shine upon them.
2Cor 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent seduced Eve in his sophistry, your minds should be corrupted from the singlemindedness that is in Christ.
1Tim 6:3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness,
1Tim 6:4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,
1Tim 6:5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
2Pet 2:1 But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privately bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
2Pet 2:2 And many shall follow their ruinous way; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of.
2Pet 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with fake words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingers not, and their destruction slumbers not.
2Pet 3:1 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,
2Pet 3:2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of us, the apostles of our Lord and Savior,
2Pet 3:3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days, following their own sinful desires.
The battleground is the mind. Little things take place; "rounding the corners" and making light of serious, eternal matters, and slowly but, surely, the mind is in darkness when we think it is full of light. It can happen to anyone, all of us but, we have this promise -
Philip 4:7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Such is the case in a church, a megachurch in Phoenix, Arizona. Every person who has stood in a place of leadership is likely to put his foot in his mouth sooner or later. It's fallen humanity. That said, there is a line that would hardly seem possible to cross, even in this day and age but, this one looks like even that area is now seen as... common, acceptable, no big deal?
In speaking about marriage, a husband and wife pastoral couple, dressed in camouflage clothing, joked about sexual contact; what men need, what women need. The husband stated he'd let the congregation fill in the blanks for "p" and "d" in the three P's and three D's, and the congregation laughed and... well, you can watch it for yourself -
twitter.com/Protestia/status/1765698251171262483
I know many would cringe at such speech from a pulpit. Who protects the pulpit from such speech? Generally, the elders of a church would address things like that. Elders being those who are well-versed in Scripture, of spiritually mature minds; chosen leaders for the flock; not necessarily 'older' men/"senior citizens" in a congregation. Deacons can also be guardians of the pulpit. The task is to have men stand there who are understanding of the sacredness of the position and responsibility of it; not the furniture, the calling. It is generally true a congregation, a church will rise no higher than its leaders. Again, no stone throwing here. Just pointing out spiritual realities of the times we are living in. More and more humor and entertainment has taken the place of exposition of the Word and the whole counsel of God. Things are changing, rapidly.
As Babylon becomes more and more controlled by dark forces and minds become numb to sacred, spiritual realities, more and more of this type of thing will take place. Remember the truth of these statements -
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
2Cor 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2Cor 4:4 In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, so that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should not shine upon them.
2Cor 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent seduced Eve in his sophistry, your minds should be corrupted from the singlemindedness that is in Christ.
1Tim 6:3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness,
1Tim 6:4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,
1Tim 6:5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
2Pet 2:1 But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privately bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
2Pet 2:2 And many shall follow their ruinous way; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of.
2Pet 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with fake words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingers not, and their destruction slumbers not.
2Pet 3:1 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,
2Pet 3:2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of us, the apostles of our Lord and Savior,
2Pet 3:3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days, following their own sinful desires.
The battleground is the mind. Little things take place; "rounding the corners" and making light of serious, eternal matters, and slowly but, surely, the mind is in darkness when we think it is full of light. It can happen to anyone, all of us but, we have this promise -
Philip 4:7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
*****************************
SOTU
No, I didn't watch the State of the Union address last night. Over someone's apartment, they suggested it and channel 4 of their satellite network begins the channel listing, and that is FOX. I didn't hear more than a minute and one of the talking heads said something so ridiculous I said, "I'm done." I know Biden is mentally ill and if the supposed intelligent people who comment on the address can be so foolish, I know Biden cannot say anything intelligent, at all, and apparently, looking at alt news this morning, that was the case.
We know by experience, by observation, the state of the union, no longer unified, is a mess. Our wallets tell us. Our vision tells us. Our other senses tell us. A decently working mind tells us America is malfunctioning; if you have any common sense, at all, you know it. I don't need Joe Biden, part of a corrupt, criminal enterprise in his own family, to tell me that. He's part of the problem.
I did see parts of the speech. Threatening the Supreme Court? Seriously? The man just seemed like the puppet character, Walter, used by ventriloquist, Jeff Dunham. Mean and angry; much like Biden's rant against patriot Americans in the red light backdrop speech. Dark and dastardly.
I just watched Tucker Carlson's take on the speech, which he did live, last night. He had Conservative commentator Victor Davis Hanson on, as well as Alex Jones. Ten million people have watched it so far but, that is hardly enough. If America contains 330 million people now, 300 million should see it and deal with it because the things stated were correct. Whether everyone likes it or not, the comments were accurate, even if over the top at times.
I noticed Tucker has enough clout to warrant a bunch of commentators on the Left doing programs and videos, not on Biden's speech but, on Tucker's response to it. What does that tell me? It tells me Tucker is saying things far more consequential than the mentally impaired, Joe Biden.
Apparently, Biden was on enough meds to keep him coherent last night. He only fumbled his speech a couple times. That said, attacking SCOTUS to their faces, attacking all Americans who disagree with his radical Leftist agenda, attacking common sense, just attacking, and God have mercy, lying and lying and lying... Leftists truly think that the aspect of telling lies enough and people will believe it's truth is really a marching order for them, much as it was the Soviet Communists.
Tucker played a clip from an MSNBC news program where a commentator did a rant on rural Americans being the most dangerous element in America, right now. Any adequately informed American could have torn the man's rant to shreds but, of course, MSNBC does not have opposing views such as that.
America is dangerously divided now. Both sides know what they want to see happen. Both sides see the other as destroying America. The difference is, one side would like America to be something that used to be. The other side wants an America to be like what is has become; a place of ruination of the principles of Americanism - what the Founders and Framers espoused: freedom and liberty for all; the upheld principles of the rule of law and all being equal under the law; a limited and reduced federal government; a military prepared but, less engaged and a stoppage of constant expensive wars that do nothing to protect Americans but, enrich war profiteers; a functioning economy that allows anyone to thrive if they are willing to work hard and honestly; educating children, adolescents and young adults in a way that fosters critical thinking skills and moral decency; a nation with strong, controlled borders, enforcing laws against illegal entry; a nation that honors the Creator, while maintaining a healthy separation of the powers of church and state - those aspects, if treasured, are a death blow to those who want America to be a nation run by elites and controlled by those who promise freedom but constantly take it away and treat life like a pest.
I will also say, those principles stand in the way of those who would like to see religion running the nation. I see no use for atheists or religionists to run the country. What does that mean? It means people of faith are an important part of what America is but, no laws respecting an establishment of religion: any particular doctrine or denominated people, should be given a greater role in the fabric of America and decision-making than anything or anyone else. I am not a Christian nationalist and find it very disconcerting to read commentary from alt news that has no problem being classed as such.
Biden cannot be a unifying element in America. He has shown that in dark, flying colors. While Trump poses no threat to the principles of Americanism, he cannot be a unifying element, either. If left alone by the radical Leftist corporate-controlled news media, he could be but, they are set in granite. I believe Alex Jones' take on what the Left will do if Trump is elected: they'll burn down the nation, much like the BLM/Antifa riots attempted after George Floyd died. This time, they will succeed, doing it as Trump is POTUS elect. Much can be destroyed in a couple months. The radical Left will do nothing to stop it. If they cannot control America, they will destroy it. It does appear that the Left worships death. They want to kill babies in the womb. They want to escalate war. At this point, both Left and RINO Right want more war. It's insane.
Again, my take is simple. If God does not save America, America cannot and will not be saved.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
We know by experience, by observation, the state of the union, no longer unified, is a mess. Our wallets tell us. Our vision tells us. Our other senses tell us. A decently working mind tells us America is malfunctioning; if you have any common sense, at all, you know it. I don't need Joe Biden, part of a corrupt, criminal enterprise in his own family, to tell me that. He's part of the problem.
I did see parts of the speech. Threatening the Supreme Court? Seriously? The man just seemed like the puppet character, Walter, used by ventriloquist, Jeff Dunham. Mean and angry; much like Biden's rant against patriot Americans in the red light backdrop speech. Dark and dastardly.
I just watched Tucker Carlson's take on the speech, which he did live, last night. He had Conservative commentator Victor Davis Hanson on, as well as Alex Jones. Ten million people have watched it so far but, that is hardly enough. If America contains 330 million people now, 300 million should see it and deal with it because the things stated were correct. Whether everyone likes it or not, the comments were accurate, even if over the top at times.
I noticed Tucker has enough clout to warrant a bunch of commentators on the Left doing programs and videos, not on Biden's speech but, on Tucker's response to it. What does that tell me? It tells me Tucker is saying things far more consequential than the mentally impaired, Joe Biden.
Apparently, Biden was on enough meds to keep him coherent last night. He only fumbled his speech a couple times. That said, attacking SCOTUS to their faces, attacking all Americans who disagree with his radical Leftist agenda, attacking common sense, just attacking, and God have mercy, lying and lying and lying... Leftists truly think that the aspect of telling lies enough and people will believe it's truth is really a marching order for them, much as it was the Soviet Communists.
Tucker played a clip from an MSNBC news program where a commentator did a rant on rural Americans being the most dangerous element in America, right now. Any adequately informed American could have torn the man's rant to shreds but, of course, MSNBC does not have opposing views such as that.
America is dangerously divided now. Both sides know what they want to see happen. Both sides see the other as destroying America. The difference is, one side would like America to be something that used to be. The other side wants an America to be like what is has become; a place of ruination of the principles of Americanism - what the Founders and Framers espoused: freedom and liberty for all; the upheld principles of the rule of law and all being equal under the law; a limited and reduced federal government; a military prepared but, less engaged and a stoppage of constant expensive wars that do nothing to protect Americans but, enrich war profiteers; a functioning economy that allows anyone to thrive if they are willing to work hard and honestly; educating children, adolescents and young adults in a way that fosters critical thinking skills and moral decency; a nation with strong, controlled borders, enforcing laws against illegal entry; a nation that honors the Creator, while maintaining a healthy separation of the powers of church and state - those aspects, if treasured, are a death blow to those who want America to be a nation run by elites and controlled by those who promise freedom but constantly take it away and treat life like a pest.
I will also say, those principles stand in the way of those who would like to see religion running the nation. I see no use for atheists or religionists to run the country. What does that mean? It means people of faith are an important part of what America is but, no laws respecting an establishment of religion: any particular doctrine or denominated people, should be given a greater role in the fabric of America and decision-making than anything or anyone else. I am not a Christian nationalist and find it very disconcerting to read commentary from alt news that has no problem being classed as such.
Biden cannot be a unifying element in America. He has shown that in dark, flying colors. While Trump poses no threat to the principles of Americanism, he cannot be a unifying element, either. If left alone by the radical Leftist corporate-controlled news media, he could be but, they are set in granite. I believe Alex Jones' take on what the Left will do if Trump is elected: they'll burn down the nation, much like the BLM/Antifa riots attempted after George Floyd died. This time, they will succeed, doing it as Trump is POTUS elect. Much can be destroyed in a couple months. The radical Left will do nothing to stop it. If they cannot control America, they will destroy it. It does appear that the Left worships death. They want to kill babies in the womb. They want to escalate war. At this point, both Left and RINO Right want more war. It's insane.
Again, my take is simple. If God does not save America, America cannot and will not be saved.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
924.6 Cases Against... Americans - 3/8/24
In beginning to read an article on the current 6 legal cases against Donald Trump -
www.wnd.com/2024/03/6-legal-attacks-trump-stand/
- it dawns on me that, in reality, these cases reflect an attitude against any and all Americans who support, not just Trump and the America-first, MAGA agenda but, the very founding principles of our nation and those who espouse them. They want to stop Trump from running. They want to keep Americans from voting for him. They want Americans, who care about their country from the same attitude as the Founders, from having a voice in this "democracy" the Left claims to be standing for and protecting. They do not want their "democracy" threatened or toppled by a Constitutional Republic made up of people who know they have inalienable rights from God and are committed to them. That means holding Him accountable first. God is a delusion that causes problems, as far as they are concerned. Once He is out of the way in the progress of their takeover, people like Trump can be handled. Once people like Trump are handled, supporters are a done deal. Once they are removed from influence, the nation is securely theirs.
You can and should read the article. It lays out the 6 cases, charges, etc., and analyzes their potential success or failure. It seems legit so far. I should finish it before sending you there... -
I will post the six cases.
"The anti-Trump coalition has launched six main attacks on Trump.
Attack No. 1 is the federal indictment, brought by the Justice Department-appointed special counsel Jack Smith, charging Trump with 40 felony counts in the classified documents case.
No. 2 is the federal indictment, also brought by Smith, charging Trump with four felonies in the 2020 election and Jan. 6 case.
No. 3 is the sprawling, 13-felony count racketeering indictment, based on the 2020 election, brought against Trump and 18 co-defendants in Georgia by the elected Democratic Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Attack No. 4 is the 34-felony-count indictment, based on the payment of hush money in the 2016 election, brought by the elected Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
No. 5 is the effort, launched by various activists around the country, to remove Trump from presidential ballots by declaring him an "insurrectionist" under the terms of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
And No. 6 is the effort to bankrupt Trump by way of a lawsuit brought by the elected Democratic New York State Attorney General Letitia James."
The article seems short-changed, to me. It's missing depth. Maybe the simplicity of the conclusions, based on lack of case conclusions, except #6 and the 454 million dollar judgment against Trump, which he'll appeal, is truly the case of what Democrats hope to accomplish.
If Trump were tried before the election and loses the cases, it would take a hundred million people to write-in Trump on election day and even then, the law would keep him from being holding office. Appeals will not help. Too little, too late.
Name another person in America that has the influence Donald Trump has. No one in the GOP. No one anywhere, coast to coast. And if Trump is found guilty all stand-ins who believe the same as him will fear the same attacks and not take the job. Far more is at stake than Trump's candidacy. Americans are under attack, literally.
"The Plan," that I have been exposed to and written about, remains in my mind. It's a now or never proposition. If the idea for Democrats is to cause a civil war and the idea for the leaders of this "Plan" is to prevent civil war and stop traitors and treasonous actors before they destroy the Republic, the next several months are critical.
So many oaths say, "...to protect the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic..." and the domestic enemies have gained so much ground. Biden sounded like a desperate man last night. An angry man; losing control, threatening, ranting, lashing out. His media supporters praised this maniacal performance. His detractors react with amazement, as no such SOTU address has ever been given in acknowledged American history.
It's all on the line. Americans are under attack and Russia or China, have little to nothing to do with it, save for the totalitarian Communism one nation had and the other has, which appeals to domestic enemies.
Take a look here and see/hear what radical Leftists think of everyday Americans they are demonizing and will totally marginalize if they gain the power they desire -
"First, they are the most racist, xenophobic, anti-immigrant, anti-gay geo-demographic group in the country.
"Second, they are the most conspiracist group: QAnon supporters and subscribers, election denialism, COVID denialism, scientific skepticism, Obama birtherism.
"Third, anti-democratic sentiments: they don’t believe in an independent press, free speech. They’re the most likely to say the president should be able to act unilaterally without any checks from Congress, or the courts or the bureaucracy. They’re also also the most strongly white nationalist and white Christian nationalist.
"And fourth, they are the most likely to excuse or justify violence as acceptable alternative to peaceful public discourse."
www.frontpagemag.com/poor-white-trump-voters-enemies-of-the-state/
Let's see. I am not a racist. I believe there is only one race; the created human race, in which everyone is a shade of brown, based on the amount of melanin in their skin. No doubt racists exist in America, on BOTH sides of Left and Right issues. Pegging an entire swath of citizens as racist or white nationalists is nonsensical, at best and reprehensible, at worst.
I have no irrational fear of foreigners or strange things; although I guess I do have a rational fear of the strangeness this man exists in and the influence he has... actually, given the viewership of MSNBC and the number of actual copies of books he'll sell, I really shouldn't have any fear of him, at all. He is rather meaningless to the larger picture of things.
I am not anti-immigrant. I am anti-illegal immigrant.
I am not anti-gay, against people. I am anti-homosexual activity because I am a Bible believing Christian, and the Bible condemns the activity.
I am not and never was a Q-anon supporter or subscriber.
What is election-denialism??? I do not deny elections take place. I do deny, based on the weight of evidence, that Joe Biden won the 2020 election legally. He did not. He then, is a criminal fraud and based on his SOTU performance, I consider him a vitriolic, mentally impaired old man who should have no authority or power, period and without question should not and cannot be commander-in-chief of the armed forces, especially after the Afghanistan debacle.
I do not deny Covid. I deny the official story of how the virus came about and deny the necessity of world-wide lockdowns, and deny the medical treatment Anthony Fauci and Co. forced on people, while denying other treatments physicians were using to save people. I deny the necessity to create a medical war over the issue, firing people, demonizing world-renowned men and women in medical professions refusing to kill people with failing treatments and I most definitely deny the efficacy of the rushed to market "vaccines" which began ruining healthy people almost immediately upon roll-out and killing people, and shall continue to do so in the biggest crime against humanity ever conceived and implemented.
I am not skeptical of science. I am skeptical of scientists with political agendas.
What is "Obama birtherism"? I don't deny he was born. I know he was not born to two "Natural Born Citizens," as the Constitution mandates and common facts bear out; thereby he was not eligible to become POTUS, and some documentation claims he was not born in America but, overseas. And, while I have no affinity for Hillary Clinton, she is the one who began the entire matter before anyone took it up as a matter for research.
Numbers three and four are just insanity on parade. The man is delusional. Absolutely delusional. Pathologic. No one I know of in the alternate Press or anti-radical Leftist political sphere is anti-democratic process. They are against the perversion of democratic process. The rest of his comments bear no semblance to reality, as well. He is either so ignorant it's astounding or, he is a liar of epic proportions or, both.
That said, I have stated my own division with "Christian Nationalism" based on Biblical principle and prophecy on last-day events. But, even there, finding one definition for Christian nationalism is becoming difficult. All ideological definitions bog down after awhile, as more and more people join ranks. "white Christian nationalism" is just a ridiculous thing to state. The KKK is no longer a force anywhere in America. And no born-again believer in Christ, a Christian can be a racist.
It is a true axiom: "figures don't lie but, liars figure."
These people truly are at war against Americans who love their country.
God help America.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
www.wnd.com/2024/03/6-legal-attacks-trump-stand/
- it dawns on me that, in reality, these cases reflect an attitude against any and all Americans who support, not just Trump and the America-first, MAGA agenda but, the very founding principles of our nation and those who espouse them. They want to stop Trump from running. They want to keep Americans from voting for him. They want Americans, who care about their country from the same attitude as the Founders, from having a voice in this "democracy" the Left claims to be standing for and protecting. They do not want their "democracy" threatened or toppled by a Constitutional Republic made up of people who know they have inalienable rights from God and are committed to them. That means holding Him accountable first. God is a delusion that causes problems, as far as they are concerned. Once He is out of the way in the progress of their takeover, people like Trump can be handled. Once people like Trump are handled, supporters are a done deal. Once they are removed from influence, the nation is securely theirs.
You can and should read the article. It lays out the 6 cases, charges, etc., and analyzes their potential success or failure. It seems legit so far. I should finish it before sending you there... -
I will post the six cases.
"The anti-Trump coalition has launched six main attacks on Trump.
Attack No. 1 is the federal indictment, brought by the Justice Department-appointed special counsel Jack Smith, charging Trump with 40 felony counts in the classified documents case.
No. 2 is the federal indictment, also brought by Smith, charging Trump with four felonies in the 2020 election and Jan. 6 case.
No. 3 is the sprawling, 13-felony count racketeering indictment, based on the 2020 election, brought against Trump and 18 co-defendants in Georgia by the elected Democratic Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Attack No. 4 is the 34-felony-count indictment, based on the payment of hush money in the 2016 election, brought by the elected Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
No. 5 is the effort, launched by various activists around the country, to remove Trump from presidential ballots by declaring him an "insurrectionist" under the terms of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
And No. 6 is the effort to bankrupt Trump by way of a lawsuit brought by the elected Democratic New York State Attorney General Letitia James."
The article seems short-changed, to me. It's missing depth. Maybe the simplicity of the conclusions, based on lack of case conclusions, except #6 and the 454 million dollar judgment against Trump, which he'll appeal, is truly the case of what Democrats hope to accomplish.
If Trump were tried before the election and loses the cases, it would take a hundred million people to write-in Trump on election day and even then, the law would keep him from being holding office. Appeals will not help. Too little, too late.
Name another person in America that has the influence Donald Trump has. No one in the GOP. No one anywhere, coast to coast. And if Trump is found guilty all stand-ins who believe the same as him will fear the same attacks and not take the job. Far more is at stake than Trump's candidacy. Americans are under attack, literally.
"The Plan," that I have been exposed to and written about, remains in my mind. It's a now or never proposition. If the idea for Democrats is to cause a civil war and the idea for the leaders of this "Plan" is to prevent civil war and stop traitors and treasonous actors before they destroy the Republic, the next several months are critical.
So many oaths say, "...to protect the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic..." and the domestic enemies have gained so much ground. Biden sounded like a desperate man last night. An angry man; losing control, threatening, ranting, lashing out. His media supporters praised this maniacal performance. His detractors react with amazement, as no such SOTU address has ever been given in acknowledged American history.
It's all on the line. Americans are under attack and Russia or China, have little to nothing to do with it, save for the totalitarian Communism one nation had and the other has, which appeals to domestic enemies.
Take a look here and see/hear what radical Leftists think of everyday Americans they are demonizing and will totally marginalize if they gain the power they desire -
"First, they are the most racist, xenophobic, anti-immigrant, anti-gay geo-demographic group in the country.
"Second, they are the most conspiracist group: QAnon supporters and subscribers, election denialism, COVID denialism, scientific skepticism, Obama birtherism.
"Third, anti-democratic sentiments: they don’t believe in an independent press, free speech. They’re the most likely to say the president should be able to act unilaterally without any checks from Congress, or the courts or the bureaucracy. They’re also also the most strongly white nationalist and white Christian nationalist.
"And fourth, they are the most likely to excuse or justify violence as acceptable alternative to peaceful public discourse."
www.frontpagemag.com/poor-white-trump-voters-enemies-of-the-state/
Let's see. I am not a racist. I believe there is only one race; the created human race, in which everyone is a shade of brown, based on the amount of melanin in their skin. No doubt racists exist in America, on BOTH sides of Left and Right issues. Pegging an entire swath of citizens as racist or white nationalists is nonsensical, at best and reprehensible, at worst.
I have no irrational fear of foreigners or strange things; although I guess I do have a rational fear of the strangeness this man exists in and the influence he has... actually, given the viewership of MSNBC and the number of actual copies of books he'll sell, I really shouldn't have any fear of him, at all. He is rather meaningless to the larger picture of things.
I am not anti-immigrant. I am anti-illegal immigrant.
I am not anti-gay, against people. I am anti-homosexual activity because I am a Bible believing Christian, and the Bible condemns the activity.
I am not and never was a Q-anon supporter or subscriber.
What is election-denialism??? I do not deny elections take place. I do deny, based on the weight of evidence, that Joe Biden won the 2020 election legally. He did not. He then, is a criminal fraud and based on his SOTU performance, I consider him a vitriolic, mentally impaired old man who should have no authority or power, period and without question should not and cannot be commander-in-chief of the armed forces, especially after the Afghanistan debacle.
I do not deny Covid. I deny the official story of how the virus came about and deny the necessity of world-wide lockdowns, and deny the medical treatment Anthony Fauci and Co. forced on people, while denying other treatments physicians were using to save people. I deny the necessity to create a medical war over the issue, firing people, demonizing world-renowned men and women in medical professions refusing to kill people with failing treatments and I most definitely deny the efficacy of the rushed to market "vaccines" which began ruining healthy people almost immediately upon roll-out and killing people, and shall continue to do so in the biggest crime against humanity ever conceived and implemented.
I am not skeptical of science. I am skeptical of scientists with political agendas.
What is "Obama birtherism"? I don't deny he was born. I know he was not born to two "Natural Born Citizens," as the Constitution mandates and common facts bear out; thereby he was not eligible to become POTUS, and some documentation claims he was not born in America but, overseas. And, while I have no affinity for Hillary Clinton, she is the one who began the entire matter before anyone took it up as a matter for research.
Numbers three and four are just insanity on parade. The man is delusional. Absolutely delusional. Pathologic. No one I know of in the alternate Press or anti-radical Leftist political sphere is anti-democratic process. They are against the perversion of democratic process. The rest of his comments bear no semblance to reality, as well. He is either so ignorant it's astounding or, he is a liar of epic proportions or, both.
That said, I have stated my own division with "Christian Nationalism" based on Biblical principle and prophecy on last-day events. But, even there, finding one definition for Christian nationalism is becoming difficult. All ideological definitions bog down after awhile, as more and more people join ranks. "white Christian nationalism" is just a ridiculous thing to state. The KKK is no longer a force anywhere in America. And no born-again believer in Christ, a Christian can be a racist.
It is a true axiom: "figures don't lie but, liars figure."
These people truly are at war against Americans who love their country.
God help America.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Do Illegal Immigrants Commit More Crime?
Why would I post this? For one thing, violence is a prophetic sign of the times (Genesis 6:11-13; Rev. 16:4-7), especially in a nation that has prided itself on its orderly function of society, which my generation began to see disintegrate and today, cities are more dangerous than cities in the "wild west." That's an historic fact; contrary to Hollywood's portrayal of the 1850's-1900 western expansion. It's not a population matter. It's a per capita matter. In Chicago, more gang members exist than police. Who makes up these gangs, as they do in other major cities in America?
Well, the factual answer to the headline question is, Yes. Illegal immigrants are responsible for a great deal of the current crime waves in America. This article will blow your mind just how much crime is committed by illegal immigrants coming across the American Southern border, with many doing so repeatedly. When Leftists make the claim illegal immigrants (well, they call them undocumented immigrants), do not commit crime like legal American citizens do, just send them to this article, which shines a light on the actual statistics -
www.frontpagemag.com/the-truth-about-illegal-alien-criminality/
Well, the factual answer to the headline question is, Yes. Illegal immigrants are responsible for a great deal of the current crime waves in America. This article will blow your mind just how much crime is committed by illegal immigrants coming across the American Southern border, with many doing so repeatedly. When Leftists make the claim illegal immigrants (well, they call them undocumented immigrants), do not commit crime like legal American citizens do, just send them to this article, which shines a light on the actual statistics -
www.frontpagemag.com/the-truth-about-illegal-alien-criminality/
*****************************
925. I See Faces - March 9, 2024
I do. I see faces everywhere, in almost anything and everything. It can be just a simple two eyes, nose and mouth; more of an emoji-type of thing or, faces far more developed or realistic and I see them in real or faux wood floors or rugs or any type of furniture with various types of patterns in the fabrics. I see faces in dirty sidewalks, on the ground, in the sky, in rocks... pretty much wherever I look. It's called pareidolia. When I point out what I see to people, they find it fascinating or amazing or strange or weird or all the above but, when it's pointed out, they generally see the faces, too. They just would never make the connection themselves. Pareidolia is making connections in things that have no intent of connection.
In our world there are people who see a connection between things that look designed but, believe they aren't and people who see things that look designed because they believe they are. Hence, the debate over Materialism/Naturalism and Creation/Intelligent Design.
In general, I love big things. Always have. I am deeply impressed by anything, natural or man-made, that is big, huge, enormous, gigantic, etc. Chickens are chickens but, a Condor; now we're talking. Rolling hills are nice but, the Grand Tetons, now you've got my riveted attention. Pandas are cute but, a Polar Bear is massively more interesting to me, and so it goes. Planes are cool but, an Airbus 380 or military transport aircraft like a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy: whoa. African Weaver Bird communities are amazing but, star clusters or galaxies? You get the idea.
By the same token my favorite bird is the smallest; the Hummers. Totally amazing and fascinating little creatures. In the seas, it's not the Great Blue whales, as incredible as they are. It's the Cuttlefish; a swimming chameleon and absolutely astounding and brilliant lightshow. Like an Octopus, it can "miraculously" change its skin to match almost anything it's surrounded by and become uniquely camouflaged but, the hypnotic lightshow; that's another level of unbelievable, altogether.
How is it that these supposed accidents of nature in biology can be studied by engineers, and in the fields of biomimicry, all kinds of marvelous inventions can be designed and made for human use? The skin of Cuttlefish was used to design tv screens that use almost no electricity to power them. Now, the "w" shaped eyes of these astonishing creatures have been studied and a new type of camera has resulted.
evolutionnews.org/2024/03/yet-another-engineering-innovation-from-cuttlefish/
Biology and engineer scientists have looked at plants, insects, birds, sea creatures and mammals and team up to make all kinds of things that work better than anything mankind comes up with on their own. I write about this whenever I see things in biomimicry that point out to me, and obviously millions of others, that a Designer, a Creator exists. It is not accidents of mindless, undirected, purposeless mutations that develop these marvels. The Creator designed them. The designs are so efficient, so complex, even after 6,000 years of sin and distortion of God's creation, these marvels standout and refuse to go away.
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
Rom 1:19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
Rom 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
God knows the hearts and minds of humanity. He knows those who reject Him outright and those who just never had much exposure to God's nature or His acts. The time is rapidly coming when all the world will hear the final messages of warning before Christ returns, found in the Three Angel's Messages of Revelation 14:6-12. I have been giving Bible studies to someone as we look at the aspects of these messages each week -
Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the *everlasting gospel* to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, *Fear God,* and *give glory to him;* for the *hour of his judgment is come:* and *worship him* that *made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.*
In the announcement and first angel's message, "angel" being symbolic for messenger: God's people giving a message; we see they contain the everlasting gospel - good news. Despite the developing serious nature of these messages, these final warnings; they contain good news. They are good news.
Fear [reverance] God.
Give glory to Him.
His judgment hour has arrived.
Worship Him.
He is the Creator of the universe.
Each aspect of the message is a study in and of itself. When the first message finishes off with His attributes as Creator; all the world is to be heralded, brought to exposure to this fact. His sovereignty, rulership, demands and requirements, His character is bound up in His being the Creator of everything in its largest to most minute form of existence. God controls it all and Christ, the Son, God with us, God manifested to us: to see Him is to see the Father: is He who stepped forward to create it all and holds it all together; it all consists because of His power, Col. 1:16,17.
Just a story? Just fables and flying spaghetti monsters? The Cuttlefish begs to differ, along with thousands, millions of other forms of life and symbiotic relationships that all shout creation and Creator.
No matter what we struggle with, as sinners in need of salvation from the penalty and power of sin, there is good news. God is love and it can be seen in His creation. God has directed a plan to save humanity from "the wages of sin" and the death it brings. God does not blame us for being sinners. The blame lies at our own doors for not accepting His invitation to be free from sin -
Ephesians 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, has made us alive together with Christ, (by grace you are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.
But, the time of human probation is running out. The cup of human iniquity is filling up again and the close of probation's door shall bring on the end of all things.
Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
Rom 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Rom 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
The Greek word translated "rioting" is "komos." Thayer's renders the definition is a most interesting way -
G2970
κῶμος
kōmos
Thayer Definition:
1) a revel, carousal
1a) a nocturnal and riotous procession of half drunken and frolicsome fellows who after supper parade through the streets with torches and music in honour of Bacchus or some other deity, and sing and play before houses of male and female friends; hence used generally of feasts and drinking parties that are protracted till late at night and indulge in revelry
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G2749
Spring break, anyone? Christmas parties? Graduation parties? Marriage receptions? Sporting event festivities after a "win?" There is nothing new under the sun. It's just worse, given humanity is supposed to be living in an enlightened age.
The International Standard Version translates verse 13 like this -
Rom 13:13 Let's behave decently, as people who live in the light of day. No wild parties, drunkenness, sexual immorality, promiscuity, quarreling, or jealousy!
That is our current world, is it not? It's everywhere around us, especially in the supposedly most "civilized" cultures.
There is order and design in creation. It speaks to us. It can and will speak to those who listen. It will draw the heart and mind to the Creator and to salvation from human disorder and chaos.
Our choice.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
In our world there are people who see a connection between things that look designed but, believe they aren't and people who see things that look designed because they believe they are. Hence, the debate over Materialism/Naturalism and Creation/Intelligent Design.
In general, I love big things. Always have. I am deeply impressed by anything, natural or man-made, that is big, huge, enormous, gigantic, etc. Chickens are chickens but, a Condor; now we're talking. Rolling hills are nice but, the Grand Tetons, now you've got my riveted attention. Pandas are cute but, a Polar Bear is massively more interesting to me, and so it goes. Planes are cool but, an Airbus 380 or military transport aircraft like a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy: whoa. African Weaver Bird communities are amazing but, star clusters or galaxies? You get the idea.
By the same token my favorite bird is the smallest; the Hummers. Totally amazing and fascinating little creatures. In the seas, it's not the Great Blue whales, as incredible as they are. It's the Cuttlefish; a swimming chameleon and absolutely astounding and brilliant lightshow. Like an Octopus, it can "miraculously" change its skin to match almost anything it's surrounded by and become uniquely camouflaged but, the hypnotic lightshow; that's another level of unbelievable, altogether.
How is it that these supposed accidents of nature in biology can be studied by engineers, and in the fields of biomimicry, all kinds of marvelous inventions can be designed and made for human use? The skin of Cuttlefish was used to design tv screens that use almost no electricity to power them. Now, the "w" shaped eyes of these astonishing creatures have been studied and a new type of camera has resulted.
evolutionnews.org/2024/03/yet-another-engineering-innovation-from-cuttlefish/
Biology and engineer scientists have looked at plants, insects, birds, sea creatures and mammals and team up to make all kinds of things that work better than anything mankind comes up with on their own. I write about this whenever I see things in biomimicry that point out to me, and obviously millions of others, that a Designer, a Creator exists. It is not accidents of mindless, undirected, purposeless mutations that develop these marvels. The Creator designed them. The designs are so efficient, so complex, even after 6,000 years of sin and distortion of God's creation, these marvels standout and refuse to go away.
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
Rom 1:19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
Rom 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
God knows the hearts and minds of humanity. He knows those who reject Him outright and those who just never had much exposure to God's nature or His acts. The time is rapidly coming when all the world will hear the final messages of warning before Christ returns, found in the Three Angel's Messages of Revelation 14:6-12. I have been giving Bible studies to someone as we look at the aspects of these messages each week -
Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the *everlasting gospel* to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, *Fear God,* and *give glory to him;* for the *hour of his judgment is come:* and *worship him* that *made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.*
In the announcement and first angel's message, "angel" being symbolic for messenger: God's people giving a message; we see they contain the everlasting gospel - good news. Despite the developing serious nature of these messages, these final warnings; they contain good news. They are good news.
Fear [reverance] God.
Give glory to Him.
His judgment hour has arrived.
Worship Him.
He is the Creator of the universe.
Each aspect of the message is a study in and of itself. When the first message finishes off with His attributes as Creator; all the world is to be heralded, brought to exposure to this fact. His sovereignty, rulership, demands and requirements, His character is bound up in His being the Creator of everything in its largest to most minute form of existence. God controls it all and Christ, the Son, God with us, God manifested to us: to see Him is to see the Father: is He who stepped forward to create it all and holds it all together; it all consists because of His power, Col. 1:16,17.
Just a story? Just fables and flying spaghetti monsters? The Cuttlefish begs to differ, along with thousands, millions of other forms of life and symbiotic relationships that all shout creation and Creator.
No matter what we struggle with, as sinners in need of salvation from the penalty and power of sin, there is good news. God is love and it can be seen in His creation. God has directed a plan to save humanity from "the wages of sin" and the death it brings. God does not blame us for being sinners. The blame lies at our own doors for not accepting His invitation to be free from sin -
Ephesians 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, has made us alive together with Christ, (by grace you are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.
But, the time of human probation is running out. The cup of human iniquity is filling up again and the close of probation's door shall bring on the end of all things.
Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
Rom 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Rom 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
The Greek word translated "rioting" is "komos." Thayer's renders the definition is a most interesting way -
G2970
κῶμος
kōmos
Thayer Definition:
1) a revel, carousal
1a) a nocturnal and riotous procession of half drunken and frolicsome fellows who after supper parade through the streets with torches and music in honour of Bacchus or some other deity, and sing and play before houses of male and female friends; hence used generally of feasts and drinking parties that are protracted till late at night and indulge in revelry
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G2749
Spring break, anyone? Christmas parties? Graduation parties? Marriage receptions? Sporting event festivities after a "win?" There is nothing new under the sun. It's just worse, given humanity is supposed to be living in an enlightened age.
The International Standard Version translates verse 13 like this -
Rom 13:13 Let's behave decently, as people who live in the light of day. No wild parties, drunkenness, sexual immorality, promiscuity, quarreling, or jealousy!
That is our current world, is it not? It's everywhere around us, especially in the supposedly most "civilized" cultures.
There is order and design in creation. It speaks to us. It can and will speak to those who listen. It will draw the heart and mind to the Creator and to salvation from human disorder and chaos.
Our choice.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
926. Pastors in Political Office - 3/9/24
To say that the article linked to is a sign of the times is to state the radically obvious, if you believe America is in prophecy, as I do, Rev. 13:11-18. Only one nation in history arises in the timing of the prophecy, around the time when the first beast of Revelation 13, the Roman Catholic Church, Papacy, Vatican, receives its deadly wound: the capture and death of Pope Pius VI under the forces of Napoleon's general, Louis-Alexandre Berthier, in 1798, at the close of the 1260 days/prophetic years in Daniel and Revelation.
America begins as a lamb, a proposed nation of freedom and liberty from all manner of political and religious tyranny, made up mostly of Christian citizens of one degree of belief or another, with a wall of separation between church and state; developed after terrible persecution of citizens unwilling to bow before Puritan will of political force. Good people forcing bad people to be good is never healthy. The nation was formulated under the ideas of separation of powers, branches of government: no popes, no kings or queens, no oligarchs, just all men created equal. Inalienable rights granted by God of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness was the bottom line. America was not and is not perfect but, America changed the course of human history and development of freedom and liberty such as it became possible. A war was fought to get it. A Constitution and Bill of Rights written to keep it and yet, what did Benjamin Franklin state -
“In these sentiments, Sir, I agree to this Constitution, with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a General Government necessary for us, and there is no form of government, but what may be a blessing to the people if well administered; and believe further, that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government.” Letter to the general assembly, September 17, 1787
After the signing of the Constitution, Elizabeth Willing Powell asked Franklin, "Well Doctor, what have we got? A republic or a monarchy?" Franklin replied, "A republic, if you can keep it."
America is falling apart by negligence and by design through corruption. What can save the Republic from collapse? Ah, this is a question of the ages. Answers, please.
One answer, building fast, is a return to those who serve in Christian ministry to also serve as elected civil servants.
"Activist helping pastors win elections urges Christians to have a 'footprint in the culture'"
www.christianpost.com/news/david-lane-urges-christians-to-get-involved-in-politics.html
The premise of the article, as I see it, hinges on two main aspects -
"The other side puts their people in, and passes their legislation, and codifies in the law their godless values," he said. "That's what's happened to America over the last century. We're going to have to fight. If we're going save the country for our kids and their kids, we're going to have to fight."
And then, this -
"Lane, who is in his upper 60s, said the model of his organization is "trying to push spiritual leaders into the public square based upon Jesus' Kingdom assignment from Matthew 16:18, when He said to Peter, 'Upon this rock, I will build my 'ekklesia.'"
"Suggesting the idea that Christians should retreat from the political process is not supported by Scripture, Lane noted how the Greek word "ekklesia" was a secular term.
"Among its definitions included the political assembly of citizens in ancient Greek city-states.
"Everybody in the room knew what he was talking about," Lane said of Matthew 16:18. "Somehow over the last century, American Christendom has moved inside the building. We have Christian publishing radio, television, and no footprint in the culture."
"Lane worries many churches have been deceived regarding the implications of the so-called separation between church and state in the U.S.
"That's not what Jesus' Kingdom assignment was for you and me. We were to be involved in the rough-and-tumble of the public square, and that's what we're up to," he added.
This is Christian Nationalism in a nutshell. This is what secularists or more "liberal" professed Christians see as dangerous. I concur. As a Bible-believing Protestant Christian, I concur. As someone who believes in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, I concur.
First, why has secularism imposed itself upon the public square? I believe it happened because the professed Christian community was gradually sucked into the prevailing culture, the same as happened to the wandering Israelites, the conquered Israelites, the early Christian church and the Protestant Reformation. The church did not convert the culture. The worldly culture converted the church. The result was the Sanhedrin, the Roman Catholic Church, "Protestant" Catholic-lite rites and rituals to keep people engaged and parted from the world. Doesn't work. Never has. Never will. Even if you tie a man to a post, his mind will still desire whatever he wants, be it good or evil. Unless his mind be changed for good, there is no good. There is only force and tyranny.
That said, just the lack of the power of God in the lives of professed Christians thwarted the advance of the gospel in a nation professed to be Christian. It happened in Europe. It happened in America. Secularists advanced because Christianity weakened and the influence of born-again believers in Jesus Christ, testifying to changed lives made better by conversion, and also warning the world of sin and its results, began to change and evaporate into the overwhelming materialism of American progress. It's fun to have stuff. It takes the eyes off the cliffs.
Again, the authoritative words of John Adams and prediction of Thomas Jefferson -
"To the Massachusetts Militia, October 11, 1798
"While our Country remains untainted with the Principles and manners, which are now producing desolation in so many Parts of the World: while she continues Sincere and incapable of insidious and impious Policy: We shall have the Strongest Reason to rejoice in the local destination assigned Us by Providence. But should the People of America, once become capable of that deep simulation towards one another and towards foreign nations, which assumes the Language of Justice and moderation while it is practicing Iniquity and Extravagance; and displays in the most captivating manner the charming Pictures of Candour frankness & sincerity while it is rioting in rapine and Insolence: this Country will be the most miserable Habitation in the World. Because We have no Government armed with Power capable of contending with human Passions unbridled by morality and Religion. Avarice, Ambition, Revenge or Galantry, would break the strongest Cords of our Constitution as a Whale goes through a Net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other"
"Notes on the State of Virginia
"But is the spirit of the people an infallible, a permanent reliance? Is it government? Is this the kind of protection we receive in return for the rights we give up? Besides, the spirit of the times may alter, will alter. Our rulers will become corrupt, our people careless. A single zealot may commence persecutor, and better men be his victims. It can never be too often repeated, that the time for fixing every essential right on a legal basis is while our rulers are honest, and ourselves united. From the conclusion of this war we shall be going down hill. It will not then be necessary to resort every moment to the people for support. They will be forgotten, therefore, and their rights disregarded. They will forget themselves, but in the sole faculty of making money, and will never think of uniting to effect a due respect for their rights. The shackles, therefore, which shall not be knocked off at the conclusion of this war, will remain on us long, will be made heavier and heavier, till our rights shall revive or expire in a convulsion. [Query XVII, “Religion”]
Those men were there at the beginning. They understood the role of religion and God in the fabric of the nation, morally and in civil affairs. They knew what Romanism and the Church of England were guilty of and sought to make sure no such religious power could ever rise to control things in the new nation. Morality in its citizenry, most definitely. Civil control by any religious group or establishment of religion? No way. Persecution always results.
Fight? Certainly. The apostle Paul said -
1Tim 6:11 But you, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
1Tim 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto you are also called, and have professed a good profession before many witnesses.
1Tim 6:13 I give you charge in the sight of God, who makes all things alive, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;
1Tim 6:14 That you keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2Tim 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
2Tim 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
2Tim 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Paul is writing to Timothy, a young minister in the faith. His instructions are the model for all in ministry. The two epistles mark out the tracks all shepherds should walk. Is there anything about getting involved with politics? No. Yes, it is true the Roman empire was not the same as the American Republic, with freedoms and liberties Romans did not have; to vote for representatives and be able to hold office on councils and in the Senate. That stated, the fight the Christian pastor is to fight is one of faith in the faith once delivered to the saints, Jude 1:3. Keep it strong and pure. Preach the Word, be ready in an instant to defend the faith with truth, not political platforms.
A pastor, a shepherd of a flock, is to be devoted to ministering to that flock, whatever its size. In this world of ever growing darkness, there is time for being involved in politics? Seriously? Time is to be divided between feeding and caring for sheep in a flock, with wolves everywhere, and attempting to keep states and nation from collapsing morally, financially, militarily, educationally, and all other necessary jobs of one in elected civil service? Are you kidding me? Surely, you jest.
This is not to state Christians cannot run for office but, pastors, evangelists, full-time ministers of the gospel to advance the plan of salvation and save souls: pastors as politicians? That is an erroneous and preposterous position.
In fact, no, Christ did not appeal to followers getting involved in political wrangling. His kingdom IS NOT OF THIS WORLD. The principles of His kingdom cannot be enforced through civil legislation, else men could be held guilty of looking at women with lust. Is that what Christians want? Thought police? We already have abused "hate crimes" and "hate laws." Do we want thought laws, too? Christ's kingdom is based on moral principles, not civil legislation. The nation of Israel, with its 613 laws and all their man-made rules, regulations, traditions and miasma of stuff to keep people close to God did not keep them from rejecting their Messiah. They killed Him because He did not follow their laws and rules and regulations of religious life. And people think Christian ministers cannot become corrupted by the power of man-made legislation; what? to make sure good people stay good and bad people become good? Have mercy, that IS the Roman Catholic Church apostasy. It is the epitome of a union of church and state. So is Islam.
Another point, I often make. Ambassadorship.
2Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2Cor 5:18 And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Cor 5:19 That is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses upon them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
2Cor 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we beseech you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
2Cor 5:21 For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
What is the role of an ambassador? Ambassadors are appointed to represent the interests of a nation they are appointed by, wherever they are sent. They are not to get involved in the affairs of the nation they are sent to, unless the interests of the nation they represent or its citizens are threatened or imposed upon in some way in that foreign land. It can be a very tricky position to maneuver and handle.
Christians are to represent Christ and His kingdom, which is not of this world. We are to be in this world but, not of it; not so involved with it our focus is warped of what our mission is, John 17:13-20. Our mission, especially those in fulltime ministry of the gospel, is to reconcile people to their God, their Creator, their Redeemer, from sin. That is not the work of politicians. Running the civil affairs of civil government is not the world of fulltime ministers. The conflation of ideas in the premise of Mr. Lake is way out of bounds. Of course, Christians in public office can witness to people. That is not their primary task or legally stated purpose, and certainly not the taught goal of the Bible for pastors and shepherds to get involved in elected civil service.
To his second point; the ekklesia. His reference is this, and I include some context -
Matt 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
Matt 16:14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
Matt 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Matt 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Matt 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Matt 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matt 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Matt 16:20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
Verse 18 is Lake's key. The church. Christ will build His church, His ekklesia, on the rock. What's the rock? Do not miss this point.
The Roman Catholic Church says the Rock is Peter, hence their string of popes that sit in place of Christ in the chair of Peter, the Holy Roman "See." All authority is placed in those hands. Is that what Christ was stating? No Protestant believes that. Why not? Because the rock is not Peter. Peter, "petros," a stone, is not the same word as rock, "petra," foundation bedrock. Peter is but one stone Christ would build His house with on the Rock of His being the Son of God, the Saviour of the world and Peter apparently understood that. He would not let men bow down to him, Acts 10:25,26. He stated all believers are stones in a world-wide building of faith in Christ -
1Pet 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
1Pet 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby:
1Pet 2:3 If so be you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
1Pet 2:4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
1Pet 2:5 You also, as living stones, are built up into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
1Pet 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
1Pet 2:7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
1Pet 2:8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
1Pet 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pet 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
1Pet 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
1Pet 2:12 Having your behavior honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
What, then is the foundation rock of the church? Peter said it - You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
The foundation of the faith is that Iesou Christos, Yeshua Messiah is the Son of the living God sent to save mankind from their sins. He is the chief cornerstone of the building. He is the foundation, as well. That foundation is so important Christ told His disciples NOT to tell anyone of that truth yet, because it was not yet the right time. Once the time came, they were to tell it to the world. Is it the role of the American government to tell the world Jesus Christ is the world's redeemer from sin? Please. Do let us have common sense. It seems Christian Nationalism wants the American government to become a church? A Theocracy? Such a premise shows an ignorance if biblical teaching almost unheard of. I do not deny the sincerity. I definitely deny the premise as truth.
Who tells this message of the Rock? The church, the ekklesia. I'll let Drs. Strong and Thayer give their position first -
G1577
ἐκκλησία
ekklēsia
ek-klay-see'-ah
From a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564; a calling out, that is, (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both): - assembly, church.
Total KJV occurrences: 115
G1577
ἐκκλησία
ekklēsia
Thayer Definition:
1) a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly
1a) an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating
1b) the assembly of the Israelites
1c) any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously
1d) in a Christian sense
1d1) an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting
1d2) a company of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order’s sake
1d3) those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body
1d4) the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth
1d5) the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven
Part of Speech: noun feminine
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564
The basic definition of the world is "called out." Ek, as in 'exit.' Kaleo, to call. Those called out of the world to become citizens of the kingdom of God, to serve the Lord of the Kingdom in love. Nothing in the definition or principle of that word calls God's people to secular political appointment by divine decree. Even if the word meant local office of civil service at that time, as stated in Thayer's, #1a, how could Christ call His disciples to civil service when the Republic of Rome offered no such positions? It was an empire, with an emperor. There were no voting cycles. Leaders were appointed by consuls. There was no democratic process involved for the average citizens. For Christ to tell His disciples to run for political office would be ridiculous on the face of it. What about the Sanhedrin? Was He telling His disciples to become priests and political leaders? He already bypassed the Jewish leadership and would tell them their whole system was corrupt and coming down. It did, at the hands of the Romans in 70 a.d. Knowing that He would not return for 2,000 years, if He wanted to have His ministers elected to civil service at the end of time, He would have said so and the principles to go about it. The apostle Paul said he would fight the good fight of faith and know he had a place in the eternal kingdom when Christ returned. He offered no words of civil service for ministers of the gospel at the end of time. Nor did Peter, James, John or Jude, under inspiration.
Just because American citizens have the right to vote does not mean ministers should run for office. We should be reminded, in 17th century America, just carrying on from procedures operating in England, it was church elders who were mayors and made up town councils who made laws to place people in the stocks who did not go to church every Sunday morning! Madison and Jefferson fought hard to denounce and bring down that tyranny they wanted freedom from. No popes. No kings. No emperors. A government of, by and for the people to protect rights granted by God and to limit the powers of elected civil servants who all too often get way beyond their designated authority in civil matters. Yes, that is our current nation. A bloated, dangerous federal government and likewise in many state governments. Having pastors become politicians is not only not the answer, it is a dangerous path to persecution, for that has always been the case. Always. History shows it wherever religion gets civil power. Before it gets there, persecution comes because of the threat seen by unbelievers. If and when the church gets civil power, it then descends into its own delusions and persecutes those who will dissent from their newly obtained power. That is history. Peter wrote that unbelievers should be influenced by the good works of believers and be able to glorify Christ when the day of visitation comes. Peter said nothing about Christians holding public offices of any kind. To the contrary. The apostle Paul spoke to whoever would listen when he was arrested and many in Caesar's administration were converted. That, alone, should put a lid on pastors being in elected civil service. There is no necessity for it to move the world. If the church would just preach the truth, with conviction; call sin by its right name and stand for the principles of the kingdom, what would result?
2Tim 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
The church is not really persecuted in America. Not yet. It is not living godly in Christ Jesus. God's people shall be persecuted and the policy will be the warning Christ gave to His disciples that actuated then and will happen again -
John 16:1 These things have I spoken to you, that you should not be offended.
John 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yes, the time comes, that whosoever kills you will think that he does God service.
John 16:3 And these things will they do to you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
People killing God's people, thinking they are doing God service? How do they get the power? How can they be so confused?
This principle, the policy advocated by Mr. Lake, is so engrained in the history of nations, including early America, it is just incredible he would push it today. It always fails, just like Communism. Communism is a faith. It secures passionate people. How'd that work out for Russia? What makes people think America would result in something better, just because politicians profess to be Christians? What tests would be devised, what fundamental beliefs subscribed to? The entire premise is so fraught with potential disasters, already seen throughout history, the notion should be rejected instantly but, no. It is gaining ground. In Russia, right now, the influence and power of the Russian Orthodox Church has influenced laws denying freedom of conscience and free speech for some denominations, like Jehovah's Witnesses. Is that what Mr. Lake wants? He'll not be able to avoid it when church and state unite.
We are living at the end of time. Christ is coming. Darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the people. Preparing the way of the Lord shall not be accomplished in a voting booth, nor in civil assemblies of town, city, state or nation.
I cannot be budged from this platform because history speaks and the Word of God speaks even more loudly. Prophecy is happening. We are not living in a theocracy of priests who act as judges. There are no kings. Gone. That system came down and God makes no covenant with another. Not America. Not any nation. Yet America is prophesied to start as a lamb but, speak as a dragon. False revivals and false miracle-working power will ultimately thrust itself on a tired populace who will accept it all as from God, when it shall be from the devil and better men be the victims of what shall arise in God's name.
If professed Christians in America want righteousness to prevail they must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and then all these necessary things shall be added unto them, Matt. 6:33. Change comes through spiritual power, not civil power.
The premise being promoted will only lead to a bitter resentment and lessening of Christian favor among the people, a lessening of new, truly converted souls into the kingdom, and ultimately, if accomplished, will lead to people being harassed, oppressed and persecuted for their lack of adherence to whatever popular faith is in power. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely.
I have no problem with professed Christians holding political office, if they can handle the demands of the kingdom and demands of their civil service but, BUT, what Christian, what pastor can be enjoined to the political platforms and practices of corrupt political parties that exist? Are they all to run as independents? The higher the level, the more money required. Is the ministry of Christ's kingdom supposed to get involved in amassing money for political campaigns when the gospel requires funds to promote the march of the invisible kingdom? Talk about a conflict of interest.
This was all tried back in the 80's with the Moral Majority. It had no righteous influence upon non-believers. It preached to the choir. It may have gotten Reagan elected but, what resulted? George Bush, a New World Order puppet. It set up the Clintons. It set up the next Bush and 9/11 and the Patriot Act. It set up Obama and more globalist machinations. Hilary was to close the deal and Trump came along. Trump is not a Christian. He loves America and tried to change things. Some things changed. Other things got worse. He had to fight, not only Democrats and a corrupt Press but, also his own party and is still fighting them. Deep state was, is involved. Is that the fight for Christian pastors? Chapter and verse, please.
History shows the only actual Christian in the founding of the nation, by virtue of conversion, was John Adams. Others professed faith, others did not, per se,' like Jefferson. Are people going to disregard that patriot's warnings about the necessity of separation between church and state? It is being done. It's being twisted to state something Jefferson did not believe. The name Jesus Christ does not appear in documents of law and order for a very distinct reason. If it came to a vote, it was consistently voted down. Why? Possible entrance of church craft with state craft. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof. That is the separation of church and state. Sincere patriots wanted the name of Jesus to be written in national documents of law and order but, no. They were seen as misguided and too close to the policies of the Church of England and dangers of Romanism.
Vote, sure. We have the rights and freedoms, thus far. And yet, where was the Republican Party when the Democrats stole the election? Mr. Lake would like to renovate and revamp the GOP? Fill the White House, House and Senate, governorships and mayoral positions, town counsels and selectmen offices with professed Christian pastors? Tell us, wise sir, which version of Christianity will you promote in those offices? Catholic? Which Protestant version? Will you water it down to be politically accepted? Then you shall be guilty of backsliding and apostasy. What about Jews? Muslims? Can atheists run? No, I find that messed up, too, if we believe rights come from God and elected civil servants do not believe in God but, no test of religion shall be given for holding office. Right there you run into a wall. Will you advance the notion of another Constitutional Convention to change the document and preceding amendments? Talk about chaos.
What of war? Are pastors supposed to okay the use of nuclear weapons should the situation arise? Just because America is filled with pastor civil servants, the rest of the world is supposed to bow down to that? Radical, militant Islam is supposed to just say, "Oh, well, now you are a horse of a different color. We will not seek to conquer the world for Allah." Is the possible threat and action of nuclear war the role of pastoral guidance for the sheep of God's pasture? This is not a game. By their very nature, pastors are not supposed to have power. They are shepherds, not cattle drivers. Spiritual power does not force. It leads. Will Christian pastors, meant to forgive 490 times a day, get tough and seek to take down America's enemies? Can men who are to promote peace activate war and killing? Do people not see the conflict here? If Israel is attacked, will American pastor politicians send young Americans into war to die for the nation that outright rejected its Savior and killed Him? Many question if Israel is actually an ally of America. Israel exists for Israel. Zionism is not in harmony with the principles of Americanism. How many Americans will have to die to profit war mongers in the military industrial complex and deep state forces bent on controlling America? Pastor politicians are supposed to drain the swamp? Oh, does it not sound good and possible? It not possible. It has consistently failed for 2,000 years, and frankly, more, if ancient Israel is a witness to the failure of unconverted religious men in political power.
God did not want Israel to have a king. They pushed and pleaded so, he gave them one and also told them what would result and it was disaster. Were ancient Jews any different than modern Christians?
Where does this confusion come from? Spiritual, prophetic Babylon.
Some will simply ask, "Would you not want honest men in positions of power?" Indeed, a Republic. If you can keep it.
The Founders knew it could not last forever. Why would Christians think otherwise?
Yes, would that God would somehow intervene and save the Republic. Not through physical battle, as He was want to do in ancient times but, through a revival and reformation of Christian principles put in power in the hearts and minds of believers to witness with power the truths of Christ and His kingdom. That changed the world. What happened?
The Lord did not say to convert governments or convert the world. Nay. He said -
Matt 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Matt 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Matt 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
It is time to witness, not gain political power.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
America begins as a lamb, a proposed nation of freedom and liberty from all manner of political and religious tyranny, made up mostly of Christian citizens of one degree of belief or another, with a wall of separation between church and state; developed after terrible persecution of citizens unwilling to bow before Puritan will of political force. Good people forcing bad people to be good is never healthy. The nation was formulated under the ideas of separation of powers, branches of government: no popes, no kings or queens, no oligarchs, just all men created equal. Inalienable rights granted by God of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness was the bottom line. America was not and is not perfect but, America changed the course of human history and development of freedom and liberty such as it became possible. A war was fought to get it. A Constitution and Bill of Rights written to keep it and yet, what did Benjamin Franklin state -
“In these sentiments, Sir, I agree to this Constitution, with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a General Government necessary for us, and there is no form of government, but what may be a blessing to the people if well administered; and believe further, that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government.” Letter to the general assembly, September 17, 1787
After the signing of the Constitution, Elizabeth Willing Powell asked Franklin, "Well Doctor, what have we got? A republic or a monarchy?" Franklin replied, "A republic, if you can keep it."
America is falling apart by negligence and by design through corruption. What can save the Republic from collapse? Ah, this is a question of the ages. Answers, please.
One answer, building fast, is a return to those who serve in Christian ministry to also serve as elected civil servants.
"Activist helping pastors win elections urges Christians to have a 'footprint in the culture'"
www.christianpost.com/news/david-lane-urges-christians-to-get-involved-in-politics.html
The premise of the article, as I see it, hinges on two main aspects -
"The other side puts their people in, and passes their legislation, and codifies in the law their godless values," he said. "That's what's happened to America over the last century. We're going to have to fight. If we're going save the country for our kids and their kids, we're going to have to fight."
And then, this -
"Lane, who is in his upper 60s, said the model of his organization is "trying to push spiritual leaders into the public square based upon Jesus' Kingdom assignment from Matthew 16:18, when He said to Peter, 'Upon this rock, I will build my 'ekklesia.'"
"Suggesting the idea that Christians should retreat from the political process is not supported by Scripture, Lane noted how the Greek word "ekklesia" was a secular term.
"Among its definitions included the political assembly of citizens in ancient Greek city-states.
"Everybody in the room knew what he was talking about," Lane said of Matthew 16:18. "Somehow over the last century, American Christendom has moved inside the building. We have Christian publishing radio, television, and no footprint in the culture."
"Lane worries many churches have been deceived regarding the implications of the so-called separation between church and state in the U.S.
"That's not what Jesus' Kingdom assignment was for you and me. We were to be involved in the rough-and-tumble of the public square, and that's what we're up to," he added.
This is Christian Nationalism in a nutshell. This is what secularists or more "liberal" professed Christians see as dangerous. I concur. As a Bible-believing Protestant Christian, I concur. As someone who believes in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, I concur.
First, why has secularism imposed itself upon the public square? I believe it happened because the professed Christian community was gradually sucked into the prevailing culture, the same as happened to the wandering Israelites, the conquered Israelites, the early Christian church and the Protestant Reformation. The church did not convert the culture. The worldly culture converted the church. The result was the Sanhedrin, the Roman Catholic Church, "Protestant" Catholic-lite rites and rituals to keep people engaged and parted from the world. Doesn't work. Never has. Never will. Even if you tie a man to a post, his mind will still desire whatever he wants, be it good or evil. Unless his mind be changed for good, there is no good. There is only force and tyranny.
That said, just the lack of the power of God in the lives of professed Christians thwarted the advance of the gospel in a nation professed to be Christian. It happened in Europe. It happened in America. Secularists advanced because Christianity weakened and the influence of born-again believers in Jesus Christ, testifying to changed lives made better by conversion, and also warning the world of sin and its results, began to change and evaporate into the overwhelming materialism of American progress. It's fun to have stuff. It takes the eyes off the cliffs.
Again, the authoritative words of John Adams and prediction of Thomas Jefferson -
"To the Massachusetts Militia, October 11, 1798
"While our Country remains untainted with the Principles and manners, which are now producing desolation in so many Parts of the World: while she continues Sincere and incapable of insidious and impious Policy: We shall have the Strongest Reason to rejoice in the local destination assigned Us by Providence. But should the People of America, once become capable of that deep simulation towards one another and towards foreign nations, which assumes the Language of Justice and moderation while it is practicing Iniquity and Extravagance; and displays in the most captivating manner the charming Pictures of Candour frankness & sincerity while it is rioting in rapine and Insolence: this Country will be the most miserable Habitation in the World. Because We have no Government armed with Power capable of contending with human Passions unbridled by morality and Religion. Avarice, Ambition, Revenge or Galantry, would break the strongest Cords of our Constitution as a Whale goes through a Net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other"
"Notes on the State of Virginia
"But is the spirit of the people an infallible, a permanent reliance? Is it government? Is this the kind of protection we receive in return for the rights we give up? Besides, the spirit of the times may alter, will alter. Our rulers will become corrupt, our people careless. A single zealot may commence persecutor, and better men be his victims. It can never be too often repeated, that the time for fixing every essential right on a legal basis is while our rulers are honest, and ourselves united. From the conclusion of this war we shall be going down hill. It will not then be necessary to resort every moment to the people for support. They will be forgotten, therefore, and their rights disregarded. They will forget themselves, but in the sole faculty of making money, and will never think of uniting to effect a due respect for their rights. The shackles, therefore, which shall not be knocked off at the conclusion of this war, will remain on us long, will be made heavier and heavier, till our rights shall revive or expire in a convulsion. [Query XVII, “Religion”]
Those men were there at the beginning. They understood the role of religion and God in the fabric of the nation, morally and in civil affairs. They knew what Romanism and the Church of England were guilty of and sought to make sure no such religious power could ever rise to control things in the new nation. Morality in its citizenry, most definitely. Civil control by any religious group or establishment of religion? No way. Persecution always results.
Fight? Certainly. The apostle Paul said -
1Tim 6:11 But you, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
1Tim 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto you are also called, and have professed a good profession before many witnesses.
1Tim 6:13 I give you charge in the sight of God, who makes all things alive, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;
1Tim 6:14 That you keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2Tim 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
2Tim 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
2Tim 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Paul is writing to Timothy, a young minister in the faith. His instructions are the model for all in ministry. The two epistles mark out the tracks all shepherds should walk. Is there anything about getting involved with politics? No. Yes, it is true the Roman empire was not the same as the American Republic, with freedoms and liberties Romans did not have; to vote for representatives and be able to hold office on councils and in the Senate. That stated, the fight the Christian pastor is to fight is one of faith in the faith once delivered to the saints, Jude 1:3. Keep it strong and pure. Preach the Word, be ready in an instant to defend the faith with truth, not political platforms.
A pastor, a shepherd of a flock, is to be devoted to ministering to that flock, whatever its size. In this world of ever growing darkness, there is time for being involved in politics? Seriously? Time is to be divided between feeding and caring for sheep in a flock, with wolves everywhere, and attempting to keep states and nation from collapsing morally, financially, militarily, educationally, and all other necessary jobs of one in elected civil service? Are you kidding me? Surely, you jest.
This is not to state Christians cannot run for office but, pastors, evangelists, full-time ministers of the gospel to advance the plan of salvation and save souls: pastors as politicians? That is an erroneous and preposterous position.
In fact, no, Christ did not appeal to followers getting involved in political wrangling. His kingdom IS NOT OF THIS WORLD. The principles of His kingdom cannot be enforced through civil legislation, else men could be held guilty of looking at women with lust. Is that what Christians want? Thought police? We already have abused "hate crimes" and "hate laws." Do we want thought laws, too? Christ's kingdom is based on moral principles, not civil legislation. The nation of Israel, with its 613 laws and all their man-made rules, regulations, traditions and miasma of stuff to keep people close to God did not keep them from rejecting their Messiah. They killed Him because He did not follow their laws and rules and regulations of religious life. And people think Christian ministers cannot become corrupted by the power of man-made legislation; what? to make sure good people stay good and bad people become good? Have mercy, that IS the Roman Catholic Church apostasy. It is the epitome of a union of church and state. So is Islam.
Another point, I often make. Ambassadorship.
2Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2Cor 5:18 And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Cor 5:19 That is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses upon them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
2Cor 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we beseech you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
2Cor 5:21 For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
What is the role of an ambassador? Ambassadors are appointed to represent the interests of a nation they are appointed by, wherever they are sent. They are not to get involved in the affairs of the nation they are sent to, unless the interests of the nation they represent or its citizens are threatened or imposed upon in some way in that foreign land. It can be a very tricky position to maneuver and handle.
Christians are to represent Christ and His kingdom, which is not of this world. We are to be in this world but, not of it; not so involved with it our focus is warped of what our mission is, John 17:13-20. Our mission, especially those in fulltime ministry of the gospel, is to reconcile people to their God, their Creator, their Redeemer, from sin. That is not the work of politicians. Running the civil affairs of civil government is not the world of fulltime ministers. The conflation of ideas in the premise of Mr. Lake is way out of bounds. Of course, Christians in public office can witness to people. That is not their primary task or legally stated purpose, and certainly not the taught goal of the Bible for pastors and shepherds to get involved in elected civil service.
To his second point; the ekklesia. His reference is this, and I include some context -
Matt 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
Matt 16:14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
Matt 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Matt 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Matt 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Matt 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matt 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Matt 16:20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
Verse 18 is Lake's key. The church. Christ will build His church, His ekklesia, on the rock. What's the rock? Do not miss this point.
The Roman Catholic Church says the Rock is Peter, hence their string of popes that sit in place of Christ in the chair of Peter, the Holy Roman "See." All authority is placed in those hands. Is that what Christ was stating? No Protestant believes that. Why not? Because the rock is not Peter. Peter, "petros," a stone, is not the same word as rock, "petra," foundation bedrock. Peter is but one stone Christ would build His house with on the Rock of His being the Son of God, the Saviour of the world and Peter apparently understood that. He would not let men bow down to him, Acts 10:25,26. He stated all believers are stones in a world-wide building of faith in Christ -
1Pet 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
1Pet 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby:
1Pet 2:3 If so be you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
1Pet 2:4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
1Pet 2:5 You also, as living stones, are built up into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
1Pet 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
1Pet 2:7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
1Pet 2:8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
1Pet 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pet 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
1Pet 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
1Pet 2:12 Having your behavior honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
What, then is the foundation rock of the church? Peter said it - You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
The foundation of the faith is that Iesou Christos, Yeshua Messiah is the Son of the living God sent to save mankind from their sins. He is the chief cornerstone of the building. He is the foundation, as well. That foundation is so important Christ told His disciples NOT to tell anyone of that truth yet, because it was not yet the right time. Once the time came, they were to tell it to the world. Is it the role of the American government to tell the world Jesus Christ is the world's redeemer from sin? Please. Do let us have common sense. It seems Christian Nationalism wants the American government to become a church? A Theocracy? Such a premise shows an ignorance if biblical teaching almost unheard of. I do not deny the sincerity. I definitely deny the premise as truth.
Who tells this message of the Rock? The church, the ekklesia. I'll let Drs. Strong and Thayer give their position first -
G1577
ἐκκλησία
ekklēsia
ek-klay-see'-ah
From a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564; a calling out, that is, (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both): - assembly, church.
Total KJV occurrences: 115
G1577
ἐκκλησία
ekklēsia
Thayer Definition:
1) a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly
1a) an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating
1b) the assembly of the Israelites
1c) any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously
1d) in a Christian sense
1d1) an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting
1d2) a company of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order’s sake
1d3) those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body
1d4) the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth
1d5) the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven
Part of Speech: noun feminine
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564
The basic definition of the world is "called out." Ek, as in 'exit.' Kaleo, to call. Those called out of the world to become citizens of the kingdom of God, to serve the Lord of the Kingdom in love. Nothing in the definition or principle of that word calls God's people to secular political appointment by divine decree. Even if the word meant local office of civil service at that time, as stated in Thayer's, #1a, how could Christ call His disciples to civil service when the Republic of Rome offered no such positions? It was an empire, with an emperor. There were no voting cycles. Leaders were appointed by consuls. There was no democratic process involved for the average citizens. For Christ to tell His disciples to run for political office would be ridiculous on the face of it. What about the Sanhedrin? Was He telling His disciples to become priests and political leaders? He already bypassed the Jewish leadership and would tell them their whole system was corrupt and coming down. It did, at the hands of the Romans in 70 a.d. Knowing that He would not return for 2,000 years, if He wanted to have His ministers elected to civil service at the end of time, He would have said so and the principles to go about it. The apostle Paul said he would fight the good fight of faith and know he had a place in the eternal kingdom when Christ returned. He offered no words of civil service for ministers of the gospel at the end of time. Nor did Peter, James, John or Jude, under inspiration.
Just because American citizens have the right to vote does not mean ministers should run for office. We should be reminded, in 17th century America, just carrying on from procedures operating in England, it was church elders who were mayors and made up town councils who made laws to place people in the stocks who did not go to church every Sunday morning! Madison and Jefferson fought hard to denounce and bring down that tyranny they wanted freedom from. No popes. No kings. No emperors. A government of, by and for the people to protect rights granted by God and to limit the powers of elected civil servants who all too often get way beyond their designated authority in civil matters. Yes, that is our current nation. A bloated, dangerous federal government and likewise in many state governments. Having pastors become politicians is not only not the answer, it is a dangerous path to persecution, for that has always been the case. Always. History shows it wherever religion gets civil power. Before it gets there, persecution comes because of the threat seen by unbelievers. If and when the church gets civil power, it then descends into its own delusions and persecutes those who will dissent from their newly obtained power. That is history. Peter wrote that unbelievers should be influenced by the good works of believers and be able to glorify Christ when the day of visitation comes. Peter said nothing about Christians holding public offices of any kind. To the contrary. The apostle Paul spoke to whoever would listen when he was arrested and many in Caesar's administration were converted. That, alone, should put a lid on pastors being in elected civil service. There is no necessity for it to move the world. If the church would just preach the truth, with conviction; call sin by its right name and stand for the principles of the kingdom, what would result?
2Tim 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
The church is not really persecuted in America. Not yet. It is not living godly in Christ Jesus. God's people shall be persecuted and the policy will be the warning Christ gave to His disciples that actuated then and will happen again -
John 16:1 These things have I spoken to you, that you should not be offended.
John 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yes, the time comes, that whosoever kills you will think that he does God service.
John 16:3 And these things will they do to you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
People killing God's people, thinking they are doing God service? How do they get the power? How can they be so confused?
This principle, the policy advocated by Mr. Lake, is so engrained in the history of nations, including early America, it is just incredible he would push it today. It always fails, just like Communism. Communism is a faith. It secures passionate people. How'd that work out for Russia? What makes people think America would result in something better, just because politicians profess to be Christians? What tests would be devised, what fundamental beliefs subscribed to? The entire premise is so fraught with potential disasters, already seen throughout history, the notion should be rejected instantly but, no. It is gaining ground. In Russia, right now, the influence and power of the Russian Orthodox Church has influenced laws denying freedom of conscience and free speech for some denominations, like Jehovah's Witnesses. Is that what Mr. Lake wants? He'll not be able to avoid it when church and state unite.
We are living at the end of time. Christ is coming. Darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the people. Preparing the way of the Lord shall not be accomplished in a voting booth, nor in civil assemblies of town, city, state or nation.
I cannot be budged from this platform because history speaks and the Word of God speaks even more loudly. Prophecy is happening. We are not living in a theocracy of priests who act as judges. There are no kings. Gone. That system came down and God makes no covenant with another. Not America. Not any nation. Yet America is prophesied to start as a lamb but, speak as a dragon. False revivals and false miracle-working power will ultimately thrust itself on a tired populace who will accept it all as from God, when it shall be from the devil and better men be the victims of what shall arise in God's name.
If professed Christians in America want righteousness to prevail they must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and then all these necessary things shall be added unto them, Matt. 6:33. Change comes through spiritual power, not civil power.
The premise being promoted will only lead to a bitter resentment and lessening of Christian favor among the people, a lessening of new, truly converted souls into the kingdom, and ultimately, if accomplished, will lead to people being harassed, oppressed and persecuted for their lack of adherence to whatever popular faith is in power. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely.
I have no problem with professed Christians holding political office, if they can handle the demands of the kingdom and demands of their civil service but, BUT, what Christian, what pastor can be enjoined to the political platforms and practices of corrupt political parties that exist? Are they all to run as independents? The higher the level, the more money required. Is the ministry of Christ's kingdom supposed to get involved in amassing money for political campaigns when the gospel requires funds to promote the march of the invisible kingdom? Talk about a conflict of interest.
This was all tried back in the 80's with the Moral Majority. It had no righteous influence upon non-believers. It preached to the choir. It may have gotten Reagan elected but, what resulted? George Bush, a New World Order puppet. It set up the Clintons. It set up the next Bush and 9/11 and the Patriot Act. It set up Obama and more globalist machinations. Hilary was to close the deal and Trump came along. Trump is not a Christian. He loves America and tried to change things. Some things changed. Other things got worse. He had to fight, not only Democrats and a corrupt Press but, also his own party and is still fighting them. Deep state was, is involved. Is that the fight for Christian pastors? Chapter and verse, please.
History shows the only actual Christian in the founding of the nation, by virtue of conversion, was John Adams. Others professed faith, others did not, per se,' like Jefferson. Are people going to disregard that patriot's warnings about the necessity of separation between church and state? It is being done. It's being twisted to state something Jefferson did not believe. The name Jesus Christ does not appear in documents of law and order for a very distinct reason. If it came to a vote, it was consistently voted down. Why? Possible entrance of church craft with state craft. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof. That is the separation of church and state. Sincere patriots wanted the name of Jesus to be written in national documents of law and order but, no. They were seen as misguided and too close to the policies of the Church of England and dangers of Romanism.
Vote, sure. We have the rights and freedoms, thus far. And yet, where was the Republican Party when the Democrats stole the election? Mr. Lake would like to renovate and revamp the GOP? Fill the White House, House and Senate, governorships and mayoral positions, town counsels and selectmen offices with professed Christian pastors? Tell us, wise sir, which version of Christianity will you promote in those offices? Catholic? Which Protestant version? Will you water it down to be politically accepted? Then you shall be guilty of backsliding and apostasy. What about Jews? Muslims? Can atheists run? No, I find that messed up, too, if we believe rights come from God and elected civil servants do not believe in God but, no test of religion shall be given for holding office. Right there you run into a wall. Will you advance the notion of another Constitutional Convention to change the document and preceding amendments? Talk about chaos.
What of war? Are pastors supposed to okay the use of nuclear weapons should the situation arise? Just because America is filled with pastor civil servants, the rest of the world is supposed to bow down to that? Radical, militant Islam is supposed to just say, "Oh, well, now you are a horse of a different color. We will not seek to conquer the world for Allah." Is the possible threat and action of nuclear war the role of pastoral guidance for the sheep of God's pasture? This is not a game. By their very nature, pastors are not supposed to have power. They are shepherds, not cattle drivers. Spiritual power does not force. It leads. Will Christian pastors, meant to forgive 490 times a day, get tough and seek to take down America's enemies? Can men who are to promote peace activate war and killing? Do people not see the conflict here? If Israel is attacked, will American pastor politicians send young Americans into war to die for the nation that outright rejected its Savior and killed Him? Many question if Israel is actually an ally of America. Israel exists for Israel. Zionism is not in harmony with the principles of Americanism. How many Americans will have to die to profit war mongers in the military industrial complex and deep state forces bent on controlling America? Pastor politicians are supposed to drain the swamp? Oh, does it not sound good and possible? It not possible. It has consistently failed for 2,000 years, and frankly, more, if ancient Israel is a witness to the failure of unconverted religious men in political power.
God did not want Israel to have a king. They pushed and pleaded so, he gave them one and also told them what would result and it was disaster. Were ancient Jews any different than modern Christians?
Where does this confusion come from? Spiritual, prophetic Babylon.
Some will simply ask, "Would you not want honest men in positions of power?" Indeed, a Republic. If you can keep it.
The Founders knew it could not last forever. Why would Christians think otherwise?
Yes, would that God would somehow intervene and save the Republic. Not through physical battle, as He was want to do in ancient times but, through a revival and reformation of Christian principles put in power in the hearts and minds of believers to witness with power the truths of Christ and His kingdom. That changed the world. What happened?
The Lord did not say to convert governments or convert the world. Nay. He said -
Matt 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Matt 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Matt 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
It is time to witness, not gain political power.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Pope: Aquinas is Needed
Thomas Aquinas is considered a "saint" of the Roman Catholic Church and a "Doctor" of that church. Many non-Catholics consider him a great theologian and representative of the Christian faith. He died 750 years ago. The RCC remembers his place in their history with a number of various items of interest. They call him the "Angelic Doctor."
"Pope Francis: St. Thomas Aquinas is needed to answer today’s social challenges"
www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257026/pope-francis-st-thomas-aquinas-is-needed-to-answer-todays-social-challenges
"Economics, international relations, and other social sciences may have not existed in their contemporary form when St. Thomas Aquinas died 750 years ago. But according to Pope Francis, experts in these fields should turn to the 13th-century theologian for help in answering some of today’s most dire social challenges.
"In a letter to a Vatican gathering of social scientists on March 7, the anniversary of Aquinas’ death, the pope said the Angelic Doctor’s “rigorous study” of the philosophical and theological implications of the fact that man is made “in the image of God” was not only a precursor to the development of the social sciences but also can be an invaluable aid to them today.
“While his influence in shaping the moral and legal thinking of modernity is beyond doubt, a recovery of the philosophical and theological perspective that informed his work could prove quite promising for our disciplined reflection on the pressing social issues of our own time,” said Pope Francis, adding that the social sciences “should be grounded in the irreducible reality and dignity of the human person."
“Today it is essential to recover an appreciation of this ‘natural inclination to seek the truth about God and live in society’ to shape social thought and policies in a way that fosters rather than impedes the authentic human flourishing of individuals and peoples,” said Pope Francis, quoting from Aquinas’ “Summa Theologiae.”
The Summa Theologiae. The summary of theology. I'll get back to that document in a minute. The Pope believes Aquinas has much to write and say about the irreducible dignity of the human person who seeks the truth about God.
"The concept of the natural law has been criticized by some in the West as effectively a religious framework used to influence society. A recent report in Politico, for instance, described it as “a core pillar of Catholicism” that is being used to advance “Christian nationalist” causes such as protecting the sanctity of life or promoting sexual ethics consistent with human nature.
"But Pope Francis offered a very different perspective, emphasizing that natural law is for everyone. In fact, the pope said the Angelic Doctor’s articulation of natural law is accessible to all — regardless of whether they are Catholic or not — maybe even more important now, precisely because the world is increasingly interconnected and Western society is marked by cultural diversity and religious pluralism.
"The pope ended his letter by encouraging participating social scientists to delve deeply into “the rich patrimony of religious, ethical, and social thought bequeathed to us by St. Thomas Aquinas.”
Is the theology of Aquinas for everyone, Catholic or not? Would it be wise to delve into the thinking of this "Angelic Doctor" when it comes to religious, ethical and social thought?
From the Summa Theologiae:
"Article 3. Whether heretics ought to be tolerated?
"I answer that, With regard to heretics two points must be observed: one, on their own side; the other, on the side of the Church. On their own side there is the sin, whereby they deserve not only to be separated from the Church by excommunication, but also to be severed from the world by death. For it is a much graver matter to corrupt the faith which quickens the soul, than to forge money, which supports temporal life. Wherefore if forgers of money and other evil-doers are forthwith condemned to death by the secular authority, much more reason is there for heretics, as soon as they are convicted of heresy, to be not only excommunicated but even put to death.
"On the part of the Church, however, there is mercy which looks to the conversion of the wanderer, wherefore she condemns not at once, but "after the first and second admonition," as the Apostle directs: after that, if he is yet stubborn, the Church no longer hoping for his conversion, looks to the salvation of others, by excommunicating him and separating him from the Church, and furthermore delivers him to the secular tribunal to be exterminated thereby from the world by death. For Jerome commenting on Galatians 5:9, "A little leaven," says: "Cut off the decayed flesh, expel the mangy sheep from the fold, lest the whole house, the whole paste, the whole body, the whole flock, burn, perish, rot, die. Arius was but one spark in Alexandria, but as that spark was not at once put out, the whole earth was laid waste by its flame."
www.newadvent.org/summa/3011.htm
Does this current Pontifex Maximus of the Roman Catholic Church believe the above is a good and solid approach to religious, ethical and social thought needed today? I certainly hope not but, Aquinas' Summa Theologiae is so highly regarded by Catholic minds would we be surprised to see these thoughts put into action if the church of Rome gains the power she once had in society? No.
There are reasons why I am a Bible-believing Protestant. The Roman Catholic Church, its Papacy and Vatican is anti-Christ: that apostate power stated in prophecy to put itself "in place of Christ." It made "war with the saints" centuries ago. It shall make mental and physical war with God's remnant again, as we approach the end of time, Daniel 7:25; Rev 13:7.
'Who can make war with the beast?' Rev 13:4. Those who keep the commandments of God and guard the faith and testimony of Jesus Christ, Rev 12:17; 14:12.
Would that the life and writings of "saint" Thomas Aquinas were forgotten and consigned to the trash heap of religious thought needing to be buried in the history of persecution against better men than those who perpetuate their devilish mindsets toward those who only seek to know the truth of God and live in peace with all men; hoping to make change in hearts and minds through reason, not satanic force.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
"Pope Francis: St. Thomas Aquinas is needed to answer today’s social challenges"
www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257026/pope-francis-st-thomas-aquinas-is-needed-to-answer-todays-social-challenges
"Economics, international relations, and other social sciences may have not existed in their contemporary form when St. Thomas Aquinas died 750 years ago. But according to Pope Francis, experts in these fields should turn to the 13th-century theologian for help in answering some of today’s most dire social challenges.
"In a letter to a Vatican gathering of social scientists on March 7, the anniversary of Aquinas’ death, the pope said the Angelic Doctor’s “rigorous study” of the philosophical and theological implications of the fact that man is made “in the image of God” was not only a precursor to the development of the social sciences but also can be an invaluable aid to them today.
“While his influence in shaping the moral and legal thinking of modernity is beyond doubt, a recovery of the philosophical and theological perspective that informed his work could prove quite promising for our disciplined reflection on the pressing social issues of our own time,” said Pope Francis, adding that the social sciences “should be grounded in the irreducible reality and dignity of the human person."
“Today it is essential to recover an appreciation of this ‘natural inclination to seek the truth about God and live in society’ to shape social thought and policies in a way that fosters rather than impedes the authentic human flourishing of individuals and peoples,” said Pope Francis, quoting from Aquinas’ “Summa Theologiae.”
The Summa Theologiae. The summary of theology. I'll get back to that document in a minute. The Pope believes Aquinas has much to write and say about the irreducible dignity of the human person who seeks the truth about God.
"The concept of the natural law has been criticized by some in the West as effectively a religious framework used to influence society. A recent report in Politico, for instance, described it as “a core pillar of Catholicism” that is being used to advance “Christian nationalist” causes such as protecting the sanctity of life or promoting sexual ethics consistent with human nature.
"But Pope Francis offered a very different perspective, emphasizing that natural law is for everyone. In fact, the pope said the Angelic Doctor’s articulation of natural law is accessible to all — regardless of whether they are Catholic or not — maybe even more important now, precisely because the world is increasingly interconnected and Western society is marked by cultural diversity and religious pluralism.
"The pope ended his letter by encouraging participating social scientists to delve deeply into “the rich patrimony of religious, ethical, and social thought bequeathed to us by St. Thomas Aquinas.”
Is the theology of Aquinas for everyone, Catholic or not? Would it be wise to delve into the thinking of this "Angelic Doctor" when it comes to religious, ethical and social thought?
From the Summa Theologiae:
"Article 3. Whether heretics ought to be tolerated?
"I answer that, With regard to heretics two points must be observed: one, on their own side; the other, on the side of the Church. On their own side there is the sin, whereby they deserve not only to be separated from the Church by excommunication, but also to be severed from the world by death. For it is a much graver matter to corrupt the faith which quickens the soul, than to forge money, which supports temporal life. Wherefore if forgers of money and other evil-doers are forthwith condemned to death by the secular authority, much more reason is there for heretics, as soon as they are convicted of heresy, to be not only excommunicated but even put to death.
"On the part of the Church, however, there is mercy which looks to the conversion of the wanderer, wherefore she condemns not at once, but "after the first and second admonition," as the Apostle directs: after that, if he is yet stubborn, the Church no longer hoping for his conversion, looks to the salvation of others, by excommunicating him and separating him from the Church, and furthermore delivers him to the secular tribunal to be exterminated thereby from the world by death. For Jerome commenting on Galatians 5:9, "A little leaven," says: "Cut off the decayed flesh, expel the mangy sheep from the fold, lest the whole house, the whole paste, the whole body, the whole flock, burn, perish, rot, die. Arius was but one spark in Alexandria, but as that spark was not at once put out, the whole earth was laid waste by its flame."
www.newadvent.org/summa/3011.htm
Does this current Pontifex Maximus of the Roman Catholic Church believe the above is a good and solid approach to religious, ethical and social thought needed today? I certainly hope not but, Aquinas' Summa Theologiae is so highly regarded by Catholic minds would we be surprised to see these thoughts put into action if the church of Rome gains the power she once had in society? No.
There are reasons why I am a Bible-believing Protestant. The Roman Catholic Church, its Papacy and Vatican is anti-Christ: that apostate power stated in prophecy to put itself "in place of Christ." It made "war with the saints" centuries ago. It shall make mental and physical war with God's remnant again, as we approach the end of time, Daniel 7:25; Rev 13:7.
'Who can make war with the beast?' Rev 13:4. Those who keep the commandments of God and guard the faith and testimony of Jesus Christ, Rev 12:17; 14:12.
Would that the life and writings of "saint" Thomas Aquinas were forgotten and consigned to the trash heap of religious thought needing to be buried in the history of persecution against better men than those who perpetuate their devilish mindsets toward those who only seek to know the truth of God and live in peace with all men; hoping to make change in hearts and minds through reason, not satanic force.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Aquinas in Procession
Thomas Aquinas, the 13th century theologian, being a "saint" in the Roman Catholic Church pantheon of specified servants of their faith, is honored with processions of his death in 1274.
"St. Thomas Aquinas’ relics carried in procession for 750th anniversary of his death"
"St. Thomas Aquinas’ relics carried in procession for 750th anniversary of his death"
That is the supposed skull of Aquinas, regarded as a sacred relic by Roman Catholics. The RCC maintains hundreds, if not thousands of such bones and relics of their "saints." It truly grieves me to see scenes such as this-
You can see more here -
www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257018/st-thomas-aquinas-relics-carried-in-procession-for-750th-anniversary-of-his-death
It grieves me to see such scenes because I was raised a Roman Catholic and taught all its traditions and superstitions and believed them as a child. Then, at 24, having spent my young years as an atheist, rejecting the Roman Catholic faith, I became a Christian, in the early morning hours of March 18th; and through study of the Bible, saw the futility of Romanism and its pagan influences upon religion, which it borrowed from ancient times and paganism which surrounded the once faithful church in Rome, Romans 1:8.
I do not understand how modern minds can worship the dead like this, even disregarding Rome's own Bible, the Douay-Rheims Version, which states -
Baruch 6:1 For the sins that you have committed before God, you shall be carried away captives into Babylon by Nabuchodonosor the king of Babylon.
Bar 6:2 And when you are come into Babylon, you shall be there many years, and for a long time, even to seven generations: and after that I will bring you away from thence with peace.
Bar 6:3 But now, you shall see in Babylon gods of gold, and of silver, and of stone, and of wood borne upon shoulders, causing fear to the Gentiles.
Bar 6:4 Beware therefore that you imitate not the doings of others, and be afraid, and the fear of them should seize upon you.
Baruch is not considered an authentic Scriptural document by Jews and Protestants but, Deuteronomy is -
Deut 12:29 When the Lord thy God shall have destroyed before thy face the nations, which thou shalt go in to possess, and when thou shalt possess them, and dwell in their land:
Deut 12:30 Beware lest thou imitate them, after they are destroyed at thy coming in, and lest thou seek after their ceremonies, saying: As these nations have worshipped their gods, so will I also worship.
Deut 12:31 Thou shalt not do in like manner to the Lord thy God. For they have done to their gods all the abominations which the Lord abhorreth, offering their sons and daughters, and burning them with fire.
Deut 12:32 What I command thee, that only do thou to the Lord: neither add any thing, nor diminish. (Douay-Rheims Version)
Romanism, all over the world, does exactly what God forbid them to do: carry idols of gold, silver, stone and wood and bones on shoulders, in procession, exactly as the Babylonians did, as well as other pagan cultures. Why? Because Romanism is nothing more than the continuation of the pagan Roman empire with the veneer of Christian doctrines which it twisted and perverted to make it easier for pagans to join the faith. Indeed, the pagan culture converted the church and the Dark Ages of superstition and man-made religion and exaltation of men and religious position and power was the result.
"The skull in Priverno is one of two skulls currently claimed by Church officials as the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas. The Dominicans in Toulouse recently commissioned a new reliquary for the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas, which has been touring France and abroad."
It saddens me to realize Rome claims over a billion people in its flock who believe this kind of thing. God bids them to come out of spiritual, prophetic Babylon -
Rev 18:1 And after these things, I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power: and the earth was enlightened with his glory.
Rev 18:2 And he cried out with a strong voice, saying: Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen: and is become the habitation of devils and the hold of every unclean spirit and the hold of every unclean and hateful bird:
Rev 18:3 Because all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication: and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her; And the merchants of the earth have been made rich by the power of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying: Go out from her, my people; that you be not partakers of her sins and that you receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven: and the Lord hath remembered her iniquities." (Douay-Rheims Version)
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257018/st-thomas-aquinas-relics-carried-in-procession-for-750th-anniversary-of-his-death
It grieves me to see such scenes because I was raised a Roman Catholic and taught all its traditions and superstitions and believed them as a child. Then, at 24, having spent my young years as an atheist, rejecting the Roman Catholic faith, I became a Christian, in the early morning hours of March 18th; and through study of the Bible, saw the futility of Romanism and its pagan influences upon religion, which it borrowed from ancient times and paganism which surrounded the once faithful church in Rome, Romans 1:8.
I do not understand how modern minds can worship the dead like this, even disregarding Rome's own Bible, the Douay-Rheims Version, which states -
Baruch 6:1 For the sins that you have committed before God, you shall be carried away captives into Babylon by Nabuchodonosor the king of Babylon.
Bar 6:2 And when you are come into Babylon, you shall be there many years, and for a long time, even to seven generations: and after that I will bring you away from thence with peace.
Bar 6:3 But now, you shall see in Babylon gods of gold, and of silver, and of stone, and of wood borne upon shoulders, causing fear to the Gentiles.
Bar 6:4 Beware therefore that you imitate not the doings of others, and be afraid, and the fear of them should seize upon you.
Baruch is not considered an authentic Scriptural document by Jews and Protestants but, Deuteronomy is -
Deut 12:29 When the Lord thy God shall have destroyed before thy face the nations, which thou shalt go in to possess, and when thou shalt possess them, and dwell in their land:
Deut 12:30 Beware lest thou imitate them, after they are destroyed at thy coming in, and lest thou seek after their ceremonies, saying: As these nations have worshipped their gods, so will I also worship.
Deut 12:31 Thou shalt not do in like manner to the Lord thy God. For they have done to their gods all the abominations which the Lord abhorreth, offering their sons and daughters, and burning them with fire.
Deut 12:32 What I command thee, that only do thou to the Lord: neither add any thing, nor diminish. (Douay-Rheims Version)
Romanism, all over the world, does exactly what God forbid them to do: carry idols of gold, silver, stone and wood and bones on shoulders, in procession, exactly as the Babylonians did, as well as other pagan cultures. Why? Because Romanism is nothing more than the continuation of the pagan Roman empire with the veneer of Christian doctrines which it twisted and perverted to make it easier for pagans to join the faith. Indeed, the pagan culture converted the church and the Dark Ages of superstition and man-made religion and exaltation of men and religious position and power was the result.
"The skull in Priverno is one of two skulls currently claimed by Church officials as the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas. The Dominicans in Toulouse recently commissioned a new reliquary for the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas, which has been touring France and abroad."
It saddens me to realize Rome claims over a billion people in its flock who believe this kind of thing. God bids them to come out of spiritual, prophetic Babylon -
Rev 18:1 And after these things, I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power: and the earth was enlightened with his glory.
Rev 18:2 And he cried out with a strong voice, saying: Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen: and is become the habitation of devils and the hold of every unclean spirit and the hold of every unclean and hateful bird:
Rev 18:3 Because all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication: and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her; And the merchants of the earth have been made rich by the power of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying: Go out from her, my people; that you be not partakers of her sins and that you receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven: and the Lord hath remembered her iniquities." (Douay-Rheims Version)
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Why Government Lies
I'm not sure why 'seminal' events cause entire populations to remember exactly where they were when the information of such life changing or population changing, law changing, scientific changing huge events came to their eyes and ears. Such events create images that last a lifetime.
We passed the 60th anniversary of the JFK assassination last November. I may have commented on it at the time. If you know how YouTube sets up videos in the side bar, you know it relates to subjects you have seen before or searched for. Over the years I have watched videos on the JFK assassination. I just watched a couple more.
I remember I was 8 years old, standing in the doorway of my classroom, waiting for the moment we could all head to our buses. I saw a young teacher walking quickly past our room. She was crying. There seemed to be a different kind of commotion in the hallway and ultimately we heard the president was shot and killed. Beyond that moment I couldn't tell you much. A lot of news reports on our black and white tv/stereo console, and the "rabbit ears" antenna. The funeral and all. Just vague memories but, the minutes involved in hearing of the event, itself, riveted in my mind.
I was way too young to pay attention to it all. Then came the 70s and the talk of a government cover-up, dozens of witnesses dying, etc., etc. and I still only had a vague curiosity.
2009 changed my views on everything when I was asked to watch some videos regarding 9/11. I had already been watching videos regarding the UFO phenomena for years because of my own belief, the subject would play into last-day events. Government cover-up of information, lies, mis, dis and malinformation about those subjects, and then the JFK assassination, as well as documentation and documentaries on WW2, Vietnam, Black Flag operations, CIA involvement in most all of it, and all told, my standard of belief in my "government," meaning elected civil servants controlling government, literally fell through the floor. I am far more prone to believing things that seem outlandish than "official government explanations" of anything. Especially when you discover the outlandish makes a lot more sense than the conspiracy theories government stories pump out.
So, then comes the Las Vegas shooting, the these bizarre fires in California and the fires in Maui and the lies on top of lies... it's breathtaking. Covid and the "pandemic." Russia, Russia, Russia. Then the 2020 election steal. Ukraine. Government lies like people breathe. It's absolutely astonishing. The main stream Press lies along with it all, which is really weird because they'll lie and back official stories even if those stories come from GOP side of issues and events, like the absolute rejection of thorough research into 9/11, when the Press hated Bush.
And this goes beyond the Federal government, of course. State governments lie. We saw that in states integral to the fraud that took place in the 2020 election, as well as 2022 midterms, especially Arizona.
Those who question government explanations and reasons for actions are called "deniers." The flip side is that I'd have to deny mountains of evidence, reason and common sense to believe "official stories."
The government lies for various reasons. "National security" is a big one. They lie to prevent chaos and anarchy they believe would develop if truths were told. They lie to keep themselves out of jail. Big one, although with a corrupt justice department and alphabet agencies, they generally remain safe and willing to do or say whatever necessary to stay out of jail. They lie to protect the economy and by the same token, lie to dismantle the economy. Lying is, as I have stated before, the national pastime.
In the two videos I watched about the JFK event, evidence was astutely given to show lies were told by so many people in and around government, with the destruction of crucial evidence regarding the aftermath of the shooting: the doctored Zapruder film and medical cover-ups, Americans will never know the absolute truth of the event.
Researchers claim it was the Mafia, the CIA, Castro/Cubans, Russia, the Vatican/Papacy/Jesuits or some conglomeration of some of them together, with a carnival of circumstances from many actors in the mix. The deaths of Marilyn Monroe and reporter Dorothy Kilgallen and dozens of others are involved.
Various circumstances have given rise to release of enough documentation to fill libraries with pages people can read online but, each person will have to draw their own conclusions and the same goes for all these other matters, as well. Government lies. Government covers things up. Government is evil but, such as it was in the days of Noah; pretty much everything else is on that level as well and will get worse.
It all ties in to prophecy and spiritual, prophetic Babylon, which is confusion. Confusion abounds because Satan is spinning society into a frenzy to accept his final dog and pony show remedy for it all. Peace and safety, security, will be the global cry and yet, one small group of people, the "remnant" will not go along. Oh, plenty of others will stand against the coming superchurch and lies it will parade in its show and tell but, for other reasons than religious differences and faith. Yet, they will either be removed by incarceration or ultimately accept the mark of the beast "in the hand," meaning: to be able to work, to buy, to sell, they will go along, to get along but, when God's people refuse to bow down to the lies and are refused ability to buy and sell, and ultimately a death decree will be pronounced when all other tactics fail to get them to go along, society will be brought to the edge of sanity by what Lucifer is going to unleash, and in that condition, mankind will grasp at any "official" story told to them, despite any and all evidence to the contrary.
Billions will stand against... I don't know how many. Tens, hundreds of thousands? Millions? Whatever the numbers build to, persecution will dwindle it but, once the close of human probation takes place; all cases decided, all in for truth and the rest welded to error, lies and delusions, sheep and goats; martyrdom will cease. The blood of those who seal their testimony with their lives will make no more difference in witness to unbelievers. God will protect His people from a human populace displaying the full character of Satan. And do not be deceived. Remember, Judas was the smartest guy in the bunch, the treasurer, great potential and he is the one who betrayed Christ. No red tail. No horns. Just a totally captured mind for Lucifer. He ultimately hung himself.
It is fascinating to watch lies become truth for people. They can be shown evidence mounted to the clouds and they refuse to accept it because it is too great a challenge to their beliefs, their moorings, their stable lives. They cannot see past their conveniences, what they see as their earthly necessities. They have not made it a habit to trust in God and His provisions for those who love Him.
At this point in my life, I have basically come to the place where I don't believe much of anything told to me by anyone unless I have evidence something is true.
Living in a senior assistance facility such as I am, one can feel it is not much more than a gossip factory for people with nothing else to do. That is tragic. I can write. I can share with Bible studies. My life is more, must be more than just sitting around or, I'll die. Literally. I exercise in various ways. Yeah, it hurts but, I'm not going to become a rust bucket for anyone. And I'm going to watch and pray, as Christ taught us; keeping an eye on events as they build. I may pass away before Christ returns but, my life is in God's hands, regardless of whether or not I can understand or figure out my current circumstances. My life is reaching sunset. It doesn't matter much. Few will miss me when I'm gone but, planting seeds for eternity? That is the most important thing.
Lies are so destructive. Half truths, they can be just as ruinous and wicked. Lucifer is the father of lies. He knows the truth. His time is short.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
We passed the 60th anniversary of the JFK assassination last November. I may have commented on it at the time. If you know how YouTube sets up videos in the side bar, you know it relates to subjects you have seen before or searched for. Over the years I have watched videos on the JFK assassination. I just watched a couple more.
I remember I was 8 years old, standing in the doorway of my classroom, waiting for the moment we could all head to our buses. I saw a young teacher walking quickly past our room. She was crying. There seemed to be a different kind of commotion in the hallway and ultimately we heard the president was shot and killed. Beyond that moment I couldn't tell you much. A lot of news reports on our black and white tv/stereo console, and the "rabbit ears" antenna. The funeral and all. Just vague memories but, the minutes involved in hearing of the event, itself, riveted in my mind.
I was way too young to pay attention to it all. Then came the 70s and the talk of a government cover-up, dozens of witnesses dying, etc., etc. and I still only had a vague curiosity.
2009 changed my views on everything when I was asked to watch some videos regarding 9/11. I had already been watching videos regarding the UFO phenomena for years because of my own belief, the subject would play into last-day events. Government cover-up of information, lies, mis, dis and malinformation about those subjects, and then the JFK assassination, as well as documentation and documentaries on WW2, Vietnam, Black Flag operations, CIA involvement in most all of it, and all told, my standard of belief in my "government," meaning elected civil servants controlling government, literally fell through the floor. I am far more prone to believing things that seem outlandish than "official government explanations" of anything. Especially when you discover the outlandish makes a lot more sense than the conspiracy theories government stories pump out.
So, then comes the Las Vegas shooting, the these bizarre fires in California and the fires in Maui and the lies on top of lies... it's breathtaking. Covid and the "pandemic." Russia, Russia, Russia. Then the 2020 election steal. Ukraine. Government lies like people breathe. It's absolutely astonishing. The main stream Press lies along with it all, which is really weird because they'll lie and back official stories even if those stories come from GOP side of issues and events, like the absolute rejection of thorough research into 9/11, when the Press hated Bush.
And this goes beyond the Federal government, of course. State governments lie. We saw that in states integral to the fraud that took place in the 2020 election, as well as 2022 midterms, especially Arizona.
Those who question government explanations and reasons for actions are called "deniers." The flip side is that I'd have to deny mountains of evidence, reason and common sense to believe "official stories."
The government lies for various reasons. "National security" is a big one. They lie to prevent chaos and anarchy they believe would develop if truths were told. They lie to keep themselves out of jail. Big one, although with a corrupt justice department and alphabet agencies, they generally remain safe and willing to do or say whatever necessary to stay out of jail. They lie to protect the economy and by the same token, lie to dismantle the economy. Lying is, as I have stated before, the national pastime.
In the two videos I watched about the JFK event, evidence was astutely given to show lies were told by so many people in and around government, with the destruction of crucial evidence regarding the aftermath of the shooting: the doctored Zapruder film and medical cover-ups, Americans will never know the absolute truth of the event.
Researchers claim it was the Mafia, the CIA, Castro/Cubans, Russia, the Vatican/Papacy/Jesuits or some conglomeration of some of them together, with a carnival of circumstances from many actors in the mix. The deaths of Marilyn Monroe and reporter Dorothy Kilgallen and dozens of others are involved.
Various circumstances have given rise to release of enough documentation to fill libraries with pages people can read online but, each person will have to draw their own conclusions and the same goes for all these other matters, as well. Government lies. Government covers things up. Government is evil but, such as it was in the days of Noah; pretty much everything else is on that level as well and will get worse.
It all ties in to prophecy and spiritual, prophetic Babylon, which is confusion. Confusion abounds because Satan is spinning society into a frenzy to accept his final dog and pony show remedy for it all. Peace and safety, security, will be the global cry and yet, one small group of people, the "remnant" will not go along. Oh, plenty of others will stand against the coming superchurch and lies it will parade in its show and tell but, for other reasons than religious differences and faith. Yet, they will either be removed by incarceration or ultimately accept the mark of the beast "in the hand," meaning: to be able to work, to buy, to sell, they will go along, to get along but, when God's people refuse to bow down to the lies and are refused ability to buy and sell, and ultimately a death decree will be pronounced when all other tactics fail to get them to go along, society will be brought to the edge of sanity by what Lucifer is going to unleash, and in that condition, mankind will grasp at any "official" story told to them, despite any and all evidence to the contrary.
