Month: March 2013

Posted in end time, middle east, psalm 83, syria

Red line crossed: chemical weapons used in Syria, Israel intelligence confirms

Posted on by elizabethprata

In other significant news:

Israeli sources: Chemical weapons used in Syria
“Chemical weapons were used on civilians in Syria on Tuesday, Israel security sources confirmed. These sources did not, however, know whether it was Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime or the opposition forces fighting to topple him that used the weapons of mass destruction, after each party accused the other.”

Syria attacked Lebanon the Monday, this was confirmed by Turkey.

This comes as a time when Obama is making his very first Presidential visit to Israel. The wheels are up on Air Force One and Obama will be in Israel by tomorrow. He plans to try and restart the moribund peace talks, and the scuttlebutt is that Obama will try and pressure Israel’s government to accept dividing the land.

What an amazing time we live in. Isaiah 17:1 says that Damascus will be destroyed, Joel 3:2 says the Land will be divided. Psalm 83 says that a conflagration among the near neighbors of Israel (including Lebanon) will erupt in the last days. The three news pieces I quoted match these future events closely. Is the rapture even closer? I like to think every day will be THE day. One day, that will be true.

Though times are tough and life is uncertain, it is amazing to be alive now at this time to see so vividly the work of the Lord in the world. He will bring His plan to pass, and we are witnessing it right before our eyes. It gives us all the more reason to praise Him. It is all the more reason to believe.

I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. (John 13:19)

And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:19-20)

Posted in history channel, sunny shell, the bible

Watching The Bible miniseries is like eating brownies with cockroaches baked into them

Posted on by elizabethprata

Sorry to be graphic in the headline, but I find it helps sometimes to be blunt. We live in such a tolerant age where we are supposed to tiptoe around, not calling the Pope an antichrist, not calling false teachings gangrene (2 Timothy 2:17), nor calling false teachers by name (1 Timothy 1:20) nor judge their works as evil. (2 Peter 2:1).

Oh, wait, I do that every day. So much for political correctness here at The End Time. I live for Jesus correctness.

I’m sorry to write about The Bible miniseries from The History Channel again. I said at the outset that I was worked up, that I felt that this was an especially pitched spiritual battle. The January conference in Atlanta, “Passion2013” was a spiritual battle at a level I hadn’t experienced. Yet this miniseries coming along in March has raised the bar in terms of engagement.

Some people, including myself, have asked or wondered how to respond to people who understand that the Bible miniseries show is not optimal, but say anyway that God can still use it. A very insightful blogger called Sunny Shell, who was asked by the media producers of the television show The Bible to promote it, and declined, stated her reasons why. More on that in a minute. Here is her response as to why God won’t use ‘The Bible’ tv show to save people:

Q. Even though there’s a lot of error in this movie, still, don’t you think it’s a great way to show people who God really is, I mean, can’t God use anything to save someone?

A. No, I don’t think this movie is a great way to reveal the truth about God since it’s filled with lies about God. And yes, I realize God can use anything to save someone, but He only chose to use the message of the true Gospel to save all men (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). Nowhere in Scripture does God command or allow His children to use the work of Satan to proclaim His truth. And God is clear, anyone who denies Him and defiles His holy character or word, works for the devil, not for God.

Sunny Shell

Here is Sunny Shell’s wonderful review of the flaws and errors and attacks on the Gospel in “The Bible”. For those of you (and me) having a hard time clarifying just what it is that is off about the series, her essay should being it into focus for you. For those of us wondering (as am I) if there is a list of errors, and a discussion as to why and where they vary from the biblical text- and why it matters, click on over to her review.

With the episodes coming up featuring Jesus, I want you to be aware of two glaring and blasphemous omissions in the series.

1. Although at the Supper Jesus recites the verse we are familiar with, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life,” ‘Jesus’ STOPS speaking and never says “no one comes to the father but through Me”!!! (John 14:6).

2. Worst, when ‘Jesus’ breaks the bread and lifts the wine, he never says it is for forgiveness of sin!! (Matthew 26:26-28). This is very bad!

You can see the clip for yourself at the link to the review above. There is a 5-minute excerpt from the series showing the Last Supper there.

Here is one nugget from Mrs Shell’s review, to encourage you to go there and read more:

Last Supper and Fifth attack on the Gospel: While the actor who portrays Jesus says the bread is the body of Christ and the wine is Jesus’ blood, he never says the most important thing: it is for the forgiveness of sins (Matt 26:28). Though all of Scripture points to the Gospel, in this mini-series, there is no Gospel message; only a message of man’s power to have enough “faith” to see himself through and lead others to a “better place”.

