Month: June 2012

Posted in bunheads, gay, homosexual, mercy, repent

Gay demographics: what are the REAL numbers?

Posted on by elizabethprata

If the homosexual lobby is to be believed, every other person you bump into is gay. At work, at home, in town, in the city, in church, the more vocal activists in the lobby make it seem like people who self-identify as homosexual or lesbian are a major portion of the population.

They scream about rights, and their civic due, and not being marginalized any more like any other large minority group, such as African Americans. Black people as a major minority rose up in the 1960s to claim their civil rights, the gay lobby says, and homosexual lobby now makes the same claims. Homosexually-oriented people are elected to office, serve as community leaders, even preach from pulpits. There is a homosexual character on most sitcoms now, either as a regular character or as a recurring character. Homosexual references are made on scripted shows and on reality television shows, movies, and books. Christian colleges have gay support clubs now. We are literally saturated with the notion that homosexuality is the norm. Heck, even the animals do it, so it must be normal, right?

Not so fast.

I opened with “If the homosexual lobby is to be believed…” but what are really the statistics on numbers of self-identified gay and lesbian people in America? Can we believe those numbers? I am not talking about a girl who experimented once when she was 12, or the guy who woke up sorry and embarrassed after the drunken orgy of a frat party. I am talking the militant, life-long, “out” homosexuals who choose to live that lifestyle as mirror to heterosexuality.

No. We can’t believe the numbers. They’re a crock.

“Americans Have No Idea How Few Gay People There Are“
“One in ten. It’s the name of the group that puts on the Reel Affirmations gay and lesbian film festival in Washington, D.C., each year. It’s the percent popularized by the Kinsey Report as the size of the gay male population. And it’s among the most common figures pointed to in popular culture as an estimate of how many people are gay or lesbian. But what percentage of the population is actually gay or lesbian? With the debate over same-sex marriage again an emerging fault line in American political life, the answer comes as a surprise: A lower number than you might think — and a much, much, much lower one than most Americans believe.”

So, what are the numbers? Well, Americans believe a quarter of the population is gay. The true number is about 4% and is probably probably closer to 2%. A 2011 report by the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation estimated that 4 million adults identify as gay or lesbian, representing 1.7% of the population over 18. (source)

That is some very successful perception-altering on their part. So how is it that the homosexual lobby has made it seem like you can’t swing a cat in the Bible Belt without hitting a queen or a dyke? Because of this.

Bunheads.

Bunheads is a new ABC Family show by the producers of Gilmore Girls. I never saw the tv show Gilmore Girls but every news story I read about Bunheads identifies the show that way so I will too. Bunheads is the nickname for ballerinas, and the show that made its debut last Monday is touted as a new family oriented entertainment.

I saw the pilot and I liked it. I thought the writing was sophisticated and witty, the show was emotional without being sentimental, and I put it on the list for future watching.

So what is my concern with the show and how does it relate to the vastly overestimated homosexual numbers? Here:

At one point toward the end of the pilot episode, which is on ABC Family I remind us all, the mom-in-law character was having a heart to heart talk with her new daughter-in-law. The girl had just married the mom’s son and had moved into their home in a town called Paradise.

The scene took place in a roadhouse toward the end of the show, a show in which constant references had been made for the last 90 minutes to the smallness of this rural seaside town. It is small. There is no movie theatre. It has just about one store. (Giving directions to a newcomer- “Go to Main Street, turn left, and look for the store called Sparkles.”) The teens, when feeling frisky and up to no good, break into the library and, gulp, read. It’s so small that teenagers literally have nothing else to do but read? THAT is how small, out of the way, and retiring this little town is. Even the show synopsis calls it a “sleepy coastal town.”

So back to the scene. The new daughter-in-law asks about the dancers attending the mom-in-law’s ballet class. The teenage girls all had a story, and of one, the mom-in-law said,

“Her dad’s gay. Oh, he thinks it’s a big secret but we all know. Thing is, if he would just come out of the closet he would smile once in a while. And plus, there are a lot of very nice, single gay men in town.”

A town so small has “a lot” of gay men? The perception the homosexual lobby would have us believe, and uses family entertainment to do it, is that literally just about everyone is gay. Bombard a population with that message for thirty years and you get a new generation coming up who thinks everyone is gay. And if there are so many gays, then it must be normal. That is the strategy. Normalization through numbers.

Of course I’m not blaming the entire skewed perception on one television show, but it is representative of the insidious but casual nature that scripted tv and movies: that every closet has a gay person lurking inside it, summoning up the courage to leap “out.” We have been saturated with casual one-off lines like the one in Bunheads casually declaring that there are “a lot” even in this small town. ‘We don’t have a theater but we’ve got our gays!’

You can see the success the homosexual lobby has had in altering the perception of a nation of over 300 million souls. The homosexual lifestyle is an aberration. Some succumb and choose it. Make no mistake, though, it is a choice, not an identity. I understand the fight that homosexual people have in resisting that aberrant behavior. All people attempt to resist sin in some form or fashion. I understand also that some sins are more besetting than others. God will still judge them.

BUT, God in His loving kindness, accepts the repentance of one who seeks to shed that lifestyle and turn to Him. His mercy is greater than any sin, and He listens to prayers beseeching deliverance. Here is a moving three minute clip from a testimony John MacArthur shared of a homosexual’s repentance. (The clip says 7 minutes but the audio goes out after three minutes.) It is quite moving:

If you are involved in a homosexual lifestyle, or any lifestyle that is unacceptable to God, please repent. Ask Him to forgive your sins, and make Him Lord. His wisdom is so vast that he will lead you into a life that is purer and more peaceful than you can ever imagine.