Billions will stand against... I don't know how many. Tens, hundreds of thousands? Millions? Whatever the numbers build to, persecution will dwindle it but, once the close of human probation takes place; all cases decided, all in for truth and the rest welded to error, lies and delusions, sheep and goats; martyrdom will cease. The blood of those who seal their testimony with their lives will make no more difference in witness to unbelievers. God will protect His people from a human populace displaying the full character of Satan. And do not be deceived. Remember, Judas was the smartest guy in the bunch, the treasurer, great potential and he is the one who betrayed Christ. No red tail. No horns. Just a totally captured mind for Lucifer. He ultimately hung himself.
It is fascinating to watch lies become truth for people. They can be shown evidence mounted to the clouds and they refuse to accept it because it is too great a challenge to their beliefs, their moorings, their stable lives. They cannot see past their conveniences, what they see as their earthly necessities. They have not made it a habit to trust in God and His provisions for those who love Him.
At this point in my life, I have basically come to the place where I don't believe much of anything told to me by anyone unless I have evidence something is true.
Living in a senior assistance facility such as I am, one can feel it is not much more than a gossip factory for people with nothing else to do. That is tragic. I can write. I can share with Bible studies. My life is more, must be more than just sitting around or, I'll die. Literally. I exercise in various ways. Yeah, it hurts but, I'm not going to become a rust bucket for anyone. And I'm going to watch and pray, as Christ taught us; keeping an eye on events as they build. I may pass away before Christ returns but, my life is in God's hands, regardless of whether or not I can understand or figure out my current circumstances. My life is reaching sunset. It doesn't matter much. Few will miss me when I'm gone but, planting seeds for eternity? That is the most important thing.
Lies are so destructive. Half truths, they can be just as ruinous and wicked. Lucifer is the father of lies. He knows the truth. His time is short.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
$35,000,000,000,000
The United States national debt is now thirty-five TRILLION dollars. Debt. If you have ever seen a debt clock, the numbers move so fast you can't visually keep up.
www.usdebtclock.org/#
These are some examples of one trillion dollars. Multiply by 35 to understand more fully the absolute criminal job politicians have done placing this debt on Americans, which no generation will ever be able to pay the banks and nations America keeps borrowing money from.
exhibitcitynews.com/how-big-is-one-trillion-dollars/
America is in grave danger of financial collapse.
God help us.
www.usdebtclock.org/#
These are some examples of one trillion dollars. Multiply by 35 to understand more fully the absolute criminal job politicians have done placing this debt on Americans, which no generation will ever be able to pay the banks and nations America keeps borrowing money from.
- A stack of one billion dollars bills would be 67.9 miles high. A trillion dollar bills would reach 67,866 miles into space. [thirty-five trillion would reach 2,375,310 miles into space]
- A trillion dollar bills, laid end to end, would stretch 96,906,656 miles—further than the distance of the earth to the sun.
- A trillion dollars laid side to side, would cover more square miles than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined.
- A trillion dollars on skids would need to be transported by 478 semi-trailers. Unloaded, it would fill a football field from sideline to sideline, and almost goal line to goal line.
- If you were to spend $40/second, it would take 289 days to spend a billion dollars. And that’s at a spending rate of almost $3.456 million per day.
- At the same spending rate of $40/second, it would take 792.5 years to blow through one trillion dollars. [it would take 27,737.5 years to spend thirty-five trillion dollars at that rate]
exhibitcitynews.com/how-big-is-one-trillion-dollars/
America is in grave danger of financial collapse.
God help us.
*****************************
927. False Prophets of Remote Viewing - March 10, 2024
Let's unpack this in steps.
Prophets.
False prophets.
Remote viewing.
The Future Forecasting Group.
I just came upon an article at InfoWars which is actually a new Greg Reese video -
www.infowars.com/posts/remote-viewing-of-the-rapture-ascension-event/
The text of the video is with the article. It's about a group of "remote viewers" and what they see for the future. I found it interesting because it combines elements I have been speaking of for awhile now, from the viewpoint of last-day deceptions.
What is a prophet?
The word appears 244 times in the King James Version Bible. Here's the first use -
Gen 20:7 Now therefore restore the man his wife, for he is a prophet: and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: but if thou wilt not restore her, know that thou shalt surely die, thou and all that are thine.
For the sake of readability, for those not used to old English and ye, thee and thou, etc., just try to see 'you' and 'your,' etc. Place an 's' where a word ends in 'eth.' It gets a lot easier as you read and study, if you use a King James Bible; and there are good reasons to, despite more modern translations using more common English we speak today. I use them too, and place their translations here but, for the sake of this study, I'll stick with the KJV.
The context of Genesis 20 is the story of Abraham's sojourning in Gerara. Afraid he'll be killed so someone will take his beautiful wife, Sarah, he tells her to say to people she is Abraham's sister, which, in fact, she was: his half sister. He tells that to the ruler of Gerara who seeks to take her as his wife. God tells the ruler, in a dream, if he touches Sarah he and his household will die. Everything works out in the end but, God calls Abraham a prophet. Based on the definition of the word, it could be said king Abimelech was also experiencing a prophetic event. Strong's concordance entry -
H5030
נָבִיא
nâbı̂y'
naw-bee'
From H5012; a prophet or (generally) inspired man: - prophecy, that prophesy, prophet.
Total KJV occurrences: 315
You'll notice the Hebrew word translated "prophet" in the Old Testament, is also translated "prophecy" and "that prophesy," for a total of 315 times in the OT. It's a very common term for a very uncommon group of people, as far as service to the Lord goes. Prophets could and can be among the common or regular people in any society. Quite often, they were: unassuming people with no special place in a populace.
So, a prophet is simply someone that is inspired; someone who speaks or writes under the inspiration, the direct influence of God upon the mind or, under another influence; logically Lucifer. A prophet speaks for God/God speaks through a prophet. Both Old and New Testaments have prophets. They are not all named. In some cases God tells His people He has sent them many prophets to guide them, and none are named.
Here are the next three passages that lay the basic groundwork for the place and ministry of a prophet in the midst of God's people, as well as false prophets which may appear among them -
Exo 7:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.
Moses felt he could not possibly lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. God told Moses He would make him great in the land of Egypt, as though he were a god before Pharaoh and the Egyptian people; which had many devised gods in their religious and civil life. God told Moses, his brother, Aaron, would be his prophet, his guide and mouthpiece from Him to speak for Moses before the people and Pharaoh.
Num 12:5 And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
Num 12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
Num 12:7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
Num 12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
Aaron and Moses sister, Miriam, were not too keen on Moses leading the people. God rebuked them. Even though the Bible states Moses was a prophet, his place was far higher. He spoke to God face to Face. The "typical" prophet receives visions and dreams to receive information from the Lord.
Deut 13:1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
Deut 13:2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
Deut 13:3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deut 13:4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
Deut 13:5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.
So, there we have information about false prophets. If they speak anything or do anything that leads people away from God and His commandments, they are not from God. They may sound good. They may seem to perform wonders but, they are allowed to exist, to test the people; to see how loyal they would remain to God, in following His directions. False prophets were to be killed through capital punishment. If a prophet claimed to speak for God and what they said did not come to pass, they would know it was the work of a false prophet. Simple enough, yet Christ and His disciples said to beware of false prophets, especially before His return -
Matt 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Peter wrote some enormously important information about prophecy -
2Pet 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2Pet 1:17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
2Pet 1:18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
2Pet 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
2Pet 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pet 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Though Peter was an eye witness to Christ being transformed on the mount and heard the voice of God, Peter stated prophecy is a more sure source of information. Believe the Word of God before you believe your own eyes and senses. That is an extremely important principle to follow.
Prophecy is not for private interpretation. Hugely important. No one person can come along and tell believers what a certain prophecy means, whether old or new. It is not to be used out of the context of the rest of Scripture. The Bible interprets itself, and such as in the case of the books of Daniel and Revelation, they go hand in hand in understanding last-day events. You need one to understand the other, clearly. In this day and age, cherry picking Bible prophecy is an enormous problem.
2Pet 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2Pet 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
2Pet 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
Privately bringing in damnable heresies. False prophets, false teachers, are just as prone to speaking to people in private, to gain influence among many. They speak "fake news" if you will, to make money off people. Their judgment shall come one day, in God's order and timing.
2Pet 2:14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
2Pet 2:15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
2Pet 2:16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
Peter had a lot to write to the believers of his time but, he focuses in on one false prophet, Balaam, Numbers 22-24, who got paid by a pagan king to prophesy things about Israel that would help him to conquer them. It was madness for Balaam to attempt such a thing and the story is famous for God speaking through a donkey Balaam was riding on, which kept him from being killed by God's angel, for his apostasy. Balaam ended up telling the pagan king you cannot curse what God has blessed.
Three chapters of the Bible devoted to a false prophet's work to cause evil to befall upon Israel. Peter says people like that shall exist at the end of time. They confuse unstable people, not grounded in the Word.
The Bible is filled with mention of true and false prophets.
Prophecy is considered a gift from the Holy Spirit -
1Cor 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
1Cor 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
1Cor 12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
1Cor 12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
1Cor 12:10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
1Cor 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
The true gift of prophecy is just that: a gift of the Holy Spirit and He disperses the gifts as He will among God's people. It is not something one can learn to do. It is not a learned skill. It is a spiritual gift from God.
Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
The gifts are primarily to edify, to help the church of Christ, His body, to operate better and more efficiently and intelligently under the guidance of the head of the body, Christ; to the end that Christlike character is developed in each believer; no more tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine and deceit that comes around. Unity is the affect. At the end of time, now, false teachers and false prophets abound. The true exist, as well, and it is up to believers to have the connection with God they need to discern the true from the false - "by their fruits you shall know them."
Just because a "prophet" predicts something that comes true is not the bottom line. Satan can play games with that feature. The bottom line is being in harmony with all truth from God; every word that proceeds from His mouth and developing the character of Christ in the battle between truth and error.
With those principles in mind, we come to the group that is specific to this post: remote viewers.
"Clairvoyant Remote Viewing: The US Sponsored Psychic Spying
M. Srinivasan * , Former Associate Director, BARC
Abstract
" ’Remote Viewing,’ popularly known as Extra Sensory Perception (ESP) is the ability of human being[s] to perceive information and imagery of remote geographical targets. Advanced practitioners of the Indian Yoga system were well acquainted with ‘Divya Drishti.’
"This paper deals with experiments conducted in USA in which certain individuals were trained to acquire such ‘Remote Viewing’ capabilities for collecting military intelligence."
ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/olj/sa/sa_jan02srm01.html
Remote viewing has been around a long time. It is not just seeing material objects in the mind, what and where they are. It also involves seeing events - past, present and future. It is a learned skill by definition. It is not a gift from the Holy Spirit of God. Do not miss that point.
Satan can easily get into a mind of give it information the person has never seen or known. That's the whole point. We must guard against that deception. Remote viewers are people who learn to see such things. They often have great track records.
The Future Forecasting Group. That is a group of formerly trained individuals who work together to see things. What did Peter say? They will make merchandise of you. They will make money off of you. If you want to know first hand, in real time what the FFG gets into you have to pay for monthly memberships to their private organization. The more money, the more information. Yes, they have a YT channel with over 700 videos on it. Be forewarned.
futureforecastinggroup.com/
www.youtube.com/hashtag/futureforcastinggroup
Their newest video, posted three weeks ago, is titled - IS THE RAPTURE COMING? It is five minutes long and the speaker, one of the FFG members, tells viewers at the outset he is not a born-again Christian, though he believes in the Golden Rule - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. His honesty seems admirable. From there, though, that honesty betrays his abilities, biblically speaking. He states he does not know anything about the "Rapture," though he has interacted with those who do and he does not subscribe to it. Nor does he subscribe to RA, the ancient pagan system of religion. RA was the Egyptian sun god. Then he immediately gets into a remote viewing session where the "soul" comes into play; how it attaches to a fetus. Then he speaks of seeing pillars of fire in the sky. All the "viewers" in his group were given a double blind test on a specific target number. They all saw the same imagery of what they refer to as the RA, the Rapture Ascension, in association with "The RA Contact: Teaching the Law of One." If you want to know everything this remote viewing session contained, you can sign up for $25 or $45 or $100 a month to get the full information.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8mklShmygM
Greg Reese gives an overview of his impressions of the full session. I would not waste my money. That said, a mixture of things I have been stating for years is in this gig, including the entrance of extra-terrestrials. Yeah, I'm not kidding. Check it out -
rumble.com/v4hyuli-remote-viewing-of-the-rapture-ascension-event.html
So, we have a confused, conflated version of prophecy, "souls," the last-days/"rapture"/second coming of Christ with extra-terrestrials and ancient pagan teachings all coming upon the Earth soon. What are these remote viewers seeing? Lies. Satanic imagery. They are deceived people. They are false prophets. They seek money to make known their private information. Get it? The apostle Peter was shown people like these. They do not serve God. They are prophesying deceits. Millions will latch on to these things rather than just follow a plain Thus saith the Lord. This does not mean these scenes will not play out. No. They may, with startling detail but, the message is not and will not be one to unite believers in the truth. It will all be part of the power, signs and lying wonders and delusions coming upon the Earth.
Isa 30:8 Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:
Isa 30:9 That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:
Isa 30:10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
Isa 30:11 Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
People have never wanted the whole, real, life-saving truth from God. They want things watered down, injected with freedom to do what they want, while claiming pious existence and enjoying the world's maxims God is trying to get them out of.
"March Madness" is upon the nation, for those so inclined to care about college basketball finals and national champions. As exciting as people find it all, they are unaware of what is building that leaves all such exercises as meaningless, frivolous activity when compared to what is coming on the Earth. A madness is coming that shall literally take the world by storm. It will be more interesting, riveting and exciting than anything the world has ever seen before. "Peace and safety!" will be the global cry of happiness. Then, sudden destruction will come, as a woman in childbirth, and they shall not escape the judgments of God for rebellion against His law and satanic treatment of His people.
While the world is engulfed in chaos, political wrangling and elections, crime, wars, fluctuating multitudes just trying to keep up with bills and feeding families, the end of all things is building to a climax of human history. Prophecy declares it. It shall come to pass. It is coming to pass. Anyone with reason will see something is afoot, something is not right and as they seek they will be lead by God to find the truth and it will make them free. Free, indeed.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Prophets.
False prophets.
Remote viewing.
The Future Forecasting Group.
I just came upon an article at InfoWars which is actually a new Greg Reese video -
www.infowars.com/posts/remote-viewing-of-the-rapture-ascension-event/
The text of the video is with the article. It's about a group of "remote viewers" and what they see for the future. I found it interesting because it combines elements I have been speaking of for awhile now, from the viewpoint of last-day deceptions.
What is a prophet?
The word appears 244 times in the King James Version Bible. Here's the first use -
Gen 20:7 Now therefore restore the man his wife, for he is a prophet: and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: but if thou wilt not restore her, know that thou shalt surely die, thou and all that are thine.
For the sake of readability, for those not used to old English and ye, thee and thou, etc., just try to see 'you' and 'your,' etc. Place an 's' where a word ends in 'eth.' It gets a lot easier as you read and study, if you use a King James Bible; and there are good reasons to, despite more modern translations using more common English we speak today. I use them too, and place their translations here but, for the sake of this study, I'll stick with the KJV.
The context of Genesis 20 is the story of Abraham's sojourning in Gerara. Afraid he'll be killed so someone will take his beautiful wife, Sarah, he tells her to say to people she is Abraham's sister, which, in fact, she was: his half sister. He tells that to the ruler of Gerara who seeks to take her as his wife. God tells the ruler, in a dream, if he touches Sarah he and his household will die. Everything works out in the end but, God calls Abraham a prophet. Based on the definition of the word, it could be said king Abimelech was also experiencing a prophetic event. Strong's concordance entry -
H5030
נָבִיא
nâbı̂y'
naw-bee'
From H5012; a prophet or (generally) inspired man: - prophecy, that prophesy, prophet.
Total KJV occurrences: 315
You'll notice the Hebrew word translated "prophet" in the Old Testament, is also translated "prophecy" and "that prophesy," for a total of 315 times in the OT. It's a very common term for a very uncommon group of people, as far as service to the Lord goes. Prophets could and can be among the common or regular people in any society. Quite often, they were: unassuming people with no special place in a populace.
So, a prophet is simply someone that is inspired; someone who speaks or writes under the inspiration, the direct influence of God upon the mind or, under another influence; logically Lucifer. A prophet speaks for God/God speaks through a prophet. Both Old and New Testaments have prophets. They are not all named. In some cases God tells His people He has sent them many prophets to guide them, and none are named.
Here are the next three passages that lay the basic groundwork for the place and ministry of a prophet in the midst of God's people, as well as false prophets which may appear among them -
Exo 7:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.
Moses felt he could not possibly lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. God told Moses He would make him great in the land of Egypt, as though he were a god before Pharaoh and the Egyptian people; which had many devised gods in their religious and civil life. God told Moses, his brother, Aaron, would be his prophet, his guide and mouthpiece from Him to speak for Moses before the people and Pharaoh.
Num 12:5 And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
Num 12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
Num 12:7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
Num 12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
Aaron and Moses sister, Miriam, were not too keen on Moses leading the people. God rebuked them. Even though the Bible states Moses was a prophet, his place was far higher. He spoke to God face to Face. The "typical" prophet receives visions and dreams to receive information from the Lord.
Deut 13:1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
Deut 13:2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
Deut 13:3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deut 13:4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
Deut 13:5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.
So, there we have information about false prophets. If they speak anything or do anything that leads people away from God and His commandments, they are not from God. They may sound good. They may seem to perform wonders but, they are allowed to exist, to test the people; to see how loyal they would remain to God, in following His directions. False prophets were to be killed through capital punishment. If a prophet claimed to speak for God and what they said did not come to pass, they would know it was the work of a false prophet. Simple enough, yet Christ and His disciples said to beware of false prophets, especially before His return -
Matt 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Peter wrote some enormously important information about prophecy -
2Pet 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2Pet 1:17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
2Pet 1:18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
2Pet 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
2Pet 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pet 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Though Peter was an eye witness to Christ being transformed on the mount and heard the voice of God, Peter stated prophecy is a more sure source of information. Believe the Word of God before you believe your own eyes and senses. That is an extremely important principle to follow.
Prophecy is not for private interpretation. Hugely important. No one person can come along and tell believers what a certain prophecy means, whether old or new. It is not to be used out of the context of the rest of Scripture. The Bible interprets itself, and such as in the case of the books of Daniel and Revelation, they go hand in hand in understanding last-day events. You need one to understand the other, clearly. In this day and age, cherry picking Bible prophecy is an enormous problem.
2Pet 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2Pet 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
2Pet 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
Privately bringing in damnable heresies. False prophets, false teachers, are just as prone to speaking to people in private, to gain influence among many. They speak "fake news" if you will, to make money off people. Their judgment shall come one day, in God's order and timing.
2Pet 2:14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
2Pet 2:15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
2Pet 2:16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
Peter had a lot to write to the believers of his time but, he focuses in on one false prophet, Balaam, Numbers 22-24, who got paid by a pagan king to prophesy things about Israel that would help him to conquer them. It was madness for Balaam to attempt such a thing and the story is famous for God speaking through a donkey Balaam was riding on, which kept him from being killed by God's angel, for his apostasy. Balaam ended up telling the pagan king you cannot curse what God has blessed.
Three chapters of the Bible devoted to a false prophet's work to cause evil to befall upon Israel. Peter says people like that shall exist at the end of time. They confuse unstable people, not grounded in the Word.
The Bible is filled with mention of true and false prophets.
Prophecy is considered a gift from the Holy Spirit -
1Cor 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
1Cor 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
1Cor 12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
1Cor 12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
1Cor 12:10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
1Cor 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
The true gift of prophecy is just that: a gift of the Holy Spirit and He disperses the gifts as He will among God's people. It is not something one can learn to do. It is not a learned skill. It is a spiritual gift from God.
Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
The gifts are primarily to edify, to help the church of Christ, His body, to operate better and more efficiently and intelligently under the guidance of the head of the body, Christ; to the end that Christlike character is developed in each believer; no more tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine and deceit that comes around. Unity is the affect. At the end of time, now, false teachers and false prophets abound. The true exist, as well, and it is up to believers to have the connection with God they need to discern the true from the false - "by their fruits you shall know them."
Just because a "prophet" predicts something that comes true is not the bottom line. Satan can play games with that feature. The bottom line is being in harmony with all truth from God; every word that proceeds from His mouth and developing the character of Christ in the battle between truth and error.
With those principles in mind, we come to the group that is specific to this post: remote viewers.
"Clairvoyant Remote Viewing: The US Sponsored Psychic Spying
M. Srinivasan * , Former Associate Director, BARC
Abstract
" ’Remote Viewing,’ popularly known as Extra Sensory Perception (ESP) is the ability of human being[s] to perceive information and imagery of remote geographical targets. Advanced practitioners of the Indian Yoga system were well acquainted with ‘Divya Drishti.’
"This paper deals with experiments conducted in USA in which certain individuals were trained to acquire such ‘Remote Viewing’ capabilities for collecting military intelligence."
ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/olj/sa/sa_jan02srm01.html
Remote viewing has been around a long time. It is not just seeing material objects in the mind, what and where they are. It also involves seeing events - past, present and future. It is a learned skill by definition. It is not a gift from the Holy Spirit of God. Do not miss that point.
Satan can easily get into a mind of give it information the person has never seen or known. That's the whole point. We must guard against that deception. Remote viewers are people who learn to see such things. They often have great track records.
The Future Forecasting Group. That is a group of formerly trained individuals who work together to see things. What did Peter say? They will make merchandise of you. They will make money off of you. If you want to know first hand, in real time what the FFG gets into you have to pay for monthly memberships to their private organization. The more money, the more information. Yes, they have a YT channel with over 700 videos on it. Be forewarned.
futureforecastinggroup.com/
www.youtube.com/hashtag/futureforcastinggroup
Their newest video, posted three weeks ago, is titled - IS THE RAPTURE COMING? It is five minutes long and the speaker, one of the FFG members, tells viewers at the outset he is not a born-again Christian, though he believes in the Golden Rule - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. His honesty seems admirable. From there, though, that honesty betrays his abilities, biblically speaking. He states he does not know anything about the "Rapture," though he has interacted with those who do and he does not subscribe to it. Nor does he subscribe to RA, the ancient pagan system of religion. RA was the Egyptian sun god. Then he immediately gets into a remote viewing session where the "soul" comes into play; how it attaches to a fetus. Then he speaks of seeing pillars of fire in the sky. All the "viewers" in his group were given a double blind test on a specific target number. They all saw the same imagery of what they refer to as the RA, the Rapture Ascension, in association with "The RA Contact: Teaching the Law of One." If you want to know everything this remote viewing session contained, you can sign up for $25 or $45 or $100 a month to get the full information.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8mklShmygM
Greg Reese gives an overview of his impressions of the full session. I would not waste my money. That said, a mixture of things I have been stating for years is in this gig, including the entrance of extra-terrestrials. Yeah, I'm not kidding. Check it out -
rumble.com/v4hyuli-remote-viewing-of-the-rapture-ascension-event.html
So, we have a confused, conflated version of prophecy, "souls," the last-days/"rapture"/second coming of Christ with extra-terrestrials and ancient pagan teachings all coming upon the Earth soon. What are these remote viewers seeing? Lies. Satanic imagery. They are deceived people. They are false prophets. They seek money to make known their private information. Get it? The apostle Peter was shown people like these. They do not serve God. They are prophesying deceits. Millions will latch on to these things rather than just follow a plain Thus saith the Lord. This does not mean these scenes will not play out. No. They may, with startling detail but, the message is not and will not be one to unite believers in the truth. It will all be part of the power, signs and lying wonders and delusions coming upon the Earth.
Isa 30:8 Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:
Isa 30:9 That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:
Isa 30:10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
Isa 30:11 Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
People have never wanted the whole, real, life-saving truth from God. They want things watered down, injected with freedom to do what they want, while claiming pious existence and enjoying the world's maxims God is trying to get them out of.
"March Madness" is upon the nation, for those so inclined to care about college basketball finals and national champions. As exciting as people find it all, they are unaware of what is building that leaves all such exercises as meaningless, frivolous activity when compared to what is coming on the Earth. A madness is coming that shall literally take the world by storm. It will be more interesting, riveting and exciting than anything the world has ever seen before. "Peace and safety!" will be the global cry of happiness. Then, sudden destruction will come, as a woman in childbirth, and they shall not escape the judgments of God for rebellion against His law and satanic treatment of His people.
While the world is engulfed in chaos, political wrangling and elections, crime, wars, fluctuating multitudes just trying to keep up with bills and feeding families, the end of all things is building to a climax of human history. Prophecy declares it. It shall come to pass. It is coming to pass. Anyone with reason will see something is afoot, something is not right and as they seek they will be lead by God to find the truth and it will make them free. Free, indeed.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
The RFK SOTU
Last September I posted about the attack on RFK after he announced he was running for POTUS. The Democrat apparatus got downright ugly against the man.
I had mentioned it would be interesting if Trump chose him for VP. I made that assessment based on what I knew of the man and what he was saying in interviews. Yes, of course I had misgivings but, overall I thought each man could hold each other's feet to the fire, so to speak. Just a thought. Not so much now.
Kennedy put out his own State of the Union address, which I watched on YT. It's nine minutes long.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0yvc2Qhn5E
Now running as an Independent, the video is well made, and the man speaks to all the issues facing worn out Americans trying to keep pace with problems stacked upon problems and he believes he can help to fix it all.
I have my doubts.
Not even 15 seconds in and he mentions America as the first "modern democracy."
Then, around 1:55 he mentioned America became a "true constitutional democracy in this country" in the context of voting rights and office holding for all citizens of any race.
Around 5:20 in the midst of a long list of problems now facing Americans, he states America now has the highest number of gun deaths per capita.
Then, at 7:20 he states Americans are tired of being told "to preserve democracy itself you better vote for our guy."
Then he says Americans are tired of fear mongering and want more choice then "the lesser of two evils."
One might say Kennedy is like Democrats of his father and uncle's era. Perhaps so. I was too young to pay much attention back then. As I've said, even as I got older I never paid much attention. Few of my generation did in their young years. Now, I see. And while I see the problems, which are impossible not to see if one is being honest (and the main stream press is not honest), I also wonder how someone with RFK's background could ever call America a constitutional democracy when it is a constitutional republic, employing aspects of democracy to chose its representatives and elected civil servants.
How many times has Kennedy said the Pledge of Allegiance? "And to the Republic for which it stands..."
The only reason America is in such a high ratio of gun deaths per capita is because of the death to gun violence tabulated in large American cities all run by democrat administrations, with strict gun laws. Take away those cities and America drops into the bottom of the list.
As honest as RFK is, and well spoken for the principles of Americanism, to place before potential voters his desire to have America be this "true constitutional democracy" he sees the nation as, seems just a springboard for more Leftist agenda, even if not as radical as what now exists. I'm not always crazy about Trump. Far from it That said, telling me Americans in every state see Trump as a lesser of two evils is pretty over the top. That becomes a slap in the face of tens of millions of people who liked his presidency and want him back in office. What evil is Trump guilty of? Seriously. Biden is evil. He's mentally impaired but, that does not change the fact what he has done in three years is evil. Arming the Taliban with billions of dollars of military arms and leaving Americans behind in the biggest military debacle in my lifetime. Allowing millions of illegal immigrants to just walk across the border, bus them in, fly them in and give them perks for breaking American law. Being involved with corruption with his brother and son with China and Ukraine... and now he threatens the Supreme Court justices to their faces and basically shouts his vitriol at half of America for believing America should come first? Calling me and millions like me a greater threat to democracy than any other concern Americans have?
Back to RFK. Sorry, not sorry. I believe the entire system of the Republic will not benefit from a presidency of his, nor will the second amendment stand firm.
Yeah, I cannot see the state of the union holds out any lasting hope from Robert Kennedy Jr. If he won, he'd only face constant opposition from his own former party and Conservatives in the GOP. He says he'll clean out the swamp. At least he admits there is one. Cleaning it out? Not him. He's not the fighter Trump is. He's not the boss figure Trump is, to stand up to people and get things done. He seems like a stand up guy and all but, no. The current American government machinery will chew him up right quick. He'd surround himself with swamp dwellers that are lesser of two evils from his own former party. Trump did that and will not again. Lessen learned.
Who will Kennedy place in cabinet positions? For that matter, has anyone even pondered or asked who RFK would choose for a VP? If Kennedy cannot even run for POTUS in his own former party, how can he expect to clean it up? Who in government will join him in that fight? With mountains of evidence of election corruption, Trump's party and Democrats have both left him hanging out in the wind and trying to defend himself from bad joke charges brought by corrupt actors bound at the hip to the the radical elements of the Democrat party and justice department. He'll be lucky to make it to the actual voting season, with all its ballots and drop boxes overflowing with votes from dead people.
The use of the correct term for America, a Republic ("If you can keep it"), has become so scarce it's pathetic. Kennedy obviously will not contribute to changing that and for me, that is the bottom line. Elected civil servants who understand and are committed to their oaths in defending the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic, understanding limited government, is the only thing that can change and help America get back to what it was in the era RFK and I grew up in.
God help America.
I had mentioned it would be interesting if Trump chose him for VP. I made that assessment based on what I knew of the man and what he was saying in interviews. Yes, of course I had misgivings but, overall I thought each man could hold each other's feet to the fire, so to speak. Just a thought. Not so much now.
Kennedy put out his own State of the Union address, which I watched on YT. It's nine minutes long.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0yvc2Qhn5E
Now running as an Independent, the video is well made, and the man speaks to all the issues facing worn out Americans trying to keep pace with problems stacked upon problems and he believes he can help to fix it all.
I have my doubts.
Not even 15 seconds in and he mentions America as the first "modern democracy."
Then, around 1:55 he mentioned America became a "true constitutional democracy in this country" in the context of voting rights and office holding for all citizens of any race.
Around 5:20 in the midst of a long list of problems now facing Americans, he states America now has the highest number of gun deaths per capita.
Then, at 7:20 he states Americans are tired of being told "to preserve democracy itself you better vote for our guy."
Then he says Americans are tired of fear mongering and want more choice then "the lesser of two evils."
One might say Kennedy is like Democrats of his father and uncle's era. Perhaps so. I was too young to pay much attention back then. As I've said, even as I got older I never paid much attention. Few of my generation did in their young years. Now, I see. And while I see the problems, which are impossible not to see if one is being honest (and the main stream press is not honest), I also wonder how someone with RFK's background could ever call America a constitutional democracy when it is a constitutional republic, employing aspects of democracy to chose its representatives and elected civil servants.
How many times has Kennedy said the Pledge of Allegiance? "And to the Republic for which it stands..."
The only reason America is in such a high ratio of gun deaths per capita is because of the death to gun violence tabulated in large American cities all run by democrat administrations, with strict gun laws. Take away those cities and America drops into the bottom of the list.
As honest as RFK is, and well spoken for the principles of Americanism, to place before potential voters his desire to have America be this "true constitutional democracy" he sees the nation as, seems just a springboard for more Leftist agenda, even if not as radical as what now exists. I'm not always crazy about Trump. Far from it That said, telling me Americans in every state see Trump as a lesser of two evils is pretty over the top. That becomes a slap in the face of tens of millions of people who liked his presidency and want him back in office. What evil is Trump guilty of? Seriously. Biden is evil. He's mentally impaired but, that does not change the fact what he has done in three years is evil. Arming the Taliban with billions of dollars of military arms and leaving Americans behind in the biggest military debacle in my lifetime. Allowing millions of illegal immigrants to just walk across the border, bus them in, fly them in and give them perks for breaking American law. Being involved with corruption with his brother and son with China and Ukraine... and now he threatens the Supreme Court justices to their faces and basically shouts his vitriol at half of America for believing America should come first? Calling me and millions like me a greater threat to democracy than any other concern Americans have?
Back to RFK. Sorry, not sorry. I believe the entire system of the Republic will not benefit from a presidency of his, nor will the second amendment stand firm.
Yeah, I cannot see the state of the union holds out any lasting hope from Robert Kennedy Jr. If he won, he'd only face constant opposition from his own former party and Conservatives in the GOP. He says he'll clean out the swamp. At least he admits there is one. Cleaning it out? Not him. He's not the fighter Trump is. He's not the boss figure Trump is, to stand up to people and get things done. He seems like a stand up guy and all but, no. The current American government machinery will chew him up right quick. He'd surround himself with swamp dwellers that are lesser of two evils from his own former party. Trump did that and will not again. Lessen learned.
Who will Kennedy place in cabinet positions? For that matter, has anyone even pondered or asked who RFK would choose for a VP? If Kennedy cannot even run for POTUS in his own former party, how can he expect to clean it up? Who in government will join him in that fight? With mountains of evidence of election corruption, Trump's party and Democrats have both left him hanging out in the wind and trying to defend himself from bad joke charges brought by corrupt actors bound at the hip to the the radical elements of the Democrat party and justice department. He'll be lucky to make it to the actual voting season, with all its ballots and drop boxes overflowing with votes from dead people.
The use of the correct term for America, a Republic ("If you can keep it"), has become so scarce it's pathetic. Kennedy obviously will not contribute to changing that and for me, that is the bottom line. Elected civil servants who understand and are committed to their oaths in defending the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic, understanding limited government, is the only thing that can change and help America get back to what it was in the era RFK and I grew up in.
God help America.
*****************************
928. ANTICHRIST.NEWS -
March 13, 2024
AntiChrist.news is a site I came across just now, from a news article at InfoWars about Covid, the injections, and American clergy, which I'll get to in a bit.
www.infowars.com/posts/satanic-betrayal-american-christian-pastors-coerced-congregants-to-take-covid-jabs-through-covert-faith4vaccines-scheme/
AntiChrist.news is one of the sites run by the "Health Ranger" and American patriot, Mike Adams and his site Natural News. I've mentioned him here before and linked to stories on some of his news sites. While I know Mike follows the basic "Futurism" theological line of interpreting Bible prophecy and I reject that system, the site does have stories relating to (probably unbeknownst to him), issues revolving around spiritual, prophetic Babylon: confusion in religion.
Some headlines you'd see there right now -
"Canada moves to ban Christianity - changes to Bill C-367"
"Christian leaders abandon faith in Christ, push "mental health" and trusting medical doctors as solutions to life's problems"
"U.S. giving weapons to Israel, which is selling them to Azerbaijan to MASSACER CHRISTIANS"
You can check out the site and determine your own perspectives on what's reported there. Heading columns at the top of the page are - Prophecy - AntiChrist - Weirdsciencenews - Cosmic - Artifacts - UFOs - Unexplained.
An Interesting site, indeed. antichrist.news/#
The story on InfoWars linked to antichrist.news is a tragic one.
SATANIC BETRAYAL: American Christian pastors coerced congregants to take COVID jabs through covert “Faith4Vaccines” scheme
Links are in the story, the first of which comes from this site - christiansfortruth.com -
christiansfortruth.com/how-trusted-christian-pastors-coerced-congregations-to-take-deadly-covid-vaccines-resulting-in-untold-deaths/
I always try to get as close to an original source as I can. Therefore, down the rabbit hole -
www.americaoutloud.news/us-government-coerced-leaders-of-faith-to-push-covid-19-vaccines-on-americans/
"What if I told you powerful U.S. government officials – such as former NIH Director Francis Collins and U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy – used religion in an attempt to convince faith leaders around the country to push the COVID-19 injections? A deep dive into the organization Faiths4Vaccines – a founding member of the HHS’ vaccine-propaganda machine COVID-19 Community Corps1 – has revealed just that."
"With 86 founding members, the “faith leaders” category of the COVID-19 Community Corps was the most numerous. 3 These founding members included both individual faith leaders and faith organizations from a variety of religions – including the American Baptist Church, Catholic Charities USA, the Episcopal Church, the National Association of Evangelicals, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and the New York Jewish Agenda, just to name a few. 4"
"In our opinion, however, it wasn’t financial incentives that ultimately convinced faith leaders to push the COVID-19 vaccines on their members. Instead, it was a strategy that baselessly appealed to faith leaders’ deeply held moral and religious beliefs – targeting their virtues instead of their vices – and which shamelessly relied on religious doctrine and a pro-vaccine “theological” interpretation to support pushing the shots."
"For example, at a May 2021 national summit for faith leaders, NIH Director Francis Collins – referred to as “Reverend-Doctor” – would address hundreds of faith leaders across the nation, claiming that the COVID-19 vaccines were God’s literal “answer to prayer” and urging faith leaders to believe that pushing the shots was a “love your neighbor moment.”6 In what was a sermon-like address tailored to appeal to these faith leaders, Collins admonished them not to believe “conspiracy theories” about “possible side effects” – which Collins falsely said were untrue. 7"
The numbers you see at the end of sentences refer to footnotes, a feature that greatly enhances documentation evidence. I was not familiar with Christians for Truth or America Out Loud. So many websites exist trying to get the truth out about all things Covid and other matters. God bless them. I still warn about emphasis on prophetic interpretations revolving around Futurism but, once that is understood, information of changing world events can be critical in preparing for what is to come.
The tragedy here is how Scripturally weak-mined clergy could be coerced or led to such foolish choices and spiritual darkness when so much evidence was out there as to what was happening, and the Bible being used by people promoting the dangerous injections was a reprehensible abomination.
The thing is, if people doubt professed Christians can be led down just about any road under the right circumstances and conditions, it is foolish to believe the entire world cannot be united in one huge superchurch to engage in a final battle of wills against God's truth and the remnant people He will finally put together to take the final stand against world-wide apostasy. People find the premise rather ridiculous and yet, all around us are examples it can and will and is happening and has been for decades.
For instance, a couple of headlines and stories from the AntiChrist.news site -
antichrist.news/2024-03-03-aamar-globalists-have-driven-wedge-christians-muslims.html
antichrist.news/2024-02-29-aamar-muslims-christians-will-unite-against-antichrist.html
"Muslims and Christians WILL UNITE to fight the Antichrist, Aamar the Muslim predicts in live interview with Mike Adams"
Read the article and see. Strange bedfellows are not impossible to bring together if the right conditions and circumstances develop; which will be those the apostle Paul mentioned in Second Thessalonians chapter two -
2Thes 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2Th 2:2 That you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5 Remember not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6 And now you know what withholds it all that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity does already work: only he [God] who now allows will allow, until he [man of sin] be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
In those twelve verses are found a tremendous amount of information, covering several different subjects, if they are broken down.
False prophetic interpretation;
the apostasy in the Christian faith;
the antichrist/man of sin;
the timing and process of world history to reveal that apostate power;
it's final end and destruction as a facet of Christ's second coming;
the apostasy being used of Satan with all powers of a supernatural nature through the man of sin to deceive those rejecting truth;
an overmastering delusion will take hold of the world;
which will choose, make the pleasing choice to stand on the side of unrighteousness.
Each of those is a study in and of itself; things I have addressed over the last few years, which so many have addressed for a century and a half now, since the mid-18th century and before. It's all going to build into one last battle between good and evil, as God sees good and evil, not man.
It was not, is not just globalists, politicians and drug companies who engaged in the most disgusting crime against humanity in world history. It involved the medical community and elements of clergy mishandling the word of God; a crime against Heaven. Allowing government to determine how or if churches could function, especially in a nation with the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment, was an egregious failing of clergy leadership in this nation and other free nations. In principle, all nations who shut down, where claims of religious liberty are known, understood and protected by law, are responsible. It was a backsliding that was unbelievably stupid and cowardly. And yet, here we are. To avoid such a circumstance again, we have religions and various people groups saying they will stand together to make sure nothing like that happens again. That union will be used of Lucifer to gather into a final net of delusion a planetary populace standing against the law of God, His seal, versus the law of man, tradition; the mark of the beast.
It will happen. It is developing. Nothing can stop it. God's people can only rally around the truth, proclaim it, and prepare for what's coming as an overwhelming surprise. Jesuit inspired Futurism is going to cause an absolute catastrophe for those unwilling to understand the actual issues in last-day events. Globalism is a distraction, regardless of how true and dangerous it is. It is NOT the enemy God warns of in His Word. It is a smoke screen, a ruse, a sideshow, an element of confusion: Babylon.
Remember, spiritual, prophetic Babylon is made up of the Beast/Harlot - the Harlot daughters - and the kings of the Earth. The Papacy/Vatican - the apostate protestant churches - all other secular and religious philosophies. God call His people out of Babylon. Babylon is not a physical place. It is a condition of mind and thought. It is confusion. Once enlightened, people must make a choice, make a stand, make a determined effort to leave Babylon and embrace the anchor of truth.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
www.infowars.com/posts/satanic-betrayal-american-christian-pastors-coerced-congregants-to-take-covid-jabs-through-covert-faith4vaccines-scheme/
AntiChrist.news is one of the sites run by the "Health Ranger" and American patriot, Mike Adams and his site Natural News. I've mentioned him here before and linked to stories on some of his news sites. While I know Mike follows the basic "Futurism" theological line of interpreting Bible prophecy and I reject that system, the site does have stories relating to (probably unbeknownst to him), issues revolving around spiritual, prophetic Babylon: confusion in religion.
Some headlines you'd see there right now -
"Canada moves to ban Christianity - changes to Bill C-367"
"Christian leaders abandon faith in Christ, push "mental health" and trusting medical doctors as solutions to life's problems"
"U.S. giving weapons to Israel, which is selling them to Azerbaijan to MASSACER CHRISTIANS"
You can check out the site and determine your own perspectives on what's reported there. Heading columns at the top of the page are - Prophecy - AntiChrist - Weirdsciencenews - Cosmic - Artifacts - UFOs - Unexplained.
An Interesting site, indeed. antichrist.news/#
The story on InfoWars linked to antichrist.news is a tragic one.
SATANIC BETRAYAL: American Christian pastors coerced congregants to take COVID jabs through covert “Faith4Vaccines” scheme
Links are in the story, the first of which comes from this site - christiansfortruth.com -
christiansfortruth.com/how-trusted-christian-pastors-coerced-congregations-to-take-deadly-covid-vaccines-resulting-in-untold-deaths/
I always try to get as close to an original source as I can. Therefore, down the rabbit hole -
www.americaoutloud.news/us-government-coerced-leaders-of-faith-to-push-covid-19-vaccines-on-americans/
"What if I told you powerful U.S. government officials – such as former NIH Director Francis Collins and U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy – used religion in an attempt to convince faith leaders around the country to push the COVID-19 injections? A deep dive into the organization Faiths4Vaccines – a founding member of the HHS’ vaccine-propaganda machine COVID-19 Community Corps1 – has revealed just that."
"With 86 founding members, the “faith leaders” category of the COVID-19 Community Corps was the most numerous. 3 These founding members included both individual faith leaders and faith organizations from a variety of religions – including the American Baptist Church, Catholic Charities USA, the Episcopal Church, the National Association of Evangelicals, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and the New York Jewish Agenda, just to name a few. 4"
"In our opinion, however, it wasn’t financial incentives that ultimately convinced faith leaders to push the COVID-19 vaccines on their members. Instead, it was a strategy that baselessly appealed to faith leaders’ deeply held moral and religious beliefs – targeting their virtues instead of their vices – and which shamelessly relied on religious doctrine and a pro-vaccine “theological” interpretation to support pushing the shots."
"For example, at a May 2021 national summit for faith leaders, NIH Director Francis Collins – referred to as “Reverend-Doctor” – would address hundreds of faith leaders across the nation, claiming that the COVID-19 vaccines were God’s literal “answer to prayer” and urging faith leaders to believe that pushing the shots was a “love your neighbor moment.”6 In what was a sermon-like address tailored to appeal to these faith leaders, Collins admonished them not to believe “conspiracy theories” about “possible side effects” – which Collins falsely said were untrue. 7"
The numbers you see at the end of sentences refer to footnotes, a feature that greatly enhances documentation evidence. I was not familiar with Christians for Truth or America Out Loud. So many websites exist trying to get the truth out about all things Covid and other matters. God bless them. I still warn about emphasis on prophetic interpretations revolving around Futurism but, once that is understood, information of changing world events can be critical in preparing for what is to come.
The tragedy here is how Scripturally weak-mined clergy could be coerced or led to such foolish choices and spiritual darkness when so much evidence was out there as to what was happening, and the Bible being used by people promoting the dangerous injections was a reprehensible abomination.
The thing is, if people doubt professed Christians can be led down just about any road under the right circumstances and conditions, it is foolish to believe the entire world cannot be united in one huge superchurch to engage in a final battle of wills against God's truth and the remnant people He will finally put together to take the final stand against world-wide apostasy. People find the premise rather ridiculous and yet, all around us are examples it can and will and is happening and has been for decades.
For instance, a couple of headlines and stories from the AntiChrist.news site -
antichrist.news/2024-03-03-aamar-globalists-have-driven-wedge-christians-muslims.html
antichrist.news/2024-02-29-aamar-muslims-christians-will-unite-against-antichrist.html
"Muslims and Christians WILL UNITE to fight the Antichrist, Aamar the Muslim predicts in live interview with Mike Adams"
Read the article and see. Strange bedfellows are not impossible to bring together if the right conditions and circumstances develop; which will be those the apostle Paul mentioned in Second Thessalonians chapter two -
2Thes 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2Th 2:2 That you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5 Remember not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6 And now you know what withholds it all that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity does already work: only he [God] who now allows will allow, until he [man of sin] be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
In those twelve verses are found a tremendous amount of information, covering several different subjects, if they are broken down.
False prophetic interpretation;
the apostasy in the Christian faith;
the antichrist/man of sin;
the timing and process of world history to reveal that apostate power;
it's final end and destruction as a facet of Christ's second coming;
the apostasy being used of Satan with all powers of a supernatural nature through the man of sin to deceive those rejecting truth;
an overmastering delusion will take hold of the world;
which will choose, make the pleasing choice to stand on the side of unrighteousness.
Each of those is a study in and of itself; things I have addressed over the last few years, which so many have addressed for a century and a half now, since the mid-18th century and before. It's all going to build into one last battle between good and evil, as God sees good and evil, not man.
It was not, is not just globalists, politicians and drug companies who engaged in the most disgusting crime against humanity in world history. It involved the medical community and elements of clergy mishandling the word of God; a crime against Heaven. Allowing government to determine how or if churches could function, especially in a nation with the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment, was an egregious failing of clergy leadership in this nation and other free nations. In principle, all nations who shut down, where claims of religious liberty are known, understood and protected by law, are responsible. It was a backsliding that was unbelievably stupid and cowardly. And yet, here we are. To avoid such a circumstance again, we have religions and various people groups saying they will stand together to make sure nothing like that happens again. That union will be used of Lucifer to gather into a final net of delusion a planetary populace standing against the law of God, His seal, versus the law of man, tradition; the mark of the beast.
It will happen. It is developing. Nothing can stop it. God's people can only rally around the truth, proclaim it, and prepare for what's coming as an overwhelming surprise. Jesuit inspired Futurism is going to cause an absolute catastrophe for those unwilling to understand the actual issues in last-day events. Globalism is a distraction, regardless of how true and dangerous it is. It is NOT the enemy God warns of in His Word. It is a smoke screen, a ruse, a sideshow, an element of confusion: Babylon.
Remember, spiritual, prophetic Babylon is made up of the Beast/Harlot - the Harlot daughters - and the kings of the Earth. The Papacy/Vatican - the apostate protestant churches - all other secular and religious philosophies. God call His people out of Babylon. Babylon is not a physical place. It is a condition of mind and thought. It is confusion. Once enlightened, people must make a choice, make a stand, make a determined effort to leave Babylon and embrace the anchor of truth.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Tucker and Cuomo
I do not always agree with Tucker Carlson. I certainly would not have thought I'd agree with much of anything news guy Chris Cuomo might have to say. Chris, former host of a news program on CNN, is also into body building, obviously, a fact I didn't know before. He looks to be well over 6' tall and he mentioned he weighs 230 pounds. A formidable man, physically speaking.
I have seen clips of Cuomo on his program or others. I would have thought he was pretty far Left.
Watching a discussion between the two of them showed me they are not far Right or far Left. They are much closer to the middle than most would imagine and I have gleaned that of Tucker over the years. At the same time, Tucker has gone through personal things that have made him far more bold about issues than he has been in the past. So has Chris, which has made him more aware of the problems with big, over-reaching government. Tucker is very self-deprecating but, so is Chris, which was surprising, given things I have read about his public life and persona.
The discussion is quite revealing and I came away with an appreciation of Chris I never would have expected. That was especially the case when he echoed my own principle that people need to be educated to practice critical thinking, thinking for yourself and not be driven by ideologies or brands or the group-think-type thing. His disdain for the current political systems that drive America and Americans apart was quite refreshing to hear from someone who had a pivotal position on CNN, one of the most Leftist news organizations out there; dedicated to placing the worst possible spin on anything Donald Trump.
While they both made comments about our "democracy," Chris also mentioned the Constitution more than I would have imagined.
It's an eye-opening discussion; one that richly endorses the principles of free speech and exchange of ideas that afford people a more full scope of things and to let people decide for themselves on issues, without the filters of corporate controlled news or political branding America is divided by today.
twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1767309524946272497
I have seen clips of Cuomo on his program or others. I would have thought he was pretty far Left.
Watching a discussion between the two of them showed me they are not far Right or far Left. They are much closer to the middle than most would imagine and I have gleaned that of Tucker over the years. At the same time, Tucker has gone through personal things that have made him far more bold about issues than he has been in the past. So has Chris, which has made him more aware of the problems with big, over-reaching government. Tucker is very self-deprecating but, so is Chris, which was surprising, given things I have read about his public life and persona.
The discussion is quite revealing and I came away with an appreciation of Chris I never would have expected. That was especially the case when he echoed my own principle that people need to be educated to practice critical thinking, thinking for yourself and not be driven by ideologies or brands or the group-think-type thing. His disdain for the current political systems that drive America and Americans apart was quite refreshing to hear from someone who had a pivotal position on CNN, one of the most Leftist news organizations out there; dedicated to placing the worst possible spin on anything Donald Trump.
While they both made comments about our "democracy," Chris also mentioned the Constitution more than I would have imagined.
It's an eye-opening discussion; one that richly endorses the principles of free speech and exchange of ideas that afford people a more full scope of things and to let people decide for themselves on issues, without the filters of corporate controlled news or political branding America is divided by today.
twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1767309524946272497
*****************************
Trump is Not a Conservative
I have stated that here many times since his entry into the political fray. Trump is not a Conservative. Now, he has stated it, himself.
"People say, 'you're conservative,' I'm not conservative, you know what I am, I'm a man of common sense and a lot of conservative policies are common sense," Trump said while appearing on CNBC's Squawk Box.
www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-admits-he-isnt-conservative-cnbc-squawk-box-1877949
I have no trust in main stream news outlets. Newsweek had an interesting "fairness meter" at the end of the article, where you can choose how you understood the tenor of the piece. It was obviously tainted Left, just reading the overall information. I expected their negative slant.
Trump needs to go after Democrats unhappy with Biden and Independents who do not like Biden but, are not comfortable with Trump, either. Those votes may prove essential for him to take the overwhelming votes he'll get from Republicans and, if the election is left to the natural votes of the people and the process, unimpeded by fraud or felonious activity, it will crush Biden in the biggest landslide in history. Of course, that happened last time and Biden is in the White House.
Trump has pretty much ceased speaking about the 2020 steal. It's not moot but, 2024 is here and the next several months will go fast, leading up to the election, if there is one. Oh, I have little doubt if Democrats and deep state can create a situation to proclaim martial law and suspend the election, they will but, it will not be easy. Americans are opening their eyes to reality every day.
May God help America.
"People say, 'you're conservative,' I'm not conservative, you know what I am, I'm a man of common sense and a lot of conservative policies are common sense," Trump said while appearing on CNBC's Squawk Box.
www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-admits-he-isnt-conservative-cnbc-squawk-box-1877949
I have no trust in main stream news outlets. Newsweek had an interesting "fairness meter" at the end of the article, where you can choose how you understood the tenor of the piece. It was obviously tainted Left, just reading the overall information. I expected their negative slant.
Trump needs to go after Democrats unhappy with Biden and Independents who do not like Biden but, are not comfortable with Trump, either. Those votes may prove essential for him to take the overwhelming votes he'll get from Republicans and, if the election is left to the natural votes of the people and the process, unimpeded by fraud or felonious activity, it will crush Biden in the biggest landslide in history. Of course, that happened last time and Biden is in the White House.
Trump has pretty much ceased speaking about the 2020 steal. It's not moot but, 2024 is here and the next several months will go fast, leading up to the election, if there is one. Oh, I have little doubt if Democrats and deep state can create a situation to proclaim martial law and suspend the election, they will but, it will not be easy. Americans are opening their eyes to reality every day.
May God help America.
*****************************
An Incredibly Sad and Infuriating Video
If you watch this 5 minute video, there's really nothing more to be said. Joe Biden is so obviously, mentally impaired it is, as I have stated numerous times, elder abuse. But, beyond that, it is infuriating this man is in the most powerful position in the modern world, POTUS, of the supposed most powerful nation in the world. How can this possibly be? CORRUPTION. Corruption so wide-spread and deep, so systemic, it is a terminal illness.
To state some people have Trump Derangement Syndrome is not just true, it is also systemic and a terminal, political illness. Their attacks are unending. Their hatred on constant display. They are confused, mentally sick people in no better position than Biden. Perhaps Biden is in a better position, his cognizance being so impaired. He cannot scheme and plan as others are doing. He just goes along and signs things; used as the puppet he is.
It is difficult to admit I live in America.
twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1756551610308702692
To state some people have Trump Derangement Syndrome is not just true, it is also systemic and a terminal, political illness. Their attacks are unending. Their hatred on constant display. They are confused, mentally sick people in no better position than Biden. Perhaps Biden is in a better position, his cognizance being so impaired. He cannot scheme and plan as others are doing. He just goes along and signs things; used as the puppet he is.
It is difficult to admit I live in America.
twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1756551610308702692
*****************************
929. NDEs, NDEs, NDEs,
Oh My! - 3/14/24
An NDE, if you are not familiar, is a Near Death Experience. These experiences have been around, in books, the news, paranormal research for a couple centuries. Today, it is estimated well over 10 million people have had NDEs. They are found to be in almost all nations on Earth.
With such a wide array of events such as these and they are happening with more and more frequency as time moves along, certainly this must be an experience that is true, that is sound, that is a factual testimony to what lies beyond this temporal life, yes?
If you go to YouTube, the numbers of these testimonies seems to be increasing like weeds. Many of them are associated with beings of light or energy telling the experiencers peace is coming, great change is coming: a time of human elevation and transcendence is going to happen soon.
I've written about this before and shall again, by way of reminder because time is moving quickly now.
Consider the conflation. How is it all eyes are on Europe and the Middle East in fear of a nuclear war exploding upon humanity, while people all over the world are experiencing NDEs and being told peace and light and expansion of human existence is coming? Nuclear war would decimate the Earth with instant destruction and ultimate radiation poisoning. That certainly does not sound like peace and enlightenment is on the way. What then, can be made of two such different appraisals?
One of the things NDEs have in common is, again, testimony of the existence of a "soul;" some kind of entity of...energy of some kind, for lack of better, all-round terms, that lives in a body and leaves it at death. This idea, that I have brought to these pages many times in the last few years, is a pretty universal concept, as old as ancient Greek philosophy and actually far older than that, back into antiquity. It is NOT found in the Bible. To the contrary, it is condemned in the Bible.
Resurrection from death: full body resurrection from death to eternal life or the judgment of eternal death, is the consistent teaching of the Bible, cover to cover. Anything else is spiritualism.
So, what, then is happening in all this confusion? What do these people experience? What do their testimonies mean? How do we jive them with current events?
I suspect the only reason I am consistently moved to write about this is because it is going to be one of Satan's overmastering delusions and it will join with his final deceptions of the coming of the final revival of "all power, signs and lying wonders" through the man of sin, a false revival in America and throughout the world, and the Devil's final gig as an angel of light, which, I believe, will have to do with the entrance of "ET" into the final battles for the mind. An entrance timed from Satan's playbook to stop imminent nuclear holocaust. I have no doubt of this precisely because of the growing influence of the paranormal around the world, and constant growth of UFOlogy. Yes, it's a distraction but, also a deception.
It's like the conflation of the red heifer with the return of Christ. In evangelical and other forms of what adherents believe is New Testament religion, bound up in the errors of the prophetic line of interpretation of prophecy called, Futurism, we have this odd joining of traditions. For Jewish tradition, the red heifer ceremony, Numbers 19, just a simple example given by God of the sacrifice and death of the Messiah, has been turned into typical man-made ideas, involves many other man-made stipulations that play into the rebuilding of the Jewish temple and coming of Messiah. Many professed Christians believe it all foretells the second coming of Christ or the pre-coming of Christ in glory, in the event known as the secret rapture.
If the Jews rejected Messiah and still reject Messiah; reject the first coming of Christ, what would traditions surrounding a red heifer have to do with the second coming of Christ? There is absolutely no need for another temple. Christ said it would come down, which it did in 70 a.d., and He never said a word about another Earthly temple. To the contrary; His focus in Revelation, as was Paul's in the book of Hebrews, is upon the temple in Heaven, where Christ officiates as High Priest in the plan of salvation and final cleansing of His temples on Earth. Temples? Yes.
1Cor 3:16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
1Cor 3:17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
1Cor 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
1Cor 6:20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
2Cor 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
2Cor 6:15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
2Cor 6:16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Eph 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Eph 2:20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
Eph 2:21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
Eph 2:22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Fifteen times the temple in Heaven is mentioned in Revelation - 7:15; 11:1,2,19; 14:15,17; 15:5,6,8; 16:1,17 and the sixteenth mentioned is this -
Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
When the battle between good and evil is finally over, when the New Jerusalem descends out of Heaven to the Earth, ultimately the temple shall be gone, no need for it anymore. All shall be cleansed of sin and stay cleansed, forever.
The earthly system is done and gone and any rebuilding of it on Earth is a significance of delusion. Yet, right now, red heifers from Texas are being looked upon as a possible fulfillment of rabbinical tradition that Messiah is coming and for some reason, Christians are buying into this entire scenario. It makes no sense, on the face of it, as far as Numbers 19 goes, and certainly has no bearing on the return of Christ in glory, nor, for that matter the erroneous secret rapture event.
Our bodies are temples which the Holy Spirit resides in, in the converted, born-again person. That is a mysterious thing that is not measured by man's understanding, and it is something just accepted by the believer. Their life - their thinking and reasoning and decision-making and actions are all influenced and changed by the ministry of the Holy Spirit "in" us.
There is no "soul" entity that resides in us and gets out at death or near death. It's silly. What does this immortal soul do if someone is knocked unconscious or in a coma? Sit around and play invisible solitaire until consciousness is attained again? Twiddle its thumbs? Come and go as it pleases? It better be near by when someone regains consciousness so it can enter into the person and pick up where it left off... doing what before unconsciousness hit?
When you stand back and look at these things objectively, critically, you realize the lies of Satan are twisting and turning through so much of human thinking and decision-making, he has got the world in his net. Babylon. Confusion. An unbridled stew of bewildering, disconnected clutter.
NDEs are a deception. The red heifer task is a deception. The teaching of an invisible, secret gathering up of God's people is a lie, that takes away from the return of the King coming in glory, and shall leave multitudes unprepared for that surprise event.
Don't throw up your hands and say, 'This is all ridiculous' and just walk away from contemplation of these days we are living in. We should expect Satanic confusion and also expect God will provide a path for people seeking truth and get them there. We each have a journey to experience. That much is true for all of us. Some may experience some pretty weird things, too, and still be brought through it all to heed the call to come out of Babylon; out of the miasma of all the confusion, and break free of it to find the truth which shall make them free, indeed. Multitudes will come out of spiritual, prophetic Babylon. They shall join the redeemed of all ages in the great resurrection and experience that sensation of transformation to immortality and truth of eternal life.
It's going to be THE experience.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
With such a wide array of events such as these and they are happening with more and more frequency as time moves along, certainly this must be an experience that is true, that is sound, that is a factual testimony to what lies beyond this temporal life, yes?
If you go to YouTube, the numbers of these testimonies seems to be increasing like weeds. Many of them are associated with beings of light or energy telling the experiencers peace is coming, great change is coming: a time of human elevation and transcendence is going to happen soon.
I've written about this before and shall again, by way of reminder because time is moving quickly now.
Consider the conflation. How is it all eyes are on Europe and the Middle East in fear of a nuclear war exploding upon humanity, while people all over the world are experiencing NDEs and being told peace and light and expansion of human existence is coming? Nuclear war would decimate the Earth with instant destruction and ultimate radiation poisoning. That certainly does not sound like peace and enlightenment is on the way. What then, can be made of two such different appraisals?
One of the things NDEs have in common is, again, testimony of the existence of a "soul;" some kind of entity of...energy of some kind, for lack of better, all-round terms, that lives in a body and leaves it at death. This idea, that I have brought to these pages many times in the last few years, is a pretty universal concept, as old as ancient Greek philosophy and actually far older than that, back into antiquity. It is NOT found in the Bible. To the contrary, it is condemned in the Bible.
Resurrection from death: full body resurrection from death to eternal life or the judgment of eternal death, is the consistent teaching of the Bible, cover to cover. Anything else is spiritualism.
So, what, then is happening in all this confusion? What do these people experience? What do their testimonies mean? How do we jive them with current events?
I suspect the only reason I am consistently moved to write about this is because it is going to be one of Satan's overmastering delusions and it will join with his final deceptions of the coming of the final revival of "all power, signs and lying wonders" through the man of sin, a false revival in America and throughout the world, and the Devil's final gig as an angel of light, which, I believe, will have to do with the entrance of "ET" into the final battles for the mind. An entrance timed from Satan's playbook to stop imminent nuclear holocaust. I have no doubt of this precisely because of the growing influence of the paranormal around the world, and constant growth of UFOlogy. Yes, it's a distraction but, also a deception.
It's like the conflation of the red heifer with the return of Christ. In evangelical and other forms of what adherents believe is New Testament religion, bound up in the errors of the prophetic line of interpretation of prophecy called, Futurism, we have this odd joining of traditions. For Jewish tradition, the red heifer ceremony, Numbers 19, just a simple example given by God of the sacrifice and death of the Messiah, has been turned into typical man-made ideas, involves many other man-made stipulations that play into the rebuilding of the Jewish temple and coming of Messiah. Many professed Christians believe it all foretells the second coming of Christ or the pre-coming of Christ in glory, in the event known as the secret rapture.
If the Jews rejected Messiah and still reject Messiah; reject the first coming of Christ, what would traditions surrounding a red heifer have to do with the second coming of Christ? There is absolutely no need for another temple. Christ said it would come down, which it did in 70 a.d., and He never said a word about another Earthly temple. To the contrary; His focus in Revelation, as was Paul's in the book of Hebrews, is upon the temple in Heaven, where Christ officiates as High Priest in the plan of salvation and final cleansing of His temples on Earth. Temples? Yes.
1Cor 3:16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
1Cor 3:17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
1Cor 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
1Cor 6:20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
2Cor 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
2Cor 6:15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
2Cor 6:16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Eph 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Eph 2:20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
Eph 2:21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
Eph 2:22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Fifteen times the temple in Heaven is mentioned in Revelation - 7:15; 11:1,2,19; 14:15,17; 15:5,6,8; 16:1,17 and the sixteenth mentioned is this -
Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
When the battle between good and evil is finally over, when the New Jerusalem descends out of Heaven to the Earth, ultimately the temple shall be gone, no need for it anymore. All shall be cleansed of sin and stay cleansed, forever.
The earthly system is done and gone and any rebuilding of it on Earth is a significance of delusion. Yet, right now, red heifers from Texas are being looked upon as a possible fulfillment of rabbinical tradition that Messiah is coming and for some reason, Christians are buying into this entire scenario. It makes no sense, on the face of it, as far as Numbers 19 goes, and certainly has no bearing on the return of Christ in glory, nor, for that matter the erroneous secret rapture event.
Our bodies are temples which the Holy Spirit resides in, in the converted, born-again person. That is a mysterious thing that is not measured by man's understanding, and it is something just accepted by the believer. Their life - their thinking and reasoning and decision-making and actions are all influenced and changed by the ministry of the Holy Spirit "in" us.
There is no "soul" entity that resides in us and gets out at death or near death. It's silly. What does this immortal soul do if someone is knocked unconscious or in a coma? Sit around and play invisible solitaire until consciousness is attained again? Twiddle its thumbs? Come and go as it pleases? It better be near by when someone regains consciousness so it can enter into the person and pick up where it left off... doing what before unconsciousness hit?
When you stand back and look at these things objectively, critically, you realize the lies of Satan are twisting and turning through so much of human thinking and decision-making, he has got the world in his net. Babylon. Confusion. An unbridled stew of bewildering, disconnected clutter.
NDEs are a deception. The red heifer task is a deception. The teaching of an invisible, secret gathering up of God's people is a lie, that takes away from the return of the King coming in glory, and shall leave multitudes unprepared for that surprise event.
Don't throw up your hands and say, 'This is all ridiculous' and just walk away from contemplation of these days we are living in. We should expect Satanic confusion and also expect God will provide a path for people seeking truth and get them there. We each have a journey to experience. That much is true for all of us. Some may experience some pretty weird things, too, and still be brought through it all to heed the call to come out of Babylon; out of the miasma of all the confusion, and break free of it to find the truth which shall make them free, indeed. Multitudes will come out of spiritual, prophetic Babylon. They shall join the redeemed of all ages in the great resurrection and experience that sensation of transformation to immortality and truth of eternal life.
It's going to be THE experience.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
930. Russell D. Moore and Islam - March 14, 2024
Wiki's entrance for Russell D. Moore -
"Russell D. Moore (born 9 October 1971) is an American theologian, ethicist, and preacher. In June 2021, he became the director of the Public Theology Project at Christianity Today, and on August 4, 2022, was announced as the magazine's incoming Editor-in-Chief.
"Moore previously served as president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the public-policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), and at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, as dean of the School of Theology, senior vice president for academic administration, and as professor of theology and ethics."
Christianity Today is considered on the obvious Left of the faith. Much has changed in America in the last few decades and CT is part of that change.
Mr. Moore wrote a column in CT, back on August 31, 2021 entitled -
"Let the Afghan Refugees Come Unto Me"
www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2021/august-web-only/afghanistan-refugees-resettlement-let-come-to-me.html
I came upon this column via another website and, as always, I wanted to get things firsthand.
Moore's article contains a picture of a little girl, presumably Muslim, boarding a bus or vehicle of some kind, another boy behind her and an American soldier standing at the door. Like most drug commercials, the marketing angles are all beautiful scenery, music, scenes of family, etc., while a voice at the end tells you some of the more serious side effects of the drug, many including death but, nobody hears them unless they pay close attention, which I have often done, as well as looking at ads for drugs in magazines. Great full page ad. Then you turn the page and see all the mouse print of the aide effects and other matters, which few take the time to read. It's just swipe the thumb and go on to the next page. So, Moore's article begins with that sweet, innocent picture. Whether he had anything to do with that, I don't know but, presumably, being the editor of the organization's online magazine, he did.
After stating we should welcome refugees with open arms, more specifically those from Afghanistan, he progresses this way -
"Some, though, will be able to make it to other countries—including the United States—to seek shelter and to start a new life. As evangelical Christians, we should resolve, even before our new neighbors arrive, to ignore those who would ask us to fear these refugees.
"Historically, those wishing to ostracize refugees take a number of different tactics. They sometimes speak of them in language of “uncleanness”—using metaphors such as rodents or insects—or they might suggest that the asylum seekers are themselves vectors of disease. They sometimes, though less often, speak as bluntly as some are now of refugees as an “invasion” of those who are coming to “replace us” (with “us” almost always referring to white and nominally Christian Americans). But perhaps most often, they speak of refugees as a threat."
Personally, I have never seen or heard any reasonable, logical person use such an argument as "uncleanness" as Moore describes. "Invasion," at our Southern border? Obviously. That's what it is. It's an mass of illegal immigrants crossing the border. No one knows if they are carrying weapons of any kind and yes, it is a fact Democrats want illegal "undocumented" immigrants to replace American votes against them with positive votes in elections. They just state that outright now. Seeing the imbalances created in the marketplace by illegal workers, no visas, etc., both Democrat and Republican and Independent citizens of all "races" and nationalities are feeling the result. They are seething at this point. D.C. is to blame, especially the current administration.
"Just as we saw with Syrian refugees and Kurdish refugees in years past, we will soon hear the insistent cries of those arguing that Afghan refugees are terrorists, or at least that they might be, since they are “unvetted” and we know nothing about them. These claims aren’t true."
He then uses for evidence of this vetting, a statement from a Trump administration official and how refugees are thoroughly vetted. That was the Trump administration. With the millions pouring across the border in the Biden administration, who took office in January 2021, before Moore wrote the article, none are vetted. No one knows who is coming into the country. And Biden has now tried to have an executive order give these illegal immigrants voting rights, surpassing federal and state laws.
Mr. Moore has no use for news from Europe where nations are now shutting down all immigration from Muslim dominant countries because of the wanton destruction of churches, property, the broad daylight rapes of women and terror these "refugees" have brought to those nations who welcomed them in. American main stream news outlets refuse to report on these facts. France, especially, is having an uprising of citizens because of it all. Neighborhoods where French citizens can no longer enter, where even police no longer enter, dot their landscape in Paris and other cities.
No one knows who a pre-Medina or a post-Medina Muslim is until it's too late. Post Medina Mohammed became a warrior and instilled terror into the religion of Islam. The infidels are to be taxed and if necessary, death to infidels. The same Quranic theology is practiced today. The beheading of infidels, any infidels, including apostate Muslims who become Christians or members of any other faith, or drop religious faith from their lives, are potential victims of death sentences. These are facts that cannot be sidestepped or covered with political or religious rugs. I recently read a story of things taking place in Saudi Arabia that are grounds for world-wide condemnation no different than North Korea or China or a Muslim run nation of Africa gets slammed with, for atrocities committed.
But, all these are civil affairs. Moore wants Christians to take a biblical approach. He uses a sermon by Martin Luther King Jr., based on the parable of the Good Samaritan. How many times have we heard this parable used to wear face masks and get injections because we are to 'love our neighbor?' Sorry, not sorry. Such theological rabbits out of hats doesn't work anymore.
Luke 10:25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Luke 10:26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”
Luke 10:27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Luke 10:28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
Luke 10:29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Luke 10:30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.
Luke 10:31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
Luke 10:32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
Luke 10:33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
Luke 10:34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
Luke 10:35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
Luke 10:36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
Luke 10:37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
There is the parable. What did Moore quote of King -
"As Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in 1963, the priest and the Levite in Jesus’ parable, who avoided the beaten man on the side of the Jericho Road, were probably not feeling cruel or heartless. They were probably afraid—and understandably so. The Road to Jericho was a dangerous outpost for violent criminals. Those hurrying by might well have assumed that they could be beaten next.
“Perhaps the robbers were still nearby,” King wrote. “Or maybe the wounded man on the ground was a faker, who wished to draw passing travelers to his side for quick and easy seizure. I imagine that the first question the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’”
I'm sorry. While emphasizing what people might have thought, how about just reading the words Christ spoke, recorded by Luke -
“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.
The man was stripped of his clothing, beaten and half dead. He was beaten half to death. Bruises and blood on his unclothed body would have been obvious signs of what took place. Just like beaten people, raped women and children, including boys, in nations where "refugees" have been welcomed in. What? We cannot make an assessment of these facts which appear in alternative news sources on almost a daily basis? Seriously?
It does not matter what the priest and Levite thought of the situation. Christ offered no words to that affect. All that matters is someone who had no dealings with Jews, because Jews had no dealings with Samaritans, needed help, and we know this because of the woman at the well -
John 4:7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”
John 4:8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.)
John 4:9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
If you see someone in an obvious condition of severe need, help them. Go above and beyond.
Does it not dawn on people of the mindset of Russell Moore that "refugees" cease being refugees when they cross an international border? Those moving from their home nation, if they fear being persecuted for any reason, have reached sanctuary when they cross a border. People in Afghanistan need not come to America. People in Mexico might but, others from other nations below Mexico cease being refugees when the cross the Mexican border. Just like Europe, millions of unvetted people are illegally coming into America. While some want a better life, they should have sought it when they crossed into Mexico. This is international law 101.
Right now, in Michigan, in the United States of America, there are neighborhoods the police do not enter. Neighborhoods where Shariah law is practiced. Where Christians do not go for fear of physical violence, as some have suffered trying to witness to those communities. I've seen the videos. People trying to share the gospel literally "stoned" with bottles, full soda cans, even pieces of concrete blocks hurled at them and the police stood by and did nothing. America. Do not tell me, attempting to use any portion of Scripture, those are neighbors that should be welcomed into our nation and helped by Christians. That is preposterous. I've seen videos from Europe as well. It's unbelievable. Nothing is done and that convinces Muslims Allah will ultimately give them domination and victory.
If a Christian saw a naked man, beaten half to death on the side of a road, none would think to ascertain their religion or nationality. They would call an ambulance. They would wait until it arrived. Or they would somehow help or seek immediate help for someone in such a condition. The same if someone were starving to death or dying of thirst. Someone who just wants relief from oppressive regimes that cause them discomfort? No. Not a "refugee" by definition.
Biden screwed up international policy. He left Afghanistan worse than it was when America entered it. Just the same, look at a map. Refugees could seek asylum in five other nations bordering Afghanistan and remain in their general culture. Why come to America? Because the agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood is to make all nations Muslim. The only difference is, Islam does not have to use intelligent, convincing discourse to make changes. It can use force to accomplish those goals when its numbers are increased to advantage, much like in England now, where British citizens cannot freely move in all places because other British citizens, members of Islam, control things at the street level and in politics. And no one knows the commitment level of any Middle Eastern "refugee" to a region's main faith, Islam.
Nations have borders, immigration policy and laws that must be followed. To not follow them is potential national suicide.
Yes, former citizens of Islamic nations may convert to Christianity and become brothers and sisters in the faith. That is not a good reason to invite enemies of Christianity into your nation. Islam, by definition, by historic existence, became an enemy of Christianity. Mohammed saw Jews and Christians as false religions, especially as they rejected his views of faith toward God. Allah, is not the Deity of the Bible.
Yes, America is a land once dominated by citizens with Christian religious faith and open to those of any faith or no faith. Inviting in possible enemies of the nation? That's just ignorance on parade.
Russell Moore should not use the parable of the good Samaritan to impose upon the critical thinking of America's Christians to make a claim for taking in people claiming refugee status without consistent, serious vetting systems in place. Using a false premise of reverse fear mongering or reverse psychology is unworthy of anyone professing Christianity. Christians need not fear anything. That does not mean they should act foolishly and disregard common sense.
The religion of Christianity, from early times of pagan Roman and other pagan nation influence, to today, fulfills the warnings given in the Bible that the faith would suffer because of false teachers. Our nation is certainly suffering because of American foreign policy and domestic teachers of a Christian faith void of true biblical principle and and common sense.
God, help us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
"Russell D. Moore (born 9 October 1971) is an American theologian, ethicist, and preacher. In June 2021, he became the director of the Public Theology Project at Christianity Today, and on August 4, 2022, was announced as the magazine's incoming Editor-in-Chief.
"Moore previously served as president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the public-policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), and at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, as dean of the School of Theology, senior vice president for academic administration, and as professor of theology and ethics."
Christianity Today is considered on the obvious Left of the faith. Much has changed in America in the last few decades and CT is part of that change.
Mr. Moore wrote a column in CT, back on August 31, 2021 entitled -
"Let the Afghan Refugees Come Unto Me"
www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2021/august-web-only/afghanistan-refugees-resettlement-let-come-to-me.html
I came upon this column via another website and, as always, I wanted to get things firsthand.
Moore's article contains a picture of a little girl, presumably Muslim, boarding a bus or vehicle of some kind, another boy behind her and an American soldier standing at the door. Like most drug commercials, the marketing angles are all beautiful scenery, music, scenes of family, etc., while a voice at the end tells you some of the more serious side effects of the drug, many including death but, nobody hears them unless they pay close attention, which I have often done, as well as looking at ads for drugs in magazines. Great full page ad. Then you turn the page and see all the mouse print of the aide effects and other matters, which few take the time to read. It's just swipe the thumb and go on to the next page. So, Moore's article begins with that sweet, innocent picture. Whether he had anything to do with that, I don't know but, presumably, being the editor of the organization's online magazine, he did.
After stating we should welcome refugees with open arms, more specifically those from Afghanistan, he progresses this way -
"Some, though, will be able to make it to other countries—including the United States—to seek shelter and to start a new life. As evangelical Christians, we should resolve, even before our new neighbors arrive, to ignore those who would ask us to fear these refugees.
"Historically, those wishing to ostracize refugees take a number of different tactics. They sometimes speak of them in language of “uncleanness”—using metaphors such as rodents or insects—or they might suggest that the asylum seekers are themselves vectors of disease. They sometimes, though less often, speak as bluntly as some are now of refugees as an “invasion” of those who are coming to “replace us” (with “us” almost always referring to white and nominally Christian Americans). But perhaps most often, they speak of refugees as a threat."
Personally, I have never seen or heard any reasonable, logical person use such an argument as "uncleanness" as Moore describes. "Invasion," at our Southern border? Obviously. That's what it is. It's an mass of illegal immigrants crossing the border. No one knows if they are carrying weapons of any kind and yes, it is a fact Democrats want illegal "undocumented" immigrants to replace American votes against them with positive votes in elections. They just state that outright now. Seeing the imbalances created in the marketplace by illegal workers, no visas, etc., both Democrat and Republican and Independent citizens of all "races" and nationalities are feeling the result. They are seething at this point. D.C. is to blame, especially the current administration.
"Just as we saw with Syrian refugees and Kurdish refugees in years past, we will soon hear the insistent cries of those arguing that Afghan refugees are terrorists, or at least that they might be, since they are “unvetted” and we know nothing about them. These claims aren’t true."
He then uses for evidence of this vetting, a statement from a Trump administration official and how refugees are thoroughly vetted. That was the Trump administration. With the millions pouring across the border in the Biden administration, who took office in January 2021, before Moore wrote the article, none are vetted. No one knows who is coming into the country. And Biden has now tried to have an executive order give these illegal immigrants voting rights, surpassing federal and state laws.
Mr. Moore has no use for news from Europe where nations are now shutting down all immigration from Muslim dominant countries because of the wanton destruction of churches, property, the broad daylight rapes of women and terror these "refugees" have brought to those nations who welcomed them in. American main stream news outlets refuse to report on these facts. France, especially, is having an uprising of citizens because of it all. Neighborhoods where French citizens can no longer enter, where even police no longer enter, dot their landscape in Paris and other cities.
No one knows who a pre-Medina or a post-Medina Muslim is until it's too late. Post Medina Mohammed became a warrior and instilled terror into the religion of Islam. The infidels are to be taxed and if necessary, death to infidels. The same Quranic theology is practiced today. The beheading of infidels, any infidels, including apostate Muslims who become Christians or members of any other faith, or drop religious faith from their lives, are potential victims of death sentences. These are facts that cannot be sidestepped or covered with political or religious rugs. I recently read a story of things taking place in Saudi Arabia that are grounds for world-wide condemnation no different than North Korea or China or a Muslim run nation of Africa gets slammed with, for atrocities committed.
But, all these are civil affairs. Moore wants Christians to take a biblical approach. He uses a sermon by Martin Luther King Jr., based on the parable of the Good Samaritan. How many times have we heard this parable used to wear face masks and get injections because we are to 'love our neighbor?' Sorry, not sorry. Such theological rabbits out of hats doesn't work anymore.
Luke 10:25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Luke 10:26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”
Luke 10:27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Luke 10:28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
Luke 10:29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Luke 10:30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.
Luke 10:31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
Luke 10:32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
Luke 10:33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
Luke 10:34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
Luke 10:35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
Luke 10:36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
Luke 10:37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
There is the parable. What did Moore quote of King -
"As Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in 1963, the priest and the Levite in Jesus’ parable, who avoided the beaten man on the side of the Jericho Road, were probably not feeling cruel or heartless. They were probably afraid—and understandably so. The Road to Jericho was a dangerous outpost for violent criminals. Those hurrying by might well have assumed that they could be beaten next.
“Perhaps the robbers were still nearby,” King wrote. “Or maybe the wounded man on the ground was a faker, who wished to draw passing travelers to his side for quick and easy seizure. I imagine that the first question the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’”
I'm sorry. While emphasizing what people might have thought, how about just reading the words Christ spoke, recorded by Luke -
“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.
The man was stripped of his clothing, beaten and half dead. He was beaten half to death. Bruises and blood on his unclothed body would have been obvious signs of what took place. Just like beaten people, raped women and children, including boys, in nations where "refugees" have been welcomed in. What? We cannot make an assessment of these facts which appear in alternative news sources on almost a daily basis? Seriously?
It does not matter what the priest and Levite thought of the situation. Christ offered no words to that affect. All that matters is someone who had no dealings with Jews, because Jews had no dealings with Samaritans, needed help, and we know this because of the woman at the well -
John 4:7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”
John 4:8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.)
John 4:9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
If you see someone in an obvious condition of severe need, help them. Go above and beyond.
Does it not dawn on people of the mindset of Russell Moore that "refugees" cease being refugees when they cross an international border? Those moving from their home nation, if they fear being persecuted for any reason, have reached sanctuary when they cross a border. People in Afghanistan need not come to America. People in Mexico might but, others from other nations below Mexico cease being refugees when the cross the Mexican border. Just like Europe, millions of unvetted people are illegally coming into America. While some want a better life, they should have sought it when they crossed into Mexico. This is international law 101.
Right now, in Michigan, in the United States of America, there are neighborhoods the police do not enter. Neighborhoods where Shariah law is practiced. Where Christians do not go for fear of physical violence, as some have suffered trying to witness to those communities. I've seen the videos. People trying to share the gospel literally "stoned" with bottles, full soda cans, even pieces of concrete blocks hurled at them and the police stood by and did nothing. America. Do not tell me, attempting to use any portion of Scripture, those are neighbors that should be welcomed into our nation and helped by Christians. That is preposterous. I've seen videos from Europe as well. It's unbelievable. Nothing is done and that convinces Muslims Allah will ultimately give them domination and victory.
If a Christian saw a naked man, beaten half to death on the side of a road, none would think to ascertain their religion or nationality. They would call an ambulance. They would wait until it arrived. Or they would somehow help or seek immediate help for someone in such a condition. The same if someone were starving to death or dying of thirst. Someone who just wants relief from oppressive regimes that cause them discomfort? No. Not a "refugee" by definition.
Biden screwed up international policy. He left Afghanistan worse than it was when America entered it. Just the same, look at a map. Refugees could seek asylum in five other nations bordering Afghanistan and remain in their general culture. Why come to America? Because the agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood is to make all nations Muslim. The only difference is, Islam does not have to use intelligent, convincing discourse to make changes. It can use force to accomplish those goals when its numbers are increased to advantage, much like in England now, where British citizens cannot freely move in all places because other British citizens, members of Islam, control things at the street level and in politics. And no one knows the commitment level of any Middle Eastern "refugee" to a region's main faith, Islam.
Nations have borders, immigration policy and laws that must be followed. To not follow them is potential national suicide.
Yes, former citizens of Islamic nations may convert to Christianity and become brothers and sisters in the faith. That is not a good reason to invite enemies of Christianity into your nation. Islam, by definition, by historic existence, became an enemy of Christianity. Mohammed saw Jews and Christians as false religions, especially as they rejected his views of faith toward God. Allah, is not the Deity of the Bible.
Yes, America is a land once dominated by citizens with Christian religious faith and open to those of any faith or no faith. Inviting in possible enemies of the nation? That's just ignorance on parade.
Russell Moore should not use the parable of the good Samaritan to impose upon the critical thinking of America's Christians to make a claim for taking in people claiming refugee status without consistent, serious vetting systems in place. Using a false premise of reverse fear mongering or reverse psychology is unworthy of anyone professing Christianity. Christians need not fear anything. That does not mean they should act foolishly and disregard common sense.
The religion of Christianity, from early times of pagan Roman and other pagan nation influence, to today, fulfills the warnings given in the Bible that the faith would suffer because of false teachers. Our nation is certainly suffering because of American foreign policy and domestic teachers of a Christian faith void of true biblical principle and and common sense.
God, help us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
931. Back to Drums - 3/15/24
Because of the changes in life and living situations I haven't played a drum set in many months now. I still have sticks close by and rap on pad or my knees when moved to but, for the most part... no idea what the future holds, drumistically speaking.
I handed off the LEGEND project to the guys in Europe. I backed away, by reasoned choice, and will let them decide how things should go in mixing, mastering, and product handling for the intended audience; an audience I don't have very much contact with, realistically speaking.
For a website generally dedicated to drums and drumming, 2020 made a huge difference in my life from the perspective of being an American, and as anyone can tell, the site has become more of a commentary on the Republic, as well as Bible prophecy, which, of course, is my more serious passion and approach to all things in life: being a Bible-believing, Protestant Christian.
That said, I am never totally apart from discussion of drum set artistry, for a few reasons and still engage with players from all over the place.
People still ask me about the instrument and its use, whether on my YT channel or in emails. I got into emails from a young player over the last year or two, and he asks seriously detailed questions about every aspect of what drums are and believes they are supposed to do. The thing is, I can tell his youth has been influenced by manufacturing hype that makes drums out to be something they are not and never intended to be.
Drums are percussion instruments. They are not chromatic instruments, even as musical as they can be, displayed by people like Terry Bozzio: who plays actual musical compositions on his huge set-up. Most players, though, spend the bulk of their time behind a set keeping time in a band context, regardless of genre. They may or may not throw "fills" into the mix, of one level of complexity or another but, for the most part players contribute their musical ideas by way of time and texture in music.
Using drums for that mission, it is generally decided that tuning drums to specific notes is not wanted, for the simple reason songs change key signatures. Chromatic instruments of any kind allow for such changes, by design. Even tympani can change pitches on the fly. A set of drums, of any "normal" sized collection of instruments - snare, bass drum and tom-toms? Nope. If drums are tuned to specific notes, a player can end up colliding with other instruments, depending on what he's doing with the kit. Snare, bass, hi-hat or ride cymbal time keeping, not so much but, percussive passages for rhythmic work or fills, a train wreck can take place. Now, that depends on genre and the intensity of the sound coming from a stage or through speaker systems, live or recorded. It also depends on drum sizes and the basic range of pitches chosen by each player.
Drums, being in the lower frequencies, and not meant to be tuned to exact notes, taking up a space in the range of sounds that offers a lot of impact but, not necessarily melodic content, integral to a song. When drums are used to create an actual melody for rhythmic purposes, if it's another key, there's a problem, if a song is in another key than the drum set is pitched to. Tuning to specific intervals is not necessary, and may be a problem. I have never been in a situation where someone looked at me and said, this song is in the key of _____ and expected me to tune to it. Why? Because drums do not generally participate in a composition to that end.
Other factors come in. Original drum heads made of animal skin were notorious for going out of tune, depending on the weather and atmospheric conditions. Drum heads made of plastic, while they can hold their tension and pitch better, still stretch out with use and ultimately require changing out for new heads. New heads, especially, stretch in their initial use and many players on the road put new heads on their drums and press them down or over-tension them overnight to help them work out some initial stretching and then re-tension from a relaxed position before hitting the stage. Players using larger sticks and more force and velocity in their strokes may change heads more often on a tour; not something a weekend warrior or hobbyist in a home needs to concern themselves with.
With these matters in mind, understood and practiced, why do manufacturers super-hype the proprietary nature of their shells and drums as though one is dealing with a piano? Because it is all marketing to sell product. All of it.
In today's world of electric music, the idea that drumists need to tune their drums - of which most are in lower frequencies and hardly discerned for certain pitches; especially bass drums and floor toms - is really way beyond the reality of what takes place in the midst of a full band playing on stage or in the studio. Even with the popular, older use of concert toms, with their resurgence today, save for Classical concert work, aren't tuned to notes. There aren't specific intervals most players must tension to, and do not want to, unless in a range that can fit in most of a band's music. Tuning to specific intervals is nowhere near as important as the pitch of each drum being sweet, within itself. All of that can be done by ear, and a player can choose an interval of general pitches that pleases his/her ear and sense of percussive place in the music.
Another factor is the use of muted heads. Bass drums have become more of a thud than anything else, as far as modern music goes. Only some genres of Jazz make use of wide-open kick drums. Snares and toms may use slightly to heavily muted heads, which pretty much removes identity of definitive pitches a player tensions to in the context of the music happening all around him/her. An audience noticing tuning? Not happening. An audience may notice some kind of squelch or odd tome of a drum not tuned to a good sound in and of itself and I have that in recordings or videos. Two cases come to mind. One drum in an older video of Steve Smith playing with Journey, and a Drumeo video featuring Gergo Borlai, wherein one tom was off in tone compared to others in the set, egregiously so. Not sure how it got missed by techs in any warm-ups. But, even there. I noticed these discrepancies. Would all drummers and all other audience members/viewers of recorded media?
Some engineers go to great lengths to address tones in each drum and use of tape and more modern gel pads, etc., get placed all over the kit. Necessary? Subjective. When the music gets going...
The confusion super-hype from manufacturers placed upon younger players is ridiculous. I see it all the time on discussion forums. As much as many in the music world consider a piano a percussion instrument because the strings are struck by "hammers," drums are not a piano. They were never meant to be, and never will be. Matter of fact, in owning electronic drum equipment, if the device's sound source is tuned to specific, exact notes, tom runs can sound very artificial. Modifying pitches a few cents, +/- creates a more natural sound. Drum heads are not static. Where you strike them matters, as well as how much they stretch under player use, which in some cases, is abuse but, that is subjective, as well. If a player can afford to change their heads all the time, they can dent them up anyway they want to. Watching videos of Virgil Donati, I was surprised at the dents in his heads. He uses heavy wood and strikes with a lot of velocity. You don't get any more complex in playing than Virgil gets. He does what he does and can afford necessary changes. So be it.
It's the young people I get bothered about. Manufacturers, for a couple generations now, have made drums out to be laboratory effected, percussive spaceships to market the supposed matrix of their proprietary composition and ultimate sound. It's all barnyard defecation. It really is. Guitarists tell me it's the same for their instrument manufacture. I had lunch with a group of people the other day and one guy plays acoustic guitar; Classical and told me the same thing. He plays a $200 instrument that sounds as good, for all intents and purposes, as his son's $2,000 instrument.
As with all things musical, nuances and subtleties exist. No one can deny that. Put everything in a room/venue, mics, sound equipment/PA or in variations of studio environments, mics, recording equipment and software, so much of the hype becomes moot, it is alarmingly noticeable.
I continue to rest my case on the weight of evidence I have experienced or people in the music business testify to with video they place for any and all to see and hear.
Drums have been around a longer time than any other instrument because of the simple nature of what they are. They can certainly be made to represent beauty, and be well crafted to last a lifetime but, please; do let us have common sense. Their place in music was never intended to be that of a violin, trumpet, clarinet or marimba. Would that manufacturers dialed back their ultra-hype in attempts to state otherwise in marketing campaigns.
I handed off the LEGEND project to the guys in Europe. I backed away, by reasoned choice, and will let them decide how things should go in mixing, mastering, and product handling for the intended audience; an audience I don't have very much contact with, realistically speaking.
For a website generally dedicated to drums and drumming, 2020 made a huge difference in my life from the perspective of being an American, and as anyone can tell, the site has become more of a commentary on the Republic, as well as Bible prophecy, which, of course, is my more serious passion and approach to all things in life: being a Bible-believing, Protestant Christian.
That said, I am never totally apart from discussion of drum set artistry, for a few reasons and still engage with players from all over the place.
People still ask me about the instrument and its use, whether on my YT channel or in emails. I got into emails from a young player over the last year or two, and he asks seriously detailed questions about every aspect of what drums are and believes they are supposed to do. The thing is, I can tell his youth has been influenced by manufacturing hype that makes drums out to be something they are not and never intended to be.
Drums are percussion instruments. They are not chromatic instruments, even as musical as they can be, displayed by people like Terry Bozzio: who plays actual musical compositions on his huge set-up. Most players, though, spend the bulk of their time behind a set keeping time in a band context, regardless of genre. They may or may not throw "fills" into the mix, of one level of complexity or another but, for the most part players contribute their musical ideas by way of time and texture in music.
Using drums for that mission, it is generally decided that tuning drums to specific notes is not wanted, for the simple reason songs change key signatures. Chromatic instruments of any kind allow for such changes, by design. Even tympani can change pitches on the fly. A set of drums, of any "normal" sized collection of instruments - snare, bass drum and tom-toms? Nope. If drums are tuned to specific notes, a player can end up colliding with other instruments, depending on what he's doing with the kit. Snare, bass, hi-hat or ride cymbal time keeping, not so much but, percussive passages for rhythmic work or fills, a train wreck can take place. Now, that depends on genre and the intensity of the sound coming from a stage or through speaker systems, live or recorded. It also depends on drum sizes and the basic range of pitches chosen by each player.
Drums, being in the lower frequencies, and not meant to be tuned to exact notes, taking up a space in the range of sounds that offers a lot of impact but, not necessarily melodic content, integral to a song. When drums are used to create an actual melody for rhythmic purposes, if it's another key, there's a problem, if a song is in another key than the drum set is pitched to. Tuning to specific intervals is not necessary, and may be a problem. I have never been in a situation where someone looked at me and said, this song is in the key of _____ and expected me to tune to it. Why? Because drums do not generally participate in a composition to that end.
Other factors come in. Original drum heads made of animal skin were notorious for going out of tune, depending on the weather and atmospheric conditions. Drum heads made of plastic, while they can hold their tension and pitch better, still stretch out with use and ultimately require changing out for new heads. New heads, especially, stretch in their initial use and many players on the road put new heads on their drums and press them down or over-tension them overnight to help them work out some initial stretching and then re-tension from a relaxed position before hitting the stage. Players using larger sticks and more force and velocity in their strokes may change heads more often on a tour; not something a weekend warrior or hobbyist in a home needs to concern themselves with.
With these matters in mind, understood and practiced, why do manufacturers super-hype the proprietary nature of their shells and drums as though one is dealing with a piano? Because it is all marketing to sell product. All of it.
In today's world of electric music, the idea that drumists need to tune their drums - of which most are in lower frequencies and hardly discerned for certain pitches; especially bass drums and floor toms - is really way beyond the reality of what takes place in the midst of a full band playing on stage or in the studio. Even with the popular, older use of concert toms, with their resurgence today, save for Classical concert work, aren't tuned to notes. There aren't specific intervals most players must tension to, and do not want to, unless in a range that can fit in most of a band's music. Tuning to specific intervals is nowhere near as important as the pitch of each drum being sweet, within itself. All of that can be done by ear, and a player can choose an interval of general pitches that pleases his/her ear and sense of percussive place in the music.
Another factor is the use of muted heads. Bass drums have become more of a thud than anything else, as far as modern music goes. Only some genres of Jazz make use of wide-open kick drums. Snares and toms may use slightly to heavily muted heads, which pretty much removes identity of definitive pitches a player tensions to in the context of the music happening all around him/her. An audience noticing tuning? Not happening. An audience may notice some kind of squelch or odd tome of a drum not tuned to a good sound in and of itself and I have that in recordings or videos. Two cases come to mind. One drum in an older video of Steve Smith playing with Journey, and a Drumeo video featuring Gergo Borlai, wherein one tom was off in tone compared to others in the set, egregiously so. Not sure how it got missed by techs in any warm-ups. But, even there. I noticed these discrepancies. Would all drummers and all other audience members/viewers of recorded media?
Some engineers go to great lengths to address tones in each drum and use of tape and more modern gel pads, etc., get placed all over the kit. Necessary? Subjective. When the music gets going...
The confusion super-hype from manufacturers placed upon younger players is ridiculous. I see it all the time on discussion forums. As much as many in the music world consider a piano a percussion instrument because the strings are struck by "hammers," drums are not a piano. They were never meant to be, and never will be. Matter of fact, in owning electronic drum equipment, if the device's sound source is tuned to specific, exact notes, tom runs can sound very artificial. Modifying pitches a few cents, +/- creates a more natural sound. Drum heads are not static. Where you strike them matters, as well as how much they stretch under player use, which in some cases, is abuse but, that is subjective, as well. If a player can afford to change their heads all the time, they can dent them up anyway they want to. Watching videos of Virgil Donati, I was surprised at the dents in his heads. He uses heavy wood and strikes with a lot of velocity. You don't get any more complex in playing than Virgil gets. He does what he does and can afford necessary changes. So be it.
It's the young people I get bothered about. Manufacturers, for a couple generations now, have made drums out to be laboratory effected, percussive spaceships to market the supposed matrix of their proprietary composition and ultimate sound. It's all barnyard defecation. It really is. Guitarists tell me it's the same for their instrument manufacture. I had lunch with a group of people the other day and one guy plays acoustic guitar; Classical and told me the same thing. He plays a $200 instrument that sounds as good, for all intents and purposes, as his son's $2,000 instrument.
As with all things musical, nuances and subtleties exist. No one can deny that. Put everything in a room/venue, mics, sound equipment/PA or in variations of studio environments, mics, recording equipment and software, so much of the hype becomes moot, it is alarmingly noticeable.
I continue to rest my case on the weight of evidence I have experienced or people in the music business testify to with video they place for any and all to see and hear.
Drums have been around a longer time than any other instrument because of the simple nature of what they are. They can certainly be made to represent beauty, and be well crafted to last a lifetime but, please; do let us have common sense. Their place in music was never intended to be that of a violin, trumpet, clarinet or marimba. Would that manufacturers dialed back their ultra-hype in attempts to state otherwise in marketing campaigns.
*****************************
RFK Close to VP Choice
Okay, okay, this is purely political but, I find it rather fascinating.
I mentioned RFK's SOTU video a few days ago. I mentioned he had yet to choose a VP, which will impact his campaign for POTUS. He says he is going to make a final choice March 26th. His short list?
*Green Bay/Jets quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.
*"Dirty Jobs", television personality, Mike Rowe.
Former wrestler, governor, tv personality, Jesse Ventura.
Former Congresswoman, former POTUS candidate, Tulsi Gabbard.
Businessman, attorney, POTUS candidate, Andrew Yang.
Also on the list, GOP/Libertarian Senator, also former POTUS candidate, Rand Paul.
RFK's journey thus far has been a tough one but, he's hanging in there and growing in exposure. Type in his name at YT and he's doing interviews on podcasts, radio and tv all over the place. He wants young people who normally do not vote, hence, the popularity of Rodgers, Rowe, Ventura and Gabbard. If that is the modus operandi, presumably Yang would fit into that class. I know little to nothing of him save for his being on the Left of Center, politically speaking, which is probably the context of each of these people; though I had the impression Rodgers and Rowe were on the Right side of Center. Certainly Paul is.
On the proposed short list, Gabbard has political experience; the only one with it, along with Paul. I have seen her name involved with Trump picking a VP. I first thought that a cool idea, seeing they might hold each other's "feet to the fire" so to speak and mentioned that hear a long time ago. Learning more of her political positions, no, not a good fit for Trump. For RFK; probably the one he'll choose. She too, ran into issues with the Democrat Party when she ran for POTUS, and ultimately became an Independent, leading the way for RFK to do the same thing under same circumstances of walls put up against him in his lifelong, generation's long party. Two to Tango, anyone?
Rowe is hugely popular. A no-nonsense, common sense guy. Rodgers has become a target for anyone in power for issues he has taken stands against with the same no-nonsense, common sense, critical thinking. Ventura is Ventura. No holds barred, literally. No subject too off limits to dig into, but, he believes religion is a scam. Loss of votes there. Yang? I'm guessing he's too much of a lightweight to make a significant difference for people. Paul, one of the few common sense voices in D.C. but, may cause confusion for people. He'd have to kind of reinvent himself for the task at hand. Still, the two of them would make a formidable team, with the holding each other's feet to the fire-scenario in play.
Biden's side is in full panic mode. Trump knows what he's up against and if he badmouths RFK like he is want to do to people, he will lose the election soundly to the influence of RFK because people are tired of unnecessary fighting. Culture wars, education wars, medical wars, money wars, political war, talk of civil war, what is being called lawfare, now. Americans are wiped out by the reign of corrupt politicians running the nation and states. RFK hits the sensible middle for people, even if he may be too right of center or too left of center on certain issues.
The more the two other candidates attack him, the more people are going to side with him. The more they attack his VP choice, the more people are going to side with them. People want Kumbaya, even if it is too naive for safety. Biden has become an angry old, mentally impaired, shuffling along man, sniffing and holding children to the cringe of tens of millions of people. Trump is an egotistical, New York businessman who hits harder back at you if you hit him. He loves America and millions love him but, he is not the most articulate fellow. RFK stays calm. Gabbard is always calm. Debates, anyone? Both can be tough and hold their ground.
Yeah, this is going to be interesting. Just how much do GOP cowards, radical Leftists, Deep State players, world banksters and the M.I.C swamp want to hold on to power? God forbid we find out.
I mentioned RFK's SOTU video a few days ago. I mentioned he had yet to choose a VP, which will impact his campaign for POTUS. He says he is going to make a final choice March 26th. His short list?
*Green Bay/Jets quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.
*"Dirty Jobs", television personality, Mike Rowe.
Former wrestler, governor, tv personality, Jesse Ventura.
Former Congresswoman, former POTUS candidate, Tulsi Gabbard.
Businessman, attorney, POTUS candidate, Andrew Yang.
Also on the list, GOP/Libertarian Senator, also former POTUS candidate, Rand Paul.
RFK's journey thus far has been a tough one but, he's hanging in there and growing in exposure. Type in his name at YT and he's doing interviews on podcasts, radio and tv all over the place. He wants young people who normally do not vote, hence, the popularity of Rodgers, Rowe, Ventura and Gabbard. If that is the modus operandi, presumably Yang would fit into that class. I know little to nothing of him save for his being on the Left of Center, politically speaking, which is probably the context of each of these people; though I had the impression Rodgers and Rowe were on the Right side of Center. Certainly Paul is.
On the proposed short list, Gabbard has political experience; the only one with it, along with Paul. I have seen her name involved with Trump picking a VP. I first thought that a cool idea, seeing they might hold each other's "feet to the fire" so to speak and mentioned that hear a long time ago. Learning more of her political positions, no, not a good fit for Trump. For RFK; probably the one he'll choose. She too, ran into issues with the Democrat Party when she ran for POTUS, and ultimately became an Independent, leading the way for RFK to do the same thing under same circumstances of walls put up against him in his lifelong, generation's long party. Two to Tango, anyone?
Rowe is hugely popular. A no-nonsense, common sense guy. Rodgers has become a target for anyone in power for issues he has taken stands against with the same no-nonsense, common sense, critical thinking. Ventura is Ventura. No holds barred, literally. No subject too off limits to dig into, but, he believes religion is a scam. Loss of votes there. Yang? I'm guessing he's too much of a lightweight to make a significant difference for people. Paul, one of the few common sense voices in D.C. but, may cause confusion for people. He'd have to kind of reinvent himself for the task at hand. Still, the two of them would make a formidable team, with the holding each other's feet to the fire-scenario in play.
Biden's side is in full panic mode. Trump knows what he's up against and if he badmouths RFK like he is want to do to people, he will lose the election soundly to the influence of RFK because people are tired of unnecessary fighting. Culture wars, education wars, medical wars, money wars, political war, talk of civil war, what is being called lawfare, now. Americans are wiped out by the reign of corrupt politicians running the nation and states. RFK hits the sensible middle for people, even if he may be too right of center or too left of center on certain issues.
The more the two other candidates attack him, the more people are going to side with him. The more they attack his VP choice, the more people are going to side with them. People want Kumbaya, even if it is too naive for safety. Biden has become an angry old, mentally impaired, shuffling along man, sniffing and holding children to the cringe of tens of millions of people. Trump is an egotistical, New York businessman who hits harder back at you if you hit him. He loves America and millions love him but, he is not the most articulate fellow. RFK stays calm. Gabbard is always calm. Debates, anyone? Both can be tough and hold their ground.
