elizabethprata

discernment, jen hatmaker, monastic, simplicity, social gospel

Book Review & Discernment- "7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess" by Jen Hatmaker, part 1

Posted on May 4, 2013November 5, 2025 by elizabethprata

The Shack got women talking. The Secret titillated them. A Thousand Gifts made them swoon. Now, 7:An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker is causing another stir among the female brethren. Here is the Amazon.com book blurb-

American life can be excessive, to say the least. That’s what Jen Hatmaker had to admit after taking in hurricane victims who commented on the extravagance of her family’s upper middle class home. She once considered herself unmotivated by the lure of prosperity, but upon being called “rich” by an undeniably poor child, evidence to the contrary mounted, and a social experiment turned spiritual was born.”

“7 is the true story of how Jen (along with her husband and her children to varying degrees) took seven months, identified seven areas of excess, and made seven simple choices to fight back against the modern-day diseases of greed, materialism, and overindulgence.”

“Food. Clothes. Spending. Media. Possessions. Waste. Stress. They would spend thirty days on each topic, boiling it down to the number seven. Only eat seven foods, wear seven articles of clothing, and spend money in seven places. Eliminate use of seven media types, give away seven things each day for one month, adopt seven green habits, and observe “seven sacred pauses.” So, what’s the payoff from living a deeply reduced life? It’s the discovery of a greatly increased God—a call toward Christ-like simplicity and generosity that transcends social experiment to become a radically better existence.”

Where do I begin.

OK, as always begin with the language that is being presented and carefully scrutinize it, and then compare it to the bible.

First, the impetus of the book worrisome. A kid called them ‘rich’ so they changed their life? Were they ashamed to be called rich by a poor child? Guilty of the blessings God had sent them? If they were prosperous in contrast to a poor kid, then it was an opportunity to do more with their means. It is not a sin to be rich, even by comparison to others. Abraham was wealthy. So was Job. David. Solomon. Nicodemus. Joseph of Arithamea. Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household, and Susanna; helped Jesus out of their own means. (Luke 8:3). It is the love of money that rots. Was this family loving money too much? Or just ashamed of what they had? There is a difference.

If they were attempting to shepherd their means in more Godly fashion, then that is fine. But it seemed that they were ashamed of their status in life. The bible has much to say about money, Godly living, shepherding resources, and excess, yet they did not consult with the word. They are off to a bad start.

What was their source for proceeding? They created a man-made outline to guide their behavior rather than consult the bible. By what standards did they decide on seven? On food, clothing, spending? What about giving?

Stress? Stress is part of life. Ask Paul. Peter. Stephen. Any martyr. Any Christian. We are at war with the powers and principalities of this world, and that is stressful. Do they think they deserve a stress-free life? What was the source of their stress? If they had made unGodly decisions about work, to the expense of their children, that is one matter. If they simply want the ‘good life’ that is another. Achieving it by man-made means and monastic ‘simplicity’ is not the way.

We have had a wave of these try harder “faith” type books these last couple of years. We suffered through Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs and A Year of Biblical Womanhood Rachel Held Evans. In my opinion, this current wave of ‘do something, try harder, strip away the consumerism so we can get close to God’ kind of books began with David Platt’s “Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream.” That was a book that made it seem like those who were not doing big and bold things for God and coming home after work to sit on their American couch were second rate.

This past January, I wrote,

“You might remember I talked about the time when David Platt’s book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream came out. Christians all over the place got on the bandwagon and decided that their plain-jane faith was unremarkable and they needed an adrenaline shot of daring and a radical change to prove to God that they’re really a Christian who means it. Let’s contrast the fancy lights and high volume indoctrination of charismatic faith preached at Passion 2013 with this-” and I linked to John MacArthur’s essay called “An Unremarkable Faith“.