None of us are autonomous. If we are diligent, we have attached ourselves to a local church assembly which means we enact Hebrews 13:17. Or perhaps we are married which means we submit to our husband. Or perhaps we are under the leadership of a teacher or deacon in a home group. The difficulty comes in being both bold and submissive. We want to boldly proclaim Jesus and point to any infringement on His Person or Glory by false teachings or teachers. But at the same time we commit to submit to the pastor, leadership, or spouse’s guidance. The sticking point comes if one of those says, “Watch with bible in hand, and I’ll lead you through the errant parts and show you what to avoid…” Maybe your husband or teacher or pastor to whom you have submitted has said “Trust my decision to show/use/promote/reach from this.”

Becoming a member of a church, or married to a spouse, by definition means I submit in trust to their leadership. In the case of encroaching false doctrine, it is not about trust. Anyone can make a mistake. No one is infallible. Mistakes are not trust. And here I use the brownies example.

If a leader or husband or someone to whom you have submitted presents a pan of brownies and says “I baked this pan of brownies and I baked cockroaches into it. But trust me, I know where they all are so when I cut a piece, you probably won’t eat one.”

Now, I said it is not about trust. The question becomes, why is the leader or husband or pastor presenting infested food for your consumption in the first place?

Not when there is unadulterated food available just to your right, over there, in THE BIBLE- you know, the one that God wrote.

Navigating the infested minefield of The Bible show is the same. You may indeed be able to detect where all the cockroaches are, but why go to all that trouble, when you can have spiritually safe food right from God’s bible? Why?

For those reasons, I think it is incumbent upon us to warn people who are watching the show and gently warn leaders who are using the show as a springboard to preaching. (2 Timothy 2:25).

If they refuse to listen and heed your warning, pleas, or exhortation, then you have a decision to make. But whatever decision you make, whether to continue with the show or to sit out, or to continue warning, or to remain quiet, do so as Ephesians 4:2 tells us.

For those of us the Holy Spirit has gifted with discerning of spirits, (1 Corinthians 12:10), you know that it is not just an intellectual ability. Sure, we know stuff, like where the false doctrine is or who is spouting it, and we know it earlier and more deeply than others do. But knowing is only half the battle. He has also “gifted” us with an emotional and spiritual capacity for agony in the knowledge. Literally, sometimes it feels like jaguars ripped my flesh (HT Tim Cahill). I put ‘gift’ in quotes, only partly tongue in cheek. All gifts are good which come from above, but sometimes it will take until eternity for me to experience the goodness. Seeing what The Bible is doing to evangelicals, churches, friends, is like the agony of Jeremiah. I know it is bad, and it affects me deeply. I know it does for some of you, as well.

Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem
REMBRANDT (1630)

My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain!
Oh the walls of my heart!
My heart is beating wildly;
I cannot keep silent,
for I hear the sound of the trumpet,
the alarm of war. (Jeremiah 4:19).

Isaiah wasn’t immune to the agony of such knowledge either.

Therefore my loins are filled with anguish; pangs have seized me, like the pangs of a woman in labor; I am bowed down so that I cannot hear; I am dismayed so that I cannot see. (Isaiah 21:3)

For the ones among us who feel these things deeply, the bible of course captures the feeling. I hate what I am seeing. I agonize over each person who is caught up in the web of deceit the History Channel series is producing. I writhe in seeing the blanket of confusion thrown over once-discerning heads.

O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? (Psalm 94:3).

Perhaps…not long. And then we will see TRUTH in human form appear in glory to call us home, and never agonize over such things again.

Posted in ecumenical, islam, muslims, third temple

Muslim wants Jewish Temple rebuilt

Posted on by elizabethprata

This opinion piece, appearing in the Jewish Press several days ago, is of interest. The author is Sinem Tezyapar, She is an executive producer at A9 TV, broadcasting from Turkey, Istanbul. She is a political and religious commentator and a peace activist. She is also a Muslim. She wrote a lengthy piece in The Jewish Press proposing that the Temple at Jerusalem, which is currently closed to Jews for prayer while open to Muslims, is a spot where both faiths could share. The piece is titled: A New Muslim Vision: Rebuilding Solomon’s Temple Together

Here is an excerpt of her piece:

“As a devout Muslim, I take pleasure when Jews pray to Almighty God, and their praying anywhere in the world, including at the Temple Mount, would be a glad tiding for me as well.

As a devout Muslim, it would be a joy for me to see Prophet Solomon’s Temple rebuilt as well. No, you did not hear me wrong. Prophet Solomon’s Temple being rebuilt in all its magnificence and glory would be a great delight for me, as it would be to any Muslim. Under different circumstances, in an atmosphere of trust, love and brotherhood, Muslims would welcome this with enthusiasm. The Temple of Solomon is also a historically important place, and rebuilding it would be a wonderful occasion for all believers to contemplate. Every Muslim, every believer, will want to experience the spirit of those days again, and strive to bring the beauty of those days back to life. Actually, it is everyone’s aspiration for that city to be adorned, to be beautified, and to regain the magnificent glory it had in the days of the Prophet Solomon.