Yeah, this is going to be interesting. Just how much do GOP cowards, radical Leftists, Deep State players, world banksters and the M.I.C swamp want to hold on to power? God forbid we find out.
*****************************
A Dead Doctor Still Speaks
I find out new things about the Covid injections on a weekly basis. It becomes, almost overkill to post things because at this point, billions know the planet was under attack by pathological, maniacal agents of evil.
That said, this article speaks yet more information that leaves questions, as it answers them. Many new names for me in this. Not all, though. A significant doctor of science, Andreas Noack, is dead, under strange circumstances. His work with nanotechnology is above reproach, apparently, and he died just four days after presenting his latest information and research into nanoparticles in the Injections.
It's a longer but, gripping read, fully documented. Humanity is under attack, and some of the players on the side of freedom? As I have stated so many times, history shows, any movement trying to free itself from evil, always sustains attacks from within, that weaken it, and time moves on until another set of circumstances must rise up heroes to address evil, head on. It is never without casualties.
There are voices trying to get the truth out there. Hitting walls from those within movements of freedom is pretty reprehensible, given the risks professionals take to expose lies and the truth.
www.americaoutloud.news/heroic-doctor-dies-days-after-exposing-deadly-covid-vax-component/
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
That said, this article speaks yet more information that leaves questions, as it answers them. Many new names for me in this. Not all, though. A significant doctor of science, Andreas Noack, is dead, under strange circumstances. His work with nanotechnology is above reproach, apparently, and he died just four days after presenting his latest information and research into nanoparticles in the Injections.
It's a longer but, gripping read, fully documented. Humanity is under attack, and some of the players on the side of freedom? As I have stated so many times, history shows, any movement trying to free itself from evil, always sustains attacks from within, that weaken it, and time moves on until another set of circumstances must rise up heroes to address evil, head on. It is never without casualties.
There are voices trying to get the truth out there. Hitting walls from those within movements of freedom is pretty reprehensible, given the risks professionals take to expose lies and the truth.
www.americaoutloud.news/heroic-doctor-dies-days-after-exposing-deadly-covid-vax-component/
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Eclipse Info-site
The eclipse is April 8th. Here, in my area of Texas, around 1 o'clock. I live within the full umbra zone. I haven't seen a full eclipse in many years. Sometimes it's so high up, it's the size of a fingernail and realistically, I'll see more details online after people begin posting hi-res pics and video. Still, it's an event that gathers the world into a non-confrontational attitude, which is always a welcome departure from life in this chaotic world.
The site has all kinds of info on it and I found it pretty cool.
www.greatamericaneclipse.com/april-8-2024
The site has all kinds of info on it and I found it pretty cool.
www.greatamericaneclipse.com/april-8-2024
*****************************
That's Not What It Means
I wrote about a law on the docket in Canada that could take away rights from Canadians to quote the Bible in public. No, the law is not written explicitly that way but, the wording could be used to come to such a conclusion.
I follow things in Canada, not just because America borders that nation but, because my daughter lives there. I'm concerned for her welfare when a nation that used to be considered very free is becoming a testing zone for the globalist cabal to instill its totalitarian will of creating "perfect society."
The thing is, I saw a statement in an article that is just, plain wrong, and possibly something that works against those who want freedom.
www.faithwire.com/2024/03/13/persecution-watchdogs-warning-canadian-bill-could-send-christians-to-jail-for-quoting-bible/
King said hate speech laws are “always being promoted … for the common good,” but he said such provisions tend to “create division.”
He explained that hate speech laws were passed in Canada in 2003 and 2004 with protections, but warned that these caveats are now potentially on the chopping block.
“Democracy means you have freedom of speech,” King said. “It’s the marketplace of ideas. Everyone should be able to voice their opinion, no matter whether it’s great, bad, or stupid.”
He said the “alarming thing” about the current battle over Bill C-367 is that many people aren’t aware of it. King warned provisions such as these are “passed quietly” and with the hopes “no one notices.” That’s why he and ICC are sounding the alarm on the issue.
“If you’re on the left, if you’re on the right, if you’re an atheist, Muslim — it doesn’t matter,” King said. “Anybody who’s in favor of freedom, which is such a precious thing and is a relatively new thing in history … it has to be guarded … there are always those willing to take it away.”
While I would agree with the general tenor of Mr. King's statement (and another Bill, C-373 does the same thing), his take on Democracy is not correct. Democracy does not mean a populace has free speech, freedom to speak whatever you believe. No. Democracy is the will of the majority, the right of people to choose their leaders. If the majority of a legislature not bound by Constitutional provisions, votes to table free speech and punish those who speak in a way the State decrees is wrong, that law becomes the law of the and and no democracy protects people. If the citizenry were asked to vote on the measure, as a public referendum, and voted to take away rights of religious people to speak their minds in public, because it might hurt other's feelings, democracy cannot save freedom of speech for that or any other segment of society.
This is the reason the U.S.A. is a Constitutional Republic. It is a nation that functions under the rule of law, and the Founders believed certain rights come from God; they are rights of natural law, understood as being inalienable - you cannot be alienated from them. THAT is the law, and why elected civil servants take an oath to defend the Constitution, not the nation, not a king or queen, the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic. The Constitution is the highest factor of all legality in the nation, under the sovereign authority of the Creator, God.
democracy
noun
1. a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives
Rule of the majority of eligible members of a state or a state legislature or parliament, etc., is no guarantee people have rights to speak freely. Those rights, in America, codified in the Bill of Rights, were recognized by the Founders of this nation as coming from God, NOT government.
Trudeau, a puppet of the globalists, and his followers will have their way and take away free speech rights, if the Constitution of Canada has no provision for protecting those rights as being inalienable rights from God. A democracy will not save them.
I follow things in Canada, not just because America borders that nation but, because my daughter lives there. I'm concerned for her welfare when a nation that used to be considered very free is becoming a testing zone for the globalist cabal to instill its totalitarian will of creating "perfect society."
The thing is, I saw a statement in an article that is just, plain wrong, and possibly something that works against those who want freedom.
www.faithwire.com/2024/03/13/persecution-watchdogs-warning-canadian-bill-could-send-christians-to-jail-for-quoting-bible/
King said hate speech laws are “always being promoted … for the common good,” but he said such provisions tend to “create division.”
He explained that hate speech laws were passed in Canada in 2003 and 2004 with protections, but warned that these caveats are now potentially on the chopping block.
“Democracy means you have freedom of speech,” King said. “It’s the marketplace of ideas. Everyone should be able to voice their opinion, no matter whether it’s great, bad, or stupid.”
He said the “alarming thing” about the current battle over Bill C-367 is that many people aren’t aware of it. King warned provisions such as these are “passed quietly” and with the hopes “no one notices.” That’s why he and ICC are sounding the alarm on the issue.
“If you’re on the left, if you’re on the right, if you’re an atheist, Muslim — it doesn’t matter,” King said. “Anybody who’s in favor of freedom, which is such a precious thing and is a relatively new thing in history … it has to be guarded … there are always those willing to take it away.”
While I would agree with the general tenor of Mr. King's statement (and another Bill, C-373 does the same thing), his take on Democracy is not correct. Democracy does not mean a populace has free speech, freedom to speak whatever you believe. No. Democracy is the will of the majority, the right of people to choose their leaders. If the majority of a legislature not bound by Constitutional provisions, votes to table free speech and punish those who speak in a way the State decrees is wrong, that law becomes the law of the and and no democracy protects people. If the citizenry were asked to vote on the measure, as a public referendum, and voted to take away rights of religious people to speak their minds in public, because it might hurt other's feelings, democracy cannot save freedom of speech for that or any other segment of society.
This is the reason the U.S.A. is a Constitutional Republic. It is a nation that functions under the rule of law, and the Founders believed certain rights come from God; they are rights of natural law, understood as being inalienable - you cannot be alienated from them. THAT is the law, and why elected civil servants take an oath to defend the Constitution, not the nation, not a king or queen, the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic. The Constitution is the highest factor of all legality in the nation, under the sovereign authority of the Creator, God.
democracy
noun
1. a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives
Rule of the majority of eligible members of a state or a state legislature or parliament, etc., is no guarantee people have rights to speak freely. Those rights, in America, codified in the Bill of Rights, were recognized by the Founders of this nation as coming from God, NOT government.
Trudeau, a puppet of the globalists, and his followers will have their way and take away free speech rights, if the Constitution of Canada has no provision for protecting those rights as being inalienable rights from God. A democracy will not save them.
*****************************
932. Asylum Seekers "Melt Away" -
March 16, 2024
Here's a situation in the UK that citizens of any nation should be aware of.
"Asylum seekers ‘melt away’ when asked to be involved in church before baptisms, priest says"
"A former Church of England priest claims that many asylum he came across withdrew their interest in baptism upon being asked to participate in church activities to ensure they weren't just looking to bolster their asylum applications, drawing pushback from the diocese."
www.christianpost.com/news/asylum-seekers-refuse-baptism-after-being-asked-to-attend-church.html
This is an interesting article because, in principle, it applies to all seekers of membership in any church or any group with any kind of fundamental beliefs or principles a group functions under. If you cannot be certain a person seeking membership to any group is not actually in harmony with and committed to the foundational principles of that group, why would you bring someone into it? Ah. The general answer is "numbers."
Many religious groups in Christianity will baptize people just because they ask to be baptized and it looks good on paper. Numbers increase. Whether or not the people shows signs of being converted from a life where the world is their bottom line or, to God's will being their new desire and commitment, is not assessed in any way. That is an obvious Trojan horse for the devil to put unconverted people into an assembly of believers, of any doctrine or set of fundamental beliefs and wreak havoc in it. And that is just what happens. It happened to ancient Israel after their exodus from Egypt -
Exodus 12:37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.
Exo 12:38 And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.
Numbers 11:4 And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?
Num 11:5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic:
Num 11:6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.
When the Hebrews left Egypt, a mixture of Egyptians and others went with them. Free to do so but, while they recognized the power of God contained in the ten plagues, they were never converted or committed to the principles God wanted His people to exist within. They showed their feelings about things and it influenced the Hebrews to complain, after God miraculously freed them from their captivity and miraculously provided food for them every morning. It caused constant problems.
The same happened to the infant church, in Acts and seen in the epistles. "Judaizers," those joining the church from the ranks of Jews (who were the only members of the early church at the beginning), were not truly converted or educated into the faith of Messiah and demanded that new converts from the gentiles keep the law of Moses, be circumcised, and follow all the ancient laws found in the book of the law. It created serious issues wherever they went. Acts 15 addresses their influence, as well as in Paul's letters to the Romans and Galatians.
Then came a whole new group that plagued the church, which the apostle John had to address, which were influenced by pagan philosophers, known as the Gnostics. "Gnosis;" knowledge was their actuator. Their entire aspect of joining pagan philosophy with Christ's teaching wreaked havoc on the church and ultimately, that faction, enlarged and enriched by the influence of the Roman empire, became the Roman Catholic Church; the great apostasy Paul warned of. It was a mixture of pagan ritual and philosophy with old testament sanctuary service and priesthood doctrine; no longer applicable by the death, resurrection and heavenly ministry of Christ, as High Priest in Heaven's sanctuary. That faction became the anti-Christ, beast power of prophecy. The Gnostics faded away. The church of Rome became the anti-Christ power of Daniel, John's epistles and the Revelation, and other portions of Scripture warning of their rise to influence and power.
Any group and certainly any church, must have some kind of assessment process to understand whether people are fit for membership in their midst. For a church, members represent Christ, represent truth as any church understands it and represents the function of that church in its message to the world. It is not to be some angle for asylum seekers to become validated by government.
Exo 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
The premise of God providing the people with manna was twofold. Removing the influence of Egyptian culture from them, in diet and other aspects of life, and a test of their loyalty to His law, the Sabbath. The mixed-multitude complained and the Jews, who should have known better, began to complain with them. That's how it works.
Exo 20:20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that you sin not.
The impressive scene upon the mount, the overwhelming presence of God, at the giving of the moral law, was to test the people, that His people respect and reverence Him.
Deut 8:1 All the commandments which I command you this day shall you observe to do, that you may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers.
Deut 8:2 And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, and to prove you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not.
Deut 8:3 And he humbled you, and allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you didn't understand, neither did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD, does man live.
God constantly tests His people, to establish whether they are in His program or not; willing to follow His guidance and requirements or not.
Psalm 26:2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; test my heart and my mind.
One cannot become an American citizen without understanding certain provisions for being an American, and also pledging to become an active member in the culture of Americanism. They are tested. Well, that has been watered down so much America has become a melting pot for a multicultural cauldron of anti-Americans that attack the principles of Americanism at every turn. And now, the government is just allowing MILLIONS of people to just walk into the country with no vetting of any kind. That is a felony, a crime; a reason to see why America is coming unglued. The same can happen to any church. The same can happen to any individual.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
God tests us, and asks us to test Him, to see if His will is as perfect as He designates for our salvation.
2Cor 8:8 I speak not by way of commandment, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity also of your love.
Do we sincerely and actually love God or, do we just say it because it is the thing to say? Paul did not command the Corinthians but, God does command us to obey, for our good and the good of this world, caught in lies and sin and death. Is our devotion to God real or just the practice of religious habit?
2Cor 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith; test your own selves. Do you not know your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you are reprobates?
A reprobate is someone beyond saving. Serious enough?
1Thes 5:16 Rejoice always,
1Thes 5:17 pray without ceasing,
1Thes 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1Thes 5:19 Do not quench the Spirit.
1Thes 5:20 Do not despise prophecies,
1Thes 5:21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.
1Thes 5:22 Abstain from every form of evil.
1Thes 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The purpose of the plan of salvation is to remove the penalty and power of sin from people's lives. It is not about names on church books or numbers or commandments of men and certainly not about man's governments. It is about the kingdom of God and going about doing His will.
Millions of "refugees" flooding into Europe and Europe allowed the Trojan horse in. Now, Europe is doomed. If America does not control illegal immigration, America is doomed. If churches will not protect themselves from the world's influences brought in by the unconverted, the churches are doomed.
Christ said the gates of "hell," of death, would not prevail upon His church. That is the church of those born-again in the Lamb's book of life, NOT earthly organizations. His kingdom is not of this world and while organizing a body of believers is more important than organizing a kitchen or workshop, it is not something Christ said the gates of death could not prevail against. The rules, regulations and commandments of men can kill a church as easily as a mixed multitude. So it is in so many churches in this world.
The mixed multitude. It remains the same problem it always was. It's not about country of origin. It is not about skin color. It is not about language. It is not about clothes or personal habits. It is about adherence and loyalty to the Constitution, the principles of the nation, the culture of the nation and whether or not new members want to be a part of that. If not, find another nation. In the case of God's church, if you are not in harmony with a fundamental set of beliefs and desire to practice those beliefs and higher principles of order among men, go find another church that only cares about numbers. You'll find one. You'll find many. Babylon is full of them, tragically.
The time has arrived to understand the issues involved for nations and for the kingdom of God.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
"Asylum seekers ‘melt away’ when asked to be involved in church before baptisms, priest says"
"A former Church of England priest claims that many asylum he came across withdrew their interest in baptism upon being asked to participate in church activities to ensure they weren't just looking to bolster their asylum applications, drawing pushback from the diocese."
www.christianpost.com/news/asylum-seekers-refuse-baptism-after-being-asked-to-attend-church.html
This is an interesting article because, in principle, it applies to all seekers of membership in any church or any group with any kind of fundamental beliefs or principles a group functions under. If you cannot be certain a person seeking membership to any group is not actually in harmony with and committed to the foundational principles of that group, why would you bring someone into it? Ah. The general answer is "numbers."
Many religious groups in Christianity will baptize people just because they ask to be baptized and it looks good on paper. Numbers increase. Whether or not the people shows signs of being converted from a life where the world is their bottom line or, to God's will being their new desire and commitment, is not assessed in any way. That is an obvious Trojan horse for the devil to put unconverted people into an assembly of believers, of any doctrine or set of fundamental beliefs and wreak havoc in it. And that is just what happens. It happened to ancient Israel after their exodus from Egypt -
Exodus 12:37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.
Exo 12:38 And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.
Numbers 11:4 And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?
Num 11:5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic:
Num 11:6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.
When the Hebrews left Egypt, a mixture of Egyptians and others went with them. Free to do so but, while they recognized the power of God contained in the ten plagues, they were never converted or committed to the principles God wanted His people to exist within. They showed their feelings about things and it influenced the Hebrews to complain, after God miraculously freed them from their captivity and miraculously provided food for them every morning. It caused constant problems.
The same happened to the infant church, in Acts and seen in the epistles. "Judaizers," those joining the church from the ranks of Jews (who were the only members of the early church at the beginning), were not truly converted or educated into the faith of Messiah and demanded that new converts from the gentiles keep the law of Moses, be circumcised, and follow all the ancient laws found in the book of the law. It created serious issues wherever they went. Acts 15 addresses their influence, as well as in Paul's letters to the Romans and Galatians.
Then came a whole new group that plagued the church, which the apostle John had to address, which were influenced by pagan philosophers, known as the Gnostics. "Gnosis;" knowledge was their actuator. Their entire aspect of joining pagan philosophy with Christ's teaching wreaked havoc on the church and ultimately, that faction, enlarged and enriched by the influence of the Roman empire, became the Roman Catholic Church; the great apostasy Paul warned of. It was a mixture of pagan ritual and philosophy with old testament sanctuary service and priesthood doctrine; no longer applicable by the death, resurrection and heavenly ministry of Christ, as High Priest in Heaven's sanctuary. That faction became the anti-Christ, beast power of prophecy. The Gnostics faded away. The church of Rome became the anti-Christ power of Daniel, John's epistles and the Revelation, and other portions of Scripture warning of their rise to influence and power.
Any group and certainly any church, must have some kind of assessment process to understand whether people are fit for membership in their midst. For a church, members represent Christ, represent truth as any church understands it and represents the function of that church in its message to the world. It is not to be some angle for asylum seekers to become validated by government.
Exo 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
The premise of God providing the people with manna was twofold. Removing the influence of Egyptian culture from them, in diet and other aspects of life, and a test of their loyalty to His law, the Sabbath. The mixed-multitude complained and the Jews, who should have known better, began to complain with them. That's how it works.
Exo 20:20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that you sin not.
The impressive scene upon the mount, the overwhelming presence of God, at the giving of the moral law, was to test the people, that His people respect and reverence Him.
Deut 8:1 All the commandments which I command you this day shall you observe to do, that you may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers.
Deut 8:2 And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, and to prove you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not.
Deut 8:3 And he humbled you, and allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you didn't understand, neither did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD, does man live.
God constantly tests His people, to establish whether they are in His program or not; willing to follow His guidance and requirements or not.
Psalm 26:2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; test my heart and my mind.
One cannot become an American citizen without understanding certain provisions for being an American, and also pledging to become an active member in the culture of Americanism. They are tested. Well, that has been watered down so much America has become a melting pot for a multicultural cauldron of anti-Americans that attack the principles of Americanism at every turn. And now, the government is just allowing MILLIONS of people to just walk into the country with no vetting of any kind. That is a felony, a crime; a reason to see why America is coming unglued. The same can happen to any church. The same can happen to any individual.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
God tests us, and asks us to test Him, to see if His will is as perfect as He designates for our salvation.
2Cor 8:8 I speak not by way of commandment, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity also of your love.
Do we sincerely and actually love God or, do we just say it because it is the thing to say? Paul did not command the Corinthians but, God does command us to obey, for our good and the good of this world, caught in lies and sin and death. Is our devotion to God real or just the practice of religious habit?
2Cor 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith; test your own selves. Do you not know your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you are reprobates?
A reprobate is someone beyond saving. Serious enough?
1Thes 5:16 Rejoice always,
1Thes 5:17 pray without ceasing,
1Thes 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1Thes 5:19 Do not quench the Spirit.
1Thes 5:20 Do not despise prophecies,
1Thes 5:21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.
1Thes 5:22 Abstain from every form of evil.
1Thes 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The purpose of the plan of salvation is to remove the penalty and power of sin from people's lives. It is not about names on church books or numbers or commandments of men and certainly not about man's governments. It is about the kingdom of God and going about doing His will.
Millions of "refugees" flooding into Europe and Europe allowed the Trojan horse in. Now, Europe is doomed. If America does not control illegal immigration, America is doomed. If churches will not protect themselves from the world's influences brought in by the unconverted, the churches are doomed.
Christ said the gates of "hell," of death, would not prevail upon His church. That is the church of those born-again in the Lamb's book of life, NOT earthly organizations. His kingdom is not of this world and while organizing a body of believers is more important than organizing a kitchen or workshop, it is not something Christ said the gates of death could not prevail against. The rules, regulations and commandments of men can kill a church as easily as a mixed multitude. So it is in so many churches in this world.
The mixed multitude. It remains the same problem it always was. It's not about country of origin. It is not about skin color. It is not about language. It is not about clothes or personal habits. It is about adherence and loyalty to the Constitution, the principles of the nation, the culture of the nation and whether or not new members want to be a part of that. If not, find another nation. In the case of God's church, if you are not in harmony with a fundamental set of beliefs and desire to practice those beliefs and higher principles of order among men, go find another church that only cares about numbers. You'll find one. You'll find many. Babylon is full of them, tragically.
The time has arrived to understand the issues involved for nations and for the kingdom of God.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Prayers for Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan has all kinds of people on his podcast. Thinking people. Well known and not so well known. He seems to be growing ever closer to truly seeking to understand God and the Christian faith. Not that he's jumping at it but, I do believe the Holy Spirit is working on his mind -
www.discovery.org/v/stephen-c-meyer-with-joe-rogan/
Stephen Meyer is director of the Discovery Institute, an organization promoting the concept of Intelligent Design.
"Joe Rogan, Riley Gaines discuss Satan, Jesus' return and the fulfillment of biblical prophecy"
www.christianpost.com/news/joe-rogan-riley-gaines-satan-jesus-return-bible-prophecy.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-kinevyxJg
"What Katt Williams told Joe Rogan about God, the Bible, Big Bang, transgenderism and Baphomet"
www.christianpost.com/news/katt-williams-told-joe-rogan-about-god-bible-big-bang.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zb2SuW-jug
"Joe Rogan, Aaron Rodgers discuss power of Christian faith amid chaos: 'We need Jesus'"
www.christianpost.com/news/joe-rogan-aaron-rodgers-discuss-power-of-faith-amid-chaos.html
JOE ROGAN’S FAITH JOURNEY: A Sign of the Times?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u2c2x7qNJk
I, have only watched some things on the podcast with Stephen Meyer. I haven't watched the other links but, will. The thing is, whether or not I might agree with things said about the faith by those being interviewed, it seems Rogan, an acknowledged agnostic, is being drawn into the practical nature of the benefits of godliness upon a society, even its need for such connect to God.
I pray for Joe, as I'm sure many millions are. His voice, a changed voice, should he connect to Christ and become a disciple and follower of the Lord, would have quite a testimony of impact on society.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
www.discovery.org/v/stephen-c-meyer-with-joe-rogan/
Stephen Meyer is director of the Discovery Institute, an organization promoting the concept of Intelligent Design.
"Joe Rogan, Riley Gaines discuss Satan, Jesus' return and the fulfillment of biblical prophecy"
www.christianpost.com/news/joe-rogan-riley-gaines-satan-jesus-return-bible-prophecy.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-kinevyxJg
"What Katt Williams told Joe Rogan about God, the Bible, Big Bang, transgenderism and Baphomet"
www.christianpost.com/news/katt-williams-told-joe-rogan-about-god-bible-big-bang.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zb2SuW-jug
"Joe Rogan, Aaron Rodgers discuss power of Christian faith amid chaos: 'We need Jesus'"
www.christianpost.com/news/joe-rogan-aaron-rodgers-discuss-power-of-faith-amid-chaos.html
JOE ROGAN’S FAITH JOURNEY: A Sign of the Times?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u2c2x7qNJk
I, have only watched some things on the podcast with Stephen Meyer. I haven't watched the other links but, will. The thing is, whether or not I might agree with things said about the faith by those being interviewed, it seems Rogan, an acknowledged agnostic, is being drawn into the practical nature of the benefits of godliness upon a society, even its need for such connect to God.
I pray for Joe, as I'm sure many millions are. His voice, a changed voice, should he connect to Christ and become a disciple and follower of the Lord, would have quite a testimony of impact on society.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
933.Babylon Blesses Mascots - 3/16/24
Sometimes I feel so embarrassed to post things about the nature of spiritual, prophetic Babylon I can hardly bring myself to do it but, the nature of that condition demands exposure. God calls His people out of Babylon before He judges it. Again, the passages relating to this entity and spiritual condition -
Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Rev 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Babylon. Spiritual confusion. Mother. Daughters. Rulers and cultures and false religions of the Earth. God calls His people out of spiritual confusion: the condition and the places the confusion is perpetuated.
"Washington National Cathedral clergy sprinkle holy water on NCAA mascots
"7 of 15 ACC mascots accept offer for formal blessing"
"The ACC reached out about coming to the cathedral, and we immediately said yes," a spokesperson for the cathedral told the outlet, explaining that team mascots typically tour the ACC tournament's host city and stage publicity events at major sites.
The spokesperson said that Corsello "prayed for safety, good sportsmanship and fun at the tournament" but noted that "we were pretty clear that God doesn't play favorites."
The mascots represented Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
"We're happy to report that the (Baptist) Demon Deacon from Wake Forest, the (Roman Catholic) Fighting Irish Leprechaun from Notre Dame and even the Blue Devil from Duke all felt right at home inside this Episcopal Cathedral," the cathedral said in a light-hearted blog post.
I know basketball is a sport involving a great deal of technical skills and physical endurance. I also know injuries are common. Last week a player, a female player, knocked down, which Refs recognized as a foul, was a lot more than that. The girl could not walk under her own power, was sent to the hospital and diagnosed with a concussion. Falling on hardwood floors, which happens repeatedly in games, is no easy matter. The twisting and turning athletes engage in, all of it results in foot injuries, knee injuries, back injuries, hip injuries, shoulder injuries, hand injuries and the serious head injuries that sometimes take place. The risks are not minor, displayed by teams with lists of injured players. None of that is light-hearted.
God cannot be tempted or tested upon such policy.
To bless such a premise of activity is confused. It is one thing when a nation attacks another nation and men go off to war and they are prayed for and God is asked to protect those fighting for family and country. It's another thing to bless mascots parading as enemies of God (the reality not the silliness), and ask God not to allow anyone to get hurt. God is not forcing anyone to play games. So many players, in all sports, are professed Christians yet, seem to not understand the premise of the faith. God is not against having fun, playing games or being healthy and athletic. Putting oneself at unnecessary risk is another matter, altogether.
People say, "You can get killed crossing the street." Hold it, hold it. Nobody gets killed crossing a street. People get hurt or killed getting hit by cars and trucks operated by foolish people not paying attention to what they're doing. Big difference. Nobody gets hurt walking across a basketball court. Playing a game with physical contact on a hardwood floor? Big difference. Why should God keep people from getting hurt when they choose to involve themselves in an unnecessary risk of injury? It is obvious March Madness does not involve just friendly games of basketball. Be serious. Big money is involved. Bragging rights of championships of conferences and "the big dance" are involved. Endorsements are involved. Schools gain big advantages from winning teams. They are hard fought, physical contests. It is far more than a harmless little game played by boys and girls. It's men and women constantly colliding with each other. I've watched the games. I've seen the constant injuries and shake my head and wonder why intelligent people risk it all? Not for God. God didn't ask anyone to play sports. Nothing done in sports, by way of technique and achievement, gets you closer to Heaven. You cannot "swish" your way through the gates. Nobody sustains an injury to the glory of God. All the interest and excitement cannot reduce these matters to insignificance.
There is no such thing as "holy water" and no such practice Christ got into, or His disciples. Pointless, worthless traditions of men take the place of biblical instruction and truth. The word "sprinkled" does appear in the Bible, especially the old testament in relation to the sanctuary services but, in the NT, the word is found three places -
Heb 9:19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
Heb 9:20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
Heb 9:21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
The symbolic application of Christ's blood shed for the remission of sins is something to be understood as life changing. Holy water? No. Worthless. The washing of water, prefigured in the laver, in the sanctuary service, where priests washed their hands and feet before entering the holy place, is seen here -
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
The Greek word translated "blemish" also translates as faultless and unblameable. Christ is coming for a clean church, washed by the power of the Word of God in mind and life: unblameable, faultless: victorious in Christ over the sins that so easily beset us.
Spiritual, prophetic Babylon. Confusion. Sincere people, sincerely placing upon God something He has nothing to do with, as far as principles of His kingdom. No. In fact, again, I believe if sports exist in Heaven, the idea is to get the other guy, the other team to win.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Rev 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Babylon. Spiritual confusion. Mother. Daughters. Rulers and cultures and false religions of the Earth. God calls His people out of spiritual confusion: the condition and the places the confusion is perpetuated.
"Washington National Cathedral clergy sprinkle holy water on NCAA mascots
"7 of 15 ACC mascots accept offer for formal blessing"
"The ACC reached out about coming to the cathedral, and we immediately said yes," a spokesperson for the cathedral told the outlet, explaining that team mascots typically tour the ACC tournament's host city and stage publicity events at major sites.
The spokesperson said that Corsello "prayed for safety, good sportsmanship and fun at the tournament" but noted that "we were pretty clear that God doesn't play favorites."
The mascots represented Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
"We're happy to report that the (Baptist) Demon Deacon from Wake Forest, the (Roman Catholic) Fighting Irish Leprechaun from Notre Dame and even the Blue Devil from Duke all felt right at home inside this Episcopal Cathedral," the cathedral said in a light-hearted blog post.
I know basketball is a sport involving a great deal of technical skills and physical endurance. I also know injuries are common. Last week a player, a female player, knocked down, which Refs recognized as a foul, was a lot more than that. The girl could not walk under her own power, was sent to the hospital and diagnosed with a concussion. Falling on hardwood floors, which happens repeatedly in games, is no easy matter. The twisting and turning athletes engage in, all of it results in foot injuries, knee injuries, back injuries, hip injuries, shoulder injuries, hand injuries and the serious head injuries that sometimes take place. The risks are not minor, displayed by teams with lists of injured players. None of that is light-hearted.
God cannot be tempted or tested upon such policy.
To bless such a premise of activity is confused. It is one thing when a nation attacks another nation and men go off to war and they are prayed for and God is asked to protect those fighting for family and country. It's another thing to bless mascots parading as enemies of God (the reality not the silliness), and ask God not to allow anyone to get hurt. God is not forcing anyone to play games. So many players, in all sports, are professed Christians yet, seem to not understand the premise of the faith. God is not against having fun, playing games or being healthy and athletic. Putting oneself at unnecessary risk is another matter, altogether.
People say, "You can get killed crossing the street." Hold it, hold it. Nobody gets killed crossing a street. People get hurt or killed getting hit by cars and trucks operated by foolish people not paying attention to what they're doing. Big difference. Nobody gets hurt walking across a basketball court. Playing a game with physical contact on a hardwood floor? Big difference. Why should God keep people from getting hurt when they choose to involve themselves in an unnecessary risk of injury? It is obvious March Madness does not involve just friendly games of basketball. Be serious. Big money is involved. Bragging rights of championships of conferences and "the big dance" are involved. Endorsements are involved. Schools gain big advantages from winning teams. They are hard fought, physical contests. It is far more than a harmless little game played by boys and girls. It's men and women constantly colliding with each other. I've watched the games. I've seen the constant injuries and shake my head and wonder why intelligent people risk it all? Not for God. God didn't ask anyone to play sports. Nothing done in sports, by way of technique and achievement, gets you closer to Heaven. You cannot "swish" your way through the gates. Nobody sustains an injury to the glory of God. All the interest and excitement cannot reduce these matters to insignificance.
There is no such thing as "holy water" and no such practice Christ got into, or His disciples. Pointless, worthless traditions of men take the place of biblical instruction and truth. The word "sprinkled" does appear in the Bible, especially the old testament in relation to the sanctuary services but, in the NT, the word is found three places -
Heb 9:19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
Heb 9:20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
Heb 9:21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
The symbolic application of Christ's blood shed for the remission of sins is something to be understood as life changing. Holy water? No. Worthless. The washing of water, prefigured in the laver, in the sanctuary service, where priests washed their hands and feet before entering the holy place, is seen here -
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
The Greek word translated "blemish" also translates as faultless and unblameable. Christ is coming for a clean church, washed by the power of the Word of God in mind and life: unblameable, faultless: victorious in Christ over the sins that so easily beset us.
Spiritual, prophetic Babylon. Confusion. Sincere people, sincerely placing upon God something He has nothing to do with, as far as principles of His kingdom. No. In fact, again, I believe if sports exist in Heaven, the idea is to get the other guy, the other team to win.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
And Then There's This...
The embarrassment does not stop at sprinkling "holy" water on basketball team mascots.
This is an article on the homes many evangelists and pastors live in, tax free.
www.christianpost.com/news/what-would-televangelists-pay-if-their-homes-werent-tax-exempt.html
This is an article on the homes many evangelists and pastors live in, tax free.
www.christianpost.com/news/what-would-televangelists-pay-if-their-homes-werent-tax-exempt.html
Yeah. It speaks for itself.
Luke 9:57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Luke 9:58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
I know. The stuff of jokes for late night talk-show hosts. There is no defense for this. It's been this way a long time now. No amount of exposure changes it. No amount of rebuke causes humility and remorse for such expenditures of tithes and offerings from hard working congregants. I wonder why they endorse or put up with it.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Luke 9:57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Luke 9:58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
I know. The stuff of jokes for late night talk-show hosts. There is no defense for this. It's been this way a long time now. No amount of exposure changes it. No amount of rebuke causes humility and remorse for such expenditures of tithes and offerings from hard working congregants. I wonder why they endorse or put up with it.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
934. Wait. Are These Mistakes? - March 16, 2024
As we draw more closely to the election fervor of a POTUS cycle, and as the whole "Christian Nationalism" subject seems to be everywhere, the position of Scripture and prophecy, once again, comes into view.
"Two Common Mistakes Christians Make About Government"
stream.org/two-common-mistakes-christians-make-about-government/
There are two common mistakes Christians make about government.
Government as Societal Scoundrel
The first is the “Government as Societal Scoundrel” mistake. This happens on both sides of the political spectrum. “The government is corrupt.” True. “Many politicians are only looking out for themselves, not us.” Also true. “There is no need for Christians to involve themselves in politics. Our job is to just preach the Gospel.” Whoa, hold on. This is not true. Sadly, many Christians adopt this view.
Scripture is clear: Christians are supposed to be a societal force for good.
"Jesus’s statement that we are to be salt and light still applies today (Matt. 5:13–14). Back when He said that, salt wasn’t only used to make food tastier. It was used to preserve meat from rotting. Fish and beef would be packed in salt to keep them fresh. Remember, Jesus and Peter didn’t have refrigerators. The analogy of salt is meant to show that followers of Jesus preserve society and keep things from completely rotting.
"We are also bluntly told, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39). It’s unloving to your neighbor to let politics rot. It’s unloving to your neighbor to allow laws and policies to be passed that harm them. Because of this, we should be involved in voting for things that help protect our neighbors, our children, and all citizens of the United States."
1. I see no connection with his first mistake. Even the Founders saw government as the lesser of two evils, a necessary evil they figured would not hold its integrity in the Constitutional Republic they formulated. Their fears and misgivings have proved correct. So, historically, yes, government, even God's chosen government on Earth for 1500 years, the theocracy, became a scoundrel that crucified the Messiah. Is it the determination of Christians to move professed Christians in to all roles of government? Members of Congress, the POTUS already profess a Christian denomination of faith. Some are Jews or Muslim. How's that working out for America?
2. The second aspect is not possibly a mistake. Jesus did teach to take the gospel to the world. He never taught - knowing a time would come when free-forms of government would exist before He returned - that believers should involve themselves in political affairs, by some kind of direct teaching given by Him or by the New Testament disciples and writers.
Obviously, Rome had no channels of civil involvement for common citizens; no way for the general populace of the empire to stand against corruption. Needless to say, America used to have that way. Today? Not so much. The corruption has seen a president murdered and facts of the event covered up by federal elected civil servants, appointees and agencies for 60 years. Cover-ups in military history, national events, like 9/11... Go down the line of American history or the history of any nation. Corruption becomes systemic. The Founders of this nation saw only one way to be free of kings and queens and government corruption. Create a new nation. Anybody want to start a new nation?
Sure, Americans can vote. Voting is a one-day, one-hour thing. Involvement in political warfare is another matter, altogether. If the power of the Gospel had anywhere near the influence of the early Christian church, the current corruption would not be in place. VOTING will not change the corruption. LIVING the life of Christ will.
The salt reference must be taken in its context, which does not speak well for current American Christian church influence -
Matt 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.
Matt 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Matt 5:15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
Matt 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Salt chunks, taken from the sea shore could get mixed with sand of the same colors and shades and be ruined. It became good for nothing but be tossed out your window into the street. The corruption aspect of what can happen to God's people, not secular government, is paramount.
Today, we live in doctrinal whirlwind where preachers and teachers demonize and vilify good works, as though obedience were a sin against the gospel! Letting light shine is not involvement in politics. It is living the life of Christ in us, the hope of glory. If that were the case, D.C. would not have become so corrupt as it is. The light dimmed. The secular culture captured the Christian churches. The light has all but, gone out. There is great need for revival and reformation of spiritual nature, not political activism.
The "unloving" gig is the same reasoning pastors and elected civil servants and appointees used to push masks and injections during a man-made pandemic with a rushed-to-market "vaccine." How is that working out for millions of people around the world, and in America?
The New Testament is silent on Christian involvement in politics/affairs of the state. To the contrary, Christians are asked to be ambassadors for Christ and His kingdom, not of this world. Prophecy predicted a power would arise that would try and carry on the OT theocracy: a union of church and state. That power is the Roman Catholic Church, it's Papacy and it's Vatican. It ran nations of Europe in the Dark gages and were it not for the Protestant Reformation, would still hold that power. It wants it back.
The early Reformation also saw problems with unions of church and state, which also persecuted and prosecuted "heretics."
Early American settlements also saw persecution and prosecution of heretics and also "witches." The Founders stopped it all by creating the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
States codified Sunday laws and in the 19th century, Congress tried to create a national Sunday law. People have organizations in America still seeking such a law. Prophecy predicts they will succeed at some point.
"Galatians 6:10 says, “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” One of the ways we do good to all people is by participating in government to make biblical, positive changes that help people."
Stop the music! And there is the foundation of "Christian Nationalism." Bringing biblical positive changes that help people. There is NOTHING in the Constitution or Bill of Rights that admits such a premise. Pray tell, which version of biblical changes shall be made to help people? The Catholic faith? Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Pentecostal, Jehovah's Witness...!!! Uh oh! No way! Can't have those JW's involved in politics. Well, what about Muslims who believe in Shariah Law and the creation of a caliphate? What about Jews who believe in Zionism? What about Arabs who believe in pushing Israel into the sea? Should they involve themselves in government? You cannot keep them out. They are already in. All of this is pivotal on the proclamation of the truth as it is in Jesus and God's professed Christian people being a real light in the world by devotion to God, not involvement in politics to make any significant, lasting changes.
"Government as Societal Savior"Let’s move on to the second mistake: “Government as Societal Savior.” This perspective is mistaken because it views the government as the only sphere of influence that can remedy societal issues. This mistake happens on both sides of the political spectrum as well.
"Biblically, there are three specific spheres of influence in society: the family, the church, and the government. Each of these spheres has a different function and role to play in a healthy society. Whenever one of these spheres takes on the role of another, things get weird."
!!!!! He just stated in the previous paragraph for participation in government to make biblical changes!
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
Government is not tasked, in the Constitution, to help people. Where is that found? Helping people is the task of benevolent society: churches, and other organizations and philanthropic entities. The Constitution outlines limits of government to certain aspects of protecting people and the Bill of Rights opens with protecting rights granted by God.
It may sound good but, this version of government proposed here in the article is a dangerous precipice any nation can tumble over. When Sunday laws existed, the non-religious or seventh-day Sabbath keepers were persecuted and prosecuted for working on Sunday, which, in the Bible, is just the first day of the week. It holds no special significance at all, regardless of traditions claiming it should be shut down because Christ rose on the first day. It is all too often forgotten, Christ rose a great while before dawn. A biblical day is sundown to sundown. Christ rose sometime late at night. Then how did all this congregating all day Sunday come to be? Traditions formed by the reasoning of men, not the Word of God. By the time the bishops of Rome, the papas, the pontiffs got power, Sunday was made the law of the land. For those still keeping the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, trouble ensued. And so it has been down through history.
But, Ray, isn't Sunday a good thing for society? THAT is not for government to determine or involve itself in. Nor is it the determination of states. That is a conviction, a belief, an establishment of religion. Congress has no say over anything of it. Shutting the day down? No way. Want to see things get weird? Let religion involve itself with government. There is a grave difference between the individual believer in a position of elected civil service, and government enacting "biblical, positive changes to help people."
"For instance, if a family decided to take up arms and wage war against Canada, that would be a huge mistake. It’s the government’s role to bear the sword (Rom. 13:4), not the family’s. Likewise, if the church gained political power and passed a law forcing everyone to attend Sunday morning Christian church services, that would be stepping beyond its sphere.
"In the same way, government can overstep its bounds. Biblically, the role of government is protection and justice for its citizens (Rom. 13:1–6, 1 Pet. 2:13–15) — protection from those who would harm them, protection of property rights, finances, contracts, etc. The government is also in the business of justice (in the biblical sense of the word), ruling fairly on behalf of all its citizens. But when the government takes on issues that are properly addressed by the family, the church, and other voluntary associations and charities (such as poverty, education, etc.), it ends up compromising on justice and protection in order to use its resources to fix societal problems it’s not best equipped to fix."
And there you are. Confusion. A reversal of the policy he advocates for. I am commenting on the article as I read it. Lo and behold, he addresses what I have but, how, then, can he advocate what he has?
Gen 18:18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
Gen 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
That nation is not the United States of America.
What is the biblical sense of the word, "justice?"
Strong's Concordance
H6666
צְדָקָה
tsedâqâh
tsed-aw-kaw'
From H6663; rightness (abstractly), subjectively (rectitude), objectively (justice), morally (virtue) or figuratively (prosperity): - justice, moderately, right (-eous) (act, -ly, -ness).
Total KJV occurrences: 157
I must ask the question. Is Anthony Fauci the pope of medicine in the USA? Government appointed him. No one was allowed to argue with him or defy his pronouncements, or challenge his "science." All such were portrayed as dissident, conspiracy theorists. Was only the government having him be the face of Covid attention and denouncing all who challenged him? It was not. Largely speaking, the Christian churches and ministries went along with him. So, if those same clergy were elected civil servants, we'd have had the same mess we have today - millions of people still getting the virus and millions having adverse reactions and dying from the "vaccines."
Sorry, not sorry. Just because Christians get involved in the political sphere is no guarantee things will be just or that justice will be meted out to all Americans.
How about prosperity? Certainly "prosperity preachers" benefit. They'd make great politicians, able to build up "war chests" for reelection.
Virtuous? Man is that subjective. Can't even go there and not recoil from situations constantly portrayed on Christian news sites of problems in ministry and among professed believers. Seems it would make sense for Christian churches to clean up their own houses before they should enter into politics and attempt to clean up D.C. and State legislatures.
I really do not want professed Christians telling America what is "right" in any other way then a thus saith the Lord. But, government is not there for that purpose, as the author states. What then? What is the point?
"We can vote for good laws and candidates that make our country a just and safe place for our neighbors, and we can still care for those in need. It’s not either/or; it’s both/and."
Now that just bends logic to breaking. Good laws. Would somebody be willing to show me a single politician in D.C. or any state that thinks the laws it proposes are not good? Can someone find politicians that do not believe laws are bad? Can someone show me a unity between professed Christian churches on matters affecting Americans where huge divisions do not exist? And tell me how Americans can trust the outcome of elections via voting for candidates they believe would make our country a just and safe place? Didn't work out for people in Arizona who voted for, or wanted to vote for Kari Lake for governor. Didn't work out for MILLIONs more than any previous incumbent when they voted for Trump, and plenty of professed Christians were anti-Trump and still are.
Voting candidates is throwing dice, betting on horses, playing cards. It is all a gamble, not a distinct and virtuous situation of standing firm on principles Americans believe in... well, wait. Exactly what principles would those be? Immigration. The author mentions that. Immigrants. Which ones? Illegal or legal because, you see, many Christians are divided on the issue. Which ones would I like to see involved in politics? But, I do not get to choose that. I only get to vote for one or the other. Inevitably, voting, itself, has become almost meaningless because the entire system is now corrupt and untrustworthy. Nothing has been done by federal elected civil servants to safeguard and secure election processes and results. Nothing. No. Instead, state and federal appointees are going after Trump to keep him from running, and some are professed Christians!
"Don’t fall for the lie that the government is our only hope to fix society. Don’t fall for the lie that you shouldn’t be involved in politics because the institution is corrupt. As ambassadors for Jesus, we need to follow His commands to love our neighbors as ourselves, to take care of the destitute, and to share the Gospel with a world that desperately needs a real Savior."
Well, even I'm confused now.
1. Yes, indeed. Do not believe elected civil servants can always practice justice, what is right, and save America.
2. Whether or not the "institution" of government is corrupt is not the principle to be involved and he states the correct principle in the next sentence: being ambassadors for Christ. He should look into the role of American ambassadors to other nations. They do not get involved in the affairs of that nation unless asked or such nation threatens American citizens within its borders. They represent America, outside of the government of the nation they reside in. Christians represent the kingdom of God; in the world, not of the world.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.
Are professed Christians in America seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness? That is the more significant pursuit than involvement in politics.
This is a very confusing article. But, such is Babylon. Such is the need to come out of it.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
"Two Common Mistakes Christians Make About Government"
stream.org/two-common-mistakes-christians-make-about-government/
There are two common mistakes Christians make about government.
Government as Societal Scoundrel
The first is the “Government as Societal Scoundrel” mistake. This happens on both sides of the political spectrum. “The government is corrupt.” True. “Many politicians are only looking out for themselves, not us.” Also true. “There is no need for Christians to involve themselves in politics. Our job is to just preach the Gospel.” Whoa, hold on. This is not true. Sadly, many Christians adopt this view.
Scripture is clear: Christians are supposed to be a societal force for good.
"Jesus’s statement that we are to be salt and light still applies today (Matt. 5:13–14). Back when He said that, salt wasn’t only used to make food tastier. It was used to preserve meat from rotting. Fish and beef would be packed in salt to keep them fresh. Remember, Jesus and Peter didn’t have refrigerators. The analogy of salt is meant to show that followers of Jesus preserve society and keep things from completely rotting.
"We are also bluntly told, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39). It’s unloving to your neighbor to let politics rot. It’s unloving to your neighbor to allow laws and policies to be passed that harm them. Because of this, we should be involved in voting for things that help protect our neighbors, our children, and all citizens of the United States."
1. I see no connection with his first mistake. Even the Founders saw government as the lesser of two evils, a necessary evil they figured would not hold its integrity in the Constitutional Republic they formulated. Their fears and misgivings have proved correct. So, historically, yes, government, even God's chosen government on Earth for 1500 years, the theocracy, became a scoundrel that crucified the Messiah. Is it the determination of Christians to move professed Christians in to all roles of government? Members of Congress, the POTUS already profess a Christian denomination of faith. Some are Jews or Muslim. How's that working out for America?
2. The second aspect is not possibly a mistake. Jesus did teach to take the gospel to the world. He never taught - knowing a time would come when free-forms of government would exist before He returned - that believers should involve themselves in political affairs, by some kind of direct teaching given by Him or by the New Testament disciples and writers.
Obviously, Rome had no channels of civil involvement for common citizens; no way for the general populace of the empire to stand against corruption. Needless to say, America used to have that way. Today? Not so much. The corruption has seen a president murdered and facts of the event covered up by federal elected civil servants, appointees and agencies for 60 years. Cover-ups in military history, national events, like 9/11... Go down the line of American history or the history of any nation. Corruption becomes systemic. The Founders of this nation saw only one way to be free of kings and queens and government corruption. Create a new nation. Anybody want to start a new nation?
Sure, Americans can vote. Voting is a one-day, one-hour thing. Involvement in political warfare is another matter, altogether. If the power of the Gospel had anywhere near the influence of the early Christian church, the current corruption would not be in place. VOTING will not change the corruption. LIVING the life of Christ will.
The salt reference must be taken in its context, which does not speak well for current American Christian church influence -
Matt 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.
Matt 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Matt 5:15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
Matt 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Salt chunks, taken from the sea shore could get mixed with sand of the same colors and shades and be ruined. It became good for nothing but be tossed out your window into the street. The corruption aspect of what can happen to God's people, not secular government, is paramount.
Today, we live in doctrinal whirlwind where preachers and teachers demonize and vilify good works, as though obedience were a sin against the gospel! Letting light shine is not involvement in politics. It is living the life of Christ in us, the hope of glory. If that were the case, D.C. would not have become so corrupt as it is. The light dimmed. The secular culture captured the Christian churches. The light has all but, gone out. There is great need for revival and reformation of spiritual nature, not political activism.
The "unloving" gig is the same reasoning pastors and elected civil servants and appointees used to push masks and injections during a man-made pandemic with a rushed-to-market "vaccine." How is that working out for millions of people around the world, and in America?
The New Testament is silent on Christian involvement in politics/affairs of the state. To the contrary, Christians are asked to be ambassadors for Christ and His kingdom, not of this world. Prophecy predicted a power would arise that would try and carry on the OT theocracy: a union of church and state. That power is the Roman Catholic Church, it's Papacy and it's Vatican. It ran nations of Europe in the Dark gages and were it not for the Protestant Reformation, would still hold that power. It wants it back.
The early Reformation also saw problems with unions of church and state, which also persecuted and prosecuted "heretics."
Early American settlements also saw persecution and prosecution of heretics and also "witches." The Founders stopped it all by creating the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
States codified Sunday laws and in the 19th century, Congress tried to create a national Sunday law. People have organizations in America still seeking such a law. Prophecy predicts they will succeed at some point.
"Galatians 6:10 says, “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” One of the ways we do good to all people is by participating in government to make biblical, positive changes that help people."
Stop the music! And there is the foundation of "Christian Nationalism." Bringing biblical positive changes that help people. There is NOTHING in the Constitution or Bill of Rights that admits such a premise. Pray tell, which version of biblical changes shall be made to help people? The Catholic faith? Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Pentecostal, Jehovah's Witness...!!! Uh oh! No way! Can't have those JW's involved in politics. Well, what about Muslims who believe in Shariah Law and the creation of a caliphate? What about Jews who believe in Zionism? What about Arabs who believe in pushing Israel into the sea? Should they involve themselves in government? You cannot keep them out. They are already in. All of this is pivotal on the proclamation of the truth as it is in Jesus and God's professed Christian people being a real light in the world by devotion to God, not involvement in politics to make any significant, lasting changes.
"Government as Societal Savior"Let’s move on to the second mistake: “Government as Societal Savior.” This perspective is mistaken because it views the government as the only sphere of influence that can remedy societal issues. This mistake happens on both sides of the political spectrum as well.
"Biblically, there are three specific spheres of influence in society: the family, the church, and the government. Each of these spheres has a different function and role to play in a healthy society. Whenever one of these spheres takes on the role of another, things get weird."
!!!!! He just stated in the previous paragraph for participation in government to make biblical changes!
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
Government is not tasked, in the Constitution, to help people. Where is that found? Helping people is the task of benevolent society: churches, and other organizations and philanthropic entities. The Constitution outlines limits of government to certain aspects of protecting people and the Bill of Rights opens with protecting rights granted by God.
It may sound good but, this version of government proposed here in the article is a dangerous precipice any nation can tumble over. When Sunday laws existed, the non-religious or seventh-day Sabbath keepers were persecuted and prosecuted for working on Sunday, which, in the Bible, is just the first day of the week. It holds no special significance at all, regardless of traditions claiming it should be shut down because Christ rose on the first day. It is all too often forgotten, Christ rose a great while before dawn. A biblical day is sundown to sundown. Christ rose sometime late at night. Then how did all this congregating all day Sunday come to be? Traditions formed by the reasoning of men, not the Word of God. By the time the bishops of Rome, the papas, the pontiffs got power, Sunday was made the law of the land. For those still keeping the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, trouble ensued. And so it has been down through history.
But, Ray, isn't Sunday a good thing for society? THAT is not for government to determine or involve itself in. Nor is it the determination of states. That is a conviction, a belief, an establishment of religion. Congress has no say over anything of it. Shutting the day down? No way. Want to see things get weird? Let religion involve itself with government. There is a grave difference between the individual believer in a position of elected civil service, and government enacting "biblical, positive changes to help people."
"For instance, if a family decided to take up arms and wage war against Canada, that would be a huge mistake. It’s the government’s role to bear the sword (Rom. 13:4), not the family’s. Likewise, if the church gained political power and passed a law forcing everyone to attend Sunday morning Christian church services, that would be stepping beyond its sphere.
"In the same way, government can overstep its bounds. Biblically, the role of government is protection and justice for its citizens (Rom. 13:1–6, 1 Pet. 2:13–15) — protection from those who would harm them, protection of property rights, finances, contracts, etc. The government is also in the business of justice (in the biblical sense of the word), ruling fairly on behalf of all its citizens. But when the government takes on issues that are properly addressed by the family, the church, and other voluntary associations and charities (such as poverty, education, etc.), it ends up compromising on justice and protection in order to use its resources to fix societal problems it’s not best equipped to fix."
And there you are. Confusion. A reversal of the policy he advocates for. I am commenting on the article as I read it. Lo and behold, he addresses what I have but, how, then, can he advocate what he has?
Gen 18:18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
Gen 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
That nation is not the United States of America.
What is the biblical sense of the word, "justice?"
Strong's Concordance
H6666
צְדָקָה
tsedâqâh
tsed-aw-kaw'
From H6663; rightness (abstractly), subjectively (rectitude), objectively (justice), morally (virtue) or figuratively (prosperity): - justice, moderately, right (-eous) (act, -ly, -ness).
Total KJV occurrences: 157
I must ask the question. Is Anthony Fauci the pope of medicine in the USA? Government appointed him. No one was allowed to argue with him or defy his pronouncements, or challenge his "science." All such were portrayed as dissident, conspiracy theorists. Was only the government having him be the face of Covid attention and denouncing all who challenged him? It was not. Largely speaking, the Christian churches and ministries went along with him. So, if those same clergy were elected civil servants, we'd have had the same mess we have today - millions of people still getting the virus and millions having adverse reactions and dying from the "vaccines."
Sorry, not sorry. Just because Christians get involved in the political sphere is no guarantee things will be just or that justice will be meted out to all Americans.
How about prosperity? Certainly "prosperity preachers" benefit. They'd make great politicians, able to build up "war chests" for reelection.
Virtuous? Man is that subjective. Can't even go there and not recoil from situations constantly portrayed on Christian news sites of problems in ministry and among professed believers. Seems it would make sense for Christian churches to clean up their own houses before they should enter into politics and attempt to clean up D.C. and State legislatures.
I really do not want professed Christians telling America what is "right" in any other way then a thus saith the Lord. But, government is not there for that purpose, as the author states. What then? What is the point?
"We can vote for good laws and candidates that make our country a just and safe place for our neighbors, and we can still care for those in need. It’s not either/or; it’s both/and."
Now that just bends logic to breaking. Good laws. Would somebody be willing to show me a single politician in D.C. or any state that thinks the laws it proposes are not good? Can someone find politicians that do not believe laws are bad? Can someone show me a unity between professed Christian churches on matters affecting Americans where huge divisions do not exist? And tell me how Americans can trust the outcome of elections via voting for candidates they believe would make our country a just and safe place? Didn't work out for people in Arizona who voted for, or wanted to vote for Kari Lake for governor. Didn't work out for MILLIONs more than any previous incumbent when they voted for Trump, and plenty of professed Christians were anti-Trump and still are.
Voting candidates is throwing dice, betting on horses, playing cards. It is all a gamble, not a distinct and virtuous situation of standing firm on principles Americans believe in... well, wait. Exactly what principles would those be? Immigration. The author mentions that. Immigrants. Which ones? Illegal or legal because, you see, many Christians are divided on the issue. Which ones would I like to see involved in politics? But, I do not get to choose that. I only get to vote for one or the other. Inevitably, voting, itself, has become almost meaningless because the entire system is now corrupt and untrustworthy. Nothing has been done by federal elected civil servants to safeguard and secure election processes and results. Nothing. No. Instead, state and federal appointees are going after Trump to keep him from running, and some are professed Christians!
"Don’t fall for the lie that the government is our only hope to fix society. Don’t fall for the lie that you shouldn’t be involved in politics because the institution is corrupt. As ambassadors for Jesus, we need to follow His commands to love our neighbors as ourselves, to take care of the destitute, and to share the Gospel with a world that desperately needs a real Savior."
Well, even I'm confused now.
1. Yes, indeed. Do not believe elected civil servants can always practice justice, what is right, and save America.
2. Whether or not the "institution" of government is corrupt is not the principle to be involved and he states the correct principle in the next sentence: being ambassadors for Christ. He should look into the role of American ambassadors to other nations. They do not get involved in the affairs of that nation unless asked or such nation threatens American citizens within its borders. They represent America, outside of the government of the nation they reside in. Christians represent the kingdom of God; in the world, not of the world.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.
Are professed Christians in America seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness? That is the more significant pursuit than involvement in politics.
This is a very confusing article. But, such is Babylon. Such is the need to come out of it.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
935. **Just To Make Sure You Know**
March 17, 2024
You know how it is. You read something and you find it very moving in some positive or negative way, same as hearing something, and you can miss important features and points being communicated by the source. That can happen with anyone, through anyone, even from God in His word: things just sort of sail on by.
It is quite true many in Christ's time were not catching everything He stated. His disciples missed things. The leaders of the nation certainly missed things and misconstrued things He said. They even said He was possessed by devils, John 7:20; 8:48, 52; 10:20. And they said it about John the Baptist, Matt. 11:18.
When things are stated that seem crazy, the source must be crazy. That's the speed of human nature. The mind works fast, very fast but, that doesn't always mean the mind catches everything when information begins its journey through the neuron highway.
I have stated things here that I know can upset people and also leave them in such situations that they misinterpret or misunderstand or just miss things that are important. I feel impressed to just hit those major points again.
There is a big difference between understanding the system of Roman Catholicism: its history, doctrines, traditions and hierarchy as the biblical, prophetic power of apostasy referred to as the Little Horn in Daniel 7, etc., the Beast and Mother of Babylon in Rev. 13 and 17, etc., apart from the people that make up its membership, as individuals.
The same should be stated again regarding the Mother's daughters; those professed Protestant or otherwise professed Christian churches, denominations, organizations and ministries that follow Mother's doctrines, etc.
The individual people that make up memberships in these bodies I do not condemn or throw under a religious bus, if you will. No. Not at all. My foundation for that is Rev. 18, the final call to the world to come out of spiritual, prophetic Babylon; religious confusion -
Rev 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, MY PEOPLE, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
God's people are in Babylon. HIS people. That point must not be missed. His people are in religious confusion, for whatever reasons: it does not matter. What matters is that His people come out of the condition and places that perpetuate the condition of doctrinal error and religious confusion upon people. They are His people: professed Christians; people of other faiths and religions; people with no faith; atheists, like I was. They are God's people, seeking Him, even if they do not realize it; and He is drawing them to Him, as they respond to His created conditions and circumstances surrounding people's lives: billions of us.
That cannot be stated too strongly. Down through time, well, the entire Protestant Reformation was made up of former Roman Catholics. Multiplied MILLIONs of them over the course of centuries. Today, people of all faiths and religions become Christians, even those who are born-again in denominations that make no specific issue of that doctrinal stipulation. Christ said, You MUST be born again. The issue is not people. The issue is Christ and His truth, His messages to the world, His warnings, His invitations, His entreaties to make whatever changes are necessary in the lives of His people to fit them up for entrance into eternity.
I am not throwing stones at people. I am exposing, as all students of the Bible have done down through time, things that millions once understood as common knowledge. Many are out there, thanks to the internet, sharing the same information and exposing the same information: both sides of the prophetic coin. Yes, it upsets people. That cannot be helped. Never did someone sharing the truth from God not upset people, to the point of death, and that is still happening today all around the world, especially in Asia. Martyrs living and dying today, for Christ.
People have to make choices. We all do. What will it be? The truth or the lies? What is truth?, Pilot asked Christ. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. What He taught is truth. Why, then, are there so many organizations that teach different things about what Christ taught? BABYLON. Predicted religious confusion brought on by a power that apostatized right from the beginning of the Christian era.
It is not our Bible. It is God's Word, His messages to humanity. Everybody should, must know for themselves what it teaches, cover to cover; letting it interpret itself by comparing Scripture with Scripture. Trusting in men to tell you the truth has become fraught with problems today. There were problems when Christ was here, teaching; and His disciples, and every generation since. Minds do not always grasp truth and react before things are made clear. When it is, people are either free or become even more confused and often desperation of being in error leads them to lash out.
Christ said, when He returns there will be joy, and also weeping and gnashing of teeth. There will be an explosion of excitement in the minds of those who welcome Him as Lord and King, while others, in terror of knowing they rejected Him and His truth; listening to the voices of others, cry out for the rocks and mountains to fall on them, rather than look at the Face of the Warrior King who returns to rescue His people and resurrect the millions that lived in His grace and sanctifying power down through time.
What group you shall be in is your choice. But, wait. There is professed Christian theology that states you do not have a choice. God has already chosen who is saved and who is lost and there is nothing you can do about it! That is the message of dozens of churches and ministries who believe that doctrinal position. I DO NOT. Confusion? YES! Lucifer and his army of rebels are confusing every possible facet of truth. He lied to those angels that fell prey to his sophistry. He lied to Eve, and he has been lying and deceiving ever since, and will still lie when the unrighteous are resurrected to face the executive judgment of God by fire. He is the father of lies and a murderer from the beginning. He is the ruler, the god of this world. Everyone must decide for themselves what is truth and decide to stand in it by God's grace and Christ's faith unto good works and salvation, Ephesians 2:8-10.
Psalm 77:13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?
The old testament sanctuary services show the gospel, the plan of salvation. The new testament states facts about the sanctuary in Heaven, that which was the "pattern" for Moses and Solomon to make the earthly sanctuaries. God's way is in the sanctuary. What do you suppose is the percentage of professed Christians who know anything about the sanctuary services? I believe it is a miniscule number. Yet, there is the truth. And in that truth are answers to questions people have, all over the world.
I am a sinner in need of a Savior. That Savior is Yeshua Messiah, Iesou Christos, Jesus Christ: the Son of God, the Son of man, equal to and one with the Father. God with us. God manifested in the flesh.
All humanity is invited into Heaven. Not all will accept the invitation because it contains conditions mankind rebels at. There is grace, yes. Justification. There is faith, yes. There is also change to be made, surrender to God's will, obedience to God's commands; sanctification to be experienced until the day glorification is placed upon all God's children and eternity begins.
His way is in the sanctuary, still. Will you walk though it?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
It is quite true many in Christ's time were not catching everything He stated. His disciples missed things. The leaders of the nation certainly missed things and misconstrued things He said. They even said He was possessed by devils, John 7:20; 8:48, 52; 10:20. And they said it about John the Baptist, Matt. 11:18.
When things are stated that seem crazy, the source must be crazy. That's the speed of human nature. The mind works fast, very fast but, that doesn't always mean the mind catches everything when information begins its journey through the neuron highway.
I have stated things here that I know can upset people and also leave them in such situations that they misinterpret or misunderstand or just miss things that are important. I feel impressed to just hit those major points again.
There is a big difference between understanding the system of Roman Catholicism: its history, doctrines, traditions and hierarchy as the biblical, prophetic power of apostasy referred to as the Little Horn in Daniel 7, etc., the Beast and Mother of Babylon in Rev. 13 and 17, etc., apart from the people that make up its membership, as individuals.
The same should be stated again regarding the Mother's daughters; those professed Protestant or otherwise professed Christian churches, denominations, organizations and ministries that follow Mother's doctrines, etc.
The individual people that make up memberships in these bodies I do not condemn or throw under a religious bus, if you will. No. Not at all. My foundation for that is Rev. 18, the final call to the world to come out of spiritual, prophetic Babylon; religious confusion -
Rev 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, MY PEOPLE, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
God's people are in Babylon. HIS people. That point must not be missed. His people are in religious confusion, for whatever reasons: it does not matter. What matters is that His people come out of the condition and places that perpetuate the condition of doctrinal error and religious confusion upon people. They are His people: professed Christians; people of other faiths and religions; people with no faith; atheists, like I was. They are God's people, seeking Him, even if they do not realize it; and He is drawing them to Him, as they respond to His created conditions and circumstances surrounding people's lives: billions of us.
That cannot be stated too strongly. Down through time, well, the entire Protestant Reformation was made up of former Roman Catholics. Multiplied MILLIONs of them over the course of centuries. Today, people of all faiths and religions become Christians, even those who are born-again in denominations that make no specific issue of that doctrinal stipulation. Christ said, You MUST be born again. The issue is not people. The issue is Christ and His truth, His messages to the world, His warnings, His invitations, His entreaties to make whatever changes are necessary in the lives of His people to fit them up for entrance into eternity.
I am not throwing stones at people. I am exposing, as all students of the Bible have done down through time, things that millions once understood as common knowledge. Many are out there, thanks to the internet, sharing the same information and exposing the same information: both sides of the prophetic coin. Yes, it upsets people. That cannot be helped. Never did someone sharing the truth from God not upset people, to the point of death, and that is still happening today all around the world, especially in Asia. Martyrs living and dying today, for Christ.
People have to make choices. We all do. What will it be? The truth or the lies? What is truth?, Pilot asked Christ. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. What He taught is truth. Why, then, are there so many organizations that teach different things about what Christ taught? BABYLON. Predicted religious confusion brought on by a power that apostatized right from the beginning of the Christian era.
It is not our Bible. It is God's Word, His messages to humanity. Everybody should, must know for themselves what it teaches, cover to cover; letting it interpret itself by comparing Scripture with Scripture. Trusting in men to tell you the truth has become fraught with problems today. There were problems when Christ was here, teaching; and His disciples, and every generation since. Minds do not always grasp truth and react before things are made clear. When it is, people are either free or become even more confused and often desperation of being in error leads them to lash out.
Christ said, when He returns there will be joy, and also weeping and gnashing of teeth. There will be an explosion of excitement in the minds of those who welcome Him as Lord and King, while others, in terror of knowing they rejected Him and His truth; listening to the voices of others, cry out for the rocks and mountains to fall on them, rather than look at the Face of the Warrior King who returns to rescue His people and resurrect the millions that lived in His grace and sanctifying power down through time.
What group you shall be in is your choice. But, wait. There is professed Christian theology that states you do not have a choice. God has already chosen who is saved and who is lost and there is nothing you can do about it! That is the message of dozens of churches and ministries who believe that doctrinal position. I DO NOT. Confusion? YES! Lucifer and his army of rebels are confusing every possible facet of truth. He lied to those angels that fell prey to his sophistry. He lied to Eve, and he has been lying and deceiving ever since, and will still lie when the unrighteous are resurrected to face the executive judgment of God by fire. He is the father of lies and a murderer from the beginning. He is the ruler, the god of this world. Everyone must decide for themselves what is truth and decide to stand in it by God's grace and Christ's faith unto good works and salvation, Ephesians 2:8-10.
Psalm 77:13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?
The old testament sanctuary services show the gospel, the plan of salvation. The new testament states facts about the sanctuary in Heaven, that which was the "pattern" for Moses and Solomon to make the earthly sanctuaries. God's way is in the sanctuary. What do you suppose is the percentage of professed Christians who know anything about the sanctuary services? I believe it is a miniscule number. Yet, there is the truth. And in that truth are answers to questions people have, all over the world.
I am a sinner in need of a Savior. That Savior is Yeshua Messiah, Iesou Christos, Jesus Christ: the Son of God, the Son of man, equal to and one with the Father. God with us. God manifested in the flesh.
All humanity is invited into Heaven. Not all will accept the invitation because it contains conditions mankind rebels at. There is grace, yes. Justification. There is faith, yes. There is also change to be made, surrender to God's will, obedience to God's commands; sanctification to be experienced until the day glorification is placed upon all God's children and eternity begins.
His way is in the sanctuary, still. Will you walk though it?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
LEGEND Update - Finished
It has been a long haul for this recording project, since I began seeking record company impressions and players and then began recording my drum tracks last March. There were some expected bumps in the road and potholes, not expected but, a year and a few months later, the files are finished: mixed and mastered. A comment from Manos Koufakis, at Sonic Age Records, sums things up -
"Me and my partner Kostas listened to the mixed and mastered version of the album, two times in a row. What can I say? I'm genuinely impressed by both the mixing and mastering. As far as we are concerned, I believe the outcome is VERY strong! And I'm sure people will love the "unreleased" tune "Gideon".”
So, now we enter the manufacturing stages of master disks and copy units. No idea how that is being planned yet. Business things to attend to and all, first.
Apparently the vinyl industry is quite backed up so, while I'm unsure of a release date, it's likely to be a couple months, at least.
My unrestrained and heartfelt thanks continually go out to Martin and Janne for all their work on this project. I have not listened to the files since they were handed off to Martin in January. I wanted to hear the final project in whatever form they felt represented the music best, for this day and age, for fans of this genre. Forty-five to fifty years ago, when LEGEND formed and played, I had a far more experiential relationship with the music and its audience. Today, as far as the audience, not so much. So, I placed it in the hands of those who pursue these avenues, day to day, in a professional capacity.
The playing of Martin and Janne is exemplary. It really is. Considering how this recording was put together, their spot-on interactions with things I played is more than cool. I know musicians will hear a 21st century energy that is quite explosive at times and in those moments where things are brought down some, quite beautiful.
Tom called me recently and he mentioned that LEGEND's music is quite undefinable, as far as genre categorization: it's pretty unique, all things considered. He has never heard our entire collection of songs we composed and those we played out. Those who remember seeing the band in those years, those who have contacted me or made comment on places around the web, remember that same vibe. It was just the collection of musical influences that made us the musicians we were back then. It created quite a melting pot for musical ideas.
It is the hope of us all, this rerecording of the old material will impress and gratify those who know it, as well as those who hear it for the first time. It is my hope the new messages will inspire some inquisitiveness, exploration and discovery of the ancient information more pertinent today, than ever.
LEGEND Revisited: From the Lord.
I'll let you know when it finally hits the market.
Till then...
"Me and my partner Kostas listened to the mixed and mastered version of the album, two times in a row. What can I say? I'm genuinely impressed by both the mixing and mastering. As far as we are concerned, I believe the outcome is VERY strong! And I'm sure people will love the "unreleased" tune "Gideon".”
So, now we enter the manufacturing stages of master disks and copy units. No idea how that is being planned yet. Business things to attend to and all, first.
Apparently the vinyl industry is quite backed up so, while I'm unsure of a release date, it's likely to be a couple months, at least.
My unrestrained and heartfelt thanks continually go out to Martin and Janne for all their work on this project. I have not listened to the files since they were handed off to Martin in January. I wanted to hear the final project in whatever form they felt represented the music best, for this day and age, for fans of this genre. Forty-five to fifty years ago, when LEGEND formed and played, I had a far more experiential relationship with the music and its audience. Today, as far as the audience, not so much. So, I placed it in the hands of those who pursue these avenues, day to day, in a professional capacity.
The playing of Martin and Janne is exemplary. It really is. Considering how this recording was put together, their spot-on interactions with things I played is more than cool. I know musicians will hear a 21st century energy that is quite explosive at times and in those moments where things are brought down some, quite beautiful.
Tom called me recently and he mentioned that LEGEND's music is quite undefinable, as far as genre categorization: it's pretty unique, all things considered. He has never heard our entire collection of songs we composed and those we played out. Those who remember seeing the band in those years, those who have contacted me or made comment on places around the web, remember that same vibe. It was just the collection of musical influences that made us the musicians we were back then. It created quite a melting pot for musical ideas.
It is the hope of us all, this rerecording of the old material will impress and gratify those who know it, as well as those who hear it for the first time. It is my hope the new messages will inspire some inquisitiveness, exploration and discovery of the ancient information more pertinent today, than ever.
LEGEND Revisited: From the Lord.
I'll let you know when it finally hits the market.
Till then...
*****************************
Don't Doubt UFOs
Polls and surveys conducted over the decades show a consistently increasing percentage of Americans believing in the existence of UFOs as being intelligently occupied and/or driven craft (drones), belonging to non-human sources.
Basically, two-thirds of people surveyed believe intelligent life exists beyond Earth and one-third believe UFO's belong to whatever that life is.
The same can be said for surveys done in other nations where sightings are more consistent in nature.
The recent AARO Report (All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office), for Congress and the general public, was basically a whitewash collection of lies and obfuscations, which UFOlogists expected. AARO is a branch of the Pentagon.
No one doubts people see unidentified flying objects. The question is whether or not these unidentified objects can be explained. Most can be. Generally, five to ten percent cannot. Why AARO put out such a report as it did just adds fuel to the fire of angst towards the military and adjacent agencies. The thing is, three basic possibilities exist for the identification of that 5-10% of sightings that cannot be explained by conventional aircraft we know of.
1. Secretive "Black Budget" American Military
2. International Military (Generally Russian or Chinese)
3. Private Corporation
Beyond that, from a biblical Christian perspective, such anomalies are things associated with Lucifer "the prince of the power of the air," Ephesians. 2:2, and supernatural developments associated with prophetic, last-day deceptions.
Most people are not aware of the history of this phenomena in America and around the world. Aside from various kinds of ancient artwork and written testimony of things seen, most of this activity has been in the human eye since WW2. Pilots recorded seeing orbs flying alongside them, which became referred to as "Foo Fighters." Then you have the entire Roswell, NM story, and many other incidents that caused very serious communication between branches of military, other agencies of government and the scientific community. Many authors have written books on all that history. So, why would AARO now make it seem none of that information exists? Who knows? The amount of money siphoned off the American tax-payer, for any kind of R&D projects, would only upset the populace and expose things the military, in cooperation with private corporations, want to keep silent.
Richard Dolan is a long time UFOlogist, speaker and author and his take on the AARO Report seems as accurate as any out there, at present, and he shows the reasons why the report is bogus -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=APJJA4DneO8
I come across UFO/UAP (Unidentified Aerial/Anhttps://www.youtube.com/@Jenined/videosmalous Phenomena) channels on YouTube all the time. New ones pop up frequently, at least new to me. One such one I would suggest is a channel I came upon today. Many channels about UFOlogy have a lot of talking; "drama, drama, drama;" English language, wrecking crew narrators; obvious CGI fakery, and other matters that create a waste of time feeling, for me. I would not recommend them, even of they present some interesting photos and video. This site I came across, from what I have seen thus far, shows compilations of videos with some background music but, no talking or attempts at explaining, accepting or rejecting what you see. You may see some typed in info from time to time. I do not endorse any information the channel may present. I just state it seems a decent one to check out for what is flying around out there. Here's the channel -
www.youtube.com/@Jenined/videos
Many, many others exist. I may have listed some in past posts but, the one above would have enough evidence to plainly show that anyone denying of UFOs, as unidentified flying objects with "out of this world" or very highly developed human R&D and manufactured activity exist, in bulk, all around the world, is pretty uninformed.
You know what I believe. Satanic activity of one form or another, setting up some final deceptions before the return of Christ. The big dog and pony show coming; and it will be like nothing else humanity has ever seen or experienced before. My belief is that such "ET"/satanic visitation will be an intervention into human affairs on the brink of WW3 and civilization's collapse into radiation nightmare that will bring "peace and safety" hope to humanity, setting up a final rebellion and rejection of the law of God.
Do not doubt this existence of UFO presence and the implications. At least take a little time to check out the evidence of the existence of this phenomena beyond what you see on the nightly news. Amazing enough the nightly news has gotten into this subject, as it has. That only happened because of Pentagon admissions but, to have AARO come along and deny all the evidence and actual history out there is just more confusion from government. It's what government does best.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Basically, two-thirds of people surveyed believe intelligent life exists beyond Earth and one-third believe UFO's belong to whatever that life is.
The same can be said for surveys done in other nations where sightings are more consistent in nature.
The recent AARO Report (All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office), for Congress and the general public, was basically a whitewash collection of lies and obfuscations, which UFOlogists expected. AARO is a branch of the Pentagon.
No one doubts people see unidentified flying objects. The question is whether or not these unidentified objects can be explained. Most can be. Generally, five to ten percent cannot. Why AARO put out such a report as it did just adds fuel to the fire of angst towards the military and adjacent agencies. The thing is, three basic possibilities exist for the identification of that 5-10% of sightings that cannot be explained by conventional aircraft we know of.
1. Secretive "Black Budget" American Military
2. International Military (Generally Russian or Chinese)
3. Private Corporation
Beyond that, from a biblical Christian perspective, such anomalies are things associated with Lucifer "the prince of the power of the air," Ephesians. 2:2, and supernatural developments associated with prophetic, last-day deceptions.
Most people are not aware of the history of this phenomena in America and around the world. Aside from various kinds of ancient artwork and written testimony of things seen, most of this activity has been in the human eye since WW2. Pilots recorded seeing orbs flying alongside them, which became referred to as "Foo Fighters." Then you have the entire Roswell, NM story, and many other incidents that caused very serious communication between branches of military, other agencies of government and the scientific community. Many authors have written books on all that history. So, why would AARO now make it seem none of that information exists? Who knows? The amount of money siphoned off the American tax-payer, for any kind of R&D projects, would only upset the populace and expose things the military, in cooperation with private corporations, want to keep silent.
Richard Dolan is a long time UFOlogist, speaker and author and his take on the AARO Report seems as accurate as any out there, at present, and he shows the reasons why the report is bogus -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=APJJA4DneO8
I come across UFO/UAP (Unidentified Aerial/Anhttps://www.youtube.com/@Jenined/videosmalous Phenomena) channels on YouTube all the time. New ones pop up frequently, at least new to me. One such one I would suggest is a channel I came upon today. Many channels about UFOlogy have a lot of talking; "drama, drama, drama;" English language, wrecking crew narrators; obvious CGI fakery, and other matters that create a waste of time feeling, for me. I would not recommend them, even of they present some interesting photos and video. This site I came across, from what I have seen thus far, shows compilations of videos with some background music but, no talking or attempts at explaining, accepting or rejecting what you see. You may see some typed in info from time to time. I do not endorse any information the channel may present. I just state it seems a decent one to check out for what is flying around out there. Here's the channel -
www.youtube.com/@Jenined/videos
Many, many others exist. I may have listed some in past posts but, the one above would have enough evidence to plainly show that anyone denying of UFOs, as unidentified flying objects with "out of this world" or very highly developed human R&D and manufactured activity exist, in bulk, all around the world, is pretty uninformed.
You know what I believe. Satanic activity of one form or another, setting up some final deceptions before the return of Christ. The big dog and pony show coming; and it will be like nothing else humanity has ever seen or experienced before. My belief is that such "ET"/satanic visitation will be an intervention into human affairs on the brink of WW3 and civilization's collapse into radiation nightmare that will bring "peace and safety" hope to humanity, setting up a final rebellion and rejection of the law of God.
Do not doubt this existence of UFO presence and the implications. At least take a little time to check out the evidence of the existence of this phenomena beyond what you see on the nightly news. Amazing enough the nightly news has gotten into this subject, as it has. That only happened because of Pentagon admissions but, to have AARO come along and deny all the evidence and actual history out there is just more confusion from government. It's what government does best.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
The Mother of All
Rube Goldberg Machines
Rube Goldberg Machines
I have seen a lot of Rube Goldberg machines in my lifetime but, this one is the biggest, ever. The description box states it took several months to get this gig together. Almost seventy-four million views. I imagine many of them are repeat watchers. It takes almost four minutes for the entire contraption to flow through and the end is quite... colorful.
If you want something to just make your day a little less stressful and a little more amusing, this is it. Fascinating.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w
A more "normal" set-up but, I have to admit, I never expected to see popsicle sticks behave like this -
www.youtube.com/shorts/yzHqPLpKKrE
If you want something to just make your day a little less stressful and a little more amusing, this is it. Fascinating.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w
A more "normal" set-up but, I have to admit, I never expected to see popsicle sticks behave like this -
www.youtube.com/shorts/yzHqPLpKKrE
*****************************
Which is the Most Corrupt?
I knew the answer to this as soon as she began.
3 guilt of assault.
7 guilty of fraud.
8 convicted of shoplifting.
14 have drug related charges.
19 have written bad checks.
21 currently involved in law suits.
36 guilty of spousal abuse.
71 cannot qualify for credit cards because of their own bad credit.
84 involved in a drunk driving incident.
Is it the NFL or the NBA?
www.youtube.com/shorts/KOzcS701vx4?feature=share
Neither.
It's members of Congress.
Uh-Huh.
And you think voting for politicians will save America?
3 guilt of assault.
7 guilty of fraud.
8 convicted of shoplifting.
14 have drug related charges.
19 have written bad checks.
21 currently involved in law suits.
36 guilty of spousal abuse.
71 cannot qualify for credit cards because of their own bad credit.
84 involved in a drunk driving incident.
Is it the NFL or the NBA?
www.youtube.com/shorts/KOzcS701vx4?feature=share
Neither.
It's members of Congress.
Uh-Huh.
And you think voting for politicians will save America?
*****************************
Yes, The Steal Is On
Why do I seem so antagonistic to a 2024 election win for POTUS that reflects actual votes for common sense and the principles of Americanism? Do I not see all the headlines and stories of a coming red wave; the greatest in all American history? Do I not see the surveys being taken, reflecting that registered Democrats are sick of Democrat policies taking more and more money out of their wallets, as we all struggle with rising inflation and the lies of Democrats and Leftist msm that Joe Biden is doing such a great job with the economy; with more and more Democrats stating they will vote for Trump? Am I not confident that after the last steal they will not try again because too many eyes shall be watching?
The short answer is, No. I have no confidence, at all, that this coming election will reflect anything the truth is revealing. The truth is revealing how the last election was stolen: a massive conspiracy of local, state and national Democrat actors in government, media and business. Add in a cowardly Republican party leadership which does not and cannot lead; and GOP puppets of globalist intent, and you have a systemic corruption apparatus that will do, literally anything they believe necessary to retain power. There is no reason for me to believe that is changing or going to change. To the contrary. Hatred for Donald Trump is so intense in Washington, D.C. the same group of actors and players in politics simply will not allow the man to be elected, no matter how enormous a landslide victory will take place. How can it be?
Here's an article showing how the last election was stolen and how this one will be as well.
www.infowars.com/posts/how-the-democrats-plan-to-steal-the-election/
Nothing has changed. In fact, that which was used last time is being solidified for this election. You could say previous attempts were more fluid, more unknowns involved, more of an experiment. This time, no fluidity. No risk. A solid wall of criminal resistance has been erected and nothing is in place to stop it or reject its outcome.
Corruption is a biblical sign of the times for the return of Christ. Such as it was in Noah's time, so shall it be before Christ returns. Corruption has always existed. It's a part of the influence of sin in our world but, in regards to the return of Christ, it becomes endemic, pervasive and rife, such as it was before the Deluge. Evil solicits evil. Evil grows evil. It takes awhile but, humans can be turned, most of them. There are always champions of truth but, in all societies of past history, civilizations crumble because higher principles give way to sinful and/or foolish policy. Policy over principle will always kill whatever adopts such a position. America has become, at least, is fast becoming a central pivot of the collapse of Western civilization.
I will be shocked if Trump wins the election. Not at least that Joe Biden, mentally impaired in so many obvious ways, could possibly get enough votes to fill the inside of a few semi-trucks, if Americans used common sense. But, the facts are clear. Democrats in D.C.; the alphabet agencies, particularly the CIA and FBI, will once again work with players in business; tech, especially, to make certain another "Hunter's laptop" is buried, Biden's crime family remains untouched, paper ballots will be multiplied like leaves of Autumn, voting machines will break down in Republican districts, while in Democrat heavy-districts will reflect more votes for Biden than those areas have legal voting age citizens and on and on and on it will go so that, lo and behold, the morning after the election millions of votes will be "found" and all the rest of it. And there is NOTHING that can be done to stop it because there are no vehicles in place to stop it and not enough honest people in positions of responsibility to prevent it. It's just that simple. There is no such thing as integrity, honesty or elevation of truth where corruption is rampant and accepted as the status quo.
"The Plan?" This supposed plan, hatched by military intelligence keeping tabs on everything for years, while Trump is actually considered POTUS by these entities; Trump playing his part while traps are in place; that will drop a bomb of righteous indignation on all traitors and treasonous actors and round them up for prosecution: Trump back in office, as the 2020 vote obviously displayed?
I'll believe it when I see it.
Sure. Go ahead and call me a skeptic, a cynic, a pessimist.
There is one thing I have no skepticism about -
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The short answer is, No. I have no confidence, at all, that this coming election will reflect anything the truth is revealing. The truth is revealing how the last election was stolen: a massive conspiracy of local, state and national Democrat actors in government, media and business. Add in a cowardly Republican party leadership which does not and cannot lead; and GOP puppets of globalist intent, and you have a systemic corruption apparatus that will do, literally anything they believe necessary to retain power. There is no reason for me to believe that is changing or going to change. To the contrary. Hatred for Donald Trump is so intense in Washington, D.C. the same group of actors and players in politics simply will not allow the man to be elected, no matter how enormous a landslide victory will take place. How can it be?
Here's an article showing how the last election was stolen and how this one will be as well.
www.infowars.com/posts/how-the-democrats-plan-to-steal-the-election/
Nothing has changed. In fact, that which was used last time is being solidified for this election. You could say previous attempts were more fluid, more unknowns involved, more of an experiment. This time, no fluidity. No risk. A solid wall of criminal resistance has been erected and nothing is in place to stop it or reject its outcome.
Corruption is a biblical sign of the times for the return of Christ. Such as it was in Noah's time, so shall it be before Christ returns. Corruption has always existed. It's a part of the influence of sin in our world but, in regards to the return of Christ, it becomes endemic, pervasive and rife, such as it was before the Deluge. Evil solicits evil. Evil grows evil. It takes awhile but, humans can be turned, most of them. There are always champions of truth but, in all societies of past history, civilizations crumble because higher principles give way to sinful and/or foolish policy. Policy over principle will always kill whatever adopts such a position. America has become, at least, is fast becoming a central pivot of the collapse of Western civilization.
I will be shocked if Trump wins the election. Not at least that Joe Biden, mentally impaired in so many obvious ways, could possibly get enough votes to fill the inside of a few semi-trucks, if Americans used common sense. But, the facts are clear. Democrats in D.C.; the alphabet agencies, particularly the CIA and FBI, will once again work with players in business; tech, especially, to make certain another "Hunter's laptop" is buried, Biden's crime family remains untouched, paper ballots will be multiplied like leaves of Autumn, voting machines will break down in Republican districts, while in Democrat heavy-districts will reflect more votes for Biden than those areas have legal voting age citizens and on and on and on it will go so that, lo and behold, the morning after the election millions of votes will be "found" and all the rest of it. And there is NOTHING that can be done to stop it because there are no vehicles in place to stop it and not enough honest people in positions of responsibility to prevent it. It's just that simple. There is no such thing as integrity, honesty or elevation of truth where corruption is rampant and accepted as the status quo.
"The Plan?" This supposed plan, hatched by military intelligence keeping tabs on everything for years, while Trump is actually considered POTUS by these entities; Trump playing his part while traps are in place; that will drop a bomb of righteous indignation on all traitors and treasonous actors and round them up for prosecution: Trump back in office, as the 2020 vote obviously displayed?
I'll believe it when I see it.
Sure. Go ahead and call me a skeptic, a cynic, a pessimist.
There is one thing I have no skepticism about -
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Above Majestic
Above Majestic is the title of a 2018 documentary I watched, about... well, what isn't it about? In a sense, it aims to encapsulate American history and current events with ancient history via "ET." Yeah, I know. The thing is, while I disagree or reject 98% of the video's premise, at least from the aspect of godless reasons why things are the way they are and how "ET" is involved in it all, and has been, both for positive and negative outcomes for ages, the final segment of the film convinces me that Revelation 17 is truth, cryptic as it may seem, and that, yes, Satan is going to use the whole "ET" phenomena to bring about the time the apostle Paul writes of: a time when the world will be saying "peace and safety;" safety also meaning 'security' in the Greek.
You can see the film on YT. I watched it on another site but, found it there, as well.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSyH26cl9AQ
Here was the surprise. "The Plan" as I have heard it expressed, is mentioned in the film but, not by that term. It is far greater in scope than involving military and intelligence entities working to bring down treason in America. It is a worldwide alliance that has worked for decades to stop the goals of globalists from coming to fruition: a final control of the planet.
Admittedly, the aspect of "ET" existing on Earth, a growing population of such entities is, for me, little more than Satanic deceptions that play well for a godless society more into the flow of the universe than the actions of a divine Creator. That said, when you listen to these speakers in the film, you hear many of the same things I hear professed Christians say about last-day events but, from their Futurism understanding of interpreting Bible prophecy. There is no difference between these humanist speakers and professed Christians when it comes to describing enemy agents on Earth. The humanist position calls them evil "ET." The professed Christians calls it all the globalist Luciferian cabal, and work of demons, etc. It's the same kettle of fish.
To the end of saving America via, The Plan, it is presented that 45,000 sealed indictments procured through secret grand juries have been amassed and when the time is right, the hammer will be dropped and people will be arrested in an American cleaning-house event never before seen in this nation. The pedophile and human trafficking rings, drug rings, crime rings in and out of D.C., will be gathered into an unprecedented net of juris prudence never beheld.
Let me be very honest here. The documentary on the surface, seems to pull together many subjects into one but, it does not. It's pretty confusing, as far as elements left out, that the film brings in and leaves hanging out to dry. Other things are easily proven to be off the mark but, by the end, it's a perfect Babylon and works to convince the student of Historicism that it is a correct principle of interpretation of prophecy, and events will ultimately fall into place just as that principle leads to - the RCC, Papacy, Vatican; the apostate Protestant churches; and the kings of the Earth: all other governments and religions/philosophies will martial into a world-wide "superchurch" aided by the supernatural "all power, signs and lying wonders" of Lucifer through his agents of rebellion against the truth and law of God: Babylon the Great.
Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying to me, Come here; I will show to you the judgment of the great whore that sits upon many waters:
Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Remember, if you watch the film, I do not endorse it's basic premise of "consciousness" nor the existence of "ET" on Earth (unless we speak of Lucifer and fallen angels), and a whole bunch of other things way over the top.
For these people in the video, a peace and safety time in Earth's future is called "the golden age;" a time when the people of earth choose to work together to bring down evil and raise up freedom, including energy freedom and live in a veritable utopia. I don't deny the existence of scientific discoveries of Tesla and others. That's a whole other topic for me. For the premise of the film: all humanity functioning on a higher plane of existence with others in the galaxy and beyond, is the core of Earth's need. It is up to humanity.
To that I say -
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
You can see the film on YT. I watched it on another site but, found it there, as well.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSyH26cl9AQ
Here was the surprise. "The Plan" as I have heard it expressed, is mentioned in the film but, not by that term. It is far greater in scope than involving military and intelligence entities working to bring down treason in America. It is a worldwide alliance that has worked for decades to stop the goals of globalists from coming to fruition: a final control of the planet.
Admittedly, the aspect of "ET" existing on Earth, a growing population of such entities is, for me, little more than Satanic deceptions that play well for a godless society more into the flow of the universe than the actions of a divine Creator. That said, when you listen to these speakers in the film, you hear many of the same things I hear professed Christians say about last-day events but, from their Futurism understanding of interpreting Bible prophecy. There is no difference between these humanist speakers and professed Christians when it comes to describing enemy agents on Earth. The humanist position calls them evil "ET." The professed Christians calls it all the globalist Luciferian cabal, and work of demons, etc. It's the same kettle of fish.
To the end of saving America via, The Plan, it is presented that 45,000 sealed indictments procured through secret grand juries have been amassed and when the time is right, the hammer will be dropped and people will be arrested in an American cleaning-house event never before seen in this nation. The pedophile and human trafficking rings, drug rings, crime rings in and out of D.C., will be gathered into an unprecedented net of juris prudence never beheld.
Let me be very honest here. The documentary on the surface, seems to pull together many subjects into one but, it does not. It's pretty confusing, as far as elements left out, that the film brings in and leaves hanging out to dry. Other things are easily proven to be off the mark but, by the end, it's a perfect Babylon and works to convince the student of Historicism that it is a correct principle of interpretation of prophecy, and events will ultimately fall into place just as that principle leads to - the RCC, Papacy, Vatican; the apostate Protestant churches; and the kings of the Earth: all other governments and religions/philosophies will martial into a world-wide "superchurch" aided by the supernatural "all power, signs and lying wonders" of Lucifer through his agents of rebellion against the truth and law of God: Babylon the Great.
Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying to me, Come here; I will show to you the judgment of the great whore that sits upon many waters:
Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Remember, if you watch the film, I do not endorse it's basic premise of "consciousness" nor the existence of "ET" on Earth (unless we speak of Lucifer and fallen angels), and a whole bunch of other things way over the top.
For these people in the video, a peace and safety time in Earth's future is called "the golden age;" a time when the people of earth choose to work together to bring down evil and raise up freedom, including energy freedom and live in a veritable utopia. I don't deny the existence of scientific discoveries of Tesla and others. That's a whole other topic for me. For the premise of the film: all humanity functioning on a higher plane of existence with others in the galaxy and beyond, is the core of Earth's need. It is up to humanity.
To that I say -
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
936. An Economist Warns of the Mark of the Beast - March 22, 2024
Do you know how many people read package labels on food? Only 5-10% of consumers. Only 5-10% of shoppers care about what they are putting into their bodies and the bodies of their families.
You say, "Wait. People care about that. They must."
Surely you have noticed their are no labels on bananas or apples. Nothing on broccoli or squash. What are labels on packages of just about everything in a bag, bottle, box, can, carton, jar, pouch or every container holding manufactured foods inside: foods containing various ingredients.
Everybody knows the term "junk food," and why the term exists. Today it's more often called 'snack food.' The word "snack" comes from various European languages that mean "bite," "snap" or "snatch." Have a bite to eat. Grab something to eat, etc.
So, is a bite an entire bag or box? Just asking. An epidemic of obesity answers the question.
I bring this up because people generally do not look into things themselves. They trust. They believe no "food manufacturer" would sell something unhealthy or dangerous to health, yet the news is filled with warnings and researchers has tried to warn people about all kinds of dangerous things in the most common "foods." Chemical preservatives, food dyes, high fructose corn syrup and other chemical sweeteners, refined flours and unhealthy grams of sugar and salt, etc., etc., etc. Do people pay attention? Most do not.
How about pharmaceuticals? How many people do you suppose actually look up what is contained in the drugs they take every day? Well, next to no one. Why? Because they trust their doctors. Yet, just listen to drug commercials, closely. Look past the beautiful scenery, people, puppies and parties and listen past the calming or upbeat music and hone in on the pleasant voice that tells you some of the more common or "rare" side effects of these wonder drugs. Have you ever really listened? I doubt it. The commercials for drugs are marketing masterpieces. Nobody hears how people have suffered all kinds of problems from taking these medications, even death. Some commercials mention death twice in the possible side effects. DEATH. ?!?!?!
If I am with other people, I ask them if they heard the side effects mentioned. Nope. Next commercial, I ask them to listen carefully, and they drop their jaws and open wide their eyes when they hear the lists stated. Hey, you trust the drug companies and your doctors that prescribe these chemicals. Surely, no one would give you something to treat something, that can kill you, right? Wrong. How many doctors are aware of all the side effects? Pill pushers go into their offices constantly to drop off samples of new drugs. They have closet shelves filled with these samples.
The pandemic and the roll out of the mRNA "vaccines" are now seen as responsible for... do I need to list all the side effects, including death? And the drug companies have now been shown, by virtue of whistleblowers, to know all these side effects existed before the roll-out. Old news, now.
What does all this have to do with economists and the Mark of the Beast?
www.infowars.com/posts/economist-warns-rollout-of-the-mark-of-the-beast-being-prepared-by-central-bank/
So, how many economists do you suppose study the Bible? Yeah, not many. Those who profess faith in Christianity? Well, let's see. How many professed Christians study, not read but, study their Bibles? They are considered "users" of the Bible. The percentage is around a third. At one time, even people who did not read the Bible, at all, were knowledgeable of the stories because of the role and influence Christianity had in society. Today? Today we have an entire generation who know nothing of the Bible. They barely have any cognizance of the main Character of the book, Jesus Christ.
So, how did an economist come to the conclusion the Mark of the Beast is about to be rolled out by central banks? In the one hour conversation; about 50 minutes into it, he keys in on Rev. 13:16-18. Obviously, very well known verses; not by personal study, no. By hearing these verses from pulpits or in podcasts or other media, like Hollywood dystopian or horror movies. Look at them.
Rev 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
Rev 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Hundreds of millions, maybe billions of people are asking about this current rise in this observable financial, societal, cultural, technological take-over by elitists bent on world control. Must be prophetic, yes? It has to be. Are you sure? Based on what, exactly? Three texts of Scripture? Context?
It's the mark of the beast. How can you ascribe a consequence of a mark of a power structure (can't buy or sell), without naming the power structure? How can you name the power structure, the organization, the entity that is called a beast, without using the marks God gave to identify it? Look at the verses and I'll underline the marks -
Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Rev 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Rev 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
Rev 13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
Rev 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Rev 13:9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
Rev 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Now, tell me, what cabal of elitists, globalists, etc., etc., meets those marks? Most people have no idea how they play into the entire train of discovery who or what the beast is. Then how can people slap a designation of the mark and buying and selling being central bank digital currency to a non-entity; one they have not identified by the marks God has given? Not to mention, again, the second beast and last three verses -
Rev 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Rev 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Rev 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
Rev 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Rev 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
Rev 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
That makes a total of at least 42 identifying marks to pull the subject together, and that does not include all the other marks in the book of Revelation, nor dozens more in the book of Daniel, nor more in the rest of the Old and New Testaments. Where did God give anyone the option to cherry pick Bible prophecy and proclaim fulfillment of it yet; it is being done at a breakneck pace by voices in every quarter of the nation and Western world.
Having written upon the Historicist principles of interpreting Bible prophecy, held by Christians and Reformers for ages in the past - rejecting the Futurist and Preterist positions - I hold to one, and only one power in all human history that meets all the marks of identification given in the Bible: the Roman Catholic Church, it's Papacy and the Vatican. I have laid them out in previous posts. Whatever one believes about the second beast of the chapter, the first beast can only be the apostasy of the ancient Roman church into the behemoth of the RCC. But, the identification of the second beast is crucial; for it sets up the final power of the first beast. What is it? Only one power came into existence that meets the marks given, and shall meet the future marks applied to it: the United States of America and a final, society-changing, false revival of "Christianity," all backed up by "miracles."
I do not deny the technology that is being set in place to control buying and selling. That is not the issue. The issue is, who will control it? When Satan employs "all power, signs and lying wonders" through the man of sin, 2 Thes 2:1-12 and what is stated in Rev. 13:13,14: great wonders, "fire" from Heaven and miracles that shall captivate and deceive the world, it shall not be the atheist elites who shall control the technology. No way. They shall be pushed aside and the excitement of a religious revival such as the world has never seen will hold sway and power and control. Until that happens, digital currency may cause people problems but, not to the end that a death decree will come with it, on a final remnant of believers who will not bow down to the mark of the beast's power and man-made authority or get caught deceived by all the miracles taking place. The globalists and miracles? That is ridiculous on the face of it. They are atheists. Worse. Satanists, Luciferians. They are not going to captivate the world with their darkness. No one believes that! People are pointing out the globalists as the enemy of mankind! The Devil is not going to palm off that useful tool to make his final stand against God. That is not where he has placed his power, seat and authority. That, he has placed in the Vatican, in the Papacy, in the system of the Roman Catholic religion: made of man-made doctrines, rules, traditions, superstitions claiming 1.2 billion members and her daughters in apostate Protestantism draw every closer to Mother; still keeping many of her doctrines and traditions. The world may hold Catholicism in contempt right now, given all its scandals but, the supernatural working of Satan will change all that.
I do not deny Satan will use his version of fulfillment of last-day events to deceive billions. It will not deceive God's remnant who keep His commandments and the faith and testimony of Jesus. That is a given but, the final test shall be a grave one; nothing more serious ever placed upon God's people.
Watch and pray. The final showdown is approaching.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
You say, "Wait. People care about that. They must."
Surely you have noticed their are no labels on bananas or apples. Nothing on broccoli or squash. What are labels on packages of just about everything in a bag, bottle, box, can, carton, jar, pouch or every container holding manufactured foods inside: foods containing various ingredients.
Everybody knows the term "junk food," and why the term exists. Today it's more often called 'snack food.' The word "snack" comes from various European languages that mean "bite," "snap" or "snatch." Have a bite to eat. Grab something to eat, etc.
So, is a bite an entire bag or box? Just asking. An epidemic of obesity answers the question.
I bring this up because people generally do not look into things themselves. They trust. They believe no "food manufacturer" would sell something unhealthy or dangerous to health, yet the news is filled with warnings and researchers has tried to warn people about all kinds of dangerous things in the most common "foods." Chemical preservatives, food dyes, high fructose corn syrup and other chemical sweeteners, refined flours and unhealthy grams of sugar and salt, etc., etc., etc. Do people pay attention? Most do not.
How about pharmaceuticals? How many people do you suppose actually look up what is contained in the drugs they take every day? Well, next to no one. Why? Because they trust their doctors. Yet, just listen to drug commercials, closely. Look past the beautiful scenery, people, puppies and parties and listen past the calming or upbeat music and hone in on the pleasant voice that tells you some of the more common or "rare" side effects of these wonder drugs. Have you ever really listened? I doubt it. The commercials for drugs are marketing masterpieces. Nobody hears how people have suffered all kinds of problems from taking these medications, even death. Some commercials mention death twice in the possible side effects. DEATH. ?!?!?!
If I am with other people, I ask them if they heard the side effects mentioned. Nope. Next commercial, I ask them to listen carefully, and they drop their jaws and open wide their eyes when they hear the lists stated. Hey, you trust the drug companies and your doctors that prescribe these chemicals. Surely, no one would give you something to treat something, that can kill you, right? Wrong. How many doctors are aware of all the side effects? Pill pushers go into their offices constantly to drop off samples of new drugs. They have closet shelves filled with these samples.
The pandemic and the roll out of the mRNA "vaccines" are now seen as responsible for... do I need to list all the side effects, including death? And the drug companies have now been shown, by virtue of whistleblowers, to know all these side effects existed before the roll-out. Old news, now.
What does all this have to do with economists and the Mark of the Beast?
www.infowars.com/posts/economist-warns-rollout-of-the-mark-of-the-beast-being-prepared-by-central-bank/
So, how many economists do you suppose study the Bible? Yeah, not many. Those who profess faith in Christianity? Well, let's see. How many professed Christians study, not read but, study their Bibles? They are considered "users" of the Bible. The percentage is around a third. At one time, even people who did not read the Bible, at all, were knowledgeable of the stories because of the role and influence Christianity had in society. Today? Today we have an entire generation who know nothing of the Bible. They barely have any cognizance of the main Character of the book, Jesus Christ.
So, how did an economist come to the conclusion the Mark of the Beast is about to be rolled out by central banks? In the one hour conversation; about 50 minutes into it, he keys in on Rev. 13:16-18. Obviously, very well known verses; not by personal study, no. By hearing these verses from pulpits or in podcasts or other media, like Hollywood dystopian or horror movies. Look at them.
Rev 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
Rev 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Hundreds of millions, maybe billions of people are asking about this current rise in this observable financial, societal, cultural, technological take-over by elitists bent on world control. Must be prophetic, yes? It has to be. Are you sure? Based on what, exactly? Three texts of Scripture? Context?