MacArthur’s essay extolled the virtues of a plain old Godly life lived by biblical standards (which is actually harder to do than sell everything and run off to Burma.). And I mentioned Radical again this past March, referencing Southern View Chapel’s treatment of Platt’s book in fall of 2011. They write,

“A similar voice is David Platt’s and his book Radical: [Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream]. Platt offers better balance than Chan but still propagates a two-tiered gospel composed of the true gospel of redemption and the social gospel. While Platt is careful to elevate the true gospel, the social gospel of feeding the hungry and giving to the poor is the primary focus of the book and accounts for its popularity.[26] He writes, “As we meet needs on earth, we are proclaiming a gospel that transforms lives for eternity.”[27] The author does not advocate the social agenda as opposed to true evangelism, as mentioned above, but he does say that caring for the poor is evidence of salvation. As a matter of fact “rich people who neglect the poor are not the people of God.”[28] However, when we turn to the New Testament, we find that, while Christians are to be loving and generous to all people, they are never told to attempt to remedy the consequences of the sin of unbelieving humanity through social action.”

7:An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess is a natural outgrowth of books like Platt’s Radical. We can see influences of Platt in the blurb when we read that following the author’s example will lead to “a radically better existence.”

Are we to seek a radically better existence for ourselves on this earth? It is not our home. It is our battleground. Are we to seek a radically better existence for others on this earth through experiments like social gospel? No. Better their book be titled “An Experimental Mutiny Against Sin“ because that is what Christians are called to do, witness for Christ against sin and Him alone as the way to overcome it.

I sidetracked about the Jacobs, Evans, and Platt books because I wanted you to see how these things are connected in waves. Platt’s book was seminal and damaging. We see that now.

Back to An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess. The blurb says the family discovered that once they dispensed with their stuff, they found “a greatly increased God”? So, God ‘increases’ if we recycle? People, God doesn’t change depending on what WE do.

The phrase in the blurb says it all: “a social experiment turned spiritual was born”. They didn’t consult the bible and adopt biblical standards in repentance and to seek God, they performed legalistic and rigid actions and a byproduct of that was that their own experience seemed to bring them closer to God. It’s backwards. That is how one knows they are false.

Now, let’s see what the bible has to say about riches.

Let’s substitute Abraham’s name for their name and see if this social experiment makes as much sense. From the blurb:

American life can be excessive, to say the least. That’s what Jen Hatmaker had to admit after taking in hurricane victims who commented on the extravagance of her family’s upper middle class home. She once considered herself unmotivated by the lure of prosperity, but upon being called “rich” by an undeniably poor child, evidence to the contrary mounted, and a social experiment turned spiritual was born.

From the bible-

Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he journeyed on from the

A painting of Abraham’s departure by József Molnár

Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord. (Gen 13:2-4).

Blending the two-

“And Abram was called “rich” by a poor slave from Pharaoh’s house and Abram felt guilty for his excesses. And lo, Abram chose the number seven and gave 7 cows to the child, and 7 pieces of silver to the beggar by the gate and 7 pieces of gold to the cripple by the road. And a grand social experiment was born, and behold, Abram felt closer to God and God was increased because of Abram’s works.”

BAH HA HA HA — stupid, eh?

Now, it is not stupid to shepherd your means wisely. It is not stupid to care for the poor. It is not stupid to have compassion on those less fortunate. All those things are good. We are reminded of the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Some people are richer than others and that is the way God set it up (Matthew 25:15). It is what we do with what we have that He is looking for. (Matthew 24:28). How we go about witnessing for Jesus regarding those important topics is what matters. How we share our means is what is at stake. Is what we are doing for the right reasons and done in the right way? Because there are right and wrong reasons and a right and a wrong way, as the parable shows.

In the next part of this book review, I’ll explore what the reference in the book’s “seven sacred pauses” means. The meat of the problem with the book “7: An experimental Mutiny Against Excess” is contained in that phrase, and I’ll explicitly tell you why this ‘discipline’ is very, very bad. Is what we are doing for the cause of Christ Godly and deep, grounded in His word? Or is what we are doing for the cause of Christ superficial and wrong headed, off track and thus of the kingdom of darkness? This book is in the latter group and in the next part I’ll clearly show you how they went about it in the wrong way, and thus why the book is to be avoided.