Solomon’s Temple being rebuilt does not entail any harm to these shrines.”


This piece is only one opinion after all, so why do I take especial note of it? Because here is what the bible says the Temple will be like during the Tribulation:

Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.(Revelation 11:1

There are three different areas of this holiest of sites that are mentioned in the verse.
–The temple building itself. This includes holy place, the holy of holies, the altar and the people who gather there to worship

–the outer court, the open area that surrounds the temple. In the verse John is told not to bother with that

–the holy city, the city of Jerusalem.

The temple will have been rebuilt by the time the Tribulation comes along. We know this because the antichrist stands in it and stops the sacrifices (Dan 9:27) Verses in Matthew 24:15 and 2 Thessalonians 2:4 also refer to the temple during the Tribulation. For there to be sacrifices, there must be a holy place. For the antichrist to stop the sacrifices, they must have started.

We also know that the Temple Mount organization has spent much time developing all the items necessary to resume sacrifices. They have trained Levitical priests, practiced sacrificing, woven the priestly garments, and built an altar. All this they did according to Old Testament Law. They have even gotten the cornerstone and blessed it. It is like a pre-fab building, parts are ready and all they need is the go-ahead to build. It won’t take long, perhaps a month, I’ve read. Later today when I come home from work I’ll put up the links to all these so you can see how far along they are.

The only problem, aside from the political one and the religious one, lol, is the spot to build it on. Many people have said that there IS room at the Temple Mount to build a third temple, and not have to touch the Muslim Al Aqsa mosque which squats there like a buzzard. And according to the verse in Revelation 11, there does seem to be a picture of the two existing side-by-side at the same time.

End time students already know that the third temple will be rebuilt, the discussion has always been, where. Some have proposed that the last days wars of Psalm 83, or Ezekiel 38-39 would mean that the Muslim mosque is razed during the fighting. Others have said that a spot at Shiloh for the third temple is likelier, because Shiloh was the original place of the tabernacle for 400 years. Still others deny that any temple at all is built, but we see from the verses in Daniel and Revelation, among others, that this is the least likely scenario.

The most plausible one is that the two religions co-exist and the temple is re-built on the exact spot we all think it will be: atop the temple mount in the holy city of Jerusalem. There has always been room for a temple at the holy spot, despite the Muslim occupation at their mosque. And the Revelation verse proves it. What we could not imagine was the climate of the day allowing such a thing as side-by-side religious activity.

Today’s evil spirit is of an ecumenical bent. We see too sadly, Evangelical Christianity co-existing with Catholicism, Buddhism’s mystical side permeating fundamental Christianity, Chrislam, etc. Judaism and Islam will co-exist as revelation shows, exactly as the Muslim opinion writer proposes. The Lord will see His plan come to pass. Changing minds and hearts to see that it happens is the very power of God. Praise Him in all His ways!

Posted in bible, truth

The Commander of the Lord’s Army

Posted on by elizabethprata

Please consider this beautiful scene. It’s got it all-

The Commander of the Lord’s Army

When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5:13-15)

The Lord Jesus is the man who had the sword. How do we know? He received worship, and He said Joshua was standing on holy ground. We see that He is holy.

He said He is not for them nor for their adversaries because He was not there to help Joshua. He was there to take charge on behalf of the LORD God. His answer meant that Jesus was neither on one side or another but above all sides, and Joshua is meant to follow HIM. He is God.

Joshua’s answer, “What does my lord say to his servant?” and falling to his face is the perfect response- putting Jesus first and asking to how he, Joshua, could serve Him. He is worthy of praise. He is worthy of worship.

The answer to Joshua; that where Joshua was standing is holy ground, is proper, beautiful, and utter truth. Joshua did so, indicating his obedience. He is worthy to obey.

Jesus is so beautiful, I can hardly contain my joy at reading His word and learning more about Him. His pre-incarnate appearances, as when He appeared as a man to Abraham in sojourning to Sodom, appearing to Joshua here, speaking to Hagar in the desert, the man who wrestled with Jacob, and the man who appeared to Daniel…wonderful scenes of an involved and loving Jesus who is the image of God, guiding His people in the Father’s plan.

What a wonderful bible we have, the revealed God who loves us and who made a way for us to be forgiven of our sins. Read your bible and behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Start anywhere, the whole thing is pure gold 🙂

Posted in history channel, sassa, sexting, the bible

(UPDATED) ‘The Bible’ producer caught sexting and checking out escort sites: summarily fired

Posted on by elizabethprata

“Scott Sassa, the producer of the History Channel series, “The Bible” quickly exited his $6 million position as president of Hearst Entertainment & Syndication this week over a sexting scandal with a stripper. The New York Post reports that there’s more to Sassa’s exit than just sexting explicit messages on his company phone. The publication’s sources state that the former Hearst executive was also checking out the “high class” escort site, Kingzzz.com while on the job.”