It's the mark of the beast. How can you ascribe a consequence of a mark of a power structure (can't buy or sell), without naming the power structure? How can you name the power structure, the organization, the entity that is called a beast, without using the marks God gave to identify it? Look at the verses and I'll underline the marks -
Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Rev 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Rev 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
Rev 13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
Rev 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Rev 13:9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
Rev 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Now, tell me, what cabal of elitists, globalists, etc., etc., meets those marks? Most people have no idea how they play into the entire train of discovery who or what the beast is. Then how can people slap a designation of the mark and buying and selling being central bank digital currency to a non-entity; one they have not identified by the marks God has given? Not to mention, again, the second beast and last three verses -
Rev 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Rev 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Rev 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
Rev 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Rev 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
Rev 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
That makes a total of at least 42 identifying marks to pull the subject together, and that does not include all the other marks in the book of Revelation, nor dozens more in the book of Daniel, nor more in the rest of the Old and New Testaments. Where did God give anyone the option to cherry pick Bible prophecy and proclaim fulfillment of it yet; it is being done at a breakneck pace by voices in every quarter of the nation and Western world.
Having written upon the Historicist principles of interpreting Bible prophecy, held by Christians and Reformers for ages in the past - rejecting the Futurist and Preterist positions - I hold to one, and only one power in all human history that meets all the marks of identification given in the Bible: the Roman Catholic Church, it's Papacy and the Vatican. I have laid them out in previous posts. Whatever one believes about the second beast of the chapter, the first beast can only be the apostasy of the ancient Roman church into the behemoth of the RCC. But, the identification of the second beast is crucial; for it sets up the final power of the first beast. What is it? Only one power came into existence that meets the marks given, and shall meet the future marks applied to it: the United States of America and a final, society-changing, false revival of "Christianity," all backed up by "miracles."
I do not deny the technology that is being set in place to control buying and selling. That is not the issue. The issue is, who will control it? When Satan employs "all power, signs and lying wonders" through the man of sin, 2 Thes 2:1-12 and what is stated in Rev. 13:13,14: great wonders, "fire" from Heaven and miracles that shall captivate and deceive the world, it shall not be the atheist elites who shall control the technology. No way. They shall be pushed aside and the excitement of a religious revival such as the world has never seen will hold sway and power and control. Until that happens, digital currency may cause people problems but, not to the end that a death decree will come with it, on a final remnant of believers who will not bow down to the mark of the beast's power and man-made authority or get caught deceived by all the miracles taking place. The globalists and miracles? That is ridiculous on the face of it. They are atheists. Worse. Satanists, Luciferians. They are not going to captivate the world with their darkness. No one believes that! People are pointing out the globalists as the enemy of mankind! The Devil is not going to palm off that useful tool to make his final stand against God. That is not where he has placed his power, seat and authority. That, he has placed in the Vatican, in the Papacy, in the system of the Roman Catholic religion: made of man-made doctrines, rules, traditions, superstitions claiming 1.2 billion members and her daughters in apostate Protestantism draw every closer to Mother; still keeping many of her doctrines and traditions. The world may hold Catholicism in contempt right now, given all its scandals but, the supernatural working of Satan will change all that.
I do not deny Satan will use his version of fulfillment of last-day events to deceive billions. It will not deceive God's remnant who keep His commandments and the faith and testimony of Jesus. That is a given but, the final test shall be a grave one; nothing more serious ever placed upon God's people.
Watch and pray. The final showdown is approaching.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
937. The Pope and I Agree - 3/23/2024
Who's in "Hell?"
The Pope gave an interview recently and was asked this question -
"When asked by the interviewer, Fabio Fazio, how he “imagines hell,” Pope Francis gave a short response.
“What I am going to say is not a dogma of faith but my own personal view: I like to think of hell as empty; I hope it is,” Pope Francis said.
There would be few, if any subjects the Pope and I would agree on. Yes, we agree on this one, only, from a very different perspective.
www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256542/pope-francis-i-like-to-think-of-hell-as-empty
"The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that Catholic teaching “affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, ‘eternal fire.’ The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.”
If you come here often enough you have read posts on the biblical teaching of the final judgment upon the lost; those who rejected God's offer of salvation; rejected light sent to them in some way, documented by God. The Bible says of Christ -
John 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
It isn't our necessity to understand how God shines light upon every person who comes into the world. Obviously, many in every age never heard of the Messiah. Many have not heard of Christ, yet, today. How does God judge them? No one can know the answer to that question because God has only revealed light comes through Christ, and as the Bible, right in the next verse, states the world was made by Him, we can conclude that nature, itself, speaks to the human mind that will observe and listen. If the world does not "know" the Saviour, does not receive or understand the Redeemer, it is not because a door was closed to them for understanding. Nature reveals the character of God, the problem of sin (death) and yet, in it all, there is love that humanity senses and feels. How? A Creator one can connect with, even if they do not know the specifics. They can connect with their Creator and be spiritually changed. The apostle Paul states that fact in Romans -
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has shown it to them.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and divinity; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law to themselves:
Rom 2:15 Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
Rom 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
So, God can judge all humanity based on the testimony given to them through hearing of the gospel or beholding the character of the Creator in nature, in love, which can change the nature of any human being open to receive that light.
The next concern, then: what happens to those who reject that light? What happens to those who show in life they are not safe to bring into everlasting life, less the entire war between good and evil start all over again but, the Bible states it shall not ever begin again -
Nahum 1:9 What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
This battleground of consequence between good and evil is the final battleground. Once sin is put down it shall not rise again. All cases decided. No details left unseen in every phase of judgment for all who have lived and died on Earth. Lucifer and the fallen angels who rebelled with him, shall be judged, found guilty, and execution of judgment shall befall all who are not saved by love. Consider that. How does God, who is love -
1John 4:8 He that loves not, knows not God; for God is love.
How does love judge the lost? The Pope likes to think "hell" is empty. He can think that, and he is wrong, IF, we understand "hell" to be a place "souls" go to instantly at death. He is right, though, if we understand "hell" is the grave, which everybody noes to: back to the earth God made man from. Everyone goes to their dusty bed, their grave at some point. But, no, the Pope is thinking of the "hell" his church teaches, that most other churches teach: a place where souls: disembodied entities of some ghostlike feature, "descend" into and burn in flames that God ignited and never go out. At some point, souls and bodies are rejoined and the flames continue on forever. Unending pain, unending torture because, you never die. You live forever. You suffer forever. Yeah, pretty gross. No wonder the Pope likes to think no one is in the hell his church foisted upon all Christendom. I reject it. Why? Not just because it is a heinous and disgusting attack on God's character but, because the Bible plainly states that scenario is not the truth.
The Catholic Church came up with a doctrine that somewhat softens the blow of "hell" by creating a place they call, Purgatory. The place where souls go after death and burn in flames not as hot as hell, to purge the effects of sin from the life. Once purged, the soul can travel on into paradise. I was taught that, as a young Catholic boy. It confused me then, it angered me later and the whole rotten ball of fearmongering sent me away from any connection with God. I became an atheist.
Events happened in my life that brought me face to face with Bible prophcies that challenged my understanding of God and the Bible. I asked God to take my life and accepted Christ and salvation, and shortly thereafter, learned the truth of what happens to the lost: what the Bible; the whole Bible teaches on the subject.
I've covered this numerous times but, here's what I'm going to do this time. I came upon an old Bible study I put together forty years ago. I'm going to place here a picture of that Bible study; just as I wrote it out. You look at that study: just look up the texts involved; no explanations from me, and see what you find. The study is based on the KJV.
The Pope gave an interview recently and was asked this question -
"When asked by the interviewer, Fabio Fazio, how he “imagines hell,” Pope Francis gave a short response.
“What I am going to say is not a dogma of faith but my own personal view: I like to think of hell as empty; I hope it is,” Pope Francis said.
There would be few, if any subjects the Pope and I would agree on. Yes, we agree on this one, only, from a very different perspective.
www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256542/pope-francis-i-like-to-think-of-hell-as-empty
"The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that Catholic teaching “affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, ‘eternal fire.’ The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.”
If you come here often enough you have read posts on the biblical teaching of the final judgment upon the lost; those who rejected God's offer of salvation; rejected light sent to them in some way, documented by God. The Bible says of Christ -
John 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
It isn't our necessity to understand how God shines light upon every person who comes into the world. Obviously, many in every age never heard of the Messiah. Many have not heard of Christ, yet, today. How does God judge them? No one can know the answer to that question because God has only revealed light comes through Christ, and as the Bible, right in the next verse, states the world was made by Him, we can conclude that nature, itself, speaks to the human mind that will observe and listen. If the world does not "know" the Saviour, does not receive or understand the Redeemer, it is not because a door was closed to them for understanding. Nature reveals the character of God, the problem of sin (death) and yet, in it all, there is love that humanity senses and feels. How? A Creator one can connect with, even if they do not know the specifics. They can connect with their Creator and be spiritually changed. The apostle Paul states that fact in Romans -
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has shown it to them.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and divinity; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law to themselves:
Rom 2:15 Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
Rom 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
So, God can judge all humanity based on the testimony given to them through hearing of the gospel or beholding the character of the Creator in nature, in love, which can change the nature of any human being open to receive that light.
The next concern, then: what happens to those who reject that light? What happens to those who show in life they are not safe to bring into everlasting life, less the entire war between good and evil start all over again but, the Bible states it shall not ever begin again -
Nahum 1:9 What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
This battleground of consequence between good and evil is the final battleground. Once sin is put down it shall not rise again. All cases decided. No details left unseen in every phase of judgment for all who have lived and died on Earth. Lucifer and the fallen angels who rebelled with him, shall be judged, found guilty, and execution of judgment shall befall all who are not saved by love. Consider that. How does God, who is love -
1John 4:8 He that loves not, knows not God; for God is love.
How does love judge the lost? The Pope likes to think "hell" is empty. He can think that, and he is wrong, IF, we understand "hell" to be a place "souls" go to instantly at death. He is right, though, if we understand "hell" is the grave, which everybody noes to: back to the earth God made man from. Everyone goes to their dusty bed, their grave at some point. But, no, the Pope is thinking of the "hell" his church teaches, that most other churches teach: a place where souls: disembodied entities of some ghostlike feature, "descend" into and burn in flames that God ignited and never go out. At some point, souls and bodies are rejoined and the flames continue on forever. Unending pain, unending torture because, you never die. You live forever. You suffer forever. Yeah, pretty gross. No wonder the Pope likes to think no one is in the hell his church foisted upon all Christendom. I reject it. Why? Not just because it is a heinous and disgusting attack on God's character but, because the Bible plainly states that scenario is not the truth.
The Catholic Church came up with a doctrine that somewhat softens the blow of "hell" by creating a place they call, Purgatory. The place where souls go after death and burn in flames not as hot as hell, to purge the effects of sin from the life. Once purged, the soul can travel on into paradise. I was taught that, as a young Catholic boy. It confused me then, it angered me later and the whole rotten ball of fearmongering sent me away from any connection with God. I became an atheist.
Events happened in my life that brought me face to face with Bible prophcies that challenged my understanding of God and the Bible. I asked God to take my life and accepted Christ and salvation, and shortly thereafter, learned the truth of what happens to the lost: what the Bible; the whole Bible teaches on the subject.
I've covered this numerous times but, here's what I'm going to do this time. I came upon an old Bible study I put together forty years ago. I'm going to place here a picture of that Bible study; just as I wrote it out. You look at that study: just look up the texts involved; no explanations from me, and see what you find. The study is based on the KJV.
When you go through that study, even the Objections; the "forever and ever" statements: if you let the Bible interpret itself, if you understand the variations of Hebrew and Greek involved; you will see there is only one answer to the question - What happens to the lost? The answer is; they are destroyed by God when he unleashes His full glory upon them when they are resurrected to meet their fate at the end of the thousand years, which begins when Christ returns. The whole planet, cursed by sin, goes up in smoke. For John, seeing it all in vision, the smoke goes up forever and ever. A planet on fire, melting, an unimaginable inferno. Smoke rising higher than any and all clouds. The very atmosphere exploding into flames. Forever, seems quite appropriate. But, when there's nothing left to burn, the fire goes out and only ashes remain.
The fact is "hell," as the Catholic Church teaches it, IS empty because there is no such place "souls" descend into. Tell me. Answer where this descent takes place? Where do the lost descend. Don't they have to arise and leave this Earth and go to "hell?" Well, you see, some theologies teach "hell" is the center of the planet; all that molten core below us. That works for them. No matter where on the globe you are, you would descend into that when you die. It completely runs afoul of information the Bible plainly states; that "sheol" is the grave but, you see the problem. If "hell" is in the Earth, how can the redeemed ever truly enjoy the New Earth when the lost are screaming in agony somewhere below them, forever?
The Bible states, nowhere, God performs some kind of 'memory wipe' on the redeemed. No. What it states is that the memory of the lost, of the entire battle between good and evil, will fade away and be forgotten, as the time of eternity passes along into endless joy and peace. Would you have joy and peace if you knew your former family, loved ones, friends, people you knew were roasting and toasting and burning and being tortured by Lucifer and his angels (how come they aren't suffering like everybody else when the whole thing was prepared for them to begin with), somewhere below you? Oh, you say, the redeemed will not hear them screaming. GOD WILL. Would you be stating God will love to hear them screaming forever for a lifetime of sin? That is justice to you? Well, you say, God is pure and holy and sin is far more repulsive to Him than us. Really? Than how can the Bible state this -
Rev 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
Rev 14:5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
If the redeemed have the Father's name written in their foreheads; in the forebrains, the frontal lobes; the place of judgment and reason; if there is no guile, no lie, nothing wrong found in them, because they have the name of God in their minds: His name synonymous with His character; then how could the redeemed not think about the lost burning somewhere below them and not feel the same as God about them? Will it give them joy? Does it give you joy now; to think of people screaming in ceaseless agony? Then how on earth could it give you joy then, when you shall have the very character of God in your being?
Don't miss this point. Most people have no particular problem thinking of some heinous criminal, some despot, some bloodthirsty tyrant burning forever. Yet, think about that. Think about hanging, firing squad, electric chair, crucifixion... any death sentence you want... uh, wait. Death sentence. DEATH sentence. Sinful humans, in any state of lawful judgment, do not torture the guilty. They have their life taken away. Even in a way that causes no pain, like lethal injections. Yet, Christians must believe humans are more fair than God because He burns people in supernatural fire that never goes out, nor do they die. They suffer, forever. That works for you? How? I have yet to have someone explain that to me with any sense of justice humans understand, let alone God's character of love involved.
Okay, so, forget "hell" being in the core of the earth. Doesn't work. Where then? Where could it be stated you descend into it? There is no descent in space. Ah, there must be some planet God has made that burns incessantly and the lost are sent there, yes? Maybe a star created for the purpose. Burns forever and the lost live forever there. They have been there since the first person "descended" into it. But, wait. If "hell" was prepared for the devil and his angels and they should be the first recipients of this judgment, how can they be here, on Earth, wreaking havoc everywhere; destroying life any way they are allowed to? Only God is omnipresent, everywhere, all the time. Satan can't be in two places at once. How can they be here, causing untold, constant harm, destruction and death, while the people they tempted to fall and end up lost, are suffering the judgment prepared for Lucifer and his minions? How is that just?
And if they live forever, regardless of their condition, then everyone gets eternal life, right?
Indeed; you keep thinking about the knots the entire lie gets you tied into and try to escape the obvious conclusion that there is no such place as the Roman Catholic "hell" in existence, nor shall there be: and how Protestants can continue to propagate this insane lie and attack on God's character is beyond me.
The Pope is right. Their "Hell" is empty. The real judgment coming? Residents as far as the eye can see. And the glory of God shall consume them because the Bible says, "Our God is a consuming fire." Sin is consumed in His presence and the lost and this sin-cursed planet shall be consumed to ashes in that day. Then God shall recreate the Earth and the redeemed shall live upon and enjoy its wonders and blessings forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The fact is "hell," as the Catholic Church teaches it, IS empty because there is no such place "souls" descend into. Tell me. Answer where this descent takes place? Where do the lost descend. Don't they have to arise and leave this Earth and go to "hell?" Well, you see, some theologies teach "hell" is the center of the planet; all that molten core below us. That works for them. No matter where on the globe you are, you would descend into that when you die. It completely runs afoul of information the Bible plainly states; that "sheol" is the grave but, you see the problem. If "hell" is in the Earth, how can the redeemed ever truly enjoy the New Earth when the lost are screaming in agony somewhere below them, forever?
The Bible states, nowhere, God performs some kind of 'memory wipe' on the redeemed. No. What it states is that the memory of the lost, of the entire battle between good and evil, will fade away and be forgotten, as the time of eternity passes along into endless joy and peace. Would you have joy and peace if you knew your former family, loved ones, friends, people you knew were roasting and toasting and burning and being tortured by Lucifer and his angels (how come they aren't suffering like everybody else when the whole thing was prepared for them to begin with), somewhere below you? Oh, you say, the redeemed will not hear them screaming. GOD WILL. Would you be stating God will love to hear them screaming forever for a lifetime of sin? That is justice to you? Well, you say, God is pure and holy and sin is far more repulsive to Him than us. Really? Than how can the Bible state this -
Rev 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
Rev 14:5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
If the redeemed have the Father's name written in their foreheads; in the forebrains, the frontal lobes; the place of judgment and reason; if there is no guile, no lie, nothing wrong found in them, because they have the name of God in their minds: His name synonymous with His character; then how could the redeemed not think about the lost burning somewhere below them and not feel the same as God about them? Will it give them joy? Does it give you joy now; to think of people screaming in ceaseless agony? Then how on earth could it give you joy then, when you shall have the very character of God in your being?
Don't miss this point. Most people have no particular problem thinking of some heinous criminal, some despot, some bloodthirsty tyrant burning forever. Yet, think about that. Think about hanging, firing squad, electric chair, crucifixion... any death sentence you want... uh, wait. Death sentence. DEATH sentence. Sinful humans, in any state of lawful judgment, do not torture the guilty. They have their life taken away. Even in a way that causes no pain, like lethal injections. Yet, Christians must believe humans are more fair than God because He burns people in supernatural fire that never goes out, nor do they die. They suffer, forever. That works for you? How? I have yet to have someone explain that to me with any sense of justice humans understand, let alone God's character of love involved.
Okay, so, forget "hell" being in the core of the earth. Doesn't work. Where then? Where could it be stated you descend into it? There is no descent in space. Ah, there must be some planet God has made that burns incessantly and the lost are sent there, yes? Maybe a star created for the purpose. Burns forever and the lost live forever there. They have been there since the first person "descended" into it. But, wait. If "hell" was prepared for the devil and his angels and they should be the first recipients of this judgment, how can they be here, on Earth, wreaking havoc everywhere; destroying life any way they are allowed to? Only God is omnipresent, everywhere, all the time. Satan can't be in two places at once. How can they be here, causing untold, constant harm, destruction and death, while the people they tempted to fall and end up lost, are suffering the judgment prepared for Lucifer and his minions? How is that just?
And if they live forever, regardless of their condition, then everyone gets eternal life, right?
Indeed; you keep thinking about the knots the entire lie gets you tied into and try to escape the obvious conclusion that there is no such place as the Roman Catholic "hell" in existence, nor shall there be: and how Protestants can continue to propagate this insane lie and attack on God's character is beyond me.
The Pope is right. Their "Hell" is empty. The real judgment coming? Residents as far as the eye can see. And the glory of God shall consume them because the Bible says, "Our God is a consuming fire." Sin is consumed in His presence and the lost and this sin-cursed planet shall be consumed to ashes in that day. Then God shall recreate the Earth and the redeemed shall live upon and enjoy its wonders and blessings forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*******************************************************************************************************************************************
I know, I know. "But, Ray, what about death? When people die their souls leave their bodies and go somewhere, right?"
Wrong. And here is the corelating study I wrote out for the subject of death. Take a look. And remember: allow the Bible to interpret itself, comparing Scripture with Scripture. It does not conflict with itself. Everything can be understood to be in perfect harmony with itself. Again, the study is based on the KJV but, frankly, having presented this study, solely from the Roman Catholic, Douay-Rheims translation, it states the same thing.
2Timothy 2:15 Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, correctly handling the word of truth.
I know, I know. "But, Ray, what about death? When people die their souls leave their bodies and go somewhere, right?"
Wrong. And here is the corelating study I wrote out for the subject of death. Take a look. And remember: allow the Bible to interpret itself, comparing Scripture with Scripture. It does not conflict with itself. Everything can be understood to be in perfect harmony with itself. Again, the study is based on the KJV but, frankly, having presented this study, solely from the Roman Catholic, Douay-Rheims translation, it states the same thing.
2Timothy 2:15 Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, correctly handling the word of truth.
Admittedly, my notes were for me but, think about things. It will all make sense. May the Holy Spirit guide us into all truth.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
938. Nationalism by Christians - March 23, 2024
Yes, I turned the phrase around. Why? You'll see.
First, let's get a definition for nationalism.
"nationalism
noun
na·tion·al·ism ˈna-sh(ə-)nə-ˌli-zəm
1 : loyalty and devotion to a nation
especially: a sense of national consciousness, exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups"
That works for me. From a political and policy viewpoint - America first. American sovereignty. All nations functioning that way. Each looking out first, for its own advancement and betterment and leaving other nations alone. Now, we live in a world where despots may rule and decide to advance on other nations and declare war, etc., etc. That is no longer an agreeable working definition of nationalism, if a nation sees its advancement and betterment by conquering other nations.
So, according to Webster's, I am a nationalist. I believe in the concept and principle of American exceptionalism.
Now, according to news media, there is this thing called Christian Nationalism. For that you will mostly find ONLY Leftist definitions. I am not a Leftist. How do I define the term? I believe Christian Nationalists, in an ultra-form, are those who would like to see or work to see all elected civil servants be Christians. I see it as aligned with "Dominionism."
"Dominion theology, also known as dominionism, is a group of Christian political ideologies that seek to institute a nation governed by Christians and based on their understandings of biblical law." Wikipedia (I would put a more general "teachings" in place of law).
Yes, Wiki is generally so Leftist your teeth will hurt but, here, it is essentially correct.
Christian Nationalism is simply an ideology that would like Christians in positions of power because, they believe, Christians would have a better love of the country and therefore run things better, be "America first" and work to protect Christian values and culture.
If you cannot see the potential problems with that, you have blinders on. It may sound innocuous but, history shows it never is.
You'll remember, this professed Christian nation went to war with itself involving the issue of slavery. It took one hundred years for that issue to be resolved, completely, and socially it still has problems and even a strong reverse racism exists in America today. If you are white (no one is white), you are automatically a racist.
Here's an article decrying the Leftist push of the term Christian Nationalism, being heard all over the place these days. It sounds better than "dominionism." There is always the marketing value of the news to consider.
www.frontpagemag.com/the-relentless-purveyors-of-the-christian-nationalist-lie/
The article is a good one, as far as showing the hypocrisy of it all. I do not necessarily believe that the term propels a lie. Not in principle.
Leftists obviously see a danger in the premise. So do I. They see their Leftist culture threatened. I have no use for Leftist culture. An interesting statement appears at the top of the frontpage website -
"Inside Every Progressive Is A Totalitarian Screaming To Get Out" — David Horowitz
Horowitz used to be a Liberal. But, that is not what makes his current political, cultural stripe compelling. It's the facts and data the site puts together, commenting on the crisis in America.
I see freedom and liberty threatened by Christian Nationalism, prophetically speaking, for anyone who will not go along with the coming union between the RCC and apostate Protestants, (Rev. 13:11-18). Add into that "the kings of the Earth" and you have the triumvirate referred to as spiritual, prophetic Babylon in Revelation. It becomes very political in nature. Persecution results. Persecution always results from that union, which is why America has a separation of church and state. Not a separation of God from state. Very different thing.
I do not expect Leftists to get very much correct. It's all too agenda-driven. They hate Donald Trump. Show TDS 'round the clock. Their "bloodbath" fiasco proves that. They have no affinity for conservative Christians, living a standard that is more old-fashioned in their eyes, not keeping with the times and cultural changes, and there's the battle: which Christians have all but lost but, that is going to change.
In news media Leftists seem to be, mostly, rather elitist in nature. They report and speak in tandem, often hilariously so. Of course, I have met plenty of professed Christians who think and act the same way, so...
Christian Nationalism does not seem to have a distinct definition. It gets kind of fuzzy the more you search for a definition that works for everyone, both sides of the issue.
"Christian nationalism is a type of religious nationalism that is affiliated with Christianity. It primarily focuses on the internal politics of society, such as legislating civil and criminal laws that reflect their view of Christianity and the role of religion/s in political and social life." Wiki
"You’ve probably seen headlines recently about the evils of Christian nationalism, especially since December’s Jericho March in Washington, DC, and since a mob of Trump supporters—many sporting Christian signs, slogans, or symbols—rioted and stormed the US Capitol building on January 6."
That outrageously ignorant and biased paragraph opens an article from Christianity Today.
PBS News Hour -
"What is Christian nationalism and why it raises concerns about threats to democracy"
You'll obvious notice use of "democracy;" not "our Constitutional Republic."
"White Christian nationalism has been in the headlines quite a lot as of late. Brad Onishi is a former evangelical minister who once identified as a Christian nationalist himself. He left the church in 2005 and began studying religion and extremism."
So, America should be swayed by someone who left the faith. Interesting. He left Christianity and began studying religion and extremism. No. You cannot make this stuff up. And his definition of a Christian Nationalist?
"Christian nationalism is an ideology that is based around the idea that this is a Christian nation, that this was founded as a Christian nation, and, therefore, it should be a Christian nation today and should be so in the future."
If that is a correct definition, Christian Nationalists are incorrect. America was not and is not a Christian Nation. The name Jesus Christ does not appear on any document of national founding, law or practice. America is not a Christian nation. It was and barely still is a nation with a lot of professed Christians in its citizenry. But, even from its founding, the baser elements of society began to take root and most of the Founders saw that this experiment would have a rough journey and someday, collapse into history, Christianity or no. Thus far, their fears were half correct. The rest? Seems that will fulfill itself, as well, the way things are going.
Remember, Christ said, "My kingdom is not of this world." Period. There cannot be a Christian nation by virtue of law. By virtue of culture, yes. But, culture changes, as we have witnessed over the last fifty years and certainly the last century, in America. Why? Because there aren't enough Christians in government? No. Because professed Christians no longer live out the faith and belief and standards they once espoused. They have a much smaller influence and impact on society.
So, when Christians come along and espouse this ideology, they are into something that has the potential to go very wrong because it begins, it starts out on an error.
I believe in American nationalism. I have no problem with individual Christians becoming elected civil servants, abiding by Federal and State Constitutions. Obviously, America has laws that reflect Judeo/Christian culture. But, Christ said not to look on women (or men for that matter), with lust in the heart. That's a sin. God forbid it becomes a crime. Well, you see, in early America, Pilgrim justice had as much thought crime as Leftists would like to install. They have hate laws and crimes of physical nature. They would love to condemn people for how they think, as well. Off to the rehabilitation, mind-manipulation camps! Some actually do think that way. Communists and all. They are not afraid to speak it or write it, even if most will not.
NO religious group should have control of a nation. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." Christianity is an establishment of religion. Within Christianity are many establishments of religion, like Sunday laws.
America is filled with churches. Many used to be members of one congregation that had some kind of turmoil between members, and another church was started right across the street. Ever wonder why "First Baptist" signs permeate towns and cities all across the nation? So, if Christians can't get along, how on Earth should Americans run by Christians make everyone comfortable with such an arrangement?
Again, what version of Christianity should elected civil servants be motivated by? Catholic? Various Protestant faiths? Turmoil right there. Pentecostal? Messianic? What is coming is an arrangement to agree on major points and leave everything else out of it. Of course, that betrays their own faith; picking and choosing what is the most important thing to concentrate on and frankly, is it something to be desired to have Christians, I mean dedicated Christians, deciding on matters of war? Just the death decree gives rise to arguments that heat up quickly. Frankly, you cannot get the issue of abortion settled between all professed Christian churches, nor any other matter disturbing the American landscape, including the "pandemic" and resulting medical tyranny.
This is not to say I'd want atheists in government. An atheist cannot abide by the principle that freedom and liberty comes from God. How can they administer the law in a balanced way if they deny the existence of God? Honestly, just because 500 people in Congress say they are affiliated with a church denomination or faith does not mean squat when it comes to practicing the Christian faith or any other. And the way they run the nation, that obviously shows, in failing colors. It is no wonder Congress has an approval rating around 10%. Fact is, an atheist can run for office and if he or she believes in the principles of Americanism, and pledges to stay true to them, their lack of faith in deity would not necessarily prove them unfit to administer law and order. An atheist can recognize the order that a functioning Christian society brings and establishes. Christians are not the problem. Hypocrites are.
This post could go on and on with definitions and people opposed to Christian Nationalism solely because they oppose Christians. Nationalism has nothing to do with it because they hate the America the Founders developed. They want a Leftist, communist, fascist, nation where government run by radical Democrats, run everything and turn lives into hell if people attempt to stand up and challenge government. They scream, "Trump! Dictator!" while Biden literally blasts half the United States populace for being MAGA supporters. They use agencies as their lap dogs and hounds and enforcers of their ideology; showing up in the dark morning hours to take away dissidents. China? No, America. Hypocrites.
The bottom line is, people elected to positions of civil service should only be judged by their strict adherence to the Constitution and principles of limited government. I doubt a few handfuls of people in Congress can be found to actually believe in that standard, today, and stand up for it no matter what the cost to their political careers.
No doubt; the swamp should be cleaned out. Replaced by citizens who love the principles of Americanism developed by the Founders, as the nation seeks to become better in the principles espoused by those great men: a more perfect union.
I do not believe Christian Nationalism is in complete harmony with those principles.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
First, let's get a definition for nationalism.
"nationalism
noun
na·tion·al·ism ˈna-sh(ə-)nə-ˌli-zəm
1 : loyalty and devotion to a nation
especially: a sense of national consciousness, exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups"
That works for me. From a political and policy viewpoint - America first. American sovereignty. All nations functioning that way. Each looking out first, for its own advancement and betterment and leaving other nations alone. Now, we live in a world where despots may rule and decide to advance on other nations and declare war, etc., etc. That is no longer an agreeable working definition of nationalism, if a nation sees its advancement and betterment by conquering other nations.
So, according to Webster's, I am a nationalist. I believe in the concept and principle of American exceptionalism.
Now, according to news media, there is this thing called Christian Nationalism. For that you will mostly find ONLY Leftist definitions. I am not a Leftist. How do I define the term? I believe Christian Nationalists, in an ultra-form, are those who would like to see or work to see all elected civil servants be Christians. I see it as aligned with "Dominionism."
"Dominion theology, also known as dominionism, is a group of Christian political ideologies that seek to institute a nation governed by Christians and based on their understandings of biblical law." Wikipedia (I would put a more general "teachings" in place of law).
Yes, Wiki is generally so Leftist your teeth will hurt but, here, it is essentially correct.
Christian Nationalism is simply an ideology that would like Christians in positions of power because, they believe, Christians would have a better love of the country and therefore run things better, be "America first" and work to protect Christian values and culture.
If you cannot see the potential problems with that, you have blinders on. It may sound innocuous but, history shows it never is.
You'll remember, this professed Christian nation went to war with itself involving the issue of slavery. It took one hundred years for that issue to be resolved, completely, and socially it still has problems and even a strong reverse racism exists in America today. If you are white (no one is white), you are automatically a racist.
Here's an article decrying the Leftist push of the term Christian Nationalism, being heard all over the place these days. It sounds better than "dominionism." There is always the marketing value of the news to consider.
www.frontpagemag.com/the-relentless-purveyors-of-the-christian-nationalist-lie/
The article is a good one, as far as showing the hypocrisy of it all. I do not necessarily believe that the term propels a lie. Not in principle.
Leftists obviously see a danger in the premise. So do I. They see their Leftist culture threatened. I have no use for Leftist culture. An interesting statement appears at the top of the frontpage website -
"Inside Every Progressive Is A Totalitarian Screaming To Get Out" — David Horowitz
Horowitz used to be a Liberal. But, that is not what makes his current political, cultural stripe compelling. It's the facts and data the site puts together, commenting on the crisis in America.
I see freedom and liberty threatened by Christian Nationalism, prophetically speaking, for anyone who will not go along with the coming union between the RCC and apostate Protestants, (Rev. 13:11-18). Add into that "the kings of the Earth" and you have the triumvirate referred to as spiritual, prophetic Babylon in Revelation. It becomes very political in nature. Persecution results. Persecution always results from that union, which is why America has a separation of church and state. Not a separation of God from state. Very different thing.
I do not expect Leftists to get very much correct. It's all too agenda-driven. They hate Donald Trump. Show TDS 'round the clock. Their "bloodbath" fiasco proves that. They have no affinity for conservative Christians, living a standard that is more old-fashioned in their eyes, not keeping with the times and cultural changes, and there's the battle: which Christians have all but lost but, that is going to change.
In news media Leftists seem to be, mostly, rather elitist in nature. They report and speak in tandem, often hilariously so. Of course, I have met plenty of professed Christians who think and act the same way, so...
Christian Nationalism does not seem to have a distinct definition. It gets kind of fuzzy the more you search for a definition that works for everyone, both sides of the issue.
"Christian nationalism is a type of religious nationalism that is affiliated with Christianity. It primarily focuses on the internal politics of society, such as legislating civil and criminal laws that reflect their view of Christianity and the role of religion/s in political and social life." Wiki
"You’ve probably seen headlines recently about the evils of Christian nationalism, especially since December’s Jericho March in Washington, DC, and since a mob of Trump supporters—many sporting Christian signs, slogans, or symbols—rioted and stormed the US Capitol building on January 6."
That outrageously ignorant and biased paragraph opens an article from Christianity Today.
PBS News Hour -
"What is Christian nationalism and why it raises concerns about threats to democracy"
You'll obvious notice use of "democracy;" not "our Constitutional Republic."
"White Christian nationalism has been in the headlines quite a lot as of late. Brad Onishi is a former evangelical minister who once identified as a Christian nationalist himself. He left the church in 2005 and began studying religion and extremism."
So, America should be swayed by someone who left the faith. Interesting. He left Christianity and began studying religion and extremism. No. You cannot make this stuff up. And his definition of a Christian Nationalist?
"Christian nationalism is an ideology that is based around the idea that this is a Christian nation, that this was founded as a Christian nation, and, therefore, it should be a Christian nation today and should be so in the future."
If that is a correct definition, Christian Nationalists are incorrect. America was not and is not a Christian Nation. The name Jesus Christ does not appear on any document of national founding, law or practice. America is not a Christian nation. It was and barely still is a nation with a lot of professed Christians in its citizenry. But, even from its founding, the baser elements of society began to take root and most of the Founders saw that this experiment would have a rough journey and someday, collapse into history, Christianity or no. Thus far, their fears were half correct. The rest? Seems that will fulfill itself, as well, the way things are going.
Remember, Christ said, "My kingdom is not of this world." Period. There cannot be a Christian nation by virtue of law. By virtue of culture, yes. But, culture changes, as we have witnessed over the last fifty years and certainly the last century, in America. Why? Because there aren't enough Christians in government? No. Because professed Christians no longer live out the faith and belief and standards they once espoused. They have a much smaller influence and impact on society.
So, when Christians come along and espouse this ideology, they are into something that has the potential to go very wrong because it begins, it starts out on an error.
I believe in American nationalism. I have no problem with individual Christians becoming elected civil servants, abiding by Federal and State Constitutions. Obviously, America has laws that reflect Judeo/Christian culture. But, Christ said not to look on women (or men for that matter), with lust in the heart. That's a sin. God forbid it becomes a crime. Well, you see, in early America, Pilgrim justice had as much thought crime as Leftists would like to install. They have hate laws and crimes of physical nature. They would love to condemn people for how they think, as well. Off to the rehabilitation, mind-manipulation camps! Some actually do think that way. Communists and all. They are not afraid to speak it or write it, even if most will not.
NO religious group should have control of a nation. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." Christianity is an establishment of religion. Within Christianity are many establishments of religion, like Sunday laws.
America is filled with churches. Many used to be members of one congregation that had some kind of turmoil between members, and another church was started right across the street. Ever wonder why "First Baptist" signs permeate towns and cities all across the nation? So, if Christians can't get along, how on Earth should Americans run by Christians make everyone comfortable with such an arrangement?
Again, what version of Christianity should elected civil servants be motivated by? Catholic? Various Protestant faiths? Turmoil right there. Pentecostal? Messianic? What is coming is an arrangement to agree on major points and leave everything else out of it. Of course, that betrays their own faith; picking and choosing what is the most important thing to concentrate on and frankly, is it something to be desired to have Christians, I mean dedicated Christians, deciding on matters of war? Just the death decree gives rise to arguments that heat up quickly. Frankly, you cannot get the issue of abortion settled between all professed Christian churches, nor any other matter disturbing the American landscape, including the "pandemic" and resulting medical tyranny.
This is not to say I'd want atheists in government. An atheist cannot abide by the principle that freedom and liberty comes from God. How can they administer the law in a balanced way if they deny the existence of God? Honestly, just because 500 people in Congress say they are affiliated with a church denomination or faith does not mean squat when it comes to practicing the Christian faith or any other. And the way they run the nation, that obviously shows, in failing colors. It is no wonder Congress has an approval rating around 10%. Fact is, an atheist can run for office and if he or she believes in the principles of Americanism, and pledges to stay true to them, their lack of faith in deity would not necessarily prove them unfit to administer law and order. An atheist can recognize the order that a functioning Christian society brings and establishes. Christians are not the problem. Hypocrites are.
This post could go on and on with definitions and people opposed to Christian Nationalism solely because they oppose Christians. Nationalism has nothing to do with it because they hate the America the Founders developed. They want a Leftist, communist, fascist, nation where government run by radical Democrats, run everything and turn lives into hell if people attempt to stand up and challenge government. They scream, "Trump! Dictator!" while Biden literally blasts half the United States populace for being MAGA supporters. They use agencies as their lap dogs and hounds and enforcers of their ideology; showing up in the dark morning hours to take away dissidents. China? No, America. Hypocrites.
The bottom line is, people elected to positions of civil service should only be judged by their strict adherence to the Constitution and principles of limited government. I doubt a few handfuls of people in Congress can be found to actually believe in that standard, today, and stand up for it no matter what the cost to their political careers.
No doubt; the swamp should be cleaned out. Replaced by citizens who love the principles of Americanism developed by the Founders, as the nation seeks to become better in the principles espoused by those great men: a more perfect union.
I do not believe Christian Nationalism is in complete harmony with those principles.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
HUH????
"Undocumented Immigrants Have Right to Own Guns, Judge Rules"
www.newsweek.com/undocumented-immigrants-have-right-own-guns-judge-rules-1880806
"The Court finds that Carbajal-Flores' criminal record, containing no improper use of a weapon, as well as the non-violent circumstances of his arrest do not support a finding that he poses a risk to public safety such that he cannot be trusted to use a weapon responsibly and should be deprived of his Second Amendment right to bear arms in self-defense," Coleman, who was appointed under President Barack Obama, wrote in her eight-page ruling filed March 8.
"Biden Regime Launches Federal Gun-Grab Operation to “Keep Firearms Out of the Hands” of People Who “Pose a Threat to Others” "
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/breaking-biden-regime-launches-federal-gun-grab-operation/
“ERPO laws, which are modeled off domestic violence protection orders, create a civil process allowing law enforcement, family members (in most states), and medical professionals or other groups (in some states) to petition a court to temporarily prohibit someone at risk of harming themselves or others from purchasing and possessing firearms for the duration of the order.” the DOJ said.
So, let me get this straight. Illegal immigrants, already felons by entering America illegally, having no second amendment rights, can own firearms, and be given second amendment rights, as default criminal felons, while at the same time, a host of various groups can determine who cannot own a firearm because they could be determined to be a potential harm to themselves or others; all while Joe Biden has declared MAGA supporters the greatest threat to democracy.
Do I have that right? And people trust elected civil servants, why?
They are trying to start a civil war.
What does the attack in Russia tell us? It tells us the globalists are trying to foment a world war so, Americans should EXPECT possible attacks at large events of any kind - political, sporting, entertainment, educational, business conferences, media events... nothing should be off the table. These pathological enemies of all righteousness are just shy of demons in human flesh. But, they are certainly under the control of them.
God help us.
www.newsweek.com/undocumented-immigrants-have-right-own-guns-judge-rules-1880806
"The Court finds that Carbajal-Flores' criminal record, containing no improper use of a weapon, as well as the non-violent circumstances of his arrest do not support a finding that he poses a risk to public safety such that he cannot be trusted to use a weapon responsibly and should be deprived of his Second Amendment right to bear arms in self-defense," Coleman, who was appointed under President Barack Obama, wrote in her eight-page ruling filed March 8.
"Biden Regime Launches Federal Gun-Grab Operation to “Keep Firearms Out of the Hands” of People Who “Pose a Threat to Others” "
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/breaking-biden-regime-launches-federal-gun-grab-operation/
“ERPO laws, which are modeled off domestic violence protection orders, create a civil process allowing law enforcement, family members (in most states), and medical professionals or other groups (in some states) to petition a court to temporarily prohibit someone at risk of harming themselves or others from purchasing and possessing firearms for the duration of the order.” the DOJ said.
So, let me get this straight. Illegal immigrants, already felons by entering America illegally, having no second amendment rights, can own firearms, and be given second amendment rights, as default criminal felons, while at the same time, a host of various groups can determine who cannot own a firearm because they could be determined to be a potential harm to themselves or others; all while Joe Biden has declared MAGA supporters the greatest threat to democracy.
Do I have that right? And people trust elected civil servants, why?
They are trying to start a civil war.
What does the attack in Russia tell us? It tells us the globalists are trying to foment a world war so, Americans should EXPECT possible attacks at large events of any kind - political, sporting, entertainment, educational, business conferences, media events... nothing should be off the table. These pathological enemies of all righteousness are just shy of demons in human flesh. But, they are certainly under the control of them.
God help us.
*****************************
Caitlin Facing Catfights?
I am certain there are people reading this who realize I come to the cognizance of the Caitlin Clark phenomena way late to the party. I have only known about this young woman for a month. Those who have followed or are familiar with her basketball career at Iowa University realize her impact on all things basketball.
Here's the gig in today's America. I'm awake early this morning, around 2 am. I fell asleep watching something on YouTube. I pick up where I left off and in the side bar I see some things about Clark. I click on one and you know how YT works. The sidebar fills up with the same kind of videos. I am seeing videos of how Caitlin is about to face the wrath of the WNBA because she is a straight, white, Catholic woman whom few are ready to take on with her enormous fame, fan base, basketball records, endorsement deals and all the rest. WOKE is apparently the WNBA.
I should not be surprised but, I am. Here comes a meal ticket for the WNBA they have never seen before. I do not follow the NBA. I could not name all the teams in it. I know plenty of basketball legends from my young years. I know the names of the mid-90's Chicago Bulls and other players from that era. I know few current players. That said, I know who Steph is. I know who LeBron is. I know who Kevin Durant is. I know who (recently discovered), "Wemby;" Victor Wembanyama is. I have no idea who any WNBA player is. The league started in 1997. From then till now, I could not name a single WNBA player.
Caitlin Clark is going to literally put the WNBA on the map for millions of people. You might think the WNBA would be thrilled about that. Apparently not. Already former and current players are... not badmouthing her. What can they say about her that could be bad? What they are doing is taking out the knives of wokeness and stating Clark is not what she has been made out to be. I would ask, What has she been made out to be? A seriously incredible basketball performer; an artist at what she does and has accomplished, all with a seemingly decent character and friendly personality. What is she not, as far as basketball? I assume she will leave IU with a degree. I could not tell you what that will be. I'd have to look it up but, in one month I have come to see this young woman has literally, actually changed women's college basketball and is about to do the same for the WNBA. Will woke women in the league, apparently not happy she is not "Black," LGBTQ+, atheist and socially/politically outspoken kill their goose about to lay golden eggs for the league? If they pounce on Clark, they shoot themselves in the foot, logically speaking. Sports news will eat it up. Fans will be upset, and all of it will put more pressure on Caitlin and what then? Emotional collapse? Physical collapse? Playing slumps?
They say she is a fighter. Make the task harder, she pushes even more to beat it. For her, basketball is her life, her hopes and dreams. From my perspective, not a good thing, in and of itself but, can it be possible the WNBA will treat her as an invasive species? People are asking Americans to pray for Caitlin Clark? She's going into professional basketball, not going off to war. On the other hand, maybe she is going off to war... with haters. You know who they are. The ones who tell us we are the haters. We are the racists. We are the threats to democracy. We are the phobes. We are the problem.
What a ridiculously confused mess America is.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Here's the gig in today's America. I'm awake early this morning, around 2 am. I fell asleep watching something on YouTube. I pick up where I left off and in the side bar I see some things about Clark. I click on one and you know how YT works. The sidebar fills up with the same kind of videos. I am seeing videos of how Caitlin is about to face the wrath of the WNBA because she is a straight, white, Catholic woman whom few are ready to take on with her enormous fame, fan base, basketball records, endorsement deals and all the rest. WOKE is apparently the WNBA.
I should not be surprised but, I am. Here comes a meal ticket for the WNBA they have never seen before. I do not follow the NBA. I could not name all the teams in it. I know plenty of basketball legends from my young years. I know the names of the mid-90's Chicago Bulls and other players from that era. I know few current players. That said, I know who Steph is. I know who LeBron is. I know who Kevin Durant is. I know who (recently discovered), "Wemby;" Victor Wembanyama is. I have no idea who any WNBA player is. The league started in 1997. From then till now, I could not name a single WNBA player.
Caitlin Clark is going to literally put the WNBA on the map for millions of people. You might think the WNBA would be thrilled about that. Apparently not. Already former and current players are... not badmouthing her. What can they say about her that could be bad? What they are doing is taking out the knives of wokeness and stating Clark is not what she has been made out to be. I would ask, What has she been made out to be? A seriously incredible basketball performer; an artist at what she does and has accomplished, all with a seemingly decent character and friendly personality. What is she not, as far as basketball? I assume she will leave IU with a degree. I could not tell you what that will be. I'd have to look it up but, in one month I have come to see this young woman has literally, actually changed women's college basketball and is about to do the same for the WNBA. Will woke women in the league, apparently not happy she is not "Black," LGBTQ+, atheist and socially/politically outspoken kill their goose about to lay golden eggs for the league? If they pounce on Clark, they shoot themselves in the foot, logically speaking. Sports news will eat it up. Fans will be upset, and all of it will put more pressure on Caitlin and what then? Emotional collapse? Physical collapse? Playing slumps?
They say she is a fighter. Make the task harder, she pushes even more to beat it. For her, basketball is her life, her hopes and dreams. From my perspective, not a good thing, in and of itself but, can it be possible the WNBA will treat her as an invasive species? People are asking Americans to pray for Caitlin Clark? She's going into professional basketball, not going off to war. On the other hand, maybe she is going off to war... with haters. You know who they are. The ones who tell us we are the haters. We are the racists. We are the threats to democracy. We are the phobes. We are the problem.
What a ridiculously confused mess America is.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Eddie Feigner
When I was a boy, back in the 60's, I can remember the game that night; the lights, the uniforms, the crowd, the oos and ahhs and whoahs and laughter and shock: the spectacle of watching the King and His Court do something unimaginable to me. Unimaginable to everyone who beheld it.
One pitcher, catcher, first baseman and short stop beat a regional champion softball team in the most amazing display of baseball artistry ever seen by mankind. No kidding.
Eddie Feigner was a marvel. Absolutely. Most of the time his "team" didn't do much but stand and watch him strike out batter, after batter, after batter, after batter, after batter and maybe the guys caught a pop-up and then batter, after batter, after batter, after batter went down looking or swinging; poof! Ball in mitt. Another one bites the dust.
Yeah, they lost sometimes. Not that night.
If you don't believe me or if you remember Feigner's mastery, you will appreciate this video I just watched on YouTube -
Why You've Never Heard of the Best Athlete Ever
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY283rzWvUc
Enjoy.
One pitcher, catcher, first baseman and short stop beat a regional champion softball team in the most amazing display of baseball artistry ever seen by mankind. No kidding.
Eddie Feigner was a marvel. Absolutely. Most of the time his "team" didn't do much but stand and watch him strike out batter, after batter, after batter, after batter, after batter and maybe the guys caught a pop-up and then batter, after batter, after batter, after batter went down looking or swinging; poof! Ball in mitt. Another one bites the dust.
Yeah, they lost sometimes. Not that night.
If you don't believe me or if you remember Feigner's mastery, you will appreciate this video I just watched on YouTube -
Why You've Never Heard of the Best Athlete Ever
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY283rzWvUc
Enjoy.
*****************************
939. The WNBA
March 25, 2024
Man, oh, man. The side bar on YouTube seems to be filling up with stuff about the Women's National Basketball Association and how Caitlin Clark will fit in... yeah, no. NOT fit in.
How serious is this? If I see this, as someone totally apart from the sport and its machinery, social consciousness and practice, certainly Caitlin and her family, friends and and business partners must know all this.
I did not just look at the headlines of videos. I watched some. Well, at least far enough in to get the gist of what each channel poster wanted to put out there. And seeing they are referencing magazine articles and other types of media: TV, podcasts, etc., this building controversy has all been busting out in the last month, as far as YT posts.
Because I come to this, really from a place of ignorance of the world of all things basketball, I have no clue just how accurate all the information is. Therefore, I'll give you a few YT channel names but, if you are interested, you can check out the channels. I do not want to be responsible for directing anyone to untruthful content, on the face of it. Personally, all things considered, I believe what is being reported because of the current cultural war taking place in America. So, when a former WNBA player reportedly claims she retired two years early because she no longer wanted to live under the pressures the world of the WNBA placed upon her; a world she claims is 98% lesbian (while that seems rather impossible, and I'll say so, it stands to reason the percentage is high and influential), and brings with it the entire woke system of rejection, marginalization and abuse like we see the homosexual agenda playing out throughout America, I tend to believe her.
Melanie King
Melanie King@itsmelanieking‧527K subscribers‧427 videos
Barry Cunningham
Barry Cunningham@barrycunninghamshow‧54.4K subscribers‧1.1K videos
Other channels are commenting on this situation but, those are two I watched videos from.
EDIT: just watched this video, which contains some good principles on the subject -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d4r5Fwn4vk
Oh, mercy, and another, bringing the receipts -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lhPktl9Fgc
For my part, this is all prophetic. This is all biblical. This is all part of one of the biggest signs of the times in the entire Bible addressing last-day events: the rise of homosexuality in the populace which has violent potential and agenda.
Jesus said, such as it was in Sodom and Gomorrah, so shall it be when He returns. Genesis 19 addresses the events surrounding the destruction of Sodom. A homosexual horde, with violent intentions, wanted to "know" visitors that showed up and entered Lot's home. The word "know" in the Hebrew is "yada." Yes, that yada, yada, yada.
Gen 19:4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
Gen 19:5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
Gen 19:6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
Gen 19:7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
The word yada appears 946 times in the manuscripts Bibles are translated from. It can have wide, various meaning but, in the case with Sodom, it was a case of bold, openly declared practice that was commonplace in the region: the sin of homosexuality. While prevalent in the region, it was practiced everywhere.
Judg 19:22 Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.
Judg 19:23 And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.
Isa 3:8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
Isa 3:9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
The context of the word displays it obvious meaning.
Gen 4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
Sexual intimacy between a man and woman, husband and wife, is certainly no sin. It is a gift from God. The gift, perverted, is something that can become common but, in God's eyes is a great distortion of the order He created and placed before humanity.
Rom 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Rom 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
Rom 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meant.
Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Rom 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Rom 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
It all led to the Flood, the destruction of the world in the days of Noah. It led to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the days of Lot. It shall lead to the destruction of the world, when Christ returns.
The rise of homosexuality in America and Western civilization, in general, has been steady. It grew to violence with ACT UP. I remember the riots and destruction of property. We see the intent of the LGBTQ+ agenda today; tearing down anything and anyone who says anything against it. Even professed Christianity, with the Bible as its standard, openly allows homosexuality in its confines of membership and clergy. It is splitting apart entire denominations. This is happening in all of Western civilization. "Coming out" is no longer a surprise, a shock, a headline. Recent surveys reveal the growing numbers. Upwards of 33% of women in the 18-30 age group now confess to be part of the LGBTQ+ community, in America.
The words "sodomy" and "Sodomites" are not just pulled out of thin air. They represent that which took place within the cities of the plain in the days of Abraham and his nephew, Lot.
The issue is not "love." The issue is not sex. The issue is the dismantling of God's created order and thereby the dismantling of society.
Caitlin Clark, seemingly is entering a lion's den; and it shall be worse for her than her predecessors who have played in the WNBA. May God give her wisdom to deal with whatever she enters into. Signature on contracts, beware.
For me, and most Christians, whatever people do in the privacy of their own home is between them and God. It's not my business. When it becomes an open practice and agenda, then the Christian must point out the principle of God's denunciation and its impact on society. Christ stated the practice would be prevalent when He returns. It is. That means He is returning soon. There can be no doubt about this. This is not just a societal upheaval becoming commonplace. This is a major sign Christ is coming back to this Earth, in judgment of it.
Rom 2:1 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whosoever you are that judges: for wherein you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you that judge do the same things.
Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
Rom 2:3 And do you think this, O man, that judges them which do such things, and do the same, that you shall escape the judgment of God?
Rom 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
No one who practices sin is going to escape the judgment of God. He wants all to be led to repentance through His goodness and love for sinners: to change their hearts and minds; to turn them around before it is too late.
The issue is so much more immense than the WNBA and coming career choices for Caitlin Clark. It is planetary in nature. It is all wrapped up in a world pushing God away; rebelling, revolting, rejecting His standard found in His good and holy will for mankind.
This is why it is senseless to look at religion and the Bible in some manner of distrust or mocking. Two thousand years ago, the Messiah told His listeners the practice of homosexuality and other attitudes and practice of societal life associated with Sodom and Gomorrah, that brought destruction to them and the cities of the plain, would be prevailing upon Earth when He returns. How could He know? How could he predict so massive a change in humanity? Because He is Deity. Because He is Emmanuel; "God with us," Matt. 1:23. Because He knows the end from the beginning, Isa. 46:9,10. Because He wants all to come to repentance and prepare for what is coming on the Earth as an overwhelming surprise, because people are not paying attention, 2 Peter 3:9,10. They are not looking into these matters. They are in darkness; a gross darkness covering the Earth and its inhabitants, Isaiah 60:2.
This is not about hate. This is about shouting to the world, Hey! Wake up! Open your eyes! Get your act together! Christ came once. He's coming again and the world is coming to an end this time! No joke! Do not mock. Do not doubt. Do not go about your life as though all is well. Earth is about to become the final battlefield between good and evil! No one can escape what is coming. No one can safely park this on a back shelf. No one can cast this aside as foolishness and absurdity. You try and predict societal events 2,000 years in the future and get it right. This is the end of all things and it was predicted by Christ and prophets thousands of years ago, in detail.
Christ is coming.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
How serious is this? If I see this, as someone totally apart from the sport and its machinery, social consciousness and practice, certainly Caitlin and her family, friends and and business partners must know all this.
I did not just look at the headlines of videos. I watched some. Well, at least far enough in to get the gist of what each channel poster wanted to put out there. And seeing they are referencing magazine articles and other types of media: TV, podcasts, etc., this building controversy has all been busting out in the last month, as far as YT posts.
Because I come to this, really from a place of ignorance of the world of all things basketball, I have no clue just how accurate all the information is. Therefore, I'll give you a few YT channel names but, if you are interested, you can check out the channels. I do not want to be responsible for directing anyone to untruthful content, on the face of it. Personally, all things considered, I believe what is being reported because of the current cultural war taking place in America. So, when a former WNBA player reportedly claims she retired two years early because she no longer wanted to live under the pressures the world of the WNBA placed upon her; a world she claims is 98% lesbian (while that seems rather impossible, and I'll say so, it stands to reason the percentage is high and influential), and brings with it the entire woke system of rejection, marginalization and abuse like we see the homosexual agenda playing out throughout America, I tend to believe her.
Melanie King
Melanie King@itsmelanieking‧527K subscribers‧427 videos
Barry Cunningham
Barry Cunningham@barrycunninghamshow‧54.4K subscribers‧1.1K videos
Other channels are commenting on this situation but, those are two I watched videos from.
EDIT: just watched this video, which contains some good principles on the subject -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d4r5Fwn4vk
Oh, mercy, and another, bringing the receipts -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lhPktl9Fgc
For my part, this is all prophetic. This is all biblical. This is all part of one of the biggest signs of the times in the entire Bible addressing last-day events: the rise of homosexuality in the populace which has violent potential and agenda.
Jesus said, such as it was in Sodom and Gomorrah, so shall it be when He returns. Genesis 19 addresses the events surrounding the destruction of Sodom. A homosexual horde, with violent intentions, wanted to "know" visitors that showed up and entered Lot's home. The word "know" in the Hebrew is "yada." Yes, that yada, yada, yada.
Gen 19:4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
Gen 19:5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
Gen 19:6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
Gen 19:7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
The word yada appears 946 times in the manuscripts Bibles are translated from. It can have wide, various meaning but, in the case with Sodom, it was a case of bold, openly declared practice that was commonplace in the region: the sin of homosexuality. While prevalent in the region, it was practiced everywhere.
Judg 19:22 Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.
Judg 19:23 And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.
Isa 3:8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
Isa 3:9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
The context of the word displays it obvious meaning.
Gen 4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
Sexual intimacy between a man and woman, husband and wife, is certainly no sin. It is a gift from God. The gift, perverted, is something that can become common but, in God's eyes is a great distortion of the order He created and placed before humanity.
Rom 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Rom 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
Rom 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meant.
Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Rom 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Rom 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
It all led to the Flood, the destruction of the world in the days of Noah. It led to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the days of Lot. It shall lead to the destruction of the world, when Christ returns.
The rise of homosexuality in America and Western civilization, in general, has been steady. It grew to violence with ACT UP. I remember the riots and destruction of property. We see the intent of the LGBTQ+ agenda today; tearing down anything and anyone who says anything against it. Even professed Christianity, with the Bible as its standard, openly allows homosexuality in its confines of membership and clergy. It is splitting apart entire denominations. This is happening in all of Western civilization. "Coming out" is no longer a surprise, a shock, a headline. Recent surveys reveal the growing numbers. Upwards of 33% of women in the 18-30 age group now confess to be part of the LGBTQ+ community, in America.
The words "sodomy" and "Sodomites" are not just pulled out of thin air. They represent that which took place within the cities of the plain in the days of Abraham and his nephew, Lot.
The issue is not "love." The issue is not sex. The issue is the dismantling of God's created order and thereby the dismantling of society.
Caitlin Clark, seemingly is entering a lion's den; and it shall be worse for her than her predecessors who have played in the WNBA. May God give her wisdom to deal with whatever she enters into. Signature on contracts, beware.
For me, and most Christians, whatever people do in the privacy of their own home is between them and God. It's not my business. When it becomes an open practice and agenda, then the Christian must point out the principle of God's denunciation and its impact on society. Christ stated the practice would be prevalent when He returns. It is. That means He is returning soon. There can be no doubt about this. This is not just a societal upheaval becoming commonplace. This is a major sign Christ is coming back to this Earth, in judgment of it.
Rom 2:1 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whosoever you are that judges: for wherein you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you that judge do the same things.
Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
Rom 2:3 And do you think this, O man, that judges them which do such things, and do the same, that you shall escape the judgment of God?
Rom 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
No one who practices sin is going to escape the judgment of God. He wants all to be led to repentance through His goodness and love for sinners: to change their hearts and minds; to turn them around before it is too late.
The issue is so much more immense than the WNBA and coming career choices for Caitlin Clark. It is planetary in nature. It is all wrapped up in a world pushing God away; rebelling, revolting, rejecting His standard found in His good and holy will for mankind.
This is why it is senseless to look at religion and the Bible in some manner of distrust or mocking. Two thousand years ago, the Messiah told His listeners the practice of homosexuality and other attitudes and practice of societal life associated with Sodom and Gomorrah, that brought destruction to them and the cities of the plain, would be prevailing upon Earth when He returns. How could He know? How could he predict so massive a change in humanity? Because He is Deity. Because He is Emmanuel; "God with us," Matt. 1:23. Because He knows the end from the beginning, Isa. 46:9,10. Because He wants all to come to repentance and prepare for what is coming on the Earth as an overwhelming surprise, because people are not paying attention, 2 Peter 3:9,10. They are not looking into these matters. They are in darkness; a gross darkness covering the Earth and its inhabitants, Isaiah 60:2.
This is not about hate. This is about shouting to the world, Hey! Wake up! Open your eyes! Get your act together! Christ came once. He's coming again and the world is coming to an end this time! No joke! Do not mock. Do not doubt. Do not go about your life as though all is well. Earth is about to become the final battlefield between good and evil! No one can escape what is coming. No one can safely park this on a back shelf. No one can cast this aside as foolishness and absurdity. You try and predict societal events 2,000 years in the future and get it right. This is the end of all things and it was predicted by Christ and prophets thousands of years ago, in detail.
Christ is coming.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Lawsuit Filed Against NCAA
As the whole Caitlin Clark/Iowa women's basketball team's saga continues, we now learn the NCAA itself, is so "woke" that some have concluded Iowa's path to the Final Four was packed with teams that have either beaten them before or hopefully will, so these white, traditional women do not become the face of women's college basketball. Yes, racism on parade. The NCAA probably could not care less about the charge but, this they will have no choice but, to address.
I just watched a video of a news conference held by ICON - the Independent Council on Women's Sports. A lawsuit has been filed against the NCAA - the National Collegiate Athletics Association. The lawsuit addresses the NCAA's position and practice of allowing biological males to compete and occupy safe spaces, in full nudity, with women athletes.
I post a lot of things about spiritual, prophetic Babylon - confusion - because the confusion in all aspects of human life has become so bizarre, it is humorously revolting; at least to those practicing common sense and holding to a traditional worldview. To those who openly profess this brave new world of the multiverse and multigender, transhumanism, undefinable "woman" era; those who disagree with them are "haters, phobics, Nazis, etc., etc.
The interesting thing is, the lawsuit is actually based on law.
"Title IX is the most commonly used name for the landmark federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government. This is Public Law No. 92‑318, 86 Stat. 235 (June 23, 1972), codified at 20 U.S.C. §§ 1681–1688." Wiki, Title IX
The lawsuit attempts to show how the law is being violated by the NCAA because women are being discriminated against by allowing biological men to compete with women and occupy privacy spaces with them.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbDkB1SJdwA
On the face of it, if no one is willing, (including new SCOTUS judge Jackson), to state what a woman is, the lawsuit should fail. Pretty simple. But, it places before another round of judges to attempt to state their position by using terminology of law and facts of medical science. One would assume the case will go uphill to SCOTUS: a hot potato no one is really going to want to handle.
Never in history has humanity been so confused on so many aspects of human life but, the confusion is not recognized as such. It is recognized and hailed as progression and advancement. The situation has placed most of all humanity into two basic camps. Some of the camps, normally quite Left, are joining with camps on the Right, depending on the issue. This current crisis in women's sports is one of them.
At various times in history those in power have been able to define and enforce their reality on others. The history of the United States is no different. Issues like slavery, women's rights, children's rights, babies in wombs rights, worker's rights, rights regarding freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, etc., have all had and have their sides chosen by the populace and generally, the rule of law and principles of Americanism have gained victories after long and hard fights. The thing is, all of it exists because of a simple fact:
America began to forget God.
The Founders all believed in a Deity, a Sovereign of the universe, the Creator that had a place in the process of developing this nation and establishment of its laws. Almost all 50 states made their thanks known to that Deity in their State Constitutions; certainly the original States paved the way. America was settled by people attempting to get away from religious and secular tyranny. They fought a war with England to solidify their freedom and liberty. Almost all of them recognized the plight of trying to hold on to such freedom, nationally and individually. Their predictions of a fading liberty in this country have come to harvest a very confusing crop.
Men, identifying as "women," and "women" identifying as men are turning America upside down; medicine, the marketplace, sports, religion, indeed, turning Western civilization upside down. It is such an obvious confusion it eclipses all that can be called common sense.
I obviously hope the women win their lawsuit. What then? Transgender leagues. That is the only logical outcome. Of course, the time it would take to make up one team in any sport would become a spectacle of the unreasonable.
The Bible lays down one of the most serious principles ever known.
Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Isa 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
Isa 1:20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Although this was stated to God's ancient people; in principle, it always applies to all humanity. If we will reason with God, reason will place us in a positive position. If we will not reason with God, we shall lose the ability to reason and make shipwreck of our existence.
This principle is always playing out; day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year, decade by decade, century by century, millennium by millennium.
As we near the close of all human history, the principle will conclude with a vast majority unreasonably rebelling against God and His law; and remnant of believers keeping the commandments of God and the faith and testimony of Jesus Christ.
Principle against policy. Men and women, created as such, against gender identity.
The order of God against the order of confused humankind.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
************************************************************************
And the confusion rages on -
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/minnesota-democrat-introduces-legislation-make-it-legal-women/
Minnesota Democrat Introduces Legislation to Make it Legal for Women to go Topless, Citing “Gender Identity”
I just watched a video of a news conference held by ICON - the Independent Council on Women's Sports. A lawsuit has been filed against the NCAA - the National Collegiate Athletics Association. The lawsuit addresses the NCAA's position and practice of allowing biological males to compete and occupy safe spaces, in full nudity, with women athletes.
I post a lot of things about spiritual, prophetic Babylon - confusion - because the confusion in all aspects of human life has become so bizarre, it is humorously revolting; at least to those practicing common sense and holding to a traditional worldview. To those who openly profess this brave new world of the multiverse and multigender, transhumanism, undefinable "woman" era; those who disagree with them are "haters, phobics, Nazis, etc., etc.
The interesting thing is, the lawsuit is actually based on law.
"Title IX is the most commonly used name for the landmark federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government. This is Public Law No. 92‑318, 86 Stat. 235 (June 23, 1972), codified at 20 U.S.C. §§ 1681–1688." Wiki, Title IX
The lawsuit attempts to show how the law is being violated by the NCAA because women are being discriminated against by allowing biological men to compete with women and occupy privacy spaces with them.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbDkB1SJdwA
On the face of it, if no one is willing, (including new SCOTUS judge Jackson), to state what a woman is, the lawsuit should fail. Pretty simple. But, it places before another round of judges to attempt to state their position by using terminology of law and facts of medical science. One would assume the case will go uphill to SCOTUS: a hot potato no one is really going to want to handle.
Never in history has humanity been so confused on so many aspects of human life but, the confusion is not recognized as such. It is recognized and hailed as progression and advancement. The situation has placed most of all humanity into two basic camps. Some of the camps, normally quite Left, are joining with camps on the Right, depending on the issue. This current crisis in women's sports is one of them.
At various times in history those in power have been able to define and enforce their reality on others. The history of the United States is no different. Issues like slavery, women's rights, children's rights, babies in wombs rights, worker's rights, rights regarding freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, etc., have all had and have their sides chosen by the populace and generally, the rule of law and principles of Americanism have gained victories after long and hard fights. The thing is, all of it exists because of a simple fact:
America began to forget God.
The Founders all believed in a Deity, a Sovereign of the universe, the Creator that had a place in the process of developing this nation and establishment of its laws. Almost all 50 states made their thanks known to that Deity in their State Constitutions; certainly the original States paved the way. America was settled by people attempting to get away from religious and secular tyranny. They fought a war with England to solidify their freedom and liberty. Almost all of them recognized the plight of trying to hold on to such freedom, nationally and individually. Their predictions of a fading liberty in this country have come to harvest a very confusing crop.
Men, identifying as "women," and "women" identifying as men are turning America upside down; medicine, the marketplace, sports, religion, indeed, turning Western civilization upside down. It is such an obvious confusion it eclipses all that can be called common sense.
I obviously hope the women win their lawsuit. What then? Transgender leagues. That is the only logical outcome. Of course, the time it would take to make up one team in any sport would become a spectacle of the unreasonable.
The Bible lays down one of the most serious principles ever known.
Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Isa 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
Isa 1:20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Although this was stated to God's ancient people; in principle, it always applies to all humanity. If we will reason with God, reason will place us in a positive position. If we will not reason with God, we shall lose the ability to reason and make shipwreck of our existence.
This principle is always playing out; day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year, decade by decade, century by century, millennium by millennium.
As we near the close of all human history, the principle will conclude with a vast majority unreasonably rebelling against God and His law; and remnant of believers keeping the commandments of God and the faith and testimony of Jesus Christ.
Principle against policy. Men and women, created as such, against gender identity.
The order of God against the order of confused humankind.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
************************************************************************
And the confusion rages on -
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/minnesota-democrat-introduces-legislation-make-it-legal-women/
Minnesota Democrat Introduces Legislation to Make it Legal for Women to go Topless, Citing “Gender Identity”
*****************************
Francis: Do Not Reject mRNA Injections
Pope Francis is... confused. He says, I am confused, and all those who reject the Covid "vaccines."
"Pope Francis denounces ‘anti-vaxxers,’ calls COVID jab refusal an ‘almost suicidal act of denial’
"Pope Francis has once again touted the abortion-tainted COVID vaccines, reissuing his condemnation of those who refused to take the shot."
www.lifesitenews.com/news/pope-francis-denounces-anti-vaxxers-calls-covid-jab-refusal-an-almost-suicidal-act-of-denial/
"The Pontiff, who has remained an outspoken promoter of the injections from the start, opined that “a generalized fear was created when superficial explanations of how the vaccines worked spoke of injections of the virus into the body. There were also claims there was nothing but water in the vials; some people even stated publicly that microchips were being implanted in people.”
“All this,” he said, “created confusion and panic.”
"Particularly during the height of COVID-19 related restrictions, Francis regularly pushed the “moral obligation” of taking an abortion-tainted jab as being an “act of love.” As early as late summer 2020, he suggested that “everyone” must take the COVID-19 vaccine. “I believe that, ethically, everyone should take the vaccine,” he said. The pope added “it must be done.”
Yes, I'm a Protestant. Still, just from a human standpoint, the article is hard to read. The Vatican is on top of..., well, everything. It's intelligence apparatus is second to none. So, the Pope has to know all the dangerous, if not deadly side effects these fluids have manifested all over the globe. Of course he does. Then, why push them? Because the Pope is a globalist. He may or may not be part of the cabal of secular tyrants seeking control. Some say, Yes. Some say, No. I don't know and do not care. I'll judge the Pope on what he says. We know he believes in forced wealth redistribution as something owed to humanity. He's a communist. We know his theology is not even Catholic anymore, on important matters. We know he has angered and confused his own flock over his statements on a bucket of subjects. Why? Well, at the very least, he is confused, and that would make sense, seeing he is the current man of sin, son of perdition, head of the beast power and Mother of harlots and abominations that has fornicated with the kings of the Earth; supposedly the vicar, the stand-in for Christ on Earth, yes, even holding the place of God Almighty on Earth, according to one of his predecessors, Leo XIII.
So, indeed, it is not a stretch to either believe Francis is very ignorant of the truth of the "pandemic" and its planned aftermath with the "vaccines" (seemingly ignorant of what a vaccine actually is), or he is well aware of all of it and part of it; despite outward tinsel of projecting Romanized fatherhood on all his flock of 1.2 billion sheep.
I know I am not confused about the plandemic. Researchers, investigators, whistleblowers, reporters, almost numberless testimonials, and those who "died suddenly," with new victims dying every day, all combines to educate those who take the time to just read or listen, that the Pope is not just wrong. He is abominably wrong.
"Come out of her MY people..." Rev 18:1-5.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
"Pope Francis denounces ‘anti-vaxxers,’ calls COVID jab refusal an ‘almost suicidal act of denial’
"Pope Francis has once again touted the abortion-tainted COVID vaccines, reissuing his condemnation of those who refused to take the shot."
www.lifesitenews.com/news/pope-francis-denounces-anti-vaxxers-calls-covid-jab-refusal-an-almost-suicidal-act-of-denial/
"The Pontiff, who has remained an outspoken promoter of the injections from the start, opined that “a generalized fear was created when superficial explanations of how the vaccines worked spoke of injections of the virus into the body. There were also claims there was nothing but water in the vials; some people even stated publicly that microchips were being implanted in people.”
“All this,” he said, “created confusion and panic.”
"Particularly during the height of COVID-19 related restrictions, Francis regularly pushed the “moral obligation” of taking an abortion-tainted jab as being an “act of love.” As early as late summer 2020, he suggested that “everyone” must take the COVID-19 vaccine. “I believe that, ethically, everyone should take the vaccine,” he said. The pope added “it must be done.”
Yes, I'm a Protestant. Still, just from a human standpoint, the article is hard to read. The Vatican is on top of..., well, everything. It's intelligence apparatus is second to none. So, the Pope has to know all the dangerous, if not deadly side effects these fluids have manifested all over the globe. Of course he does. Then, why push them? Because the Pope is a globalist. He may or may not be part of the cabal of secular tyrants seeking control. Some say, Yes. Some say, No. I don't know and do not care. I'll judge the Pope on what he says. We know he believes in forced wealth redistribution as something owed to humanity. He's a communist. We know his theology is not even Catholic anymore, on important matters. We know he has angered and confused his own flock over his statements on a bucket of subjects. Why? Well, at the very least, he is confused, and that would make sense, seeing he is the current man of sin, son of perdition, head of the beast power and Mother of harlots and abominations that has fornicated with the kings of the Earth; supposedly the vicar, the stand-in for Christ on Earth, yes, even holding the place of God Almighty on Earth, according to one of his predecessors, Leo XIII.
So, indeed, it is not a stretch to either believe Francis is very ignorant of the truth of the "pandemic" and its planned aftermath with the "vaccines" (seemingly ignorant of what a vaccine actually is), or he is well aware of all of it and part of it; despite outward tinsel of projecting Romanized fatherhood on all his flock of 1.2 billion sheep.
I know I am not confused about the plandemic. Researchers, investigators, whistleblowers, reporters, almost numberless testimonials, and those who "died suddenly," with new victims dying every day, all combines to educate those who take the time to just read or listen, that the Pope is not just wrong. He is abominably wrong.
"Come out of her MY people..." Rev 18:1-5.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
940. DEI or, is It DIE? -
March 27, 2024
Recently, I began seeing another abbreviation in headlines. At first, I didn't bother with it. Just another abbreviation for another type of mental manipulation slated towards anyone with common sense, to demean them and marginalize them to some new conformity of human foolishness. CRT, being another more recent entry onto the stepladder of social stupidity foisted on society by radical Leftists, has caused another fight for whose reality takes precedence in our world.
Yesterday and this morning, after learning what the letters DEI stood for, I decided to just get the info from a solid Leftist source on all things socially tyrannical, which, of course, is Wikipedia.
Now, you may know all this. If you don't, here's the gig -
"Diversity, equity, and inclusion (usually abbreviated DEI) are organizational frameworks which seek to promote "the fair treatment and full participation of all people", particularly groups "who have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination" on the basis of identity or disability. These three notions (diversity, equity, and inclusion) together represent "three closely linked values" which organizations seek to institutionalize through DEI frameworks. Some experts say diversity and inclusion should be decoupled in some cases. Some frameworks, primarily in Britain, substitute the notion of "equity" with equality: equality, diversity, inclusion (EDI). Other variations include diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB), justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI or EDIJ), or diversity, equity, inclusion and access (IDEA, DEIA or DEAI)."
I'm just curious. Well, no. Not curious. I know the facts here. WOMEN, adult females, have historically been underrepresented; subject to discrimination on the basis of IDENTITY. So, following this DEI-thing, as it looms over WOMEN's sports and the entrance of biological MEN competing against this underrepresented, discriminated class of humans, CONFUSION; worse: manipulation - gross violation of common sense and medical science fact - comes into such sharp focus you begin to realize people are losing, not just common sense but, all ability to reason. It's astonishing.
Some writers have begun to turn the letters around to explain this new gig as something that causes WOMEN to spiritually, emotionally, mentally DIE by having to bury every, single, logical premise that rises up in their minds, standing against this new educational manipulation.
Diversity is, if not has, destroyed Europe. Nations, with their particular culture, have been ground down by diversity. The entrance of millions of Muslim immigrants, while some have tried, with levels of success or failure, to become part of the cultures of these new nations, has seen a majority not become part of the national culture but, to the contrary, verbally and physically fight it and slowly but, surely, tear it down; and if the general populace attempts to bring notice to it, they are roundly rejected and in some cases, legally descended upon, arrested, tried, convicted and incarcerated. Multiculturalism has failed in Europe. Diversity is a natural occurrence in all nations because of immigration BUT, it can reach a place where it becomes grounds for exclusion of the very citizens who founded the nation and its culture. Immigration has always been connected to assimilation. Without it, only confusion of culture develops.
Equity: fairness, justice. In this confused world, equity, in principle, is impossible because of the entrance of things that are incredibly confused. If a MAN identifies as a WOMAN, so be it. THAT does not make them a WOMAN, for they cannot be a GIRL or a WOMAN, an adolescent or adult female, because they are a BOY or a MAN, biologically. EVERYBODY knows this. Everybody. So, regardless of not discriminating against someone's warped reality, to be fair and just, WOMEN, WOMEN's sports is being literally invaded by INEQUITY as it INCLUDES MEN in a WOMEN's athletic world and worse, locker rooms and bathrooms, showers, wherever confused humans who identify as something they are not are allowed to go, even to the RAPE of WOMEN by MEN who claim to identify as WOMEN, and those in charge attempt to bury these disgusting events. It is a living nightmare for students and parents caught in this methodical delusion of the radical Left.
DEI is really, actually, the mental manipulation of our entire culture of human civilization. It is the death of reason and common sense. Civilization will DIE to make room for people whose broken sense of reality is being allowed to turn civilization upside down. This is literally happening in front of our faces. Our eyes behold and tell us, this cannot be happening but, it is. Radical Leftists have gained control of, almost the entire realm of public and even private education in America and Western civilization. It is not by chance. It is by planned execution.
WOMEN are being denied their right to be WOMEN and forced to compete against MEN who think they are WOMEN. They are not WOMEN. EVERYONE knows they are not WOMEN. This is not about desk jobs. This is about the physical performance of sports. The entire notion of sports is about the physical nature of human beings - strength, endurance, agility and coordination under more extreme circumstances in various activities people compete in. Regardless of how I might feel about competitions involving bodily injury and bringing God into it all; sports, physical games have existed for ages, in most all cultures. Take the largest, strongest WOMAN in a professional sport involving, strength, endurance, agility and coordination under timed stress and she will be destroyed by MEN in the heat of battle such team or individual sports get into. All the science in the world to train WOMEN to be their most strong, enduring, agile and coordinated will not meet the necessary standards to compete with MEN of the same age. EVERYBODY knows this. Who in their right mind would want MEN competing with WOMEN? No one. Only those not in their right mind would promote and force this dismantling of common understanding, natural observance and obvious conclusion.
Edit: I add this. A Man identifies as a Woman. Okay. That's his reality. He is still a man. He is not a woman, nor can be. He can act feminine. Dress that way. Present himself any way he wants. So, go ahead and identify as a woman and stay in your male side of sport, where your physiology belongs. Nobody in a locker room is going to care. Nobody in a pool or starting line or field is going to care who or what you identify as. Go ahead and compete in the physical realm of your biology. But, they will not do that. Why? Because they do not excel in the physical realm of men's sports. Becoming a woman? Now they excel. Mercy, now we see headlines of transgender men in female prisons having sex with any woman who wants it, including guards, when sex is against the rules. It's a farce. It's a ruse. It's a total deception.
The world is going insane because people with common sense are being shut down and shut out of reasoned discussion in colleges and universities overrun by radical LEFTISM.
Edit: All the supposed graphs and charts of spectrums and categories of how many sexes there are, all of them, must use the base of male and female to begin. There is no third sex found in nature. There are plants, insects, animals that may have functioning aspects of both male and female reproduction but, that does not make them a third sex. They are creations or perversions of two sexes. There is no third sex; no sperg, no spegg. Sperm and egg. That's it. Homosexual humans cannot reproduce offspring without the countering sex involved. I also find it interesting how many of these publications frame titles and graphs with rainbows; the symbol of the LGBTQ, etc., movement. So, is this science or is this all just societal agenda of manipulation? I see the latter. That may be my worldview and I cannot force it upon you. Why should you be allowed to force your worldview and reality upon me? Worse, upon naked women in locker rooms, having to dress or undress in closets? Have we heard of transgender women, breasts and vagina, having to occupy men's locker rooms and men complaining? Or, are we now only allowed to have locker rooms, where any person of any "spectrum" gets to undress before everyone else and not think about it and if they do, get reprimanded and told they need therapy? Well, let's see, numerous sci-fi movies apparently show men and women bathing together in spaceship showers in the future. Yes, Hollywood is always at the forefront of societal confusion and degradation.
You know my bottom line. Sports are not an issue for me. I don't engage, anymore. Theology and Bible prophecy are my bottom line so, I could just stay quiet but, when God has determined to state that the world is going to become confused, and He calls it Babylon, there must be a response from His people. Spiritual, prophetic Babylon is going to take over the world. The homosexual movement of diversity is at the forefront of this confusion. It is not equitable. It is not inclusive. It has the exact same rejection of those who disagree with it, as others have who disagreed with their take on life. That cannot be avoided by any stretch of common sense and reason. It is a war. The dissolution of western civilization is taking place. Biblically, the dissolution of the world is taking place. God is calling the entire human race to hear and understand His last messages to humanity before Christ returns -
Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Rev 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Sports, despite human interest, are not the most important issue out there. The salvation of every person alive is. Seriously. Understand this.
You cannot swim fast enough, cycle strong enough; run or throw or kick or heave anything far enough or fast enough or perfect enough to make it through the gates of Heaven. Trophies and medals and awards mean nothing to our eternal welfare. They are all, in many ways, just distractions. Whatever benefits from physical exercise and mental acuity of performance, they mean little to the exercise of faith in Christ to save us from the strength, endurance, deceptive agility and devilish coordination of Satan and his hosts to destroy humanity.
1Cor. 9:24 Don't you know, that of everyone who runs in the stadium only one seizes the prize?
1Cor. 9:25 And everyone that struggles in competition exercises discipline of self-control in all things. Indeed, they do it to take a perishable crown; but we an imperishable.
1Cor. 9:26 Accordingly, I run, not as uncertainly; I box, not as one beating the air;
1Cor. 9:27 But I subdue my body and bring it under subjection; lest when I have preached to others, I myself, become rejected.
Consider what the apostle writes. Paul considered himself chief of sinners, 1Tim. 1:15. He lived in an empire so vast it could hardly be contemplated in the ancient mind. Colosseums existed throughout the empire. The games in Rome had their counterparts; their seasons, quarterfinals, semifinals and final contests, if you will. These were enormous events, which became events involving Christians dying to entertain the multitudes. Paul was no lightweight of the faith. Many consider him the preeminent proponent of the gospel. Yet, he knew that if he did not gain control of his own sins, through Christ, he could be rejected. The Greek word translated rejected, also translated 'castaway' in the KJV, is also translated a 'reprobate:' someone beyond saving. Paul said, after all his efforts in bringing the gospel to his world, if he did not gain mastery over his own temptations and inclinations he could be lost. The battle with self is not a game. It is not a sport. It is an internal war fought by striving to lay hold of salvation in constant submission to Christ and God's holy and good will for our lives.
Athletes train and train and today, are treated to dieticians, strength coordinators, mind techniques and disciplines to perform their absolute best. All of it may gain a professional career with all the accolades and financial rewards. All of it is as dust to Heaven. Character is the coin of salvation. A Christlike character is the great wealth and prize, the crown for all those who shall enter eternity. Without it, we are lost and when the vast multitudes of history are resurrected to face the executive judgment of God, a consuming fire, sports will be the last thing anyone has on their minds. No. The Bible states the lost, more than the sands of the sea, shall surround the city of eternal majesty and happiness, led on by the great Deceiver in a final attempt to rule but, the fire of God is unleashed and all sin and sinners shall consume in it. Everything becomes "fuel for the lake."
Yes, I feel for women being so abused by radical Leftism all around them in schools, coast to coast. They can stand up to it and in doing so, I hope they prevail. That said, standing against radical Leftism is not the same as standing up against the sins that so easily beset us, and being trained, through sanctification, to make the final stand for truth, against a world gone mad with confusion and rebellion against God, His law and His order.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Yesterday and this morning, after learning what the letters DEI stood for, I decided to just get the info from a solid Leftist source on all things socially tyrannical, which, of course, is Wikipedia.
Now, you may know all this. If you don't, here's the gig -
"Diversity, equity, and inclusion (usually abbreviated DEI) are organizational frameworks which seek to promote "the fair treatment and full participation of all people", particularly groups "who have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination" on the basis of identity or disability. These three notions (diversity, equity, and inclusion) together represent "three closely linked values" which organizations seek to institutionalize through DEI frameworks. Some experts say diversity and inclusion should be decoupled in some cases. Some frameworks, primarily in Britain, substitute the notion of "equity" with equality: equality, diversity, inclusion (EDI). Other variations include diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB), justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI or EDIJ), or diversity, equity, inclusion and access (IDEA, DEIA or DEAI)."
I'm just curious. Well, no. Not curious. I know the facts here. WOMEN, adult females, have historically been underrepresented; subject to discrimination on the basis of IDENTITY. So, following this DEI-thing, as it looms over WOMEN's sports and the entrance of biological MEN competing against this underrepresented, discriminated class of humans, CONFUSION; worse: manipulation - gross violation of common sense and medical science fact - comes into such sharp focus you begin to realize people are losing, not just common sense but, all ability to reason. It's astonishing.
Some writers have begun to turn the letters around to explain this new gig as something that causes WOMEN to spiritually, emotionally, mentally DIE by having to bury every, single, logical premise that rises up in their minds, standing against this new educational manipulation.
Diversity is, if not has, destroyed Europe. Nations, with their particular culture, have been ground down by diversity. The entrance of millions of Muslim immigrants, while some have tried, with levels of success or failure, to become part of the cultures of these new nations, has seen a majority not become part of the national culture but, to the contrary, verbally and physically fight it and slowly but, surely, tear it down; and if the general populace attempts to bring notice to it, they are roundly rejected and in some cases, legally descended upon, arrested, tried, convicted and incarcerated. Multiculturalism has failed in Europe. Diversity is a natural occurrence in all nations because of immigration BUT, it can reach a place where it becomes grounds for exclusion of the very citizens who founded the nation and its culture. Immigration has always been connected to assimilation. Without it, only confusion of culture develops.
Equity: fairness, justice. In this confused world, equity, in principle, is impossible because of the entrance of things that are incredibly confused. If a MAN identifies as a WOMAN, so be it. THAT does not make them a WOMAN, for they cannot be a GIRL or a WOMAN, an adolescent or adult female, because they are a BOY or a MAN, biologically. EVERYBODY knows this. Everybody. So, regardless of not discriminating against someone's warped reality, to be fair and just, WOMEN, WOMEN's sports is being literally invaded by INEQUITY as it INCLUDES MEN in a WOMEN's athletic world and worse, locker rooms and bathrooms, showers, wherever confused humans who identify as something they are not are allowed to go, even to the RAPE of WOMEN by MEN who claim to identify as WOMEN, and those in charge attempt to bury these disgusting events. It is a living nightmare for students and parents caught in this methodical delusion of the radical Left.
DEI is really, actually, the mental manipulation of our entire culture of human civilization. It is the death of reason and common sense. Civilization will DIE to make room for people whose broken sense of reality is being allowed to turn civilization upside down. This is literally happening in front of our faces. Our eyes behold and tell us, this cannot be happening but, it is. Radical Leftists have gained control of, almost the entire realm of public and even private education in America and Western civilization. It is not by chance. It is by planned execution.
WOMEN are being denied their right to be WOMEN and forced to compete against MEN who think they are WOMEN. They are not WOMEN. EVERYONE knows they are not WOMEN. This is not about desk jobs. This is about the physical performance of sports. The entire notion of sports is about the physical nature of human beings - strength, endurance, agility and coordination under more extreme circumstances in various activities people compete in. Regardless of how I might feel about competitions involving bodily injury and bringing God into it all; sports, physical games have existed for ages, in most all cultures. Take the largest, strongest WOMAN in a professional sport involving, strength, endurance, agility and coordination under timed stress and she will be destroyed by MEN in the heat of battle such team or individual sports get into. All the science in the world to train WOMEN to be their most strong, enduring, agile and coordinated will not meet the necessary standards to compete with MEN of the same age. EVERYBODY knows this. Who in their right mind would want MEN competing with WOMEN? No one. Only those not in their right mind would promote and force this dismantling of common understanding, natural observance and obvious conclusion.
Edit: I add this. A Man identifies as a Woman. Okay. That's his reality. He is still a man. He is not a woman, nor can be. He can act feminine. Dress that way. Present himself any way he wants. So, go ahead and identify as a woman and stay in your male side of sport, where your physiology belongs. Nobody in a locker room is going to care. Nobody in a pool or starting line or field is going to care who or what you identify as. Go ahead and compete in the physical realm of your biology. But, they will not do that. Why? Because they do not excel in the physical realm of men's sports. Becoming a woman? Now they excel. Mercy, now we see headlines of transgender men in female prisons having sex with any woman who wants it, including guards, when sex is against the rules. It's a farce. It's a ruse. It's a total deception.
The world is going insane because people with common sense are being shut down and shut out of reasoned discussion in colleges and universities overrun by radical LEFTISM.
Edit: All the supposed graphs and charts of spectrums and categories of how many sexes there are, all of them, must use the base of male and female to begin. There is no third sex found in nature. There are plants, insects, animals that may have functioning aspects of both male and female reproduction but, that does not make them a third sex. They are creations or perversions of two sexes. There is no third sex; no sperg, no spegg. Sperm and egg. That's it. Homosexual humans cannot reproduce offspring without the countering sex involved. I also find it interesting how many of these publications frame titles and graphs with rainbows; the symbol of the LGBTQ, etc., movement. So, is this science or is this all just societal agenda of manipulation? I see the latter. That may be my worldview and I cannot force it upon you. Why should you be allowed to force your worldview and reality upon me? Worse, upon naked women in locker rooms, having to dress or undress in closets? Have we heard of transgender women, breasts and vagina, having to occupy men's locker rooms and men complaining? Or, are we now only allowed to have locker rooms, where any person of any "spectrum" gets to undress before everyone else and not think about it and if they do, get reprimanded and told they need therapy? Well, let's see, numerous sci-fi movies apparently show men and women bathing together in spaceship showers in the future. Yes, Hollywood is always at the forefront of societal confusion and degradation.
You know my bottom line. Sports are not an issue for me. I don't engage, anymore. Theology and Bible prophecy are my bottom line so, I could just stay quiet but, when God has determined to state that the world is going to become confused, and He calls it Babylon, there must be a response from His people. Spiritual, prophetic Babylon is going to take over the world. The homosexual movement of diversity is at the forefront of this confusion. It is not equitable. It is not inclusive. It has the exact same rejection of those who disagree with it, as others have who disagreed with their take on life. That cannot be avoided by any stretch of common sense and reason. It is a war. The dissolution of western civilization is taking place. Biblically, the dissolution of the world is taking place. God is calling the entire human race to hear and understand His last messages to humanity before Christ returns -
Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Rev 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Sports, despite human interest, are not the most important issue out there. The salvation of every person alive is. Seriously. Understand this.
You cannot swim fast enough, cycle strong enough; run or throw or kick or heave anything far enough or fast enough or perfect enough to make it through the gates of Heaven. Trophies and medals and awards mean nothing to our eternal welfare. They are all, in many ways, just distractions. Whatever benefits from physical exercise and mental acuity of performance, they mean little to the exercise of faith in Christ to save us from the strength, endurance, deceptive agility and devilish coordination of Satan and his hosts to destroy humanity.
1Cor. 9:24 Don't you know, that of everyone who runs in the stadium only one seizes the prize?
1Cor. 9:25 And everyone that struggles in competition exercises discipline of self-control in all things. Indeed, they do it to take a perishable crown; but we an imperishable.
1Cor. 9:26 Accordingly, I run, not as uncertainly; I box, not as one beating the air;
1Cor. 9:27 But I subdue my body and bring it under subjection; lest when I have preached to others, I myself, become rejected.
Consider what the apostle writes. Paul considered himself chief of sinners, 1Tim. 1:15. He lived in an empire so vast it could hardly be contemplated in the ancient mind. Colosseums existed throughout the empire. The games in Rome had their counterparts; their seasons, quarterfinals, semifinals and final contests, if you will. These were enormous events, which became events involving Christians dying to entertain the multitudes. Paul was no lightweight of the faith. Many consider him the preeminent proponent of the gospel. Yet, he knew that if he did not gain control of his own sins, through Christ, he could be rejected. The Greek word translated rejected, also translated 'castaway' in the KJV, is also translated a 'reprobate:' someone beyond saving. Paul said, after all his efforts in bringing the gospel to his world, if he did not gain mastery over his own temptations and inclinations he could be lost. The battle with self is not a game. It is not a sport. It is an internal war fought by striving to lay hold of salvation in constant submission to Christ and God's holy and good will for our lives.
Athletes train and train and today, are treated to dieticians, strength coordinators, mind techniques and disciplines to perform their absolute best. All of it may gain a professional career with all the accolades and financial rewards. All of it is as dust to Heaven. Character is the coin of salvation. A Christlike character is the great wealth and prize, the crown for all those who shall enter eternity. Without it, we are lost and when the vast multitudes of history are resurrected to face the executive judgment of God, a consuming fire, sports will be the last thing anyone has on their minds. No. The Bible states the lost, more than the sands of the sea, shall surround the city of eternal majesty and happiness, led on by the great Deceiver in a final attempt to rule but, the fire of God is unleashed and all sin and sinners shall consume in it. Everything becomes "fuel for the lake."
Yes, I feel for women being so abused by radical Leftism all around them in schools, coast to coast. They can stand up to it and in doing so, I hope they prevail. That said, standing against radical Leftism is not the same as standing up against the sins that so easily beset us, and being trained, through sanctification, to make the final stand for truth, against a world gone mad with confusion and rebellion against God, His law and His order.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
The America I Live In
Most of the people who drop by the site are Americans but, I know some are from other nations. Most drop in to check out things regarding stuff I've written about drums and drumming; things also associated with my YouTube channel. Over the last few years now, many readers come to see things in these pages: Thoughts/OpEd, about Bible prophecy and also things happening in government and culture, as it all intertwines together.
Some days, I mostly feel ready for the next level of corruption I'll see in the news. Other days, I shake my head in disbelief. America is being run by very corrupt people. Well, most of the world is being run by the same but, I don't live anywhere else. I live in a nation that most of the world's poor would like to get to. Add to that those that come here to do harm to Americans and the nation, are also pouring in across our Southern border. I know that because every day headlines at alt news sites show the deaths and rapes and robberies and property destruction being caused by illegal immigrants. The Federal government does NOTHING. It will do nothing. The reasons why are varied but, that is the situation. We keep seeing the government giving these felons places to live, debit cards, cell phones, driver's licenses, etc., while American citizens live on the streets and can barely buy groceries for their families and millions live week to week, even day to day, and many can no longer do that anymore.
This post, though, is about Washington D.C.'s absolute hatred of Donald Trump. It's really pathologic. I'm not a diehard Trump fan, as anyone could see reading the posts I've written that regard him in the subject matter. I believe he loves America in a more traditional format than radical Democrats keep displaying, with their machinations to ruin the Republic with constant globalist, godless decisions. This post is not about Democrats, though; other than how they will pick up the pieces of what the Republican Party is about to pull off.
The other day I began to see things about some Republicans in Congress retiring, and doing so AFTER their own state or federal laws stipulate dated requirements for people to be able to replace their seats. If you wait beyond specified dates to retire, your party must wait until the next general election to replace them. The seat remains empty until then. Why does this matter? Because the TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome), in Washington is so severe, Republicans retiring (I found out 14 of them), doing so after specified dates, will leave their seats empty, giving Democrats House majority again, and thereby able to craft law to keep Trump off the ballot.
I don't follow Trump's campaign. I know he packs in crowds everywhere he goes; tens of thousands of people. I know he has won almost all GOP delegates to be the Republican nominee at the convention. There is no question the vast majority of the Republican Party's membership - over 35 million citizens - want Trump reelected. Large percentages of Independent voters want him reelected, as well, and even Democrats being polled want that. The Washington, D.C. GOP establishment does not care. To the contrary, with all the ridiculous lawsuits filed against Trump failing and/or showing Americans how corrupt the courts have become, Republicans are attempting, apparently, to hatch another plan; working with Democrats to do so.
I am glad my father is not alive to see this pile of barnyard defecation in action. He was a lifelong Democrat but, after the Kennedy assassination and weird coverup, then the Carter years, he lost allegiance to the Democrat Party. To fight in a world war and see what the nation you were willing to die for has become... yeah, best he passed away long ago.
So, here is an article laying out this dastardly plan to keep Trump from being reelected. This is the America I live in; an America so saturated with pathological leaders, steeped in gross corruption, ruining the nation, ruining the states, ruining everything, BY DESIGN; I know only God can turn this spigot of political urine off.
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/revenge-swamp-dc-rinos-attempting-sabotage-president-trumps/
"Revenge Of The Swamp: DC RINOs Attempt to Sabotage President Trump’s Re-Election With Retirements, Insurrection Legislation – President Trump Must Work On Counter-Strategy Before It’s Too Late"
Things continue on in smaller towns in the nation; though the economy affects all citizens everywhere but, in larger and major cities, things are an absolute mess of crime, drugs, homeless humanity, rundown trash-filled streets and neighborhoods, economic disaster and corruption almost beyond comprehension. Citizens are angry and that's using decent language. Washington knows Trump would win by the biggest landslide in history and they refuse to allow Americans the very process of democracy they claim Trump will destroy. Hypocrites in the extreme.
The Bible predicts it all. Christ said it was going to develop into what is. The apostles wrote it all. And even the Founders of the nation predicted it. In effect, history predicted it.
2024 is truly going to be the watershed event of our lifetimes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Some days, I mostly feel ready for the next level of corruption I'll see in the news. Other days, I shake my head in disbelief. America is being run by very corrupt people. Well, most of the world is being run by the same but, I don't live anywhere else. I live in a nation that most of the world's poor would like to get to. Add to that those that come here to do harm to Americans and the nation, are also pouring in across our Southern border. I know that because every day headlines at alt news sites show the deaths and rapes and robberies and property destruction being caused by illegal immigrants. The Federal government does NOTHING. It will do nothing. The reasons why are varied but, that is the situation. We keep seeing the government giving these felons places to live, debit cards, cell phones, driver's licenses, etc., while American citizens live on the streets and can barely buy groceries for their families and millions live week to week, even day to day, and many can no longer do that anymore.
This post, though, is about Washington D.C.'s absolute hatred of Donald Trump. It's really pathologic. I'm not a diehard Trump fan, as anyone could see reading the posts I've written that regard him in the subject matter. I believe he loves America in a more traditional format than radical Democrats keep displaying, with their machinations to ruin the Republic with constant globalist, godless decisions. This post is not about Democrats, though; other than how they will pick up the pieces of what the Republican Party is about to pull off.
The other day I began to see things about some Republicans in Congress retiring, and doing so AFTER their own state or federal laws stipulate dated requirements for people to be able to replace their seats. If you wait beyond specified dates to retire, your party must wait until the next general election to replace them. The seat remains empty until then. Why does this matter? Because the TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome), in Washington is so severe, Republicans retiring (I found out 14 of them), doing so after specified dates, will leave their seats empty, giving Democrats House majority again, and thereby able to craft law to keep Trump off the ballot.
I don't follow Trump's campaign. I know he packs in crowds everywhere he goes; tens of thousands of people. I know he has won almost all GOP delegates to be the Republican nominee at the convention. There is no question the vast majority of the Republican Party's membership - over 35 million citizens - want Trump reelected. Large percentages of Independent voters want him reelected, as well, and even Democrats being polled want that. The Washington, D.C. GOP establishment does not care. To the contrary, with all the ridiculous lawsuits filed against Trump failing and/or showing Americans how corrupt the courts have become, Republicans are attempting, apparently, to hatch another plan; working with Democrats to do so.
I am glad my father is not alive to see this pile of barnyard defecation in action. He was a lifelong Democrat but, after the Kennedy assassination and weird coverup, then the Carter years, he lost allegiance to the Democrat Party. To fight in a world war and see what the nation you were willing to die for has become... yeah, best he passed away long ago.
So, here is an article laying out this dastardly plan to keep Trump from being reelected. This is the America I live in; an America so saturated with pathological leaders, steeped in gross corruption, ruining the nation, ruining the states, ruining everything, BY DESIGN; I know only God can turn this spigot of political urine off.
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/revenge-swamp-dc-rinos-attempting-sabotage-president-trumps/
"Revenge Of The Swamp: DC RINOs Attempt to Sabotage President Trump’s Re-Election With Retirements, Insurrection Legislation – President Trump Must Work On Counter-Strategy Before It’s Too Late"
Things continue on in smaller towns in the nation; though the economy affects all citizens everywhere but, in larger and major cities, things are an absolute mess of crime, drugs, homeless humanity, rundown trash-filled streets and neighborhoods, economic disaster and corruption almost beyond comprehension. Citizens are angry and that's using decent language. Washington knows Trump would win by the biggest landslide in history and they refuse to allow Americans the very process of democracy they claim Trump will destroy. Hypocrites in the extreme.
The Bible predicts it all. Christ said it was going to develop into what is. The apostles wrote it all. And even the Founders of the nation predicted it. In effect, history predicted it.
2024 is truly going to be the watershed event of our lifetimes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
941. Separation: Is It a Lie From the Pit of Hell? - 3/29/24
I came across a headline -
The Right Take Audio: Eric Metaxas on Separation of Church and State
"I have to be blunt: that is a lie from the pit of hell."
Eric Metaxas is host of a radio program, author of many books, and host of Socrates in the City, where he conducts public interviews with people from different backgrounds.
The link takes you to just a snippet from an interview he gave: 2:55.
www.frontpagemag.com/the-right-take-audio-eric-metaxas-on-separation-of-church-and-state/
Metaxas states the separation of church and state is a lie. In context, the interviewer, Mark Tapson, mentions how many Americans, even those in religion, believes the principle is something that should keep people from entering or being involved in politics. So, that premise begins that portion of the recording and Eric bluntly makes his comment.
I have written on this... a lot. I will continue to do so because when people start saying what the Bible states, when it does not, I am compelled to state another side to someone's conclusion.
Those, like Metaxas, who claim Christians should, must be involved in politics and state it is a Christian duty, a biblical principle that must be acted upon, I ask - Where is that mandate found?
Eric even mentions this is not ancient Rome. It's America and people have died to give us the freedom and liberty to choose our political leaders. I do not argue that. Of course that is true. It's American history. But when professed Christians become so vocal about politics and the church, stating we must be involved or evil will rise, I say, THAT is a gross misunderstanding of the truth.
Have Christians learned nothing about the utter futility and problems created by the Moral Majority? Such a bitter taste was left in the mouths of both the unchurched and even those active in churches, professed Christians; the movement faded into insignificance? Why? Because you cannot VOTE RIGHTEOUSNESS INTO POLITICAL OFFICE.
1. Which version of Christianity should have influence? Roman Catholic? Episcopal down through Baptists and Pentecostals? What about Islam? FACT: The Roman Catholic Church and Islam are both UNIONS of church and state. Do we want a Pope or some Imam declaring right and wrong by their understanding of righteousness? God forbid. And we cannot repel from mentioning there are professed Christians on far left and right of the political spectrum and everything in between. On many issues, that's a recipe for great division and tension, as it already exists because of political activism.
2. It is futile to say, "Of course the Bible does not mention separation of church and state as we understand nations today. It was about empires." Well, wait a minute here. The theocracy was a union of church and state. Empires were unions of religion and state power. The FOUNDERS UNDERSTOOD THIS and endeavored to form a nation that had no controlling bond between religion and the state. The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights IS a DECLARATION of separation between church and state. "Congress shall make NO LAW RESPECTING AN ESTABLISHMENT of RELIGION..." No, that is not a preclusion of Christians involved in the affairs of the nation but, it is a principle of separation between church and state. It does not just state the government shall not establish a state church. It states states far more. It plainly states Congress shall not make laws respecting an establishment of religion, any religion. What is an establishment of religion? Christianity is an establishment of religion. Marriage is an establishment of religion. Sunday worship is an establishment of religion, as is Sabbath worship, as is Friday prayer in Islam. Homosexuality is a sin in religion, depending on who you talk to. It is not something the state should make any laws about. The state cannot make laws regarding "sins" outside the protection of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, all acknowledged to be rights granted by God, the Creator.