Part 2 here

identity, jesus, watch me daddy

"Watch me, Daddy!" Our identity in Christ

Posted on May 3, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Remember when we were kids, and we could run fast as a cheetah, jump as high as a kangaroo, turn cartwheels as fast as a bowling ball? We felt it, we knew it.

photo credit: Runs With Scissors via photopin cc

As kids we loved moving for the sheer joy of it. However, it made the movement all the sweeter when we shouted to Mom or Dad, “Watch me!” It seemed desperately important for our parents or grandparents to see us. We needed that confirmation of our identity. Doing our trick or running real fast somehow wasn’t as good if mom or dad didn’t see it. Kids yearn for that acknowledgement when we acquire a new skill. Children love praise. It makes our new skill all the nicer when we can see that dad approves.

On the playground I’m asked all the time to “Watch me run!’ “Watch me flip!” Watch me do a cartwheel!” I remember the intensity of wanting my mom’s eyes upon us. It meant everything. It had to happen! They had to watch! So when I’m asked on the playground at school to watch, I always say yes. I always wait until they return and say “did you see?” because they always ask. “Did you see?” I say “yes, great job!” And they run away happy.

What is it within a child that makes it such a desperate need to be seen? It’s as if our entire identity is cemented as long as we receive that parental confirmation. It’s as if even our entire existence is validated as long as father sees us and applauds. Kids desperately seek attention from their father, don’t they?

As adult Christian believers, we don’t have to say, “Father watch me!” By faith, we know our identity is in Christ. Our very existence, we owe to Him. And by faith we know He watches us, as much as is eternally possible and all the time. We don’t have to ask.

The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade. (Psalm 121:5)

He does not take his eyes off the righteous; He enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever. (Job 36:7)

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. (2 Chronicles 16:9).

Does he not see my ways and count my every step? (Job 31:4).

Brethren, friend, loved ones, His eyes are on you! He watches us with delight!

the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

(Psalm 147:11)

While we are trophies of grace, He doesn’t look at us just to look at us, nor does He look at us because we’re so great. He does love us. But don’t you look at your own trophy case? Admire your work? Hang your platinum albums on the wall? Pin the pennant up over your bed? He watches us because He will magnify HIS OWN name by us, His trophies of grace. (Ezekiel 36:23).

We do not need to shout to our Father, “Watch me!” anymore. We toil on earth, not letting the left hand know what the right hand is doing. We give, edify, pray in our secret closet. We don’t need to ask the Lord to watch us acquire a new skill, because we know by faith He watches. What we do as His ambassadors is to say “Watch our Father! Look what He can do!”

When He calls us home and we stand before Him at the Bema rewards, and He says “Well done, Son, well done, daughter! Well done good and faithful servant!” Our identity will be finally realized, fulfilled, and made eternal. We become one in flesh with the Father, and then have an eternity to enjoy Him as He enjoys us, the Bride finally home with the Groom. And we can look Him full in the face and we can say about HIM- look at our Father! watch HIM!

photo credit: ClaraDon via photopin cc

anger, holy, righteous anger, wrath

Where is the righteous indignation? The holy anger?

Posted on May 2, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Most sane people, until recently at least, would agree that child abuse is heinous. It is something that arouses in people an anger and feelings of severe indignation, in some cases, even violence. The very notion of an innocent and vulnerable child being abused by a horrid man or woman is beyond comprehension. The notion of baby abuse is even worse. Most people, including myself, refuse to even think about that because of the dread feelings abuse against children or babies breeds in the heart.

Though most sane people who become righteously angry at the notion of a child being abused will not enter into violence. Most will hanker for justice. They will vigorously pursue a due punishment for that abuser through all appropriate channels – to the utmost.