The LA Times reports, “Sassa’s resignation was confirmed Thursday after the New York Post published a story saying Sassa had been cavorting with strippers and one — in partnership with her boyfriend — had tried to blackmail him and sent texts he’d written to senior officials at the magazine and television company. … Sassa also oversaw Hearst’s partnership with powerful producer Mark Burnett, whose latest program — “The Bible” — has scored big ratings for History.”

In 2011, Hearst hired “The Bible” producer Mark Barnett to form a parnership with the ousted Sassa for the purpose of creating hit television shows. One of these, apparently, is “The Bible”. It reminds of of Peter’s warning in 2 Peter 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.” They are exploiting us with false words in order in their greed to make merchandise of us, aren’t they?

I had asked in one of the blog essays about this tv series “The Bible”, can anything good come from leaven that was kneaded by people who are enemies of God?

Answer: No.

As we see with this unfortunate story about the producer who was fired.

As for the people and organizations who say that The Bible series can be a useful ‘hook’ to get people interested in Jesus and holy things, well, if the producer who is intimately involved in shaping the series like a nurtured child and bringing it to fruition was so immune to The Bible’s charms, what hope has someone else to come away from the series with a right view of the righteousness of Jesus? Not so much, if you ask me.

Posted in hearing God, jesus calling, thomas manton

Jesus Calling review, and why ‘hearing’ God is a bad thing

Posted on by elizabethprata

Here is a review of the book Jesus Calling by Michael Horton. I liked the review and liked just as much the clarification comment Mr Horton made at the comment section, which I excised and placed after the link to his review. Jesus Calling is another book which calls for your discernment because of the casual way the author ‘hears’ God and uses His word to legitimize what is beyond scripture. This blog entry is also an overall caution about hearing audible or inner ‘voices’ in either yourself or from other teachers.

FYI, here is the link to a very thoughtful and biblical review of this book.

Review of Jesus Calling
By Mike Horton

Excerpt: “In terms of method, then, Jesus Calling is a “something more” book. At the very least, I believe that it encourages believers to see God’s Word as hum-drum and to ascend into the heavens or descend to the depths to discover a word that will make Jesus more present in our daily lives. According to the Reformation stream of evangelicalism, God speaks to us in his Word (the arrow pointing down from God to us) and we speak to him in prayer (the arrow directed up to God). However, Jesus Calling confuses the direction of these arrows, blurring the distinction between God’s speech and our response.”

In the ensuing discussion of the book review in the comment section, there was a growing outcry from the commenters who began vehemently disagreeing with Mr Horton’s stance that God does not speak audibly today, in this era. Mr Horton made the following response in clarifying his stance and responding to the objections–

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for the interaction.

A number of responses have objected to restricting the Spirit’s communication to his Word. We don’t seem to disagree over whether Scripture is the infallible rule, but whether it’s sufficient: that is, whether we need or should expect other avenues of divine communication today. Let me first clarify the point and then defend it briefly.

It’s not a question of what God can do, but what he’s promised to do. Tomorrow morning, Jesus could speak to me in audible words outside of Scripture, but why to me and not to someone else? Scripture is a public book that may be accessed anytime. Jesus, who rose again publicly in history, certified the Old Testament and commissioned his apostles to speak his words in his name. Preaching is a public event. This public character of the gospel distinguishes Christianity from every other religion. I’ll leave it to others to discern whether Sarah Young tends to treat Scripture and preaching as “humdrum,” given her clear statement in the introduction that she was seeking more communication—something more personal—from Jesus than she had found in reading the Bible. (She doesn’t even mention preaching, as I recall.)

Now to the defense. To be sure, there are myriad examples of God speaking directly to people in the Old and New Testaments. After all, that’s how we got Scripture in the first place. However, Jesus equated the words of the prophets with the very word of God and submitted himself to the Scriptures (Mt 4:4, 7, 10; 5:17-20; 19:4-6; 26:31, 52-54; Lk 4:16-21; 16:17; 18:31-33; 22:37; 24:25-27, 45-47; Jn 10:35-38). He also drew a qualitative distinction between “word of God” and “the tradition of the elders” (Mt 15:2, 6). The one is God’s infallible word and the other is a fallible interpretation of God’s word. Yet the words of Christ and his apostles in Scripture are also the very word of God for the new covenant era: “God-breathed” and therefore sufficient (2 Tim 3:16). The Old and New Testaments form the biblical canon—like a constitution—that cannot be altered (Dt 4:2; 12:32; Rev 22:18-19).

Like the era of the prophets, the era of the apostles is unique. Paul distinguishes between the foundation-laying era of the apostles and the ordinary ministers who follow (1 Cor 3:11-12). The scriptures are inspired by the Spirit; we are illumined by the same Spirit to understand them. Just as the prophetic era was followed by the teachers (rabbis) who interpreted their inspired writing, the apostolic era was followed by pastors and teachers. The apostles said and did things that the Spirit did not deem necessary for us to know, as did those who prophesied in the Book of Acts. However, Paul warns, “Do not go beyond what is written,” since appeals to private revelation breed factions (1 Cor 4:6).