I would also state, why wouldn't God, knowing the end from the beginning and the founding of America, not directly state principles in His Word in a form that would address the need for political activism in the future?
Herein we see a distinct difference. The Founders understood, by reason and experience of persecutions by religions/churches involved in controlling the state, that there MUST be a separation between church and state but, NOT GOD FROM STATE. What is the difference? To the degree the Founders understood the Creator, they recognized the right from God that people have to be free; at liberty to pursue life as they choose, without interference from the state, UNLESS citizens get UNCIVIL. Say what you want to a person BUT, DO NOT STRIKE him. Do not pursue incivility that causes your neighbor harm: physically or financially. You must not lie about your neighbor, as that destabilizes civilian life. The Bible, the churches teach not to look on a woman with lust, not to hate someone. The state is in no way able to officiate the morality of those sins. God forbid that they should. They are actively pursuing it all with "hate" crimes and laws.
3. Pray tell, what political party platform can Christians support, when aligning their lives with God's Word? No party platform is free from things God calls wrong, in His word. So, unless Christians enter politics creating their own political party... uh oh. And there the bell rings. There the dangers lie. It is not about Christians voting. It is about Christians being ambassadors for Christ, 2Cor. 5:20 and not getting involved with the machinations of political policy and theater. You cannot legislate the Bible beyond things it states that enter into the field of citizens being civil to each other. It is civil government, not moral government.
To the matter of Thomas Jefferson and his letter to the Danbury, CT Baptist church. Why do professed Christians undo the plain meaning of Jefferson's thoughts on this matter. Here is the paragraph in question -
"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties."
Social duties, not civic duties. I mean, how can anyone attempt to separate the First Amendment from the principle of separation of church and state? It was the supreme will of the nation. Now I am being told the principle is a lie? A lie from hell, no less?
Something is happening in America and it is prophetic. A movement towards union of church and state is underfoot. Call me ignorant of the First Amendment's meaning; I shall call professed Christians demanding people of faith "get involved in politics" ignorant; without doubt.
Just because people died to protect the Constitution and keep Americans free is no demand Christians or Jews or Muslims or people of any other faith get involved in politics BUT - Romanism and Islam are unions of church and state by default. They have actual calls of duty from the spiritual leaders and in their doctrine to engage and plant their faith in the State. Why is the percentage of Catholics in elected civil service in Congress and on the Supreme Court a greater percentage than Roman Catholics in the American populace? How'd that happen? Why do you think John F. Kennedy was asked if he would go by what the pope says or what the Constitution states? Because everyone knew the demands of the Vatican in this regard. Popes have spoken and written against the American Republic precisely BECAUSE it has a separation of church and state. Famous (or infamous) statements came from Pope Pius IX in his "Syllabus of Errors," 1864. Remember, the pope considered these errors -
15. Every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which, guided by the light of reason, he shall consider true. — Allocution “Maxima quidem,” June 9, 1862; Damnatio “Multiplices inter,” June 10, 1851.
18. Protestantism is nothing more than another form of the same true Christian religion, in which form it is given to please God equally as in the Catholic Church. — Encyclical “Noscitis,” Dec. 8, 1849.
23. Roman pontiffs and ecumenical councils have wandered outside the limits of their powers, have usurped the rights of princes, and have even erred in defining matters of faith and morals. — Damnatio “Multiplices inter,” June 10, 1851.
24. The Church has not the power of using force, nor has she any temporal power, direct or indirect. — Apostolic Letter “Ad Apostolicae,” Aug. 22, 1851.
27. The sacred ministers of the Church and the Roman pontiff are to be absolutely excluded from every charge and dominion over temporal affairs. — Allocution “Maxima quidem,” June 9, 1862.
37. National churches, withdrawn from the authority of the Roman pontiff and altogether separated, can be established. — Allocution “Multis gravibusque,” Dec. 17, 1860.
While the pope believed, only the Catholic Church should be a national church, The Founders of America said, NO NATIONAL CHURH, period.
54. Kings and princes are not only exempt from the jurisdiction of the Church, but are superior to the Church in deciding questions of jurisdiction. — Damnatio “Multiplices inter,” June 10, 1851.
55. The Church ought to be separated from the .State, and the State from the Church. — Allocution “Acerbissimum,” Sept. 27, 1852.
76. The abolition of the temporal power of which the Apostolic See is possessed would contribute in the greatest degree to the liberty and prosperity of the Church. — Allocutions “Quibus quantisque,” April 20, 1849, “Si semper antea,” May 20, 1850.
Bear in mind; temporal power means civil, political power.
77. In the present day it is no longer expedient that the Catholic religion should be held as the only religion of the State, to the exclusion of all other forms of worship. — Allocution “Nemo vestrum,” July 26, 1855.
78. Hence it has been wisely decided by law, in some Catholic countries, that persons coming to reside therein shall enjoy the public exercise of their own peculiar worship. — Allocution “Acerbissimum,” Sept. 27, 1852.
Ten years earlier, Pius wrote this -
“The absurd and erroneous doctrines or ravings in defense of liberty of conscience are a most pestilential error–a pest, of all others, most to be dreaded in a state.” Encyclical Letter of August 15, 1854.
Today's Catholic Church, an epitome of the union of church and state, claims to have mellowed on these types of statements but, she is unchanged. Had she the power, she would instigate another inquisition. Do you doubt that? It was an understood obstacle by the Founders of America. Believing in freedom of conscience, All faiths were welcome but, NO FAITH would have preeminence by political role or inserted dogma.
This statement from a Catholic prelate on the issue of tolerance is most necessary to contemplate -
“We maintain that the Church of Rome is intolerant, that is, she uses every means in her power to root out heresy; but her intolerance is the result of her infallibility. She alone has the right to be intolerant because she alone has the truth. The Church tolerates heretics where she is obliged to do so, but she hates them with a deadly hatred, and uses all her power to annihilate them. If ever Roman Catholics in this land should become a considerable majority – which in time will surely be the case – then would religious freedom in the Republic of the United States come to an end. Our enemies know how the Roman Church treated heretics in the Middle Ages and how she treats them today wherever she has the power. We no more think of denying these historical facts than we do of blaming the Holy God and the princes of the Church for what they have thought is good to do.” Bishop Patrick John Ryan (later Archbishop of Philadelphia), in the “Shepherd of the Valley,” Catholic paper of St. Louis – quoted in The Church Guardian, Montreal, October 28, 1885.
It is one thing to vote, to choose representatives. It is altogether another matter when professed Christians denounce a principle from the founding of this nation that exists to protect liberty of conscience - the separation of church and state - to involve themselves in politics to instill their dogma into the civic and political fabric of the nation.
I'll close with a couple pertinent statements from two of the Founders of our nation -
"When a religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it so that its professors are obliged to call for help of the civil power, ‘tis a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one." - Benjamin Franklin, Letter to Richard Price, October 9, 1790.
"Notwithstanding the general progress made within the two last centuries in favour of this branch of liberty, & the full establishment of it, in some parts of our Country, there remains in others a strong bias towards the old error, that without some sort of alliance or coalition between Govt. & Religion neither can be duly supported. Such indeed is the tendency to such a coalition, and such its corrupting influence on both the parties, that the danger cannot be too carefully guarded against. And in a Govt. of opinion, like ours, the only effectual guard must be found in the soundness and stability of the general opinion on the subject. Every new & successful example therefore of a perfect separation between ecclesiastical and civil matters, is of importance. And I have no doubt that every new example, will succeed, as every past one has done, in shewing that religion & Govt. will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together." James Madison, letter to Edward Livingston, July 10, 1822.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The Right Take Audio: Eric Metaxas on Separation of Church and State
"I have to be blunt: that is a lie from the pit of hell."
Eric Metaxas is host of a radio program, author of many books, and host of Socrates in the City, where he conducts public interviews with people from different backgrounds.
The link takes you to just a snippet from an interview he gave: 2:55.
www.frontpagemag.com/the-right-take-audio-eric-metaxas-on-separation-of-church-and-state/
Metaxas states the separation of church and state is a lie. In context, the interviewer, Mark Tapson, mentions how many Americans, even those in religion, believes the principle is something that should keep people from entering or being involved in politics. So, that premise begins that portion of the recording and Eric bluntly makes his comment.
I have written on this... a lot. I will continue to do so because when people start saying what the Bible states, when it does not, I am compelled to state another side to someone's conclusion.
Those, like Metaxas, who claim Christians should, must be involved in politics and state it is a Christian duty, a biblical principle that must be acted upon, I ask - Where is that mandate found?
Eric even mentions this is not ancient Rome. It's America and people have died to give us the freedom and liberty to choose our political leaders. I do not argue that. Of course that is true. It's American history. But when professed Christians become so vocal about politics and the church, stating we must be involved or evil will rise, I say, THAT is a gross misunderstanding of the truth.
Have Christians learned nothing about the utter futility and problems created by the Moral Majority? Such a bitter taste was left in the mouths of both the unchurched and even those active in churches, professed Christians; the movement faded into insignificance? Why? Because you cannot VOTE RIGHTEOUSNESS INTO POLITICAL OFFICE.
1. Which version of Christianity should have influence? Roman Catholic? Episcopal down through Baptists and Pentecostals? What about Islam? FACT: The Roman Catholic Church and Islam are both UNIONS of church and state. Do we want a Pope or some Imam declaring right and wrong by their understanding of righteousness? God forbid. And we cannot repel from mentioning there are professed Christians on far left and right of the political spectrum and everything in between. On many issues, that's a recipe for great division and tension, as it already exists because of political activism.
2. It is futile to say, "Of course the Bible does not mention separation of church and state as we understand nations today. It was about empires." Well, wait a minute here. The theocracy was a union of church and state. Empires were unions of religion and state power. The FOUNDERS UNDERSTOOD THIS and endeavored to form a nation that had no controlling bond between religion and the state. The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights IS a DECLARATION of separation between church and state. "Congress shall make NO LAW RESPECTING AN ESTABLISHMENT of RELIGION..." No, that is not a preclusion of Christians involved in the affairs of the nation but, it is a principle of separation between church and state. It does not just state the government shall not establish a state church. It states states far more. It plainly states Congress shall not make laws respecting an establishment of religion, any religion. What is an establishment of religion? Christianity is an establishment of religion. Marriage is an establishment of religion. Sunday worship is an establishment of religion, as is Sabbath worship, as is Friday prayer in Islam. Homosexuality is a sin in religion, depending on who you talk to. It is not something the state should make any laws about. The state cannot make laws regarding "sins" outside the protection of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, all acknowledged to be rights granted by God, the Creator.
I would also state, why wouldn't God, knowing the end from the beginning and the founding of America, not directly state principles in His Word in a form that would address the need for political activism in the future?
Herein we see a distinct difference. The Founders understood, by reason and experience of persecutions by religions/churches involved in controlling the state, that there MUST be a separation between church and state but, NOT GOD FROM STATE. What is the difference? To the degree the Founders understood the Creator, they recognized the right from God that people have to be free; at liberty to pursue life as they choose, without interference from the state, UNLESS citizens get UNCIVIL. Say what you want to a person BUT, DO NOT STRIKE him. Do not pursue incivility that causes your neighbor harm: physically or financially. You must not lie about your neighbor, as that destabilizes civilian life. The Bible, the churches teach not to look on a woman with lust, not to hate someone. The state is in no way able to officiate the morality of those sins. God forbid that they should. They are actively pursuing it all with "hate" crimes and laws.
3. Pray tell, what political party platform can Christians support, when aligning their lives with God's Word? No party platform is free from things God calls wrong, in His word. So, unless Christians enter politics creating their own political party... uh oh. And there the bell rings. There the dangers lie. It is not about Christians voting. It is about Christians being ambassadors for Christ, 2Cor. 5:20 and not getting involved with the machinations of political policy and theater. You cannot legislate the Bible beyond things it states that enter into the field of citizens being civil to each other. It is civil government, not moral government.
To the matter of Thomas Jefferson and his letter to the Danbury, CT Baptist church. Why do professed Christians undo the plain meaning of Jefferson's thoughts on this matter. Here is the paragraph in question -
"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties."
Social duties, not civic duties. I mean, how can anyone attempt to separate the First Amendment from the principle of separation of church and state? It was the supreme will of the nation. Now I am being told the principle is a lie? A lie from hell, no less?
Something is happening in America and it is prophetic. A movement towards union of church and state is underfoot. Call me ignorant of the First Amendment's meaning; I shall call professed Christians demanding people of faith "get involved in politics" ignorant; without doubt.
Just because people died to protect the Constitution and keep Americans free is no demand Christians or Jews or Muslims or people of any other faith get involved in politics BUT - Romanism and Islam are unions of church and state by default. They have actual calls of duty from the spiritual leaders and in their doctrine to engage and plant their faith in the State. Why is the percentage of Catholics in elected civil service in Congress and on the Supreme Court a greater percentage than Roman Catholics in the American populace? How'd that happen? Why do you think John F. Kennedy was asked if he would go by what the pope says or what the Constitution states? Because everyone knew the demands of the Vatican in this regard. Popes have spoken and written against the American Republic precisely BECAUSE it has a separation of church and state. Famous (or infamous) statements came from Pope Pius IX in his "Syllabus of Errors," 1864. Remember, the pope considered these errors -
15. Every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which, guided by the light of reason, he shall consider true. — Allocution “Maxima quidem,” June 9, 1862; Damnatio “Multiplices inter,” June 10, 1851.
18. Protestantism is nothing more than another form of the same true Christian religion, in which form it is given to please God equally as in the Catholic Church. — Encyclical “Noscitis,” Dec. 8, 1849.
23. Roman pontiffs and ecumenical councils have wandered outside the limits of their powers, have usurped the rights of princes, and have even erred in defining matters of faith and morals. — Damnatio “Multiplices inter,” June 10, 1851.
24. The Church has not the power of using force, nor has she any temporal power, direct or indirect. — Apostolic Letter “Ad Apostolicae,” Aug. 22, 1851.
27. The sacred ministers of the Church and the Roman pontiff are to be absolutely excluded from every charge and dominion over temporal affairs. — Allocution “Maxima quidem,” June 9, 1862.
37. National churches, withdrawn from the authority of the Roman pontiff and altogether separated, can be established. — Allocution “Multis gravibusque,” Dec. 17, 1860.
While the pope believed, only the Catholic Church should be a national church, The Founders of America said, NO NATIONAL CHURH, period.
54. Kings and princes are not only exempt from the jurisdiction of the Church, but are superior to the Church in deciding questions of jurisdiction. — Damnatio “Multiplices inter,” June 10, 1851.
55. The Church ought to be separated from the .State, and the State from the Church. — Allocution “Acerbissimum,” Sept. 27, 1852.
76. The abolition of the temporal power of which the Apostolic See is possessed would contribute in the greatest degree to the liberty and prosperity of the Church. — Allocutions “Quibus quantisque,” April 20, 1849, “Si semper antea,” May 20, 1850.
Bear in mind; temporal power means civil, political power.
77. In the present day it is no longer expedient that the Catholic religion should be held as the only religion of the State, to the exclusion of all other forms of worship. — Allocution “Nemo vestrum,” July 26, 1855.
78. Hence it has been wisely decided by law, in some Catholic countries, that persons coming to reside therein shall enjoy the public exercise of their own peculiar worship. — Allocution “Acerbissimum,” Sept. 27, 1852.
Ten years earlier, Pius wrote this -
“The absurd and erroneous doctrines or ravings in defense of liberty of conscience are a most pestilential error–a pest, of all others, most to be dreaded in a state.” Encyclical Letter of August 15, 1854.
Today's Catholic Church, an epitome of the union of church and state, claims to have mellowed on these types of statements but, she is unchanged. Had she the power, she would instigate another inquisition. Do you doubt that? It was an understood obstacle by the Founders of America. Believing in freedom of conscience, All faiths were welcome but, NO FAITH would have preeminence by political role or inserted dogma.
This statement from a Catholic prelate on the issue of tolerance is most necessary to contemplate -
“We maintain that the Church of Rome is intolerant, that is, she uses every means in her power to root out heresy; but her intolerance is the result of her infallibility. She alone has the right to be intolerant because she alone has the truth. The Church tolerates heretics where she is obliged to do so, but she hates them with a deadly hatred, and uses all her power to annihilate them. If ever Roman Catholics in this land should become a considerable majority – which in time will surely be the case – then would religious freedom in the Republic of the United States come to an end. Our enemies know how the Roman Church treated heretics in the Middle Ages and how she treats them today wherever she has the power. We no more think of denying these historical facts than we do of blaming the Holy God and the princes of the Church for what they have thought is good to do.” Bishop Patrick John Ryan (later Archbishop of Philadelphia), in the “Shepherd of the Valley,” Catholic paper of St. Louis – quoted in The Church Guardian, Montreal, October 28, 1885.
It is one thing to vote, to choose representatives. It is altogether another matter when professed Christians denounce a principle from the founding of this nation that exists to protect liberty of conscience - the separation of church and state - to involve themselves in politics to instill their dogma into the civic and political fabric of the nation.
I'll close with a couple pertinent statements from two of the Founders of our nation -
"When a religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it so that its professors are obliged to call for help of the civil power, ‘tis a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one." - Benjamin Franklin, Letter to Richard Price, October 9, 1790.
"Notwithstanding the general progress made within the two last centuries in favour of this branch of liberty, & the full establishment of it, in some parts of our Country, there remains in others a strong bias towards the old error, that without some sort of alliance or coalition between Govt. & Religion neither can be duly supported. Such indeed is the tendency to such a coalition, and such its corrupting influence on both the parties, that the danger cannot be too carefully guarded against. And in a Govt. of opinion, like ours, the only effectual guard must be found in the soundness and stability of the general opinion on the subject. Every new & successful example therefore of a perfect separation between ecclesiastical and civil matters, is of importance. And I have no doubt that every new example, will succeed, as every past one has done, in shewing that religion & Govt. will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together." James Madison, letter to Edward Livingston, July 10, 1822.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
942. Outsiders??? - 3/30/2024
Babylon. Spiritual, prophetic Babylon in the book of Revelation. Confusion. Yes, there is always much to say in our day about that. Been that way for a couple centuries now. Imagine writers and preachers proclaiming how confused the churches were two centuries ago: the worldliness coming in; the standards of Christian decorum consistently lowering as the culture crept into more pulpits and congregations and caused alarm for some, while others were sleep walking in their religious experience. We might question, today, what was the big deal? Why sound alarms over things that are totally common practice now?
Today, it isn't just the scandals that have been seen in ministries in our lifetimes, nor the propagation of ideas foreign to the Bible. Today it is the ideology of preachers and leaders to turn churches into entertainment centers for youth so they can feel more at home with the culture they have adopted, that controls their lives. Their speech, their clothes, their "food," their demeanor, their pursuits and interests... all guided more and more by the surrounding culture, than the Bible. The same can be said for all generations going to church.
Recent surveys now show only three in ten professed believers attend any kind of church services each week. Rather than understand the sinking aspects of faith under pressures from the culture and realize Christ is coming, as He predicted conditions that would exist; churches, ministries keep trying to lure people in with more and more chopping off of things that make the church DIFFERENT than the surrounding world. Was that not the case for ancient Israel? Was not that the case for the early church being invaded by paganism? Things that were familiar to pagans were "Christianized" to make it easier for the pagans to come to church. The entire system of Romanism developed into the Roman Catholic Church, a gigantic religious system of man-made doctrines and traditions foreign to the Bible; which people seeking truth left by the millions, by entire countries in Europe when the Bible began to be printed and propagated. And yet, to this day those same churches retain many of these ancient pagan traditions that Rome adopted to keep the pagans from feeling like "outsiders."
Today, right now, we have a "megachurch" in North Carolina, advertising for their Easter services tomorrow, stating this, as mentioned by a Todd Starnes column for March 24th -
"A North Carolina megachurch says they will not mention words like Calvary, resurrection of [or] phrases like “blood of Jesus” to promote Easter Sunday services.
“I’m not going to say the word ‘Calvary,’ I’m not going to say the word ‘resurrection.’ I’m not going to say the ‘blood of Jesus.’ Right? I’m not going to say any of these words that makes someone feel like an outsider,” said Nikki Shearer, the digital content creator for Elevation Church. “This is really an important guiding principle.”
www.toddstarnes.com/faith/megachurch-wont-mention-blood-of-jesus-on-easter-sunday/
That is not only NOT an important guiding principle. It is nothing more than a worldly human policy and an apostasy from the very words of Scripture as stated by the apostle Paul -
2Tim 4:1 In the presence of God and the Messiah Jesus, who is going to judge those who are living and those who are dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly appeal to you
2Tim 4:2 to proclaim the message. Be ready to do this whether or not the time is convenient. Refute, warn, and encourage with the utmost patience when you teach.
2Tim 4:3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate healthy doctrine, but with itching ears will surround themselves with teachers who cater to their people's own desires.
2Tim 4:4 They will refuse to listen to the truth and will turn to myths.
2Tim 4:5 But you must be clear-headed about everything. Endure suffering. Do the work of an evangelist. Devote yourself completely to your ministry.
First of all, Easter, itself, is a myth. Everybody knows that, or should. Pagans have been more than happy for ages to tell Christians they adopted a well-known and practiced pagan festival surrounding the emergence of Spring and new life. Hence bunnies and chicks, eggs and pagan goddesses of fertility, like Oester and Ishtar. As I have mentioned here before, the word is not in any ancient manuscript the Bible is translated from. Christ was crucified on the 14th of the Jewish month, Nisan and rose on the 16th. Just like any other day of the month, the 16th would travel across every day of the week as each year came along, just like the days we are born. Why, then, is Easter, a man-made celebration of the resurrection of the Messiah, coinciding with ancient pagan festivals, always on a Sunday and associated with the vernal equinox in Spring? Because the church in Rome, working along with Rome's empiric leaders, decided to make that tradition standard, which made it eassier for the pagans to come to church at that time of year. No big transition for them.
So, Easter marks, not only the resurrection of Christ, in this traditional format; it also is enjoined to Easter egg hunts and baskets of candy and gifts and marshmallow chicks and chocolate eggs and a warehouse of pagan junk that has nothing to do with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Nothing. No thing.
I show it again, because it bears repeating -
Deut 12:29 When the LORD your God shall cut off the nations from before you, when you go to occupy them, and you possess them, and dwell in their land;
Deut 12:30 Take heed, guard yourself that you be not trapped by following them, after they are destroyed from before you; and that you enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
Deut 12:31 You shalt not do so toward the LORD your God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hates, have they done towards their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
Deut 12:32 Whatsoever I command you, observe to do it: you shalt not add to it, nor take away from it.
Those words to ancient Israel are as applicable and necessary today, as back then. They are principles from Heaven that cannot safely be overlooked. Indeed, God warns us not to mess around with His commands, instructions and safeguards for His people.
Why do you think pagans came up with the stuff they did? Because it satisfied the human lust that controlled them. If not prevented from gaining a foothold, entire civilizations crumbled. Indeed, the entire world came to an end -
Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Gen 6:6 And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Gen 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it makes me sorrowful that I have made them.
The flood happened as a judgment upon the entire population of the Earth, steeped in evil, continually, and most of it was steeped in religions; false religions that catered to the basic and basest desires of fallen human minds.
While "Easter" is not a day God ever said to remember or celebrate, what took place on those three days is to be remembered. And the fact is, people not in the church ARE outside the church. They need to come into the church, into the kingdom of God via being born-again; receiving a new, spiritual birth; an absolute necessity for seeing or entering the kingdom. Christ told Nicodemus, and thereby all the human race, "you must be born again" or we cannot see or enter the kingdom of God, John 3:1-8. It is not an option. It is a requirement. "Create in me a clean heart, oh God," Psalm 51:10. We must be recreated to think and act differently towards God and our fellow man. We must come into harmony with God's character, government and purposes.
The very premise of Calvary, the blood of Christ, the resurrection are foundation principles to salvation. I mean, what then are you inviting into your church by leaving such principles out of your invitations? You are inviting in "outsiders." If they were not outsiders they'd be insiders. People need salvation from the penalty and power of sin in their lives. This is not some dinner invitation. It certainly should not be an invitation to a show. GOD became a baby. GOD grew into a lad and a man and gave His life for us in a most horrific way but, because He did not fall to the temptations of evil, the grave could not hold Him. Death could not contain Him. He rose from the tomb and emerged triumphant. What on Earth do candy rabbits and chickens have to do with the most central three days in human history?
The ancient church did exactly what God warned His people not to do, and that apostasy is still happening today. Babylon is fallen, is fallen, having fornicated with the kings, the ideologies and traditions of the lost, of this Earth; of Satan, himself, perverting every tenet of the faith once delivered to the saints.
Do you imagine it was any different ages ago? Can you not imagine pagans claiming how their festivals and traditions were just innocent pleasures? No harm done. Let the children play. Let all of us play and imagine our world came into being from a universal egg. The gods and goddesses had sex and the earth was born. The gods of war fought and sparks from their axes and hammers created the world. It's all innocent. No harm done. And that attitude, that delusion is no different than claiming our words and theology do not matter today. Our practices do not really matter. Our traditions are as important as the Word of God, exactly what God said would develop if His people were not constantly on guard. Here we are, for centuries, repeating the history of ancient Israel. They rejected their Messiah because He did not conform to their traditions. When Christ returns, what shall He say -
Matt 7:21 Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matt 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works?
Matt 7:23 And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.
The precipice of "innocence" is very rounded and the drop is a death fall. It is little things that cause great deception. We all think the little things do not matter. They do. Here in Texas, carpenter ants and termites causes billions of dollars in damages. Little colonies of tiny creatures that multiply and eat away, silently, until a structure is dangerous to live in because it can collapse - floors cave in, walls push out, rafters give way. Everything can be turned into dust. Exterminators put chemicals into the soil that are so toxic they can last for a decade or more.
One only has to look at the last few years to understand the nature of small things, microscopic things that can kill. Covid, a man-made virus, a microscopic agent of illness and the serums made to inject people contain the smallest of invaders that are killing people around the world. The smallest of things matter.
It is not the big things that jump out at us. It is the little things that degrade the soul over time. Those believers who thought it would be a good idea to remember the death and resurrection of Christ every year, on specific days, would be shocked to see what it has become in our day.
When I was a Catholic boy, in Connecticut, as is a huge population of citizens in that state, there was no closing of anything on "Good Friday." Yesterday, I went to the town office to register my vehicle. It was closed for Good Friday. Texas? Yes. All over the nation states shut down for Good Friday. Then states and the nation go right back to dishonoring the goodness of Christ with reprehensible decisions that plague the kingdom of God and defy their own Constitutions.
Traditions. They are not all innocent. They are not all innocuous. They certainly are not all endorsed by God.
Matt 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Matt 12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Rev 22:18 For I testify to every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add to these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Rev 22:20 He which testifies these things says, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Today, it isn't just the scandals that have been seen in ministries in our lifetimes, nor the propagation of ideas foreign to the Bible. Today it is the ideology of preachers and leaders to turn churches into entertainment centers for youth so they can feel more at home with the culture they have adopted, that controls their lives. Their speech, their clothes, their "food," their demeanor, their pursuits and interests... all guided more and more by the surrounding culture, than the Bible. The same can be said for all generations going to church.
Recent surveys now show only three in ten professed believers attend any kind of church services each week. Rather than understand the sinking aspects of faith under pressures from the culture and realize Christ is coming, as He predicted conditions that would exist; churches, ministries keep trying to lure people in with more and more chopping off of things that make the church DIFFERENT than the surrounding world. Was that not the case for ancient Israel? Was not that the case for the early church being invaded by paganism? Things that were familiar to pagans were "Christianized" to make it easier for the pagans to come to church. The entire system of Romanism developed into the Roman Catholic Church, a gigantic religious system of man-made doctrines and traditions foreign to the Bible; which people seeking truth left by the millions, by entire countries in Europe when the Bible began to be printed and propagated. And yet, to this day those same churches retain many of these ancient pagan traditions that Rome adopted to keep the pagans from feeling like "outsiders."
Today, right now, we have a "megachurch" in North Carolina, advertising for their Easter services tomorrow, stating this, as mentioned by a Todd Starnes column for March 24th -
"A North Carolina megachurch says they will not mention words like Calvary, resurrection of [or] phrases like “blood of Jesus” to promote Easter Sunday services.
“I’m not going to say the word ‘Calvary,’ I’m not going to say the word ‘resurrection.’ I’m not going to say the ‘blood of Jesus.’ Right? I’m not going to say any of these words that makes someone feel like an outsider,” said Nikki Shearer, the digital content creator for Elevation Church. “This is really an important guiding principle.”
www.toddstarnes.com/faith/megachurch-wont-mention-blood-of-jesus-on-easter-sunday/
That is not only NOT an important guiding principle. It is nothing more than a worldly human policy and an apostasy from the very words of Scripture as stated by the apostle Paul -
2Tim 4:1 In the presence of God and the Messiah Jesus, who is going to judge those who are living and those who are dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly appeal to you
2Tim 4:2 to proclaim the message. Be ready to do this whether or not the time is convenient. Refute, warn, and encourage with the utmost patience when you teach.
2Tim 4:3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate healthy doctrine, but with itching ears will surround themselves with teachers who cater to their people's own desires.
2Tim 4:4 They will refuse to listen to the truth and will turn to myths.
2Tim 4:5 But you must be clear-headed about everything. Endure suffering. Do the work of an evangelist. Devote yourself completely to your ministry.
First of all, Easter, itself, is a myth. Everybody knows that, or should. Pagans have been more than happy for ages to tell Christians they adopted a well-known and practiced pagan festival surrounding the emergence of Spring and new life. Hence bunnies and chicks, eggs and pagan goddesses of fertility, like Oester and Ishtar. As I have mentioned here before, the word is not in any ancient manuscript the Bible is translated from. Christ was crucified on the 14th of the Jewish month, Nisan and rose on the 16th. Just like any other day of the month, the 16th would travel across every day of the week as each year came along, just like the days we are born. Why, then, is Easter, a man-made celebration of the resurrection of the Messiah, coinciding with ancient pagan festivals, always on a Sunday and associated with the vernal equinox in Spring? Because the church in Rome, working along with Rome's empiric leaders, decided to make that tradition standard, which made it eassier for the pagans to come to church at that time of year. No big transition for them.
So, Easter marks, not only the resurrection of Christ, in this traditional format; it also is enjoined to Easter egg hunts and baskets of candy and gifts and marshmallow chicks and chocolate eggs and a warehouse of pagan junk that has nothing to do with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Nothing. No thing.
I show it again, because it bears repeating -
Deut 12:29 When the LORD your God shall cut off the nations from before you, when you go to occupy them, and you possess them, and dwell in their land;
Deut 12:30 Take heed, guard yourself that you be not trapped by following them, after they are destroyed from before you; and that you enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
Deut 12:31 You shalt not do so toward the LORD your God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hates, have they done towards their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
Deut 12:32 Whatsoever I command you, observe to do it: you shalt not add to it, nor take away from it.
Those words to ancient Israel are as applicable and necessary today, as back then. They are principles from Heaven that cannot safely be overlooked. Indeed, God warns us not to mess around with His commands, instructions and safeguards for His people.
Why do you think pagans came up with the stuff they did? Because it satisfied the human lust that controlled them. If not prevented from gaining a foothold, entire civilizations crumbled. Indeed, the entire world came to an end -
Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Gen 6:6 And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Gen 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it makes me sorrowful that I have made them.
The flood happened as a judgment upon the entire population of the Earth, steeped in evil, continually, and most of it was steeped in religions; false religions that catered to the basic and basest desires of fallen human minds.
While "Easter" is not a day God ever said to remember or celebrate, what took place on those three days is to be remembered. And the fact is, people not in the church ARE outside the church. They need to come into the church, into the kingdom of God via being born-again; receiving a new, spiritual birth; an absolute necessity for seeing or entering the kingdom. Christ told Nicodemus, and thereby all the human race, "you must be born again" or we cannot see or enter the kingdom of God, John 3:1-8. It is not an option. It is a requirement. "Create in me a clean heart, oh God," Psalm 51:10. We must be recreated to think and act differently towards God and our fellow man. We must come into harmony with God's character, government and purposes.
The very premise of Calvary, the blood of Christ, the resurrection are foundation principles to salvation. I mean, what then are you inviting into your church by leaving such principles out of your invitations? You are inviting in "outsiders." If they were not outsiders they'd be insiders. People need salvation from the penalty and power of sin in their lives. This is not some dinner invitation. It certainly should not be an invitation to a show. GOD became a baby. GOD grew into a lad and a man and gave His life for us in a most horrific way but, because He did not fall to the temptations of evil, the grave could not hold Him. Death could not contain Him. He rose from the tomb and emerged triumphant. What on Earth do candy rabbits and chickens have to do with the most central three days in human history?
The ancient church did exactly what God warned His people not to do, and that apostasy is still happening today. Babylon is fallen, is fallen, having fornicated with the kings, the ideologies and traditions of the lost, of this Earth; of Satan, himself, perverting every tenet of the faith once delivered to the saints.
Do you imagine it was any different ages ago? Can you not imagine pagans claiming how their festivals and traditions were just innocent pleasures? No harm done. Let the children play. Let all of us play and imagine our world came into being from a universal egg. The gods and goddesses had sex and the earth was born. The gods of war fought and sparks from their axes and hammers created the world. It's all innocent. No harm done. And that attitude, that delusion is no different than claiming our words and theology do not matter today. Our practices do not really matter. Our traditions are as important as the Word of God, exactly what God said would develop if His people were not constantly on guard. Here we are, for centuries, repeating the history of ancient Israel. They rejected their Messiah because He did not conform to their traditions. When Christ returns, what shall He say -
Matt 7:21 Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matt 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works?
Matt 7:23 And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.
The precipice of "innocence" is very rounded and the drop is a death fall. It is little things that cause great deception. We all think the little things do not matter. They do. Here in Texas, carpenter ants and termites causes billions of dollars in damages. Little colonies of tiny creatures that multiply and eat away, silently, until a structure is dangerous to live in because it can collapse - floors cave in, walls push out, rafters give way. Everything can be turned into dust. Exterminators put chemicals into the soil that are so toxic they can last for a decade or more.
One only has to look at the last few years to understand the nature of small things, microscopic things that can kill. Covid, a man-made virus, a microscopic agent of illness and the serums made to inject people contain the smallest of invaders that are killing people around the world. The smallest of things matter.
It is not the big things that jump out at us. It is the little things that degrade the soul over time. Those believers who thought it would be a good idea to remember the death and resurrection of Christ every year, on specific days, would be shocked to see what it has become in our day.
When I was a Catholic boy, in Connecticut, as is a huge population of citizens in that state, there was no closing of anything on "Good Friday." Yesterday, I went to the town office to register my vehicle. It was closed for Good Friday. Texas? Yes. All over the nation states shut down for Good Friday. Then states and the nation go right back to dishonoring the goodness of Christ with reprehensible decisions that plague the kingdom of God and defy their own Constitutions.
Traditions. They are not all innocent. They are not all innocuous. They certainly are not all endorsed by God.
Matt 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Matt 12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Rev 22:18 For I testify to every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add to these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Rev 22:20 He which testifies these things says, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Ecosexuals?
Heterosexuals, homosexuals, bisexuals, pansexuals, polysexuals, asexuals... zoophilia/bestiality... indeed, there are a bunch of categories but, ecosexuals? That's a new one on me.
earth.fm/earth-stories/introduction-ecosexuality-movement/
Physical intimacy with "Lover Earth." Yeah, move over "Mother." Your influence has been perverted.
While sex becomes more and more craved and constant between people not married or committed to each other, just ships passing in the night, people are no longer enough. "Love the one your with" can be... indeed, tree huggers in toto.
We live in a "whatever floats your boat" age. The same mindset was engrained in the frontal lobes of the antediluvians. It brought about the end of the world.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
earth.fm/earth-stories/introduction-ecosexuality-movement/
Physical intimacy with "Lover Earth." Yeah, move over "Mother." Your influence has been perverted.
While sex becomes more and more craved and constant between people not married or committed to each other, just ships passing in the night, people are no longer enough. "Love the one your with" can be... indeed, tree huggers in toto.
We live in a "whatever floats your boat" age. The same mindset was engrained in the frontal lobes of the antediluvians. It brought about the end of the world.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Trump Bible. Cringe, Anyone?
I know Trump loves America. I wish Trump loved God and was truly converted and had his eyes opened to the way evangelicals are using him.
Trump promoting a Bible with an American flag pressed into the leather is so cringe-worthy it is almost impossible to believe. Especially is that the case when considering America's place in prophecy and what she will do to deny the most central aspect of God's moral law, the law of liberty; found in the fourth commandment.
Be that as it may, I do pray for the man.
www.christianpost.com/news/trumps-bible-endorsement-draws-mixed-reactions-from-christians.html
Many presidents have endorsed reading the Bible. Nothing wrong with that. But Lee Greenwood's Bible, containing the Founding documents of the nation and the chorus to his own song, is the very nature of mixing church and state the Founders denied. The nation does not endorse a specific religion, even if the nation was founded upon a culture understood as Christian. The government cannot be associated with a specific version, which this one is: the King James. Well, the Catholic Church can say, 'Hey, What about our versions?' Jehovah's Witnesses could say, 'Wait a minute. The King James is wrong. Our version is the correct one. It should be endorsed for reading' and on and on it goes. Muslims can call for the endorsement of the Quran. THIS is precisely why the separation of church and state exists. You cannot safely blend or mix the two. IT ALWAYS CREATES PROBLEMS. It just does.
There is nothing wrong with anyone endorsing the reading of the Bible, as an individual but, the Bible contains no documents of outside national interest, ever. The Bible, itself, is the document of law and authority of the kingdom of heaven. No others be submitted. America has had laws in opposition to the Bible's direct teaching. Christ's kingdom IS NOT of this world. How is that plain and simple declaration not understood by America's believers? America's believers cannot even agree on what America is or does. Many believers cannot stand Donald Trump. Leaders of conservative ministries and churches call them dividers and haters. The churches on the political left call the conservatives haters and dividers. How then, can you stamp an American flag on the cover of GOD's Holy Bible?
The issue is not reading the Bible or the founding documents. It is the blending of the two that is wrong. The Framers could not endorse such a volume, regardless of how well meaning it is. Consider the ancient endorsement of King Nebuchadnezzar -
Dan 3:28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
Dan 3:29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
Dan 3:30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
The king's intentions were good but, the union of church and state, as existed in Babylon; the old "divine right of kings" attitude, created an appalling addition to the king's decree. You cannot force people to worship. That is exactly what unions of church and state always do. Sunday laws exemplified that attitude and shall again, when that wave of erroneous patriotism paves the way for America's complete fall from God, it claims to serve.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Trump promoting a Bible with an American flag pressed into the leather is so cringe-worthy it is almost impossible to believe. Especially is that the case when considering America's place in prophecy and what she will do to deny the most central aspect of God's moral law, the law of liberty; found in the fourth commandment.
Be that as it may, I do pray for the man.
www.christianpost.com/news/trumps-bible-endorsement-draws-mixed-reactions-from-christians.html
Many presidents have endorsed reading the Bible. Nothing wrong with that. But Lee Greenwood's Bible, containing the Founding documents of the nation and the chorus to his own song, is the very nature of mixing church and state the Founders denied. The nation does not endorse a specific religion, even if the nation was founded upon a culture understood as Christian. The government cannot be associated with a specific version, which this one is: the King James. Well, the Catholic Church can say, 'Hey, What about our versions?' Jehovah's Witnesses could say, 'Wait a minute. The King James is wrong. Our version is the correct one. It should be endorsed for reading' and on and on it goes. Muslims can call for the endorsement of the Quran. THIS is precisely why the separation of church and state exists. You cannot safely blend or mix the two. IT ALWAYS CREATES PROBLEMS. It just does.
There is nothing wrong with anyone endorsing the reading of the Bible, as an individual but, the Bible contains no documents of outside national interest, ever. The Bible, itself, is the document of law and authority of the kingdom of heaven. No others be submitted. America has had laws in opposition to the Bible's direct teaching. Christ's kingdom IS NOT of this world. How is that plain and simple declaration not understood by America's believers? America's believers cannot even agree on what America is or does. Many believers cannot stand Donald Trump. Leaders of conservative ministries and churches call them dividers and haters. The churches on the political left call the conservatives haters and dividers. How then, can you stamp an American flag on the cover of GOD's Holy Bible?
The issue is not reading the Bible or the founding documents. It is the blending of the two that is wrong. The Framers could not endorse such a volume, regardless of how well meaning it is. Consider the ancient endorsement of King Nebuchadnezzar -
Dan 3:28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
Dan 3:29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
Dan 3:30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
The king's intentions were good but, the union of church and state, as existed in Babylon; the old "divine right of kings" attitude, created an appalling addition to the king's decree. You cannot force people to worship. That is exactly what unions of church and state always do. Sunday laws exemplified that attitude and shall again, when that wave of erroneous patriotism paves the way for America's complete fall from God, it claims to serve.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
943. Owens/Shapiro - 3/31/24
If you are watching anything associated with the Conservative side of politics, you are being exposed to this...I'll call it, 'situation' between Candice Owens and her former colleague, Ben Shapiro. At the outset, I will say I do not really get into Ben Shapiro. Not a fan. He's sharp, intelligent and all but, I find it difficult to listen to his fast talking and the pitch of his voice. That said, Owens is also a fast talker, and I don't know why but, people who talk fast make me uncomfortable. Here, in Texas, or anywhere down South, I have come into contact with people whose Southern drawl is difficult to understand and if they talk fast, you've lost me, especially if you are a business person. My trust factor shrinks, exponentially, and my internal radar begins to scream.
The thing that causes me to write this post is this thing that is all over the place - Christ is King. Owens states that in an X post or on a podcast or something, and everything blows up. Why? Because saying, Christ is King, is apparently anti-Semitic. It's a dig against Jews, say Jews. I even saw something stating Santa Clause is anti-Semitic. ?????
The First Amendment to the Constitution, in the Bill of Rights, unequivocally states Americans have a right to speak freely; to opine, to proclaim, to state, however they want, what they believe. You cannot freely lie about someone or their business, in print or vocally -
libel
noun
1. a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation; a written defamation
slander
noun
1. the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation
Otherwise, people are free to speak their mind about anything. The reason you cannot yell "Fire!" in a crowded public place is simply because, if there is no fire, a resulting charge of people trying to get out of a building they think is on fire, could harm someone. You cannot potentially harm people with a false statement. That limit on free speech, "harming" people, is being taken to extremes of unprecedented proportions in our society now.
If you criticize anything about the situation between Israel and Gaza, you are likely to hurt someone's feelings. Can't be helped. Hamas is evil. Israel is killing innocent civilians. Two declarative statements. Two simple opinions based on reason and/with fact. There is no lie there. No libel, no slander. Yet, such statements can get you fired from your job. Think of the list of things you can no longer comment on; else possibly find yourself fired or in a lawsuit or ostracized or worse, like receiving death threats -
Christians quoting the Bible (why is it no one freaks out when Jews quote the Bible or Muslims quote the Quran?).
Anything against LGBTQ+, which covers a lot of territory.
Taking sides in foreign wars.
Having an opinion about anyone well-known or even, not so well known, in any field of life - politics, entertainment, religion, medicine, science, etc.
Believing in special creation, questioning or challenging the Big Bang/macro-Evolution/Naturalism/Materialism
Negative opinions about Islam and its prophet.
And, of course, the elephant in the room: openly challenging and/or dissenting from decisions being made by federal government employees: elected civil servants.
That short list covers about all of communication between human beings, at present: mostly hot button topics. Even though no one has a right NOT to be offended, offended people will no longer abide by the Bill of Rights. Ruination of lives, who disagree with anything on the polar opposite side of an issue, has become the rule of the day. It only matters who or what organization might take issue and pursue a path of destruction. That means people in, generally, Left-sides of issues but, in the case of Owens and Shapiro, not necessarily. Both claim to be Conservatives, on the same side of societal issues. While I do not follow either person online, I have watched various YT shorts of them in public speaking situations.
Owens offended Shapiro with comments about the Israel/Gaza situation. Then she had a rabbi on her program who had been very offended by her and wrote things about her, which Owens wanted to challenge, before her audience, on the program. He was, in my opinion, ridiculously manipulative and disingenuous. Owens held her ground on every point he made. Next thing she knows, she's fired from the organization started by Shapiro. For... ? Perceived anti-Semitism?
The dangerous issue is not so much lawsuits, other than cost for legal representation. It is the societal breakdown of people refusing to allow free speech. A big "for-instance," is the Supreme Court. I disagree, vehemently, with some of their recent decisions but, I'm not going to show up in front of their house in some menacing way, with others who agree with me, which, is actually against the law. Laws exist to protect those employed by the Federal government when it comes to their private lives. When LGBTQ+ showed up in front of SCOTUS judges homes, upon the court's decision on abortion, a crime was committed by gathered, offended, angry, upset people. No no one was arrested. Riots, looting, destruction of property... people are not being arrested. Crimes considered felonies are being lowered to misdemeanors and people are back out on the streets, only to commit more crime. We see this almost every day in the news.
This new wave of punching females on the streets of NYC is a ghastly horror that the city seems none too agitated to do much about. Is that because the women being struck, posting videos of their experience on social media, are "white?" It seems a logical question to ask. It may offend someone but, do I have an inalienable right to ask it? If not, America ceases to be American. It becomes a land of tyranny and despotism. Well, asking those about their experience with the "lawfare" underway and America has already become a land of tyranny, which will only get worse.
"Feuds" have been taking place on social media for awhile now, between people in all kinds of levels in the social universe. Everybody is at each other's throats. What is happening? Am I still free to post my answer? Technically, yes. Legally, yes. Socially? That remains to be seen.
Matt 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and you shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
Matt 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Matt 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax [grow] cold.
A couple points here. The Greek word translated "offended" is 'scandalizo.' Yes, where we get our English word, scandalize. It literally means to entrap or trip up. Indeed; sounds like every interview Leftist media does with those on the Right. "Gotcha!" questions. The entire Left-side of the political, social spectrum is at war with the Right. At some point, the Right is going to create the most enormous backlash ever seen in America, much like is happening in nations of Europe right now. People are fed up. In America, such a backlash can be created. In ancient Rome; in Communist China, no. Backlash was/is not allowed. American politicians on the Left, in cooperation with RINO members of the GOP, are doing their best to crush dissent, given the Republic we have; barely hanging on in the courts. It is a race against time, now.
The word translated "iniquity" means lawlessness, illegality, violation of law; which some translations state. That condition is all around us now. The law, the Constitution states citizens are free to speak, and that freedom, that liberty does not come from government. It comes from God: an inalienable right. That is what the Founders believed. That principle is being completely denied by elected civil servants and those in national media on the Left. That is lawlessness, a violation of the law and what undergirds it. Because this lawlessness is abounding, the love of many is growing cold. Hatred exists, from those who call those who disagree with them, haters!
Christ is King, for me. That is my worldview. That does not mean I shall be part of the backlash. No. I know what is coming, prophetically. The backlash will signal a wave of shock and awe that will back the Federal and State governments against a wall, on a hill they are not prepared to die on. What is coming will ring the bells that the end of all things is approaching. When religious people attain political power, persecution results. Always. That is coming, and at the hands of those who shall believe they are doing God a service - saving America; saving the world.
The entire populace mocked Noah, mocked the warnings, mocked the truth, 4,000 years ago. This time, the entire world will mock those who dissent from the coming wave of religio/political force, backed up by supernatural events the Bible refers to as "miracles," "all power, signs and lying wonders" and deceptions.
The timeline? I don't know. Nobody does. If they say they do, don't believe them. "Nobody knows the day or the hour." It is all going to build and burst quickly. Once it does, God shall step in and take control of His church and wonderfully help them make the final stand against the rebellion begun in Heaven.
Jesus warned His disciples and thereby, all of His believers; people are going to be offended and take action against the offenders. The American Constitution, all Constitutions will just be ignored. What is coming will not, cannot be stopped. Yes, it's a very mixed bag right now; confusingly so but, by the end, just two clear sides will emerge - wheat and weeds; sheep and goats; those in light and those in darkness; the remnant and the worldwide superchurch.
And here's the thing. "Identifying" with one side or the other will mean nothing. You are either on God's side or against Him. 50-50 doesn't cut it. Nor does 90-10. It must be 100% God's way. How many people are actually seeking to know what that is? Well, God calls His people out of spiritual, prophetic Babylon. They're in it. May billions come out.
The coin in the funnel is picking up more speed.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The thing that causes me to write this post is this thing that is all over the place - Christ is King. Owens states that in an X post or on a podcast or something, and everything blows up. Why? Because saying, Christ is King, is apparently anti-Semitic. It's a dig against Jews, say Jews. I even saw something stating Santa Clause is anti-Semitic. ?????
The First Amendment to the Constitution, in the Bill of Rights, unequivocally states Americans have a right to speak freely; to opine, to proclaim, to state, however they want, what they believe. You cannot freely lie about someone or their business, in print or vocally -
libel
noun
1. a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation; a written defamation
slander
noun
1. the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation
Otherwise, people are free to speak their mind about anything. The reason you cannot yell "Fire!" in a crowded public place is simply because, if there is no fire, a resulting charge of people trying to get out of a building they think is on fire, could harm someone. You cannot potentially harm people with a false statement. That limit on free speech, "harming" people, is being taken to extremes of unprecedented proportions in our society now.
If you criticize anything about the situation between Israel and Gaza, you are likely to hurt someone's feelings. Can't be helped. Hamas is evil. Israel is killing innocent civilians. Two declarative statements. Two simple opinions based on reason and/with fact. There is no lie there. No libel, no slander. Yet, such statements can get you fired from your job. Think of the list of things you can no longer comment on; else possibly find yourself fired or in a lawsuit or ostracized or worse, like receiving death threats -
Christians quoting the Bible (why is it no one freaks out when Jews quote the Bible or Muslims quote the Quran?).
Anything against LGBTQ+, which covers a lot of territory.
Taking sides in foreign wars.
Having an opinion about anyone well-known or even, not so well known, in any field of life - politics, entertainment, religion, medicine, science, etc.
Believing in special creation, questioning or challenging the Big Bang/macro-Evolution/Naturalism/Materialism
Negative opinions about Islam and its prophet.
And, of course, the elephant in the room: openly challenging and/or dissenting from decisions being made by federal government employees: elected civil servants.
That short list covers about all of communication between human beings, at present: mostly hot button topics. Even though no one has a right NOT to be offended, offended people will no longer abide by the Bill of Rights. Ruination of lives, who disagree with anything on the polar opposite side of an issue, has become the rule of the day. It only matters who or what organization might take issue and pursue a path of destruction. That means people in, generally, Left-sides of issues but, in the case of Owens and Shapiro, not necessarily. Both claim to be Conservatives, on the same side of societal issues. While I do not follow either person online, I have watched various YT shorts of them in public speaking situations.
Owens offended Shapiro with comments about the Israel/Gaza situation. Then she had a rabbi on her program who had been very offended by her and wrote things about her, which Owens wanted to challenge, before her audience, on the program. He was, in my opinion, ridiculously manipulative and disingenuous. Owens held her ground on every point he made. Next thing she knows, she's fired from the organization started by Shapiro. For... ? Perceived anti-Semitism?
The dangerous issue is not so much lawsuits, other than cost for legal representation. It is the societal breakdown of people refusing to allow free speech. A big "for-instance," is the Supreme Court. I disagree, vehemently, with some of their recent decisions but, I'm not going to show up in front of their house in some menacing way, with others who agree with me, which, is actually against the law. Laws exist to protect those employed by the Federal government when it comes to their private lives. When LGBTQ+ showed up in front of SCOTUS judges homes, upon the court's decision on abortion, a crime was committed by gathered, offended, angry, upset people. No no one was arrested. Riots, looting, destruction of property... people are not being arrested. Crimes considered felonies are being lowered to misdemeanors and people are back out on the streets, only to commit more crime. We see this almost every day in the news.
This new wave of punching females on the streets of NYC is a ghastly horror that the city seems none too agitated to do much about. Is that because the women being struck, posting videos of their experience on social media, are "white?" It seems a logical question to ask. It may offend someone but, do I have an inalienable right to ask it? If not, America ceases to be American. It becomes a land of tyranny and despotism. Well, asking those about their experience with the "lawfare" underway and America has already become a land of tyranny, which will only get worse.
"Feuds" have been taking place on social media for awhile now, between people in all kinds of levels in the social universe. Everybody is at each other's throats. What is happening? Am I still free to post my answer? Technically, yes. Legally, yes. Socially? That remains to be seen.
Matt 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and you shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
Matt 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Matt 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax [grow] cold.
A couple points here. The Greek word translated "offended" is 'scandalizo.' Yes, where we get our English word, scandalize. It literally means to entrap or trip up. Indeed; sounds like every interview Leftist media does with those on the Right. "Gotcha!" questions. The entire Left-side of the political, social spectrum is at war with the Right. At some point, the Right is going to create the most enormous backlash ever seen in America, much like is happening in nations of Europe right now. People are fed up. In America, such a backlash can be created. In ancient Rome; in Communist China, no. Backlash was/is not allowed. American politicians on the Left, in cooperation with RINO members of the GOP, are doing their best to crush dissent, given the Republic we have; barely hanging on in the courts. It is a race against time, now.
The word translated "iniquity" means lawlessness, illegality, violation of law; which some translations state. That condition is all around us now. The law, the Constitution states citizens are free to speak, and that freedom, that liberty does not come from government. It comes from God: an inalienable right. That is what the Founders believed. That principle is being completely denied by elected civil servants and those in national media on the Left. That is lawlessness, a violation of the law and what undergirds it. Because this lawlessness is abounding, the love of many is growing cold. Hatred exists, from those who call those who disagree with them, haters!
Christ is King, for me. That is my worldview. That does not mean I shall be part of the backlash. No. I know what is coming, prophetically. The backlash will signal a wave of shock and awe that will back the Federal and State governments against a wall, on a hill they are not prepared to die on. What is coming will ring the bells that the end of all things is approaching. When religious people attain political power, persecution results. Always. That is coming, and at the hands of those who shall believe they are doing God a service - saving America; saving the world.
The entire populace mocked Noah, mocked the warnings, mocked the truth, 4,000 years ago. This time, the entire world will mock those who dissent from the coming wave of religio/political force, backed up by supernatural events the Bible refers to as "miracles," "all power, signs and lying wonders" and deceptions.
The timeline? I don't know. Nobody does. If they say they do, don't believe them. "Nobody knows the day or the hour." It is all going to build and burst quickly. Once it does, God shall step in and take control of His church and wonderfully help them make the final stand against the rebellion begun in Heaven.
Jesus warned His disciples and thereby, all of His believers; people are going to be offended and take action against the offenders. The American Constitution, all Constitutions will just be ignored. What is coming will not, cannot be stopped. Yes, it's a very mixed bag right now; confusingly so but, by the end, just two clear sides will emerge - wheat and weeds; sheep and goats; those in light and those in darkness; the remnant and the worldwide superchurch.
And here's the thing. "Identifying" with one side or the other will mean nothing. You are either on God's side or against Him. 50-50 doesn't cut it. Nor does 90-10. It must be 100% God's way. How many people are actually seeking to know what that is? Well, God calls His people out of spiritual, prophetic Babylon. They're in it. May billions come out.
The coin in the funnel is picking up more speed.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
944. Christians Freak Out - April 1, 2024
Yesterday was "Easter." Christians freaked out all around the world. Why? Joe Biden - professed Roman Catholic - decided to announce the day - "Transgender Day of Visibility." The denunciations began rapidly and built to a rather feverish pitch.
Did you know, back in 2022 that Passover, Easter and Ramadan met on the same weekend?
Christians, with absolutely NO biblical support, celebrate "Easter" and the day is always on a Sunday but, the dates change. Unlike Christmas - which is always the 25th of December, even though there is no evidence Christ was born that date, and no mention of celebrating or honoring His date of birth in the Bible - Easter has no date, though it could; seeing Christ was crucified on the 14th of Nisan on the Jewish calendar, rested in the tomb on Sabbath, the 15th, and resurrected in the early morning hours of the 16th. So, Easter, like Christmas, could be celebrated on whatever day of the week the 16th of Nisan falls on the Gregorian calendar, used today.
The observance of "Easter" was challenged by leaders of the church in Asia minor, revolting against the church in Rome and its supposed preeminence; being the hub of the empire. Those Christians worshipped or bowed to no "Papa" or sovereign pontiff - in place of Christ - in Rome. Indeed, the Protestant Reformation is much older than the 16th century.
Jews observing the Passover; a day commanded to be observed by God; which prefigured the Messiah shedding His blood to save us from the death penalty of sin; being remembered by Jews on the same weekend Christians believe Jews killed their Messiah; also being the time Islam does their rituals; only believing Christ was a prophet, believing Christians commit idolatry, was an odd moment in time. Did anyone denounce the Jews or Muslims that weekend? To the contrary, they made a big deal of it all -
laist.com/news/three-religious-holidays-overlap-passover-easter-ramadan-interfaith
"Rev. John Edward Cager III, of Ward African Methodist Episcopal Church, says all three faiths share a common ancestor and worship the same god.
“God wants us to be able to respect the individuality of our belief systems, along with respecting the humanity and the love in each of us,” he said.
"He views Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as a holiday that reinforces the need to overcome divisiveness with love."
Wait. I thought "Easter" was a holy day, not a holiday; the holiest day of the year in Christendom. And how is it all worship the same God? Jews do not believe Yeshua, the son of Mary and Joseph, was the Son of God, the Messiah, God in human flesh. Muslims do not worship Yehovah. Allah is not the LORD of the Bible, and Mohammed is not a prophet to Christians. These are enormous walls that exist. Trying to break them down so everyone can displace divisiveness is an act of treason to the kingdom of God. Respecting people, allowing people to believe what they want is one thing but, the divisions cannot be replaced with any kind of unity in love. Loving our neighbor is not joining our neighbor in their errors.
The fact that Abraham is common to all three faiths is meaningless. Doctrine does not come from Abraham. Doctrine, truth comes from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, called the Spirit of truth, by Christ. There can be no unity with those who do not believe such a central truth for the Christian faith.
If Christians will seek unity with Jews, who slew Christ, and Muslims, who disregard Him as deity and should not be worshipped; and neither observe "Easter," and know its pagan background, then why denounce Biden for not mentioning Easter but, making the whole transgender gig prominent? Because Christians, on their supposed most holy day of the year, cannot help being political. They are being enveloped in it and shall find themselves embroiled in things that shall bring about a decided end to the Republic they want to save.
I simply ask, do Christians own a particular Sunday associated with the Vernal Equinox, traditionally used by Catholics to remember the day Christ rose from the dead? No. Christians own no day of the week or any date on a calendar. Pagans celebrate the Spring and Winter rituals at the same times as Christians do their traditional remembrances and you do not see Christian leaders denouncing pagans, and they have been doing these observances much longer than Christians. These times of year are theirs for ages!
I understand the angst and revolting sense of entitlement Christians feel for Biden raining on their Easter parades like this. The Biden administration, obviously being run by others who retain their mental acuity, while Biden sinks further into the darkness of dementia, did this move on purpose, to offend the Christian world. Frankly, it is a slap in the face and they know it, and make no apology for it. It is their premise and plan to divide, to pit humans against each other, to tear the fabric of the nation and bring down the Republic any way they can. This is all understood now by far too many Americans to have this "Fundamental change" of America take place without a fight of some kind.
I have mentioned this before, of course but, in the Bible, there is a prescribed way to remember the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Yes. Two things. Baptism by immersion and the Lord's supper.
1Cor 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
1Cor 11:24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
1Cor 11:25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
1Cor 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes
Rom 6:3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
Rom 6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
Rom 6:7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.
Rom 6:8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
Rom 6:9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
Rom 6:10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
Rom 6:11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Col 2:11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
Col 2:12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Col 2:13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
Baptism, in the Bible, is something that a believer has done after they become a believer, after they are born-again, converted. Babies, anyone not understanding or realizing their need for a Saviour from sin, has no reason to be baptized. Indeed, someone who is not converted and is immersed under water is just a wet, unconverted person. Baptism is not a supernatural act. The same can be said for using bread and grape juice to represent the body and blood of Christ in observing the Lord's Supper, however believers choose to remember those emblems in their church services. Some churches: every day, every week, every month, every quarter, once a year.
By the way, the very word, 'baptism,' in the Greek, 'baptisma,' means to immerse or submerse.
G908
βάπτισμα
baptisma
Thayer Definition:
1) immersion, submersion
A question naturally arises. Why then, do Roman Catholics pour a little water on heads of babies, and other denominations do the same; and likewise, why is it churches use fermented wine to represent the pure, undefiled blood of Christ, as well as little cookies with images of the sun embossed into them? As well, Christ washed His disciples feet in that last supper and made that part of the entire experience and said why. Yet, how many churches do not observe foot washing when they perform their rituals for the Lord's supper? These are legitimate questions that deserve answers.
Getting all bent out of shape about Joe Biden and a day to remember transgenders is, of course, pretty rude, given our culture of Christianity but, you see, Obama stated America no longer has a Christian culture. As offensive as that may sound to millions, it's pretty accurate. American culture has become just as secular as it is religious. Maybe more so, looking at recent surveys and polls in the last decade or more.
Let's face it, when a majority of Americans think it is okay to lie, depending on the size of it or the occasion; and millions of Americans think nothing of frequently rotating sexual partners, and supporting things God calls an abomination; and most all Americans are breaking the Fourth Commandment every week, it certainly is not difficult to realize the populace, overall, including professed Christians, are not doing things the way God desires. Therefore, their anger over Biden and his transgender day could be seen as pretty hypocritical by Heaven. I believe that is exactly how God sees it.
Now, of course, many professed Christians are unaware of the errors they believe and practices God enjoins to the faith they are ignorant of. The time is coming, indeed, now is and has been for over a century that the messages of warning, the final warnings from God to the Earth, have been going out, being proclaimed by some; and their number shall rise as the days grow more intense. The Three Angel's Messages of Revelation 14:6-12, as well as the final warning of chapter 18, will do their necessary and eventful work. Then Christ shall return. Until then, professed Christians should be careful how their enmity is disseminated in this life. God may see things very differently.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
EDIT: April 2, 2024 - I want to add something here -
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/caitlyn-jenner-slams-joe-biden-blasphemous-trans-day/
“On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives,” Biden said in the declaration.
“I am proud that my Administration has stood for justice from the start, working to ensure that the LGBTQI+ community can live openly, in safety, with dignity and respect. I am proud to have appointed transgender leaders to my Administration and to have ended the ban on transgender Americans serving openly in our military,” Biden continued.
“I am proud to have signed historic Executive Orders that strengthen civil rights protections in housing, employment, health care, education, the justice system, and more. I am proud to have signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law, ensuring that every American can marry the person they love.”
Created? As of today, far as I am aware, homosexuals are not created. There is no homosexual gene and God did not create homosexuality or His Word is then Babylon, itself. Certainly, transgenders are not created. They are modified by medical science and in many cases, not even medically modified. They just dress and act differently. No creation involved.
Considering the Justice System is now being used to go after people who denounce the Biden administration's weaponization of the Justice Department and his own corruptions, the irony here is totally rusted.
The Respect for Marriage Act is a misnomer. Marriage is a creation of God, of religion, something the Supreme Court and Congress has no business getting into. Marriage is "an establishment of religion." There is no respect for the Creator in the Act. There is only negligence and contempt. Even the aspect of "love" is religious. It is, in fact, God's nature -
1John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
1John 4:8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
That means God is sovereign to decide how love is expressed in the human family, how it is practiced on all levels, and who can marry whom. As a professed Roman Catholic, Biden should know that. Of course, at this point in his life, it is dubious he knows where his private quarters are in the White House.
The article addresses Caitlyn (Bruce) Jenner's X comment toward this decision to announce this on "Easter." Being a transgender, himself, it seems a fairly strong denunciation -
“I am absolutely disgusted that Joe Biden has declared the most Holy of Holy days – a self-proclaimed devout Catholic – as Transgender Day of Visibility. The only thing you should be declaring on this day is ‘HE is Risen,'” he wrote.
Confusion abounds.
Babylon grows ever stronger.
Did you know, back in 2022 that Passover, Easter and Ramadan met on the same weekend?
Christians, with absolutely NO biblical support, celebrate "Easter" and the day is always on a Sunday but, the dates change. Unlike Christmas - which is always the 25th of December, even though there is no evidence Christ was born that date, and no mention of celebrating or honoring His date of birth in the Bible - Easter has no date, though it could; seeing Christ was crucified on the 14th of Nisan on the Jewish calendar, rested in the tomb on Sabbath, the 15th, and resurrected in the early morning hours of the 16th. So, Easter, like Christmas, could be celebrated on whatever day of the week the 16th of Nisan falls on the Gregorian calendar, used today.
The observance of "Easter" was challenged by leaders of the church in Asia minor, revolting against the church in Rome and its supposed preeminence; being the hub of the empire. Those Christians worshipped or bowed to no "Papa" or sovereign pontiff - in place of Christ - in Rome. Indeed, the Protestant Reformation is much older than the 16th century.
Jews observing the Passover; a day commanded to be observed by God; which prefigured the Messiah shedding His blood to save us from the death penalty of sin; being remembered by Jews on the same weekend Christians believe Jews killed their Messiah; also being the time Islam does their rituals; only believing Christ was a prophet, believing Christians commit idolatry, was an odd moment in time. Did anyone denounce the Jews or Muslims that weekend? To the contrary, they made a big deal of it all -
laist.com/news/three-religious-holidays-overlap-passover-easter-ramadan-interfaith
"Rev. John Edward Cager III, of Ward African Methodist Episcopal Church, says all three faiths share a common ancestor and worship the same god.
“God wants us to be able to respect the individuality of our belief systems, along with respecting the humanity and the love in each of us,” he said.
"He views Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as a holiday that reinforces the need to overcome divisiveness with love."
Wait. I thought "Easter" was a holy day, not a holiday; the holiest day of the year in Christendom. And how is it all worship the same God? Jews do not believe Yeshua, the son of Mary and Joseph, was the Son of God, the Messiah, God in human flesh. Muslims do not worship Yehovah. Allah is not the LORD of the Bible, and Mohammed is not a prophet to Christians. These are enormous walls that exist. Trying to break them down so everyone can displace divisiveness is an act of treason to the kingdom of God. Respecting people, allowing people to believe what they want is one thing but, the divisions cannot be replaced with any kind of unity in love. Loving our neighbor is not joining our neighbor in their errors.
The fact that Abraham is common to all three faiths is meaningless. Doctrine does not come from Abraham. Doctrine, truth comes from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, called the Spirit of truth, by Christ. There can be no unity with those who do not believe such a central truth for the Christian faith.
If Christians will seek unity with Jews, who slew Christ, and Muslims, who disregard Him as deity and should not be worshipped; and neither observe "Easter," and know its pagan background, then why denounce Biden for not mentioning Easter but, making the whole transgender gig prominent? Because Christians, on their supposed most holy day of the year, cannot help being political. They are being enveloped in it and shall find themselves embroiled in things that shall bring about a decided end to the Republic they want to save.
I simply ask, do Christians own a particular Sunday associated with the Vernal Equinox, traditionally used by Catholics to remember the day Christ rose from the dead? No. Christians own no day of the week or any date on a calendar. Pagans celebrate the Spring and Winter rituals at the same times as Christians do their traditional remembrances and you do not see Christian leaders denouncing pagans, and they have been doing these observances much longer than Christians. These times of year are theirs for ages!
I understand the angst and revolting sense of entitlement Christians feel for Biden raining on their Easter parades like this. The Biden administration, obviously being run by others who retain their mental acuity, while Biden sinks further into the darkness of dementia, did this move on purpose, to offend the Christian world. Frankly, it is a slap in the face and they know it, and make no apology for it. It is their premise and plan to divide, to pit humans against each other, to tear the fabric of the nation and bring down the Republic any way they can. This is all understood now by far too many Americans to have this "Fundamental change" of America take place without a fight of some kind.
I have mentioned this before, of course but, in the Bible, there is a prescribed way to remember the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Yes. Two things. Baptism by immersion and the Lord's supper.
1Cor 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
1Cor 11:24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
1Cor 11:25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
1Cor 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes
Rom 6:3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
Rom 6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
Rom 6:7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.
Rom 6:8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
Rom 6:9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
Rom 6:10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
Rom 6:11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Col 2:11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
Col 2:12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Col 2:13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
Baptism, in the Bible, is something that a believer has done after they become a believer, after they are born-again, converted. Babies, anyone not understanding or realizing their need for a Saviour from sin, has no reason to be baptized. Indeed, someone who is not converted and is immersed under water is just a wet, unconverted person. Baptism is not a supernatural act. The same can be said for using bread and grape juice to represent the body and blood of Christ in observing the Lord's Supper, however believers choose to remember those emblems in their church services. Some churches: every day, every week, every month, every quarter, once a year.
By the way, the very word, 'baptism,' in the Greek, 'baptisma,' means to immerse or submerse.
G908
βάπτισμα
baptisma
Thayer Definition:
1) immersion, submersion
A question naturally arises. Why then, do Roman Catholics pour a little water on heads of babies, and other denominations do the same; and likewise, why is it churches use fermented wine to represent the pure, undefiled blood of Christ, as well as little cookies with images of the sun embossed into them? As well, Christ washed His disciples feet in that last supper and made that part of the entire experience and said why. Yet, how many churches do not observe foot washing when they perform their rituals for the Lord's supper? These are legitimate questions that deserve answers.
Getting all bent out of shape about Joe Biden and a day to remember transgenders is, of course, pretty rude, given our culture of Christianity but, you see, Obama stated America no longer has a Christian culture. As offensive as that may sound to millions, it's pretty accurate. American culture has become just as secular as it is religious. Maybe more so, looking at recent surveys and polls in the last decade or more.
Let's face it, when a majority of Americans think it is okay to lie, depending on the size of it or the occasion; and millions of Americans think nothing of frequently rotating sexual partners, and supporting things God calls an abomination; and most all Americans are breaking the Fourth Commandment every week, it certainly is not difficult to realize the populace, overall, including professed Christians, are not doing things the way God desires. Therefore, their anger over Biden and his transgender day could be seen as pretty hypocritical by Heaven. I believe that is exactly how God sees it.
Now, of course, many professed Christians are unaware of the errors they believe and practices God enjoins to the faith they are ignorant of. The time is coming, indeed, now is and has been for over a century that the messages of warning, the final warnings from God to the Earth, have been going out, being proclaimed by some; and their number shall rise as the days grow more intense. The Three Angel's Messages of Revelation 14:6-12, as well as the final warning of chapter 18, will do their necessary and eventful work. Then Christ shall return. Until then, professed Christians should be careful how their enmity is disseminated in this life. God may see things very differently.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
EDIT: April 2, 2024 - I want to add something here -
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/caitlyn-jenner-slams-joe-biden-blasphemous-trans-day/
“On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives,” Biden said in the declaration.
“I am proud that my Administration has stood for justice from the start, working to ensure that the LGBTQI+ community can live openly, in safety, with dignity and respect. I am proud to have appointed transgender leaders to my Administration and to have ended the ban on transgender Americans serving openly in our military,” Biden continued.
“I am proud to have signed historic Executive Orders that strengthen civil rights protections in housing, employment, health care, education, the justice system, and more. I am proud to have signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law, ensuring that every American can marry the person they love.”
Created? As of today, far as I am aware, homosexuals are not created. There is no homosexual gene and God did not create homosexuality or His Word is then Babylon, itself. Certainly, transgenders are not created. They are modified by medical science and in many cases, not even medically modified. They just dress and act differently. No creation involved.
Considering the Justice System is now being used to go after people who denounce the Biden administration's weaponization of the Justice Department and his own corruptions, the irony here is totally rusted.
The Respect for Marriage Act is a misnomer. Marriage is a creation of God, of religion, something the Supreme Court and Congress has no business getting into. Marriage is "an establishment of religion." There is no respect for the Creator in the Act. There is only negligence and contempt. Even the aspect of "love" is religious. It is, in fact, God's nature -
1John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
1John 4:8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
That means God is sovereign to decide how love is expressed in the human family, how it is practiced on all levels, and who can marry whom. As a professed Roman Catholic, Biden should know that. Of course, at this point in his life, it is dubious he knows where his private quarters are in the White House.
The article addresses Caitlyn (Bruce) Jenner's X comment toward this decision to announce this on "Easter." Being a transgender, himself, it seems a fairly strong denunciation -
“I am absolutely disgusted that Joe Biden has declared the most Holy of Holy days – a self-proclaimed devout Catholic – as Transgender Day of Visibility. The only thing you should be declaring on this day is ‘HE is Risen,'” he wrote.
Confusion abounds.
Babylon grows ever stronger.
*****************************
ECLIPSE DOOM?
Well, I have to admit; I never expected such a hoopla to develop about the eclipse and Bible prophecy. YouTube is filling up with videos about the event. The path of the hours over America is going to wipe out cities; the judgments of God are coming; before, during and/or after the celestial show. Thankfully, there are those ministries and voices showing how all this does not meet the standard necessary to make it all biblical in nature. Too many others are apparently convinced we are in for some bad ju-ju (no offense to JuJu Watkins, USC's terrific basketball player).
The one thing that makes Bible prophecy so powerful is what surrounds the accuracy of it. In Daniel, ancient, huge empires are featured, covering over a thousand years - Babylonian, Persian, Grecian and Roman, then, a new feature; a power different from them, that rises up and outlasts them all; that claims to speak for God and makes war against God's people. In Revelation, we have central characters of women: God's church and the apostate church. More powers involved in a final battle between Christ, the Lamb, the conquering King, His last-day remnant believers and Satan, the dragon and his apostate forces. The scope is enormous. It's global.
We are living in the last-days, to be sure. That I certainly believe. But, to claim an eclipse traveling over seven towns named Nineveh, in America, or where an imaginary X is made where the paths of a previous eclipse has traveled, predicting doom, when eclipse maps show all kinds of Xs marking spots all over the planet, just places Christianity in a framework of foolishness in the eyes of non-believers. An total solar eclipse happens around every 18 months, somewhere on the globe; in the Southern hemisphere, more than the Northern, apparently. I just learned that doing some reading about this one coming up.
Don't get me wrong and if you have come here enough to read things I have written about Bible prophecy, you know I believe judgment is coming on America but, also the whole world. That said, it is also important to place prospective events in prophecy in proper order and timing opened to us by fulfillment of those events. There is no solar eclipse in prophecy, even if some have taken place during various events in prophecy. That becomes coincidence, not mandates from Heaven to pay attention because the trumpets of prophecy are calling mankind's attention.
The sun being darkened and the moon not giving her light become rather silly if they are just common eclipses.
Some hotels are charging $1000 a night to stay in those in the full path of the eclipse. Millions in America will be watching this thing happen, at least, where skies are clear. The rest of the world? Just another another day but, the entire world is involved in last-day events. In Daniel, Europe and Western Asia are the major characters. North and South America, Australia, Africa... not even a letter of recognition. Not enough populations to mean anything. But, then, a new nation arises into significance that changes the way governments officially act and are formed. The role of the United States comes forth in Revelation 13 and the two beasts, the powers God calls the world's attention to, conspire to bring about the end of the world in rebellion against God's law in favor of man's law, all continents populated to weigh in on matters engaging every soul on Earth. These are gargantuan events. Things are coming that shall set-up two sides to stand upon: God's or man's. A regular solar eclipse is not in the line-up of events, even if some odd things happen.
Hey, a second barge hit another bridge; this one in Oklahoma. Two in one week? All the food factories and livestock containments catching fire, explosions and all? Riots, robberies, insane violence on the streets? Upheaval in countries all over the globe? UFOs being seen and photographed or filmed on cameras all over the planet? Yeah, weird stuff. Christ and biblical writers predicted the basic groundwork of these conditions developing and taking place but, major prophetic events? No.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The one thing that makes Bible prophecy so powerful is what surrounds the accuracy of it. In Daniel, ancient, huge empires are featured, covering over a thousand years - Babylonian, Persian, Grecian and Roman, then, a new feature; a power different from them, that rises up and outlasts them all; that claims to speak for God and makes war against God's people. In Revelation, we have central characters of women: God's church and the apostate church. More powers involved in a final battle between Christ, the Lamb, the conquering King, His last-day remnant believers and Satan, the dragon and his apostate forces. The scope is enormous. It's global.
We are living in the last-days, to be sure. That I certainly believe. But, to claim an eclipse traveling over seven towns named Nineveh, in America, or where an imaginary X is made where the paths of a previous eclipse has traveled, predicting doom, when eclipse maps show all kinds of Xs marking spots all over the planet, just places Christianity in a framework of foolishness in the eyes of non-believers. An total solar eclipse happens around every 18 months, somewhere on the globe; in the Southern hemisphere, more than the Northern, apparently. I just learned that doing some reading about this one coming up.
Don't get me wrong and if you have come here enough to read things I have written about Bible prophecy, you know I believe judgment is coming on America but, also the whole world. That said, it is also important to place prospective events in prophecy in proper order and timing opened to us by fulfillment of those events. There is no solar eclipse in prophecy, even if some have taken place during various events in prophecy. That becomes coincidence, not mandates from Heaven to pay attention because the trumpets of prophecy are calling mankind's attention.
The sun being darkened and the moon not giving her light become rather silly if they are just common eclipses.
Some hotels are charging $1000 a night to stay in those in the full path of the eclipse. Millions in America will be watching this thing happen, at least, where skies are clear. The rest of the world? Just another another day but, the entire world is involved in last-day events. In Daniel, Europe and Western Asia are the major characters. North and South America, Australia, Africa... not even a letter of recognition. Not enough populations to mean anything. But, then, a new nation arises into significance that changes the way governments officially act and are formed. The role of the United States comes forth in Revelation 13 and the two beasts, the powers God calls the world's attention to, conspire to bring about the end of the world in rebellion against God's law in favor of man's law, all continents populated to weigh in on matters engaging every soul on Earth. These are gargantuan events. Things are coming that shall set-up two sides to stand upon: God's or man's. A regular solar eclipse is not in the line-up of events, even if some odd things happen.
Hey, a second barge hit another bridge; this one in Oklahoma. Two in one week? All the food factories and livestock containments catching fire, explosions and all? Riots, robberies, insane violence on the streets? Upheaval in countries all over the globe? UFOs being seen and photographed or filmed on cameras all over the planet? Yeah, weird stuff. Christ and biblical writers predicted the basic groundwork of these conditions developing and taking place but, major prophetic events? No.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
945.The Kettle Calls the Pot, Black - April 2, 2024
Here is an article so filled with Babylonian confusion it is almost incomprehensible -
www.lifesitenews.com/news/servant-of-freemasonry-vigano-rebukes-bishop-who-approved-pagan-ritual-before-mass-at-cathedral/
"The archbishop said a ''shamanic ceremony' 'desecrate(d) the Cathedral of the Diocese of Superior (WI) on the very day on which the Holy Chrism is consecrated.'
"During the ceremony, four women dressed in Native American attire stood around the altar and simultaneously turned to the north, east, south, and west while a person at the pulpit implored help from “the creator” to grant them “strength and courage… to perceive the sacredness of life, of mother earth, and all creation.”
Confusion is a mixture of that which is true, with that which is false. That's what makes it confusing. There are things that are diametrically opposed to each other. They cannot fit together and the whole be true. Oil and water, if you will. They do not mix. You can shake them up and they seem to mix but, given a little time, the natural separation takes place.
Here's the thing, seriously. The Roman Catholic Church admits to taking things with pagan backgrounds and making them Christian. They believe that is the right and power of their church; its hierarchy of popes, cardinals, bishops, etc. Most of what Roman Catholicism is, is a man-made collection of things that have no basis in Scripture. The Mass, itself, has nothing to do with anything in the Bible, from the teachings of Christ, His apostles or disciples of the early church He founded. So, for Arbp. Vigano to get offended by anything done by another priest in a Mass is rather hypocritical.
Notice the opening question presented to John Paul 2 in his book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope -
"Your Holiness, my first question will go right to the point. Therefore, please understand if it is longer than those that follow.
"In front of me is a man dressed in the white of ancient custom, with a cross over his chest. This man who is called the Pope (from "father," in Greek) is a mystery in and of himself, a sign of contradiction. He is even considered a challenge or a "scandal" to logic or good sense by many of our contemporaries.
"Confronted with the Pope, one must make a choice. The leader of the Catholic Church is defined by the faith as the Vicar of Jesus Christ (and is accepted as such by believers). The Pope is considered the man on earth who represents the Son of God, who "takes the place" of the Second Person of the omnipotent God of the Trinity.
"Each Pope regards his role with a sense of duty and humility, of course, but also with an equal sense of confidence. Catholics believe this and therefore they call him "Holy Father" or "Your Holiness."
"Nevertheless, according to many others, this is an absurd and unbelievable claim. The Pope, for them, is not God's representative. He is, instead, the surviving witness of ancient myths and legends that today the "adult" does not accept.
"Confronted with you-as with each of your predecessors and successors-one must wager, as Pascal said, that you are either the mysterious living proof of the Creator of the universe or the central protagonist of a millennial illusion.
"May I ask: Have you ever once hesitated in your belief in your relationship with Jesus Christ and therefore with God? Haven't you ever had, not doubts certainly, but at least questions and problems (as is human) about the truth of this Creed which is repeated at each Mass and which proclaims an unprecedented faith, of which you are the highest guarantor?"
When I bought this book, I had no idea just how honest the Pope would be. His admissions throughout are extraordinary. I asked myself often, Does he realize what he is stating? Well, of course he does. And part of his answer to this question summarizes why -
"Returning to your question, I would like to recall the words of Christ together with my first words in St. Peter's Square: "Be not afraid." Have no fear when people call me the "Vicar of Christ," when they say to me "Holy Father," or "Your Holiness," or use titles similar to these, which seem even inimical to the Gospel. Christ himself declared: "Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Messiah" (Mt 23:9-10). These expressions, nevertheless, have evolved out of a long tradition, becoming part of common usage. One must not be afraid of these words either."
First question. First answer. Be not afraid. Tradition is the rule, the foundation, not Scripture, not the very words of Christ, Himself. Tradition is the groundwork for all the Roman Catholic Church is, in premise, in practice. The RCC would deny that. They would say, 'the Bible is not overlooked or cast aside. All Rome's traditions are in harmony with it.' That is a delusion. An absolute delusion.
"Furthermore, Christ brings about a special presence in every priest, who, when celebrating the Eucharist or administering the sacraments, does so in persona Christi.
"The Pope is not the only one who holds this title. With regard to the Church entrusted to him, each bishop is Vicarius Christi. The Pope is Vicar of Christ with regard to the Church of Rome and, through that Church, of every Church in communion with it-a communion in faith as well as an institutional and canonical communion. Thus, if with this title one wants to refer to the dignity of the Bishop of Rome, one cannot consider it apart from the dignity of the entire college of bishops, with which it is tightly bound, as it is to the dignity of each bishop, each priest, and each of the baptized."
The Pope claims the entire system of Catholicism is "in place of Christ." Can there be a more plain admission of the RCC, its Papacy and Vatican being "antechristos:" anti-Christ - in place of Christ?
The Beast is not some secularist, globalist, maniacal self-proclaimed demigod. The Beast is an apostasy from Christianity that puts itself in place of Christ, with all the presumed power of Christ behind and in it. Therefore, whatever it decides becomes the truth, the law, the only thing mankind needs to concern themselves with in regards to salvation.
Modern Catholicism has kept itself away from Catholicism of previous centuries. That caused confusion for millions; my father and mother among them, and opened the way for my mother to contemplate things outside Catholicism and accept the Protestant faith of the Bible, alone, as the only rule of faith, practice and discipline. I had the privilege and joy of baptizing her by immersion, in declaration of her new found faith in Christ as a real Person in her life; not a statue on a wall or at the end of rosary beads and other traditional modes of depicting Christ in that church.
Catholicism has seemingly mellowed and softened its approach to living, existing in a world it does not control.
The vast majority of Roman Catholics today have no idea what old Catholicism is. They don't know what it teaches or what it has done down through the centuries. My father and mother were taught not to play with Protestant children, when they were growing up in Rhode Island. I had no such demands placed upon me. The current Catholic sees the Pope as just the leader of their church. They don't contemplate the supposed infallibility of whoever sits in the "chair of Peter." Most in the church probably don't even know what the "Holy See" means or is. They have no idea what Pontifex Maximus derives from. No idea, the history of the Jesuit Order; the Society of Jesus. They have no idea where so many of the traditions of the church come from. It is all just accepted at face value.
In the classic 19th century Catholic volume, "Catholic Belief," by Joseph Faa Di Bruno, priest and beatified "saint" in the church (in 1988), we read this -
"Like two sacred rivers flowing from Paradise, the Bible and Tradition both bear the Word of God, both are full of the precious jewels of revealed truths.
"Though these two divine streams are in themselves, on account of their divine origin, of equal value, and are equally rich in revealed truths, still Tradition is to us the clearer and safe one."
"...; the Bible, which is a mere letter needing an interpreter, cannot, by itself, set the mistaken interpreter right.
"But Tradition being a living word, because carried in the mind and on the lips of divinely appointed living teachers, can say with regard to each of its own expressions, and also as to the expressions in Holy Writ itself, in what sense exactly those expressions are true, and in what -sense they are not true; and, if wrongly interpreted by any one, Tradition can set that person right, and explain the true meaning of it ; and all this it can do with an authority, which, owing to the promised assistance of God, is infallible, and, owing to the unfailing assistance of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the Church, is divine.
"So likewise the Holy Scripture, when separated from Tradition, which is its support and lawful expounder, and left in the hands of unauthorised interpreters, instead of being a source of blessing, becomes a cause of endless contention and division, an occasion of doubt, fanaticism, and ceaseless wrangling, as sad experience proves.
"Catholics do well to read and study the Holy Scriptures for their greater instruction and edification, but always in a spirit of submission to the Catholic Church, so as never to prefer their own private view to the known interpretation and teaching of " the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 St. Timothy iii. 15.) Emphasis in the original.
The Catholic Church claims a divine right to tell the world what the Bible means, for it cannot interpret itself. That is the exact opposite of the principle whereby Protestantism functions; believing the Bible must be allowed to interpret itself, to keep erroneous doctrines from sailing on winds of confusion and safeguard the church from that which is simply called, "popery" - manmade rule and authority.
That book, like so many old books that represent the Catholic faith, contains incredible admissions of authority all must abide by.
This is why God calls His people out of Babylon. Sincere people exist in the confusion created by joining the sacred with the pagan. God exposes it for the good of all people. However painful, it is necessary, especially as the final days draw near. Christ is coming. He comes for His church, His body of people that keep the commandments of God and the testimony and faith he offers. He comes for a sanctified, cleansed, glorified church, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. He comes for those who take the stand for truth, as God defines it, in His Word, by His Word.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
www.lifesitenews.com/news/servant-of-freemasonry-vigano-rebukes-bishop-who-approved-pagan-ritual-before-mass-at-cathedral/
"The archbishop said a ''shamanic ceremony' 'desecrate(d) the Cathedral of the Diocese of Superior (WI) on the very day on which the Holy Chrism is consecrated.'
"During the ceremony, four women dressed in Native American attire stood around the altar and simultaneously turned to the north, east, south, and west while a person at the pulpit implored help from “the creator” to grant them “strength and courage… to perceive the sacredness of life, of mother earth, and all creation.”
Confusion is a mixture of that which is true, with that which is false. That's what makes it confusing. There are things that are diametrically opposed to each other. They cannot fit together and the whole be true. Oil and water, if you will. They do not mix. You can shake them up and they seem to mix but, given a little time, the natural separation takes place.
Here's the thing, seriously. The Roman Catholic Church admits to taking things with pagan backgrounds and making them Christian. They believe that is the right and power of their church; its hierarchy of popes, cardinals, bishops, etc. Most of what Roman Catholicism is, is a man-made collection of things that have no basis in Scripture. The Mass, itself, has nothing to do with anything in the Bible, from the teachings of Christ, His apostles or disciples of the early church He founded. So, for Arbp. Vigano to get offended by anything done by another priest in a Mass is rather hypocritical.
Notice the opening question presented to John Paul 2 in his book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope -
"Your Holiness, my first question will go right to the point. Therefore, please understand if it is longer than those that follow.
"In front of me is a man dressed in the white of ancient custom, with a cross over his chest. This man who is called the Pope (from "father," in Greek) is a mystery in and of himself, a sign of contradiction. He is even considered a challenge or a "scandal" to logic or good sense by many of our contemporaries.
"Confronted with the Pope, one must make a choice. The leader of the Catholic Church is defined by the faith as the Vicar of Jesus Christ (and is accepted as such by believers). The Pope is considered the man on earth who represents the Son of God, who "takes the place" of the Second Person of the omnipotent God of the Trinity.
"Each Pope regards his role with a sense of duty and humility, of course, but also with an equal sense of confidence. Catholics believe this and therefore they call him "Holy Father" or "Your Holiness."
"Nevertheless, according to many others, this is an absurd and unbelievable claim. The Pope, for them, is not God's representative. He is, instead, the surviving witness of ancient myths and legends that today the "adult" does not accept.
"Confronted with you-as with each of your predecessors and successors-one must wager, as Pascal said, that you are either the mysterious living proof of the Creator of the universe or the central protagonist of a millennial illusion.
"May I ask: Have you ever once hesitated in your belief in your relationship with Jesus Christ and therefore with God? Haven't you ever had, not doubts certainly, but at least questions and problems (as is human) about the truth of this Creed which is repeated at each Mass and which proclaims an unprecedented faith, of which you are the highest guarantor?"
When I bought this book, I had no idea just how honest the Pope would be. His admissions throughout are extraordinary. I asked myself often, Does he realize what he is stating? Well, of course he does. And part of his answer to this question summarizes why -
"Returning to your question, I would like to recall the words of Christ together with my first words in St. Peter's Square: "Be not afraid." Have no fear when people call me the "Vicar of Christ," when they say to me "Holy Father," or "Your Holiness," or use titles similar to these, which seem even inimical to the Gospel. Christ himself declared: "Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Messiah" (Mt 23:9-10). These expressions, nevertheless, have evolved out of a long tradition, becoming part of common usage. One must not be afraid of these words either."
First question. First answer. Be not afraid. Tradition is the rule, the foundation, not Scripture, not the very words of Christ, Himself. Tradition is the groundwork for all the Roman Catholic Church is, in premise, in practice. The RCC would deny that. They would say, 'the Bible is not overlooked or cast aside. All Rome's traditions are in harmony with it.' That is a delusion. An absolute delusion.
"Furthermore, Christ brings about a special presence in every priest, who, when celebrating the Eucharist or administering the sacraments, does so in persona Christi.
"The Pope is not the only one who holds this title. With regard to the Church entrusted to him, each bishop is Vicarius Christi. The Pope is Vicar of Christ with regard to the Church of Rome and, through that Church, of every Church in communion with it-a communion in faith as well as an institutional and canonical communion. Thus, if with this title one wants to refer to the dignity of the Bishop of Rome, one cannot consider it apart from the dignity of the entire college of bishops, with which it is tightly bound, as it is to the dignity of each bishop, each priest, and each of the baptized."
The Pope claims the entire system of Catholicism is "in place of Christ." Can there be a more plain admission of the RCC, its Papacy and Vatican being "antechristos:" anti-Christ - in place of Christ?
The Beast is not some secularist, globalist, maniacal self-proclaimed demigod. The Beast is an apostasy from Christianity that puts itself in place of Christ, with all the presumed power of Christ behind and in it. Therefore, whatever it decides becomes the truth, the law, the only thing mankind needs to concern themselves with in regards to salvation.
Modern Catholicism has kept itself away from Catholicism of previous centuries. That caused confusion for millions; my father and mother among them, and opened the way for my mother to contemplate things outside Catholicism and accept the Protestant faith of the Bible, alone, as the only rule of faith, practice and discipline. I had the privilege and joy of baptizing her by immersion, in declaration of her new found faith in Christ as a real Person in her life; not a statue on a wall or at the end of rosary beads and other traditional modes of depicting Christ in that church.
Catholicism has seemingly mellowed and softened its approach to living, existing in a world it does not control.
The vast majority of Roman Catholics today have no idea what old Catholicism is. They don't know what it teaches or what it has done down through the centuries. My father and mother were taught not to play with Protestant children, when they were growing up in Rhode Island. I had no such demands placed upon me. The current Catholic sees the Pope as just the leader of their church. They don't contemplate the supposed infallibility of whoever sits in the "chair of Peter." Most in the church probably don't even know what the "Holy See" means or is. They have no idea what Pontifex Maximus derives from. No idea, the history of the Jesuit Order; the Society of Jesus. They have no idea where so many of the traditions of the church come from. It is all just accepted at face value.
In the classic 19th century Catholic volume, "Catholic Belief," by Joseph Faa Di Bruno, priest and beatified "saint" in the church (in 1988), we read this -
"Like two sacred rivers flowing from Paradise, the Bible and Tradition both bear the Word of God, both are full of the precious jewels of revealed truths.
"Though these two divine streams are in themselves, on account of their divine origin, of equal value, and are equally rich in revealed truths, still Tradition is to us the clearer and safe one."
"...; the Bible, which is a mere letter needing an interpreter, cannot, by itself, set the mistaken interpreter right.
"But Tradition being a living word, because carried in the mind and on the lips of divinely appointed living teachers, can say with regard to each of its own expressions, and also as to the expressions in Holy Writ itself, in what sense exactly those expressions are true, and in what -sense they are not true; and, if wrongly interpreted by any one, Tradition can set that person right, and explain the true meaning of it ; and all this it can do with an authority, which, owing to the promised assistance of God, is infallible, and, owing to the unfailing assistance of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the Church, is divine.
"So likewise the Holy Scripture, when separated from Tradition, which is its support and lawful expounder, and left in the hands of unauthorised interpreters, instead of being a source of blessing, becomes a cause of endless contention and division, an occasion of doubt, fanaticism, and ceaseless wrangling, as sad experience proves.
"Catholics do well to read and study the Holy Scriptures for their greater instruction and edification, but always in a spirit of submission to the Catholic Church, so as never to prefer their own private view to the known interpretation and teaching of " the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 St. Timothy iii. 15.) Emphasis in the original.
The Catholic Church claims a divine right to tell the world what the Bible means, for it cannot interpret itself. That is the exact opposite of the principle whereby Protestantism functions; believing the Bible must be allowed to interpret itself, to keep erroneous doctrines from sailing on winds of confusion and safeguard the church from that which is simply called, "popery" - manmade rule and authority.
That book, like so many old books that represent the Catholic faith, contains incredible admissions of authority all must abide by.
This is why God calls His people out of Babylon. Sincere people exist in the confusion created by joining the sacred with the pagan. God exposes it for the good of all people. However painful, it is necessary, especially as the final days draw near. Christ is coming. He comes for His church, His body of people that keep the commandments of God and the testimony and faith he offers. He comes for a sanctified, cleansed, glorified church, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. He comes for those who take the stand for truth, as God defines it, in His Word, by His Word.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Iowa/LSU Aftermath
I can easily say I don't have any right to comment on a basketball game that drew about 10,000,000 viewers last night. Until 5 weeks ago, I never even heard of all the people involved: players, coaches, the angles of racism being hurled, the low tactics of the Press and media voices going after the players, the coaches and how it involves other teams and coaches... good night in the morning. I had absolutely no idea just how "woke" the world of college sports is. None.
I do not attack character because only God can change a person's character. I do not attack motives because I cannot know a person's motives unless they tell me. Only God knows what people are truly thinking, how they feel, why they are the way they are and do what they do. I don't throw stones at people's sins because we are all sinners in need of God's love, forgiveness and salvation. That said, when people do things in public, especially claiming belief in God, there are ramifications. It's just that simple. Cause to effect. Tip some dominoes and it's off and moving and in today's instantaneous world of information, the asteroid can strike with force that can cripple people making less than sound decisions in life.
Young people of any generation are rarely understood by the previous generation, even if the previous generation goes through the same kinds of things, because conditions and circumstances in society change. No previous generation of young people had the technology current today, and everything that goes with it. It should be obvious it presents potential traps and pitfalls and catastrophe young people do not contemplate, the same as any kid climbing a tree not expecting a branch to break and down they go, off to the emergency room with a broken limb. Bones heal. The kind of stuff young people have access to today, to put themselves in potential danger? Boatloads of possible problems.
Without mentioning names, the high road has always been there, in every generation, to take when presented with circumstances of defeat. You can be honest and place blame on yourself or you can blame others for your failure. It does not sit well with those who know the LORD when people professing faith in God take low roads, by choice, and then blame others when things backfire on them. Sportsmanship never changes. Whenever "trash talk" began in sports, I don't know. I don't remember any such thing growing up. Today... it has apparently become an artform. Just the same, what you say to an opposing player in a match of any kind, between the two of you, is eclipsed when you do or say something in front of cameras or microphones. And what you do in life or say in life, away from the game, in public, is not your private life. As a Christian, I'll feel sorrow for people who have the world dropped on them, even if they bring it on themselves but, don't blame others. Do not play the victim. Do not go down that road and expect respect, expect condolences from anybody but, those who also play the victim game. You have walked away from reality when you go down that road.
LSU, for all their bravado, and I had no knowledge of this before a few minutes ago, deciding to go back into the locker room rather than take the floor for the national anthem, going serious "woke" and anti-American, flag hating, riot-supporting, in-your-face attitude before an acknowledged possible record-breaking audience; and then their coach stating she and they had no idea when the anthem would begin; when the anthem is played before every game in the same basic time period before a game begins? C'mon. If you expect people to buy that, bridges are for sale at half price. Pick one up today.
No wonder the entire crowd was rooting for Iowa. And when the game was over, Iowa players took a high road and said nothing disparaging of LSU or their coach, previous season or this game. If anything, they attempted to cover for the usual bravado slammed shut in the face of defeat. And everybody knows Clark has her own brand of bravado on the court.
Pro-sports: team owners, league officials, learned swiftly enough, disrespecting the flag and the nation gaining millions of dollars, for them and for players, loses business. It got toned down considerably. I was not aware the same attitude existed in college sports. Apparently, it does.
I hope Iowa and UConn end up in the championship game. That has nothing to do with shade of anyone's skin. It has to do with the character being displayed on and off the court by players who have national attention, lots of money in the bank and lots of respect for the entire situation and avenues that put them in it all.
The more I have learned about the current conditions in college basketball, the more I see the saturation of two strains of attitude in this country: those who work hard and are thankful. And those who work hard and feel entitled. Maybe that has always been there. The 60's and 70's began to change things. They say Larry Bird was the king of trash-talking and getting under your skin on the court. I never watched basketball that much but, I cannot recall Bird ever disparaging the flag or his country or blaming others when the Celtics lost, nor presenting himself in personal life opening doors to getting slammed for foolish things he got into.
You cannot claim you have been "sexualized" when you parade your body for magazine shoots and online, and God have mercy, take a mold of your vagina and show it on the web!?!? Seriously???? No, I haven't seen it. Don't want to. Don't need to. Enough comment has been made about it to throw the entire victimhood stance out the window. I feel sorry for the young woman. I really do. Stardom, money, fame, fortune, people surrounding you all the time, wanting autographs, pictures, the whole bucket of baubles and beads... It gets into the head of those not given decent guidance by others with more experience and wisdom in life. She has made some really foolish decisions and will not be allowed to play the victim card in this game. And, it's a team sport. The cloud will carry. That's asking a lot of other player's on the team, to what? Play the victim, as well?
Imagine how unfortunate; you garner the biggest audience in college basketball history and the end result is Americans arguing about skin color and issues of character and attitudes and talking heads defending, condemning, and it is not done yet. Near as I can tell, one other team, still in the chase, also has a reputation of playing tough and also the victim game, even when they have not lost a game in over 40 of them. It's obvious coaches have as much to do with it all, as anything else.
It seems to be the perfect painting of current America. What a shame.
Besides, I grew up in Connecticut. UConn and all. My admiration of Iowa already stated... .
And when it's all over? Millions of illegals crossing the border; obvious potential for terrorist attacks; crime on the streets; financial hardships of hard-working Americans continue; threats of war beyond anyone's nightmare's; how to keep children from becoming pieces of property in trafficking rings; drugs killing people; cities becoming actual dumps... and the world wants to come here, why?
Oh, yeah. Free stuff.
May God step in and help America. That is our only hope.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
EDIT: Didn't realize Iowa plays UConn, final four. I thought they were playing NC State.
I do not attack character because only God can change a person's character. I do not attack motives because I cannot know a person's motives unless they tell me. Only God knows what people are truly thinking, how they feel, why they are the way they are and do what they do. I don't throw stones at people's sins because we are all sinners in need of God's love, forgiveness and salvation. That said, when people do things in public, especially claiming belief in God, there are ramifications. It's just that simple. Cause to effect. Tip some dominoes and it's off and moving and in today's instantaneous world of information, the asteroid can strike with force that can cripple people making less than sound decisions in life.
Young people of any generation are rarely understood by the previous generation, even if the previous generation goes through the same kinds of things, because conditions and circumstances in society change. No previous generation of young people had the technology current today, and everything that goes with it. It should be obvious it presents potential traps and pitfalls and catastrophe young people do not contemplate, the same as any kid climbing a tree not expecting a branch to break and down they go, off to the emergency room with a broken limb. Bones heal. The kind of stuff young people have access to today, to put themselves in potential danger? Boatloads of possible problems.
Without mentioning names, the high road has always been there, in every generation, to take when presented with circumstances of defeat. You can be honest and place blame on yourself or you can blame others for your failure. It does not sit well with those who know the LORD when people professing faith in God take low roads, by choice, and then blame others when things backfire on them. Sportsmanship never changes. Whenever "trash talk" began in sports, I don't know. I don't remember any such thing growing up. Today... it has apparently become an artform. Just the same, what you say to an opposing player in a match of any kind, between the two of you, is eclipsed when you do or say something in front of cameras or microphones. And what you do in life or say in life, away from the game, in public, is not your private life. As a Christian, I'll feel sorrow for people who have the world dropped on them, even if they bring it on themselves but, don't blame others. Do not play the victim. Do not go down that road and expect respect, expect condolences from anybody but, those who also play the victim game. You have walked away from reality when you go down that road.
LSU, for all their bravado, and I had no knowledge of this before a few minutes ago, deciding to go back into the locker room rather than take the floor for the national anthem, going serious "woke" and anti-American, flag hating, riot-supporting, in-your-face attitude before an acknowledged possible record-breaking audience; and then their coach stating she and they had no idea when the anthem would begin; when the anthem is played before every game in the same basic time period before a game begins? C'mon. If you expect people to buy that, bridges are for sale at half price. Pick one up today.
No wonder the entire crowd was rooting for Iowa. And when the game was over, Iowa players took a high road and said nothing disparaging of LSU or their coach, previous season or this game. If anything, they attempted to cover for the usual bravado slammed shut in the face of defeat. And everybody knows Clark has her own brand of bravado on the court.
Pro-sports: team owners, league officials, learned swiftly enough, disrespecting the flag and the nation gaining millions of dollars, for them and for players, loses business. It got toned down considerably. I was not aware the same attitude existed in college sports. Apparently, it does.
I hope Iowa and UConn end up in the championship game. That has nothing to do with shade of anyone's skin. It has to do with the character being displayed on and off the court by players who have national attention, lots of money in the bank and lots of respect for the entire situation and avenues that put them in it all.
The more I have learned about the current conditions in college basketball, the more I see the saturation of two strains of attitude in this country: those who work hard and are thankful. And those who work hard and feel entitled. Maybe that has always been there. The 60's and 70's began to change things. They say Larry Bird was the king of trash-talking and getting under your skin on the court. I never watched basketball that much but, I cannot recall Bird ever disparaging the flag or his country or blaming others when the Celtics lost, nor presenting himself in personal life opening doors to getting slammed for foolish things he got into.