And Christians? If the US population of born again believers was 3% of the total population, and we had been as vocal (but not law-breaking) and persistent as the homosexual lobby has been, where would this nation be now? Joel C. Rosenberg is working hard right now with his “Implosion” simulcast in Houston today, praying for revival. You can join him in prayer and on Facebook at the Epicenter Team page.

It all begins with prayer. For the penitent homosexual, reviler, blasphemer, slanderer, it begins with a prayer of repentance. With the Christian, it continues with prayer. Seek Him while He may be found.

“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7 ESV)

Posted in creflo dollar, mark of the beast, td jakes

The future of marriage of worship and love of money

Posted on by elizabethprata

Our bible’s inspired warnings about how we handle money are there for a reason. The Old Testament is rife with warnings, examples of misuse of money, and having wrong attitudes about it. Mixing money and worship never works if you bring the wrong attitude along. Jesus told several parables about money and the Holy Spirit inspired several of the Apostles to issue warnings about it.

I’d like to take a look at the tie between money and worship.

The Tribulation will be a time when the fullness of sin will be allowed to prosper. It means that the world will be saturated with sin to an extent not seen since the Days of Noah. (Matt. 24:37-38). “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” (Gen. 6:11-12).

With the Holy Spirit restrainer out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7) sin will come to the full. One of those sins has always been the corrupting influence of money in the church. It was a problem even in James’s day. (James 2:1-7). In James it speaks about not favoring the ones who come to church dressed well and obviously wealthy over the ones who arrive looking bedraggled and poor. It says to make no distinction between the rich and the poor. The warning exists because it is fallen man’s natural tendency to try and curry favor with the ones who have money, influence, or power. But when money is used as an influence-maker, and being born again do not mix.

The influence of money skews worship. Look how adulterated things had become in Ephesus. When Paul proclaimed Jesus, and said that their god whom they worshiped (Diana) was a work made of man’s hands and thoughts, there was a riot.

“For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.” (Acts 19:24-27).

Most telling: ‘men, you know from this business we have our wealth.’ What business? The trinkets for worship business. I am not making this up, but I knew a man who used to take many business trips to Italy to look for items that would end up churches or funeral homes, mostly Roman Catholic churches. Crucifixes, Jesus-art, silver and gold accouterments to the ordinances, etc. He used to describe his import-export business as “Junk for Jesus.” I think Demetrius could describe his living as ‘Debris for Diana.’

Pagan idolatry corrupts. When the true church is corrupted, money is almost always at the root of it. Wrong attitudes about money are a hindrance to true worship. Demetrius was upset. Note that his opposition to Paul was first that his silver business would decline. Diana was second.

Peter reminded the pastors to enter into their calling not for ‘filthy lucre’ but out of eagerness to serve God. (1 Peter 5:2). Deacons are not supposed to be lovers of money. (1 Tim 3:3).

A false prophet’s motivation will be money. In the case of when lucre becomes filthy it is when people USE God to make money. They turn Christianity into a trade, and industry upon which they make money.

We are not talking about hating money in and of itself. We need money for the practicalities of pastor salaries, church operating expenses, missions support, and charity. Money serves those biblical purposes. But the fleshly drive to acquire a huge personal wealth from your service to God cannot be justified.

TD Jakes was in the news this week. There was a huge gala held at the AT&T Performing Arts Center/Winspear Opera House in Dallas TX. It was called “A Triumphant Journey” and since Mr Jakes says he is a man of God you would think that the title referred to Jesus’s triumphant journey from glory to earth and back to heaven again, triumphing at the cross for all time. You would be wrong. The second half of the gala title “TD Jakes 35th Anniversary”. It was a gala held to acclaim Jakes’s 35 years in the ministry. A gala for Jakes, about Jakes, uplifting Jakes. Ticket sales started at $150. The blurb states:

“an extraordinary 35th year celebration and Black Tie gala featuring distinguished celebrity guests, community leaders and special entertainment in celebration and honor of Bishop T.D. Jakes.”

The Opera House was full, as celebrities sang Jakes’s praises
under banners proclaiming TD’s name.

The news review stated it was an… “epic-length event celebrated the Dallas-based spiritual leader, TV star and entertainment mogul for his 35 years of ministry. From the red carpet to the army of cameramen filming it for future broadcast to the $150-and-up ticket prices, it was a major soiree befitting The Potter’s House senior pastor…”

“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.” (Luke 9:58)

Source, HT Do Not Be Surprised
There was not only the gala, but the after-gala soiree. source

Jesus said, “I tell you, they already have their reward.” (Matthew 6:1-6). Gill’s Notes succinctly says, “verily I say unto you, they have their reward; and a poor one it is, the applause of men: however, it is what they seek after, and is all their empty performances deserve, and all they will have.”

Creflo Dollar was in the news this week. He allegedly hit and choked his teenage daughter in an allegation of domestic abuse. With is arrest comes scrutiny of his past. Remember that money was at the root of previous allegations. The Athens Banner Herald article strolled down memory lane, its report noting–

“Along with Bishop Eddie Long, Mr Dollar is one of the most prominent African-American preachers based around Atlanta who have built successful ministries on the prosperity gospel, which teaches that God wants to bless the faithful with earthly riches. Ministers in this tradition often hold up their own wealth as evidence that the teaching works.”