They will pursue justice through the court system. Of the abusing priests, they pursue justice through the Vatican. Some dedicate their lives to protecting abused children. Others dedicate their profession through a lifetime to obtaining justice for these kids.

All believers are children of God. To God, we are His kids. We feel grown-up, mature, and in earthly terms, we may be. But we are children.

Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
John 1:12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God–
Romans 8:14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

Even if we have been a believer for 50 years, we are still a kid to the LORD. We are his sheep, dumb, helpless, and shivering at the wolves who prey on us.

“The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not

bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.”

“Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them. (Ezekiel 34:4-10)

We can see from the above verses that the sheep can be prey for the wolves in many different ways. When a worthless shepherd throws them to the wolves and feeds himself instead, it is a very bad thing- for the anger of the LORD burns in His chest.

What He is describing is spiritual abuse. This occurs against the children of God by those in positions of trust. We are enduring a flood of worthless shepherds these days, as well as worthless prophets, false teachers, and unregenerated “believers”.

“A steady stream of false teaching has been cumulative so that it is wider and deeper now than it has ever been in human history. False teaching about God, about Christ, about the Bible, about spiritual reality is pandemic. (source)

Pastors who plagiarize are abusing the sheep because they are giving voice to satan and turning the pulpit over to the kingdom of darkness. Teachers who introduce destructive heresies ruin the people who listen to it. (2 Timothy 2:14). False prophets who speak a dream they’ve made up dilute the word.

So my question is, when a pastor or leader or teacher abuses the flock, why don’t we become as righteously angry as we do with secular child abusers? Why, so often, is there more focus on the victimizer than the victims? His feelings? His reputation? His restoration? Why do we not get more righteously angry about spiritual child abuse? Their feelings? Their restoration? Their needs in the face of recovery?

Look at how harshly Paul dealt with those whom the Spirit commanded to be turned over to judgment.

“This command I commit unto thee son, Timothy, according to the prophecies which pointed to thee that thou by them mightest war a noble warfare; holding faith and a good conscience which some having put away have made shipwreck concerning the faith; of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander whom I have delivered unto Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.” (2 Timothy 2:14-19).

There is a place for righteous anger in a holy setting. We’re commanded to limit it, but it is OK to feel it.

“Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” (Ephesians 4:26). Here is what

Dr. John MacArthur says about righteous anger:

“You have a right to be angry about some things.

Psalm 97:10 says: “Ye that love the Lord hate evil.” And Psalm 69:9 David says: “Zeal for Thine house is eating me up. The reproaches that are falling on Thee are falling on me.” He’s saying, God, I can’t tolerate what people do to Your name. It infuriates me.

Now I admit I get angry sometimes. I hope to God I never get angry about what happens to John MacArthur, I hope I always get angry about what happens to God’s holy name. And I hope I never stop getting angry about that. We should have a basic, built in, – that is a programmed anger over sin, a programmed anger over evil, that puts us in a beatitude mentality so that whenever I see sin be it in you or be it in me, I mourn in my spirit. That kind of anger is the sinew of the soul.

F. W. Robertson, a great saint, tells in one of his letters that one time he met a certain man who he knew was trying to lure a young girl into prostitution. And he was so angry he bit his lip until it split open and bled.

The anger that is selfish, passionate, undisciplined, uncontrolled is sinful, useless, hurtful. It must be banished from the Christian life. But the disciplined anger that seeks the rightful place of a righteous God is pure and selfless and dynamic.

This sermon goes on to offer practical ways to allow holy anger to rise to the surface but not to let it consume you.

“anger that is unselfish and is based on love for God and concern for others not only is permissible but commanded. Genuine love cannot help being angered at that which injures the object of that love.