You cannot claim you have been "sexualized" when you parade your body for magazine shoots and online, and God have mercy, take a mold of your vagina and show it on the web!?!? Seriously???? No, I haven't seen it. Don't want to. Don't need to. Enough comment has been made about it to throw the entire victimhood stance out the window. I feel sorry for the young woman. I really do. Stardom, money, fame, fortune, people surrounding you all the time, wanting autographs, pictures, the whole bucket of baubles and beads... It gets into the head of those not given decent guidance by others with more experience and wisdom in life. She has made some really foolish decisions and will not be allowed to play the victim card in this game. And, it's a team sport. The cloud will carry. That's asking a lot of other player's on the team, to what? Play the victim, as well?
Imagine how unfortunate; you garner the biggest audience in college basketball history and the end result is Americans arguing about skin color and issues of character and attitudes and talking heads defending, condemning, and it is not done yet. Near as I can tell, one other team, still in the chase, also has a reputation of playing tough and also the victim game, even when they have not lost a game in over 40 of them. It's obvious coaches have as much to do with it all, as anything else.
It seems to be the perfect painting of current America. What a shame.
Besides, I grew up in Connecticut. UConn and all. My admiration of Iowa already stated... .
And when it's all over? Millions of illegals crossing the border; obvious potential for terrorist attacks; crime on the streets; financial hardships of hard-working Americans continue; threats of war beyond anyone's nightmare's; how to keep children from becoming pieces of property in trafficking rings; drugs killing people; cities becoming actual dumps... and the world wants to come here, why?
Oh, yeah. Free stuff.
May God step in and help America. That is our only hope.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
EDIT: Didn't realize Iowa plays UConn, final four. I thought they were playing NC State.
*****************************
Prove Me Wrong
I'm sick of it! Totally disgusted and sick of it!
I was called for jury duty. With the letter comes a box of information to fill out and to check off or fill in answers. One of the sections stated - Race. I wrote "Human." I went to the courthouse, fully prepared to have an attorney accept or reject me based on that answer. Court was canceled that day. They sent us home.
I am sick and tired of identity politics and social engineering. My competence for being a juror should have NOTHING to do with the amount of melanin in my skin. My critical thinking to assess evidence should have nothing to do with the amount of melanin in my skin.
Nobody is white. Nobody is black. Nobody is red. Nobody is yellow. EVERYBODY is a shade of brown. Everybody. Prove me wrong.
I am sick and tired of seeing YouTube video titles addressing Caitlin Clark or any other basketball player as white or black. The value of a basketball player or any athlete or any human being should have nothing to do with the amount of melanin in a person's skin. No sport, no game belongs to any group of people based on the amount of melanin in the skin. That's ridiculous. Prove me wrong.
The entire nature of current culture shows that every categorized group of humans, with more or less melanin in their skin, can be racist.
How ignorant can people to be to assess the skills of playing a game based on the amount of melanin in someone's skin?
And tell me, what part of the body is this to be assessed? The face? Seriously? What about people considered to have facial conditions because their skin shows areas of dark and light shades? Even freckles are something that takes place because of varying amounts of melanin in the skin and all "races" have freckles in their populations.
How about hands? Because I see many "Black" people whose palms of their hands look "White," to me. Prove me wrong.
The people pushing skin shade, of any hue, are racists. Now we have people complaining Europeans are ruining basketball. Why? If you can believe it, because these players are "white." Nikola Jovic, a 7'1" Serbian. I have watched videos of him on YT and his skills are insane. Some call him the GOAT. Oh, no! Don't do that. His skin shade is not the right hue for that. Not dark brown enough! Luka Dončić; down here in Dallas, playing for the Mavericks, from Slovenia. I see people calling him the GOAT. No, can't do that! His skin doesn't have enough melanin in it! Apparently, a game invented by a Canadian, back in the 19th century; who moved to America, whose melanin count was light, a "Caucasian" by social engineering, can only have a GOAT that has a heritage from Africa, with a melanin count in their skin that is dark. Are you kidding me?!?!?
I'm sick of it. Such an asinine contemplation of physical and mental skill to play a game is an insult to common sense. Prove me wrong.
I have heard people with every varying degree of melanin in their skin, supposedly with college educations, butcher the English language every time they open their mouth. They pride themselves in their torturing of the language. And this is considered a good example for anyone trying to learn to speak the English language, how?
Away with identity politics. Don't tell me about Martin Luther King and some superior connection you have to him or his politics, because your melanin count was closer to his, when you cannot judge people by the content of their character but, have to do so by the color of their skin! Ignorance on parade. Prove me wrong.
It is amazing to me, America, a half century removed from a century of human rights advancement, and the ignorance that exists in the human race is just as bad as it was in the mid-19th century; being stoked, provoked and perpetuated by those with all the melanin in their skin! Unbelievable.
Absolute barnyard defecation.
Sports, something I am nowhere near into at this stage of my life experience; which is supposed to leave color outside the arena of play and base all humans on merits of talent, based on certain parameters of skill, is being reduced to the amount of melanin is someone's skin!
Proverbs 10:23 It is as sport to a fool to do wickedness, and so is wisdom to a man of discernment. - JPS
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
I was called for jury duty. With the letter comes a box of information to fill out and to check off or fill in answers. One of the sections stated - Race. I wrote "Human." I went to the courthouse, fully prepared to have an attorney accept or reject me based on that answer. Court was canceled that day. They sent us home.
I am sick and tired of identity politics and social engineering. My competence for being a juror should have NOTHING to do with the amount of melanin in my skin. My critical thinking to assess evidence should have nothing to do with the amount of melanin in my skin.
Nobody is white. Nobody is black. Nobody is red. Nobody is yellow. EVERYBODY is a shade of brown. Everybody. Prove me wrong.
I am sick and tired of seeing YouTube video titles addressing Caitlin Clark or any other basketball player as white or black. The value of a basketball player or any athlete or any human being should have nothing to do with the amount of melanin in a person's skin. No sport, no game belongs to any group of people based on the amount of melanin in the skin. That's ridiculous. Prove me wrong.
The entire nature of current culture shows that every categorized group of humans, with more or less melanin in their skin, can be racist.
How ignorant can people to be to assess the skills of playing a game based on the amount of melanin in someone's skin?
And tell me, what part of the body is this to be assessed? The face? Seriously? What about people considered to have facial conditions because their skin shows areas of dark and light shades? Even freckles are something that takes place because of varying amounts of melanin in the skin and all "races" have freckles in their populations.
How about hands? Because I see many "Black" people whose palms of their hands look "White," to me. Prove me wrong.
The people pushing skin shade, of any hue, are racists. Now we have people complaining Europeans are ruining basketball. Why? If you can believe it, because these players are "white." Nikola Jovic, a 7'1" Serbian. I have watched videos of him on YT and his skills are insane. Some call him the GOAT. Oh, no! Don't do that. His skin shade is not the right hue for that. Not dark brown enough! Luka Dončić; down here in Dallas, playing for the Mavericks, from Slovenia. I see people calling him the GOAT. No, can't do that! His skin doesn't have enough melanin in it! Apparently, a game invented by a Canadian, back in the 19th century; who moved to America, whose melanin count was light, a "Caucasian" by social engineering, can only have a GOAT that has a heritage from Africa, with a melanin count in their skin that is dark. Are you kidding me?!?!?
I'm sick of it. Such an asinine contemplation of physical and mental skill to play a game is an insult to common sense. Prove me wrong.
I have heard people with every varying degree of melanin in their skin, supposedly with college educations, butcher the English language every time they open their mouth. They pride themselves in their torturing of the language. And this is considered a good example for anyone trying to learn to speak the English language, how?
Away with identity politics. Don't tell me about Martin Luther King and some superior connection you have to him or his politics, because your melanin count was closer to his, when you cannot judge people by the content of their character but, have to do so by the color of their skin! Ignorance on parade. Prove me wrong.
It is amazing to me, America, a half century removed from a century of human rights advancement, and the ignorance that exists in the human race is just as bad as it was in the mid-19th century; being stoked, provoked and perpetuated by those with all the melanin in their skin! Unbelievable.
Absolute barnyard defecation.
Sports, something I am nowhere near into at this stage of my life experience; which is supposed to leave color outside the arena of play and base all humans on merits of talent, based on certain parameters of skill, is being reduced to the amount of melanin is someone's skin!
Proverbs 10:23 It is as sport to a fool to do wickedness, and so is wisdom to a man of discernment. - JPS
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
*****************************
Have Mercy!
We Told You
The unvaccinated began to warn of the potential risks and results of accepting the mRNA injections, even before the roll-out of these fluids. A consistent stream of medical and medical science researchers and professionals tried to warn people and were marginalized, demonized, even pounced upon by those in control and still, with careers threatened, with lives even threatened, they carried on and to this day they have been proven right by the statistics of adverse reactions and death. I placed posts here, constantly, providing links to what these brave people were trumpeting. In doing my own due diligence it became obvious the injections were a weaponized program, following a weaponized, man-made virus. Millions became convinced they had to share and warn and stay clear of the dangers they obviously saw in the entire plan behind the "vaccines."
Voices trying to warn people in as big a platform as possible made attempts to tell people a time would come; months, a year, two, five, ten, when a horrific state of emergency would envelope the injected world. One virologist is now saying that time is imminent.
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/04/top-international-virologist-issues-dire-warning-massive-massive/
"Top International Virologist Issues Dire Warning: “Massive, Massive Tsunami of Death Among Highly Vaccinated…is Imminent”
"A world-leading virologist has issued a shocking warning to the American public that a “massive tsunami” of death will soon destroy the global COVID-19 vaccinated population.
"As Slay News reported, the bone-chilling warning was issued by Dr. Geert Vanden Bossche, a respected Belgian virologist, during an appearance on the KunstlerCast podcast, which is hosted by James Kunstler, on Friday.
"Dr. Bossche is certified in both Virology and Microbiology and is the inventor of a patent application for universal vaccines. He has also authored over 30 publications and currently works as an independent research consultant.
"Dr. Bossche, however, is most famous for warning about the potential dangers of mass vaccination programs amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He warned that the programs could lead to “monster” COVID variants.
"The virologist told Kunstler that shortly, a “massive tsunami” of death among the vaccinated would happen. This would start with far more cases of long COVID, which would replace the surge of cancers, and end with a “hyper-acute wave.”
“What I am predicting is a massive, massive tsunami of illness and death among highly vaccinated populations with compromised immune systems, Bossche said. “You will see what will happen, for example, in the next coming week is more and more cases of more serious long Covid.”
“They will start to replace the surge of the cancers,” he continued. “It will end with a hyper-acute phase, a huge, huge wave.”
“The thing I want your audience to understand, what we will be facing in the hyper-acute Covid crisis that is imminent, is that we will have to build a completely new world,” said Bossche.
“It is very, very clear that when this starts, our hospitals will collapse. And that means the chaos in all kinds of layers of society — financial, economic, social, you name it — will be complete."
“What I can advise to all these vaccinated people: they need to avoid reinfection,” the doctor said. “It is the reinfection of vaccinated people that is responsible for this situation.”
“The only difference is, you will not be able to wait to take anti-virals until you have symptoms,” he continued. “As soon as people see that in one of the other countries, or one of the other states in the United States when this starts with hospitalizations going up very rapidly, they need to take anti-virals prophylactically, not wait until they have any symptoms.”
It is being surmised this will conflate with globalist warnings of a "disease X" that shall come upon the world; meant to topple nations and bring in globalist control over populations. It's horrifyingly devilish and maniacal.
slaynews.com/news/top-virologist-warns-massive-tsunami-death-among-vaccinated-imminent/
I, frankly, did not think it would come as soon as is being declared. Read the article. Understand what's at stake if you have received multiple shots.
I hope he is wrong. Have mercy. I hope he is wrong.
May God cover those who trusted the voices of ill-will and ignorant or nefarious intent.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Voices trying to warn people in as big a platform as possible made attempts to tell people a time would come; months, a year, two, five, ten, when a horrific state of emergency would envelope the injected world. One virologist is now saying that time is imminent.
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/04/top-international-virologist-issues-dire-warning-massive-massive/
"Top International Virologist Issues Dire Warning: “Massive, Massive Tsunami of Death Among Highly Vaccinated…is Imminent”
"A world-leading virologist has issued a shocking warning to the American public that a “massive tsunami” of death will soon destroy the global COVID-19 vaccinated population.
"As Slay News reported, the bone-chilling warning was issued by Dr. Geert Vanden Bossche, a respected Belgian virologist, during an appearance on the KunstlerCast podcast, which is hosted by James Kunstler, on Friday.
"Dr. Bossche is certified in both Virology and Microbiology and is the inventor of a patent application for universal vaccines. He has also authored over 30 publications and currently works as an independent research consultant.
"Dr. Bossche, however, is most famous for warning about the potential dangers of mass vaccination programs amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He warned that the programs could lead to “monster” COVID variants.
"The virologist told Kunstler that shortly, a “massive tsunami” of death among the vaccinated would happen. This would start with far more cases of long COVID, which would replace the surge of cancers, and end with a “hyper-acute wave.”
“What I am predicting is a massive, massive tsunami of illness and death among highly vaccinated populations with compromised immune systems, Bossche said. “You will see what will happen, for example, in the next coming week is more and more cases of more serious long Covid.”
“They will start to replace the surge of the cancers,” he continued. “It will end with a hyper-acute phase, a huge, huge wave.”
“The thing I want your audience to understand, what we will be facing in the hyper-acute Covid crisis that is imminent, is that we will have to build a completely new world,” said Bossche.
“It is very, very clear that when this starts, our hospitals will collapse. And that means the chaos in all kinds of layers of society — financial, economic, social, you name it — will be complete."
“What I can advise to all these vaccinated people: they need to avoid reinfection,” the doctor said. “It is the reinfection of vaccinated people that is responsible for this situation.”
“The only difference is, you will not be able to wait to take anti-virals until you have symptoms,” he continued. “As soon as people see that in one of the other countries, or one of the other states in the United States when this starts with hospitalizations going up very rapidly, they need to take anti-virals prophylactically, not wait until they have any symptoms.”
It is being surmised this will conflate with globalist warnings of a "disease X" that shall come upon the world; meant to topple nations and bring in globalist control over populations. It's horrifyingly devilish and maniacal.
slaynews.com/news/top-virologist-warns-massive-tsunami-death-among-vaccinated-imminent/
I, frankly, did not think it would come as soon as is being declared. Read the article. Understand what's at stake if you have received multiple shots.
I hope he is wrong. Have mercy. I hope he is wrong.
May God cover those who trusted the voices of ill-will and ignorant or nefarious intent.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Trash-Talking Caitlin?
Kind of hard to look at anything else happening, considering the previous post. If Dr. Bossche is correct, everything happening in other areas of life people consider important - sports, entertainment, politics, etc., is pretty much moot.
That said, the entire Caitlin Clark/Iowa U. saga, at this point, post-LSU's loss, continues to steam up. It's become a sideshow. Meaningful conversation about merit-based athletics seems gone, now. Skin color is what matters to many commenting on things. It is also interesting to see people of the same skin color taking an exact opposite position, exposing the purveyors of "woke" and their fully, political left leanings.
Consider the link to this short, below.
www.youtube.com/shorts/TLX-ndqhKog
It's rather hilarious. Why? Caitlin Clark is being portrayed as a trash-talking player. Lip-reading, you can see she says to LSU's, Hailey Van Lith, "You're down 15 points. Shut up."
She has stated in press conferences that it's all part of the game. No harm, no foul.
If the English language means anything, obviously Caitlin is making a reply to Van Lith. "Shut up" means something has already been spoken. Would be nice to know what that was.
The people trying to make Caitlin out to be less than what she appears: a hard-working, likeable, phenomenal player, keep tripping over themselves and their rhetoric.
I imagine if Iowa goes all the way and the season ends, the people who cannot stand such a woman being the face of women's college basketball will continue to beat the dead horse right into Caitlin's entry into the WNBA and beyond.
Sad.
That said, the entire Caitlin Clark/Iowa U. saga, at this point, post-LSU's loss, continues to steam up. It's become a sideshow. Meaningful conversation about merit-based athletics seems gone, now. Skin color is what matters to many commenting on things. It is also interesting to see people of the same skin color taking an exact opposite position, exposing the purveyors of "woke" and their fully, political left leanings.
Consider the link to this short, below.
www.youtube.com/shorts/TLX-ndqhKog
It's rather hilarious. Why? Caitlin Clark is being portrayed as a trash-talking player. Lip-reading, you can see she says to LSU's, Hailey Van Lith, "You're down 15 points. Shut up."
She has stated in press conferences that it's all part of the game. No harm, no foul.
If the English language means anything, obviously Caitlin is making a reply to Van Lith. "Shut up" means something has already been spoken. Would be nice to know what that was.
The people trying to make Caitlin out to be less than what she appears: a hard-working, likeable, phenomenal player, keep tripping over themselves and their rhetoric.
I imagine if Iowa goes all the way and the season ends, the people who cannot stand such a woman being the face of women's college basketball will continue to beat the dead horse right into Caitlin's entry into the WNBA and beyond.
Sad.
*****************************
Frankenfoods
Frankenfoods are in the news, again because Tennessee is about to pass a law forcing growers - marketing foods that have been "vaccinated" to vaccinate consumers - to label the foods as such. Produce: lettuce, bananas, etc., etc. are involved. Why they'd let any company do this at all, for the human food market, is odd, indeed.
We already have issues with genetically modified foods. Then we already have animals receiving vaccinated foods for feed and if you consume animal products, you are then getting these chemicals into your bloodstream.
It isn't as though the companies do all this in secret. They claim this is a humanitarian enterprise. They post videos about the process, one of which is shown in this report. For them, it's about "helping" humanity live more healthy lives. Or, is it?
discern.tv/vaccine-laced-food-is-here/
Then we have an article about band-aids containing harmful chemicals in the padding and adhesives.
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/04/alarming-discovery-cancer-causing-forever-chemicals-detected-band/
Read the comment section on that one.
Chemical companies put ads on television about the beneficial nature of chemicals in products used far and wide, every, single day. They don't hide it. They make it seem like we are blessed to have these in our lives. When 1 out of 4 people are claimed to get cancer today, in some form or other, should we not ask ourselves what is different today than centuries of time before this? The answer is chemicals - in the air, in the water, in our homes, in our foods, in our drinks, in our hygiene products, in our automobiles, in and on our yards, you name it; man-made chemical concentrations are there and populations trust their government employees to make sure they are not harmful and kept to levels that pose no threats to health. Even if corruption were not present in industry and government oversight, the logical fact is, one product at a time is tested. They are not weighed collectively in our lives but, they are collectively absorbed into our bodies and our immune systems are working beyond limits of endurance to protect us from the cumulative effects of it all.
And now, of course, it is not just chemicals. It is waveforms coming from products in our lives in this modern, technological age; throughout our homes and business. Everything wireless works because of electromagnetic waves. Radiation from these invisible potential threats, EMRs, exist all around us. Cell towers, and now concerns of 5G, which some countries have stopped before more study is done. America? No, America just pushes ahead because of... well, corruption. Lobbyists in D.C., contributions to campaigns, etc.
There are reasons why God has a health plan in Scripture and why health is placed in prophecy (Daniel 1 and Rev 14:7). Daniel 1 is about loyalty to God's health laws. Rev. 14:7 - Fear God and give glory to Him... links with 1 Cor. 10:31 - whatever you eat, drink or do, do all to the glory of God. Add to that 3John 1:2 - that God wants us to be in health, even as our soul prospers, and we have reason to consider our health in far greater aspects than we normally do.
How we treat our bodies is as important as how we treat our minds and vice versa. We live in a dangerous age. Act accordingly.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
We already have issues with genetically modified foods. Then we already have animals receiving vaccinated foods for feed and if you consume animal products, you are then getting these chemicals into your bloodstream.
It isn't as though the companies do all this in secret. They claim this is a humanitarian enterprise. They post videos about the process, one of which is shown in this report. For them, it's about "helping" humanity live more healthy lives. Or, is it?
discern.tv/vaccine-laced-food-is-here/
Then we have an article about band-aids containing harmful chemicals in the padding and adhesives.
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/04/alarming-discovery-cancer-causing-forever-chemicals-detected-band/
Read the comment section on that one.
Chemical companies put ads on television about the beneficial nature of chemicals in products used far and wide, every, single day. They don't hide it. They make it seem like we are blessed to have these in our lives. When 1 out of 4 people are claimed to get cancer today, in some form or other, should we not ask ourselves what is different today than centuries of time before this? The answer is chemicals - in the air, in the water, in our homes, in our foods, in our drinks, in our hygiene products, in our automobiles, in and on our yards, you name it; man-made chemical concentrations are there and populations trust their government employees to make sure they are not harmful and kept to levels that pose no threats to health. Even if corruption were not present in industry and government oversight, the logical fact is, one product at a time is tested. They are not weighed collectively in our lives but, they are collectively absorbed into our bodies and our immune systems are working beyond limits of endurance to protect us from the cumulative effects of it all.
And now, of course, it is not just chemicals. It is waveforms coming from products in our lives in this modern, technological age; throughout our homes and business. Everything wireless works because of electromagnetic waves. Radiation from these invisible potential threats, EMRs, exist all around us. Cell towers, and now concerns of 5G, which some countries have stopped before more study is done. America? No, America just pushes ahead because of... well, corruption. Lobbyists in D.C., contributions to campaigns, etc.
There are reasons why God has a health plan in Scripture and why health is placed in prophecy (Daniel 1 and Rev 14:7). Daniel 1 is about loyalty to God's health laws. Rev. 14:7 - Fear God and give glory to Him... links with 1 Cor. 10:31 - whatever you eat, drink or do, do all to the glory of God. Add to that 3John 1:2 - that God wants us to be in health, even as our soul prospers, and we have reason to consider our health in far greater aspects than we normally do.
How we treat our bodies is as important as how we treat our minds and vice versa. We live in a dangerous age. Act accordingly.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Epicenter - New Jersey
I have mentioned it before. I remind you again. Back in the 90's, doing prophecy seminars, I held up some newspapers with headlines that told readers researchers stating the chances of a major earthquake striking the Northeast by 2010 was 100%. Well, we are now 14 years beyond that point and while the quake today (4/5/24) was not a major one, 4.8 told everyone in the metro area the region is not immune to earthquakes.
The world grows old like a garment. The Bible states that. Who is right? The scientists, stating the Earth will last another billion years or, God; who tells people the planet's days are numbered? When will the big one strike?
Let me ask you a simple question. If the West coast and East coast and Breadbasket of the nation were all hit with major quakes this year, what would you think? And if a terrorist attack, more fierce than 9/11 took place, what would you think? And if drought and fires took down an enormous percentage of crops; and disease struck again: man-made or natural; what would you think? And if the economy crashed, worse the 1929? And if WW3 broke out in Asia and the Mideast, dragging the American war machine into it? What would you think? Impossible, you say? Why? Because you do not believe in God? Well, expect the impossible because God is going to allow whatever necessary to wake people up: that it is not time as usual.
"Fear God and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters."
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The world grows old like a garment. The Bible states that. Who is right? The scientists, stating the Earth will last another billion years or, God; who tells people the planet's days are numbered? When will the big one strike?
Let me ask you a simple question. If the West coast and East coast and Breadbasket of the nation were all hit with major quakes this year, what would you think? And if a terrorist attack, more fierce than 9/11 took place, what would you think? And if drought and fires took down an enormous percentage of crops; and disease struck again: man-made or natural; what would you think? And if the economy crashed, worse the 1929? And if WW3 broke out in Asia and the Mideast, dragging the American war machine into it? What would you think? Impossible, you say? Why? Because you do not believe in God? Well, expect the impossible because God is going to allow whatever necessary to wake people up: that it is not time as usual.
"Fear God and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters."
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
946. The Great American Eclipse 2024 - 4/5/24
Monday is the big day. Here in Texas, unless God pushes some clouds aside, it's going to be a bust. And that will go for other states along the path, as well. Okay so, you watch it online where the sun is shining. That is not my issue. This is my issue -
"This Is Why Many People Will Consider the Great American Eclipse of 2024 on April 8th to Be a Big “Dud”
theeconomiccollapseblog.com/this-is-why-many-people-will-consider-the-great-american-eclipse-of-2024-on-april-8th-to-be-a-big-dud/
I have mentioned before that I keep up with Michael Snyder's blog because he keeps his finger on a lot of things going on. That said, Mr. Snyder follows the Futurist line of interpreting prophecy. I believe that places him outside a zone of correctness for what's coming. This entire line of reasoning about this eclipse... well, here's what he's written -
"We are about to witness the most dramatic astronomical event in the entire history of the United States. The Great American Eclipse of 2024 will be the last total solar eclipse in the continental United States until 2044, and it is being projected that it will be personally viewed by more people than any other eclipse in North America ever has been. Literally millions of people are expected to travel into the path of the totality on April 8th, and one expert is warning that this will be like “50 simultaneous Super Bowls across the nation”…"
Wrong. This is not going to be the most dramatic astronomical event in the history of the Unites States. What was more dramatic? This -
Matt 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken
Mark 13:24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
Mark 13:25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Luke 21:26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
All three Gospels mention these events - sun darkened, moon does not give her light, stars fall from heaven; and then as well, all three state that after these events Christ shall come, though a time span is not given.
This is where the principles of prophetic interpretation rendered through Historicism play out so well.
Remember, the Papacy is the power of AntiChrist; meaning, ante - in place of Christ. In Daniel, in Revelation, in Paul, Peter, John and Jude's letters and other portions of Scripture, everything points to the Papacy of the Roman Catholic Church and its Vatican, putting itself in place of Christ; which is exactly what papal terms mean - Vicar of Christ. Vicarius filii dei. The popes considered themselves in this way - "We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty." Pope Leo XIII. They are in the place of Christ on Earth.
The Popes ruled Europe. Regardless of kings and queens, they all bowed to the Papacy. When you put it together: the 1260 years of rule, which Historicists place from 538 A.D., with the destruction of the Ostrogoths (one of the three horns uprooted in Daniel 7, with the Heruli and Vandals), nothing stood in the way of the Papacy ruling Christendom, after Justinian's decree of 533 to have the pope be the ruler of the church and the corrector of heretics. But the Beast suffered a deadly wound. From 538 to 1798, 1260 years, what happened? Pope Pius was taken captive by Napoleon's army and he died in exile. Newspapers from the time stated the beast received the deadly wound.
1798. The Western world was astir. America placed its stamp upon time. 1776. A Constitution in 1789. A nation that would literally change the entire world. A nation based on principles of Protestantism. No kings or queens. No popes. Total religious freedom and liberty. The rule of the Papacy and its persecutions of dissenters came to an end. The Tribulation of making war with the saints wound down and the way for America was opened, a way condemned by Pope Pius IX, in his syllabus of Errors, 1864. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865. In the trial of the conspirators, Brigadier General, Thomas M. Harris, presiding over the event, wrote in his book, "ROME'S Responsibility for the Assassination of ABRAHAM LINCOLN" this statement -
"Now we have Mary E. Surratt, John H. Surratt, J. Wilkes Booth, Dr. Samuel Mudd and Michael O'Loughlin, five of the leading active spirits in the execution of the plot to assassinate, belonging to the Roman Catholic Church."
Booth was born into a Protestant family, had little regard for religion and influenced by the Surratts, converted to Catholicism.
If you obtain a copy of this small volume, written in 1897 (they are reprinted and still available), you will read one of the most daring and powerful books ever written. Add to it "Fifty Years in the Church of Rome," by former priest, Charles Chiniquy, and your eyes will open wide on a continual basis.
In this time span, we look back at the end of the 18th century. The sun darkened, the moon not giving her light, the stars fall from heaven. I have written on this more than once here and I rehearse it again -
May 19, 1780. The Dark Day. A mysterious darkness enshrouded New England south and parts of Canada. To this day, only theories exist as to what might have naturally caused the darkness of midnight at noon. Matthew's gospel came to mind and people thought it was the end. The Connecticut Statehouse lit candles to conduct their business, believing it was better to be about their business, as God would want them to.
By nightfall, it was written the moon appeared blood red, emitting no reflection from the sun. The darkness lasted a day.
Why New England and upper East Coast? Prophecy was being fulfilled. The rising of the second beast of Revelation 13. The deadly wound was coming. But, as prophecy states, the wound was healed. By 1800, a new pope was on the throne. By 1870 Papal Infallibility was made dogma. The Roman Catholic Church, as testified by many authors of the day, including General Harris, was making great headway of influence in America. By 1929 Vatican State was solidified: it's own 9 acre nation state, and so it has gone from there.
Back to the prophetic lines in the Gospels. The stars falling. November 13, 1833, the Great Leonid meteor shower; an evening so bright, one could read a newspaper in the darkest hours of the morning. Between 50,000 to 150,000 meteors an hour fell in a display never seen before or since. The staggering nature of the event caused many to, once again, remember the prophecies from Christ. But, Luke's gospel adds this -
"...and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Luke 21:26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
The 19th century was filled with wars in North America, Europe and Asia. 71,000 deaths in the largest volcano in history: Mount Tambora, which created a volcanic Winter in 1815; the Year Without Summer. Terrible economic stresses developed in Europe, as well as famines. Charles Darwin rocked the world with Origin of the Species. The Fox sisters began the rise of spiritualism. Vatican 1 took place which rocked the divide between Catholics and Protestants. The Industrial Revolution continued to grow into massive manufacturing prowess. Stress for workers and even children crushed societies. Trade and Labor Unions developed, which brought on violence in England and America. America would be embroiled in a Civil War and the assassination of its President. The Pope sided with Jefferson Davis, leading to the desertion of over 100,000 Irish Catholics from the Union army. I quote again from General Harris -
"In other words, of the 144,000 Irishmen that enlisted, 104,000 deserted. And it is reliably stated that most of these desertions occurred after the recognition of the Confederacy by the Pope. It is also a fact that of the five percent of Native Americans rated as deserters, 45 per cent of the 5 per cent were Catholics. - TOLEDO AMERICAN, as quoted on page 115 of "Why Am I An A.F.A." "
The nation barely recovered from the Civil War. Yes, industry grew, the nation went West via railroads, prosperity developed at the end of the century but, the bite of Satan's impress is still seen upon society today and 100 times worse. Let it be remembered, the child of the Papacy, Sunday, was almost made into national law in the 1880's. The establishment of religion, that mark of the Beast's power in religious matters, was already causing great harm to Americans forced to cease activities - otherwise naturally done on the first day of the week - with Sunday "Blue" laws. They went by the wayside. Time has moved along and here we are, in a great detour from where events led to, as apostasy in the ranks of professed Christianity has held off the return of the Lord, err this. But, prophecy will be fulfilled. Make no mistake about that. Despite society's advancing stages of darkness, as time drags on, it is all going to turn around. And the globalist cabal, the billionaire elitists, the godless wannabe control freaks on this Earth are NOT the characters of Daniel or Revelation's power of Anti-Christ. Despite technology; bar codes, nor stamps, nor chips, nor anything else of that nature shall be the "mark." Implements to control buying and selling? Sure. But, read Revelation 13:15-18 carefully. The number 666 is NOT the mark. The number is the number of the man at the head of the Beast. The mark is something else, which stands opposed to the seal of the living God.
The Dark Day and the 1833 meteor shower were easily of greater impact upon American society and the rest of the world that heard and/or saw the shower, than Monday's eclipse will be. Why is this event being made such an event beyond the common activity of the Earth, Moon and Sun?
"I believe that the Great American Eclipse of 2024 is a sign, and I also believe that it is a warning.
"But instead of recognizing what it really means, millions of Americans will be using the eclipse as an excuse to party and celebrate, and that is extremely unfortunate.
"And once we get to April 9th, many will foolishly suggest that the eclipse really didn’t mean anything at all, and that is because they failed to recognize the entire point of the eclipse."
What is "the entire point of the eclipse," if not a typical passing of the moon between Earth and Sun? After stating some prior eclipses and earthquakes resulting, and the erection of a couple huge crosses to mark the places where two eclipses crossed each other, historically, and all the people that will gather to watch this one, and the planets lining up, the "Devil Comet" that may come into naked eye view, and the eclipse happening on the first day of the first month of the Hebrew calendar, all rather mundane things as far as anything mentioned in Scripture, I continue to wonder just how far afoul of truth professed Christians will get by following the prophetic interpretations of a Jesuit priest, in the 16th century, and his commentary on Revelation - Francisco Di Ribera - which spawned the Counter Reformation and ultimate demise of the greater Protestant Reformation.
Like I said, here, in Texas, Monday will be cloudy. But, the weather changes here rapidly due to major currents that converge above us, here. Maybe the sky will open up enough to see those three to four minutes of twilight at 1 P.M.
Beyond that, the event has no place in Scripture. Coincidences? Apparently so. Prophetic fulfillment? No.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
"This Is Why Many People Will Consider the Great American Eclipse of 2024 on April 8th to Be a Big “Dud”
theeconomiccollapseblog.com/this-is-why-many-people-will-consider-the-great-american-eclipse-of-2024-on-april-8th-to-be-a-big-dud/
I have mentioned before that I keep up with Michael Snyder's blog because he keeps his finger on a lot of things going on. That said, Mr. Snyder follows the Futurist line of interpreting prophecy. I believe that places him outside a zone of correctness for what's coming. This entire line of reasoning about this eclipse... well, here's what he's written -
"We are about to witness the most dramatic astronomical event in the entire history of the United States. The Great American Eclipse of 2024 will be the last total solar eclipse in the continental United States until 2044, and it is being projected that it will be personally viewed by more people than any other eclipse in North America ever has been. Literally millions of people are expected to travel into the path of the totality on April 8th, and one expert is warning that this will be like “50 simultaneous Super Bowls across the nation”…"
Wrong. This is not going to be the most dramatic astronomical event in the history of the Unites States. What was more dramatic? This -
Matt 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken
Mark 13:24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
Mark 13:25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Luke 21:26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
All three Gospels mention these events - sun darkened, moon does not give her light, stars fall from heaven; and then as well, all three state that after these events Christ shall come, though a time span is not given.
This is where the principles of prophetic interpretation rendered through Historicism play out so well.
Remember, the Papacy is the power of AntiChrist; meaning, ante - in place of Christ. In Daniel, in Revelation, in Paul, Peter, John and Jude's letters and other portions of Scripture, everything points to the Papacy of the Roman Catholic Church and its Vatican, putting itself in place of Christ; which is exactly what papal terms mean - Vicar of Christ. Vicarius filii dei. The popes considered themselves in this way - "We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty." Pope Leo XIII. They are in the place of Christ on Earth.
The Popes ruled Europe. Regardless of kings and queens, they all bowed to the Papacy. When you put it together: the 1260 years of rule, which Historicists place from 538 A.D., with the destruction of the Ostrogoths (one of the three horns uprooted in Daniel 7, with the Heruli and Vandals), nothing stood in the way of the Papacy ruling Christendom, after Justinian's decree of 533 to have the pope be the ruler of the church and the corrector of heretics. But the Beast suffered a deadly wound. From 538 to 1798, 1260 years, what happened? Pope Pius was taken captive by Napoleon's army and he died in exile. Newspapers from the time stated the beast received the deadly wound.
1798. The Western world was astir. America placed its stamp upon time. 1776. A Constitution in 1789. A nation that would literally change the entire world. A nation based on principles of Protestantism. No kings or queens. No popes. Total religious freedom and liberty. The rule of the Papacy and its persecutions of dissenters came to an end. The Tribulation of making war with the saints wound down and the way for America was opened, a way condemned by Pope Pius IX, in his syllabus of Errors, 1864. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865. In the trial of the conspirators, Brigadier General, Thomas M. Harris, presiding over the event, wrote in his book, "ROME'S Responsibility for the Assassination of ABRAHAM LINCOLN" this statement -
"Now we have Mary E. Surratt, John H. Surratt, J. Wilkes Booth, Dr. Samuel Mudd and Michael O'Loughlin, five of the leading active spirits in the execution of the plot to assassinate, belonging to the Roman Catholic Church."
Booth was born into a Protestant family, had little regard for religion and influenced by the Surratts, converted to Catholicism.
If you obtain a copy of this small volume, written in 1897 (they are reprinted and still available), you will read one of the most daring and powerful books ever written. Add to it "Fifty Years in the Church of Rome," by former priest, Charles Chiniquy, and your eyes will open wide on a continual basis.
In this time span, we look back at the end of the 18th century. The sun darkened, the moon not giving her light, the stars fall from heaven. I have written on this more than once here and I rehearse it again -
May 19, 1780. The Dark Day. A mysterious darkness enshrouded New England south and parts of Canada. To this day, only theories exist as to what might have naturally caused the darkness of midnight at noon. Matthew's gospel came to mind and people thought it was the end. The Connecticut Statehouse lit candles to conduct their business, believing it was better to be about their business, as God would want them to.
By nightfall, it was written the moon appeared blood red, emitting no reflection from the sun. The darkness lasted a day.
Why New England and upper East Coast? Prophecy was being fulfilled. The rising of the second beast of Revelation 13. The deadly wound was coming. But, as prophecy states, the wound was healed. By 1800, a new pope was on the throne. By 1870 Papal Infallibility was made dogma. The Roman Catholic Church, as testified by many authors of the day, including General Harris, was making great headway of influence in America. By 1929 Vatican State was solidified: it's own 9 acre nation state, and so it has gone from there.
Back to the prophetic lines in the Gospels. The stars falling. November 13, 1833, the Great Leonid meteor shower; an evening so bright, one could read a newspaper in the darkest hours of the morning. Between 50,000 to 150,000 meteors an hour fell in a display never seen before or since. The staggering nature of the event caused many to, once again, remember the prophecies from Christ. But, Luke's gospel adds this -
"...and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Luke 21:26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
The 19th century was filled with wars in North America, Europe and Asia. 71,000 deaths in the largest volcano in history: Mount Tambora, which created a volcanic Winter in 1815; the Year Without Summer. Terrible economic stresses developed in Europe, as well as famines. Charles Darwin rocked the world with Origin of the Species. The Fox sisters began the rise of spiritualism. Vatican 1 took place which rocked the divide between Catholics and Protestants. The Industrial Revolution continued to grow into massive manufacturing prowess. Stress for workers and even children crushed societies. Trade and Labor Unions developed, which brought on violence in England and America. America would be embroiled in a Civil War and the assassination of its President. The Pope sided with Jefferson Davis, leading to the desertion of over 100,000 Irish Catholics from the Union army. I quote again from General Harris -
"In other words, of the 144,000 Irishmen that enlisted, 104,000 deserted. And it is reliably stated that most of these desertions occurred after the recognition of the Confederacy by the Pope. It is also a fact that of the five percent of Native Americans rated as deserters, 45 per cent of the 5 per cent were Catholics. - TOLEDO AMERICAN, as quoted on page 115 of "Why Am I An A.F.A." "
The nation barely recovered from the Civil War. Yes, industry grew, the nation went West via railroads, prosperity developed at the end of the century but, the bite of Satan's impress is still seen upon society today and 100 times worse. Let it be remembered, the child of the Papacy, Sunday, was almost made into national law in the 1880's. The establishment of religion, that mark of the Beast's power in religious matters, was already causing great harm to Americans forced to cease activities - otherwise naturally done on the first day of the week - with Sunday "Blue" laws. They went by the wayside. Time has moved along and here we are, in a great detour from where events led to, as apostasy in the ranks of professed Christianity has held off the return of the Lord, err this. But, prophecy will be fulfilled. Make no mistake about that. Despite society's advancing stages of darkness, as time drags on, it is all going to turn around. And the globalist cabal, the billionaire elitists, the godless wannabe control freaks on this Earth are NOT the characters of Daniel or Revelation's power of Anti-Christ. Despite technology; bar codes, nor stamps, nor chips, nor anything else of that nature shall be the "mark." Implements to control buying and selling? Sure. But, read Revelation 13:15-18 carefully. The number 666 is NOT the mark. The number is the number of the man at the head of the Beast. The mark is something else, which stands opposed to the seal of the living God.
The Dark Day and the 1833 meteor shower were easily of greater impact upon American society and the rest of the world that heard and/or saw the shower, than Monday's eclipse will be. Why is this event being made such an event beyond the common activity of the Earth, Moon and Sun?
"I believe that the Great American Eclipse of 2024 is a sign, and I also believe that it is a warning.
"But instead of recognizing what it really means, millions of Americans will be using the eclipse as an excuse to party and celebrate, and that is extremely unfortunate.
"And once we get to April 9th, many will foolishly suggest that the eclipse really didn’t mean anything at all, and that is because they failed to recognize the entire point of the eclipse."
What is "the entire point of the eclipse," if not a typical passing of the moon between Earth and Sun? After stating some prior eclipses and earthquakes resulting, and the erection of a couple huge crosses to mark the places where two eclipses crossed each other, historically, and all the people that will gather to watch this one, and the planets lining up, the "Devil Comet" that may come into naked eye view, and the eclipse happening on the first day of the first month of the Hebrew calendar, all rather mundane things as far as anything mentioned in Scripture, I continue to wonder just how far afoul of truth professed Christians will get by following the prophetic interpretations of a Jesuit priest, in the 16th century, and his commentary on Revelation - Francisco Di Ribera - which spawned the Counter Reformation and ultimate demise of the greater Protestant Reformation.
Like I said, here, in Texas, Monday will be cloudy. But, the weather changes here rapidly due to major currents that converge above us, here. Maybe the sky will open up enough to see those three to four minutes of twilight at 1 P.M.
Beyond that, the event has no place in Scripture. Coincidences? Apparently so. Prophetic fulfillment? No.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Laser Fires
This video, from Greg Reese, explains it easily enough in just a few minutes. There is no more question about this. The evidence is plentiful. The silence from those who should do something to arrest this, is a cowardice like no other.
Living in Texas, I have had people I know from other places ask me about the Panhandle fires. It didn't take long before suspicions came forth.
It is not hard to believe evil like this exists and always has, as far as evil goes. We do find it difficult to grasp how Americans, in positions of power, or others associated with America, can be so evil. Evil does not seem a strong enough word. Satanic is about as low as one can go.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
rumble.com/v4jeoyq-texas-wild-fires-and-directed-energy-weapons.html
Living in Texas, I have had people I know from other places ask me about the Panhandle fires. It didn't take long before suspicions came forth.
It is not hard to believe evil like this exists and always has, as far as evil goes. We do find it difficult to grasp how Americans, in positions of power, or others associated with America, can be so evil. Evil does not seem a strong enough word. Satanic is about as low as one can go.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
rumble.com/v4jeoyq-texas-wild-fires-and-directed-energy-weapons.html
*****************************
947. OTHERS MAY YOU CANNOT/
THIS THING IS FROM ME - 4/6/24
I used to purchase old books. Living in New England afforded many an old or antique book store to browse through and find treasures there for the taking.
In a couple old books I bought and got home, a tiny tract, just 3x5 inches, fell out of each. They have no dates on them. They were a little yellowed or worn with time when I found them and I have kept them in my Bible for over 40 years. I came upon them recently. I place them here, as printed.
************************************************
OTHERS MAY YOU CANNOT
If God has called you to be really like Jesus, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility, and put upon you such demands of obedience that you will not be able to follow other people, or measure yourself by other Christians, and in many ways He will seem to let other people do things which He will not let you do.
Seemingly religious and useful men push themselves, pull wires, and work schemes to carry out their plans, but you cannot do it; and if you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.
Others may boast of themselves, of their work, of their success, of their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do it, and if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.
Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, or may have a legacy left to them, but it is likely God wants you to have something far better than gold: a helpless dependence upon Him, that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs day by day out of an unseen treasury.
The Lord may allow others to be honored and put forward, and keep you hidden in obscurity, because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His glory, which can only be produced in the shade.
He may let others be great, but keep you small. He may let others do work for Him and get the credit for it, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing; and then to make your work still more precious, He may let others get the credit for the work you have done, making your reward ten times greater when Jesus comes.
The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you, with jealous love, and will rebuke you for little words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over. So, make up your mind God is an infinite Sovereign, and has a right to do as He pleases with His own. He may not explain to you a thousand things which puzzle your reason in His dealings with you, but if you absolutely sell yourself to be His love-slave He will wrap you up in a jealous love, and bestow upon you many blessings which come only to those in the inner circle.
Settle it forever, then, that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways He does not seem to use with others. Now when you are so possessed with the living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this particular, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven.
"God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:6,7).
And lest I be exalted above measure... there was given to me a thorn in the flesh... For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (II Corinthians 12:7,9)
"If ye be risen with Christ... Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:1-3)
*****************************************************************
"THIS THING IS FROM ME"
"In the darkest days, when appearances seem most forbidding, have faith in God. He is working out His will, doing all things well in behalf of His people." The Ministry of Healing, 482.
"THIS THING IS FROM ME"
1Kings 12:24
My child, I have a message for you today; let Me whisper in your ear that it may gild with glory any storm clouds that may arise and smooth the rough places upon which you may have to tread.
It is short - only five words - but let them sink into your inmost soul: use them as a pillow upon which to rest your weary head -
THIS THING IS FROM ME
Have you ever thought of it, that all that concerns you, concerns Me, too? For "he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye - Zech. 2:8.
You are very "precious in My sight" - Isa. 43:4. Therefore it is My special delight to educate you.
I would have you learn that when temptations assail you and the "enemy comes in like a flood," that "THIS THING IS FROM ME," that your weakness needs My might, and your safety lies in letting Me fight for you.
Are you in difficult circumstances, surrounded by people who do not understand you, who never consult your taste, who put you in the background? THIS THING IS FROM ME. I am the God of circumstances. "Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident; it is the very place God meant for thee." Have you not asked to be made humble? See then, I have placed you in the very school where this lesson is taught; your surroundings and companions are only working out my will.
Are you in money difficulties? Is it hard to make both ends meet? THIS THING IS FROM ME. for I am your purse bearer, and would have you draw from and depend upon Me. My supplies are limitless - Phil. 4:19 - I would have you prove My promises. Let it not be said of you "IN THIS THING YE DID NOT BELIVE THE LORD YOUR GOD" - Deut. 1:32.
Are you passing through a night of sorrow? THIS THING IS FROM ME. I am the "Man of sorrows acquainted with grief." I have let earthly comforters fail you, that by turning to Me you may obtain everlasting consolation - 2Thess. 2:16,17.
Has some friend failed you? One to whom you have opened out your heart? THIS THING IS FROM ME. I have allowed this disappointment to come that you may learn that -
"The best friend to have is Jesus;
He will hear you when you call.
He will keep you lest you fall.
The best friend to have is Jesus."
I want to be your confident. Has someone repeated things about you that are untrue? Leave them to Me and draw closer unto Me, thy shelter, out of reach of "the strife of tongues," for "I will bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday." Ps. 37:6.
Have your plans been upset? Are you bowed down and weary? THIS THING IS FROM ME. You made YOUR plans, then came asking Me to bless them: but I would have you let Me plan for you, and then I take the responsibility: for "THIS THING is to heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone" - Ex. 18:18. You are only an instrument, not an agent.
Have you longed to do some great work for Me, and instead been laid aside on a bed of pain and weakness? THIS THING IS FROM ME. I could not get your attention in your busy days, and I want to teach you some of my deepest lessons - "They also serve who only stand and wait." I want you to sing -
"I am not eager, bold or strong
All that is past;
I am ready not to do
At last! At last!"
Some of My greatest workers are those shut out from active service, that they may wield the weapon of all prayer.
Are you suddenly called upon to occupy some difficult and responsible position? Launch out on Me: I am trusting with you "the possession of difficulties," and for "THIS THING the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto - Deut. 15:10.
This day I place in your hand this pot of holy oil; make use of it freely, My child. Let every circumstance that rises, every word that pains you, every interruption that would make you impatient, every revelation of your own weakness be anointed with it. Remember "Interruptions are divine instructions, The sting will go as you learn to see Me in all things; therefore "Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day... for it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life, and through THIS THING ye shall prolong your days in the land - Deut. 32:46,47.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
A copy of this little tract was found by the undersigned, while in Australia. Its author is unknown. It is reprinted in response to many requests. We send it forth on its mission trusting it will prove a blessing to all who may read its comforting message - M. Lukens
*************************************************
Amen and Amen.
In a couple old books I bought and got home, a tiny tract, just 3x5 inches, fell out of each. They have no dates on them. They were a little yellowed or worn with time when I found them and I have kept them in my Bible for over 40 years. I came upon them recently. I place them here, as printed.
************************************************
OTHERS MAY YOU CANNOT
If God has called you to be really like Jesus, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility, and put upon you such demands of obedience that you will not be able to follow other people, or measure yourself by other Christians, and in many ways He will seem to let other people do things which He will not let you do.
Seemingly religious and useful men push themselves, pull wires, and work schemes to carry out their plans, but you cannot do it; and if you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.
Others may boast of themselves, of their work, of their success, of their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do it, and if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.
Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, or may have a legacy left to them, but it is likely God wants you to have something far better than gold: a helpless dependence upon Him, that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs day by day out of an unseen treasury.
The Lord may allow others to be honored and put forward, and keep you hidden in obscurity, because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His glory, which can only be produced in the shade.
He may let others be great, but keep you small. He may let others do work for Him and get the credit for it, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing; and then to make your work still more precious, He may let others get the credit for the work you have done, making your reward ten times greater when Jesus comes.
The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you, with jealous love, and will rebuke you for little words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over. So, make up your mind God is an infinite Sovereign, and has a right to do as He pleases with His own. He may not explain to you a thousand things which puzzle your reason in His dealings with you, but if you absolutely sell yourself to be His love-slave He will wrap you up in a jealous love, and bestow upon you many blessings which come only to those in the inner circle.
Settle it forever, then, that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways He does not seem to use with others. Now when you are so possessed with the living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this particular, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven.
"God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:6,7).
And lest I be exalted above measure... there was given to me a thorn in the flesh... For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (II Corinthians 12:7,9)
"If ye be risen with Christ... Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:1-3)
*****************************************************************
"THIS THING IS FROM ME"
"In the darkest days, when appearances seem most forbidding, have faith in God. He is working out His will, doing all things well in behalf of His people." The Ministry of Healing, 482.
"THIS THING IS FROM ME"
1Kings 12:24
My child, I have a message for you today; let Me whisper in your ear that it may gild with glory any storm clouds that may arise and smooth the rough places upon which you may have to tread.
It is short - only five words - but let them sink into your inmost soul: use them as a pillow upon which to rest your weary head -
THIS THING IS FROM ME
Have you ever thought of it, that all that concerns you, concerns Me, too? For "he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye - Zech. 2:8.
You are very "precious in My sight" - Isa. 43:4. Therefore it is My special delight to educate you.
I would have you learn that when temptations assail you and the "enemy comes in like a flood," that "THIS THING IS FROM ME," that your weakness needs My might, and your safety lies in letting Me fight for you.
Are you in difficult circumstances, surrounded by people who do not understand you, who never consult your taste, who put you in the background? THIS THING IS FROM ME. I am the God of circumstances. "Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident; it is the very place God meant for thee." Have you not asked to be made humble? See then, I have placed you in the very school where this lesson is taught; your surroundings and companions are only working out my will.
Are you in money difficulties? Is it hard to make both ends meet? THIS THING IS FROM ME. for I am your purse bearer, and would have you draw from and depend upon Me. My supplies are limitless - Phil. 4:19 - I would have you prove My promises. Let it not be said of you "IN THIS THING YE DID NOT BELIVE THE LORD YOUR GOD" - Deut. 1:32.
Are you passing through a night of sorrow? THIS THING IS FROM ME. I am the "Man of sorrows acquainted with grief." I have let earthly comforters fail you, that by turning to Me you may obtain everlasting consolation - 2Thess. 2:16,17.
Has some friend failed you? One to whom you have opened out your heart? THIS THING IS FROM ME. I have allowed this disappointment to come that you may learn that -
"The best friend to have is Jesus;
He will hear you when you call.
He will keep you lest you fall.
The best friend to have is Jesus."
I want to be your confident. Has someone repeated things about you that are untrue? Leave them to Me and draw closer unto Me, thy shelter, out of reach of "the strife of tongues," for "I will bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday." Ps. 37:6.
Have your plans been upset? Are you bowed down and weary? THIS THING IS FROM ME. You made YOUR plans, then came asking Me to bless them: but I would have you let Me plan for you, and then I take the responsibility: for "THIS THING is to heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone" - Ex. 18:18. You are only an instrument, not an agent.
Have you longed to do some great work for Me, and instead been laid aside on a bed of pain and weakness? THIS THING IS FROM ME. I could not get your attention in your busy days, and I want to teach you some of my deepest lessons - "They also serve who only stand and wait." I want you to sing -
"I am not eager, bold or strong
All that is past;
I am ready not to do
At last! At last!"
Some of My greatest workers are those shut out from active service, that they may wield the weapon of all prayer.
Are you suddenly called upon to occupy some difficult and responsible position? Launch out on Me: I am trusting with you "the possession of difficulties," and for "THIS THING the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto - Deut. 15:10.
This day I place in your hand this pot of holy oil; make use of it freely, My child. Let every circumstance that rises, every word that pains you, every interruption that would make you impatient, every revelation of your own weakness be anointed with it. Remember "Interruptions are divine instructions, The sting will go as you learn to see Me in all things; therefore "Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day... for it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life, and through THIS THING ye shall prolong your days in the land - Deut. 32:46,47.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
A copy of this little tract was found by the undersigned, while in Australia. Its author is unknown. It is reprinted in response to many requests. We send it forth on its mission trusting it will prove a blessing to all who may read its comforting message - M. Lukens
*************************************************
Amen and Amen.
*****************************
948. She WAS Fouled -
April 7, 2024
You're going to say, There is no way he can turn this into something biblical.
:-)
I like Gabby Marshall. Who's Gabby Marshall? She plays for the Iowa U, women's basketball team. She is a slick chick; zipping around the court, blocking shots, stealing the ball, sinking 3s, and seemingly the one who stays out of the spotlight while at the same time pulling off game twisting, turn-of-event plays. And she's cute. C'mon. You know she is.
So, watching a 14-minute replay of the Iowa-UConn game, basically un-invested and at the same time rooting for both teams, I had no context for how the game went: the replay just showing the highlights. I was rather shocked to see that called foul at the end. Without it, I suspect UConn would have won the squeaker. But, like Paige Bueckers stated in the press conference, one call, one play does not win or lose a game. She felt she could and should have played better. That could probably be said for every player on both sides, including, obviously, Caitlin Clark.
Because I have never really gotten into basketball, the fouling system and penalties were unknown to me past travelling and certain personal fouls. Seeing the whole Iowa circus has drawn all the attention it has, as they moved along to today: the championship game, I decided to look up the rules of the game at the college level, male and female, fouls and penalties. I did that a few weeks ago.
I have already posted on my feelings of watching Iowa play: the sense of playing in concert; working as a well oiled machine: a team on a mission; their love for one another and how it all hit me like a train that what they have, on that level, is what the Christian church should have, on its level. Someday, it will have that; a remnant of believers taking the final stand and all, in Christlikeness: exhibiting the fulness of the stature of Christ in character, totally in the hands of Christ through the Spirit, finishing the task they have been given.
So, I've been watching the drama play out on YouTube, etc., and come to see that Gabby Marshall had to take down her social media sites because of the hatred being spewed at her about that called foul. Obviously she did not call the foul. The Ref did. And that has come under tremendous fire from all points N,S,E and West. At first, I did not see the foul. I thought it was a bad call. No. It was not. Watching another channel's presentation of a replay of the highlights, Edwards did, indeed, commit a foul. It was an illegal screen, plain as day. The haters are wrong. They are just plain, wrong. Haters of Iowa, fans of UConn, doesn't matter. Each team along the way were winners, and let the parties get started. Then comes Iowa.
They are not big, physically. They are big mentally and emotionally, together. They tough out wins. They have been able to outscore every other team in the NCAA. Women's college basketball gaining 90 points in a game, game after game? Seriously?
If you know the issues, you know the hatred. They are loved by millions of people all around the nation but, they are not part of the "woke" mob. The woke mob revels in their cultural decay and decadence. They claim to be with God, while at the same time denying His Word. Now we have Dawn Staley, South Carolina's coach, stating it's okay to have transgender men playing against women. She has said, if you don't believe in God, you're crazy. I'm wondering how she came to a godlike conclusion men, who "identify" as women, with all the obvious issues and problems created by this scenario, is pleasing to God and in harmony with His Word? Iowa's coach, Lisa Bluder, when asked the transgender question, pushed it off in favor of just concentrating on the final game. I'm guessing, if she is honest, she thinks it's wrong. We'll see what she says after the game, today.
The biblical parallel?
God's church faces an uphill battle. They must work together, as a team; the body of Christ under His headship and guidance, to get a message out to the world; the final warning and message of the everlasting Gospel found in the Three Angel's messages of Revelation 14:6-12 and everything else that goes with it. A small group of individuals, with people dropping by the wayside from pressures, persecution and stressors never seen before. It's called the shaking and sifting in Scripture.
The message is truth but, once the final dominoes begin to fall, and things begin to drop under the judgments of God, just like king Ahab with Elijah; the prophet got blamed for the drought and its results, when it was Ahab's and Jezebel's and the corrupt priesthood's fault for it all. Backsliding and total apostasy. God's people always get blamed because the wicked never believe it's their fault. It is always someone else's fault.
The love of many shall wax - grow - cold.
The church in the final age, Laodicea, thinks it is rich, increased with goods and in need of nothing. Christ says, it is wretched, poor, miserable, blind and naked. The majority do not like that description. 'Lord, Lord, we did all these things in your name!' 'Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity. You did not do the will of My Father in Heaven.' Their shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
God's people shall be hated for His name's sake. "You shall call His name Jesus (Yeshua, Jehoshua - Yah Saves) for He shall save His people FROM their sins." NOT IN their sins. Conviction of sin unrepented, brings on hatred in the soul.
God's people will be hunted down, locked up and killed while the wicked think they are doing God service.
Applied pressures in a building hatred. They will not be allowed to buy or sell and ultimately, a death decree pronounced upon them. The Peace and Safety party, the massive false revival with all the miracles, signs and lying wonders, has been crashed by a world falling apart and someone has to take the fall. God's people, those who keep the commandments of God and the testimony and faith of Jesus will be those who stand apart from the worldwide apostasy, yet blamed for the world coming unglued.
Christ shall come as conquering King to save His people and take them home. An eternal celebration begins.
Lisa Bluder, being honest, stated playing South Carolina was like her girls being in a "bar fight." Staley took great offense to the comment but, even as a total newb to the game, watching South Carolina, yeah, I see that. It's an attitude. It has NOTHING to do with skin color. Melanin has nothing to do with basketball. Sorry. Just a fact.
Yes, yes, I realize the analogy only goes so far. This is not a spiritual condemnation or exaltation of SC or Iowa. I just see a similarity. I believe the world is going nuts. I believe common sense and reason are taking flight and the human race is literally taking sides. In a world where people like neutrality, like being in an invisible middle, that middle is disintegrating. God said it would and it is. He will see to it.
For all I know every member of Iowa and SC will be lost. Or, they may all be saved when this is over. I have no idea what God intends for each person on these teams and what personal decisions they shall make. What I know is that Abby Marshall was fouled. She instantly looked at the Ref, who was blowing the whistle. In the final minute, a serious infraction against the rules of the game caused a loss for UConn.
A serious infraction is taking place all around the world and has been for ages. If you want to mess with the Ten Commandments, God's royal law, the law of liberty; neglect them, reject them, you go right ahead. It is a catastrophic decision to do so. God is not mocked. "The hour of His judgment IS COME."
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days shall you labor, and do all your work:
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD your God: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates:
Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Sabbath. Remember the seventh-day Sabbath, NOT the first day Sunday. Tradition does not overrule the direct commandment of God. God knows how many ministers in a world-wide clergy, know this truth and refuse to engage it honestly. It might cost them their careers, their churches and access to pulpits. It may cause strife in their homes and loss of relatives and friends. OR, it may bring revival. Some will experience that while the majority play it safe, in disobedience, and the results, the fault will lie at their own doors, especially when their flocks say, "You knew and you did not warn us?!"
Rev 17:15 And he said to me, The waters which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Rev 17:16 And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
Oh, the rage that shall take place upon the shepherds of spiritual, prophetic Babylon who lied to their flocks, will be a horrifying sight to behold. Indeed, the sheep will turn into ravenous wolves.
Indeed, it's just a basketball game. That's the world. A big game people play. The truth, the reality, the actual, literal war for the mind taking place? That dimension is playing out, whether we realize it or not and that championship game is already won by God. It was won 2,000 years ago on Calvary. "It is finished." But, it isn't yet finished, is it? The provision to save everyone was made. Not everyone shall be saved.
It's not a game. There is eternal life and there is eternal death at stake. Our choice.
I don't know who wins this basketball game today. I do know who wins the war between good and evil.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Rev 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
Rev 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are your works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are your ways, King of saints.
Rev 15:4 Who shall not fear you, O Lord, and glorify your name? for you only are holy: for all nations shall come and worship before you; for your judgments are made manifest.
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
:-)
I like Gabby Marshall. Who's Gabby Marshall? She plays for the Iowa U, women's basketball team. She is a slick chick; zipping around the court, blocking shots, stealing the ball, sinking 3s, and seemingly the one who stays out of the spotlight while at the same time pulling off game twisting, turn-of-event plays. And she's cute. C'mon. You know she is.
So, watching a 14-minute replay of the Iowa-UConn game, basically un-invested and at the same time rooting for both teams, I had no context for how the game went: the replay just showing the highlights. I was rather shocked to see that called foul at the end. Without it, I suspect UConn would have won the squeaker. But, like Paige Bueckers stated in the press conference, one call, one play does not win or lose a game. She felt she could and should have played better. That could probably be said for every player on both sides, including, obviously, Caitlin Clark.
Because I have never really gotten into basketball, the fouling system and penalties were unknown to me past travelling and certain personal fouls. Seeing the whole Iowa circus has drawn all the attention it has, as they moved along to today: the championship game, I decided to look up the rules of the game at the college level, male and female, fouls and penalties. I did that a few weeks ago.
I have already posted on my feelings of watching Iowa play: the sense of playing in concert; working as a well oiled machine: a team on a mission; their love for one another and how it all hit me like a train that what they have, on that level, is what the Christian church should have, on its level. Someday, it will have that; a remnant of believers taking the final stand and all, in Christlikeness: exhibiting the fulness of the stature of Christ in character, totally in the hands of Christ through the Spirit, finishing the task they have been given.
So, I've been watching the drama play out on YouTube, etc., and come to see that Gabby Marshall had to take down her social media sites because of the hatred being spewed at her about that called foul. Obviously she did not call the foul. The Ref did. And that has come under tremendous fire from all points N,S,E and West. At first, I did not see the foul. I thought it was a bad call. No. It was not. Watching another channel's presentation of a replay of the highlights, Edwards did, indeed, commit a foul. It was an illegal screen, plain as day. The haters are wrong. They are just plain, wrong. Haters of Iowa, fans of UConn, doesn't matter. Each team along the way were winners, and let the parties get started. Then comes Iowa.
They are not big, physically. They are big mentally and emotionally, together. They tough out wins. They have been able to outscore every other team in the NCAA. Women's college basketball gaining 90 points in a game, game after game? Seriously?
If you know the issues, you know the hatred. They are loved by millions of people all around the nation but, they are not part of the "woke" mob. The woke mob revels in their cultural decay and decadence. They claim to be with God, while at the same time denying His Word. Now we have Dawn Staley, South Carolina's coach, stating it's okay to have transgender men playing against women. She has said, if you don't believe in God, you're crazy. I'm wondering how she came to a godlike conclusion men, who "identify" as women, with all the obvious issues and problems created by this scenario, is pleasing to God and in harmony with His Word? Iowa's coach, Lisa Bluder, when asked the transgender question, pushed it off in favor of just concentrating on the final game. I'm guessing, if she is honest, she thinks it's wrong. We'll see what she says after the game, today.
The biblical parallel?
God's church faces an uphill battle. They must work together, as a team; the body of Christ under His headship and guidance, to get a message out to the world; the final warning and message of the everlasting Gospel found in the Three Angel's messages of Revelation 14:6-12 and everything else that goes with it. A small group of individuals, with people dropping by the wayside from pressures, persecution and stressors never seen before. It's called the shaking and sifting in Scripture.
The message is truth but, once the final dominoes begin to fall, and things begin to drop under the judgments of God, just like king Ahab with Elijah; the prophet got blamed for the drought and its results, when it was Ahab's and Jezebel's and the corrupt priesthood's fault for it all. Backsliding and total apostasy. God's people always get blamed because the wicked never believe it's their fault. It is always someone else's fault.
The love of many shall wax - grow - cold.
The church in the final age, Laodicea, thinks it is rich, increased with goods and in need of nothing. Christ says, it is wretched, poor, miserable, blind and naked. The majority do not like that description. 'Lord, Lord, we did all these things in your name!' 'Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity. You did not do the will of My Father in Heaven.' Their shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
God's people shall be hated for His name's sake. "You shall call His name Jesus (Yeshua, Jehoshua - Yah Saves) for He shall save His people FROM their sins." NOT IN their sins. Conviction of sin unrepented, brings on hatred in the soul.
God's people will be hunted down, locked up and killed while the wicked think they are doing God service.
Applied pressures in a building hatred. They will not be allowed to buy or sell and ultimately, a death decree pronounced upon them. The Peace and Safety party, the massive false revival with all the miracles, signs and lying wonders, has been crashed by a world falling apart and someone has to take the fall. God's people, those who keep the commandments of God and the testimony and faith of Jesus will be those who stand apart from the worldwide apostasy, yet blamed for the world coming unglued.
Christ shall come as conquering King to save His people and take them home. An eternal celebration begins.
Lisa Bluder, being honest, stated playing South Carolina was like her girls being in a "bar fight." Staley took great offense to the comment but, even as a total newb to the game, watching South Carolina, yeah, I see that. It's an attitude. It has NOTHING to do with skin color. Melanin has nothing to do with basketball. Sorry. Just a fact.
Yes, yes, I realize the analogy only goes so far. This is not a spiritual condemnation or exaltation of SC or Iowa. I just see a similarity. I believe the world is going nuts. I believe common sense and reason are taking flight and the human race is literally taking sides. In a world where people like neutrality, like being in an invisible middle, that middle is disintegrating. God said it would and it is. He will see to it.
For all I know every member of Iowa and SC will be lost. Or, they may all be saved when this is over. I have no idea what God intends for each person on these teams and what personal decisions they shall make. What I know is that Abby Marshall was fouled. She instantly looked at the Ref, who was blowing the whistle. In the final minute, a serious infraction against the rules of the game caused a loss for UConn.
A serious infraction is taking place all around the world and has been for ages. If you want to mess with the Ten Commandments, God's royal law, the law of liberty; neglect them, reject them, you go right ahead. It is a catastrophic decision to do so. God is not mocked. "The hour of His judgment IS COME."
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days shall you labor, and do all your work:
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD your God: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates:
Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Sabbath. Remember the seventh-day Sabbath, NOT the first day Sunday. Tradition does not overrule the direct commandment of God. God knows how many ministers in a world-wide clergy, know this truth and refuse to engage it honestly. It might cost them their careers, their churches and access to pulpits. It may cause strife in their homes and loss of relatives and friends. OR, it may bring revival. Some will experience that while the majority play it safe, in disobedience, and the results, the fault will lie at their own doors, especially when their flocks say, "You knew and you did not warn us?!"
Rev 17:15 And he said to me, The waters which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Rev 17:16 And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
Oh, the rage that shall take place upon the shepherds of spiritual, prophetic Babylon who lied to their flocks, will be a horrifying sight to behold. Indeed, the sheep will turn into ravenous wolves.
Indeed, it's just a basketball game. That's the world. A big game people play. The truth, the reality, the actual, literal war for the mind taking place? That dimension is playing out, whether we realize it or not and that championship game is already won by God. It was won 2,000 years ago on Calvary. "It is finished." But, it isn't yet finished, is it? The provision to save everyone was made. Not everyone shall be saved.
It's not a game. There is eternal life and there is eternal death at stake. Our choice.
I don't know who wins this basketball game today. I do know who wins the war between good and evil.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Rev 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
Rev 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are your works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are your ways, King of saints.
Rev 15:4 Who shall not fear you, O Lord, and glorify your name? for you only are holy: for all nations shall come and worship before you; for your judgments are made manifest.
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Pray. Go To Prison
I have often stated here that the American Federal government is the most corrupt government in the world. In the last several days I had seen this story, which proves the point.
As information has rolled in since January 6th, 2021, we have seen how the corrupt FBI was involved; how various plants and instigators of the government were involved; how the Capitol Police were involved; and how several elected civil servants in Congress were involved. Entrapment is saturated in the entire scene. Then comes the incredibly corrupt J6 task force, commission, committee and hearings. There are people in prison, for years, who have yet to be brought before a judge, and when they are brought before a judge, it is all a sham of justice. The media has consistently lied about what took place that day. Trump has been a target of the Leftist minions. One of them Letitia James, AG of NY, campaigned on taking Trump down; several videos displaying her animosity towards the man, before the 2020 election. That makes her an absolute insult to justice. The current case shows it all. All the cases show legal corruption and at the very least, ignorance, if not stupidity. But, desperation breeds stupidity. People do not see clearly when hatred fills their hearts and minds. Trump Derangement Syndrome is a real thing. The Leftists involved in government despise the American patriot who loves the Constitution and Bill of Rights, The Declaration and principles of Americanism. It all stands in the way of the perversions and recalcitrance of duties to the oaths radical Leftists take when they are unfortunately elected. It could and should be stated, as far as the health of the Republic; suicidally elected.
Now, we have a 72 year-old grandmother, seen on video praying outside the Capitol building on January 6th; who then went inside for about ten minutes, had a conversation with a policeman, was ultimately arrested, tried, found guilty, facing fines over $200,000 and sentencing to prison. In America. We expect this from China or North Korea, yes? America? No. We do not expect citizens who pray to be rounded up and imprisoned, yet, here we are.
revolver.news/2024/04/biden-regime-just-proved-once-and-for-all-that-the-us-government-is-the-most-corrupt-organization-in-the-world-and-its-not-even-close/
Why? Corruption. Systemic corruption. Corruption so widespread and deep we may as well be dealing with devils. But, of course, the Bible predicted it all; corruption being a major point in the signs of the times God's people should expect.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
As information has rolled in since January 6th, 2021, we have seen how the corrupt FBI was involved; how various plants and instigators of the government were involved; how the Capitol Police were involved; and how several elected civil servants in Congress were involved. Entrapment is saturated in the entire scene. Then comes the incredibly corrupt J6 task force, commission, committee and hearings. There are people in prison, for years, who have yet to be brought before a judge, and when they are brought before a judge, it is all a sham of justice. The media has consistently lied about what took place that day. Trump has been a target of the Leftist minions. One of them Letitia James, AG of NY, campaigned on taking Trump down; several videos displaying her animosity towards the man, before the 2020 election. That makes her an absolute insult to justice. The current case shows it all. All the cases show legal corruption and at the very least, ignorance, if not stupidity. But, desperation breeds stupidity. People do not see clearly when hatred fills their hearts and minds. Trump Derangement Syndrome is a real thing. The Leftists involved in government despise the American patriot who loves the Constitution and Bill of Rights, The Declaration and principles of Americanism. It all stands in the way of the perversions and recalcitrance of duties to the oaths radical Leftists take when they are unfortunately elected. It could and should be stated, as far as the health of the Republic; suicidally elected.
Now, we have a 72 year-old grandmother, seen on video praying outside the Capitol building on January 6th; who then went inside for about ten minutes, had a conversation with a policeman, was ultimately arrested, tried, found guilty, facing fines over $200,000 and sentencing to prison. In America. We expect this from China or North Korea, yes? America? No. We do not expect citizens who pray to be rounded up and imprisoned, yet, here we are.
revolver.news/2024/04/biden-regime-just-proved-once-and-for-all-that-the-us-government-is-the-most-corrupt-organization-in-the-world-and-its-not-even-close/
Why? Corruption. Systemic corruption. Corruption so widespread and deep we may as well be dealing with devils. But, of course, the Bible predicted it all; corruption being a major point in the signs of the times God's people should expect.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Eclipse Comes and Goes
The weather was predicted to be overcast for today so, those of us watching the weather we weren't surprised. I decided to take out one of my "tank" drums and set up under a tree and played it for awhile. Once we got close to eclipse time some residents sat outside and watched... well, small openings in the clouds that afforded glimpses of the moon drawing closer and closer to full coverage.
I don't know if anyone else prayed but, I did, and asked the Lord if He'd be kind enough to just pop a whole up there that would allow us to watch His handiwork and brilliance in action for a few minutes of full coverage. Well, about 90 seconds before the moon covered the sun, the entire sky opened up, completely clear, no clouds! I praised the Lord and took off my glasses and watched, and it was a little bigger than I thought it would be. I saw one solar prominence, a little spot of orange and pink about 1 o'clock on the disk, as well as around 5 o'clock.
It was pretty cool. People went back to their apartments and I went to a friend's apartment and watched the news coverage as it went up through the nation. When it got to Maine, they showed as full shot of the event and there was an enormous solar prominence that got bigger and bigger; one of those arching ones. Unbelievable. I wondered how many Earths could be fit into it. Phenomenal.
And then it was over. No earthquakes. No terrorism. Nothing ominous or out of the ordinary. I felt rather sorry for those who believed things would happen that just could not hold up to biblical scrutiny. Some are or will hang on and wait to see if something happens. Frankly, if God has to wait past an event like this to get a point across... loving God, respecting the Creator as I do, I'd not be very impressed.
What next? Turmoil. More and more turmoil as 2024 heats up to a white hot ending of who knows what kind of intervention of good or evil. Figure evil because, if Donald Trump is involved, Leftists will just keep hammering him. Some compare him to the Energizer Bunny. He just keeps going on, banging the drum of America first. I'd compare him to an anvil. The anvil just wears out the hammers, one by one.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
I don't know if anyone else prayed but, I did, and asked the Lord if He'd be kind enough to just pop a whole up there that would allow us to watch His handiwork and brilliance in action for a few minutes of full coverage. Well, about 90 seconds before the moon covered the sun, the entire sky opened up, completely clear, no clouds! I praised the Lord and took off my glasses and watched, and it was a little bigger than I thought it would be. I saw one solar prominence, a little spot of orange and pink about 1 o'clock on the disk, as well as around 5 o'clock.
It was pretty cool. People went back to their apartments and I went to a friend's apartment and watched the news coverage as it went up through the nation. When it got to Maine, they showed as full shot of the event and there was an enormous solar prominence that got bigger and bigger; one of those arching ones. Unbelievable. I wondered how many Earths could be fit into it. Phenomenal.
And then it was over. No earthquakes. No terrorism. Nothing ominous or out of the ordinary. I felt rather sorry for those who believed things would happen that just could not hold up to biblical scrutiny. Some are or will hang on and wait to see if something happens. Frankly, if God has to wait past an event like this to get a point across... loving God, respecting the Creator as I do, I'd not be very impressed.
What next? Turmoil. More and more turmoil as 2024 heats up to a white hot ending of who knows what kind of intervention of good or evil. Figure evil because, if Donald Trump is involved, Leftists will just keep hammering him. Some compare him to the Energizer Bunny. He just keeps going on, banging the drum of America first. I'd compare him to an anvil. The anvil just wears out the hammers, one by one.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
949. The Psychology of Sports -
April 9, 2024
Let's see. How to begin. With the Bible -
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
The First Angel's message of Revelation 14 represents a bottom line approach to telling the world where it's at, and where it needs to be. There are thousands of voices in our world grabbing for our attention. The entire world of entertainment. The entire world of manufacturing and marketing goods and services. The entire world of "news." The entire world of medicine and drugs. The entire world of politics, which gets pressed into all the other worlds. And, the entire world of sports, which can as easily fit into the world of entertainment but, I'll leave it separate. And factually, all of them use whatever available avenues of communication, to get put before their fans and the populace in general, whatever message they want to convey and/or experience or, result they offer.
All of these fields of endeavor have their heroes, their champions, their spokespersons, and their G.O.A.T.s. Humanity crowds around them. In ancient times the warriors got the most attention. Battlefield performance took the lion's share of attention from a populace. Today? Today finds us having to put up with those with the most money, generally, and then a few others that have actual talent and something to contribute to humanity that makes life, somehow better; and be assured, my understanding of "better" is not necessarily that of many others but, "better" is for general purposes, here.
Our world is saturated with heroes. There are baseball players in Japan that are household names. Most of us have no idea who they are. Soccer players, religious persons, political people, scientists, doctors, entertainment personalities, region to region, nation to nation, continent to continent. Few are known, world-wide.
In fact, though, there is One Hero and one true hero only, in its ultimate sense. Open your mind some, here. No one has ever or will ever accomplish what Jesus Christ did in His life, ever. It cannot be done because no one ever had or will ever have the responsibility Christ had. No one ever had or will ever have the kind of stress and pressure Christ lived under. He is uniquely the center point of human history - His Story is the pivotal juncture of all human pursuit and accomplishment. It goes lightyears beyond "religion." There is nothing it does not influence, whether humanity knows it or not. Therefore, His saving the world must be countered, must be hid, must be covered with as many distractions as possible; from his enemy's point of view. Sports is the modern version of the ancient warrior, the colosseum, the spectacle and the glory.
Stick with me, here.
Fear God. Respect, reverence, stand in awe of God. Give glory to HIM. Place Him atop every mind, every mountain of endeavor, ever possible accomplishment because - He has begun the judgment of Earth and what humanity has done upon it. But, nobody is paying attention to that, are they? Our world is at war with God, as it wars each other in various contests of ascendancy; personal or national; individuals or tribes. The world is hardly aware it is warring with its Creator. But, that is coming.
Most of the world has little to no idea who Caitlin Clark is. I didn't know until a couple of months ago. Never heard of her. The culture war going on in America has as much to do with her place in society as her basketball accomplishments. The entire woman's college and professional basketball camps seem involved in a culture war, with her and her Iowa teammates at the center of it. The final game between Iowa and South Carolina was a microcosm of the cultural war taking place in America and all of Western civilization. It does not matter if said basketball hero and her peers say, "Whoa. No way. Leave us out of it." No. There are people in history who just manifest themselves; and like Martin Luther stated during the Reformation - he desired peace and repose and was cast into the midst of tumults and war.
The war has been going on since the rebellion in Heaven. Lucifer began the war. He carries it out here, cast down to this once perfect world, now plagued by sin. Am I saying sports are sinful? No. I am saying sports, the psychology of sports: the heroes, the accomplishments, the records kept and broken, champions and great ones all, ALL pale in comparison to the greatest and only true hero this world has - Jesus Christ.
Now you say, "Seriously? This is apples and oranges. One has nothing to do with the other." Are you sure?
Let me take this a step further. People involved in life pursuits are not evil because they go into avenues of life that props up heroes on man-made pedestals. People pursue whatever talents they exhibit. They excel at something. They have passion for something. They pursue it as far as it can go, and many further the possibilities by determination and perseverance. That said, in sports... in sports there is something of a quandary that takes place that has its own company of scientists to address. The psychology of sports.
Yes, I watched Iowa's march to the final game, from where I picked it up, ignorant of all their previous history. I watched UConn and Perdue last night. I have seen this happen pretty much all my life, in any endeavor I or others get involved in.
A player, a team explodes with positive energy to begin a game. Clark even mentioned they knew the way they opened the game against SC could not be maintained. Well, why not? Because it almost never does. It becomes a mind game more than a physical game at some point.
How can a game (forget the millions of dollars involved in both college and professional sports), the begins with dramatic performance of excellence, at some point dissolve into frustration and defeat? What happens in the mind of one individual or a team's thinking, moment by moment, that devolves into loss? I watched it happen to both Iowa and Perdue. The physical bodies suffered no dramatic loss. Everybody gets tired and just tries to maintain energy levels. Every sport goes through that but, the performance levels; the energy levels ebb and flow and at some point, breakdown takes place. Yes, some performances go neck and neck all the way to the final buzzer, and in basketball, nothing is so dramatic and hailed as that final buzzer shot that wins a game. Most are not like that.
Yes, some teams are just not on the same talent level and from beginning to end they are losing. That's a matter of mechanics. Clark said SC is a great team and SC's center, 6'7" Cardoso, and the more than double rebounds SC got, forced Iowa to make every shot perfect. That cannot be done, right? Wait a minute. Hold the horses.
The first quarter of the game Clark and Iowa were on a level that astounded people. At what point did Iowa lose the game? At what point did Perdue lose their game? And I make the point here. SC and UConn did not win their games. No way. Iowa and Perdue lost their games when they broke down. What happened in the minds of the players to make mistakes, to drop levels of performance, to have frustration, not elation rule their games? What happened in the minds of those who seemed to gain energy, endorphins, neurons firing and performance heightened? Scores go back and forth and something happens and one team breaks away. What happens when the mind no longer puts out a stream of positive chemicals to excite performance and you "cannot buy a basket," as people say? And I have been one of them.
The game does not matter. All team games can suffer this mental cliff. All solo performance sports can suffer this decline. And that is the difference between what Christ did and what all human accomplishment suffers the nonsense of competition against. Christ did not fall, did not sin by one thought or word or action. He lived a sinless life; something never done or seen before or since. If He sinned, there could not be a saviour for the Saviour. Such a fall would place God at war with God and the universe would be thrust into... well, we need not contemplate what might have been. The radical nature of what the mind of Christ went through and still gained the complete victory is the most astonishing thing ever, EVER accomplished in human history. Nothing compares. Nothing can compare and Satan must make sure that victory is shadowed by any and all other pursuits he can inspire in humanity to shadow Christ and His battle and His victory that saved the human race; save those from the race that want to live the same victory and live forever with their Hero, their Saviour, their Lord and God, their elder Brother and Friend; and the redeemed of all ages.
Right now, we have people in sports and all professions and endeavors, professing belief in God who are decidedly against what God has stated in His word. Confusion abounds. It's the mind of spiritual, prophetic Babylon. All humanity, ALL human beings begin with that mind, that direction of thinking. Some will choose and take a different path, a different direction, as God gains their attention, through a dozen different means, and experience the mind of Christ. When it happens, life can dramatically change in an instant or over time but, it changes and the dross of this world shows itself plainly.
Yes, I see a great implication between what Iowa did and what God's church should be doing. Those comparisons exist, and Jesus and the writers of the Bible books and letters, used many such examples to point out indelible, spiritual truths.
The apostle Paul stated it this way -
2Cor 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
2Cor 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
2Cor 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2Cor 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
2Cor 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
2Cor 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2Cor 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
There is to be no fainting, no point in the mind where the game (which is not a game), of life changes and Satan gains the edge and is able to derail a life from salvation. Peter stated it this way -
2Pet 1:4 Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Then he writes things about character development, often called, Peter's ladder." Then, he summarizes.
2Pet 1:8 For if these things are in you, and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Pet 1:9 But he that lacks these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
2Pet 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, you shall never fall:
Truth becomes everything. Truth is the passion and regardless of what one does for a "living" in this life; what they do to promote the Gospel and make a character, is uppermost in their minds. Truth dispels the lies and dishonesty of those in this world walking in darkness. There is no need for being crafty or deceitful. None. Truth is all that needs preeminence.
The gospel is hid to them that are lost because Satan has blinded their minds, with a hundred distractions, a thousand reasons to concentrate on things that have no eternal value and in many cases are just counterfeits of what God desires for people in this life, to prepare for the next. Remove the distractions and the Gospel becomes obvious and totally necessary.
We live in these "earthen vessels;" these human bodies, which begin to break down and ultimately go back to the earth we came from. Humans have no power to change that. No fountain of youth. No staying off the 'angel of death.' God should receive the glory for every possible human achievement because He is life and He is immortal and God "is all in all" and frankly, all things humans accomplish pale in comparison to what Christ achieved for us.
Yes, Christians struggle. We fall. Why? We choose to. We get up, because we choose to get up and go on and keep marching. We feel like giving up. We feel like stopping. We feel like the worst humans who have ever lived but, looking to Christ; He lifts us up and we keep going, to the grave or, for one group of people being developed right now, to translation to Heaven without seeing death. Enoch and Elijah represent that group. Moses represents those who shall be resurrected when Christ returns. That is why Elijah and Moses spoke with Christ on the mount when Christ was transfigured; shining a with a glory He shall exude when He returns to finish off the battle between good and evil as it shall stand to that point.
If you have read this far and "get it," great. You 'see.' If you have read this far and are thinking, "What the (whatever) are you talking about?" well... that is why Christ said, "You must be born again or you cannot see the kingdom of God."
It really is not about the sciences, the sports, the politics, the manufacturing or services. It isn't about mankind's achievements. They are all a distant reflection of God's creative power fully seen in Christ, our Creator; through the influence of the Holy Spirit in His life, offered to us.
This is no offense to any "hero" in this world, especially those who have risked life to save others. It just means we all must be brought to the place where we see the utter futility of any human achievement meaning anything more than what can develop for this life and no more. Be assured, the uncountable numbers of angels in God's command have little interest in who wins a sports championship or political election, or what human invents the next invention of convenience or medical advancement. So much of it is dangerous distraction, and they know that. God's untiring messengers know that, as they work to bring humanity to its senses.
Many people, millions, somehow became enamored with Catlin Clark and Iowa's women's basketball team. Many cannot really explain it. I can. I see the cultural war playing out, more because of what took place after each game, then the games, themselves but, understand. It's a game. That is all it can be. Yes, lives are impacted in various ways but, nothing more or less than any or all other endeavors of life in this world. Last night, watching UConn/Perdue was rather... boring. I was more shocked they placed a basketball court in the middle of a football stadium, while the women played in a typical field house for their final. And yet, the women's games were breaking all the records of viewers. Today, women's basketball literally hinges on how Caitlin Clark is received. Yes, others are being drafted into the WNBA, as well, all terrific players of the game but, Clark represents something and it is not skin color. Dismiss that from your mind. That exists only in the minds of those with melanin issues. Clark represents the principles of Americanism in action. But, it is all less, much less, far less than the principles of the kingdom of God warring against the policies of the enemy of souls and the eternal destinies of multiplied billions of people down through time to today.
We can wish Clark and co. well in their career paths when they graduate, the same as all graduates of all education but, graduating from the classroom of Christ has no equal; no possible achievement greater than attaining eternal life with God and Christ and the Spirit and the redeemed of all ages. That classroom never ends. It is eternal. The only thing that leaves this planet to Heaven is a changed character and an immortalized eternal body. That is all. All else perishes. All else is forgotten. No records. No interest. No curiosity. Nothing but the ashes of sin covering the ground of a lost world that shall someday be incinerated and changed into a place more beautiful than Eden to begin with. Eden lost to Eden restored. That is God's plan.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
The First Angel's message of Revelation 14 represents a bottom line approach to telling the world where it's at, and where it needs to be. There are thousands of voices in our world grabbing for our attention. The entire world of entertainment. The entire world of manufacturing and marketing goods and services. The entire world of "news." The entire world of medicine and drugs. The entire world of politics, which gets pressed into all the other worlds. And, the entire world of sports, which can as easily fit into the world of entertainment but, I'll leave it separate. And factually, all of them use whatever available avenues of communication, to get put before their fans and the populace in general, whatever message they want to convey and/or experience or, result they offer.
All of these fields of endeavor have their heroes, their champions, their spokespersons, and their G.O.A.T.s. Humanity crowds around them. In ancient times the warriors got the most attention. Battlefield performance took the lion's share of attention from a populace. Today? Today finds us having to put up with those with the most money, generally, and then a few others that have actual talent and something to contribute to humanity that makes life, somehow better; and be assured, my understanding of "better" is not necessarily that of many others but, "better" is for general purposes, here.
Our world is saturated with heroes. There are baseball players in Japan that are household names. Most of us have no idea who they are. Soccer players, religious persons, political people, scientists, doctors, entertainment personalities, region to region, nation to nation, continent to continent. Few are known, world-wide.
In fact, though, there is One Hero and one true hero only, in its ultimate sense. Open your mind some, here. No one has ever or will ever accomplish what Jesus Christ did in His life, ever. It cannot be done because no one ever had or will ever have the responsibility Christ had. No one ever had or will ever have the kind of stress and pressure Christ lived under. He is uniquely the center point of human history - His Story is the pivotal juncture of all human pursuit and accomplishment. It goes lightyears beyond "religion." There is nothing it does not influence, whether humanity knows it or not. Therefore, His saving the world must be countered, must be hid, must be covered with as many distractions as possible; from his enemy's point of view. Sports is the modern version of the ancient warrior, the colosseum, the spectacle and the glory.
Stick with me, here.
Fear God. Respect, reverence, stand in awe of God. Give glory to HIM. Place Him atop every mind, every mountain of endeavor, ever possible accomplishment because - He has begun the judgment of Earth and what humanity has done upon it. But, nobody is paying attention to that, are they? Our world is at war with God, as it wars each other in various contests of ascendancy; personal or national; individuals or tribes. The world is hardly aware it is warring with its Creator. But, that is coming.
Most of the world has little to no idea who Caitlin Clark is. I didn't know until a couple of months ago. Never heard of her. The culture war going on in America has as much to do with her place in society as her basketball accomplishments. The entire woman's college and professional basketball camps seem involved in a culture war, with her and her Iowa teammates at the center of it. The final game between Iowa and South Carolina was a microcosm of the cultural war taking place in America and all of Western civilization. It does not matter if said basketball hero and her peers say, "Whoa. No way. Leave us out of it." No. There are people in history who just manifest themselves; and like Martin Luther stated during the Reformation - he desired peace and repose and was cast into the midst of tumults and war.
The war has been going on since the rebellion in Heaven. Lucifer began the war. He carries it out here, cast down to this once perfect world, now plagued by sin. Am I saying sports are sinful? No. I am saying sports, the psychology of sports: the heroes, the accomplishments, the records kept and broken, champions and great ones all, ALL pale in comparison to the greatest and only true hero this world has - Jesus Christ.
Now you say, "Seriously? This is apples and oranges. One has nothing to do with the other." Are you sure?
Let me take this a step further. People involved in life pursuits are not evil because they go into avenues of life that props up heroes on man-made pedestals. People pursue whatever talents they exhibit. They excel at something. They have passion for something. They pursue it as far as it can go, and many further the possibilities by determination and perseverance. That said, in sports... in sports there is something of a quandary that takes place that has its own company of scientists to address. The psychology of sports.
Yes, I watched Iowa's march to the final game, from where I picked it up, ignorant of all their previous history. I watched UConn and Perdue last night. I have seen this happen pretty much all my life, in any endeavor I or others get involved in.
A player, a team explodes with positive energy to begin a game. Clark even mentioned they knew the way they opened the game against SC could not be maintained. Well, why not? Because it almost never does. It becomes a mind game more than a physical game at some point.
How can a game (forget the millions of dollars involved in both college and professional sports), the begins with dramatic performance of excellence, at some point dissolve into frustration and defeat? What happens in the mind of one individual or a team's thinking, moment by moment, that devolves into loss? I watched it happen to both Iowa and Perdue. The physical bodies suffered no dramatic loss. Everybody gets tired and just tries to maintain energy levels. Every sport goes through that but, the performance levels; the energy levels ebb and flow and at some point, breakdown takes place. Yes, some performances go neck and neck all the way to the final buzzer, and in basketball, nothing is so dramatic and hailed as that final buzzer shot that wins a game. Most are not like that.
Yes, some teams are just not on the same talent level and from beginning to end they are losing. That's a matter of mechanics. Clark said SC is a great team and SC's center, 6'7" Cardoso, and the more than double rebounds SC got, forced Iowa to make every shot perfect. That cannot be done, right? Wait a minute. Hold the horses.
The first quarter of the game Clark and Iowa were on a level that astounded people. At what point did Iowa lose the game? At what point did Perdue lose their game? And I make the point here. SC and UConn did not win their games. No way. Iowa and Perdue lost their games when they broke down. What happened in the minds of the players to make mistakes, to drop levels of performance, to have frustration, not elation rule their games? What happened in the minds of those who seemed to gain energy, endorphins, neurons firing and performance heightened? Scores go back and forth and something happens and one team breaks away. What happens when the mind no longer puts out a stream of positive chemicals to excite performance and you "cannot buy a basket," as people say? And I have been one of them.
The game does not matter. All team games can suffer this mental cliff. All solo performance sports can suffer this decline. And that is the difference between what Christ did and what all human accomplishment suffers the nonsense of competition against. Christ did not fall, did not sin by one thought or word or action. He lived a sinless life; something never done or seen before or since. If He sinned, there could not be a saviour for the Saviour. Such a fall would place God at war with God and the universe would be thrust into... well, we need not contemplate what might have been. The radical nature of what the mind of Christ went through and still gained the complete victory is the most astonishing thing ever, EVER accomplished in human history. Nothing compares. Nothing can compare and Satan must make sure that victory is shadowed by any and all other pursuits he can inspire in humanity to shadow Christ and His battle and His victory that saved the human race; save those from the race that want to live the same victory and live forever with their Hero, their Saviour, their Lord and God, their elder Brother and Friend; and the redeemed of all ages.
Right now, we have people in sports and all professions and endeavors, professing belief in God who are decidedly against what God has stated in His word. Confusion abounds. It's the mind of spiritual, prophetic Babylon. All humanity, ALL human beings begin with that mind, that direction of thinking. Some will choose and take a different path, a different direction, as God gains their attention, through a dozen different means, and experience the mind of Christ. When it happens, life can dramatically change in an instant or over time but, it changes and the dross of this world shows itself plainly.
Yes, I see a great implication between what Iowa did and what God's church should be doing. Those comparisons exist, and Jesus and the writers of the Bible books and letters, used many such examples to point out indelible, spiritual truths.
The apostle Paul stated it this way -
2Cor 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
2Cor 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
2Cor 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2Cor 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
2Cor 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
2Cor 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2Cor 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
There is to be no fainting, no point in the mind where the game (which is not a game), of life changes and Satan gains the edge and is able to derail a life from salvation. Peter stated it this way -
2Pet 1:4 Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Then he writes things about character development, often called, Peter's ladder." Then, he summarizes.
2Pet 1:8 For if these things are in you, and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Pet 1:9 But he that lacks these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
2Pet 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, you shall never fall:
Truth becomes everything. Truth is the passion and regardless of what one does for a "living" in this life; what they do to promote the Gospel and make a character, is uppermost in their minds. Truth dispels the lies and dishonesty of those in this world walking in darkness. There is no need for being crafty or deceitful. None. Truth is all that needs preeminence.
The gospel is hid to them that are lost because Satan has blinded their minds, with a hundred distractions, a thousand reasons to concentrate on things that have no eternal value and in many cases are just counterfeits of what God desires for people in this life, to prepare for the next. Remove the distractions and the Gospel becomes obvious and totally necessary.
We live in these "earthen vessels;" these human bodies, which begin to break down and ultimately go back to the earth we came from. Humans have no power to change that. No fountain of youth. No staying off the 'angel of death.' God should receive the glory for every possible human achievement because He is life and He is immortal and God "is all in all" and frankly, all things humans accomplish pale in comparison to what Christ achieved for us.
Yes, Christians struggle. We fall. Why? We choose to. We get up, because we choose to get up and go on and keep marching. We feel like giving up. We feel like stopping. We feel like the worst humans who have ever lived but, looking to Christ; He lifts us up and we keep going, to the grave or, for one group of people being developed right now, to translation to Heaven without seeing death. Enoch and Elijah represent that group. Moses represents those who shall be resurrected when Christ returns. That is why Elijah and Moses spoke with Christ on the mount when Christ was transfigured; shining a with a glory He shall exude when He returns to finish off the battle between good and evil as it shall stand to that point.
If you have read this far and "get it," great. You 'see.' If you have read this far and are thinking, "What the (whatever) are you talking about?" well... that is why Christ said, "You must be born again or you cannot see the kingdom of God."
It really is not about the sciences, the sports, the politics, the manufacturing or services. It isn't about mankind's achievements. They are all a distant reflection of God's creative power fully seen in Christ, our Creator; through the influence of the Holy Spirit in His life, offered to us.
This is no offense to any "hero" in this world, especially those who have risked life to save others. It just means we all must be brought to the place where we see the utter futility of any human achievement meaning anything more than what can develop for this life and no more. Be assured, the uncountable numbers of angels in God's command have little interest in who wins a sports championship or political election, or what human invents the next invention of convenience or medical advancement. So much of it is dangerous distraction, and they know that. God's untiring messengers know that, as they work to bring humanity to its senses.
Many people, millions, somehow became enamored with Catlin Clark and Iowa's women's basketball team. Many cannot really explain it. I can. I see the cultural war playing out, more because of what took place after each game, then the games, themselves but, understand. It's a game. That is all it can be. Yes, lives are impacted in various ways but, nothing more or less than any or all other endeavors of life in this world. Last night, watching UConn/Perdue was rather... boring. I was more shocked they placed a basketball court in the middle of a football stadium, while the women played in a typical field house for their final. And yet, the women's games were breaking all the records of viewers. Today, women's basketball literally hinges on how Caitlin Clark is received. Yes, others are being drafted into the WNBA, as well, all terrific players of the game but, Clark represents something and it is not skin color. Dismiss that from your mind. That exists only in the minds of those with melanin issues. Clark represents the principles of Americanism in action. But, it is all less, much less, far less than the principles of the kingdom of God warring against the policies of the enemy of souls and the eternal destinies of multiplied billions of people down through time to today.
We can wish Clark and co. well in their career paths when they graduate, the same as all graduates of all education but, graduating from the classroom of Christ has no equal; no possible achievement greater than attaining eternal life with God and Christ and the Spirit and the redeemed of all ages. That classroom never ends. It is eternal. The only thing that leaves this planet to Heaven is a changed character and an immortalized eternal body. That is all. All else perishes. All else is forgotten. No records. No interest. No curiosity. Nothing but the ashes of sin covering the ground of a lost world that shall someday be incinerated and changed into a place more beautiful than Eden to begin with. Eden lost to Eden restored. That is God's plan.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Christians in Israel & Palestine
I am listening, as I type, to a Tucker Carlson interview of a Lutheran pastor from Bethlehem. He is giving his observations of what the war is doing to Christians in the region. They are suffering.
When the question was asked of why the American government and evangelical community offer no support to Christians in the area, the pastor said it is mostly theological, as well as their understanding of prophecy. This is a huge point.
The support of Israel derives from the prophetic interpretations of FUTURISM. At one time, most Protestants believed the principles of HISTORICISM: that prophecy is fulfilled from the time of the prophet moving forward in time. FUTURISM places fulfillment of much of the outline of prophetic events in the future. Hence, the view that modern Israel is integral to prophecy and last-day events. Because of this belief, evangelicals generally side with Israel, the Israeli government, on most of what it decides to do on any given subject. In this case, destroying Gaza, section by section, because of the events of October 7. Most American evangelicals support this onslaught.
Most "Palestinians" surveyed side with Hamas. Most, not all. But, Israel disregards any differentiation of Palestinians, as well as Christians living in Gaza. For Israel, if you live in Gaza, you side with Hamas. You are the enemy. Two churches were destroyed recently, in Israeli bombing runs. People were in the buildings for "sanctuary," thinking they were safe. Israeli snipers have allegedly shot down Christians leaving those churches before they were bombed. You have probably seen the videos of young Palestinians just walking along and literally vaporized by Israeli drone bombing.
You may not know this, I didn't but, the government of Israel regards it a crime to evangelize, to proselytize any faith but, Judaism. If Jews convert to any other faith, they have to jump through many legal hoops to live peacefully in Israel. Israel, for all its marketing of itself as a superior society that welcomes all faiths, is a hypocritical entity.
Again, for me, and many like me, with my understanding of the Bible, Israel is NOT in prophecy regarding last-day events. There is nothing, NO THING mentioned about a literal Israeli government/state in prophecy. FUTURISM, the child of Roman Catholic Jesuit priests in the 16th century, fathered the interpretive reasoning that places great emphasis on literal Israel. Because evangelicals have apostatized from the positions of the fathers of their churches, they give ignorant support to the State of Israel and support for this continued war, which has now grossly surpassed an eye for eye, tooth for a tooth comparing harm to Israelis on October 7th, with the destruction that has taken 20 times those lives in Gaza. I have no problem with Israel defending itself. Wiping out an entire population of non-combatants? All they are doing is causing more Palestinians to side with forces that want Israel removed from the map. American Christians supporting this are not just wrong but, incredibly ignorant. If Christ is the Prince of Peace then peace is to be sought, always. There is NO THEOCRACY. There is no "holy land." Regardless of what tourists say about going there, Israel is not a friend to Christianity. Christian Zionism is a heresy costing lives.
Watch the interview. Listen and see for yourself. The theology of FUTURISM has a role to play in the attitudes taken by American and European Christians supporting this atrocity being called a war. It is not a war. A war involves the activities of two or more sides. This event has become a single power raining down destruction on children. I do not say women and children because we know women can be just as much involved with fighting, as men. That is obviously the case in Israel, which requires women to enlist. For Muslims, they have shown their use of women in their attacks and terrorism and war. Sending American tax dollars to support Israel in their current mode of executing this "war" is killing brethren in Christ. It's despicable.
For those like me, who regard this engagement as thousands of years old with no hope of lasting peace, America should not be involved but, because Israel is mistakenly seen as an ally, which is most dubious, constant support goes for its protection. Ask yourself a simple question. If Israel and/or Gaza were removed from the map, how would that change your life in North America, South America, Asia or Africa or Australia? Europeans might be pressured with receiving more "refugees," which obviously should be taken in by local Muslim nations but, even they do not want Palestinians in their nations. Why Not?
I can tell you plainly my life would not be changed by anything that happens in Israel or Gaza. There is no prophetic implication. There is no implication of any kind. Other than being a further, gigantic, horrific atrocity that would shock the world, nothing would actually change. The region would become wholly Muslim, which it is already. But, I would say, with Muslims in Dearborn, Michigan calling for Jihad against America, I'd say we have far more important matters here, to deal with. With millions of illegal immigrants pouring across the Southern border, and now the FBI telling Americans to expect possible terrorist events at large gatherings, who could not say we have far more important matters to deal with here, than in Israel?
FUTURISM is heresy. It is an erroneous method of interpreting Scripture that plays cafeteria-style selection of passages in the Bible to claim what is coming. It is costing Christians their lives in this "war."
May God forgive the ignorant and open their eyes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
twitter.com/tuckercarlson/status/1777800149818822809?s=46
When the question was asked of why the American government and evangelical community offer no support to Christians in the area, the pastor said it is mostly theological, as well as their understanding of prophecy. This is a huge point.
The support of Israel derives from the prophetic interpretations of FUTURISM. At one time, most Protestants believed the principles of HISTORICISM: that prophecy is fulfilled from the time of the prophet moving forward in time. FUTURISM places fulfillment of much of the outline of prophetic events in the future. Hence, the view that modern Israel is integral to prophecy and last-day events. Because of this belief, evangelicals generally side with Israel, the Israeli government, on most of what it decides to do on any given subject. In this case, destroying Gaza, section by section, because of the events of October 7. Most American evangelicals support this onslaught.
Most "Palestinians" surveyed side with Hamas. Most, not all. But, Israel disregards any differentiation of Palestinians, as well as Christians living in Gaza. For Israel, if you live in Gaza, you side with Hamas. You are the enemy. Two churches were destroyed recently, in Israeli bombing runs. People were in the buildings for "sanctuary," thinking they were safe. Israeli snipers have allegedly shot down Christians leaving those churches before they were bombed. You have probably seen the videos of young Palestinians just walking along and literally vaporized by Israeli drone bombing.
You may not know this, I didn't but, the government of Israel regards it a crime to evangelize, to proselytize any faith but, Judaism. If Jews convert to any other faith, they have to jump through many legal hoops to live peacefully in Israel. Israel, for all its marketing of itself as a superior society that welcomes all faiths, is a hypocritical entity.