Churches of the Reformation hold that when this Word is faithfully preached, Christ himself speaks. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). It is through the preaching of the gospel that the Spirit creates and sustains our faith in Christ (Is 55:10-11; Ezek 37; Acts 2:14-36; Rom 1:16; 2 Cor 4:3, 6; 1 Pet 1:23-25).

In short, as Luther and Calvin both said, to look for another path, another means of communication from our Lord, is to “seek him outside the way.” The only safe place to find a holy God in mercy, clothed in his gospel, is where he has promised to meet us in peace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I thought his review (linked to his blog, above) and the clarification of the audible or inner hearing of God as a voice was extremely well-articulated. I have great concern when I hear and see the elders of our faith going forward with audible voices and lengthy, specific conversations with Jesus. Beth Moore is one of those. Pastor Mike Abendroth addressed her penchant for conversations with God in his 90-second video here. Basing doctrine, decisions, writings, teachings, or theology on supposed audible or inner hearings of God denies the sufficiency of God. Puritan Thomas Manton wrote in the mid-1600s of apostasy,

“The apostasy from the Lord will be determined chiefly by these two things: — (1.) By undermining his authority; (2.) Or destroying the interests of his kingdom. By these two we may understand the falling away, which is to come first.”

By claiming that God speaks to you personally it destroys the interests of the kingdom by making private the word of God (since as Mr Horton reminds us, appeals to private revelation breed factions, 1 Cor 4:6), and undermining His authority, by which God spoke through His Son. (Hebrews 1:1-2.)

Posted in history channel, the bible

The scarlet thread: present in the Old Testament, absent in "The Bible"

Posted on by elizabethprata

This article is on Dr. Adrian Rogers’ website “Love Worth Finding.” There is a button to share it on blogger so I am taking advantage of that to present this essay to you. Dr. Rogers is in heaven now with the Lord, but his work remains and continues to bear fruit for the kingdom.

If you read the essay then at the end I make a remark about something in today’s culture.

The Scarlet Thread through the Bible
Dr. Adrian Rogers

Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by…and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. Joshua 2:18-19

Rahab, the woman spoken to in this passage, was a harlot in the city of Jericho. As the Israelites came to possess the land, her city was destined for destruction — and she along with it. But she was delivered, and her life transformed, simply by tying a scarlet cord in her window.

This cord represented the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it pointed toward the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. In fact, all of the Bible is about Jesus Christ and His blood redemption, and you will find this scarlet thread throughout the Word of God.

The Prophecy of the Blood

From the very beginning of human history, it is revealed. When Adam and Eve sinned, God shed innocent blood in order to make them clothes from animal skins (Genesis 3:21). This is a picture of the covering of righteousness that we receive when the Lord Jesus Christ died for us.

In Genesis four we read that Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. They instinctively wanted to worship God. Cain sacrificed the fruit of the ground. Abel had already learned that God demanded blood, so he brought a lamb. God accepted the blood of Abel’s lamb, but He did not accept Cain’s offering. Why? Because “without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin” (Hebrews 9:22).

And God told Abraham to sacrifice his long-awaited son Isaac (Genesis 22). Just before Abraham plunged the dagger into the quivering heart of his son, an angel stopped him. Abraham saw a ram caught in a thicket. Isaac was set free, but an innocent animal’s blood was shed instead.

Then, God wanted to deliver His people from bondage in the land of Egypt. On the night of the Passover, God instructed each house to slay a lamb and put the blood on their door. God said in Exodus 12:13, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.”

And in the tabernacle and later in the temple, thousands upon thousands of sheep, oxen, and turtle doves were killed and their blood spilt as sacrifices for sin.

And finally, the Lord Jesus Christ died upon the cross. His death was the fulfillment of all the prophecy and promises. Revelation 13:8 proclaims that He was slain before the foundation of the world. He came to die; He planned to die; He lived to die; and He was born to die.

Blood is throughout Scripture, but what does Christ’s blood mean to us?

The Power of the Blood

His blood redeems us. There was a price against us that we could not pay, but the blood of Jesus redeemed us. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things…. But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

His blood brings us into fellowship with God. According to Ephesians 2:13, “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” Without the blood of Christ, man is a long way from God.

His blood makes peace with God. Man, by nature, is at war with God; and we can only come to God on His peace terms — the blood atonement. The Bible says in Colossians 1:20, “And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself….”

His blood cleanses. Not only does it remove the punishment of sin, it removes the pollution. I don’t care what sin you’ve committed; “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

His blood gives power over the devil. It’s the blood that Satan fears. Revelation 12:11 says, “And they overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb….” The devil doesn’t want you to learn about the blood. He hates it!