The article quoted Mr Dollar as saying–

“I stopped taking a salary,” he said. “But no one ask the question, ‘Where are you getting your money from?’ Well, I have boxes of invitations to speak. At first, I was glad to preach for anyone. What I didn’t know was I received a love offering for preaching. Back then, it was for $25 bucks. But over the years, people began to appreciate what I was bringing to them.”

To Mr. Dollar, money is the evidence that his work  is appreciated? “I tell you, they already have their reward.” He was glad to preach to anyone “at first” but now, at the last, it takes money to get him to preach? That is certainly the implication I take away from the quote.

I started this essay with the reminder that during the Tribulation, sin will have its full, unrestrained expression. We will see the final unholy mix of money and worship when the Antichrist demands worship. He demands it. And in order to display that submission to his demand, you must wear a mark on your hand or forehead. The mark of the beast is a mark of worship. Primarily is it a visible demonstration that you claim antichrist as messiah. Note, though, how the antichrist ties in money with that worship. Economic Babylon and Idolatrous Babylon finally have their consummation: without that mark of worship, you cannot buy or sell.

Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and  money.” (Mt 6:24)

In the Tribulation, the people who love money will have no problem trading their very souls for it, (Rev 14:9-11) as they choose to worship the Antichrist, in that pinnacle of man’s craven attempts to meld both worship and the love of money- and they will lose it all, forever.

Posted in mumbai, seismic

Mystery tremors in Mumbai spook the populace

Posted on by elizabethprata

From the Pune Mirror:

 Spooked by mystery tremors, WR asks for Met dept probe
“A series of unexplained, low-intensity tremors being felt on a daily basis in two separate pockets in south Mumbai over the last few weeks have forced office-goers to ask for a detailed seismological investigation of the area. The offices being affected include the higher floors in a row of buildings, particularly Bharat House and Apollo House, at Bombay Samachar Marg in Kala Ghoda, and the Western Railway’s headquarters and administrative buildings on both sides of the road at Churchgate.The tremors occur between 4 and 6 pm every day, almost like clockwork, and last about 2-3 seconds. Western Railway has written a letter to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) asking them to look into the matter, trace the cause of the tremors, and advise if there is any potential danger to the buildings. When contacted, Sharat Chandrayan, the chief public relations officer at WR, confirmed: “Certain employees working on the higher floors of the administrative building were feeling tremors at certain times of the day. We have sent a letter to the IMD to conduct a thorough scientific investigation. … “We experience tremors for a few moments every day. They always happen sometime between 4 pm and 5 pm. It’s a scary situation because no one seems to know what’s causing them.”

Another mystery scientists are working to solve. I hope they find out… and that the buildings stay safe.

Posted in greece, hail, syria

Random news for you: Syria, Greece, apocalyptic hailstorm, more

Posted on by elizabethprata

Here is a random roundup of interesting news for you:

Photos of “apocalyptic-like hailstorm in Dallas.” That was the Weather Channel’s headline. The photos are really amazing. Remember, God does send hail. I can’t say that He specifically did this time, but He does at times.

Hail damage in Texas — RT @adamccecil:
Thanks to some tennis ball sized hail my car is done for!
#unlucky pic.twitter.com/MaS9RlBD

“… the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.” (Joshua 10:11)

“He destroyed their vines with hail…He gave up their cattle also to the hail….” (Psalm 78:47-48)

Sun blasts huge magnetic bubble at earth
“For the second day in a row, an active region on the sun has erupted with a coronal mass ejection (CME), blasting a beautifully dynamic magnetic bubble of energetic plasma in the direction of Earth. It is powering through interplanetary space at a breakneck speed of 1,360 kilometers per second (that’s over 3 million miles per hour!) … Active region 1504 (or AR1504) is a magnetically intense region that is crackling with flares and it has rotated in our direction. Powerful arcs of magnetic field are protruding deep from within the solar body, pushing back the hot outer layers of the sun’s photosphere, exposing the cooler, (comparatively) dark interior. A beautiful complex of sunspots is the result — shown in the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory image, below.”

US moves USS Enterprise into Pakistani waters. The news article is from the Pakistan Times, and they claim the US move violated international law.

The situation in Syria is very precarious. Prophecy-wise it is pregnant with possibilities, a 9th month pregnant. (Isaiah 17)

Sky News: UN Says Syrian Town Has ‘Stench Of Bodies’
“UN observers have visited al Haffa town in the province of Latakia and reported that nearly all government buildings have been burned down.The UN Supervisory Mission in Syria said observers in Haffa reported finding it all but deserted with a strong stench of dead bodies and almost all government institutions gutted from the inside.”

Joel C. Rosenberg has been writing constantly and in a bit more breathless fashion that he usually does. Today he wrote: “Will Syria implode?”

“Will Syria implode in a bloody civil war even worse than the horrific violence already underway? That’s the big question right now. Weapons are pouring into both sides.,the government and the rebels. Russian Czar Vladimir Putin is reportedly sending more arms to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Iranian leaders are also standing squarely with Assad. Meanwhile, Israel is worried about a civil war and Syrian implosion. More instability in the epicenter poses severe risks to the Jewish State. No one wants Assad in power. But if he falls, could his successor be worse? And when will the Bible prophecies concerning the complete destruction of Damascus come true? Christians need to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Syria. We also need to pray and work to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all Syrians and strengthen the underground Church there. God has been moving powerfully in Syria in recent years — see here. By God’s grace, The Joshua Fund has been investing in the spread of the Gospel in Syria, especially through an evangelistic film made by Syrian Arabs called “DAMASCUS” — see here. Please pray that the Lord will give us much wisdom as we seek to continue to serve the church in Syria at this critical moment.”