Again, for me, and many like me, with my understanding of the Bible, Israel is NOT in prophecy regarding last-day events. There is nothing, NO THING mentioned about a literal Israeli government/state in prophecy. FUTURISM, the child of Roman Catholic Jesuit priests in the 16th century, fathered the interpretive reasoning that places great emphasis on literal Israel. Because evangelicals have apostatized from the positions of the fathers of their churches, they give ignorant support to the State of Israel and support for this continued war, which has now grossly surpassed an eye for eye, tooth for a tooth comparing harm to Israelis on October 7th, with the destruction that has taken 20 times those lives in Gaza. I have no problem with Israel defending itself. Wiping out an entire population of non-combatants? All they are doing is causing more Palestinians to side with forces that want Israel removed from the map. American Christians supporting this are not just wrong but, incredibly ignorant. If Christ is the Prince of Peace then peace is to be sought, always. There is NO THEOCRACY. There is no "holy land." Regardless of what tourists say about going there, Israel is not a friend to Christianity. Christian Zionism is a heresy costing lives.
Watch the interview. Listen and see for yourself. The theology of FUTURISM has a role to play in the attitudes taken by American and European Christians supporting this atrocity being called a war. It is not a war. A war involves the activities of two or more sides. This event has become a single power raining down destruction on children. I do not say women and children because we know women can be just as much involved with fighting, as men. That is obviously the case in Israel, which requires women to enlist. For Muslims, they have shown their use of women in their attacks and terrorism and war. Sending American tax dollars to support Israel in their current mode of executing this "war" is killing brethren in Christ. It's despicable.
For those like me, who regard this engagement as thousands of years old with no hope of lasting peace, America should not be involved but, because Israel is mistakenly seen as an ally, which is most dubious, constant support goes for its protection. Ask yourself a simple question. If Israel and/or Gaza were removed from the map, how would that change your life in North America, South America, Asia or Africa or Australia? Europeans might be pressured with receiving more "refugees," which obviously should be taken in by local Muslim nations but, even they do not want Palestinians in their nations. Why Not?
I can tell you plainly my life would not be changed by anything that happens in Israel or Gaza. There is no prophetic implication. There is no implication of any kind. Other than being a further, gigantic, horrific atrocity that would shock the world, nothing would actually change. The region would become wholly Muslim, which it is already. But, I would say, with Muslims in Dearborn, Michigan calling for Jihad against America, I'd say we have far more important matters here, to deal with. With millions of illegal immigrants pouring across the Southern border, and now the FBI telling Americans to expect possible terrorist events at large gatherings, who could not say we have far more important matters to deal with here, than in Israel?
FUTURISM is heresy. It is an erroneous method of interpreting Scripture that plays cafeteria-style selection of passages in the Bible to claim what is coming. It is costing Christians their lives in this "war."
May God forgive the ignorant and open their eyes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
twitter.com/tuckercarlson/status/1777800149818822809?s=46
*****************************
Anvils Over Their Heads
When you look at the last 30 years of American existence and ask yourself how can all this be? Why is no one ever arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to incarceration for crimes committed against the American people; you come up with at least one option that can make sense: politicians have anvils hung over their heads and the heads of their spouses and children, with open or veiled threats the anvils will drop if they do not do what they are told. I have stated that here, numerous times, over the last four years or more. It's the only logical reason corruption is so widespread and systemic and nothing is done about it. Because nothing can be done about it without true courage and faith in God. That's needle in a haystack territory in Washington, D.C.
The justice department and the alphabet agencies hold so much illegal power in this nation, they now control everything; meaning, the president, congress and the courts. The three branches of government meant to be in control, and held in-check by each of the other branches, are now held hostage by unelected people in the shadows.
It is my understanding the John F. Kennedy wanted to take down the CIA. Kennedy was assassinated. Trump wanted to "drain the swamp." Trump has been fighting corruption from before the 2016 election till now; fighting lawsuit after lawsuit attempting to keep him from running in this year's election. At least 60 years of corruption, that has only gotten more widespread and deep. Hence, the term "Deep State."
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely.
I just watched a Tucker Carlson commentary on the current problem of corruption in Washington, D.C. and his own, personal experience with it. I have seen him mention how he had his private communications spied upon and released to the msm to defame him and silence him. Thankfully, he gets stronger with each passing month. As he says, the only people he cares about, as far as opinions of him, are his wife and children. Beyond that, of course, what God thinks of what he says or does. Would that that was the position held by all representatives in government.
He, also, sees how anvils of retribution are hanging over the heads of said representatives, if they will not do what they are told.
twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1778177385210519712
The remedy? Well, Tucker just hopes people start asking questions. Beyond that? You know my position. Either God steps in or America is done. I am not holding my breath that God steps in to help. To judge? Yes. To change things for the better, as God defines "better"? Far too few Americans want that. Which is why things are the way they are.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The justice department and the alphabet agencies hold so much illegal power in this nation, they now control everything; meaning, the president, congress and the courts. The three branches of government meant to be in control, and held in-check by each of the other branches, are now held hostage by unelected people in the shadows.
It is my understanding the John F. Kennedy wanted to take down the CIA. Kennedy was assassinated. Trump wanted to "drain the swamp." Trump has been fighting corruption from before the 2016 election till now; fighting lawsuit after lawsuit attempting to keep him from running in this year's election. At least 60 years of corruption, that has only gotten more widespread and deep. Hence, the term "Deep State."
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely.
I just watched a Tucker Carlson commentary on the current problem of corruption in Washington, D.C. and his own, personal experience with it. I have seen him mention how he had his private communications spied upon and released to the msm to defame him and silence him. Thankfully, he gets stronger with each passing month. As he says, the only people he cares about, as far as opinions of him, are his wife and children. Beyond that, of course, what God thinks of what he says or does. Would that that was the position held by all representatives in government.
He, also, sees how anvils of retribution are hanging over the heads of said representatives, if they will not do what they are told.
twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1778177385210519712
The remedy? Well, Tucker just hopes people start asking questions. Beyond that? You know my position. Either God steps in or America is done. I am not holding my breath that God steps in to help. To judge? Yes. To change things for the better, as God defines "better"? Far too few Americans want that. Which is why things are the way they are.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
LEGEND UPDATE - Gideon
As the manufacturing process moves along, the record company thought it would be a nice idea to put the new song on the album, Gideon, to a lyric video. Sounded cool, to me.
Manos and co. sent me an initial idea for one. I liked it but, thought I'd scour the web and look for pictures that might go better with the lyrics. Took me awhile but, I found what I could that are not copyrighted, and put them in order and sent them back to Greece. Had a few snags but, made some corrections and Chryssa, in their art department, did a great job linking all the pics with the lyrics.
The album jacket artwork is B&W, in the old, ink or woodcut style. We used or made all the pictures B&W to go along with that theme.
It's always a charge inside when you see things developing like this. Won't be long now. A tentative release is hopeful for June. Depends on the vinyl manufacturing industry in Europe. It's pretty backed up now.
Here is the video, released today, 4/11/24, on Sonic Age's, Cult Metal Classics YouTube channel.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7UGFoFC78I
Leave a comment and let us know what you think.
**********************************
EDIT - Let me make another comment here. If you watch the video, you'll see the lyrics to the song; a song about one of the biblical characters, Gideon. The story of Gideon is found in the book of Judges, chapters 6-8.
Someone wrote a comment on the video stating, some may find reason to link the song to current events: Israel/Hamas/Gaza, etc.
I wrote the song 40 years ago, after I became a Christian. I wrote many different songs related to Bible stories and passages from various books and doctrinal subjects, etc. There is NOTHING in the song relating to current events. NO THING. Any connection made to current events is mistaken, in the extreme. Events in the song have to do with events that took place thousands of years ago. In fact, choosing to put the song on the album over a year ago, to replace Kevin's song, R.A.R.Z., could not have addressed anything that took place after the song was recorded; on October 7th, 2023: the attack in Israel.
I have written on this website, my disdain for both the modern state of Israel and aspects of Zionism, as well as my disdain for terrorism, any of it, in the name of any deity. It is atrociously disgusting. If Israel wanted to go eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, they passed that number, well beyond what Oct 7th cost them. I desire peace. I have no affinity for war. Modern Israel IS NOT the Old Testament theocracy. It is not guided by prophets. It has no priesthood. God forbid it should have a king. The theocracy and modern state of Israel are not even close to the same thing. While I believe every nation has a right to defend itself; no nation should see death of children as anything other than genocide. As I stated in a previous post, I do not include women, per se' because both entities employ women in their ranks to take life. Innocent women and children no nation should take the life of. How can what is happening in Gaza right now be okay with any professed Christian?
The strife between Jews and Arabs is thousands of years old and I do not believe it can possibly end in my lifetime, unless Christ returns and stops the whole mess the entire world is in. I wish America just stayed out of it. I certainly wish professed Christians stayed out of it, endorsing one side or the other. It is not the work of Christ in preaching the Gospel. To the contrary, both sides of the conflict have made problems for Christian churches in that region.
I state this to nip in the bud ANY direct correlation of the song to current events taking place in the Middle East.
The song IS NOT an anthem for the modern state of Israel and if anyone uses it that way they are misusing and abusing the song for their own radical socio/political purposes.
It's just a song; a good one, if I may say so, musically speaking. It fits in well with the premise LEGEND functioned within; putting to music ancient stories, myths and legends. Gideon fits that standard we took.
I pray all minds leave it in that realm.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Manos and co. sent me an initial idea for one. I liked it but, thought I'd scour the web and look for pictures that might go better with the lyrics. Took me awhile but, I found what I could that are not copyrighted, and put them in order and sent them back to Greece. Had a few snags but, made some corrections and Chryssa, in their art department, did a great job linking all the pics with the lyrics.
The album jacket artwork is B&W, in the old, ink or woodcut style. We used or made all the pictures B&W to go along with that theme.
It's always a charge inside when you see things developing like this. Won't be long now. A tentative release is hopeful for June. Depends on the vinyl manufacturing industry in Europe. It's pretty backed up now.
Here is the video, released today, 4/11/24, on Sonic Age's, Cult Metal Classics YouTube channel.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7UGFoFC78I
Leave a comment and let us know what you think.
**********************************
EDIT - Let me make another comment here. If you watch the video, you'll see the lyrics to the song; a song about one of the biblical characters, Gideon. The story of Gideon is found in the book of Judges, chapters 6-8.
Someone wrote a comment on the video stating, some may find reason to link the song to current events: Israel/Hamas/Gaza, etc.
I wrote the song 40 years ago, after I became a Christian. I wrote many different songs related to Bible stories and passages from various books and doctrinal subjects, etc. There is NOTHING in the song relating to current events. NO THING. Any connection made to current events is mistaken, in the extreme. Events in the song have to do with events that took place thousands of years ago. In fact, choosing to put the song on the album over a year ago, to replace Kevin's song, R.A.R.Z., could not have addressed anything that took place after the song was recorded; on October 7th, 2023: the attack in Israel.
I have written on this website, my disdain for both the modern state of Israel and aspects of Zionism, as well as my disdain for terrorism, any of it, in the name of any deity. It is atrociously disgusting. If Israel wanted to go eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, they passed that number, well beyond what Oct 7th cost them. I desire peace. I have no affinity for war. Modern Israel IS NOT the Old Testament theocracy. It is not guided by prophets. It has no priesthood. God forbid it should have a king. The theocracy and modern state of Israel are not even close to the same thing. While I believe every nation has a right to defend itself; no nation should see death of children as anything other than genocide. As I stated in a previous post, I do not include women, per se' because both entities employ women in their ranks to take life. Innocent women and children no nation should take the life of. How can what is happening in Gaza right now be okay with any professed Christian?
The strife between Jews and Arabs is thousands of years old and I do not believe it can possibly end in my lifetime, unless Christ returns and stops the whole mess the entire world is in. I wish America just stayed out of it. I certainly wish professed Christians stayed out of it, endorsing one side or the other. It is not the work of Christ in preaching the Gospel. To the contrary, both sides of the conflict have made problems for Christian churches in that region.
I state this to nip in the bud ANY direct correlation of the song to current events taking place in the Middle East.
The song IS NOT an anthem for the modern state of Israel and if anyone uses it that way they are misusing and abusing the song for their own radical socio/political purposes.
It's just a song; a good one, if I may say so, musically speaking. It fits in well with the premise LEGEND functioned within; putting to music ancient stories, myths and legends. Gideon fits that standard we took.
I pray all minds leave it in that realm.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
A Plan All Along
The proposed New World Order functions on plans and their execution. Totalitarian globalism is a wicked evil, which anyone who understands the principles of freedom and liberty would stand against.
I remember the speech by George Bush senior wherein he stated the time had come for a new world order. Every major event, every next step towards it, is all part of a plan.
This is a Greg Reese video every American; well... every Canadian and Mexican, as well, should watch. The plan to create a North American Union. It is a shocking quick expose' on the plans underway, which have been, all along, moving to create a totalitarian, globalist continent.
rumble.com/v4odz76-no-oaths-of-office-in-the-federal-government.html
JANUARY 10, 2023
Declaration of North America (DNA)
"Today, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, President Joseph R. Biden, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met in Mexico City for the 10th North American Leaders’ Summit (NALS). The leaders are determined to fortify our region’s security, prosperity, sustainability and inclusiveness through commitments across six pillars: 1) diversity, equity, and inclusion; 2) climate change and the environment; 3) competitiveness; 4) migration and development; 5) health; and 6) regional security."
DEI has already been exposed as part of the plan to fundamentally change the United States. But, one must ask, if "migration" and "regional security" are part of the plan, why is the Southern border of America wide open? Because it is part of the plan -
"The three countries of North America each made ambitious commitments under the Los Angeles Declaration, including working together to advance labor mobility in North America, particularly regarding regular pathways, and have been delivering on these commitments.
"Since June, Mexico, the United States and Canada have collectively welcomed record numbers of migrants and refugees from the Western Hemisphere under new and expanded labor and humanitarian programs. Today, we affirm our joint commitment to safe, orderly, and humane migration under the Los Angeles Declaration and other relevant multilateral frameworks."
International law states that "refugees," actual refugees - people fleeing for their lives or persecuted in some way, NOT just travelling to make a better life for themselves - crossing a border, have found sanctuary. They are no longer refugees traveling to the next border. When millions from below Mexico reach the southern border of Mexico, they should be stopping IN MEXICO, not traveling to the USA or Canada. But, that is obviously not the case. There is NO safe, orderly, humane migration. There is human trafficking, rapes, murders, and a literal invasion of military aged males; illegal immigrants changing the entire landscape of employment in America. But, this has all been planned.
The evil at play here is unprecedented. It seems the Planners are so confident of their success they openly show their plans. Millions more of illegal immigrants wreaking havoc in major and large American cities and beyond will continue to come here. The government does NOTHING. Why? It's the plan.
I'm glad I am at the end of my life. Young Americans having to deal with this - Orwell's 1984, globalism, the UN, the WEF, the WHO and all the rest of this wicked cabal of godless humanists - will be in the fight of their lives; for their lives. Add in a globalist military, police forces, and Artificial Intelligence changing our world, and once again, you tell me, without the God of this universe stepping in to stop it, how it will be stopped?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
I remember the speech by George Bush senior wherein he stated the time had come for a new world order. Every major event, every next step towards it, is all part of a plan.
This is a Greg Reese video every American; well... every Canadian and Mexican, as well, should watch. The plan to create a North American Union. It is a shocking quick expose' on the plans underway, which have been, all along, moving to create a totalitarian, globalist continent.
rumble.com/v4odz76-no-oaths-of-office-in-the-federal-government.html
JANUARY 10, 2023
Declaration of North America (DNA)
"Today, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, President Joseph R. Biden, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met in Mexico City for the 10th North American Leaders’ Summit (NALS). The leaders are determined to fortify our region’s security, prosperity, sustainability and inclusiveness through commitments across six pillars: 1) diversity, equity, and inclusion; 2) climate change and the environment; 3) competitiveness; 4) migration and development; 5) health; and 6) regional security."
DEI has already been exposed as part of the plan to fundamentally change the United States. But, one must ask, if "migration" and "regional security" are part of the plan, why is the Southern border of America wide open? Because it is part of the plan -
"The three countries of North America each made ambitious commitments under the Los Angeles Declaration, including working together to advance labor mobility in North America, particularly regarding regular pathways, and have been delivering on these commitments.
"Since June, Mexico, the United States and Canada have collectively welcomed record numbers of migrants and refugees from the Western Hemisphere under new and expanded labor and humanitarian programs. Today, we affirm our joint commitment to safe, orderly, and humane migration under the Los Angeles Declaration and other relevant multilateral frameworks."
International law states that "refugees," actual refugees - people fleeing for their lives or persecuted in some way, NOT just travelling to make a better life for themselves - crossing a border, have found sanctuary. They are no longer refugees traveling to the next border. When millions from below Mexico reach the southern border of Mexico, they should be stopping IN MEXICO, not traveling to the USA or Canada. But, that is obviously not the case. There is NO safe, orderly, humane migration. There is human trafficking, rapes, murders, and a literal invasion of military aged males; illegal immigrants changing the entire landscape of employment in America. But, this has all been planned.
The evil at play here is unprecedented. It seems the Planners are so confident of their success they openly show their plans. Millions more of illegal immigrants wreaking havoc in major and large American cities and beyond will continue to come here. The government does NOTHING. Why? It's the plan.
I'm glad I am at the end of my life. Young Americans having to deal with this - Orwell's 1984, globalism, the UN, the WEF, the WHO and all the rest of this wicked cabal of godless humanists - will be in the fight of their lives; for their lives. Add in a globalist military, police forces, and Artificial Intelligence changing our world, and once again, you tell me, without the God of this universe stepping in to stop it, how it will be stopped?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
950. Babylon: False Profits - 4/13/2024
Babylon. Spiritual, prophetic Babylon. Main characters in Daniel and Revelation. Physical, ancient Babylon tells us much about spiritual, prophetic Babylon, which is: religious confusion. Confusion of any kind. The mind of Babylon versus the mind of Christ, Phil. 2:5. We are all in one camp or the other. In some cases, both. God calls His people out of Babylon. You have seen me lay this out for a few years now and the ease of which it becomes clear to comment on it seems to expand by dimensions never thought possible.
You may remember the "Psychic Friends Network;" infomercials telling viewers they could call a psychic and get answers to their most pressing questions about their lives. Pay the psychic, get your fortune told. It generated millions of dollars for the "psychics" involved. All condemned by God in His Word.
Well, now, we have "prophets" in the biblical sense, willing to tell you what you want to know, for a price. In one case, fifteen minutes for $555. The profits are astounding. The number of people willing to fork over such extraordinary sums of money, ANY sums of money, to speak with someone claiming to be a prophet or prophetess is disheartening. It creates such a poor witness to the world, it is a shocking revelation of the amount of confusion that exists.
Recently, some well known preacher/teacher/leaders got together and discussed the matter of false prophets. I saw a headline for the article. I didn't read all of it, though I posted it here, previously. They discussed some well-known names in the professed Christian ministry-world. I was curious. Televangelists, etc. They could not agree on some of the names being false prophets.
Here's the article on "prophets" charging money to speak to them -
www.christianpost.com/news/prophets-mimic-psychics-charging-up-to-555-for-phone-call.html
It literally reads like the plot of a TV situation comedy. You say to yourself the ubiquitous - What are they thinking - to yourself, as you read. Both these abominable merchants of information and those taken in by these charlatans are part of Babylon.
First, some biblical context. Let's unpack this and let the Bible tell us the truth of the matter.
Luke 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
First, we can see from the gospel of Luke that Christ raised this issue and did so in the context of this being a very old problem. If nothing else, we can see from the context that a false prophet is one that speaks well of you; tells you what you want to hear, not what you need to hear. Prophets of God are not sent to pet people and sooth their conscience from the conviction of sin. On the contrary. Prophets are sent to tell the truth like it is, tell people what the problem is and the remedy and the judgment that awaits if God's warnings and admonitions are not heeded.
A classic example -
Jer 14:13 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say to them, You shall not see the sword, neither shall you have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.
Jer 14:14 Then the LORD said to me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke to them: they prophesy to you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
Jer 14:15 Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.
Jer 14:16 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.
No joke. God does not tolerate false prophets. Those who say, "Don't worry. Everything is fine. No cause for alarm. Nothing to see here. The message from God is not to be concerned over matters that may seem important. Peace, is His message. Everything is fine," when God is telling people get your act together or destruction is coming, are enemies of God and enemies of His people. They are mercenaries of Satan sent to keep the people from following God's instructions and will and do so dressed in sheep's clothing.
This basic understanding plays out all through the Bible. In the Lamentations of Jeremiah, a true prophet of God, we read -
Lam 2:14 Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.
Prophets are sent to expose the iniquity of His people or others. Sin kills. It must be exposed. It must be removed. "The wages of sin is death," Romans 6:23. Call it spiritual illness or disease. Spiritual cancer. It must come out or death shall result. False prophets do not expose sin. They hide it. They lie. They tell people reasons for problems that are false. They will put the blame exactly where it should not be, rather than on the sinner, who needs salvation from the penalty and power of sin. Sin is pleasant. Sin lies and tells us it's okay. Sin gives us what we want, not what we need. From Eve, in the Garden to today, nothing is new under the sun. The same lies Satan told Eve then, are the same lies he tells today. False prophets always lead into false hopes and false ideas and false policies that override principle.
Christ gave specific warnings of false prophets that would come, right to the end of time -
Matt 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Matt 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Matt 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
The serious nature of the situation cannot be overstated. False prophets, emissaries of Lucifer, can be involved with supernatural signs and wonders. Fake prophets, fake miracles. They can be so good, so deceptive, they can fool the people of God who should know better. And remember: "it were" is not in the original Greek manuscript. It is supplied by the translators and placed in italics for the benefit of readers to know what they did. Take out "it were" and the whole context changes. "If possible, I am going to get you to trip." Does that mean it is not possible? No. It means I'll do everything possible to get you to trip. False prophets will say and do everything possible to deceive, even the sharpest of God's army.
The book of Acts displays the work of a false prophet -
Act 13:6 And when they had gone through the isle to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:
Act 13:7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
Act 13:8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
Act 13:9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
Act 13:10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, you child of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
Act 13:11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
Act 13:12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
Elymas sought to keep the deputy from exposure to the truth. That is the basic goal of all false prophets. Keep people from the truth but, do so in a pious, deceptive way; as though they are speaking for God. In the case above, Paul, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, spoke serious rebuke to the liar. Sin was exposed with the truth, and the truth impacted the deputy to become a believer. The deputy had a choice to make. He could have sided with Elymas. He could have chose the easy, pleasant path Elymas laid before him but, conviction of sin proved too much. He could not argue what the truth did: it brought down the false prophet and exposed his own desires as false and worthless. Faith in God is not a business. It is not a game. It has eternal consequences.
The apostle Peter lays out the dangers awaiting God's people at the end of time -
2Pet 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2Pet 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
2Pet 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not.
False prophets, false speakers for God, false teachers, shall "privately" bring in heresies. They do so in very specific ways. They do not publicly proclaim their lies at the outset. They find open ears, those whose hearts stand against the preaching of the straight truth; those who do not want to hear it, and the false prophets begin to state another case; the case for error that calms the soul from conviction of sin. Once the gossip factory gets underway, once the backbiters are put in motion, entire churches can be destroyed. Happens all the time. What is the truth? That is the only thing that matters. Division is not something to be concerned about. False prophets will seek to hold everything together at the expense of truth. They prophesy a smooth message and deceit. The sword of division may take place but, Christ said it would. Truth shall divide people who want it from those who do not. The false prophet says, "Stop! Do not be alarmed! Everything is alright. No need to get all bothered by these voices of division. They are not from God. THEY are the heretics. They are the troublers of the people. They are the problem. Remove them and everything will be okay."
So, the teachers of truth are removed and the body of Christ sinks into the miasma of compromise and spiritual sickness and death, while they pride themselves - "Lord, Lord, we have done all these things in your name!"
The apostle John warned of false prophets that existed in his day and would come. This is very important to notice -
1John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1John 4:2 Hereby you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1John 4:3 And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof you have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
Antichrist that shall come. Antichrist already present.
Put on your thinking cap here because this is more than what it seems. Yes, there were those in John's day who denied that Christ came in a physical body; talked with people, lived among them. They taught He came in some mystical, spiritual, ethereal presence but, there is a much deeper meaning to John's warning.
First, remember. God's people are to be sanctified spirit, soul and body; the human intellectual nature, emotional nature and physical nature must be set apart for God, for His use to promote His truth, 1Thes. 5:23. The spirit is the intellectual nature of man. "Be renewed in the spirit of your mind," Ephesians 4:23. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind," 2Timothy 1:7.
Second, very important. Remember, the term "flesh" in the spiritual and doctrinal sense, means the fallen human nature we all have. Paul makes that very prominent in Romans -
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Rom 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Rom 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
Rom 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
Rom 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Rom 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
We all battle a fallen human nature, bequeathed to us through Adam and Eve, to all humanity. That is why Jesus told Nicodemus he must be born again. We must have new life, a new mind, the mind of Christ, to think differently towards God and our fellow man. To love and serve the Lord, to seek the salvation of others, for we are all in the same boat - fallen and need salvation from sin that so easily controls us. We need change. We need victory. False prophets do not concern themselves with that necessity. False prophets preach smooth things. Round the corners. Dull the blade of truth, when God means to perform surgery with the word. Doubt that? Do not -
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Heb 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
The Bible is an alive, active sword; a scalpel designed to remove sin from our lives. Being born-again begins a new journey of the fight of faith and victory through Christ over our fallen human nature. It is a battle; a fierce one to be sure: one that Christ, Himself fought for us. That is John's full message to His readers. Jesus came in the flesh - in a fallen human nature, given to Him through His mother, Mary, while He had the unfallen nature of His Father in Heaven. This is extremely important for John links this entire premise to antichrist. I have gone over this before at length but, again -
Rom 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
What are Christians, those born-again; no longer physical people? That is nonsense. What, then, does Paul mean? He means controlled by our fallen nature. He had the problem. We all do -
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
There is the common battle. The believer wants to do right but, so easily does wrong. Our fallen nature battles our born-again nature. Victory can come but, how? Here is the key -
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
There is the power of the Gospel. Christ came in the likeness of sinful flesh, a fallen human nature; not sinless flesh, not a nature above us. He came with the burden of 4,000 years of human nature upon Him. He had an unbroken connection to His Father and did no sin; not by thought, word or deed, and we can have the victory over all sin if we connect with Christ, through the Holy Spirit, branch to Vine, moment by moment.
2Pet 1:3 According as his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue:
2Pet 1:4 Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
We need a new nature, the divine nature. Born-again. A new seed which renders a new fruit; the fruit of righteousness. The entire Bible gets into this, over and over, again. The battle of human nature versus the divine nature.
Now, false prophets. False teachers. False speakers for God. John says those who do not teach that Christ came "in the flesh" - with a fallen human nature He gained the victory over for us - is antichrist. And the ease of which this may be applied?
What does the Roman Catholic Church teach? It teaches the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. All Catholics no this yet, there is confusion, even there. Many Catholics think that Christ was conceived without a fallen nature, His victory was assured by default. One should then wonder why the devil bothered to tempt Him every day of His life; if He could not fall. What then?
The Roman Catholic doctrine teaches MARY was conceived immaculately, without a fallen human nature and thereby her nature was passed on to Christ. That is the spirit of antichrist. That puts a false Christ in place of the true. What then? Christ is different from us. Even though the Bible states he partook of the flesh of David and Abraham, both fallen in human nature, the Catholic Church has a Christ with only a human body like ours. He had no battle of mind and heart to fight. We do, though so, the necessity is created to constantly do right to merit salvation, through all the man-made rituals of Romanism - many passed down to professed Protestant churches - and even then, life in Purgatory awaits, to burn off the dross of sin not purged in this life. The entire theological and practical system of Romanism is antithetical to the true Gospel. The Roman Catholic Church, its hierarchical administration and Papacy; its Vatican, it Mass is antichrist - in place of Christ. If nothing else, their doctrine of the Immaculate Conception proves this, let alone dozens of other falsehoods it teaches, which many professed Protestants still teach and practice. The false prophet. They make it even worse. They claim a once saved, always saved false doctrine. If you claim belief in Christ, you cannot be lost; to the contrary teaching of DOZENS of passages of Scripture stating the exact opposite. The law of God no longer matters. Believers are free from the law, the Ten Commandments; at least the fourth. It has all turned America into a hodgepodge of error, worldliness and reduction of godliness. America is what it is because of the Mother of abominations and the false prophet, her harlot daughters wrecking truth through tradition and erroneous doctrines the apostles and early church would have been horrified to see placed into their lap and responsibility. Baptized paganism.
Rome; the Mother whore of Babylon and fallen apostate Protestant churches, her harlot daughters; the false prophet of Revelation, are the main characters of enemy nature in the book. Startling? Not some secular globalist? Not Obama or King Charles or Bill Gates or some coming Imam of Islam? Not some radical, maniacal Jew? No. The very claimants of the religion of Christ make up the enemy of souls and God has people, most of His people, sincere seekers of truth, in those religious bodies.
Rev 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Satan, the RCC, the fallen apostate Protestant churches.
Rev 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
The RCC Mother, the apostate daughter churches, the image to the beast - the coming great false revival in America that shall convince the world to get on board, forming a one-world superchurch of false doctrines and supernatural wonders to boost it all up and deceive the world.
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
The matter of false prophets goes way beyond preachers for hire, making money off unsuspecting people. While it is tragic how easily people can be deceived, the matter is far deeper than that. The entire world is going to be deceived by the false prophet of apostate Protestantism, which should be warning, as it did in its youth, the enemy of all righteousness is the gargantuan system of Romanism - it false doctrines, false shepherds, false system of faith and man-made or borrowed from paganism traditions. "Come out of her, My people!" That is what God calls, in a loud voice, through the second angel's message and the final call to take the stand against apostasy, in Revelation 14 and 18 -
Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
Would that the only deception people had to concern themselves with were charlatan false prophets telling people on the phone things they want to hear. Bad enough, that but, Babylon is going to deceive the entire population of the world, not grounded in the Word of God and His truth. Babylon shall wage a final religious war against God's law and in its place, man's law. The seal of the living God versus the mark of the beast; the mark of the Roman Catholic Church's power, in its own sense of authority, through the man of sin; its pontiffs, its popes, cardinals, bishops and priests claiming to change bread into the body of Christ and wine into His blood. Claiming to be the only ark of safety, the only true church, with special saints, a "queen of heaven" and Christ in Earth. Claiming the death of Christ takes place with every mass when the Bible states Christ died, once, for all.
Roman Catholics; faithful, sincere people, and Protestants; faithful to what they know, must be warned. This is not stuff hidden in corners. This is world history and current events. The enemy sows tares, sows discord, sows deceptions and soon enough, through the man of sin, "all power, sign and lying wonders," through a great false revival coming, building in America, which shall push all legislators backs against the wall of pressures never seen in this nation. It shall move throughout the world and take captive all those who refuse a plain thus saith the Lord.
But, God shall have a remnant; a group of people fitted up for the final battles; made righteous in Christ; in His full stature and mind - Christ in them, the hope of glory, presenting every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Holding forth the light of truth, in a world growing ever more dark and lost.
Truth shall prove victorious and those who stand with it, victorious in it.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
You may remember the "Psychic Friends Network;" infomercials telling viewers they could call a psychic and get answers to their most pressing questions about their lives. Pay the psychic, get your fortune told. It generated millions of dollars for the "psychics" involved. All condemned by God in His Word.
Well, now, we have "prophets" in the biblical sense, willing to tell you what you want to know, for a price. In one case, fifteen minutes for $555. The profits are astounding. The number of people willing to fork over such extraordinary sums of money, ANY sums of money, to speak with someone claiming to be a prophet or prophetess is disheartening. It creates such a poor witness to the world, it is a shocking revelation of the amount of confusion that exists.
Recently, some well known preacher/teacher/leaders got together and discussed the matter of false prophets. I saw a headline for the article. I didn't read all of it, though I posted it here, previously. They discussed some well-known names in the professed Christian ministry-world. I was curious. Televangelists, etc. They could not agree on some of the names being false prophets.
Here's the article on "prophets" charging money to speak to them -
www.christianpost.com/news/prophets-mimic-psychics-charging-up-to-555-for-phone-call.html
It literally reads like the plot of a TV situation comedy. You say to yourself the ubiquitous - What are they thinking - to yourself, as you read. Both these abominable merchants of information and those taken in by these charlatans are part of Babylon.
First, some biblical context. Let's unpack this and let the Bible tell us the truth of the matter.
Luke 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
First, we can see from the gospel of Luke that Christ raised this issue and did so in the context of this being a very old problem. If nothing else, we can see from the context that a false prophet is one that speaks well of you; tells you what you want to hear, not what you need to hear. Prophets of God are not sent to pet people and sooth their conscience from the conviction of sin. On the contrary. Prophets are sent to tell the truth like it is, tell people what the problem is and the remedy and the judgment that awaits if God's warnings and admonitions are not heeded.
A classic example -
Jer 14:13 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say to them, You shall not see the sword, neither shall you have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.
Jer 14:14 Then the LORD said to me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke to them: they prophesy to you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
Jer 14:15 Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.
Jer 14:16 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.
No joke. God does not tolerate false prophets. Those who say, "Don't worry. Everything is fine. No cause for alarm. Nothing to see here. The message from God is not to be concerned over matters that may seem important. Peace, is His message. Everything is fine," when God is telling people get your act together or destruction is coming, are enemies of God and enemies of His people. They are mercenaries of Satan sent to keep the people from following God's instructions and will and do so dressed in sheep's clothing.
This basic understanding plays out all through the Bible. In the Lamentations of Jeremiah, a true prophet of God, we read -
Lam 2:14 Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.
Prophets are sent to expose the iniquity of His people or others. Sin kills. It must be exposed. It must be removed. "The wages of sin is death," Romans 6:23. Call it spiritual illness or disease. Spiritual cancer. It must come out or death shall result. False prophets do not expose sin. They hide it. They lie. They tell people reasons for problems that are false. They will put the blame exactly where it should not be, rather than on the sinner, who needs salvation from the penalty and power of sin. Sin is pleasant. Sin lies and tells us it's okay. Sin gives us what we want, not what we need. From Eve, in the Garden to today, nothing is new under the sun. The same lies Satan told Eve then, are the same lies he tells today. False prophets always lead into false hopes and false ideas and false policies that override principle.
Christ gave specific warnings of false prophets that would come, right to the end of time -
Matt 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Matt 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Matt 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
The serious nature of the situation cannot be overstated. False prophets, emissaries of Lucifer, can be involved with supernatural signs and wonders. Fake prophets, fake miracles. They can be so good, so deceptive, they can fool the people of God who should know better. And remember: "it were" is not in the original Greek manuscript. It is supplied by the translators and placed in italics for the benefit of readers to know what they did. Take out "it were" and the whole context changes. "If possible, I am going to get you to trip." Does that mean it is not possible? No. It means I'll do everything possible to get you to trip. False prophets will say and do everything possible to deceive, even the sharpest of God's army.
The book of Acts displays the work of a false prophet -
Act 13:6 And when they had gone through the isle to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:
Act 13:7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
Act 13:8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
Act 13:9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
Act 13:10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, you child of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
Act 13:11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
Act 13:12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
Elymas sought to keep the deputy from exposure to the truth. That is the basic goal of all false prophets. Keep people from the truth but, do so in a pious, deceptive way; as though they are speaking for God. In the case above, Paul, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, spoke serious rebuke to the liar. Sin was exposed with the truth, and the truth impacted the deputy to become a believer. The deputy had a choice to make. He could have sided with Elymas. He could have chose the easy, pleasant path Elymas laid before him but, conviction of sin proved too much. He could not argue what the truth did: it brought down the false prophet and exposed his own desires as false and worthless. Faith in God is not a business. It is not a game. It has eternal consequences.
The apostle Peter lays out the dangers awaiting God's people at the end of time -
2Pet 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2Pet 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
2Pet 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not.
False prophets, false speakers for God, false teachers, shall "privately" bring in heresies. They do so in very specific ways. They do not publicly proclaim their lies at the outset. They find open ears, those whose hearts stand against the preaching of the straight truth; those who do not want to hear it, and the false prophets begin to state another case; the case for error that calms the soul from conviction of sin. Once the gossip factory gets underway, once the backbiters are put in motion, entire churches can be destroyed. Happens all the time. What is the truth? That is the only thing that matters. Division is not something to be concerned about. False prophets will seek to hold everything together at the expense of truth. They prophesy a smooth message and deceit. The sword of division may take place but, Christ said it would. Truth shall divide people who want it from those who do not. The false prophet says, "Stop! Do not be alarmed! Everything is alright. No need to get all bothered by these voices of division. They are not from God. THEY are the heretics. They are the troublers of the people. They are the problem. Remove them and everything will be okay."
So, the teachers of truth are removed and the body of Christ sinks into the miasma of compromise and spiritual sickness and death, while they pride themselves - "Lord, Lord, we have done all these things in your name!"
The apostle John warned of false prophets that existed in his day and would come. This is very important to notice -
1John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1John 4:2 Hereby you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1John 4:3 And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof you have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
Antichrist that shall come. Antichrist already present.
Put on your thinking cap here because this is more than what it seems. Yes, there were those in John's day who denied that Christ came in a physical body; talked with people, lived among them. They taught He came in some mystical, spiritual, ethereal presence but, there is a much deeper meaning to John's warning.
First, remember. God's people are to be sanctified spirit, soul and body; the human intellectual nature, emotional nature and physical nature must be set apart for God, for His use to promote His truth, 1Thes. 5:23. The spirit is the intellectual nature of man. "Be renewed in the spirit of your mind," Ephesians 4:23. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind," 2Timothy 1:7.
Second, very important. Remember, the term "flesh" in the spiritual and doctrinal sense, means the fallen human nature we all have. Paul makes that very prominent in Romans -
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Rom 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Rom 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
Rom 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
Rom 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Rom 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
We all battle a fallen human nature, bequeathed to us through Adam and Eve, to all humanity. That is why Jesus told Nicodemus he must be born again. We must have new life, a new mind, the mind of Christ, to think differently towards God and our fellow man. To love and serve the Lord, to seek the salvation of others, for we are all in the same boat - fallen and need salvation from sin that so easily controls us. We need change. We need victory. False prophets do not concern themselves with that necessity. False prophets preach smooth things. Round the corners. Dull the blade of truth, when God means to perform surgery with the word. Doubt that? Do not -
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Heb 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
The Bible is an alive, active sword; a scalpel designed to remove sin from our lives. Being born-again begins a new journey of the fight of faith and victory through Christ over our fallen human nature. It is a battle; a fierce one to be sure: one that Christ, Himself fought for us. That is John's full message to His readers. Jesus came in the flesh - in a fallen human nature, given to Him through His mother, Mary, while He had the unfallen nature of His Father in Heaven. This is extremely important for John links this entire premise to antichrist. I have gone over this before at length but, again -
Rom 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
What are Christians, those born-again; no longer physical people? That is nonsense. What, then, does Paul mean? He means controlled by our fallen nature. He had the problem. We all do -
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
There is the common battle. The believer wants to do right but, so easily does wrong. Our fallen nature battles our born-again nature. Victory can come but, how? Here is the key -
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
There is the power of the Gospel. Christ came in the likeness of sinful flesh, a fallen human nature; not sinless flesh, not a nature above us. He came with the burden of 4,000 years of human nature upon Him. He had an unbroken connection to His Father and did no sin; not by thought, word or deed, and we can have the victory over all sin if we connect with Christ, through the Holy Spirit, branch to Vine, moment by moment.
2Pet 1:3 According as his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue:
2Pet 1:4 Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
We need a new nature, the divine nature. Born-again. A new seed which renders a new fruit; the fruit of righteousness. The entire Bible gets into this, over and over, again. The battle of human nature versus the divine nature.
Now, false prophets. False teachers. False speakers for God. John says those who do not teach that Christ came "in the flesh" - with a fallen human nature He gained the victory over for us - is antichrist. And the ease of which this may be applied?
What does the Roman Catholic Church teach? It teaches the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. All Catholics no this yet, there is confusion, even there. Many Catholics think that Christ was conceived without a fallen nature, His victory was assured by default. One should then wonder why the devil bothered to tempt Him every day of His life; if He could not fall. What then?
The Roman Catholic doctrine teaches MARY was conceived immaculately, without a fallen human nature and thereby her nature was passed on to Christ. That is the spirit of antichrist. That puts a false Christ in place of the true. What then? Christ is different from us. Even though the Bible states he partook of the flesh of David and Abraham, both fallen in human nature, the Catholic Church has a Christ with only a human body like ours. He had no battle of mind and heart to fight. We do, though so, the necessity is created to constantly do right to merit salvation, through all the man-made rituals of Romanism - many passed down to professed Protestant churches - and even then, life in Purgatory awaits, to burn off the dross of sin not purged in this life. The entire theological and practical system of Romanism is antithetical to the true Gospel. The Roman Catholic Church, its hierarchical administration and Papacy; its Vatican, it Mass is antichrist - in place of Christ. If nothing else, their doctrine of the Immaculate Conception proves this, let alone dozens of other falsehoods it teaches, which many professed Protestants still teach and practice. The false prophet. They make it even worse. They claim a once saved, always saved false doctrine. If you claim belief in Christ, you cannot be lost; to the contrary teaching of DOZENS of passages of Scripture stating the exact opposite. The law of God no longer matters. Believers are free from the law, the Ten Commandments; at least the fourth. It has all turned America into a hodgepodge of error, worldliness and reduction of godliness. America is what it is because of the Mother of abominations and the false prophet, her harlot daughters wrecking truth through tradition and erroneous doctrines the apostles and early church would have been horrified to see placed into their lap and responsibility. Baptized paganism.
Rome; the Mother whore of Babylon and fallen apostate Protestant churches, her harlot daughters; the false prophet of Revelation, are the main characters of enemy nature in the book. Startling? Not some secular globalist? Not Obama or King Charles or Bill Gates or some coming Imam of Islam? Not some radical, maniacal Jew? No. The very claimants of the religion of Christ make up the enemy of souls and God has people, most of His people, sincere seekers of truth, in those religious bodies.
Rev 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Satan, the RCC, the fallen apostate Protestant churches.
Rev 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
The RCC Mother, the apostate daughter churches, the image to the beast - the coming great false revival in America that shall convince the world to get on board, forming a one-world superchurch of false doctrines and supernatural wonders to boost it all up and deceive the world.
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
The matter of false prophets goes way beyond preachers for hire, making money off unsuspecting people. While it is tragic how easily people can be deceived, the matter is far deeper than that. The entire world is going to be deceived by the false prophet of apostate Protestantism, which should be warning, as it did in its youth, the enemy of all righteousness is the gargantuan system of Romanism - it false doctrines, false shepherds, false system of faith and man-made or borrowed from paganism traditions. "Come out of her, My people!" That is what God calls, in a loud voice, through the second angel's message and the final call to take the stand against apostasy, in Revelation 14 and 18 -
Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
Would that the only deception people had to concern themselves with were charlatan false prophets telling people on the phone things they want to hear. Bad enough, that but, Babylon is going to deceive the entire population of the world, not grounded in the Word of God and His truth. Babylon shall wage a final religious war against God's law and in its place, man's law. The seal of the living God versus the mark of the beast; the mark of the Roman Catholic Church's power, in its own sense of authority, through the man of sin; its pontiffs, its popes, cardinals, bishops and priests claiming to change bread into the body of Christ and wine into His blood. Claiming to be the only ark of safety, the only true church, with special saints, a "queen of heaven" and Christ in Earth. Claiming the death of Christ takes place with every mass when the Bible states Christ died, once, for all.
Roman Catholics; faithful, sincere people, and Protestants; faithful to what they know, must be warned. This is not stuff hidden in corners. This is world history and current events. The enemy sows tares, sows discord, sows deceptions and soon enough, through the man of sin, "all power, sign and lying wonders," through a great false revival coming, building in America, which shall push all legislators backs against the wall of pressures never seen in this nation. It shall move throughout the world and take captive all those who refuse a plain thus saith the Lord.
But, God shall have a remnant; a group of people fitted up for the final battles; made righteous in Christ; in His full stature and mind - Christ in them, the hope of glory, presenting every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Holding forth the light of truth, in a world growing ever more dark and lost.
Truth shall prove victorious and those who stand with it, victorious in it.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Francis: The Transitional Pope?
Man, oh, man, Pope Francis is really creating problems for himself. It is one thing for a Protestant, like myself, condemning his influence upon so-called Protestants in this world. It's another thing to be getting pounded by people in his own ranks.
canadafreepress.com/article/benedict-xvis-biographer-blasts-francis-plan-to-break-away-from-the-continuity-of-the-popes?utm_source=wnd&utm_medium=wnd&utm_campaign=syndicated
The article is filled with missiles of intent against the Pontiff.
"Francis' whole thrust has been to withhold Catholicism from the Church and from the world
"Benedict XVI’s biographer blasts Francis’ plan to ‘break away from the continuity of the popes’
“From the very beginning, Bergoglio wanted to break away from the continuity of the popes, to challenge the traditional, to shake things up or simply to cause ‘chaos,’ as he says in the new book by Javier Martinez-Brocal,” Seewald said.
“He describes traditional forms as a ‘nostalgic illness.’ He demonstratively showed who is the master of the house by abolishing Benedict’s liberalized approach to the Old Mass.”
"In his interview book, The Successor, Francis refers to Pope Benedict as a “transitional pope” to falsely suggest that Benedict's pontificate prepared and paved the way for his own. He stresses that he and Benedict XVI had a good relationship.
My question is, is Francis a transitional pope to pave the way for another JP2; the one who will finish off the final battle against God's law, in the name of Christ?
"Seewald speaks a pure sentence. Benedict XVI epitomized everything that Francis is against, and Francis indeed has done everything in his power to undo the cause of Benedict, i.e. Apostolic Tradition. He repeatedly has referred to the followers of Benedict as "stubborn," "rigid," and "obstinate," and refers to those who refuse to bow to the idol of change as ‘obstinate idolaters.’
"in his sermon at the Vatican Casa Santa Marta in 2016, Francis all but gave the Church a beating for its "obstinate" adherence to tradition. The following is from his sermon on January 18, 2016, as reported by Vatican Radio.
"Christians who obstinately maintain ‘it’s always been done this way,' this is the path, this is the street—they sin: the sin of divination. It’s as if they went about by guessing: ‘What has been said and what doesn’t change is what’s important; what I hear—from myself and my closed heart--more than the Word of the Lord.’ Obstinacy is also the sin of idolatry: the Christian who is obstinate sins! The sin of idolatry. ‘And what is the way, Father?’ Open the heart to the Holy Spirit, discern what is the will of God."
"Francis calls the adherents to tradition idolaters while he bows to the idol of rebellion. According to Francis, it is obstinately sinful to lovingly hold to the traditions and teachings of Christ, yet it’s perfectly fine for him to engage in “smudging” rituals and to call upon pagan spirits (demons) as he did in Canada in 2022. The “idolatrous” Latin Mass is now forbidden at St. Peter’s Basilica yet it was perfectly fine for Francis to publicly venerate the “Pachamama” earth idol in St. Peters in October 2019."
"More than the Word of the Lord?" I am not a proponent of Catholic traditions, even though I was raised a Roman Catholic. I remember enough and have learned enough to know Francis is sidestepping or fogging or doing away with doctrinal positions long held by the RCC. The fact is, Rome has the closed heart towards the Word of the Lord found in the Bible because Rome teaches the Bible is not the final word. The Catholic Church is the final word.
We'll see.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
canadafreepress.com/article/benedict-xvis-biographer-blasts-francis-plan-to-break-away-from-the-continuity-of-the-popes?utm_source=wnd&utm_medium=wnd&utm_campaign=syndicated
The article is filled with missiles of intent against the Pontiff.
"Francis' whole thrust has been to withhold Catholicism from the Church and from the world
"Benedict XVI’s biographer blasts Francis’ plan to ‘break away from the continuity of the popes’
“From the very beginning, Bergoglio wanted to break away from the continuity of the popes, to challenge the traditional, to shake things up or simply to cause ‘chaos,’ as he says in the new book by Javier Martinez-Brocal,” Seewald said.
“He describes traditional forms as a ‘nostalgic illness.’ He demonstratively showed who is the master of the house by abolishing Benedict’s liberalized approach to the Old Mass.”
"In his interview book, The Successor, Francis refers to Pope Benedict as a “transitional pope” to falsely suggest that Benedict's pontificate prepared and paved the way for his own. He stresses that he and Benedict XVI had a good relationship.
My question is, is Francis a transitional pope to pave the way for another JP2; the one who will finish off the final battle against God's law, in the name of Christ?
"Seewald speaks a pure sentence. Benedict XVI epitomized everything that Francis is against, and Francis indeed has done everything in his power to undo the cause of Benedict, i.e. Apostolic Tradition. He repeatedly has referred to the followers of Benedict as "stubborn," "rigid," and "obstinate," and refers to those who refuse to bow to the idol of change as ‘obstinate idolaters.’
"in his sermon at the Vatican Casa Santa Marta in 2016, Francis all but gave the Church a beating for its "obstinate" adherence to tradition. The following is from his sermon on January 18, 2016, as reported by Vatican Radio.
"Christians who obstinately maintain ‘it’s always been done this way,' this is the path, this is the street—they sin: the sin of divination. It’s as if they went about by guessing: ‘What has been said and what doesn’t change is what’s important; what I hear—from myself and my closed heart--more than the Word of the Lord.’ Obstinacy is also the sin of idolatry: the Christian who is obstinate sins! The sin of idolatry. ‘And what is the way, Father?’ Open the heart to the Holy Spirit, discern what is the will of God."
"Francis calls the adherents to tradition idolaters while he bows to the idol of rebellion. According to Francis, it is obstinately sinful to lovingly hold to the traditions and teachings of Christ, yet it’s perfectly fine for him to engage in “smudging” rituals and to call upon pagan spirits (demons) as he did in Canada in 2022. The “idolatrous” Latin Mass is now forbidden at St. Peter’s Basilica yet it was perfectly fine for Francis to publicly venerate the “Pachamama” earth idol in St. Peters in October 2019."
"More than the Word of the Lord?" I am not a proponent of Catholic traditions, even though I was raised a Roman Catholic. I remember enough and have learned enough to know Francis is sidestepping or fogging or doing away with doctrinal positions long held by the RCC. The fact is, Rome has the closed heart towards the Word of the Lord found in the Bible because Rome teaches the Bible is not the final word. The Catholic Church is the final word.
We'll see.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
The Power of Words
We live in a world where every word politicians speak or any kind of official statements are released, are written by those tasked with the effort and must pay attention to every word spoken or stated, lest someone or some group be offended.
We see the nature of words being used to denounce people who do not or will not use "correct" pronouns for people. Simple words like sex and gender have been dissected into literally dozens of other words, many of them just made up.
Words matter. Words have meanings. They can have multiple meanings. Words can start wars. Words can destroy lives. We see it all the time on the web. If someone becomes upset with a person, their lives can be ruined by things posted about them. Gossip has existed forever. We often engage, ourselves, and do not count the cost of it when things get back to parties that are subject matter of worthless words spoken about people.
We come across these constant duels of words by parties engaged in "feuds," whether it be politics or entertainment figures.
We hear of "gotcha" in news, when a reporter catches someone in something they say. It most often appears when Leftists feel they have cornered someone on the Right.
I recently commented on the possibility of someone taking my lyrics to a song I wrote over 40 years ago, being released on the new album, and making something out of it in relation to the current conflict in the Middle East.
We have to remind ourselves to constantly watch what we say or write because it can come back to haunt us or bite us in the butt. I was once bitten by a dog in the butt as a young boy so, I can put the literal with the figurative together quite easily.
Language is a powerful thing.
Just something to contemplate about "words" in the Bible. The simple term appears over 1,200 times -
Psa 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
Heb. 1:3 Who [Christ] being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Isa 29:21 That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a trap for him that reproves in the gate, and turns aside the just for a thing that is worthless.
Matt 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.
Matt 12:37 For by your words you shalt be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Gal 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Isa 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
We see the nature of words being used to denounce people who do not or will not use "correct" pronouns for people. Simple words like sex and gender have been dissected into literally dozens of other words, many of them just made up.
Words matter. Words have meanings. They can have multiple meanings. Words can start wars. Words can destroy lives. We see it all the time on the web. If someone becomes upset with a person, their lives can be ruined by things posted about them. Gossip has existed forever. We often engage, ourselves, and do not count the cost of it when things get back to parties that are subject matter of worthless words spoken about people.
We come across these constant duels of words by parties engaged in "feuds," whether it be politics or entertainment figures.
We hear of "gotcha" in news, when a reporter catches someone in something they say. It most often appears when Leftists feel they have cornered someone on the Right.
I recently commented on the possibility of someone taking my lyrics to a song I wrote over 40 years ago, being released on the new album, and making something out of it in relation to the current conflict in the Middle East.
We have to remind ourselves to constantly watch what we say or write because it can come back to haunt us or bite us in the butt. I was once bitten by a dog in the butt as a young boy so, I can put the literal with the figurative together quite easily.
Language is a powerful thing.
Just something to contemplate about "words" in the Bible. The simple term appears over 1,200 times -
Psa 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
Heb. 1:3 Who [Christ] being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Isa 29:21 That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a trap for him that reproves in the gate, and turns aside the just for a thing that is worthless.
Matt 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.
Matt 12:37 For by your words you shalt be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Gal 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Isa 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
*****************************
Are You Sure It's Food?
I post quite a bit about "food" because the Bible has a lot to say about it and it's a central part of our lives. I speak often of God's original diet for all creatures, was a plant-based diet. It was like that at creation and it shall be the same way when God's people reside in Heaven and the New Earth. I have eaten the Genesis, plant-based diet for 45 years now.
I can remember those who study the subject from a medical science and healthful living point of view, back in the 1970's or earlier, "Read package labels. If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it!"
Lots of chemicals go into "food" and have, for a long time. Many are known carcinogens. They can cause different types of cancer.
Manufactured, processed "food." Indeed, reading a label can save your health and even your life.
Can you guess what this headline is about?
"Shocking video claims popular US ice cream treat takes 22 hours to melt…"
revolver.news/2024/04/shocking-video-claims-popular-us-ice-cream-treat-takes-22-hours-to-melt/
The article opens and closes, thus -
"We all know there’s something strange going on with our food in the United States. All you have to do is take a trip abroad, and you will instantly notice a difference in how you feel. Most people report feeling less bloated, lighter, and more satiated. This has caused many people to wonder what on earth is going on with the food supply in America. We’re inundated with processed junk food, sugar, seed oils, corn, and other fillers and preservatives, and many people are starting to feel as if they’re being slowly poisoned. And things get even dicier when you compare the food scene in America to what’s going on in Europe."
"The sad truth is, Big Food has become as untrustworthy as Big Pharma, and it’s hard not to speculate if there’s some collaboration between the two. Considering the vast sums of money involved, especially with diabetes, obesity, and heart disease being major health issues, it’s a theory that holds some weight. What’s clear is that our regulatory agencies seem to cater more to the interests of Big Food and Big Pharma than to the people they’re supposed to protect, and that’s a very big and dangerous problem."
Oh, trust me. This story will, should open your eyes, if you are not aware of the situation most Americans face every day of their lives.
I can remember those who study the subject from a medical science and healthful living point of view, back in the 1970's or earlier, "Read package labels. If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it!"
Lots of chemicals go into "food" and have, for a long time. Many are known carcinogens. They can cause different types of cancer.
Manufactured, processed "food." Indeed, reading a label can save your health and even your life.
Can you guess what this headline is about?
"Shocking video claims popular US ice cream treat takes 22 hours to melt…"
revolver.news/2024/04/shocking-video-claims-popular-us-ice-cream-treat-takes-22-hours-to-melt/
The article opens and closes, thus -
"We all know there’s something strange going on with our food in the United States. All you have to do is take a trip abroad, and you will instantly notice a difference in how you feel. Most people report feeling less bloated, lighter, and more satiated. This has caused many people to wonder what on earth is going on with the food supply in America. We’re inundated with processed junk food, sugar, seed oils, corn, and other fillers and preservatives, and many people are starting to feel as if they’re being slowly poisoned. And things get even dicier when you compare the food scene in America to what’s going on in Europe."
"The sad truth is, Big Food has become as untrustworthy as Big Pharma, and it’s hard not to speculate if there’s some collaboration between the two. Considering the vast sums of money involved, especially with diabetes, obesity, and heart disease being major health issues, it’s a theory that holds some weight. What’s clear is that our regulatory agencies seem to cater more to the interests of Big Food and Big Pharma than to the people they’re supposed to protect, and that’s a very big and dangerous problem."
Oh, trust me. This story will, should open your eyes, if you are not aware of the situation most Americans face every day of their lives.
*****************************
951. What Protestants Used To Be - April 15, 2024
You may not know this. Many of you reading this are professed Christians; perhaps belonging to a major denomination or one of thousands of different, smaller churches. They all have histories and I have come to realize not many members of most churches are aware of the histories of their own denominated faiths.
A friend of mine shared with me a very old Baptist statement of beliefs. I have seen several really old Baptist confessions of faith but, not this one, from 1689. In it, is contained one of the strongest defenses of biblical history you shall ever read.
www.the1689confession.com/chapter-26
Of the Church
Chapter 26
PARAGRAPH 4
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, in whom, by the appointment of the Father, all power for the calling, institution, order or government of the church, is invested in a supreme and sovereign manner;7 neither can the Pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof, but is that antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalts himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God; whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.8
7 Col. 1:18; Matt. 28:18–20; Eph. 4:11–12
8 2 Thess. 2:2–9
I wonder how many current Baptists are aware of the reasoning in that statement and why their forefathers had the courage to state it? What principles are behind it? Here's another -
Of the Lord's Supper
Chapter 30
PARAGRAPH 2
In this ordinance Christ is not offered up to his Father, nor any real sacrifice made at all for remission of sin of the quick or dead, but only a memorial of that one offering up of himself by himself upon the cross, once for all;3 and a spiritual oblation of all possible praise unto God for the same.4 So that the popish sacrifice of the mass, as they call it, is most abominable, injurious to Christ's own sacrifice the alone propitiation for all the sins of the elect.
3 Heb. 9:25–26,28
4 1 Cor. 11:24; Matt. 26:26–27
PARAGRAPH 6
That doctrine which maintains a change of the substance of bread and wine, into the substance of Christ's body and blood, commonly called transubstantiation, by consecration of a priest, or by any other way, is repugnant not to Scripture alone,9 but even to common sense and reason, overthrows the nature of the ordinance, and has been, and is, the cause of manifold superstitions, yea, of gross idolatries.10
9 Acts 3:21; Luke 14:6,39
10 1 Cor. 11:24–25
These are statements of faith, strongly worded. Why would Baptists lose these determined beliefs over time? Are they biblically inaccurate? While I could not agree with other articles of faith that Baptists believe, aside from those I do; I certainly understand why the original Baptists took these positions to heart; especially as their brethren were persecuted to imprisonment and/or death for holding them.
Here is something from the Lutheran Church. The document contains 82 points of departure from the Roman Church, signed by 32 men.
Here are just a few of those points -
files.lcms.org/file/preview/402C04B5-F01C-4DD9-BA4D-57B1EF3C9D85
LCMS [Lutheran Church Missouri Synod]
Treatise Compiled by the Theologians Assembled at Smalcald, 1537
1] The Roman Pontiff claims for himself [in the first place] that by divine right he is [supreme] above all bishops and pastors [in all Christendom].
2] Secondly, he adds also that by divine right he as both swords, i.e., the authority also of bestowing kingdoms [enthroning and deposing kings, regulating secular dominions etc.].
3] And thirdly, he says that to believe this is necessary for salvation. And for these reasons the Roman bishop calls himself [and boasts that he is] the vicar of Christ on earth.
4] These three articles we hold to be false, godless, tyrannical, and [quite] pernicious to the Church.
I would also place here the link for the Smalcald Articles; an entire treatise against the abuses and doctrinal errors of the RCC, its Papacy and Vatican -
files.lcms.org/file/preview/6714C8D7-DA0A-4F5B-B2AD-E0B1F1BCEB5E
Contents:
Preface - I would mention here, the Preface states that Lutherans were willing to concede certain points or articles of faith to the RCC (as were also stated in the Augsburg Confession) but, there were things they could not and would not concede, which are then laid out in great detail.
Part One
God's Sublime Majesty
The Office and Work of Christ
Part Two
The Mass
The Invocation of the Saints
Chapters and Cloisters
The Papacy
Part Three
Sin
The Law
Repentance
The Papists' False Repentance
The Gospel
Baptism
The Sacrament of the Altar
The Keys
Confession
Excommunication
Ordination and the Call
The Marriage of Priests
The Church
Justification and Good Works
Monastic Vows
Human Traditions
I would ask the same questions of Lutherans, today. Are these positions no longer valid because history changed? Because the doctrinal positions Lutherans believed that established them were proven erroneous? How so? Perhaps the Missouri Synod retains these positions today yet, are they things they openly teach and proclaim? I have never met a Lutheran I would consider a Protestant, today. What do they protest; as Martin Luther, Melancthon, Spalatin and so many others risked their lives to protest? Forty-three of them signed the Smalcald document.
The Presbyterians?
https://opc.org/wcf.html#Chapter_20
From, Of Lawful Oaths and Vows, #22
7. No man may vow to do anything forbidden in the Word of God, or what would hinder any duty therein commanded, or which is not in his own power, and for the performance whereof he hath no promise of ability from God. In which respects, popish monastical vows of perpetual single life, professed poverty, and regular obedience, are so far from being degrees of higher perfection, that they are superstitious and sinful snares, in which no Christian may entangle himself.
This is from Article 25, Of the Church -
5. The purest churches under heaven are subject both to mixture and error; and some have so degenerated, as to become no churches of Christ, but synagogues of Satan. Nevertheless, there shall be always a church on earth, to worship God according to his will.
6. There is no other head of the church but the Lord Jesus Christ. Nor can the pope of Rome, in any sense, be head thereof.
And what about Methodists?
The Twenty-Five Articles of Religion
(Methodist)
www.crivoice.org/creed25.html
These were taken by Wesley, a former Anglican priest, from the 29 articles of faith used by the Church of England. They are all stated to show a difference from Romanism, as well as doctrines different from some of the earliest protestant groups, as well as other movements within professed Christianity. Some mention an obvious departure from Romanism -
Article 14—Of Purgatory
The Romish doctrine concerning purgatory, pardon, worshiping, and adoration, as well of images as of relics, and also invocation of saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded upon no warrant of Scripture, but repugnant to the Word of God.
From Article 18: the Lord's Supper -
Transubstantiation, or the change of the substance of bread and wine in the Supper of our Lord, cannot be proved by Holy Writ, but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture, overthroweth the nature of a sacrament, and hath given occasion to many superstitions.
The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper, only after a heavenly and spiritual manner. And the mean whereby the body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not by Christ's ordinance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshiped.
Article 20—Of the One Oblation of Christ, Finished upon the Cross
The offering of Christ, once made, is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual; and there is none other satisfaction for sin but that alone. Wherefore the sacrifice of masses, in the which it is commonly said that the priest doth offer Christ for the quick and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, is a blasphemous fable and dangerous deceit.
This, in universal decree of faith, all Protestants held true to. Christ died, once, for all. The Mass being a blasphemous act of man-made reason and deliberate departure from Scripture.
Heb 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
John and Charles Wesley had decidedly pointed statements they held which stood opposed to Romanism. They were not quiet about it. Bad enough they were persecuted by Romanists for what they believed but, like the daughters of Mother they were, Anglicans and Lutherans also persecuted them, as well as some Calvinist groups, and the Methodists, themselves, being a daughter, persecuted others that chose to further come away from Mother. And that attitude, unfortunately, remains today. It was light out of darkness; a spiritual and physical process, a journey; a call to come out of Babylon. It did not need to take centuries but, the choice of men to just center around certain things and not dig for truth, or, just the will of God; that light should not come in blinding force but, over time, were reasons for lengthy departure from Mother Rome. Now, Mother and daughters make up fallen, spiritual, prophetic Babylon: great confusion retarding "the whole counsel of God" and work of God on Earth.
None of that process was ever meant to derail as it has: Romanism considered a Christian Church like others but, with some doctrines they hold that are just different than other churches. The watered down, if not totally absent position held by evangelicals today is not the position held by their forefathers. It is an apostasy from truth. There is no more universal protesting of Romanism.
One of the more recent Churches that came along, was considered the only true and remaining Protestant Church, as far as the Roman Catholic hierarchy were concerned and openly stated, at the turn of the 20th century, was the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
In the 1872 Fundamental Beliefs of SDAs, article 13 states -
XIII – That as the man of sin, the papacy, has thought to change times and laws (the laws of God), Dan 7:25, and has misled almost all Christendom in regard to the fourth commandment, we find a prophecy of a reform in this respect to be wrought among believers just before the coming of Christ. Isa. 56:1, 2, 1 Pet. 1:5, Rev. 14:12, etc.
That belief held until 1931. It is no longer present in modern SDA articles of faith. Why not? The obvious answer would be apostasy from the faith once delivered unto the saints. Can Rome call the SDA church the last and only Protestant church? One would think that rather impossible seeing as a representative of the denomination gave a gold medal to Pope John Paul 2 in 1977 -
https://www.sdadefend.com/Defend-foundation/popemedl.htm
What does all this leave us? Well, the Bible states God will have a remnant of believers to finish His work on Earth, Rev 12:17. Such a remnant has been underway of a somewhat on again/off again progress for a long time now; well over a century and a half. I could only say it is in God's hands, as people decide there shall be a spearhead movement of the Protestant Reformation to rise and shine and get the message out there, as God pushes things along.
Detours have marked the faith for thousands of years. Spiritual fire, then compromise, backsliding, apostasy, then revival and reformation: the wheels of faith have turned like that for ages: nothing new under the sun. There shall come a time when the final revival and reformation will take place and Christ shall come and close up shop and call it a day on this rebellious world. When? God knows.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
A friend of mine shared with me a very old Baptist statement of beliefs. I have seen several really old Baptist confessions of faith but, not this one, from 1689. In it, is contained one of the strongest defenses of biblical history you shall ever read.
www.the1689confession.com/chapter-26
Of the Church
Chapter 26
PARAGRAPH 4
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, in whom, by the appointment of the Father, all power for the calling, institution, order or government of the church, is invested in a supreme and sovereign manner;7 neither can the Pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof, but is that antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalts himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God; whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.8
7 Col. 1:18; Matt. 28:18–20; Eph. 4:11–12
8 2 Thess. 2:2–9
I wonder how many current Baptists are aware of the reasoning in that statement and why their forefathers had the courage to state it? What principles are behind it? Here's another -
Of the Lord's Supper
Chapter 30
PARAGRAPH 2
In this ordinance Christ is not offered up to his Father, nor any real sacrifice made at all for remission of sin of the quick or dead, but only a memorial of that one offering up of himself by himself upon the cross, once for all;3 and a spiritual oblation of all possible praise unto God for the same.4 So that the popish sacrifice of the mass, as they call it, is most abominable, injurious to Christ's own sacrifice the alone propitiation for all the sins of the elect.
3 Heb. 9:25–26,28
4 1 Cor. 11:24; Matt. 26:26–27
PARAGRAPH 6
That doctrine which maintains a change of the substance of bread and wine, into the substance of Christ's body and blood, commonly called transubstantiation, by consecration of a priest, or by any other way, is repugnant not to Scripture alone,9 but even to common sense and reason, overthrows the nature of the ordinance, and has been, and is, the cause of manifold superstitions, yea, of gross idolatries.10
9 Acts 3:21; Luke 14:6,39
10 1 Cor. 11:24–25
These are statements of faith, strongly worded. Why would Baptists lose these determined beliefs over time? Are they biblically inaccurate? While I could not agree with other articles of faith that Baptists believe, aside from those I do; I certainly understand why the original Baptists took these positions to heart; especially as their brethren were persecuted to imprisonment and/or death for holding them.
Here is something from the Lutheran Church. The document contains 82 points of departure from the Roman Church, signed by 32 men.
Here are just a few of those points -
files.lcms.org/file/preview/402C04B5-F01C-4DD9-BA4D-57B1EF3C9D85
LCMS [Lutheran Church Missouri Synod]
Treatise Compiled by the Theologians Assembled at Smalcald, 1537
1] The Roman Pontiff claims for himself [in the first place] that by divine right he is [supreme] above all bishops and pastors [in all Christendom].
2] Secondly, he adds also that by divine right he as both swords, i.e., the authority also of bestowing kingdoms [enthroning and deposing kings, regulating secular dominions etc.].
3] And thirdly, he says that to believe this is necessary for salvation. And for these reasons the Roman bishop calls himself [and boasts that he is] the vicar of Christ on earth.
4] These three articles we hold to be false, godless, tyrannical, and [quite] pernicious to the Church.
I would also place here the link for the Smalcald Articles; an entire treatise against the abuses and doctrinal errors of the RCC, its Papacy and Vatican -
files.lcms.org/file/preview/6714C8D7-DA0A-4F5B-B2AD-E0B1F1BCEB5E
Contents:
Preface - I would mention here, the Preface states that Lutherans were willing to concede certain points or articles of faith to the RCC (as were also stated in the Augsburg Confession) but, there were things they could not and would not concede, which are then laid out in great detail.
Part One
God's Sublime Majesty
The Office and Work of Christ
Part Two
The Mass
The Invocation of the Saints
Chapters and Cloisters
The Papacy
Part Three
Sin
The Law
Repentance
The Papists' False Repentance
The Gospel
Baptism
The Sacrament of the Altar
The Keys
Confession
Excommunication
Ordination and the Call
The Marriage of Priests
The Church
Justification and Good Works
Monastic Vows
Human Traditions
I would ask the same questions of Lutherans, today. Are these positions no longer valid because history changed? Because the doctrinal positions Lutherans believed that established them were proven erroneous? How so? Perhaps the Missouri Synod retains these positions today yet, are they things they openly teach and proclaim? I have never met a Lutheran I would consider a Protestant, today. What do they protest; as Martin Luther, Melancthon, Spalatin and so many others risked their lives to protest? Forty-three of them signed the Smalcald document.
The Presbyterians?
https://opc.org/wcf.html#Chapter_20
From, Of Lawful Oaths and Vows, #22
7. No man may vow to do anything forbidden in the Word of God, or what would hinder any duty therein commanded, or which is not in his own power, and for the performance whereof he hath no promise of ability from God. In which respects, popish monastical vows of perpetual single life, professed poverty, and regular obedience, are so far from being degrees of higher perfection, that they are superstitious and sinful snares, in which no Christian may entangle himself.
This is from Article 25, Of the Church -
5. The purest churches under heaven are subject both to mixture and error; and some have so degenerated, as to become no churches of Christ, but synagogues of Satan. Nevertheless, there shall be always a church on earth, to worship God according to his will.
6. There is no other head of the church but the Lord Jesus Christ. Nor can the pope of Rome, in any sense, be head thereof.
And what about Methodists?
The Twenty-Five Articles of Religion
(Methodist)
www.crivoice.org/creed25.html
These were taken by Wesley, a former Anglican priest, from the 29 articles of faith used by the Church of England. They are all stated to show a difference from Romanism, as well as doctrines different from some of the earliest protestant groups, as well as other movements within professed Christianity. Some mention an obvious departure from Romanism -
Article 14—Of Purgatory
The Romish doctrine concerning purgatory, pardon, worshiping, and adoration, as well of images as of relics, and also invocation of saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded upon no warrant of Scripture, but repugnant to the Word of God.
From Article 18: the Lord's Supper -
Transubstantiation, or the change of the substance of bread and wine in the Supper of our Lord, cannot be proved by Holy Writ, but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture, overthroweth the nature of a sacrament, and hath given occasion to many superstitions.
The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper, only after a heavenly and spiritual manner. And the mean whereby the body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not by Christ's ordinance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshiped.
Article 20—Of the One Oblation of Christ, Finished upon the Cross
The offering of Christ, once made, is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual; and there is none other satisfaction for sin but that alone. Wherefore the sacrifice of masses, in the which it is commonly said that the priest doth offer Christ for the quick and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, is a blasphemous fable and dangerous deceit.
This, in universal decree of faith, all Protestants held true to. Christ died, once, for all. The Mass being a blasphemous act of man-made reason and deliberate departure from Scripture.
Heb 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
John and Charles Wesley had decidedly pointed statements they held which stood opposed to Romanism. They were not quiet about it. Bad enough they were persecuted by Romanists for what they believed but, like the daughters of Mother they were, Anglicans and Lutherans also persecuted them, as well as some Calvinist groups, and the Methodists, themselves, being a daughter, persecuted others that chose to further come away from Mother. And that attitude, unfortunately, remains today. It was light out of darkness; a spiritual and physical process, a journey; a call to come out of Babylon. It did not need to take centuries but, the choice of men to just center around certain things and not dig for truth, or, just the will of God; that light should not come in blinding force but, over time, were reasons for lengthy departure from Mother Rome. Now, Mother and daughters make up fallen, spiritual, prophetic Babylon: great confusion retarding "the whole counsel of God" and work of God on Earth.
None of that process was ever meant to derail as it has: Romanism considered a Christian Church like others but, with some doctrines they hold that are just different than other churches. The watered down, if not totally absent position held by evangelicals today is not the position held by their forefathers. It is an apostasy from truth. There is no more universal protesting of Romanism.
One of the more recent Churches that came along, was considered the only true and remaining Protestant Church, as far as the Roman Catholic hierarchy were concerned and openly stated, at the turn of the 20th century, was the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
In the 1872 Fundamental Beliefs of SDAs, article 13 states -
XIII – That as the man of sin, the papacy, has thought to change times and laws (the laws of God), Dan 7:25, and has misled almost all Christendom in regard to the fourth commandment, we find a prophecy of a reform in this respect to be wrought among believers just before the coming of Christ. Isa. 56:1, 2, 1 Pet. 1:5, Rev. 14:12, etc.
That belief held until 1931. It is no longer present in modern SDA articles of faith. Why not? The obvious answer would be apostasy from the faith once delivered unto the saints. Can Rome call the SDA church the last and only Protestant church? One would think that rather impossible seeing as a representative of the denomination gave a gold medal to Pope John Paul 2 in 1977 -
https://www.sdadefend.com/Defend-foundation/popemedl.htm
What does all this leave us? Well, the Bible states God will have a remnant of believers to finish His work on Earth, Rev 12:17. Such a remnant has been underway of a somewhat on again/off again progress for a long time now; well over a century and a half. I could only say it is in God's hands, as people decide there shall be a spearhead movement of the Protestant Reformation to rise and shine and get the message out there, as God pushes things along.
Detours have marked the faith for thousands of years. Spiritual fire, then compromise, backsliding, apostasy, then revival and reformation: the wheels of faith have turned like that for ages: nothing new under the sun. There shall come a time when the final revival and reformation will take place and Christ shall come and close up shop and call it a day on this rebellious world. When? God knows.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
952. How Is This Prophetic? - 4/17/24
My first exposure to pastor Greg Laurie was many years ago, seeing him write columns on the news site, World Net Daily, which is where I saw this current article. The "full story" is from a Christian news site I frequent, The Christian Post, which is a Christian site based in Great Britain.
www.christianpost.com/news/greg-laurie-why-irans-attack-israel-sign-end-times.html?utm_source=wnd&utm_medium=wnd&utm_campaign=syndicated
Pastor Greg Laurie on why Iran’s attack on Israel is a sign of the End Times
Greg Laurie is pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, a mega-church in Riverside, California. On Laurie's website is a recent blog post -
GREG'S BLOG
Was Iran’s Attack on Israel Bible Prophecy?
by Greg Laurie on Apr 15, 2024
"The attack of Iran on Israel on April 13, 2024 was unprecedented. We know that Iran has sponsored terrorism for a long time, working with proxy groups like the Houthis, Hezbollah, and, of course, Hamas on that horrific attack on the Jewish homeland on October 7th—where 1,200 people were butchered and murdered. It is unbelievable. And there are still so many being held as hostages. But when Iran directly attacked Israel, that is literally without precedent and it has Bible prophecy significance."
Hm. Is that true? Unprecedented?
Israel/Jerusalem was attacked, ransacked, at times destroyed, at least conquered and ruled, populations taken captive by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, and Islamic groups for THOUSANDS of years. It was controlled by the British empire. It received statehood in 1947. There is NO prophecy in the Bible (outside those referring to the return from Babylonian - Persian captivity), referring to that event. NONE. Then how can so many millions of Christians believe that 1947 event was prophetic?
Futurism.
The modern state of Israel is not a theocracy. It has no priesthood, no temple, no sacrificial services, no prophets, nothing associated with what Israel was from the time of Moses to Christ. The Romans destroyed Jerusalem and scattered the population. The Temple came down, just as Christ predicted. The Christian faith, itself, made up of Jews and Gentiles, received no covenant promises like Israel functioned under. Based on the prophecies of Daniel, especially chapter 9, Israel rejected its Messiah, were cut off from being God's chosen people, as Christ predicted would take place, and the apostle Paul commented on, at length, was left to its own choices of choosing Caesar over Christ and Christ's blood being on their heads. For almost 2,000 years there was no kingdom of the Jews. There is still no kingdom of the Jews under covenant promises and guidance.
From Greg Laurie's site -
"Let me give you just a quick flyover of end times events chronologically. Number one, I think the next event on the prophetic calendar is the Rapture of the Church. Then, the Antichrist emerges on the scene and the tribulation period begins. The tribulation ends with the Second Coming of Christ, and then the Lord establishes the Millennium (the 1,000-year reign of Christ)."
That, Dear Reader, is the essence of Futurism, the concoction of the Spanish Jesuit priest, Francisco Ribera, in the 16th century; considered the basis for the Counter Reformation: the theology prepared to take the Reformation's finger off the Papacy, the Roman Catholic Church and the Vatican as being the Little Horn of Daniel 7; the Beast of Revelation 13; the Great Mother Whore of Rev. 17; the great apostasy producing the Man of Sin, son of perdition in 2Thes 2; and dozens of other identifying marks for the power of antichrist in Scripture. It took time but, that Jesuit view became the widest taken by the professed Christian church at large. And you might be surprised just how many professed Protestant evangelical pastors known that fact. It's history is not in some dark corner, especially with the internet over the last 30 years.
The principles of prophetic interpretation known as Historicism, understood by Christian authors, teachers and preachers for centuries, which pointed out the Papacy as the main antagonist to the truth and the everlasting gospel, was gradually abrogated in favor of Roman Catholic theology. It is a shocking train of events that got us here.
"Setting that aside, I do believe the attack of Iran on Israel was a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. A sign of the end times, according to Scripture, is the Jewish people will be regathered together in their homeland. That has happened. On May 14, 1948, Israel officially became a nation. And you might say the prophetic time clock began to tick. That was not just a sign, that was a super sign."
That is a super-error. A super-mistake. A super-deception. What is it based on?
"But the Bible had more to say. Not only will the Jews be regathered together in their homeland, but they will be increasingly isolated. That’s happening. The Bible also predicted the rise of antisemitism in the end times. That is happening. The Bible also predicts a large nation to the north of Israel, identified in Ezekiel as Magog, will attack her. That has not yet happened. Many scholars believe that Magog is a reference to modern-day Russia. I concur with that view, but no one can say with absolute certainty.
"But this we can say with certainty: One of the allies of Russia will be Persia. Persia was the name of Iran. They changed their name in 1935. Therefore, Persia, or Iran, attacking Israel is predicted in the Bible. And guess what? That just happened."
"Now, am I suggesting that what just took place is going to lead to the scenario of Ezekiel 38? I don’t think that’s necessarily the case, but it certainly is a cause for us to sit up and pay attention. Jesus said, “So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near” (Luke 21:28 NLT)."
That ambiguity runs rampant through Futurism and has for two centuries, as Christian ministries and churches took on this ruse from Romanism. Great claim is made, without any real Scriptural, contextual proof to back it up.
Well, let's take a look at Ezekiel 38; for that chapter seems to be the recurring theme of today's prophecy commentators. The chapter begins -
Eze 38:1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 38:2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
Eze 38:3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
Eze 38:4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
Eze 38:5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
Eze 38:6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.
Eze 38:7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
At this point, there is nothing that provides a decent context to the event spoken of. All we know is, this Gog/Magog/massive company/army employing other characters/nations in their quest, better be prepared because God is going to lower the hammer of defeat on them all.
Eze 38:8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
Eze 38:16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
That is the basic point of reference used by Futurist commentators. The latter years/the latter days. They liken it to the term "the latter days," found in Daniel's prophecies; 2:28; 10:14. The term is also found in Numbers, Deuteronomy, Jeremiah and Hosea. A total of eleven times. The context can mean the future in general or the prophetic period surrounding the second coming of Christ/end of the world.
First, a comment from the Cambridge Bible commentary -
Gog, the land of Magog] i.e. in sense: Gog in (of) the land of Magog. Gog is the prince and Magog his country (Eze_39:6). (In construction Magog is acc. of direction or in loose apposition to Gog, hardly gen. after the proper name).
the chief prince] More probably: the prince of Rosh, Meshech &c., although a people or country Rosh may be impossible to identify. Of course any connexion between the name and Russian is to be rejected. Frd. Del. (Par. p. 322) refers to the land of Râsh (mât Ra-a-shi) of the inscriptions, situated on the borders of Elam on the Tigris. The geography of the prophet is no doubt vague and general, but this position as well as that of Gagi referred to above appears to lie too far east. The rendering “chief prince” would imply an unusual construction (chief-priest is different), and it is difficult to guess what chief prince or over-lord could mean. On Meshech, Tubal, cf. Eze_27:13, Eze_32:26.
Second, a commentary considered one of the finest in the world upon the Old Testament - Keil & Delitzsch - on Eze. 38:1-4 -
"Consequently the army of Gog consisted not only of wild Japhetic tribes, who had not yet attained historical importance, but of Hamitic tribes also, that is to say, of peoples living at the extreme north (יַרְכְּתֵי צָפֹון, Eze_38:6) and east (Persians) and south (Ethiopians), i.e., on the borders of the then known world. These are all summoned by Gog, and gathered together for an attack upon the people of God. This points to a time when their former foes, Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistines, and Syrians, and the old imperial powers, Egypt, Asshur, Babel, Javan, will all have passed away from the stage of history, and the people of God will stand in the centre of the historical life of the world, and will have spread so widely over the earth, that its foes will only be found on the borders of the civilised world (compare Rev_20:8)."
Having commented on Rev. 20 at length, let's look there again because THE greatest battle in the history of the world shall be fought then -
Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Christ returns, the battle of Armageddon fought, the world destroyed, Christ takes His people home, to Heaven, and the world shall lie dormant, at peace, for 1,000 years; just a bottomless pit of defeat and darkness: Satan and the third of the angels who rebelled with him, bound by a chain of circumstances they created and suffer the results of. But, they shall be loosened from that chain for a little time.
Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Then, more information is given about this final scene in human history -
Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Over the decades of walking in the faith, I have marveled that something so plain, so point blank, so obvious is just glanced over by today's Christian world of Bible commentary.
Christ comes, the end of the world takes place and it lies in destroyed darkness; the long night of Satanic terror over, God's people; the redeemed of all ages, in Heaven, peering over the books of record, judging angels; watching whatever supernatural expose' of God of human history plays out before them, asking questions, receiving answers that could not be understood in this life, to see how angels rebelled and millions, billions were lost by their own choices; rejecting the light that shines on every man.
When the thousand years are finished, the New Jerusalem descends and lands right on top of the old Jerusalem, crushing what's left of it in four directions beneath the glorious city of God, Rev 21 and Zech. 14. The unrighteous of all ages are resurrected. They stand on the Earth like the sand of the sea. It is a scene so enormous it cannot be imagined. They rise from the bed of death they perished in - thoughts and feelings in opposition to righteousness. They stand before the city of God, almost the size of the state of Oregon. Walls 200' high, and the throne of God standing well above the walls so all eyes can see it.
Satan stands as the once mighty angel next to the throne of God, with his army of rebels, a shocking revelation to all humanity looking at them. They stand taller than all humans, even the giant frame mankind once dwelled as on Earth. They begin to rouse the sand of the sea humanity to take on the city and its inhabitants. Their numbers assure victory. The time frame for all this is not mentioned but, when that vast army of lost humanity makes their move to surround and march on the city, the throne of God rises and arrests the attention of all, and they scatter in fear of the majesty and power before them. The judgment of God declares they are lost for rejecting His salvation. Each person sees the history of their own life; all the invitations to connect with their Creator, neglected, rejected, and each realizes they stand outside the city because of their own choices. Many once connected to religious life but, never connecting to the Vine, never born-again, never truly made a citizen of the kingdom, stand shocked but, convicted. There is only one thing all can do - 'Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.' There is great weeping. Then there is gnashing of teeth, anger, rage, revolution. Satan calls for the march to begin. The scene is beyond comprehension. All humanity, face to face; God's redeemed inside the clear walls of the city, beholding an army such as never seen before; an impossible number to imagine.
As they draw closer and seem ready to take the walls, the full glory of God is unleashed and everything cursed by sin erupts into flame - Our God is a consuming fire. The entire planet turns into a lake of fire. As the prophet, John, sees this in vision, the smoke seems to travel upwards forever. The fire does not seem to wear down, to go out. It burns and burns. Humanity, many just evaporate in an instant. Others last longer. How can this be? The answer is found in Ezekiel. The prophet is told to pronounce judgment on the king of Tyre but, it is obvious the words of the prophet reach far beyond any earthly king. A dual application is spoken -
Eze 28:12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
Eze 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
Eze 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Eze 28:16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Eze 28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
Eze 28:19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
Lucifer, the mighty angel, in whom the mystery of iniquity emerged in a twisted mind bent of being "like the most High," corrupted by his own beauty and position, rebelled, cast down to Earth, deceiving Eve, creating the fall of our first parents, wreaking havoc on the world for six thousand years of death and sorrow and pain; filled with hatred and rage for God and Christ and His people down through the ages: so filled with hate; a hate we cannot imagine, it bursts into a flame of his own destruction, from within him, as it shall for all the rebel angels and those in lost humanity most filled with hatred for their fellowman and God, who created them. They shall all turn to ashes; the fire of the lake finally going out, the reign of terror over... and God shall recreate the Earth into the ultimate paradise for His people to enjoy, forever.
Ah, but, you see that is not the popular belief of professed Christendom, guided by Mother to believe the lost shall burn forever in a tortuous existence of eternal... life? Lie. Horrendous, heinous, disgusting lie against the character of God and the full testimony of Scripture. Death. The wages of sin is death, the second death. Life is only for those who love God. Death is the just sentence for those who reject Him.
Ezekiel 38 has nothing to do with the modern state of Israel. It has nothing to do with Iran. Nobody's life outside the Middle East can be affected by anything Iran attempts to do to Israel. World War 3? Seriously? Who, pray tell, is going to come to Israel's aid? Even now, the corrupt Biden administration is telling Netanyahu not to retaliate. Russia is certainly not going to get involved.
Are you aware that since the USSR fell upwards of 30,000 churches have been reopened or newly built? Under Putin, thousands of churches have opened. That is not to say Russia has total religious freedom. Laws have been established to reject Jehovah's Witnesses and other such denominations from existing there but, overall, the government of Russia treats the Christian faith better than the American government currently is, with corruptions in the CIA, FBI, NSA and other alphabet agencies looking at Christian churches as potential terrorist threats, since the days of Clinton and Janet Reno!
I would be surprised to see any nation come to the aid of Israel and engage in a war with Middle Eastern nations again. The modern state of Israel IS NOT the Old Testament theocracy. It is not the holy land. It is not under covenant promises from God. It is not in harmony with God. It is under the curse of its own choices to reject the Messiah. But, these facts seem lost on those who have been deceived by Jesuit Futurism.
Greg Laurie, with so many others, are under a delusion created by Romanism and embellished by those who add to this deception. There will be no secret rapture. That, alone, will shock millions into a stupor never seen in the history of their own denominations and fellowships. Millions will stand without a shield against last-day delusions.
Then, there is the remnant and the Three Angel's messages of Rev. 14:6-12. There is the final call to come out of Babylon before it suffers its final judgment in this age, Rev. 18.
Those waiting for a secret rapture to remove them from the final scenes of earth's despotic and violent history...
Greg Laurie asks people to pray for Israel. I'd ask people to pray for Christians under the spell of Romanism.
You can lead a horse to water...
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
www.christianpost.com/news/greg-laurie-why-irans-attack-israel-sign-end-times.html?utm_source=wnd&utm_medium=wnd&utm_campaign=syndicated
Pastor Greg Laurie on why Iran’s attack on Israel is a sign of the End Times
Greg Laurie is pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, a mega-church in Riverside, California. On Laurie's website is a recent blog post -
GREG'S BLOG
Was Iran’s Attack on Israel Bible Prophecy?
by Greg Laurie on Apr 15, 2024
"The attack of Iran on Israel on April 13, 2024 was unprecedented. We know that Iran has sponsored terrorism for a long time, working with proxy groups like the Houthis, Hezbollah, and, of course, Hamas on that horrific attack on the Jewish homeland on October 7th—where 1,200 people were butchered and murdered. It is unbelievable. And there are still so many being held as hostages. But when Iran directly attacked Israel, that is literally without precedent and it has Bible prophecy significance."
Hm. Is that true? Unprecedented?
Israel/Jerusalem was attacked, ransacked, at times destroyed, at least conquered and ruled, populations taken captive by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, and Islamic groups for THOUSANDS of years. It was controlled by the British empire. It received statehood in 1947. There is NO prophecy in the Bible (outside those referring to the return from Babylonian - Persian captivity), referring to that event. NONE. Then how can so many millions of Christians believe that 1947 event was prophetic?
Futurism.
The modern state of Israel is not a theocracy. It has no priesthood, no temple, no sacrificial services, no prophets, nothing associated with what Israel was from the time of Moses to Christ. The Romans destroyed Jerusalem and scattered the population. The Temple came down, just as Christ predicted. The Christian faith, itself, made up of Jews and Gentiles, received no covenant promises like Israel functioned under. Based on the prophecies of Daniel, especially chapter 9, Israel rejected its Messiah, were cut off from being God's chosen people, as Christ predicted would take place, and the apostle Paul commented on, at length, was left to its own choices of choosing Caesar over Christ and Christ's blood being on their heads. For almost 2,000 years there was no kingdom of the Jews. There is still no kingdom of the Jews under covenant promises and guidance.
From Greg Laurie's site -
"Let me give you just a quick flyover of end times events chronologically. Number one, I think the next event on the prophetic calendar is the Rapture of the Church. Then, the Antichrist emerges on the scene and the tribulation period begins. The tribulation ends with the Second Coming of Christ, and then the Lord establishes the Millennium (the 1,000-year reign of Christ)."
That, Dear Reader, is the essence of Futurism, the concoction of the Spanish Jesuit priest, Francisco Ribera, in the 16th century; considered the basis for the Counter Reformation: the theology prepared to take the Reformation's finger off the Papacy, the Roman Catholic Church and the Vatican as being the Little Horn of Daniel 7; the Beast of Revelation 13; the Great Mother Whore of Rev. 17; the great apostasy producing the Man of Sin, son of perdition in 2Thes 2; and dozens of other identifying marks for the power of antichrist in Scripture. It took time but, that Jesuit view became the widest taken by the professed Christian church at large. And you might be surprised just how many professed Protestant evangelical pastors known that fact. It's history is not in some dark corner, especially with the internet over the last 30 years.
The principles of prophetic interpretation known as Historicism, understood by Christian authors, teachers and preachers for centuries, which pointed out the Papacy as the main antagonist to the truth and the everlasting gospel, was gradually abrogated in favor of Roman Catholic theology. It is a shocking train of events that got us here.
"Setting that aside, I do believe the attack of Iran on Israel was a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. A sign of the end times, according to Scripture, is the Jewish people will be regathered together in their homeland. That has happened. On May 14, 1948, Israel officially became a nation. And you might say the prophetic time clock began to tick. That was not just a sign, that was a super sign."
That is a super-error. A super-mistake. A super-deception. What is it based on?
"But the Bible had more to say. Not only will the Jews be regathered together in their homeland, but they will be increasingly isolated. That’s happening. The Bible also predicted the rise of antisemitism in the end times. That is happening. The Bible also predicts a large nation to the north of Israel, identified in Ezekiel as Magog, will attack her. That has not yet happened. Many scholars believe that Magog is a reference to modern-day Russia. I concur with that view, but no one can say with absolute certainty.
"But this we can say with certainty: One of the allies of Russia will be Persia. Persia was the name of Iran. They changed their name in 1935. Therefore, Persia, or Iran, attacking Israel is predicted in the Bible. And guess what? That just happened."
"Now, am I suggesting that what just took place is going to lead to the scenario of Ezekiel 38? I don’t think that’s necessarily the case, but it certainly is a cause for us to sit up and pay attention. Jesus said, “So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near” (Luke 21:28 NLT)."
That ambiguity runs rampant through Futurism and has for two centuries, as Christian ministries and churches took on this ruse from Romanism. Great claim is made, without any real Scriptural, contextual proof to back it up.
Well, let's take a look at Ezekiel 38; for that chapter seems to be the recurring theme of today's prophecy commentators. The chapter begins -
Eze 38:1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 38:2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
Eze 38:3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
Eze 38:4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
Eze 38:5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
Eze 38:6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.
Eze 38:7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
At this point, there is nothing that provides a decent context to the event spoken of. All we know is, this Gog/Magog/massive company/army employing other characters/nations in their quest, better be prepared because God is going to lower the hammer of defeat on them all.
Eze 38:8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
Eze 38:16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
That is the basic point of reference used by Futurist commentators. The latter years/the latter days. They liken it to the term "the latter days," found in Daniel's prophecies; 2:28; 10:14. The term is also found in Numbers, Deuteronomy, Jeremiah and Hosea. A total of eleven times. The context can mean the future in general or the prophetic period surrounding the second coming of Christ/end of the world.
First, a comment from the Cambridge Bible commentary -
Gog, the land of Magog] i.e. in sense: Gog in (of) the land of Magog. Gog is the prince and Magog his country (Eze_39:6). (In construction Magog is acc. of direction or in loose apposition to Gog, hardly gen. after the proper name).
the chief prince] More probably: the prince of Rosh, Meshech &c., although a people or country Rosh may be impossible to identify. Of course any connexion between the name and Russian is to be rejected. Frd. Del. (Par. p. 322) refers to the land of Râsh (mât Ra-a-shi) of the inscriptions, situated on the borders of Elam on the Tigris. The geography of the prophet is no doubt vague and general, but this position as well as that of Gagi referred to above appears to lie too far east. The rendering “chief prince” would imply an unusual construction (chief-priest is different), and it is difficult to guess what chief prince or over-lord could mean. On Meshech, Tubal, cf. Eze_27:13, Eze_32:26.
Second, a commentary considered one of the finest in the world upon the Old Testament - Keil & Delitzsch - on Eze. 38:1-4 -
"Consequently the army of Gog consisted not only of wild Japhetic tribes, who had not yet attained historical importance, but of Hamitic tribes also, that is to say, of peoples living at the extreme north (יַרְכְּתֵי צָפֹון, Eze_38:6) and east (Persians) and south (Ethiopians), i.e., on the borders of the then known world. These are all summoned by Gog, and gathered together for an attack upon the people of God. This points to a time when their former foes, Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistines, and Syrians, and the old imperial powers, Egypt, Asshur, Babel, Javan, will all have passed away from the stage of history, and the people of God will stand in the centre of the historical life of the world, and will have spread so widely over the earth, that its foes will only be found on the borders of the civilised world (compare Rev_20:8)."
Having commented on Rev. 20 at length, let's look there again because THE greatest battle in the history of the world shall be fought then -
Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Christ returns, the battle of Armageddon fought, the world destroyed, Christ takes His people home, to Heaven, and the world shall lie dormant, at peace, for 1,000 years; just a bottomless pit of defeat and darkness: Satan and the third of the angels who rebelled with him, bound by a chain of circumstances they created and suffer the results of. But, they shall be loosened from that chain for a little time.
Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Then, more information is given about this final scene in human history -
Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Over the decades of walking in the faith, I have marveled that something so plain, so point blank, so obvious is just glanced over by today's Christian world of Bible commentary.
Christ comes, the end of the world takes place and it lies in destroyed darkness; the long night of Satanic terror over, God's people; the redeemed of all ages, in Heaven, peering over the books of record, judging angels; watching whatever supernatural expose' of God of human history plays out before them, asking questions, receiving answers that could not be understood in this life, to see how angels rebelled and millions, billions were lost by their own choices; rejecting the light that shines on every man.
When the thousand years are finished, the New Jerusalem descends and lands right on top of the old Jerusalem, crushing what's left of it in four directions beneath the glorious city of God, Rev 21 and Zech. 14. The unrighteous of all ages are resurrected. They stand on the Earth like the sand of the sea. It is a scene so enormous it cannot be imagined. They rise from the bed of death they perished in - thoughts and feelings in opposition to righteousness. They stand before the city of God, almost the size of the state of Oregon. Walls 200' high, and the throne of God standing well above the walls so all eyes can see it.
Satan stands as the once mighty angel next to the throne of God, with his army of rebels, a shocking revelation to all humanity looking at them. They stand taller than all humans, even the giant frame mankind once dwelled as on Earth. They begin to rouse the sand of the sea humanity to take on the city and its inhabitants. Their numbers assure victory. The time frame for all this is not mentioned but, when that vast army of lost humanity makes their move to surround and march on the city, the throne of God rises and arrests the attention of all, and they scatter in fear of the majesty and power before them. The judgment of God declares they are lost for rejecting His salvation. Each person sees the history of their own life; all the invitations to connect with their Creator, neglected, rejected, and each realizes they stand outside the city because of their own choices. Many once connected to religious life but, never connecting to the Vine, never born-again, never truly made a citizen of the kingdom, stand shocked but, convicted. There is only one thing all can do - 'Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.' There is great weeping. Then there is gnashing of teeth, anger, rage, revolution. Satan calls for the march to begin. The scene is beyond comprehension. All humanity, face to face; God's redeemed inside the clear walls of the city, beholding an army such as never seen before; an impossible number to imagine.
As they draw closer and seem ready to take the walls, the full glory of God is unleashed and everything cursed by sin erupts into flame - Our God is a consuming fire. The entire planet turns into a lake of fire. As the prophet, John, sees this in vision, the smoke seems to travel upwards forever. The fire does not seem to wear down, to go out. It burns and burns. Humanity, many just evaporate in an instant. Others last longer. How can this be? The answer is found in Ezekiel. The prophet is told to pronounce judgment on the king of Tyre but, it is obvious the words of the prophet reach far beyond any earthly king. A dual application is spoken -
Eze 28:12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
Eze 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
Eze 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Eze 28:16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Eze 28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
Eze 28:19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
Lucifer, the mighty angel, in whom the mystery of iniquity emerged in a twisted mind bent of being "like the most High," corrupted by his own beauty and position, rebelled, cast down to Earth, deceiving Eve, creating the fall of our first parents, wreaking havoc on the world for six thousand years of death and sorrow and pain; filled with hatred and rage for God and Christ and His people down through the ages: so filled with hate; a hate we cannot imagine, it bursts into a flame of his own destruction, from within him, as it shall for all the rebel angels and those in lost humanity most filled with hatred for their fellowman and God, who created them. They shall all turn to ashes; the fire of the lake finally going out, the reign of terror over... and God shall recreate the Earth into the ultimate paradise for His people to enjoy, forever.
Ah, but, you see that is not the popular belief of professed Christendom, guided by Mother to believe the lost shall burn forever in a tortuous existence of eternal... life? Lie. Horrendous, heinous, disgusting lie against the character of God and the full testimony of Scripture. Death. The wages of sin is death, the second death. Life is only for those who love God. Death is the just sentence for those who reject Him.
Ezekiel 38 has nothing to do with the modern state of Israel. It has nothing to do with Iran. Nobody's life outside the Middle East can be affected by anything Iran attempts to do to Israel. World War 3? Seriously? Who, pray tell, is going to come to Israel's aid? Even now, the corrupt Biden administration is telling Netanyahu not to retaliate. Russia is certainly not going to get involved.
Are you aware that since the USSR fell upwards of 30,000 churches have been reopened or newly built? Under Putin, thousands of churches have opened. That is not to say Russia has total religious freedom. Laws have been established to reject Jehovah's Witnesses and other such denominations from existing there but, overall, the government of Russia treats the Christian faith better than the American government currently is, with corruptions in the CIA, FBI, NSA and other alphabet agencies looking at Christian churches as potential terrorist threats, since the days of Clinton and Janet Reno!
I would be surprised to see any nation come to the aid of Israel and engage in a war with Middle Eastern nations again. The modern state of Israel IS NOT the Old Testament theocracy. It is not the holy land. It is not under covenant promises from God. It is not in harmony with God. It is under the curse of its own choices to reject the Messiah. But, these facts seem lost on those who have been deceived by Jesuit Futurism.
Greg Laurie, with so many others, are under a delusion created by Romanism and embellished by those who add to this deception. There will be no secret rapture. That, alone, will shock millions into a stupor never seen in the history of their own denominations and fellowships. Millions will stand without a shield against last-day delusions.
Then, there is the remnant and the Three Angel's messages of Rev. 14:6-12. There is the final call to come out of Babylon before it suffers its final judgment in this age, Rev. 18.
Those waiting for a secret rapture to remove them from the final scenes of earth's despotic and violent history...
Greg Laurie asks people to pray for Israel. I'd ask people to pray for Christians under the spell of Romanism.
You can lead a horse to water...
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
The Top of the World Stinks
I did not know this. Never imagined it. The top of the world, Mt. Everest, is a dump, literally. Hundreds of tons of human waste, garbage and trash literally cover spots on the mountain. Various teams of people, including the military, hold expeditions to try and clean it all up. It is all left behind by climbers and their teams, from around the world, who go to the highest mountain on Earth to conquer its peak. They leave behind everything used to get there; much of what is dropped off by Sherpas and helicopters for their trek.
It seems impossible one of the most revered places on the planet could be so treated by the typical waste management of mankind.
www.rt.com/india/595787-everest-stink-climbers-nepal/
‘It stinks’: The world’s tallest mountain is overflowing with feces and waste. Nepal is sounding the alarm
"Around 500 climbers from around the world attempt to reach the summit every year, and for decades they have been leaving behind waste"
Do not doubt why God is going to burn the Earth to ashes to purify it from the effects of sin.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
It seems impossible one of the most revered places on the planet could be so treated by the typical waste management of mankind.
www.rt.com/india/595787-everest-stink-climbers-nepal/
‘It stinks’: The world’s tallest mountain is overflowing with feces and waste. Nepal is sounding the alarm
"Around 500 climbers from around the world attempt to reach the summit every year, and for decades they have been leaving behind waste"
Do not doubt why God is going to burn the Earth to ashes to purify it from the effects of sin.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
New Page: The Big Drum
Ever wonder just how big a drum can be made? I'm certainly not the first, as you will see. Check out the new page - The Big Drum -
drumsinhisheart.weebly.com/the-big-drum.html
The thought came into my mind one day, so I did a search. What's out there is pretty fantastic; in a lot more ways than one. :-)
drumsinhisheart.weebly.com/the-big-drum.html
The thought came into my mind one day, so I did a search. What's out there is pretty fantastic; in a lot more ways than one. :-)
*****************************
953. Zombies Are Real - 4/20/24
A lot of the time I wonder what my mind will lead me to post on each week. I know, come Sabbath, it'll be biblical; something of a study of some kind. I just don't know what will gel within my mind to have something become information and ideas, concepts or principles I want to share.
Well, I just got hit upside the head with this week's subject matter.
I was watching, continuing to watch or, going back to watch a conversation between UFOlogist researcher, Richard Dolan and the host of the Theory of Everything podcast, Curt Jaimungal. The basic premise of the discussion is disclosure: when will the government finally come clean on everything it knows about the subject of UFOs/UAP? The conversation morphs, as any conversation will, and at one point, while discussing aspects of philosophy (thanks to the YT transcript feature), Richard Dolan states this -
"I mean, most of human history we've been on the verge of starvation. Just barely able.
55:29
We've spent millions of years, literally millions, as hunters and gatherers figuring out how we're going to get our next meal.
55:35
So people have... We are genetically predisposed to that 'having' mode that Eric Fromm's talking about.
55:43
It's built in. It's baked into the cake. So to think that we can just get rid of it is an illusion.
55:48
We are that way. And by the way, that 'having' mode is what's allowed us to conquer the planet.
55:55
It's what has allowed us to become the apex predators of planet Earth and to be able to go out into space and do all the things that we do.