“But even righteous anger can easily turn to bitterness, resentment, and self–righteousness. Consequently, Paul goes on to say, do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. Even the best motivated anger can sour, and we are therefore to put it aside at the end of the day. Taken to bed, it is likely to give the devil an opportunity to use it for his purposes. If anger is prolonged, one may begin to seek vengeance and thereby violate the principle taught in Romans 12:17–21…”

In Psalm 4, David shows us what to do with our righteous anger and it’s consistent with what Paul said, “Be angry, and do not sin!” (From Bible.org)-

Twice in this very short psalm (Psalm 4) David refers to his bed. In verse 4, David speaks of being still, of not taking action himself. Apparently David has done all that he could, in the rebuke of his enemies as recorded in verses 2 and 3. Now, he remains still on his bed, not mulling over the sins of his enemies, or plotting their demise, but rather meditating on the virtues of his God.

Get angry if the sheep are abused. Spiritual abuse is terrible and ruins lives and souls. Be angry! But do not sin. You have a right to be angry about some things. You have a command to be angry about some things! However we should not let that righteous anger linger because it would turn to sour bitterness. If we are angry about what angers God and not angry over ourselves, it is a righteous anger. Keep your eyes on God, even when you are praying for justice for the abused sheep.

gonorrhea, jesus, robert a. j. gagnon, sexual sin

Sexual sins are worse. Here’s why

Posted on May 2, 2013 by elizabethprata

The UK Daily Mail has this story:

Doctors warn that antibiotic-resistant strain of gonorrhea could be ‘worse than AIDS’
Doctors are warning that an antibiotic-resistant strain of gonorrhea, now considered a superbug, has the potential to be as deadly as the AIDS virus. Gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported sexually transmitted infection in North America. This particular strain of gonorrhea, known as HO41, was discovered in Japan two years ago in a 31-year-old female sex worker who had been screened in 2009. The bacteria has since been found in Hawaii, California and Norway. HO41 has so far proved resistant to current antibiotic treatment and so it has been placed in the superbug category. ‘This might be a lot worse than AIDS in the short run because the bacteria is more aggressive and will affect more people quickly,’ Alan Christianson, a doctor of naturopathic medicine told CNBC. Nearly 30 million people have died from AIDS related causes worldwide, but Christianson believes the effect of the gonorrhea bacteria is more direct.

Wow. That kind of came out of nowhere…

What kind of problem does gonorrhea usually present? The Center for Disease Control reports on their gonorrhea fact sheet,

CDC estimates that, annually, 820,000 people in the United States get new gonorrhea infections and less than half of these infections are detected and reported to CDC.

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease, given or received by any sexually active person, heterosexual or homosexual.

Sexually transmitted diseases at their basic root are a judgment from God in the way that all disease is a function of the decay the people who dwell on the earth experience as a general consequence of it. Disease is a fact of the wrath of God He is allowing to be present in this age. Judgment aside, sexual diseases ARE a consequence of wanton sexual activity outside the biblical confines of marriage. There is a reason God set it up so that one man and one woman enjoy conjugal relations for a lifetime. Abandoning that opens a person up to sin, emotional decay, and physical disease. Remaining in a committed marriage with only one partner, or celibate if single, immeasurably decreases your chances of contracting such a disease.

In addition, Romans 1:18-32 describes God’s wrath against sexual sin and worse perversion.

So how does one avoid God’s displeasure in sexual sin, particularly when the culture is so immoral? Even insurance advertisements use adultery and lasciviousness to sell product! Well, the bible says, “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18).”

Barnes Notes explains,

Flee fornication – A solemn command of God – as explicit as any that thundered from Mount Sinai. None can disregard it with impunity – none can violate it without being exposed to the awful vengeance of the Almighty. There is force and emphasis in the word “flee” φεύγατε pheugate. Man should escape from it; he should not stay to reason about it; to debate the matter; or even to contend with his propensities, and to try the strength of his virtue. There are some sins which a man can resist; some about which he can reason without danger of pollution. But this is a sin where a man is safe only when he flies.