Before this planet was ever swung into space, God had determined in His heart that He would send His Son to die upon the cross. How wonderful it is to trace the scarlet thread of the blood of Christ woven throughout the Bible! How much more wonderful to experience its redemption personally. Praise God for the blood of His Lamb!

~~~~~~~~~end Dr. Rogers~~~~~~~~~

I want you to understand how important the Old Testament is. The scarlet thread runs throughout it. There are pictures and shadows and copies of the Messiah to come. See these verses

Hebrews 8:5
They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.”

Hebrews 9:24
For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

Hebrews 10:1
Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All – For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.

HE is the scarlet thread and woe be upon anyone who removes Him from the Old Testament as well as the New.

Yet the producers who created the History Channel’s series “The Bible” have removed this scarlet thread. We heard nothing of the promise of a redeemer as Noah recited the early Genesis verses. Passover was not explained. The sacrifice of Isaac was not explained and they made a monumentally blasphemous substitution of the lamb for the ram. The sin of Sodom was removed.

As the series unfolds, the doctrines which the series presents are crafty and subtle, just as we would suspect satan to be (Genesis 3:1-2). It subtly overemphasizes man’s acts, underemphasizes God’s sovereignty, and worst, underemphasizes man’s sin. Noah is responsible for reconciling man to God after the flood. Saul is responsible for uniting the two kingdoms. Sins are ‘mistakes’, and judgment comes because of ‘bad decisions.’

As the series moves forward, the reason for the coming of Jesus is repeatedly stated that men will “change the world.” Paul is going to change the world. Peter will change the world.

However, Jesus came to save the world and the second coming will be to punish the world. Nothing about Jesus’s intentions are to ‘change the world’ yet that thread is the one which the series creators have replaced the scarlet cord with. And who will change the world? Men.

It is very well to be aware of the doctrinal problems in The Bible miniseries, but it is hard to use the bible to see what isn’t there. It is always harder to detect what is missing than what is present.

The Jesus we know and love and honor is missing, and that is because His scarlet thread is plucked out of the perfect tapestry of the interwoven Word. And you know what happens when a thread unravels from the piece: it comes apart.

Posted in eschatological, rapture, tribulation

Where the vultures gather

Posted on by elizabethprata

I’m sure you’re familiar with this verse. It is in Matthew 24 and here from Luke 17

“Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” (Luke 17:33-37).

The above is a real photo that I took when driving along in my hometown in GA. They are indeed vultures, turkey vultures, and I thought the composition was interesting. They didn’t budge when I stopped my car under the branch and snapped a few photos. Then I inverted it, changed the mode to B&W and voila, spooky birds.

Vultures always seem kind of spooky, don’t they. While camping in the Everglades, the buzzards used to glide in and stand on the picnic table, staring at us. They are huge birds, made all the more spooky by knowing they eat carrion. Or live things, it doesn’t matter. We kept our cat holed up in the VW pop-up while we were there. The birds just seemed way to interested in chomping either her, us, or our lunch.

And that is the point of the verse. So many people think that it is a rapture verse. It is not. The Lord had spent the bulk of the Matthew passage explaining the labor pangs of the Tribulation to the disciples, in order and in detail. Luke has a shortened version of it. Then in Matthew, the Lord explained the Abomination of Desolation, which is the unveiling of the antichrist at the Temple, calling himself God. Then He said when you see that happen, do the following, and He delivered instructions to the Jews.

He concluded with “Immediately after the tribulation of those days…” and gave a couple of parables to finish it off. The verse is contained in the section at the end of Matthew 24 and Luke 17, where the Lord tells us that no one will know the day nor hour of His coming. The world will not know because the sun is dark, no one knows what day it is, the antichrist had sought to change times and seasons. They lose track of what day it is. THEN the Lord will come in a blaze of glory.

The people taken are those non-believers taken alive who displeased God, and those who are left are those believers who pleased God. He takes the non-believers away to judgment. He cements this thought by saying they will be where the vultures gather. Vultures are carrion birds which gather where the (spiritually) dead are. Believers are left to enter the Millennial kingdom on earth. Jesus concludes with reminding us that where the carnage is, the spiritually dead and the physically dead in judgment, there the vultures gather. It is the wicked who are taken- to judgment.

Any person can escape all these things by believing on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He came to save the world and make the payment to God for our sins, taking on God’s wrath instead of allowing it to be poured out on us, as it should have been. He was crucified and died. He was buried but by the power of God, who was pleased with His son, resurrected Him from the dead. Jesus is in heaven now, reigning on His throne, and will come again to earth to judge the living and the dead.

If you are still not sure about the interpretation of the Matthew 24 passage as a Tribulation and not rapture passage, and also the Luke 17 parallel passage, here is a lesson at Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM) on How to Interpret the Bible and they use these exact verses to share how to interpret a passage. It will lead you through it verse by verse and step by step.