The situation in Egypt is very precarious. Prophecy-wise it is pregnant with possibilities, a 9th month kind of pregnant. (Isaiah 19).

New Political Showdown in Egypt as Court Invalidates Parliament
“Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court on Thursday ruled that the Islamist-led Parliament must be immediately dissolved, while also blessing the right of Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister to run for president, escalating a battle for power between the remnants of the toppled order and rising Islamists.”

Spain and the European economy is also very precarious. The election in Greece Sunday will do much to decide the direction of the euro, pundits tell us, citing a choice for the Greeks between electing the candidate who said he will accept the offered austerity package (result: instant poverty), or electing the candidate who said he will reject austerity (result: imploding under their debt). Either way, the Greek economy seems done for. There have been billions pulled out of banks in advance of the election, and thousands are hoarding canned food. Spain is not faring better, despite their bailout this week.

Moody’s cuts Spain’s credit rating, citing rescue
“Moody’s Investor Service cut the Spanish government’s credit rating Wednesday, a direct result of the rescue package lined up by European leaders over the weekend. The rating lowered Spain’s rating from A3 to Baa3, which leaves it in investment-grade status but just one notch above junk.”

Michael T. Snyder has a good essay on how an economic collapse works. It is not an all-at-once event, he said. It is like waves coming up on a sandcastle. Bigger eaves take chunks away (like in 2008) and smaller waves chip away at the structure (like since 2008). But all the while the castle is crumbling.

Speaking of judgment-inducing news, Pentagon to Celebrate Pride Month Nearly a Year After Repealing Ban on Gays. “The Pentagon will host its first ever celebration of gays and lesbians in the military this month, which was recently proclaimed by President Barack Obama as LGBT Pride Month.”

Really, how close are we?? Meantime, here is some good news:

“your hands, all peoples!  Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the LORD, the Most High,  is to be feared,  a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us,and nations under our feet. He chose our  heritage for us,  the pride of Jacob whom he loves.” (Psalm 47:1-4)

Till next time: “May God be gracious to us and bless usand make his face to shine upon us, Selah”. (Psalm 67:1)

Posted in c. peter wagner, resist, spiritual mapping, spiritual warfare

Spiritual warfare: there is a right way and a wrong way

Posted on by elizabethprata

[Updated to add two photos]

I’m still thinking about my last post about the fallen angels and satan flooding the earth. It will be a time of potent evil.

The Christian is always engaged in spiritual warfare, it is a fact of life. The bible tells us in many ways and in many books that we are to be vigilant. The most famous of these warnings is when Peter said,

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8- ESV).

There is a lot of truth in there. Let’s unpack it for a moment before we go on. Be sober-minded, and then he emphasizes again, be watchful. The word for sober literally means to be not drunk with wine, and figuratively, be free from the drunken influences that sin causes, so that you may keep your wits about you. You don’t want a drunk person driving you around in your car, do you? A drunk babysitter? A drunk security guard at your store? A drunk sentry at the barracks? No, of course not. When we are drunk with alcohol or sin, we cannot act in a responsible manner.

Be watchful means just that, as well: watch, be vigilant. The literal Greek word translated to English means “stay awake.” Too many of us fall asleep on our Christian walk. The figurative meaning is also obvious, stay on the alert.

Then Peter said “your adversary the devil…” Devil means adversary, (and slanderer) so using both adversary and devil in rapid succession drives the point home. The word adversary also has a legal connotation. Satan acts as such an adversary, “bringing the (law)suit of darkness against believers for their eternal damnation.” He is the opponent at Law.

The word prowls connotes constant, sneaky, quiet motion. But the Greek word is peripateo, from which we get peripatetic in English. A peripatetic person is someone who walks around constantly, a wayfarer, a traveler.

A roaring lion…why did Peter use the Holy Spirit’s inspired word “roaring”? Doesn’t that contradict with prowling? Why would satan sneakily prowl but then announce his presence by roaring at his prey? Well, did you know that in real life, “resident males only roar when they are on their own territory. So the first thing we can say about roaring in males is that it is a display of ownership that is only given by residents on their own territory.” We know that satan is god of this world, (2 Corinthians 4:4) given authority and power on earth (Mt 4:7-9).

Wiki Answers explains the lion’s roar: “They roar to communicate with each other and they roar to proclaim where their territory is, they do this every evening. Roaring is also one of their strategies for catching prey – they creep up on the prey and when they are close enough, they will let out a roar that confuses that animal(s) and strikes fear into the lion’s prey. The prey then cannot “think” or react correctly out of fear and so is trapped and caught by the lion.”

Seeking whom he may devour…the Greek word means “swallow, devour, destroy, consume.”

It is clear: we have an enemy we must always vigilantly be on guard from. But now here is the point of the essay.