Remember Joseph. He is our example here.

But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. (Genesis 39:11-12)

The prophecies in the bible about the last days and the Tribulation indicate that disease will run rampant over the entire earth and kill a great many people. Death and Hades are given authority to kill a fourth of of the earth’s people by sword, famine, beasts, and disease. (Revelation 6:8). Jesus warned that in the last days there will be pestilences (Luke 21:11).

It is no accident, in my opinion, that the CDC and other agencies are worried about and reporting on an increase in drug resistance. Superbugs didn’t exist as commonly as they do today when I was a child. There have been outbreaks, but none like the ones predicted in the Tribulation.

This website lists the five deadliest pandemics in history. Smallpox, a mystery disease, Spanish Flu and good old bubonic plague have been with us since recorded history.

In The Peloponnesian War Pestilence, a disease killed 30,000 Athenians and was never identified. About half of Athens perished.

The Anotonine Plague, thought to be smallpox, ran its course in 15 years and killed 5,000 a day and a total of 5 million people.

The Plague of Justinian occurred in 541-542 AD, this disease now known to be bubonic plague killed 10,000 people in Constantinople every day. With no room nor time to bury them, bodies were left stacked in the open. it is estimated that almost a quarter of the Mediterranean region was killed during this course of the disease.

In the 1300s, the Black Death (bubonic plague) took a heavy toll on Europe. The fatality was recorded at over 25 million people or one-fourth of the entire population.

The Spanish Flu of 1918-1919 affected every continent. It is perhaps the most lethal pandemic in the history of humankind: between 20 and 100 million people were killed, more the number killed in WWI itself.

And now this disease poised to be “worse than AIDS”. The World Health Organization reports that 1.5-1.9 people died of AIDS related illnesses in 2011. Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, 60 million people have contracted HIV and 25 million have died of AIDS-related causes.

And this new gonorrhea bug may be worse? And rising at a time when the Lord said that pestilence will be rampant? And when the Restrainer ceases His restraining ministry after the rapture and sexual sin will explode? Good gravy, please believe on the Lord Jesus and escape all these things by being part of the Bride and rise at the rapture!

His faithfulness is such that He takes ALL sinners, no matter who confesses and repents. He is loving, just, merciful and kind. However, though He is those things, after the rapture He will unleash His wrath and anger, and render unto the unbelieving and sinning world the due consequences of their actions. The above list of ‘five worst pandemics’ will seem like a summer cold by the time the bodies are stacked up at the end of the Tribulation. You do not want to be here for that.

In case you missed it above, sexual sin, any sexual sin, (pre-marital sex, AKA fornication, homosexual sex, adultery, pornography, and all other perversions) is worse than other sins because…here it is in 1 Corinthians 6:18 again.

And a word of caution to us all before the blessed event of the rapture takes place: FLEE from sexual sin, and that includes thoughts as well as actions. “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” (Hebrews 13:4)

Jesus is GREAT and faithful to help us. You do not have to be a slave to sexual sin. “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5)

Amen!!

—————————-

What is apostasy? Will there be revival or apostasy in the last days?

Posted on April 30, 2013 by elizabethprata

I hear so many people saying that the last days will come a revival. They pray for revival, they expect a revival, they promise a revival. Of course, no one is denying that revival is good. The more people that come to the Lord before they die, the better.

But the bible doesn’t even hint at any such thing happening in the last days. Just the opposite is going to happen, and is happening. People will not be coming to the Lord in droves, they will be fleeing from the Lord in droves.

Dr. Andy Woods wrote a terrific essay on this topic titled The Last Days Apostasy of the Church (Part 1)

I am excerpting two paragraphs of it here, and I encourage you to go to the link and read it in full. The second paragraph, below, gives the reason why it is sooo important to completely understand why apostasy, and not revival, is God’s end time program.