56:02
That's what we are. We're a violent, aggressive, territorial, greedy species.
56:09
That's what we are. That's in our core. If you want to get into original sin, that's what it is.
56:15
And it's never going to come out. Never going to get that out. But what we can do, I would like to think, is become aware of the primal drives that
56:26
are within us and recognize within the current society that we have right now that some of those drives are maybe counterproductive
56:37
to our overall happiness. And we can do our best to consciously learn to mitigate."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE_1oPMA52Y&t=0s
The amount of error, biblically speaking, in that short and pointed statement, is catastrophically enormous.
I respect Dolan for the research he has done over his decades of interest, into the UFO subject, from, for me, a biblical, last-day prophecy and events scenario. It is not about what he believes. It is how I see this information fitting into last-day events; and as you know, I do believe the entire "ET"/"UFO" subject and reality is going to play a part in Satan's last-day deceptions and delusions. I have become more and more confident of that happening with each passing year.
The thing is, deception only works upon people ignorant of truth and more deeply, unaffected by truth; unchanged by truth. Remember this truth, spoken by James -
James 2:19 You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
It is one thing to know and even believe a truth. It is altogether another thing whether or not truth changes your life in some way and makes it better, as God sees "better." The devils know the truth. The devils know far more than we do. They tremble. Why? Because they rejected God's authority. The truth had no living element of change in their lives. The know and believe Christ is Messiah, and shall rule someday, and destroy them out of existence. They even said that to Him one day -
Matt 8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
Matt 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with you, Jesus, you the Son of God? Are you come here to torment us before the time?
God has reserved a time when the Devil and his angels shall receive their final end, 2Pet. 2:4, and they know it. We could all believe that Jesus is the Son of God. That mental knowledge, that information will save anyone who is not born again and changed by the power of God: recreated in Christ Jesus.
I have no idea what Richard Dolan thinks about the Christian faith. He mentions he has a Catholic background. That would be different, in varying degrees, from someone who has a Protestant background and certainly, someone who has been born again and has new life in a connection to Jesus Christ, the Creator and Redeemer; through the work of the Holy Spirit upon the human mind and life.
So, whatever education Dolan has; whatever exposure to the ideas and philosophies of mankind he has; whatever information he has read, researched, studied and accepted or rejected, I want to place here - at no castigation or demeaning of or towards him, because he is certainly one of many millions who believe this way - each element of his statement with corresponding biblical or I should say, antithetical statements from Scripture that completely undo his understanding of life on Earth. I was so shocked at the degree of error in his statement, biblically speaking, I feel absolutely compelled to place the biblical side of the story next to it and show, at least from God's viewpoint as He lays it out in the Bible, how phenomenally wrong Richard Dolan is.
"I mean, most of human history we've been on the verge of starvation. Just barely able.
We've spent millions of years, literally millions, as hunters and gatherers figuring out how we're going to get our next meal.
Biblically speaking, human history is around 6,000 years. From the Genesis creation to the deluge is around 1,700 years. Mankind was living for centuries; indeed, almost 1,000 years old in the beginning. It took sin 930 years to bring Adam to death. And bare in mind, again; why do we die? We were meant to live forever. God created all life to live in perpetual satisfaction, discovery, happiness and joy. What happened? Disobedience brought about a change and that change is genetically microscopic in nature but, nonetheless, deadly: copying errors in our DNA, which leads to the ultimate breakdown of our being: organs, blood, systems come to the point they can no longer function correctly or adequately, and we die. "Dying you shall die," was God's judgment upon Adam and Eve and their progeny -
Gen 2:17 but of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you may not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, dying you shall die. - LITV
Despite the entrance of sin, we are told in Genesis that mankind had giant physical stature and giant intellect, living in a world that was created perfect, in harmony and peace. The Bible teaches, from God, the Creator's history, this whole gig started out just fine and sin changed all that. Mankind was not starving. Yes, man worked in the sweat of his brow to produce the fruit of the Earth to live, as God told Adam would be the case, Gen. 3: 17-19 but, the soil was perfect. It was not yet marred by disasters or man's pollution. Thorns and thistles, yes. Depleted, no. Constant proper moisture settled upon the ground each evening, Gen. 2:6.
After the flood, yes, life became harder. From Noah and his family, living centuries, the population quickly expanded, again. There were no "cave men" as we have been told for 170 years now; Darwin 'til today. If men chose to live in caves, finding the easiest shelter, so be it but, the remains of civilization, found on the earth and in the oceans, show mankind retained massive ability to manufacture and build. In just two generations after the flood, the tower of Babel was engineered. God gave man, with the total destruction of plant life in the Flood, permission to eat the flesh of "clean" creatures, and that well before God's instructions to Moses. Society functioned quite well.
There were 12 generations from the Flood to Abraham, many centuries of time, when we first see a famine in the land, Gen. 12:10. It is biblically false to state that mankind has been on the verge of starvation throughout history. Even today, with famines and starvation, the reason is political and socio-economic, not because the dirt will not produce food with proper farming techniques, storage and supply to meet demands. Remember Joseph? He told Pharaoh how to prepare for famine that was coming. He did what Joseph said, and everybody was fine. So much so, people came from other regions to Egypt because the supply of food was so great, and that was how Joseph saw his brethren again.
"Darwinism" has made men believe they evolved from some kind of ape-like creature, over millions of years. The missing link. Well, it's still missing and will never be found because man was made in the image of God. It is biblical that God is above His creation. God's nature is far above man's or angel's intellect or experience to understand. That said, for the sake of His creatures God takes a shape -
John 5:37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
The Greek word translated 'shape' is -
G1491
εἶδος
eidos
i'-dos
From G1492; a view, that is, form (literally or figuratively): - [translated as] appearance, fashion, shape, sight.
Total KJV occurrences: 6
God takes a form to view, a shape and man was made in that image and likeness, both physically and spiritually. man lost that spiritual connection when Adam sinned and we must get that connection back through being born again. We MUST be born again. It is not an option. We cannot see or enter God's kingdom without being born again: new life in Christ, John 3.
Darwinism is a false philosophy. It is, in fact, a religion for people; one they will never give up for belief in the Creator, despite the evidences all around us. What has this done for mankind? Simply told him he is an animal, a beast, with a beast's nature, more developed than lower life forms after millions of years but, make no mistake. Dolan's take on this drops mankind into an abyss of hopelessness.
"So people have... We are genetically predisposed to that having mode that Eric Fromm's talking about.
"It's built in. It's baked into the cake. So to think that we can just get rid of it is an illusion."
False. Absolutely false. Incredibly false and ignorant of the very thing God strives to make known to fallen mankind, every moment of every day.
2Pet 1:3 According as his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue:
2Pet 1:4 Whereby are given to us exceedingly great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Mankind, Adam and Eve had the divine nature. They forfeited that experience, that connection, that existence, through disobedience. God supplies a remedy; a path to reinstatement into the divine experience of having that original connection to the Creator our first parents had. It is not only not an illusion, it is a divine prerequisite that must be attained. We must reconnect to God, through Christ, through the Holy Spirit. We can live above our genetic predisposition to sin and disobedience; our selfishness. That is the entire point of proclaiming the Gospel and being born again -
2Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2Cor 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Cor 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
It not only not an illusion, it is the greatest reality ever placed before the human race.
"We are that way. And by the way, that 'having' mode is what's allowed us to conquer the planet.
"It's what has allowed us to become the apex predators of planet Earth and to be able to go out into space and do all the things that we do.
"That's what we are. We're a violent, aggressive, territorial, greedy species.
"That's what we are. That's in our core. If you want to get into original sin, that's what it is.
"And it's never going to come out. Never going to get that out. But what we can do, I would like to think, is become aware of the primal drives that are within us and recognize within the current society that we have right now that some of those drives are maybe counterproductive to our overall happiness. And we can do our best to consciously learn to mitigate."
No. Not true. Any of it. From the outset God told Adam -
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.
God designed a dominion to subdue: to conquer or rule the vastness of the Earth as it's king and queen over all life but, not with a predatory nature. ALL creatures were designed to eat a plant based diet. Killing for food was not God's original design and it certainly does not and will not exist in Heaven. Those who favor the idea they are carnivores should think that through because there are not slaughterhouses or steak houses in Heaven. We were not made as hunters. Mankind was not made as gatherers, either. They were given the fruit of trees to eat and grains of the earth. They were to make their garden home more beautiful and expansive till it covered the land masses. Nothing was meant to die and so shall it be again. Mankind was meant to rule with honor and with the character of God. The fact that the tyranny of Lucifer is in control is not God's design. The enemy has sowed those seeds of hate and rebellion.
The potential for all people to be violent, aggressive, territorial and greedy does not mean we are all beasts. How a person is raised factors in. Mankind was meant to live in harmony with nature and each other, not as an "apex predator." It is God who supplies information. It is God who enables man to peer into the universe to behold the majesty of His power. It is God who gives mankind an understanding of mathematics and science. Man did not invent math. Numbers do not work out the way they do by accident. Fractals; the Fibonacci sequence, the Mandelbrot set, all mathematical sequences, are not accidents. They are designs that reveal the mind of God. Man just discoveries them. He does not invent them. Mankind is meant to be regal, ennobled, children of the Creator. The fact sin has reduced mankind into living in their lower nature is man's choice, not God's design.
Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Exo 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Exo 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Exo 34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Num 14:18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
Deut 5:9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,
Deut 5:10 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
Four times that principle is repeated, within the ten commandments, to the final rehearsal of them before Moses died. The potential for mankind to be wicked is not God's fault. It is not "maybe counterproductive." The wages of sin is death, Rom. 6:23. Nor can mankind learn to mitigate it. We can learn -
Isa 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Psalm 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
1Tim 5:4 But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.
Titus 3:14 And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they are not unfruitful.
The problem is fulfilling what we learn, in our own strength. As Paul states, in my mind I serve God but, my human nature wars against me. The things I want to do, I do not; and the things I don't want to do, I do. Oh, wretched man that I am. Who can save me from this body of death? Thanks be to God who has given us Jesus Christ and His victory; which can be ours.
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
You cannot mitigate your way through the situation we are all in. Richard Dolan takes note of our situation but, is wholly ignorant of the remedy God has provided and supplied to mitigate for us; by changing us, spiritually, really, practically and wholly. We can, by connecting to Christ, be Christlike.
For Dolan, "original sin" cannot be overcome. We have to learn to mitigate it. For Christ, who overcame all temptations and provided a way for us to do the same, the reality is, Darwinism is death. It's a lie. Materialism, Naturalism are lies. At best, they are severe ignorance; ignorance of a way to live far above the beasts and our lower nature.
No, that "core" can and will be overcome by those who experience God, their Creator and redeemer. It is not just information; truth. It is bringing it into the life. It makes alive.
There is a statement Paul makes that is most interesting, and sets the tone for this post -
1Tim 5:6 But she that lives in pleasure is dead while she lives.
I always found zombie movies rather silly when I was young. I remember one that Vincent Price played in. My parents went to see it when I was a boy, sitting in the back seat at the drive-in. I remember, to this day, one scene that scared me out of my mind. Zombies. Price's dead wife coming through the front door. I was a little boy. And yet, is that not what Paul calls those who do not have Christ as the driving force of life? You can be dead while you live. There's even a movie titled, Night of the Living Dead. Zombies. We breathe, we eat, we work, we live but, without Christ, we are walking dead people. Spiritually, zombies are real. How's that for the Bible being part of current culture.
As we behold the world drifting into that lower nature of living death, to dominate them; God shall have a people that displays the higher nature of being connected to His power to over come the world.
Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Heb 4:15 For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
I hope that for Richard Dolan and all men because God wants to save all humanity. It's a choice we must make based on the weight of evidence. There are reasons why we sin. There are no excuses.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
EDIT - After watching the entire interview (almost 3 hrs. long), and discussing a number of subjects, Dolan ends with stating he'd like to believe in "God," agrees the teachings of Christ are the highest standard to strive for, the finest example always before us (in his mind, the heads of any other religion, as well), and still, he misses the boat because he sees it so high, it cannot be attained. At best, we can just strive for it. Therefore, we should expect hypocrisy in Christianity; the most well-meaning followers are always going to fail; they will never be able to live above their failings; admit it, humble yourselves, and just live in grace that Christians talk so much about.
The sadness here, for me, is acute. I like the man. He is a very intelligent person, incredibly well-read, a real thinker, very likeable and yet, he has missed the Gospel by a lightyear: it's meaning, its power, its practical application to life and especially, the true nature and character of God, of Christ and the plan of salvation. Having been raised Roman Catholic myself, I am not surprised at this. I just know better now, after being born again 45 years ago and seeing what I could not see before, just as Jesus said. The Bible became alive. Yes, I still struggle. With other things, though they were commonplace in my life every day; I put them behind me: victory given by the power of Christ in us, the hope of glory. I keep marching. I trust of God to finish the work He has started in me, as I cooperate with Him.
It's interesting, really. We see that great intelligence is not the answer. Otherwise, the most intelligent would go into the kingdom before anyone else. Such is not the case. Anyone, of any class, any background, any station in life can enter the kingdom if they will hear His voice and surrender their lives into His care and command.
John 4:23 But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him.
John 6:37 All that the Father gives me shall come to me; and him that comes to me I will in no way cast out.
John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draws him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 10:3 To him the porter opens; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out.
God seeks. God gives. God draws. God calls. God leads those who respond.
Thank God.
Well, I just got hit upside the head with this week's subject matter.
I was watching, continuing to watch or, going back to watch a conversation between UFOlogist researcher, Richard Dolan and the host of the Theory of Everything podcast, Curt Jaimungal. The basic premise of the discussion is disclosure: when will the government finally come clean on everything it knows about the subject of UFOs/UAP? The conversation morphs, as any conversation will, and at one point, while discussing aspects of philosophy (thanks to the YT transcript feature), Richard Dolan states this -
"I mean, most of human history we've been on the verge of starvation. Just barely able.
55:29
We've spent millions of years, literally millions, as hunters and gatherers figuring out how we're going to get our next meal.
55:35
So people have... We are genetically predisposed to that 'having' mode that Eric Fromm's talking about.
55:43
It's built in. It's baked into the cake. So to think that we can just get rid of it is an illusion.
55:48
We are that way. And by the way, that 'having' mode is what's allowed us to conquer the planet.
55:55
It's what has allowed us to become the apex predators of planet Earth and to be able to go out into space and do all the things that we do.
56:02
That's what we are. We're a violent, aggressive, territorial, greedy species.
56:09
That's what we are. That's in our core. If you want to get into original sin, that's what it is.
56:15
And it's never going to come out. Never going to get that out. But what we can do, I would like to think, is become aware of the primal drives that
56:26
are within us and recognize within the current society that we have right now that some of those drives are maybe counterproductive
56:37
to our overall happiness. And we can do our best to consciously learn to mitigate."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE_1oPMA52Y&t=0s
The amount of error, biblically speaking, in that short and pointed statement, is catastrophically enormous.
I respect Dolan for the research he has done over his decades of interest, into the UFO subject, from, for me, a biblical, last-day prophecy and events scenario. It is not about what he believes. It is how I see this information fitting into last-day events; and as you know, I do believe the entire "ET"/"UFO" subject and reality is going to play a part in Satan's last-day deceptions and delusions. I have become more and more confident of that happening with each passing year.
The thing is, deception only works upon people ignorant of truth and more deeply, unaffected by truth; unchanged by truth. Remember this truth, spoken by James -
James 2:19 You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
It is one thing to know and even believe a truth. It is altogether another thing whether or not truth changes your life in some way and makes it better, as God sees "better." The devils know the truth. The devils know far more than we do. They tremble. Why? Because they rejected God's authority. The truth had no living element of change in their lives. The know and believe Christ is Messiah, and shall rule someday, and destroy them out of existence. They even said that to Him one day -
Matt 8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
Matt 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with you, Jesus, you the Son of God? Are you come here to torment us before the time?
God has reserved a time when the Devil and his angels shall receive their final end, 2Pet. 2:4, and they know it. We could all believe that Jesus is the Son of God. That mental knowledge, that information will save anyone who is not born again and changed by the power of God: recreated in Christ Jesus.
I have no idea what Richard Dolan thinks about the Christian faith. He mentions he has a Catholic background. That would be different, in varying degrees, from someone who has a Protestant background and certainly, someone who has been born again and has new life in a connection to Jesus Christ, the Creator and Redeemer; through the work of the Holy Spirit upon the human mind and life.
So, whatever education Dolan has; whatever exposure to the ideas and philosophies of mankind he has; whatever information he has read, researched, studied and accepted or rejected, I want to place here - at no castigation or demeaning of or towards him, because he is certainly one of many millions who believe this way - each element of his statement with corresponding biblical or I should say, antithetical statements from Scripture that completely undo his understanding of life on Earth. I was so shocked at the degree of error in his statement, biblically speaking, I feel absolutely compelled to place the biblical side of the story next to it and show, at least from God's viewpoint as He lays it out in the Bible, how phenomenally wrong Richard Dolan is.
"I mean, most of human history we've been on the verge of starvation. Just barely able.
We've spent millions of years, literally millions, as hunters and gatherers figuring out how we're going to get our next meal.
Biblically speaking, human history is around 6,000 years. From the Genesis creation to the deluge is around 1,700 years. Mankind was living for centuries; indeed, almost 1,000 years old in the beginning. It took sin 930 years to bring Adam to death. And bare in mind, again; why do we die? We were meant to live forever. God created all life to live in perpetual satisfaction, discovery, happiness and joy. What happened? Disobedience brought about a change and that change is genetically microscopic in nature but, nonetheless, deadly: copying errors in our DNA, which leads to the ultimate breakdown of our being: organs, blood, systems come to the point they can no longer function correctly or adequately, and we die. "Dying you shall die," was God's judgment upon Adam and Eve and their progeny -
Gen 2:17 but of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you may not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, dying you shall die. - LITV
Despite the entrance of sin, we are told in Genesis that mankind had giant physical stature and giant intellect, living in a world that was created perfect, in harmony and peace. The Bible teaches, from God, the Creator's history, this whole gig started out just fine and sin changed all that. Mankind was not starving. Yes, man worked in the sweat of his brow to produce the fruit of the Earth to live, as God told Adam would be the case, Gen. 3: 17-19 but, the soil was perfect. It was not yet marred by disasters or man's pollution. Thorns and thistles, yes. Depleted, no. Constant proper moisture settled upon the ground each evening, Gen. 2:6.
After the flood, yes, life became harder. From Noah and his family, living centuries, the population quickly expanded, again. There were no "cave men" as we have been told for 170 years now; Darwin 'til today. If men chose to live in caves, finding the easiest shelter, so be it but, the remains of civilization, found on the earth and in the oceans, show mankind retained massive ability to manufacture and build. In just two generations after the flood, the tower of Babel was engineered. God gave man, with the total destruction of plant life in the Flood, permission to eat the flesh of "clean" creatures, and that well before God's instructions to Moses. Society functioned quite well.
There were 12 generations from the Flood to Abraham, many centuries of time, when we first see a famine in the land, Gen. 12:10. It is biblically false to state that mankind has been on the verge of starvation throughout history. Even today, with famines and starvation, the reason is political and socio-economic, not because the dirt will not produce food with proper farming techniques, storage and supply to meet demands. Remember Joseph? He told Pharaoh how to prepare for famine that was coming. He did what Joseph said, and everybody was fine. So much so, people came from other regions to Egypt because the supply of food was so great, and that was how Joseph saw his brethren again.
"Darwinism" has made men believe they evolved from some kind of ape-like creature, over millions of years. The missing link. Well, it's still missing and will never be found because man was made in the image of God. It is biblical that God is above His creation. God's nature is far above man's or angel's intellect or experience to understand. That said, for the sake of His creatures God takes a shape -
John 5:37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
The Greek word translated 'shape' is -
G1491
εἶδος
eidos
i'-dos
From G1492; a view, that is, form (literally or figuratively): - [translated as] appearance, fashion, shape, sight.
Total KJV occurrences: 6
God takes a form to view, a shape and man was made in that image and likeness, both physically and spiritually. man lost that spiritual connection when Adam sinned and we must get that connection back through being born again. We MUST be born again. It is not an option. We cannot see or enter God's kingdom without being born again: new life in Christ, John 3.
Darwinism is a false philosophy. It is, in fact, a religion for people; one they will never give up for belief in the Creator, despite the evidences all around us. What has this done for mankind? Simply told him he is an animal, a beast, with a beast's nature, more developed than lower life forms after millions of years but, make no mistake. Dolan's take on this drops mankind into an abyss of hopelessness.
"So people have... We are genetically predisposed to that having mode that Eric Fromm's talking about.
"It's built in. It's baked into the cake. So to think that we can just get rid of it is an illusion."
False. Absolutely false. Incredibly false and ignorant of the very thing God strives to make known to fallen mankind, every moment of every day.
2Pet 1:3 According as his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue:
2Pet 1:4 Whereby are given to us exceedingly great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Mankind, Adam and Eve had the divine nature. They forfeited that experience, that connection, that existence, through disobedience. God supplies a remedy; a path to reinstatement into the divine experience of having that original connection to the Creator our first parents had. It is not only not an illusion, it is a divine prerequisite that must be attained. We must reconnect to God, through Christ, through the Holy Spirit. We can live above our genetic predisposition to sin and disobedience; our selfishness. That is the entire point of proclaiming the Gospel and being born again -
2Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2Cor 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Cor 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
It not only not an illusion, it is the greatest reality ever placed before the human race.
"We are that way. And by the way, that 'having' mode is what's allowed us to conquer the planet.
"It's what has allowed us to become the apex predators of planet Earth and to be able to go out into space and do all the things that we do.
"That's what we are. We're a violent, aggressive, territorial, greedy species.
"That's what we are. That's in our core. If you want to get into original sin, that's what it is.
"And it's never going to come out. Never going to get that out. But what we can do, I would like to think, is become aware of the primal drives that are within us and recognize within the current society that we have right now that some of those drives are maybe counterproductive to our overall happiness. And we can do our best to consciously learn to mitigate."
No. Not true. Any of it. From the outset God told Adam -
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.
God designed a dominion to subdue: to conquer or rule the vastness of the Earth as it's king and queen over all life but, not with a predatory nature. ALL creatures were designed to eat a plant based diet. Killing for food was not God's original design and it certainly does not and will not exist in Heaven. Those who favor the idea they are carnivores should think that through because there are not slaughterhouses or steak houses in Heaven. We were not made as hunters. Mankind was not made as gatherers, either. They were given the fruit of trees to eat and grains of the earth. They were to make their garden home more beautiful and expansive till it covered the land masses. Nothing was meant to die and so shall it be again. Mankind was meant to rule with honor and with the character of God. The fact that the tyranny of Lucifer is in control is not God's design. The enemy has sowed those seeds of hate and rebellion.
The potential for all people to be violent, aggressive, territorial and greedy does not mean we are all beasts. How a person is raised factors in. Mankind was meant to live in harmony with nature and each other, not as an "apex predator." It is God who supplies information. It is God who enables man to peer into the universe to behold the majesty of His power. It is God who gives mankind an understanding of mathematics and science. Man did not invent math. Numbers do not work out the way they do by accident. Fractals; the Fibonacci sequence, the Mandelbrot set, all mathematical sequences, are not accidents. They are designs that reveal the mind of God. Man just discoveries them. He does not invent them. Mankind is meant to be regal, ennobled, children of the Creator. The fact sin has reduced mankind into living in their lower nature is man's choice, not God's design.
Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Exo 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Exo 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Exo 34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Num 14:18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
Deut 5:9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,
Deut 5:10 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
Four times that principle is repeated, within the ten commandments, to the final rehearsal of them before Moses died. The potential for mankind to be wicked is not God's fault. It is not "maybe counterproductive." The wages of sin is death, Rom. 6:23. Nor can mankind learn to mitigate it. We can learn -
Isa 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Psalm 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
1Tim 5:4 But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.
Titus 3:14 And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they are not unfruitful.
The problem is fulfilling what we learn, in our own strength. As Paul states, in my mind I serve God but, my human nature wars against me. The things I want to do, I do not; and the things I don't want to do, I do. Oh, wretched man that I am. Who can save me from this body of death? Thanks be to God who has given us Jesus Christ and His victory; which can be ours.
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
You cannot mitigate your way through the situation we are all in. Richard Dolan takes note of our situation but, is wholly ignorant of the remedy God has provided and supplied to mitigate for us; by changing us, spiritually, really, practically and wholly. We can, by connecting to Christ, be Christlike.
For Dolan, "original sin" cannot be overcome. We have to learn to mitigate it. For Christ, who overcame all temptations and provided a way for us to do the same, the reality is, Darwinism is death. It's a lie. Materialism, Naturalism are lies. At best, they are severe ignorance; ignorance of a way to live far above the beasts and our lower nature.
No, that "core" can and will be overcome by those who experience God, their Creator and redeemer. It is not just information; truth. It is bringing it into the life. It makes alive.
There is a statement Paul makes that is most interesting, and sets the tone for this post -
1Tim 5:6 But she that lives in pleasure is dead while she lives.
I always found zombie movies rather silly when I was young. I remember one that Vincent Price played in. My parents went to see it when I was a boy, sitting in the back seat at the drive-in. I remember, to this day, one scene that scared me out of my mind. Zombies. Price's dead wife coming through the front door. I was a little boy. And yet, is that not what Paul calls those who do not have Christ as the driving force of life? You can be dead while you live. There's even a movie titled, Night of the Living Dead. Zombies. We breathe, we eat, we work, we live but, without Christ, we are walking dead people. Spiritually, zombies are real. How's that for the Bible being part of current culture.
As we behold the world drifting into that lower nature of living death, to dominate them; God shall have a people that displays the higher nature of being connected to His power to over come the world.
Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Heb 4:15 For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
I hope that for Richard Dolan and all men because God wants to save all humanity. It's a choice we must make based on the weight of evidence. There are reasons why we sin. There are no excuses.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
EDIT - After watching the entire interview (almost 3 hrs. long), and discussing a number of subjects, Dolan ends with stating he'd like to believe in "God," agrees the teachings of Christ are the highest standard to strive for, the finest example always before us (in his mind, the heads of any other religion, as well), and still, he misses the boat because he sees it so high, it cannot be attained. At best, we can just strive for it. Therefore, we should expect hypocrisy in Christianity; the most well-meaning followers are always going to fail; they will never be able to live above their failings; admit it, humble yourselves, and just live in grace that Christians talk so much about.
The sadness here, for me, is acute. I like the man. He is a very intelligent person, incredibly well-read, a real thinker, very likeable and yet, he has missed the Gospel by a lightyear: it's meaning, its power, its practical application to life and especially, the true nature and character of God, of Christ and the plan of salvation. Having been raised Roman Catholic myself, I am not surprised at this. I just know better now, after being born again 45 years ago and seeing what I could not see before, just as Jesus said. The Bible became alive. Yes, I still struggle. With other things, though they were commonplace in my life every day; I put them behind me: victory given by the power of Christ in us, the hope of glory. I keep marching. I trust of God to finish the work He has started in me, as I cooperate with Him.
It's interesting, really. We see that great intelligence is not the answer. Otherwise, the most intelligent would go into the kingdom before anyone else. Such is not the case. Anyone, of any class, any background, any station in life can enter the kingdom if they will hear His voice and surrender their lives into His care and command.
John 4:23 But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him.
John 6:37 All that the Father gives me shall come to me; and him that comes to me I will in no way cast out.
John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draws him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 10:3 To him the porter opens; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out.
God seeks. God gives. God draws. God calls. God leads those who respond.
Thank God.
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Thought Provoking. Fascinating. Terrifying.
Let me first state, I do not believe our Creator will let robots wipe out humanity.
That said, the obvious potential is nightmarish.
If you are not subscribed to Digital Engine, you should be. The two videos posted here are their newest and frankly, when you see how Artificial Intelligence intersects with every major event taking place in the world and slated for this year, including the election for POTUS in America and other elections around the world... well, suffice to say, there is very little, if anything more important than gaining control over the advancement of A.I.
Money is obviously more important than ethics; than morality; than safety; than common sense.
Prepare to be startled, if not shocked. Hollywood is becoming reality.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b03ibtVYhw
www.youtube.com/watch?v=deMxLYwhids
While I do not believe God would allow A.I. to take control of the world; to threaten life on Earth; the judgments of God upon a world pushing Him away with lightening speed cannot truly be overstated. If nothing else, this current track the world of technology is heading down carries with it ominous reality and in a very real sense hastens the return of Christ.
Biblical truth can now get to all of the civilized world in seconds. The question is, who will care to know it and act upon it?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
That said, the obvious potential is nightmarish.
If you are not subscribed to Digital Engine, you should be. The two videos posted here are their newest and frankly, when you see how Artificial Intelligence intersects with every major event taking place in the world and slated for this year, including the election for POTUS in America and other elections around the world... well, suffice to say, there is very little, if anything more important than gaining control over the advancement of A.I.
Money is obviously more important than ethics; than morality; than safety; than common sense.
Prepare to be startled, if not shocked. Hollywood is becoming reality.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b03ibtVYhw
www.youtube.com/watch?v=deMxLYwhids
While I do not believe God would allow A.I. to take control of the world; to threaten life on Earth; the judgments of God upon a world pushing Him away with lightening speed cannot truly be overstated. If nothing else, this current track the world of technology is heading down carries with it ominous reality and in a very real sense hastens the return of Christ.
Biblical truth can now get to all of the civilized world in seconds. The question is, who will care to know it and act upon it?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
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954. Why Is Taylor Swift Important? - 4/23/24
She's in the news again. More of the same. Charges/warnings of getting into witchcraft and sorcery and demonic stuff on stage and lyrics in recordings.
wltreport.com/2024/04/22/taylor-swifts-lyrics-explicit-demonic-blasphemous/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=taylor-swifts-lyrics-explicit-demonic-blasphemous
I will admit that some of the evidence in the article seems pretty convincing. Things could be taken out of context. Not ever at one of her shows or listening to her music, why she'd be chanting Revelation 13, about the Beast, with the imagery happening on stage... needs some better context but, the stuff about witches and obviously the "friend" of hers looking at the big screen, seeing herself and giving the world the signs of the horns, making sure everyone notices her upside down cross she's wearing... not the stuff average fans of football get into at games. Admittedly, Swift looked like she was in a chugging contest of some kind.
My question is, why is this so important? All kinds of bands get into this kind of thing: the occult and all. That is especially the case in the Heavy Metal genre. It's a main reason why I set out to rerecord the LEGEND album. Since 2006, when I found out 'From the Fjords' gained the status it has; seeing the album and the band linked to some of the darkest music being produced today - which is lightyears from our intentions when we composed, performed and recorded the album - prompted me to try and make that erroneous nature placed upon it all by those parking it all in that category, evaporate some. New lyrics; decidedly biblical in nature, and placing those themes to the same music, rerecorded with a 21st century technological base, would hopefully go a long way to letting the dark side know I was not into that stuff as an atheist, when I wrote the original lyrics and melodies, nor were Kevin and Fred or people we hung out with. I have no idea how the new recording will be received. No doubt some will instantly pan it. I expect that. They want their dark side. So be it. Others will hardly notice. Others will find it curious. Others will like it. The ratio is what is the unknown.
But, that's another matter, really. That's personal. Taylor Swift is not personal for me. What Taylor Swift is (if you do not know), is THE most recognizable name on planet Earth. More people know her name than any other person in the current culture. Seriously. Over half of U.S. adults claim to be fans. If you thought the largest portion of her fans were preteens, as I thought, you are mistaken. Plenty of them are but, she holds an audience of all ages. That makes her rather unique and extremely influential.
www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2023/03/14/more-than-half-of-us-adults-say-theyre-taylor-swift-fans-survey-finds/?sh=4b5d629e6877
I have been told the same for certain Heavy Metal bands from the 80s. Their concerts are a "family affair." Children, parents, grandparents make up the audiences at concerts. These are bands with decided messages from the dark side and they make no apologies for it.
Taylor Swift is on another level, though. She began as this discovery of Country music energy, began to get rowdy, decided to go totally pop music, and is where she's at with hard work and constant recording and touring, now getting into things her audience seems to not notice - the witchcraft stuff. To them, it's just "art." It's just entertainment. It's just Taylor doing her thing.
So, if Taylor Swift is quoting Scripture (she does claim to be a Christian), at her concerts, about the Beast; if she peppers her lyrics and concerts with concepts about witchcraft, has anti-Christian opinions and friends, and an obvious Left-leaning view of culture in her life and music (now standing against Donald Trump, wishing she did it all earlier), and is a billionaire doing it all, what does that say about the world of Taylor Swift? It obviously says the world is under a deception, including her, biblically speaking.
You cannot serve God and money - Luke 16:13.
You cannot link with unbelievers and serve God - 2Cor. 6:14-18.
You cannot be a friend of the world and serve God - James 4:4.
You cannot serve self-interest and serve Christ and here I'll place three Gospel passages -
Matt 16:23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Mark 8:33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
Luke 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
The first two deal with a circumstance surrounding Peter and his confused attempt to thwart Christ from His mission. Mark adds a detail: underlined. The third is Christ dealing with His 40-day fast in the wilderness and being tempted of the Devil. All three portray a distinct principle that cannot be left out of the Christian walk.
The Greek word translated "savour," in the KJV, is "phroneo." Check this out -
Strong's Concordance
G5426
φρονέω
phroneō
fron-eh'-o
From G5424; to exercise the mind, that is, entertain or have a sentiment or opinion; by implication to be (mentally) disposed (more or less earnestly in a certain direction); intensively to interest oneself in (with concern or obedience): - set the affection on, (be) care (-ful), (be like-, + be of one, + be of the same, + let this) mind (-ed, regard, savour, think.
Total KJV occurrences: 29
Thayer Definition:
1) to have understanding, be wise
2) to feel, to think
2a) to have an opinion of one’s self, think of one’s self, to be modest, not let one’s opinion (though just) of himself exceed the bounds of modesty
2b) to think or judge what one’s opinion is
2c) to be of the same mind, i.e. agreed together, cherish the same views, be harmonious
3) to direct one’s mind to a thing, to seek, to strive for
3a) to seek one’s interest or advantage
3b) to be of one’s party, side with him (in public affairs)
Phroneo is where we get our English word, 'phrenology' from: the study of the skull and supposed makeup of the brain inside, and hence, the mind. It is a pseudo-science but, for Peter, it was a serious, negative issue.
Peter was not exercising his mind; thinking about God or His side of the matter. He was not seeking God's interest or advantage. He was not of the same mind as Christ; not striving to complete the mission, etc., etc. He was, in fact, at that moment, working for Satan. Ignorant of his ignorance, Jesus addressed Satan, using Peter. Can you imagine Peter's shock when Christ turned His back on him and called him Satan? Imagine the shock on the disciple's faces when Christ looked at them, warning them of the same fact, should they stand in the way of the progress of Christ's mission.
For His battle with Lucifer in the wilderness, it was a major matter of worship.
Taylor Swift seems like a sweet woman. I mean that. Every picture you see of her is "picture perfect." I know literally nothing of her music and very little of her life. I heard one song, one day and have heard snippets of others used in news stories about her Left-leaning political/cultural views. Nothing very impressive to me and wondered why she is so popular but, fans claim her music is quite engaging. Psychologists are now chiming in on why fans can't seem to remember what took place at her latest concerts. They literally walk out the doors and cannot remember everything they just watched. The psyches claim it's a type of mass hysteria. People are so enthralled, so drawn into something and moved, it overwhelms their minds with information. Fans are rabid about her. If it isn't worship - bowing down to someone - it is obviously as close as one can get. Detractors claim she is hypnotizing audiences, using some kind of "spell" upon them. All that sweetness is just a cover for something very nefarious.
If you are old enough to remember when the Beatles debarked from an airplane, on a Sunday, and hundreds of fans were there, waiting; and John Lennon said they must be more popular than God, it shook the world. It launched the Monkees into stardom, as offended people looked for a replacement for their adoration of the Beatles, and really showed the world what kind of impact music and the culture of it has on a populace. One quip from Lennon and the Christian world took offense. That was almost 60 years ago. Today, Taylor Swift, writing lyrics and making statements that, at one time would have alarmed and offended most Americans, finds herself defended by most Americans, including professed Christians; which is causing alarm in the churches.
I'm sure Swift feels a tremendous responsibility towards her fans, and has her own "stuff" to deal with in life, as we all do, and be sure, her money cannot save her from it. If anything, fame and fortune adds to the stress. It's all a potential deception and warped reality. Everything she says or does is magnified. Still, it all shows that Americans are more concerned about an entertainer than how their lives are being corralled into more and more loss of freedoms and liberty from both government and the culture. Reality is often held at arm's length for entertainment's sake.
Taylor Swift is a sinner like the rest of us. Her talent, such as people see it, cannot gain her anything before God. Her money cannot buy her way into Heaven. Her popularity has no bearing on her salvation. To the contrary, her influence can be a detriment to her salvation. Of whom much is given, much is expected, Luke 12:42-48.
You see, if Christ said following Him and truth is freedom - "free indeed" - John 8:36, then we have an obvious clash. Taylor Swift claims to be a Christian. She does not portray that in her lyrical content or live performances. Christians notice and comment. Fans attack the commentators. Entertainment news and even political news, pick up on it all because Taylor Swift is so well known and loved; while the world draws ever closer to World War 3... you know something is wrong. Something is terribly imbalanced. Something is happening from some source to dull the minds of millions. Satan? Surely. That is the main source of all and everything that is a lie and concocted to deceive but, he doesn't make himself known. He doesn't jump out and say "Here I am." He isn't a camera hound. He isn't looking for the nearest microphone like politicians do. He's content to do it all behind the scenes. He's satisfied to be the stove knob he turns up, while humanity is the hot water boiling the frog; anyone who and anything that stands against him. He's called a deceiver for a very good reason -
Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives to the death.
Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down among you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time.
Is Taylor Swift deceived? Apparently so. Her fans? Apparently so. I hope Taylor Swift wakes up. She has been dragged into something way above her paygrade. Being a billionaire is not only not a guarantee you can insulate yourself in safety. It's a well-known way to get yourself hung on hooks you had no idea existed with such razor sharp damage. It's called - Babylon. Confusion. Masked deception. God calls us out of it, for our own good and safety.
So there is the final battle. The world will shout "Peace and Safety" in its final rebellion against God and His law. Christ, the Prince of peace, the only Ark of safety, is shouting to come out of Babylon, out of confusion, out of deception, out of lies into His way, His truth and His life. It's a battle for minds.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
wltreport.com/2024/04/22/taylor-swifts-lyrics-explicit-demonic-blasphemous/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=taylor-swifts-lyrics-explicit-demonic-blasphemous
I will admit that some of the evidence in the article seems pretty convincing. Things could be taken out of context. Not ever at one of her shows or listening to her music, why she'd be chanting Revelation 13, about the Beast, with the imagery happening on stage... needs some better context but, the stuff about witches and obviously the "friend" of hers looking at the big screen, seeing herself and giving the world the signs of the horns, making sure everyone notices her upside down cross she's wearing... not the stuff average fans of football get into at games. Admittedly, Swift looked like she was in a chugging contest of some kind.
My question is, why is this so important? All kinds of bands get into this kind of thing: the occult and all. That is especially the case in the Heavy Metal genre. It's a main reason why I set out to rerecord the LEGEND album. Since 2006, when I found out 'From the Fjords' gained the status it has; seeing the album and the band linked to some of the darkest music being produced today - which is lightyears from our intentions when we composed, performed and recorded the album - prompted me to try and make that erroneous nature placed upon it all by those parking it all in that category, evaporate some. New lyrics; decidedly biblical in nature, and placing those themes to the same music, rerecorded with a 21st century technological base, would hopefully go a long way to letting the dark side know I was not into that stuff as an atheist, when I wrote the original lyrics and melodies, nor were Kevin and Fred or people we hung out with. I have no idea how the new recording will be received. No doubt some will instantly pan it. I expect that. They want their dark side. So be it. Others will hardly notice. Others will find it curious. Others will like it. The ratio is what is the unknown.
But, that's another matter, really. That's personal. Taylor Swift is not personal for me. What Taylor Swift is (if you do not know), is THE most recognizable name on planet Earth. More people know her name than any other person in the current culture. Seriously. Over half of U.S. adults claim to be fans. If you thought the largest portion of her fans were preteens, as I thought, you are mistaken. Plenty of them are but, she holds an audience of all ages. That makes her rather unique and extremely influential.
www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2023/03/14/more-than-half-of-us-adults-say-theyre-taylor-swift-fans-survey-finds/?sh=4b5d629e6877
I have been told the same for certain Heavy Metal bands from the 80s. Their concerts are a "family affair." Children, parents, grandparents make up the audiences at concerts. These are bands with decided messages from the dark side and they make no apologies for it.
Taylor Swift is on another level, though. She began as this discovery of Country music energy, began to get rowdy, decided to go totally pop music, and is where she's at with hard work and constant recording and touring, now getting into things her audience seems to not notice - the witchcraft stuff. To them, it's just "art." It's just entertainment. It's just Taylor doing her thing.
So, if Taylor Swift is quoting Scripture (she does claim to be a Christian), at her concerts, about the Beast; if she peppers her lyrics and concerts with concepts about witchcraft, has anti-Christian opinions and friends, and an obvious Left-leaning view of culture in her life and music (now standing against Donald Trump, wishing she did it all earlier), and is a billionaire doing it all, what does that say about the world of Taylor Swift? It obviously says the world is under a deception, including her, biblically speaking.
You cannot serve God and money - Luke 16:13.
You cannot link with unbelievers and serve God - 2Cor. 6:14-18.
You cannot be a friend of the world and serve God - James 4:4.
You cannot serve self-interest and serve Christ and here I'll place three Gospel passages -
Matt 16:23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Mark 8:33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
Luke 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
The first two deal with a circumstance surrounding Peter and his confused attempt to thwart Christ from His mission. Mark adds a detail: underlined. The third is Christ dealing with His 40-day fast in the wilderness and being tempted of the Devil. All three portray a distinct principle that cannot be left out of the Christian walk.
The Greek word translated "savour," in the KJV, is "phroneo." Check this out -
Strong's Concordance
G5426
φρονέω
phroneō
fron-eh'-o
From G5424; to exercise the mind, that is, entertain or have a sentiment or opinion; by implication to be (mentally) disposed (more or less earnestly in a certain direction); intensively to interest oneself in (with concern or obedience): - set the affection on, (be) care (-ful), (be like-, + be of one, + be of the same, + let this) mind (-ed, regard, savour, think.
Total KJV occurrences: 29
Thayer Definition:
1) to have understanding, be wise
2) to feel, to think
2a) to have an opinion of one’s self, think of one’s self, to be modest, not let one’s opinion (though just) of himself exceed the bounds of modesty
2b) to think or judge what one’s opinion is
2c) to be of the same mind, i.e. agreed together, cherish the same views, be harmonious
3) to direct one’s mind to a thing, to seek, to strive for
3a) to seek one’s interest or advantage
3b) to be of one’s party, side with him (in public affairs)
Phroneo is where we get our English word, 'phrenology' from: the study of the skull and supposed makeup of the brain inside, and hence, the mind. It is a pseudo-science but, for Peter, it was a serious, negative issue.
Peter was not exercising his mind; thinking about God or His side of the matter. He was not seeking God's interest or advantage. He was not of the same mind as Christ; not striving to complete the mission, etc., etc. He was, in fact, at that moment, working for Satan. Ignorant of his ignorance, Jesus addressed Satan, using Peter. Can you imagine Peter's shock when Christ turned His back on him and called him Satan? Imagine the shock on the disciple's faces when Christ looked at them, warning them of the same fact, should they stand in the way of the progress of Christ's mission.
For His battle with Lucifer in the wilderness, it was a major matter of worship.
Taylor Swift seems like a sweet woman. I mean that. Every picture you see of her is "picture perfect." I know literally nothing of her music and very little of her life. I heard one song, one day and have heard snippets of others used in news stories about her Left-leaning political/cultural views. Nothing very impressive to me and wondered why she is so popular but, fans claim her music is quite engaging. Psychologists are now chiming in on why fans can't seem to remember what took place at her latest concerts. They literally walk out the doors and cannot remember everything they just watched. The psyches claim it's a type of mass hysteria. People are so enthralled, so drawn into something and moved, it overwhelms their minds with information. Fans are rabid about her. If it isn't worship - bowing down to someone - it is obviously as close as one can get. Detractors claim she is hypnotizing audiences, using some kind of "spell" upon them. All that sweetness is just a cover for something very nefarious.
If you are old enough to remember when the Beatles debarked from an airplane, on a Sunday, and hundreds of fans were there, waiting; and John Lennon said they must be more popular than God, it shook the world. It launched the Monkees into stardom, as offended people looked for a replacement for their adoration of the Beatles, and really showed the world what kind of impact music and the culture of it has on a populace. One quip from Lennon and the Christian world took offense. That was almost 60 years ago. Today, Taylor Swift, writing lyrics and making statements that, at one time would have alarmed and offended most Americans, finds herself defended by most Americans, including professed Christians; which is causing alarm in the churches.
I'm sure Swift feels a tremendous responsibility towards her fans, and has her own "stuff" to deal with in life, as we all do, and be sure, her money cannot save her from it. If anything, fame and fortune adds to the stress. It's all a potential deception and warped reality. Everything she says or does is magnified. Still, it all shows that Americans are more concerned about an entertainer than how their lives are being corralled into more and more loss of freedoms and liberty from both government and the culture. Reality is often held at arm's length for entertainment's sake.
Taylor Swift is a sinner like the rest of us. Her talent, such as people see it, cannot gain her anything before God. Her money cannot buy her way into Heaven. Her popularity has no bearing on her salvation. To the contrary, her influence can be a detriment to her salvation. Of whom much is given, much is expected, Luke 12:42-48.
You see, if Christ said following Him and truth is freedom - "free indeed" - John 8:36, then we have an obvious clash. Taylor Swift claims to be a Christian. She does not portray that in her lyrical content or live performances. Christians notice and comment. Fans attack the commentators. Entertainment news and even political news, pick up on it all because Taylor Swift is so well known and loved; while the world draws ever closer to World War 3... you know something is wrong. Something is terribly imbalanced. Something is happening from some source to dull the minds of millions. Satan? Surely. That is the main source of all and everything that is a lie and concocted to deceive but, he doesn't make himself known. He doesn't jump out and say "Here I am." He isn't a camera hound. He isn't looking for the nearest microphone like politicians do. He's content to do it all behind the scenes. He's satisfied to be the stove knob he turns up, while humanity is the hot water boiling the frog; anyone who and anything that stands against him. He's called a deceiver for a very good reason -
Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives to the death.
Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down among you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time.
Is Taylor Swift deceived? Apparently so. Her fans? Apparently so. I hope Taylor Swift wakes up. She has been dragged into something way above her paygrade. Being a billionaire is not only not a guarantee you can insulate yourself in safety. It's a well-known way to get yourself hung on hooks you had no idea existed with such razor sharp damage. It's called - Babylon. Confusion. Masked deception. God calls us out of it, for our own good and safety.
So there is the final battle. The world will shout "Peace and Safety" in its final rebellion against God and His law. Christ, the Prince of peace, the only Ark of safety, is shouting to come out of Babylon, out of confusion, out of deception, out of lies into His way, His truth and His life. It's a battle for minds.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
The Final Nail in America's Coffin?
Believe it or not, I remember my first exposure to Ron Paul. It was 1986. I was building my house in Maine. It was late Autumn/early Winter, snow was on the ground, it was freezing in the house. Matter of fact, I was trying to tape the seams on the drywall and the taping compound was freezing on the walls as I applied it. Had to stop everything and go find a wood stove. Finding the stove was a lot easier than finding dry firewood.
Anyway, in the midst of cruel frustrations that almost caused a breakdown for me, I was listening to the radio and an interview with someone named Ron Paul came on. Never heard of him. A former Republican Congressman from Texas, turned Libertarian that year. As I listened, I actually stopped what I was doing and sat on the floor and listened. This was a man with incredible common sense and knowledge of things happening. I always felt, were he taller and had a different voice, he could have been president. He just seemed more like someone's grandfather than leader of the free world. Cosmetics. They mean much more than principles in today's political arena. He ran three times.
Ron Paul remains Doctor "No." A doctor by trade, that was a nickname he got in Congress. He voted 'No' for just about everything because it expanded powers of government and/or was just unconstitutional; beyond the limits the Constitution places upon the Federal government.
He has written a new column at his site, the title of which is the title of this post. What Congress did last week: to send more money to Ukraine; Democrats waving Ukrainian flags when the vote was taken; and worse, the Senate passing a continuance of spying on Americans without warrants, as well as giving the President power to shut down any particular website he feels is a danger to national security; as Republican Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, further removed any doubts people might have he was an absolutely rotten pick for Speaker in the McCarthy debacle... well, suffice to say, my feelings about Washington, D.C. as the most corrupt city on Earth have not changed any.
Paul asks the question about the final nail. He answers his own question. He reproaches everything Congress and Biden are into and yet, feels there is hope because the majority of House GOP members voted against sending more money to Ukraine for a war they cannot possibly win, and more Ukrainians will die for.
Does that give me hope? Not a drop in an ocean. I believe, again, that D.C. is run by agencies that have become dangerous to freedom and liberty. All the alphabet agencies: CIA, FBI, NSA, ATF, DEA, DHS and a bunch of others; they have become arms of corrupt government to turn America into a police state. Worse, they control Washington. They do so by holding politicians hostage to their past: sins held over their heads. Do what they ask or release of secrets, harm to family, whatever anvil held over the heads of elected civil servants necessary to get their way and run America as they see fit. There is no other logical answer to what is being done in Washington by Republicans. POTUS has no actual power, nor does Congress or the courts. Political party does not matter; though the Democrat Party aligns more with the desires of Deep State. The intelligence wing of the Federal government runs the nation. Black budgets, secrets piled on top of secrets.
That being the case, no, I see one and only one answer for America: the necessity for God to step in and right the ship before it crashes. I no longer believe America has the belief or will or desire for that to happen. America, like all empires before it, is going to crash and burn. The Deep State agencies will not be able to stop it.
Would that Ron Paul were correct. I don't believe he is. There is no hope to be found in the decisions made by elected civil servants in Washington, D.C.
ronpaulinstitute.org/final-nail-in-americas-coffin/
Anyway, in the midst of cruel frustrations that almost caused a breakdown for me, I was listening to the radio and an interview with someone named Ron Paul came on. Never heard of him. A former Republican Congressman from Texas, turned Libertarian that year. As I listened, I actually stopped what I was doing and sat on the floor and listened. This was a man with incredible common sense and knowledge of things happening. I always felt, were he taller and had a different voice, he could have been president. He just seemed more like someone's grandfather than leader of the free world. Cosmetics. They mean much more than principles in today's political arena. He ran three times.
Ron Paul remains Doctor "No." A doctor by trade, that was a nickname he got in Congress. He voted 'No' for just about everything because it expanded powers of government and/or was just unconstitutional; beyond the limits the Constitution places upon the Federal government.
He has written a new column at his site, the title of which is the title of this post. What Congress did last week: to send more money to Ukraine; Democrats waving Ukrainian flags when the vote was taken; and worse, the Senate passing a continuance of spying on Americans without warrants, as well as giving the President power to shut down any particular website he feels is a danger to national security; as Republican Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, further removed any doubts people might have he was an absolutely rotten pick for Speaker in the McCarthy debacle... well, suffice to say, my feelings about Washington, D.C. as the most corrupt city on Earth have not changed any.
Paul asks the question about the final nail. He answers his own question. He reproaches everything Congress and Biden are into and yet, feels there is hope because the majority of House GOP members voted against sending more money to Ukraine for a war they cannot possibly win, and more Ukrainians will die for.
Does that give me hope? Not a drop in an ocean. I believe, again, that D.C. is run by agencies that have become dangerous to freedom and liberty. All the alphabet agencies: CIA, FBI, NSA, ATF, DEA, DHS and a bunch of others; they have become arms of corrupt government to turn America into a police state. Worse, they control Washington. They do so by holding politicians hostage to their past: sins held over their heads. Do what they ask or release of secrets, harm to family, whatever anvil held over the heads of elected civil servants necessary to get their way and run America as they see fit. There is no other logical answer to what is being done in Washington by Republicans. POTUS has no actual power, nor does Congress or the courts. Political party does not matter; though the Democrat Party aligns more with the desires of Deep State. The intelligence wing of the Federal government runs the nation. Black budgets, secrets piled on top of secrets.
That being the case, no, I see one and only one answer for America: the necessity for God to step in and right the ship before it crashes. I no longer believe America has the belief or will or desire for that to happen. America, like all empires before it, is going to crash and burn. The Deep State agencies will not be able to stop it.
Would that Ron Paul were correct. I don't believe he is. There is no hope to be found in the decisions made by elected civil servants in Washington, D.C.
ronpaulinstitute.org/final-nail-in-americas-coffin/
*****************************
955.The Food Conspiracy -
4/24/24
Sometimes, when people find out I am a vegetarian, mostly vegan all the time, for the last 45 years, that only drinks water 99% of the time, they look at me like I'm crazy. Others will openly admit I'm probably doing what is the most healthy thing people can do, and even admire these choices I have made, along with many millions of other people, from all walks of life.
I eat and drink as I do simply because of the Genesis diet, which is a plant-based diet. It is a diet that shall exist in Heaven and throughout eternity; eating from the tree of life, which produces a different fruit every month, Rev. 22:2. A phenomenally designed form of life the Creator has in store for the redeemed.
I also know what the other end of the Bible, Revelation, says about "pharma-sorcery" - a direct indictment of today's modern sorcerers - drug makers. I don't even use aspirin. I rarely get a headache but, should I, I will not put a pharmaceutical in my body. It's just that simple. There are no wonder drugs. Just watch drug commercials and listen carefully as the adverse reactions are named. DEATH is OFTEN one of them but, so few notice because the commercial contains music and scenes of life that just mask it all; even though these possible reactions are stated plainly.
I have techniques I use to end a headache. Works pretty well. Quite simple. Something I learned many decades ago. Close your eyes and think of the color, the sound and the shape of the headache. As I think of those things, the headache dissipates. For those headaches people get that seem like a sledge hammer hitting them over and over, believe it or not, many find relief just drinking some cherry juice. Other types of plants; herbs and such, can be used to deal with other simple or more complex ailments.
The thing is; what people eat and drink - manufactured foods and drinks - are causing ailments and serious illness and even death. How and why? By design. Here I inject the writings of a 19th century woman, which many believe had the biblical gift of prophecy, Rom. 12:6; 1Cor. 12:10; Eph. 4:11. She had dreams and visions beginning around age 12 and during her long life she produced all kinds of books on many different subjects including health; of which I have availed myself.
Many do not know, one of the "fathers" of natural health, Jethro Kloss, in his renowned book, Back to Eden, which has sold millions of copies since its debut in 1939, wrote this in the opening chapter -
"I had tried every remedy known to the medical profession, but none of my doctors gave me one ray of hope. I had no thought of ever getting well again. I had made my will and was not looking for any further help from the medical profession. It was while in this condition that I came across some books written by Mrs. E. G. White, who, though not a physician, was a great medical missionary. In those books I found statements like these: "Nine out of every ten could get well if they would use simple God-given means." "Do not eat food robbed of its life-giving elements." "Do not eat food that makes you sick." This was an entirely new line of thought to me. Up to that time I had never heard such things mentioned.
"These were the first things that began to open my eyes and they gave me encouragement that there might be hope for me. This brought back to my mind that while at home in my youth, we never needed a doctor. For food we depended on the nuts of the forest, the fruits of the orchard, and the grains of the field. For medicine we used the herbs of the fields and gardens, teas made from the inside barks of certain trees and shrubs, and the health-giving, cooling juices of wild and cultivated fruits that grew in abundance all around us. Our herbs we gathered and dried in the summertime, and saved to have on hand in case of sickness, either for ourselves or our neighbors. Well do I remember how I gathered herbs, barks, and blossoms. I recalled many times when my parents were called to a neighbor's home after someone there had been given up to die. They, with their herbs, fruit juices, and vegetable broths, helped the sick one back to health again.
"One time smallpox broke out in a community a little distance from us. Our whole family was exposed before we knew it; and though we did not have a doctor, we recovered by means of these simple herbs, water, and plain foods. There were also other nearby families who used only the herbs and not one of them died.
"In those pioneer days, doctors were scarce in that northern country. The people depended upon each other and upon simple means of treatment, for they had a practical knowledge of its effectiveness, gained from experience.
"All these things came vividly to my mind at this time when I was in such hopeless physical and mental condition. I began to search further in those books written by Mrs. E. G. White and I found many useful things. It was not long until my health began to improve, and by the continued use of these simple God-given remedies, it improved until I was a well man." Jethro Kloss, Back to Eden, pg.4,5.
Dozens and dozens of men and women have been involved in the promotion of naturopathic health for the last couple centuries and truly, for many centuries. Beyond that, nature, God's creation, has provided means of fighting injury and disease known by people from all over the Earth for ages. Why is so much of it largely unknown today? Collusion between pharmaceutical companies and government. The ugly head of corruption is never far away from what ails humanity.
Young Ellen Harmon was raised Methodist and became a Sabbath keeper, ultimately marrying another Methodist, a minister, James White. In her ministry, writing on so many different subjects, the use of drugs to treat disease was a major element of warning from her, from the Lord.
Yes, she was controversial in her day and remains so. Like Jethro Kloss, I have benefitted from things she has written, including her books covering Bible prophecy and last-day events. But, that is really another subject.
The reason for this post is beyond the nature of healthful living through natural means. We are now living in a time when agents of evil, literally, are doing all they can to whittle down the human population to weakened conditions which make them easier to control. Yes, it is a conspiracy but, it is not a theory. These agents of control - total, global control - have written their projections and plans and they can be found in books they have published and reports made from their conventions and gatherings. Alex Jones has covered these sources of information for decades. I have said before, his style of reporting is often too over-the-top for me but, his information is rarely inaccurate.
Humanity, especially in the West and especially in America, is being exposed to things in the food supply, especially manufactured foods, that is designed to weaken it's consumers and even bring about death. At one time, in America, such a revelation and warning would have produced a major blowback against such a plan and those who put it together. Today, after generations of consuming things put in the food supply, people just say, "Oh well, we all have to die of something," or they chant "Conspiracy theory!" and go on eating and drinking as though it does not matter what they put into they body, thereby their blood and thereby their brain and all organs and cells in the body. It matters.
The Covid 'Plandemic' has taught the world much about these control freaks and the ends they will go to. Billions have awakened to a new day of understanding the forces we face that mean us harm. Yet, day to day, they remain consumers of products containing chemicals and additives designed, DESIGNED to harm those who ingest them. Over time, breakdown of the human system, before its time, results.
Just take a look at this Jones video, made years ago, and see for yourself.
www.infowars.com/posts/eating-junk-foods-as-a-kid-can-cause-memory-impairment-as-a-adult-study/
The article is one thing but, the video covers a larger spectrum of danger placed upon those who consume everyday products lining the grocery stores throughout the land.
I make this a priority because it is not just about health. It is about Bible prophecy and forces bent on controlling the world. There isn't much out there that is not a conspiracy for control.
If you get ahold of a book, just the paperback, by the name of "The Great Controversy," by Ellen White; preferably a 1911 or earlier edition, your eyes will open wide and your jaws drop at the history of what has taken place since the book of Acts down to what is taking place today, to the end of time.
In the meantime, for your own health and the health of your children, READ labels on packages. If you don't know what it is; if you can't even pronounce it - don't consume it. Simple as that. Eat as much organically grown food as possible. Grown whatever you can, yourself. A little patch of ground, even a container garden on a back porch or deck, can produce a lot of food. It isn't hard. The children have fun watching things grow, and will eat things like candy that they can pick themselves.
God help us, my friends. May God help us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
************************************************************
And just to back up the above, I just came across an article -
usawatchdog.com/un-plans-tyrannical-future-for-you-alex-newman/
"Award-winning journalist Alex Newman, author of the popular book “Deep State” and the new best-selling book called “Indoctrinating Our Children to Death,” says the UN’s quest for total tyrannical control of your life is coming sooner than you could imagine. Newman explains, “The bigger story here that people are not paying attention to is the UN is coming together in September . . . and they are having ‘The Summit of the Future.’ They are telling us they are going to bring out radical drastic reforms in the structure of the UN . . . and the power of the UN. Think of it as the biggest power grab ever at the global level. The Secretary General of the UN (António Guterres) has put out briefs where he is calling for the UN to be the one world global dictatorship with him at the helm. In emergencies, the UN would have all power in emergencies and have all power to oversee emergency response. . . . They say the crisis could be a climate crisis, an economic crisis, environmental crisis, pandemic crisis, black swan crisis or maybe something from outer space. So, basically, anything could be a crisis, and when the Secretary General declares a crisis, all power and authority would go to the UN. This is like a blank check on the wealth and liberty on every person on the planet, and this is coming soon. It is imminent. This is coming in September at the UN, and it is a power grab of historic proportions. They know their time is short, and they are going for the big enchilada here. This is really a summit for a tyrannical future. . . . They want control of every aspect of your life.”
No joke, people. No conspiracy "theory." Conspiracy planning. Conspiracy execution of plans. Conspiracy control.
I eat and drink as I do simply because of the Genesis diet, which is a plant-based diet. It is a diet that shall exist in Heaven and throughout eternity; eating from the tree of life, which produces a different fruit every month, Rev. 22:2. A phenomenally designed form of life the Creator has in store for the redeemed.
I also know what the other end of the Bible, Revelation, says about "pharma-sorcery" - a direct indictment of today's modern sorcerers - drug makers. I don't even use aspirin. I rarely get a headache but, should I, I will not put a pharmaceutical in my body. It's just that simple. There are no wonder drugs. Just watch drug commercials and listen carefully as the adverse reactions are named. DEATH is OFTEN one of them but, so few notice because the commercial contains music and scenes of life that just mask it all; even though these possible reactions are stated plainly.
I have techniques I use to end a headache. Works pretty well. Quite simple. Something I learned many decades ago. Close your eyes and think of the color, the sound and the shape of the headache. As I think of those things, the headache dissipates. For those headaches people get that seem like a sledge hammer hitting them over and over, believe it or not, many find relief just drinking some cherry juice. Other types of plants; herbs and such, can be used to deal with other simple or more complex ailments.
The thing is; what people eat and drink - manufactured foods and drinks - are causing ailments and serious illness and even death. How and why? By design. Here I inject the writings of a 19th century woman, which many believe had the biblical gift of prophecy, Rom. 12:6; 1Cor. 12:10; Eph. 4:11. She had dreams and visions beginning around age 12 and during her long life she produced all kinds of books on many different subjects including health; of which I have availed myself.
Many do not know, one of the "fathers" of natural health, Jethro Kloss, in his renowned book, Back to Eden, which has sold millions of copies since its debut in 1939, wrote this in the opening chapter -
"I had tried every remedy known to the medical profession, but none of my doctors gave me one ray of hope. I had no thought of ever getting well again. I had made my will and was not looking for any further help from the medical profession. It was while in this condition that I came across some books written by Mrs. E. G. White, who, though not a physician, was a great medical missionary. In those books I found statements like these: "Nine out of every ten could get well if they would use simple God-given means." "Do not eat food robbed of its life-giving elements." "Do not eat food that makes you sick." This was an entirely new line of thought to me. Up to that time I had never heard such things mentioned.
"These were the first things that began to open my eyes and they gave me encouragement that there might be hope for me. This brought back to my mind that while at home in my youth, we never needed a doctor. For food we depended on the nuts of the forest, the fruits of the orchard, and the grains of the field. For medicine we used the herbs of the fields and gardens, teas made from the inside barks of certain trees and shrubs, and the health-giving, cooling juices of wild and cultivated fruits that grew in abundance all around us. Our herbs we gathered and dried in the summertime, and saved to have on hand in case of sickness, either for ourselves or our neighbors. Well do I remember how I gathered herbs, barks, and blossoms. I recalled many times when my parents were called to a neighbor's home after someone there had been given up to die. They, with their herbs, fruit juices, and vegetable broths, helped the sick one back to health again.
"One time smallpox broke out in a community a little distance from us. Our whole family was exposed before we knew it; and though we did not have a doctor, we recovered by means of these simple herbs, water, and plain foods. There were also other nearby families who used only the herbs and not one of them died.
"In those pioneer days, doctors were scarce in that northern country. The people depended upon each other and upon simple means of treatment, for they had a practical knowledge of its effectiveness, gained from experience.
"All these things came vividly to my mind at this time when I was in such hopeless physical and mental condition. I began to search further in those books written by Mrs. E. G. White and I found many useful things. It was not long until my health began to improve, and by the continued use of these simple God-given remedies, it improved until I was a well man." Jethro Kloss, Back to Eden, pg.4,5.
Dozens and dozens of men and women have been involved in the promotion of naturopathic health for the last couple centuries and truly, for many centuries. Beyond that, nature, God's creation, has provided means of fighting injury and disease known by people from all over the Earth for ages. Why is so much of it largely unknown today? Collusion between pharmaceutical companies and government. The ugly head of corruption is never far away from what ails humanity.
Young Ellen Harmon was raised Methodist and became a Sabbath keeper, ultimately marrying another Methodist, a minister, James White. In her ministry, writing on so many different subjects, the use of drugs to treat disease was a major element of warning from her, from the Lord.
Yes, she was controversial in her day and remains so. Like Jethro Kloss, I have benefitted from things she has written, including her books covering Bible prophecy and last-day events. But, that is really another subject.
The reason for this post is beyond the nature of healthful living through natural means. We are now living in a time when agents of evil, literally, are doing all they can to whittle down the human population to weakened conditions which make them easier to control. Yes, it is a conspiracy but, it is not a theory. These agents of control - total, global control - have written their projections and plans and they can be found in books they have published and reports made from their conventions and gatherings. Alex Jones has covered these sources of information for decades. I have said before, his style of reporting is often too over-the-top for me but, his information is rarely inaccurate.
Humanity, especially in the West and especially in America, is being exposed to things in the food supply, especially manufactured foods, that is designed to weaken it's consumers and even bring about death. At one time, in America, such a revelation and warning would have produced a major blowback against such a plan and those who put it together. Today, after generations of consuming things put in the food supply, people just say, "Oh well, we all have to die of something," or they chant "Conspiracy theory!" and go on eating and drinking as though it does not matter what they put into they body, thereby their blood and thereby their brain and all organs and cells in the body. It matters.
The Covid 'Plandemic' has taught the world much about these control freaks and the ends they will go to. Billions have awakened to a new day of understanding the forces we face that mean us harm. Yet, day to day, they remain consumers of products containing chemicals and additives designed, DESIGNED to harm those who ingest them. Over time, breakdown of the human system, before its time, results.
Just take a look at this Jones video, made years ago, and see for yourself.
www.infowars.com/posts/eating-junk-foods-as-a-kid-can-cause-memory-impairment-as-a-adult-study/
The article is one thing but, the video covers a larger spectrum of danger placed upon those who consume everyday products lining the grocery stores throughout the land.
I make this a priority because it is not just about health. It is about Bible prophecy and forces bent on controlling the world. There isn't much out there that is not a conspiracy for control.
If you get ahold of a book, just the paperback, by the name of "The Great Controversy," by Ellen White; preferably a 1911 or earlier edition, your eyes will open wide and your jaws drop at the history of what has taken place since the book of Acts down to what is taking place today, to the end of time.
In the meantime, for your own health and the health of your children, READ labels on packages. If you don't know what it is; if you can't even pronounce it - don't consume it. Simple as that. Eat as much organically grown food as possible. Grown whatever you can, yourself. A little patch of ground, even a container garden on a back porch or deck, can produce a lot of food. It isn't hard. The children have fun watching things grow, and will eat things like candy that they can pick themselves.
God help us, my friends. May God help us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
************************************************************
And just to back up the above, I just came across an article -
usawatchdog.com/un-plans-tyrannical-future-for-you-alex-newman/
"Award-winning journalist Alex Newman, author of the popular book “Deep State” and the new best-selling book called “Indoctrinating Our Children to Death,” says the UN’s quest for total tyrannical control of your life is coming sooner than you could imagine. Newman explains, “The bigger story here that people are not paying attention to is the UN is coming together in September . . . and they are having ‘The Summit of the Future.’ They are telling us they are going to bring out radical drastic reforms in the structure of the UN . . . and the power of the UN. Think of it as the biggest power grab ever at the global level. The Secretary General of the UN (António Guterres) has put out briefs where he is calling for the UN to be the one world global dictatorship with him at the helm. In emergencies, the UN would have all power in emergencies and have all power to oversee emergency response. . . . They say the crisis could be a climate crisis, an economic crisis, environmental crisis, pandemic crisis, black swan crisis or maybe something from outer space. So, basically, anything could be a crisis, and when the Secretary General declares a crisis, all power and authority would go to the UN. This is like a blank check on the wealth and liberty on every person on the planet, and this is coming soon. It is imminent. This is coming in September at the UN, and it is a power grab of historic proportions. They know their time is short, and they are going for the big enchilada here. This is really a summit for a tyrannical future. . . . They want control of every aspect of your life.”
No joke, people. No conspiracy "theory." Conspiracy planning. Conspiracy execution of plans. Conspiracy control.
*****************************
956. Arrows in the Back - April 25, 2024
Matt 13:57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own house.
A prophet has honor, respect, interest everywhere but in his own country and household; where people know him, or think they know him; therefore, this person is no spokesman for God and knows nothing. That's the basic idea Christ is putting forward. He traveled to Nazareth, where He lived, and was rejected by the people there. "Isn't this the carpenter's son? How can he know such things?"
Our world is run by proclaimed "experts." The religion of "expertism." I have posted on this before, especially during the Covid situation. Unless you have a degree in something, or have written some books, or made a name for yourself in some way; regardless of your information you share or what talents you have, or length of time you have spent doing something, you are not considered of sufficient knowledge or experience to comment. The "experts" have it covered. Trust the experts. For me, trust the experts when they jive with the hard truth that exposes evil. Ah but, what is evil? What is truth?
I reject such an insult of "expertism" to what God has given all of us to form ideas and opinions and beliefs - a mind. Now, if you waste your mind; if you do not exercise your frontal lobes, such an assessment of having little to nothing to say may be warranted. Still, people with no education or experience in some things have more common sense than a dozen PhDs put together. It's foolish to write off the thoughts of anyone who shows they have thought a matter out. People can read. People can assess information.
"Again you came to a conclusion that I had when I purchased my PDP Concept Classic with all wood hoops. They resonate till tomorrow. I always get compliments on my drum sound. You indeed, have the right concepts. You know what they say about the pioneers...you can tell who they are because they were the ones that have the arrows sticking out of the their backs... "
That's a recent comment from someone watching one of my videos on hype in the drum manufacturing industry about proprietary drum shells. That last line caused me to laugh out loud. Meaning no offense to Native Americans; you can take that scenario and apply it to any civilization or people group in history. Those who take a stand against a commonly understood premise become targets. Bullseye on the back. Story of my life, literally. Those who know me, know what I'm talking about.
So, why does this happen?
Matt 26:3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
Matt 26:4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.
Matt 26:5 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
Mar 10:32 And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him,
Mar 10:33 Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles:
Mar 10:34 And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.
Luke 22:2 And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people.
John 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
All four Gospels address this issue. The leaders hated this new teacher. His ideas seemed radical and even repulsive. They considered Him a Sabbath breaker and a blasphemer. In truth, He was neither. The opposite. He made the world and Sabbath and was equal with God, for He is Divine, Deity, God in human flesh. Yet, "the people heard Him gladly," and the leaders knew this was no mere man walking around. They would have had Him killed any number of times but, they feared the response of the people. And ultimately, even those who heard Him gladly, turned on Him. "He came into His own and His own received Him not."
Christ represented a threat. A threat to the established order and authority of church leaders; a threat to their man-made traditions; a threat to the financial system established in the religious system; just an influence they could not have around to upset the applecart. They openly attacked Him and He embarrassed them and their ignorance of facts. They could have humbled themselves. They should have accepted His ideas because they knew He was right. They chose to conspire to kill Him.
It really doesn't matter what the subject matter. The pioneers, those who take a stand against established and accepted positions; in religion, science, medicine, business, you name it, are the ones with the arrows in their backs. This does not just apply to those who take public stands in any given arena. For believers, it applies to all of us -
2Tim 3:12 Yes, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
All, everyone living a godly life shall suffer persecution. The Greek word for persecution, "dioko" means to flee, being pursued. To be harassed, to be chased away, to run from harm coming.
All those who live godly lives; who establish such ideas by living them out; who tell the truth, who live by heavenly principles, rather than worldly policy, shall become targets. Why?
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
John 3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
John 3:20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
John 3:21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Evil. When most people think "evil" they think the worst possible things humans can do to each other or to the world around them but, I want you to ponder the wider scope of the Greek term and what it can mean -
Strong's Concordance -
G4190
πονηρός
ponēros
pon-ay-ros'
From a derivative of G4192; hurtful, that is, evil (properly in effect or influence, and thus differing from G2556, which refers rather to essential character, as well as from G4550, which indicates degeneracy from original virtue); figuratively calamitous; also (passively) ill, that is, diseased; but especially (morally) culpable, that is, derelict, vicious, facinorous; neuter (singular) mischief, malice, or (plural) guilt; masculine (singular) the devil, or (plural) sinners: - bad, evil, grievous, harm, lewd, malicious, wicked (-ness). See also G4191.
Total KJV occurrences: 76
I hi-lited the extensive nature of the word. Broad, is it not? It is not just something so wicked it chills the bones. No. It is just hurtful. It is evil to be purposefully hurtful to someone. To effect or influence hurt toward someone is evil; to be culpable - morally or legally responsible, derelict. Just to be sinners is evil. Look at the way it is translated: bad, evil, grievous, harm, lewd, malicious, wicked and wickedness. G4191 is "poneroteros" - "more wicked." I had to look up 'facinorous.' Never saw the word before. It means extremely or atrociously wicked.
When someone comes along and takes a stand against anything hurtful or harmful - doesn't matter who, what, when, where, why or how - the reaction is to, somehow, shut them down; marginalize them; stop their influence. They may threaten anything that is harmful to others; their lives, livelihood, wallets, positions, abusive power and authority, misinformation, disinformation, malinformation; anything they are or use to harm others all become threatened. They who take a stand seek to dispel darkness with light and truth: the arrows shall begin to fly.
This is our present world. In my entire lifetime I have never seen such attempted destruction of people, figuratively and literally, as I see things today. Polarization is rampant. The new term - "lawfare" - is now common. Warfare through lawfare. It's ugly but, those who practice it do not see it.
"The love of many shall grow cold."
I always wondered why Christ said "many," rather than "most." Nine Bibles, all newer translations, out of 62 I found to look at online, do translate the Greek as "most." One translated it, "majority." All the rest state "many."
Perhaps Jesus was just being moderate so as not to shock anyone where things would ultimately go.
As much as people claim to want the truth, not many really have a desire to adhere to it, if it crosses their desires. We have all, generally, been guilty of that somewhere along the line. God is patient. He's merciful. He does not want any to perish but, wants all to come to repentance. Unfortunately, all will not. Many will not. Even most will not.
Isa 60:1 Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
Isa 60:2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon you, and his glory shall be seen upon you.
We will all be in just one of two camps. Not just concerning the end of time but, at all times in life. Those who want truth, no matter what. And those who settle for anything that soothes their hearts and minds from conviction of sin. Right now confusion creates problems. Lots of confusion out there but, sooner or later, God shall take the reigns and drive His chariot of truth across the Earth and the population shall be divided into sheep and goats; the righteous and the unrighteous. It cannot be stopped.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
A prophet has honor, respect, interest everywhere but in his own country and household; where people know him, or think they know him; therefore, this person is no spokesman for God and knows nothing. That's the basic idea Christ is putting forward. He traveled to Nazareth, where He lived, and was rejected by the people there. "Isn't this the carpenter's son? How can he know such things?"
Our world is run by proclaimed "experts." The religion of "expertism." I have posted on this before, especially during the Covid situation. Unless you have a degree in something, or have written some books, or made a name for yourself in some way; regardless of your information you share or what talents you have, or length of time you have spent doing something, you are not considered of sufficient knowledge or experience to comment. The "experts" have it covered. Trust the experts. For me, trust the experts when they jive with the hard truth that exposes evil. Ah but, what is evil? What is truth?
I reject such an insult of "expertism" to what God has given all of us to form ideas and opinions and beliefs - a mind. Now, if you waste your mind; if you do not exercise your frontal lobes, such an assessment of having little to nothing to say may be warranted. Still, people with no education or experience in some things have more common sense than a dozen PhDs put together. It's foolish to write off the thoughts of anyone who shows they have thought a matter out. People can read. People can assess information.
"Again you came to a conclusion that I had when I purchased my PDP Concept Classic with all wood hoops. They resonate till tomorrow. I always get compliments on my drum sound. You indeed, have the right concepts. You know what they say about the pioneers...you can tell who they are because they were the ones that have the arrows sticking out of the their backs... "
That's a recent comment from someone watching one of my videos on hype in the drum manufacturing industry about proprietary drum shells. That last line caused me to laugh out loud. Meaning no offense to Native Americans; you can take that scenario and apply it to any civilization or people group in history. Those who take a stand against a commonly understood premise become targets. Bullseye on the back. Story of my life, literally. Those who know me, know what I'm talking about.
So, why does this happen?
Matt 26:3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
Matt 26:4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.
Matt 26:5 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
Mar 10:32 And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him,
Mar 10:33 Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles:
Mar 10:34 And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.
Luke 22:2 And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people.
John 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
All four Gospels address this issue. The leaders hated this new teacher. His ideas seemed radical and even repulsive. They considered Him a Sabbath breaker and a blasphemer. In truth, He was neither. The opposite. He made the world and Sabbath and was equal with God, for He is Divine, Deity, God in human flesh. Yet, "the people heard Him gladly," and the leaders knew this was no mere man walking around. They would have had Him killed any number of times but, they feared the response of the people. And ultimately, even those who heard Him gladly, turned on Him. "He came into His own and His own received Him not."
Christ represented a threat. A threat to the established order and authority of church leaders; a threat to their man-made traditions; a threat to the financial system established in the religious system; just an influence they could not have around to upset the applecart. They openly attacked Him and He embarrassed them and their ignorance of facts. They could have humbled themselves. They should have accepted His ideas because they knew He was right. They chose to conspire to kill Him.
It really doesn't matter what the subject matter. The pioneers, those who take a stand against established and accepted positions; in religion, science, medicine, business, you name it, are the ones with the arrows in their backs. This does not just apply to those who take public stands in any given arena. For believers, it applies to all of us -
2Tim 3:12 Yes, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
All, everyone living a godly life shall suffer persecution. The Greek word for persecution, "dioko" means to flee, being pursued. To be harassed, to be chased away, to run from harm coming.
All those who live godly lives; who establish such ideas by living them out; who tell the truth, who live by heavenly principles, rather than worldly policy, shall become targets. Why?
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
John 3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
John 3:20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
John 3:21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Evil. When most people think "evil" they think the worst possible things humans can do to each other or to the world around them but, I want you to ponder the wider scope of the Greek term and what it can mean -
Strong's Concordance -
G4190
πονηρός
ponēros
pon-ay-ros'
From a derivative of G4192; hurtful, that is, evil (properly in effect or influence, and thus differing from G2556, which refers rather to essential character, as well as from G4550, which indicates degeneracy from original virtue); figuratively calamitous; also (passively) ill, that is, diseased; but especially (morally) culpable, that is, derelict, vicious, facinorous; neuter (singular) mischief, malice, or (plural) guilt; masculine (singular) the devil, or (plural) sinners: - bad, evil, grievous, harm, lewd, malicious, wicked (-ness). See also G4191.
Total KJV occurrences: 76
I hi-lited the extensive nature of the word. Broad, is it not? It is not just something so wicked it chills the bones. No. It is just hurtful. It is evil to be purposefully hurtful to someone. To effect or influence hurt toward someone is evil; to be culpable - morally or legally responsible, derelict. Just to be sinners is evil. Look at the way it is translated: bad, evil, grievous, harm, lewd, malicious, wicked and wickedness. G4191 is "poneroteros" - "more wicked." I had to look up 'facinorous.' Never saw the word before. It means extremely or atrociously wicked.
When someone comes along and takes a stand against anything hurtful or harmful - doesn't matter who, what, when, where, why or how - the reaction is to, somehow, shut them down; marginalize them; stop their influence. They may threaten anything that is harmful to others; their lives, livelihood, wallets, positions, abusive power and authority, misinformation, disinformation, malinformation; anything they are or use to harm others all become threatened. They who take a stand seek to dispel darkness with light and truth: the arrows shall begin to fly.
This is our present world. In my entire lifetime I have never seen such attempted destruction of people, figuratively and literally, as I see things today. Polarization is rampant. The new term - "lawfare" - is now common. Warfare through lawfare. It's ugly but, those who practice it do not see it.
"The love of many shall grow cold."
I always wondered why Christ said "many," rather than "most." Nine Bibles, all newer translations, out of 62 I found to look at online, do translate the Greek as "most." One translated it, "majority." All the rest state "many."
Perhaps Jesus was just being moderate so as not to shock anyone where things would ultimately go.
As much as people claim to want the truth, not many really have a desire to adhere to it, if it crosses their desires. We have all, generally, been guilty of that somewhere along the line. God is patient. He's merciful. He does not want any to perish but, wants all to come to repentance. Unfortunately, all will not. Many will not. Even most will not.
Isa 60:1 Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
Isa 60:2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon you, and his glory shall be seen upon you.
We will all be in just one of two camps. Not just concerning the end of time but, at all times in life. Those who want truth, no matter what. And those who settle for anything that soothes their hearts and minds from conviction of sin. Right now confusion creates problems. Lots of confusion out there but, sooner or later, God shall take the reigns and drive His chariot of truth across the Earth and the population shall be divided into sheep and goats; the righteous and the unrighteous. It cannot be stopped.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
*****************************
Disturbing Images
Graphic Warning: Disturbing Images. That's a typical warning television news programs or other forms of media announce before showing something that may make some people sick. Consider yourself warned; though I have a feeling you already know about this.
I'm an American. I love my country. I believe in LIFE, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I believe the government is supposed to protect life.
I am a Christian. I love my country above, and as a citizen of that kingdom and nation, as well, I believe the Creator desires life to be considered precious and states principles in His word that stand directly opposed to killing babies in the womb.
I am against abortion. No surprise there.
A Leftist progressive, running for President, Terrisa Bukovinac, is running an ad showing aborted late-term babies. Surprise. She is pro-life. She maintains many on the Left are pro-life.
The video is causing a social earthquake and firestorm, as well it should.
Babies in a womb are human beings; not some kind of expendable tissue to be removed at will by a woman carrying that separate life in her body. It is not her body. It is another body growing inside her body.
Disturbing as the video is, the horror is reality far too often removed from the truth of the subject.
twitter.com/marymargolohan/status/1734333343783628909
I'm an American. I love my country. I believe in LIFE, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I believe the government is supposed to protect life.
I am a Christian. I love my country above, and as a citizen of that kingdom and nation, as well, I believe the Creator desires life to be considered precious and states principles in His word that stand directly opposed to killing babies in the womb.
I am against abortion. No surprise there.
A Leftist progressive, running for President, Terrisa Bukovinac, is running an ad showing aborted late-term babies. Surprise. She is pro-life. She maintains many on the Left are pro-life.
The video is causing a social earthquake and firestorm, as well it should.
Babies in a womb are human beings; not some kind of expendable tissue to be removed at will by a woman carrying that separate life in her body. It is not her body. It is another body growing inside her body.
Disturbing as the video is, the horror is reality far too often removed from the truth of the subject.
twitter.com/marymargolohan/status/1734333343783628909
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957. Why Are Pastors Against Prophecy? April 26, 2024
Given the widespread interest in Bible prophecy today, I found this article pretty off the wall. Not so much the writer's position but, the position of pastors he quotes.
"Disturbing Hostility Toward Bible Prophecy: Why Does The Church Neglect This Profound Evangelism Tool?"
By Tim Moore April 25, 2024
harbingersdaily.com/disturbing-hostility-toward-bible-prophecy-why-does-the-church-neglect-this-profound-evangelism-tool/
"One consistent criticism of Bible prophecy—or at least advocates of the importance of God’s prophetic Word—is that it has little relevance to individual believers, or the core work of the Church. Many pastors express reluctance to preach on prophecy because they have so many other concerns clamoring for their attention, from marriage and family issues to Satan and sin nipping at the heels of their flock.
"Others are openly hostile toward Bible prophecy. Rick Warren, a prominent pastor who leads a huge church and is a best-selling author, characterizes prophecy as a “distraction” and says that anyone who lets himself get involved in distractions like studying prophecy “is not fit for the kingdom of God.” Another well-known advocate of re-envisioned Christianity, Tony Campolo, said, “Rigid Christians who believe in the possibility of Jesus’ soon return are a real problem for the entire world.” Clearly, these men express a hostility toward Bible prophecy that is disturbing."
What do we see here?
Not much relevance to believers or the core work of the church.
Too many other concerns needing attention.
It's a distraction.
Studying prophecy makes a believer unfit for the kingdom of God.
Those who study prophecy are a real problem for the world.
To state those opinions are ignorant, if not heresy, biblically speaking, is obvious for any student of God's Word.
Fully two-thirds of the Bible is prophetic in nature. How can that possibly be irrelevant? How can it not include the core work of the church? How can other needs have priority over information that shall ultimately eclipse every other concern on Earth when the last-days take front and center attention? Over and over Christ said to watch, to pray, to prepare. For me, as an atheist in my young 20's, Bible prophecy was that bridge God used to open my eyes to His reality and bring me into His kingdom. I have been studying prophecy and sharing its importance, both privately and publicly, for 45 years. I have seen its impact on people unaware of its powerful messages and accuracy of fulfillment.
Now, if people hone in on prophecy, picking dates for Christ's return, which come and go; yes, crying wolf is certainly a problem. Sincere believers, for whatever reasons they negate Christ's explicit decree that no one knows the day or the hour except the Father, can cause a lot of problems if they proclaim otherwise.
There is the other aspect that is problematic, that I comment upon regularly: the positions of Roman Catholic, Jesuit priest views and explanations on understanding prophecy: the Counter Reformation. Lucius Alcazar's Preterism - most prophecies were fulfilled in the first century (666 applied to emperor Nero, etc., etc.), and Francisco Ribera, the father of Futurism; pushing everything into the future. In his case, 500 years, considering when he lived and where we are now.
Historicism is the view that everything begins in the time of the prophet and moves forward through time. I hold to it because it makes the most sense in positioning events down through time that pave the way to understand the days we live in and what's coming.
Beyond that, the Bible is a book of prophecy and to denigrate it is to denigrate God, Himself. I mean, we're talking blasphemy here.
Isa 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
God tells mankind to believe in Him because he can tell the end, from the beginning; state from ancient times things not yet done, and preachers have the foolish nerve to state those who study prophecy are trouble makers and not worthy of God's kingdom? Seems to me it's the other way around.
The first prophecy (and promise) in Scripture, God speaking to the serpent, thereby Lucifer -
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity [hatred] between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The Messiah would someday crush the head of the serpent, a death blow. The Messiah would suffer a wound to His heel; a wound not unto death.
From there we have Noah preaching a prophetic message. Abraham received prophetic messages. They proceed throughout the entire Bible, beginning to end. If the only prophecies in the Bible addressed the first coming of the Messiah, that would be enough to study it out and be ready for that event. Because the leaders of the church in Christ's day did not understand the prophecies concerning Him, they considered Him a lawbreaker, a fake, a madman, a blasphemer, and the devil, himself. They worked with the Romans to kill Him and succeeded; so they thought but, the prophecies predicted the Messiah would rise from His tomb. He did, and the Jews blew it, and the New Testament church was born, bypassing the apostasy of the old guard.
Let me share something here. Daniel is amazing enough but, let's look at Revelation just from the viewpoint of the importance and blessing to study prophecy. Leaving off things Christ prophesied in the Gospels and the disciples in their letters; especially warnings of apostasy and false teachers coming in; the opening of the book settles the matter and did so 2000 years ago.
Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, to show to his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John:
Rev 1:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
The Father gave a revelation to Christ, who gave it to the angel that gave it to the apostle John of things which MUST shortly come to pass. John received these visions towards to close of the first century. Look how the book closes -
Rev 22:6 And he [the angel] said to me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show to his servants the things which must shortly be done.
Rev 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
So, 2000 years have passed. Is that quick? It is not. What happened?
Rev 2:1 To the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things says he that holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
Rev 2:2 I know your works, and your labor, and your patience, and how you cannot bear them which are evil: and you have tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and have found them liars:
Rev 2:3 And have borne, and have patience, and for my name's sake have labored, and have not fainted.
Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against you, because you have left your first love.
Rev 2:5 Remember therefore from where you are fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come to you quickly, and will remove your candlestick out of his place, except you repent.
Rev 2:6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Rev 2:7 He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches; To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
The seven churches were actual congregations that existed in John's day. Some had strengths. Some also had weaknesses. They all had struggles. They existed back then and had lessons to teach us today but, for the Historicist, they also represent time periods through the ages of the last 2000 years and the warnings given to them back then, apply, as well, to the church today, especially the last church, Laodicea and its lukewarm, sickening condition.
We are still here because the original church, represented by Ephesus, lost its first love. Focus changed. Infighting. Apostasy. Great changes began to take place. From there, Satan was able to derail the church time and again and gain entrance into it at the heart of the empire, in Rome.
It is incumbent upon believers to study and understand what took place and address it all, as history unfolded. Aside from that, to the issue of relevance and core issues. There are seven blessings in the book. Two of them, the first and sixth you have seen. Again -
Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
If you read the book, just spend time reading it, or just hear someone else reading it, there is a blessing to be had. You cannot keep the things written in the book if you do not expose yourself to it. I'm sorry, not sorry but, does that sound like something that would make you unfit for the kingdom and a troubler of the world? No? Then what could actually studying it bring forth for blessings? If the time is at hand, it is foolishness and a problem NOT to study it. It was written in symbolic language and imagery to keep it safe from Roman destructive hands. The Bible, itself, provides the keys to understanding the symbols and imagery.
Rev 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yes, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.
The second blessing, pronounced on those who have taken part in the proclamation of the three angel's messages. You cannot rest from your labors and have any works follow you if you do not study the messages to understand them and share them with others.
Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Third blessing. Watching, keeping [guarding] their garments [righteousness, character] lest they walk naked and the enemies of God see their shame; their cowardice, backsliding or apostasy. This is given between the sixth and seventh plague. By then, all cases on Earth are decided. Human probation will have closed. Sheep and goats decided. The harvest lies just ahead. Still, Christ shows the serious nature of understanding the issues. When He finishes His work as High Priest in the Heavenly sanctuary, and readies the armies of Heaven to return to rescue His people, there remains no more intercession for sin. Those made righteous; sanctified spirit, soul and body, victors over all sin in their lives, must have that experience or they will not make it through the time of trouble and the seven last plagues. Blessed are they they take this seriously and watch and guard the avenues of the soul. If we do not study the prophecies we cannot understand the issues we all must decide upon and hold firm to. Many who appear to be wheat will show themselves to be tares when the final events take place. They will not guard their experience; their garments, their character, and shall show their spiritual nakedness.
Rev 19:9 And he said to me, Write, Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God.
We cannot imagine that supper, that feast, that meal of victory in Heaven for the redeemed down through the ages. How long will that table be? As far as the eye can see. The overwhelming astonishment and joy, the thrilling happiness surging through every cell of the body; the fragrances, the tastes, the sensory blast upon those invited to that supper will so far surpass any possible earthly experience, there is no way to compare. No way to measure. No way to truly understand but, the angel told John, this is the truth of God. There shall be a uniting of Christ with His church, in the amazing city of God, the adorned city of gold and gemstones and righteousness of Christ and the light of the Father and Son, everywhere within it; meeting people known and unknown, all with a testimony to give; how God saved them.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Needless to say, being part of the first resurrection is that moment in time when the great uniting of the family of God takes place. Priests of God and Christ. Well, the Old Testament priests offered sacrifices. The redeemed shall not. Over and done with at Calvary. The priests were mediators for God; representing God to the people and the people to God. Ah. Here we find the place. Here I have taken my position on the universe being populated and the redeemed shall travel with Christ wherever He goes, and they shall testify to all what they experienced in the battle of life and salvation, to the deep interest of all who shall listen intently to things they cannot truly know. They have not experienced sin. They have just seen the results. The redeemed reign with Christ. Can't reign without those to reign over.
For one thousand years the redeemed shall ask all their questions and receive their answers and travel the universe to tell the "99 sheep" what was experienced. They will peer over the books of record, of angels and mankind and see why those who are not there, shall not see eternal life but, suffer the judgment of the second death. It all takes place on Earth. Blessed are those who experience the first resurrection because the second will be the most gut wrenching event that shall take place on Earth for humanity to experience: the lake of fire and destruction to ashes of the planet; root and branch, Lucifer, his rebel angels and the lost of humanity removed from existence. Peace shall return to the universe. Eternity will roll on and the memory of the lost shall eventually be forgotten.
Rev 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Again, a blessing to keep (tereo - guard) the teachings of the book. How can that take place if believers will not study the book; study all prophecies in the Bible? Those who speak ill of those who study prophecy are an affront to God and His word, His promises and blessings. Will the real troublers of the people, please, stand up?
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
The seventh blessing, stated upon those who do God's commandments. Contrary to those who claim obeying God and keeping His commandments, all ten of them, as He wrote them with His own hand; is salvation by works, God states plainly those who do His commandments have a right to the tree of life and shall enter the city of God through those gigantic pearl gates. It is not just hearing the commandments or believing them. It is doing them; bringing them into the spiritual life and being blessed in them. Indeed, a battle every day but, in Christ it is the victory He lived and died and rose for, to give us that experience who maintain a living connection with Him.
Honestly? Anyone claiming studying the books of prophetic information God has given the world to believe He is God, and there is no other, are going to suffer the wrath of God upon those who lead out in spiritual, prophetic Babylon. They are under a delusion. It was all predicted. It is coming to pass.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
"Disturbing Hostility Toward Bible Prophecy: Why Does The Church Neglect This Profound Evangelism Tool?"
By Tim Moore April 25, 2024
harbingersdaily.com/disturbing-hostility-toward-bible-prophecy-why-does-the-church-neglect-this-profound-evangelism-tool/
"One consistent criticism of Bible prophecy—or at least advocates of the importance of God’s prophetic Word—is that it has little relevance to individual believers, or the core work of the Church. Many pastors express reluctance to preach on prophecy because they have so many other concerns clamoring for their attention, from marriage and family issues to Satan and sin nipping at the heels of their flock.
"Others are openly hostile toward Bible prophecy. Rick Warren, a prominent pastor who leads a huge church and is a best-selling author, characterizes prophecy as a “distraction” and says that anyone who lets himself get involved in distractions like studying prophecy “is not fit for the kingdom of God.” Another well-known advocate of re-envisioned Christianity, Tony Campolo, said, “Rigid Christians who believe in the possibility of Jesus’ soon return are a real problem for the entire world.” Clearly, these men express a hostility toward Bible prophecy that is disturbing."
What do we see here?
Not much relevance to believers or the core work of the church.
Too many other concerns needing attention.
It's a distraction.
Studying prophecy makes a believer unfit for the kingdom of God.
Those who study prophecy are a real problem for the world.
To state those opinions are ignorant, if not heresy, biblically speaking, is obvious for any student of God's Word.
Fully two-thirds of the Bible is prophetic in nature. How can that possibly be irrelevant? How can it not include the core work of the church? How can other needs have priority over information that shall ultimately eclipse every other concern on Earth when the last-days take front and center attention? Over and over Christ said to watch, to pray, to prepare. For me, as an atheist in my young 20's, Bible prophecy was that bridge God used to open my eyes to His reality and bring me into His kingdom. I have been studying prophecy and sharing its importance, both privately and publicly, for 45 years. I have seen its impact on people unaware of its powerful messages and accuracy of fulfillment.
Now, if people hone in on prophecy, picking dates for Christ's return, which come and go; yes, crying wolf is certainly a problem. Sincere believers, for whatever reasons they negate Christ's explicit decree that no one knows the day or the hour except the Father, can cause a lot of problems if they proclaim otherwise.
There is the other aspect that is problematic, that I comment upon regularly: the positions of Roman Catholic, Jesuit priest views and explanations on understanding prophecy: the Counter Reformation. Lucius Alcazar's Preterism - most prophecies were fulfilled in the first century (666 applied to emperor Nero, etc., etc.), and Francisco Ribera, the father of Futurism; pushing everything into the future. In his case, 500 years, considering when he lived and where we are now.
Historicism is the view that everything begins in the time of the prophet and moves forward through time. I hold to it because it makes the most sense in positioning events down through time that pave the way to understand the days we live in and what's coming.
Beyond that, the Bible is a book of prophecy and to denigrate it is to denigrate God, Himself. I mean, we're talking blasphemy here.
Isa 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
God tells mankind to believe in Him because he can tell the end, from the beginning; state from ancient times things not yet done, and preachers have the foolish nerve to state those who study prophecy are trouble makers and not worthy of God's kingdom? Seems to me it's the other way around.
The first prophecy (and promise) in Scripture, God speaking to the serpent, thereby Lucifer -
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity [hatred] between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The Messiah would someday crush the head of the serpent, a death blow. The Messiah would suffer a wound to His heel; a wound not unto death.
From there we have Noah preaching a prophetic message. Abraham received prophetic messages. They proceed throughout the entire Bible, beginning to end. If the only prophecies in the Bible addressed the first coming of the Messiah, that would be enough to study it out and be ready for that event. Because the leaders of the church in Christ's day did not understand the prophecies concerning Him, they considered Him a lawbreaker, a fake, a madman, a blasphemer, and the devil, himself. They worked with the Romans to kill Him and succeeded; so they thought but, the prophecies predicted the Messiah would rise from His tomb. He did, and the Jews blew it, and the New Testament church was born, bypassing the apostasy of the old guard.
Let me share something here. Daniel is amazing enough but, let's look at Revelation just from the viewpoint of the importance and blessing to study prophecy. Leaving off things Christ prophesied in the Gospels and the disciples in their letters; especially warnings of apostasy and false teachers coming in; the opening of the book settles the matter and did so 2000 years ago.
Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, to show to his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John:
Rev 1:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
The Father gave a revelation to Christ, who gave it to the angel that gave it to the apostle John of things which MUST shortly come to pass. John received these visions towards to close of the first century. Look how the book closes -
Rev 22:6 And he [the angel] said to me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show to his servants the things which must shortly be done.
Rev 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
So, 2000 years have passed. Is that quick? It is not. What happened?
Rev 2:1 To the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things says he that holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
Rev 2:2 I know your works, and your labor, and your patience, and how you cannot bear them which are evil: and you have tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and have found them liars:
Rev 2:3 And have borne, and have patience, and for my name's sake have labored, and have not fainted.
Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against you, because you have left your first love.
Rev 2:5 Remember therefore from where you are fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come to you quickly, and will remove your candlestick out of his place, except you repent.
Rev 2:6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Rev 2:7 He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches; To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
The seven churches were actual congregations that existed in John's day. Some had strengths. Some also had weaknesses. They all had struggles. They existed back then and had lessons to teach us today but, for the Historicist, they also represent time periods through the ages of the last 2000 years and the warnings given to them back then, apply, as well, to the church today, especially the last church, Laodicea and its lukewarm, sickening condition.
We are still here because the original church, represented by Ephesus, lost its first love. Focus changed. Infighting. Apostasy. Great changes began to take place. From there, Satan was able to derail the church time and again and gain entrance into it at the heart of the empire, in Rome.
It is incumbent upon believers to study and understand what took place and address it all, as history unfolded. Aside from that, to the issue of relevance and core issues. There are seven blessings in the book. Two of them, the first and sixth you have seen. Again -
Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
If you read the book, just spend time reading it, or just hear someone else reading it, there is a blessing to be had. You cannot keep the things written in the book if you do not expose yourself to it. I'm sorry, not sorry but, does that sound like something that would make you unfit for the kingdom and a troubler of the world? No? Then what could actually studying it bring forth for blessings? If the time is at hand, it is foolishness and a problem NOT to study it. It was written in symbolic language and imagery to keep it safe from Roman destructive hands. The Bible, itself, provides the keys to understanding the symbols and imagery.
Rev 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yes, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.
The second blessing, pronounced on those who have taken part in the proclamation of the three angel's messages. You cannot rest from your labors and have any works follow you if you do not study the messages to understand them and share them with others.
Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Third blessing. Watching, keeping [guarding] their garments [righteousness, character] lest they walk naked and the enemies of God see their shame; their cowardice, backsliding or apostasy. This is given between the sixth and seventh plague. By then, all cases on Earth are decided. Human probation will have closed. Sheep and goats decided. The harvest lies just ahead. Still, Christ shows the serious nature of understanding the issues. When He finishes His work as High Priest in the Heavenly sanctuary, and readies the armies of Heaven to return to rescue His people, there remains no more intercession for sin. Those made righteous; sanctified spirit, soul and body, victors over all sin in their lives, must have that experience or they will not make it through the time of trouble and the seven last plagues. Blessed are they they take this seriously and watch and guard the avenues of the soul. If we do not study the prophecies we cannot understand the issues we all must decide upon and hold firm to. Many who appear to be wheat will show themselves to be tares when the final events take place. They will not guard their experience; their garments, their character, and shall show their spiritual nakedness.
Rev 19:9 And he said to me, Write, Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God.
We cannot imagine that supper, that feast, that meal of victory in Heaven for the redeemed down through the ages. How long will that table be? As far as the eye can see. The overwhelming astonishment and joy, the thrilling happiness surging through every cell of the body; the fragrances, the tastes, the sensory blast upon those invited to that supper will so far surpass any possible earthly experience, there is no way to compare. No way to measure. No way to truly understand but, the angel told John, this is the truth of God. There shall be a uniting of Christ with His church, in the amazing city of God, the adorned city of gold and gemstones and righteousness of Christ and the light of the Father and Son, everywhere within it; meeting people known and unknown, all with a testimony to give; how God saved them.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Needless to say, being part of the first resurrection is that moment in time when the great uniting of the family of God takes place. Priests of God and Christ. Well, the Old Testament priests offered sacrifices. The redeemed shall not. Over and done with at Calvary. The priests were mediators for God; representing God to the people and the people to God. Ah. Here we find the place. Here I have taken my position on the universe being populated and the redeemed shall travel with Christ wherever He goes, and they shall testify to all what they experienced in the battle of life and salvation, to the deep interest of all who shall listen intently to things they cannot truly know. They have not experienced sin. They have just seen the results. The redeemed reign with Christ. Can't reign without those to reign over.
For one thousand years the redeemed shall ask all their questions and receive their answers and travel the universe to tell the "99 sheep" what was experienced. They will peer over the books of record, of angels and mankind and see why those who are not there, shall not see eternal life but, suffer the judgment of the second death. It all takes place on Earth. Blessed are those who experience the first resurrection because the second will be the most gut wrenching event that shall take place on Earth for humanity to experience: the lake of fire and destruction to ashes of the planet; root and branch, Lucifer, his rebel angels and the lost of humanity removed from existence. Peace shall return to the universe. Eternity will roll on and the memory of the lost shall eventually be forgotten.
Rev 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Again, a blessing to keep (tereo - guard) the teachings of the book. How can that take place if believers will not study the book; study all prophecies in the Bible? Those who speak ill of those who study prophecy are an affront to God and His word, His promises and blessings. Will the real troublers of the people, please, stand up?
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
The seventh blessing, stated upon those who do God's commandments. Contrary to those who claim obeying God and keeping His commandments, all ten of them, as He wrote them with His own hand; is salvation by works, God states plainly those who do His commandments have a right to the tree of life and shall enter the city of God through those gigantic pearl gates. It is not just hearing the commandments or believing them. It is doing them; bringing them into the spiritual life and being blessed in them. Indeed, a battle every day but, in Christ it is the victory He lived and died and rose for, to give us that experience who maintain a living connection with Him.
Honestly? Anyone claiming studying the books of prophetic information God has given the world to believe He is God, and there is no other, are going to suffer the wrath of God upon those who lead out in spiritual, prophetic Babylon. They are under a delusion. It was all predicted. It is coming to pass.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.