People engaged in misguided spiritual warfare fancy themselves as warriors brandishing swords, going out deliberately and purposely engaging with demons. This kind of wayward spiritual warfare uses “spiritual mapping.” The proponents go to a territory or neighborhood and try to uncover the demonic obstacles that are hindering spiritual growth in that location. Through spiritual mapping they attempt to discover the specific hindrances to the Gospel message in an area, such as divination, or fortune telling, and then, through persistent intercession performed in various ways, remove them. They believe that if they know first that it is a spirit of fortune telling that is blocking the flourishing of the Gospel in that neighborhood, they pray in that direction, then they can share the Gospel and God can do His work.

The seminal book on this type of warfare is James Dawson’s 1989 book Taking Our Cities For God in with the subtitle: “How to Break Spiritual Strongholds”. C. Peter Wagner is the next generation carrying this kind of spiritual warfare forward. In the book Mr Dawson stated, “To overcome the enemy we must resist temptation ourselves and then continue in united, travailing prayer until we sense that we have gained authority and that God has broken through.” The approach is man-centered, with conditions that must be met before God can be effective. You see how wrong this approach is.

On its face this is unbiblical. Not that there aren’t hindrances to the Gospel. We read up above that satan is the god of this world. Earth is his territory, all of it. Not that we are supposed to succumb to temptation. Not at all. But one can simply acknowledge that there will be hindrances to the Gospel and get on with sharing it. Paul didn’t spend two weeks at Mars Hill walking about the area spiritually mapping it, learning the history of the city, discerning its moral weaknesses, deciding which demon was working where. After the scales fell from Saul’s eyes, Saul, now Paul, “At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.” (Acts 9:20). At once.

“When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues.” (Acts 13:5). Did Paul walk around for a few weeks, gather a focus group, and discern which spirits were were hindering the word of Jesus? No. He simply walked in and told them about Jesus. Preach the gospel, witness, disciple.

How did Jesus engage in spiritual warfare? When satan tempted Jesus in the desert, Jesus answered with the Word. He said, “It is written.” Jesus didn’t go into the desert and say “Satan, come out come out wherever you are so I can bind you before I do this work here!”

The problem with this kind of spiritual warfare is that the soldiers take their eyes off Jesus. They wind up looking for demons instead of looking at Jesus. They get so wrapped up in searching out the demonic that they go off on tangents when it is Jesus they should be looking to all the time.

The other unbiblical aspect of this kind of offensive warfare, as opposed to defensive, is that the verse in James 4:7 states: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Every translation says the same.

The verse does not say “Engage the devil and he will flee from you.”
The verse does not say “Charge at the devil & he will flee from you.”
The verse does not say “Bind the devil and he will flee from you.”
The verse does not say “Locate the devil and he will flee from you.”

It says resist. It is the Gospel that has the power to make the spirits flee. The Gospel has the power to bind the devil’s work. The evil spirits are not scared of us. They are scared of the power of Jesus. Even the angel Michael did not rebuke satan in his own power. (Jude 1:9). It is defensive action, not offensive.

The seven sons of Sceva were going around binding spirits. One day, “the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”” (Acts 19:15). The Sons of Sceva were relying on a methodology, applying it uniformly in every town they went. So it is the same with the methodology of spiritual mapping and offensive spiritual warfare as opposed to the biblical method of defensively resisting, sharing, witnessing and discipling.

Be mindful of the schemes of the devil and his spirits, rebuke when you come across them in Jesus’ authority. We always seek a balance. We don’t underestimate them and we don’t overestimate them. They are not under every rock, but they do exist. They are not the root cause of every failed neighborhood, but they do love to cavort in ruined waste places.

Our best defense against satan is knowing the word and being ready to apply it when satan does come, as Jesus showed us in his handling of spiritual warfare.

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

Posted in grasshoppers invade town, jesus, locusts, prophecy

Huge swarm of grasshoppers invades rural California town

Posted on by elizabethprata

I shouldn’t look at my stats. I get depressed doing that. I mean, I’m blessed to have a few thousand per day visit the site. Since it began three and a half years ago, 1.4 million people have stopped in for one reason or another. I’m thrilled for that.

They come for all different reasons. Some come from Googling key words and landing here, some come from a bookmark, and some have wandered over from my other blog. But mostly, looking at the stats for each post, I see a trend that makes me sad.

I put prayer and thought into each post, but the doctrinal posts, the ones about the bible directly either through interpretation of a passage or using a passage to share encouragement, get some good amount of hits.

But is has always been the weird posts that get the most hits. Weird, and weather. And when we have weird weather together it busts the hit counter. I’d like to continue to delude myself that people come here for the Jesus stuff, but it is not so, the stats tell me. Well, I lure you in with the freak weather posts and then talk about Jesus in every post anyway, bwahaha.

Today the post with the most is “Tornado Sweeps Across Venice Italy.” It is really sending out the siren call to people from near and far. This week’s top view-getter is “Transgendered Chastity Bono and Dancing with the Stars“, for some reason. The piece was news 9 months ago. Oh, well, praise the Lord that they come for any reason.

The Ghost horse of Cairo Egypt’s Tahrir Square is still reeling in the hits as all time heavy hitter.

Weather especially will claim the internet surfer’s attention. The freak hail in CO I wrote about earlier in the week is clipping along in the hits department. The post “Indian villagers attacked by swarms of suddenly appearing spiders” is holding its own, too.

Here is another one that will be sure to attract a lot of views:

Huge swarm of grasshoppers invades rural California town
“A massive swarm of grasshoppers has invaded a rural town in Sacramento County, eating foliage, hopping around and creating a nuisance. … Entomologist Steve Heydon said these types of swarms are rare. The working theory: This winter was dry and warm, so there’s less vegetation around for the bugs to eat. But the winter before saw a lot more precipitation than usual, so with plenty of food there were a lot of extra little bugs born.”