If you believe you are a sinner disqualified from entering heaven, and believe that Jesus is our savior and Lord, you can be saved. Saved from what? His wrath. That is what the Luke and Matthew passage refers to, the spiritually dead who are already under God’s wrath and which will come fully one day to judge you. Pray to the Holy Spirit, Who is also God, for more information, as you read more here too: God’s Simple Plan of Salvation. Or speak to a local pastor of a bible believing church. You are spiritually dead and are gathering where the vultures are. The miraculous grace of God can regenerate you alive. Think on these things- they are real issues and eternal, too.

Posted in iran, north korea, tribulation, war

North Korea and Iran’s war drums are beating so loud the US responds

Posted on by elizabethprata

“Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with You.”

OK, I took a liberty, changing the intent of the Stealers Wheel’s lyrics to add the capital Y to indicate God in the lyric.

I am concerned in watching the militaristic beating of the war drums to our “left” – North Korea, and to our “right” – Israel and Iran. Yet God is in control, He is in the middle of us. (Matthew 18:20).

Let’s take a look at the situation of North Korea first. Drudge put this up yesterday:

Always crazy, always unpredictable, North Korea is the one nation in the world which may indeed use nuclear weapons as a matter of curse or just for no reason. You never know what they may do, and that is because they are a closed nation. We are cut off from indicators, diplomatic channels, hints or feints. We are shadow boxing with a mirage when it comes to North Korea. They are closed to journalism, economic exchange, and communications. China is their only ally, and even they are getting exasperated with North Korea.

When you close a people off from the world they have no basis or benchmark to determine what reality is. The North Koreans believe that the US is poised to lob a nuke at them and that NK is right to defend themselves by lobbing one first.

The NK leaders, formerly Kim Jong Il and today’s Kim Jong Un, often make inflammatory statements that have no basis in reality. But no matter, they seem intent on striking the US with a nuclear weapon and they just might indeed do it.

Max Fisher at the Washington Post wrote a few days ago, “Here is a partial list of some of North Korea’s terrifying threats and provocations since the United Nations Security Council imposed new sanctions late last week: nullify the 60-year armistice that had ended the Korean War, sever the emergency communication line with South Korea, order frontline troops to prepare to “cut the windpipes” of their enemies, threaten to “wipe out” a South Korean island and pledge “all-out war.” ” Fisher said that NK loves to threaten WWIII (but probably won’t follow through“. Notice the ‘probably.’ I think they will. But I’m just a schmoe blogging in my pajamas. What do I know?

However, more seriously and ominously, the US apparently isn’t taking any chances. This time NK’s threats caused the US to make a response in action. They deployed missiles.

U.S. to bolster missile defenses to counter North Korea threat: Hagel
“(Reuters) – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced plans on Friday to bolster U.S. missile defenses in response to a growing nuclear threat from North Korea, adding 14 interceptors to a missile defense site in Alaska by 2017 and deploying a radar tracking system in Japan. The decision to add 14 new anti-missile interceptors at Fort Greely in Alaska amounts to a reversal of an Obama administration decision in 2010 to stop expansion of the missile field there at 30 interceptors. The Bush administration had planned to deploy 44 total interceptors. Hagel said the decision to deploy all 44 interceptors came as a result of the growing threats from Iran and particularly North Korea, which tested a third nuclear device last month and launched a rocket that put a satellite in orbit in December.”

A government doesn’t move war materiel for nothing. When you start deploying missiles, it is serious.

Now as to the jokers to the right, Iran is also doing its crazy thing. The nation got daring this week. “An Iranian fighter jet approached a U.S. surveillance drone over the Persian Gulf but broke off its pursuit after the pilot of a U.S. escort plane radioed a verbal warning, the Pentagon said Thursday,” reports HuffPo.

More concerning is the wrangling between Israel and the US. The US says that the nuclear red line for Iran is more than a year away. Israel says it is a matter of weeks (this spring to summer).

Who is right? The mistake is not recoverable. I wrote in February of this year that the bible indicates  more than once that a nuclear war in the Tribulation is likely.

In another war drum beat, The Times of Israel reports that the Intelligence Chief says Syria is ready to use chemical weapons.

I don’t know when war will come. I don’t know from whence it will start. But it will. The bible tells us that in the Tribulation, peace will be taken from the earth. (Revelation 6:3-4; Matthew 24:6). However, I do not know how many wars or battles will take place prior to the removal of the saints in the rapture before the Tribulation begins. We must be prepared.

But that preparation will only last so long. We will be called home soon and whenever that event occurs, blessedly, we will study war no more.

Source

Above, Lesleigh Coyer, 25, of Saginaw, Michigan, lies down in front of the grave of her brother, Ryan Coyer, who served with the U.S. Army in both Iraq and Afghanistan, at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia March 11, 2013. Coyer died of complications from an injury sustained in Afghanistan. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

War is an outward indicator of the state of man’s heart. Man’s heart is wicked and deceitful, who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). Man’s thoughts and intents are only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5). Unregenerated man is at a state of war with God, all the time. War on earth is the manifestation of all that.