Apostasy refers to a departure from known or previously embraced truth. The subject of apostasy has little to do with the condition of the unsaved world, which has always rejected divine truth and therefore has nothing from which to depart. Rather, apostasy pertains to the spiritual temperature within God’s church. While some might think that apostasy relates to some external factor such as whether the economy is up or down, the subject of biblical apostasy relates to internal church conditions.

Because comprehension of what Scripture reveals concerning apostasy is critical toward completely understanding God’s end-time program, this series will develop several general characteristics of apostasy. They include the following: apostasy is a sign of the last days, is warned against repeatedly in the New Testament, impacts every major doctrine, is internal, knows no limits in terms of who becomes involved in it, can happen quickly, is satanically energized, is destructive, makes life difficult for the man of God, and can be guarded against.

Sunday Martyr Moment

Posted on April 30, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Sorry this is a day late.

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. According to this summary from Christian Book Summaries,

Writing in the mid-1500s, John Foxe was living in the midst of intense religious persecution at the hands of the dominant Roman Catholic Church. In graphic detail, he offers accounts of Christians being martyred for their belief in Jesus Christ, describing how God gave them extraordinary courage and stamina to endure unthinkable torture.

From the same link, the book’s purpose was fourfold:

Showcase the courage of true believers who have willingly taken a stand for Jesus Christ throughout the ages, even if it meant death,
Demonstrate the grace of God in the lives of those martyred for their faith,
Expose the ruthlessness of religious and political leaders as they sought to suppress those with differing beliefs,
Celebrate the courage of those who risked their lives to translate the Bible into the common language of the people.

Matthew

Whose occupation was that of a toll-gatherer, was born at Nazareth. He wrote his gospel in Hebrew, which was afterwards translated into Greek by James the Less. The scene of his labors was Parthia, and Ethiopia, in which latter country he (tradition says) suffered martyrdom, being slain with a halberd in the city of Nadabah, A.D. 60.

A halberd is this:

albania, gog magog, israel, middle east unrest, prophecy

Israel: A Nation waiting to exhale

Posted on April 29, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Israel is God’s chosen nation. He created a people from Abraham to be His people, to bear His spiritual fruit, and to be His everlasting trophy. That is His history with them.

Israel’s history with God is less holy and less even-keeled. They clung to Him. They left Him. They were punished by Him. They clung to Him. They left Him. They were punished by Him. They clung to Him. They left Him. They were punished by Him. They clung to Him. They left Him. They were punished by Him. They clung to Him. They left Him. They were punished by Him. They clung to Him. They left Him. They were punished by Him. They clung to Him. They left Him. They were punished by Him.

And so on.

One of the ways God punished His people was to use another nation to overrun the Israelites, or to defeat them in war, or just to harass them endlessly. This excerpt from the short essay “God’s providential use of other nations” explains,

The Use of Righteous Nations

The Lord can use a righteous nation to overthrow a wicked one. This certainly was the case in Israel’s early history when God led his people into Canaan and commanded them to destroy the tribes of that land (Deuteronomy 20:16-17). The ultimate potential redemption of humanity was at the root of this moral surgery. The failure of the nation to carry out completely the instructions was a source of severe hardship in the years that followed.

The Use of Wicked Nations

Jehovah may use an evil nation to chastise a relatively better one. There is no question but that the nations of Assyria and Babylon were far worse than both Israel and Judah, yet the Lord employed both of these pagan powers to punish his people who gradually (and sometimes more than gradually) were drifting into apostasy.

The essay goes on to use the verse from Acts in which Paul explains, perhaps, God’s thinking on why He does this,

“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, (Acts 17:26-27).”

Here is a biblical example of how God used a nation. For example, Judges 10:6-8,

“And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and

Baal statue 1200BC, Wikipedia

the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.”

The long and unsettled history of Israel has made them weary today. They want peace. They want security. They want peace and safety. But it is not to be, yet.