This story describes the grasshopper infestation in a way that made me think of the plague of frogs in Exodus:

“The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.” (Ex 8:3-4) 

“They’re everywhere,” said Debbie. It’s an insect infestation. “We’re being invaded,” said Brian Campbell. Grasshoppers are taking over the Campbell family farm. They saw some a few days ago. “But, then it went to the extreme,” said Debbie. They’re covering the house, the ground and everywhere you look.”

I think it’s funny that the news story which features a video of the grasshoppers shows a portion where the camera guy is filming the field of grasshoppers and they are crawling over his lens. Look, see it on the screen as the newscasters are introducing the spot?

We have been having a spike in snake bites here in the rural South this summer. Officials say that we’ve seen more snakes for the same reason as those entomologists in CA say they are seeing more grasshoppers, the overly dry and warm winter was the culprit.

In Libya right now, locusts are out of control and that is blamed on Muammar Gaddafi. Even though he is dead, the uprising that toppled him from his throne, and from life, caused locust-watchers to be unable to scour the countryside to apply the necessary pesticide to control them. As a result, locusts, like the population that rose up and killed their so-called King of Kings, are out of control in Libya. And now those swarms are threatening Mali and Niger.

I’m only half-kidding about the depressing stats. I personally wish I received a thousand hits on the “We take refuge in a Mighty God” post and less on the “Freak hail on CO” posts, instead of the opposite. But I know the Spirit sends just the right people here and for His own reasons. Those who come to read about extra-large hail may stay to read the plan of salvation. Those who want to know about the Ghost Horse of Tarhir Square may read the left behind letters. And after the rapture, all this information will still be available to anyone wanting to know how to be saved. I’m grateful for the million and a half souls who for whatever reason drew them here, saw the name of Jesus on the page. His name is the most precious seed which the Holy Spirit waters with truth. God is growing a wonderful garden of redeemed souls who will shine with His glory on the Day. Praise His name and all His works – doctrinal, freaky, and everything in between.

Posted in fallen angels, nephilim

Future prophecy: "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, for they have come down to you"

Posted on by elizabethprata

Satan has the biggest ego in all the universe, bar none. In the sometime distant past, the bible does not say when, Satan decided he could do a better job than God. He is accused of the following:

“How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:12-15 ESV).

This famous passage is called the ‘Five I Wills’ of Satan. Most people think the phrase ‘you have been cast down to the earth’ means satan was cast out of heaven back then and barred from re-entering. But it is not so. He was cast down from his position as guardian cherub (Ezekiel 28:14) but Job 1:6 shows us that satan and his rebelling angels still had access to heaven. They still do today.

Satan’s final fall and exile from heaven will occur in Revelation 12, when there is “War in Heaven.”

“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” (Rev 12:7-12).

Scholars believe that event is what triggers the Great Tribulation, the turning point halfway through the 7-year period of judgment on earth. Satan’s fury at his loss of access to heaven will be unleashed against the Jews and then the Christians. (Rev 12:13, 17)

I’d like to tie Rev 12 to two other verses that are prophesied to occur during the Tribulation. Just food for interpretive thought. First, Luke 21:26 KJV- “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 phrase fainting in the Greek means “to leave off breathing, to die.” The “with fear” is Greek for a word that means “panic flight, fear, the causing of fear, terror.” The powers of heaven being shaken, the Greek word for shaken means “cast down”. (source)

So men will have instant heart attacks and be fleeing in terror when they see something coming down from heaven. What? What is it that they are seeing which causes such panic and hear-attack inducing terror? Meteors? Asteroids? UFOs?

I’d like to think that it is the Revelation verse that they are seeing. It is my belief that when Satan and his angels are cast down, they no longer hide who they are. Satan and the full-on evil angels reveal themselves visibly and no one will be unawares any longer. Imagine seeing multitudes of evil angels and satan himself falling from heaven and appearing on earth- visibly.

We are visited by angels constantly. They are present upon the earth, the good angels and the bad angels. Most of the time, we are not aware of them, though. Hebrews 13:2 says we have entertained them unawares. Abraham entertained angels unaware, didn’t he? And Gideon. And Minoah. And the evil angels too, are on the earth, but if they appeared to us as they are, with their evil showing, we would reject them. So satan, despite having a big ego, is perfectly content to allow us to think he is a tiny man with a funny tail and pitchfork and his rebellious, powerful, and highly intelligent minions are cute little cherubs falling asleep after dinner. Satan is content to let you think he is not powerful, while all the while himself thinking he is the most powerful, even more than God.

Who would be afraid of this guy?
Sistine Madonna detail, Raphael. Aw, aren’t they cute.
Rosso Fiorentino “Two cherubs reading,
detail from Madonna and Child with Saints”. So cuddly.
They don’t look like they could do much, do they?

Yet, if my interpretation of Luke 21:26 is correct, that it is speaking of the powers of heaven falling to earth when men see the actual satan and the evil angels invading earth, men die on the spot. Add to that this verse, the second one I believe ties in:

“And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth.” (Rev 9:1-3). Illustration is of the trumpets and the locusts from the abyss, Matthias Scheits

The evil is raining down from above and hurtling up from below. I don’t know if they both happen at the same time, but either way, it will be a time of shock and death.