But when Jesus comes, “He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4)

Cling to that. Man and Savior reconciled, man and nation at peace with themselves and with their Holy God. Hallelujah! (Colossians 1:20).

Posted in comment policy

Non-comment policy

Posted on by elizabethprata

I don’t have a comment policy. I do allow comments. I always appreciate the blogs that allow comments. It feels vertiginous to read something really interesting or provoking in one way or another but not be allowed to satisfy the urge to reply. So I allow comments.

I don’t go in for a complicated comment policy. It’s a blog, my blog, and I’m the boss. That means as a publisher and editor of a writing production, I can choose to make my own editorial decisions. I would hope that readers understand that as a former professional writer and print journalist, I have a method and a sense of fairness as to what comments to allow and disallow. For the most part, I use common sense.

However, I do feel I owe readership an explanation for some things. It is a relationship after all. Once in a while I make an explanation of when or if I edit a comment. I only edit a comment rarely. I do that when the comment is excellent and I feel contributes to a discussion, but has attached to it a link that either does not glorify God in its content or is of low web trust according to the rating system of the WOT add-on I use (I won’t send readers to a dangerous website filled with spam unbenownst to them). In the rare cases I do edit a comment for those reasons, I say so. I have only had to do this a mere five times or so in the last four years.

Once in a great while I close comments for a blog entry. I have the option to do this for individual essays and don’t have to do it for the whole blog. I have only had to do this for a few blog entries, such as the Jentezen Franklin piece, and recently for the Catholic essays I’ve written.

Blastr comment policy

I’m not so popular that I get swamped with comments, lol. But recently the comments have become more pitched as the spiritual battle rages. The piece I did on the History Channel’s series “The Bible” earned five-digit readership in a short time, and I was flabbergasted. The essays on the Catholic false religious system has a high reader interest, too, and has garnered a lot of comments.

For two of the Catholic essays, I closed comments. One reader said it was “strange” that I did that. They made an accusation as to when they sent “proof” that Catholicism was a true religion, I closed comments. Someone will always feel put out when that happens, and there is no avoiding that. I’m sorry if you didn’t get to comment or feel cheated of your chance to reply. Here is my reasoning for closing comments on those two pieces-

“It’s not strange at all. Quite the contrary. First, there is no “proof” that Catholicism is biblical. Second, comments were turning pointless because no matter how often the bible is referred to, the people supporting the false Catholic system refuted it illogically and extra-biblically. Third, there have been numerous comments that never even made it past the moderation stage, which were ad hominem attacks on personalities. I get tired of moderating those. The comments that are simply “you’re a bid stoopid poopiehead” or “you are a sham and a disgrace” are a waste of everyone’s time and are certainly not Christ-like. They are personal and not doctrinal. Comments like those edify no one, except perhaps, satan.

Enough ink has been spilled on each side for people to have expressed their position, and to illuminate any reader who comes along. As an editor I decide that at a certain point, there is no point in going further. Discussions have been fleshed out and the argument (an intellectual process whereby a collective series of statements to establish a proposition is laid out) turns into contradiction (an automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says). So when the intellectual portion of the discussion ends and the conversation turns into “(RCC is false. No it isn’t. Yes it is. No it isn’t…)” I choose to end it.

I will likely close comments on the other essays that discuss the false and satanic Catholic system, too, for the same reason. Even if you personally have not had a chance to comment, likely your thought in some form is already reflected in the comment stream and would be a repeat. That means it’s time to close comments. Good day to you all.”

Ultimately, it is my blog and I am the decider. I am the boss of what is said here. If the comment adds something to the discussion, great. If it provokes thinking in new ways or in a new direction, great. If it is encouraging or uplifting or supportive of the piece’s main point or a reader’s comment, great. If it is incisive and biblical, using verses appropriately, great. Even if it opposes the main thesis of the piece, I respect it if it is respectful and makes a point in a civil way. If it doesn’t, it does not get through.

I’m sorry that not all my decisions please, but though all attempts will be made to remain cordial on behalf of myself and the readers, my ultimate goal is to please the Lord. Sometimes I will close comments and that’s just the way it is. I envision doing that more as the battle rages and hearts darken. Profanity and accusations are more common now than they were even four years ago when I started. Not everyone who reads religion blogs are saved by grace of Jesus and they will behave badly. Blastr made the statement on their comment policy page that sometimes ‘nerd rage’ will creep in and a fury will develop over the most innocuous of topics, like favorite movies. LOL. Nerds behaving badly… funny. Well, at least now you know my reasoning.

I like what John MacArthur has on his blog above the comment box: “Proverbs 17:9 Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.” (ESV)

And there, wouldn’t you know. The bible has the best comment policy of all.