Am I exaggerating? Let’s see how the shepherds reacted when a holy angel, bringing good news and helps,  visited them.

“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” (Luke 2:9)

How about Zechariah’s reaction when an angel visited him?

Zechariah and the angel.
Gillem van der Gouwen. 1728 

“When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.” (Luke 1:12)

How about Mary?

“Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.” (Luke 1:29)

Cornelius?

“He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” Cornelius stared at him in fear…” (Acts10:3-4a)

In all these cases it is AN angel of the Lord, which means a holy angel, not THE angel of the Lord, which means Jesus. And they all were terrified. To calm the person they were about to speak to, they first said, “Fear not.”

If people are terrified when seeing a holy angel obedient to God and here to help us, how do we think the people in the Tribulation will react when the evil angels are unleashed? Their hearts will fail them for fear.

Ron Graham explains the Genesis 6 verses about the unholy angels, here. Patrick Heron explains the entrance of the unholy angels upon the earth further, below. He gives the book of Enoch more authority than I give to it, but he does do a good job leading us through the present day common misinterpretations of Genesis 6. So does Mr Graham. Check them out if you’d like to explore this idea further.

We are blessed to know Jesus as Savior, Priest, Advocate and Friend. We know that if we are visited by an unholy angel that we can appeal to Jesus for protection. He is ALL POWER and in Him we have nothing to fear.

“The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah.” (Psalm 46:7).
“The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” (Psalm 9:9)

But those who refuse Jesus’s pardon on this side of the rapture will be faced with seeing these things some upon the earth after the rapture. Please repent now. Repent means to be aware that we are unholy, having sin in us. We can never be with Jesus as long as sin is in us and not addressed. If we repent, He will forgive all that sin and adopt us into His extended family.

Posted in encouragement, prophecy

We take refuge in a mighty God

Posted on by elizabethprata

Though we are in a battle, “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” (Psalm 9:9). Our Lord of hosts is God commanding, ordering, summoning the hosts of heaven. These are the angels, in and among the starry worlds.

He organizes and dispenses helps from these realms to those who love Him. If you are feeling troubled, take refuge in Him. “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah” (Psalm 46:7)

His protections are never ceasing, constant, and uninterrupted: “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.” (Psalms 121:3). He misses nothing, He is not unaware of anything. We do not have to be fearful of him being overtaken by stratagems or surprise. He does not sleep.

Even when it seems to us that His helps are meager, not enough, ineffectual, they are not. “And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.” (Judges 7:7).

Hearken to God, precious brethren. The days are going to grow darker, but He is LIGHT!

“But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.” (Proverbs 1:33).  Of those who love Him we have a new heart: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26).

He strengthens this new heart, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalms 27:14). Eventually, precious brothers and sisters, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8).

He is our shield and our reward!

“After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” (Genesis 15:1)

Therefore, we will not be afraid

Source

Posted in tornado, venice italy

Tornado sweeps across Venice Italy

Posted on by elizabethprata

Italy has had it rough lately. The “weird” earthquake in their northern districts has damaged many industries and cost the nation millions. The emotional toll of structures that have stood for almost a thousand years crumbling before their eyes and blowing away as dust in the wind has been heart-wrenching. The economy is sinking rapidly and may also need to be bailed out after Spain. Now this:

A tornado swept across Venetian roofs this morning. Amateur video caught it. Here is a still from the video, located at the UK Telegraph. “Amateur footage has captured a tornado-like whirlwind sweeping across Venice, ripping up trees and scaring local inhabitants along the way.”



The Telegraph reported, “The tornado roared through Sant’Erasmo island in Venice’s lagoon on Tuesday, ripping the roofs off at least 12 buildings, media reports said.A funnel cloud was clearly visible from the centre of the town and from its canals, Youreporter and Venice Municipality video showed.The tornado caused major damage in several islands off the Venice lagoon, including Sant’Elena and Certosa islands, where many trees were uprooted, reports said.Dozens of small sailing ships were smashed in the port of Sant’Elena.No injuries were reported, the Municipality of Venice said.”

A Wikipedia article lists European tornado outbreaks. In the 20th and 21st century in Italy there have been 5. Five. 1930, 1965, 1970, 2008, 2009. Now one in 2012. The article lists four between 1000 and 1899. Then the three in the 20th century and the three in the last couple of years. Not wanting to put too much stock in one article, you notice the progression though. A few in one thousand years, three a few decades apart and now four in rapid succession.

Tornadoes are not unknown in Europe. The UK actually leads Europe in tornadic incidents, having on average 33 per year. This is a far cry from the US average of 1400 per year however. And though tornadoes are not unknown in Italy, they are rare. And when they do occur in Europe, they are not muscular like the US tornadoes, but cause little to no loss of life and low amounts of property damage, according to this article.

So that is some weather news for you, and a bit of context. A tornado in Venice Italy. You never know what each day will bring.

Posted in damascus, Isaiah, massacre, prophecy

Behold the burden of Damascus

Posted on by elizabethprata

Bible students and those interested in prophecy will know that the title to this entry is from the introduction to Isaiah 17. The first verse in the ESV reads: “An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.”

Source Britannica.com

“Oracles are the divine revelations given to God’s people. God’s method of communicating these oracles varied from dreams and visions (Num. 12:6-8), to wisdom (Prov. 30:1), and even the Urim and Thummim (Num. 27:21; 1 Sam. 14:37).”

In Isaiah 17:1 He is telling the people what will happen to Damascus, capital of Syria. It will be destroyed. I wrote extensively about the prophecy of what is foretold for Damascus, and the wider areas of Syria mentioned in the ensuing verses, here.

I’ve always thought that the Isaiah 17:1 prophecy is one of the more dramatic unfulfilled prophesies because of its clarity and the absolute fact that though parts were fulfilled in 732BC it has never been completely fulfilled yet. The overnight destruction of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city will be sudden, dramatic, and a clear sign of God.

Given that the so-called “Arab Spring” has wrought geo-physical changes in the Middle East that bible students see brings us to the brink of fulfilled prophecy, such as Ezekiel 38-39, Isaiah 19, and Psalm 83, it is wise to watch Damascus, Syria and the events unfolding there.

The events unfolding there are terrible.

Syria’s uprising began along with the other neighboring nations’ in the Arab Spring last year, but unlike those events in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya et al, there has not yet been a conclusion. In the other cases, Kings bought off citizenry, depots fell, revolutions staved off, concessions made, elections held. In some form or fashion, even if only on the surface, order was restored. Not so in Syria.

source

The violence of the ongoing revolution has not petered out, it has not swung one side or another to victory or near-victory, it has simply gotten worse. By this point, it is terrible to even read the news. On twitter the other day, I saw a photo that made my heart drop with grief. It was not a violent photo, not a drop of blood was in it. I did not report on it at that time because the sign the protester is holding is in Arabic and I had not been able to find a translation to verify that is indeed what the sign says. But now, given other events of today, I will show you.

There had been unconfirmed reports of massacres earlier in the week. Massacres are almost a daily event now in Syria, even in Damascus. That much has been confirmed by UN observers. This particular massacre though, involved the killing of children. Hence, the photo.

The caption on twitter states, “A boy in Homs holds this sign during a protest: “Kill me and leave the other children alone.”

I freely admit to you, I cried. Then I prayed.

That same day, Ynet News from Israel reported,

Syria opposition: Regime lost control of Damascus, other cities
Iran and Hezbollah bear some responsibility for the recent atrocities in Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.”It’s not just the Syrian government. It is being aided by Iran and Hezbollah,” the PM the weekly cabinet meeting. “The world must recognize this focused axis of evil. People must understand what kind of environment we are living in.”Netanyahu said Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime is massacring civilians. “We see horrific photos of children and elderly people,” he said.

That was Sunday. Sunday saw “the heaviest fighting in the Syrian capital since the beginning of the uprising” and those battles were in Damascus, and there were tanks.

The UK Telegraph reported, Syrian rebels take battle to heart of Damascus: “Government tanks opened fire in central Damascus for the first time in the 15-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad this weekend, as William Hague compared the situation in Syria with “Bosnia in the 1990s”.”

MSNBC reported, “‘Battle is in Damascus’ as Syrian tanks fire in 12-hour exchange“

As horrific as all that is, what of the children? Is that photo a fake or is it true that that little brown eyed Syrian boy holding the poignant sign?

Associated Press reports the following today: “Assad regime also charged with killing and maiming, arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, and sexual violence against kids“
“UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A UN report released Monday includes Syrian government forces and their allied “shabiha” militias for the first time on a list of 52 governments and armed groups that recruit, kill or sexually attack children in armed conflicts.In Syria, it said, children as young as 9 years old have been victims of killing and maiming, arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, and sexual violence, and have been used as human shields.“In almost all recorded cases, children were among the victims of military operations by government forces, including the Syrian armed forces, the intelligence forces and the shabiha militia, in their ongoing conflict with the opposition, including the Free Syrian Army,” the report said.” Left, Bashar Al-Assad, Wikipedia photo

That information is from a UN observer report. Almost 19,000 are estimated to have been killed in fighting and outright massacres by the Assad regime since the uprising began last February, a regime that the Russians have been allies with since the cold war and still are today, despite the horrors the Assad regime is perpetrating. Russia (and China) have several times invoked their UN Security Council veto power to prevent intervention into the ongoing revolution in Syria. The US has ruled out military intervention. Israel has said nothing but of course is watching intently. Turkey, though an ally of Russia and Syria, is getting angry about the influx of refuges into their abutting nation. But still, the fighting goes on.

The Lord is in control.

Children and women are trapped in Homs, and UN observers are trying to negotiate their release. And the regime uses children as human shields. This is brutality beyond endurance.

The US intervened in Libya, Viet Nam, Bosnia, Grenada for heaven’s sakes. Will the world stand by and watch children be horrifically used? The LORD’S timing is perfect. His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. I know it must grieve Him to see children be so evilly used. Yet I will trust Him.

An entire city of 2.6 million people is prophesied to be destroyed in mere hours. That is what Isaiah 17 foretells. There is no weapon that can do that so quickly and so thoroughly as is described here except for nuclear device. The chapter in Isaiah 17 goes on to describe blowback against Israel. Parts of Israel will be reaped when the oracle is fulfilled. (Isaiah 17:4-5).

The Lord is in control. It is still somewhat unsettling to realize the nearness of fulfillment predicted for thousands of years. It is still a grief and a woe to know that children are so horrifically violated. When our society has devolved to the point where small children are willing to sacrifice their lives on behalf of other children, and no doubt ARE sacrificing their lives at this moment, I can’t help but plead to my savior for Him to return and gather us all away from this cruel planet.