“While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

Even today, with Israel’s military prowess tested and proven again and again, enemies all around Israel either harass them constantly or are in a war-like state of their own. (Below, Jerusalem at night)

Just a few of the headlines showing Middle East boiling point-
Syria PM survives assassination car-bombing
Claims of Hezbollah getting chemicals
And now some Albanian Islamists are joining the Syrian war. “In recent months, the “Albanian world,” which consists of five contiguous states (Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro), has been increasingly interested in what is happening in Syria and the controversy over whether Albanians should go fight there.”

This is interesting because in the future Gog-Magog war, described in Ezekiel 38-39, a coalition of nations surprise attacks Israel. Part of the coalition will be Russia and the Baltic states, of which Albania region is a part. I wrote about the Chechen connection to Gog-Magog when the Boston bombers were revealed to be Chechen.
Iraq getting more murderous, unrest permeates
They pulled the license of the news organization Al Jazeera and closed the border with Jordan.
Egypt pulling out of talks, protesting Israel’s nukes

All around Israel, tiny Israel, monster nations are at war, either with themselves, with each other or with Israel.

Israel is a nation that is still holding its breath. Peace and safety hasn’t come yet. It is not on the horizon, either. Prophecy says there will be another war, and this one Israel would lose. If it wasn’t for their holy God, that is. God uses nations once again in His providential manner to make His point-

“And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward. And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.” (Ezekiel 39:21-24). Below, what Armageddon might look like…

Israel is waiting to exhale. Hold on a while longer His people! Turn from your heathen ways and cling to your Holy God. His promises never fail. Your weariness will lead you to making deathly decisions, such as accepting the antichrist as savior, (Dan 9:27) and eventually, the armies of the world will encamp around you to fight the very LORD Himself at Armageddon. (Revelation 16:14-16; Zechariah 14:2). But He is trustworthy and will save a remnant, (hiding out at Bozrah/Petra, Isaiah 63:1) and will ensure peace for all in the Millennium Kingdom. (Zechariah 14:11). This is what’s coming for you, O Israel!

The Glory of the Lord Fills the Temple!

“Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing east. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. And the vision I saw was just like the vision that I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and just like the vision that I had seen by the Chebar canal. And I fell on my face. As the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east, the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” (Ezekiel 43:1-5).

Peace will flow like a river!

“Then he led me back to the bank of the river. As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other. And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea; when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh. And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.” (Ezekiel 47:6b-9)

false religion, jesus, priest

Woman ordained as Catholic priest

Posted on April 28, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

How bad is rebellion? Are there degrees of falsity? Is it like Animal Farm, all animals are equal but some are more equal than others? All rebellion is bad but some rebels are worse than others?

Catholicism is a false religion. Catholics who hold to Catholic dogma are not saved. Yet it gets worse, with the move from the top down, from Pope Francis down to rogue women, to ordain women as priests and/or place them in higher positions. It’s rebellion wrapped up in more rebellion, hypocrites behaving falsely. They wax worse deceiving and being deceived. Rebels rebelling in yet more rebellion.

Kentucky woman ordained as priest in defiance of Roman Catholic Church
In an emotional ceremony filled with tears and applause, a 70-year-old Kentucky woman was ordained a priest on Saturday as part of a dissident group operating outside of official Roman Catholic Church authority. Rosemarie Smead is one of about 150 women around the world who have decided not to wait for the Roman Catholic Church to lift its ban on women priests, but to be ordained and start their own congregations. In an interview before the ceremony, Smead said she is not worried about being excommunicated from the Church – the fate of other women ordained outside of Vatican law.

“It has no sting for me,” said Smead, a petite, gray-haired former Carmelite nun with a ready hug for strangers. “It is a Medieval bullying stick the bishops used to keep control over people and to keep the voices of women silent. I am way beyond letting octogenarian men tell us how to live our lives.”

And that last statement sums it up. They say “I’m not letting a man tell me what to do.” Their same attitude is held toward God. They are not letting God tell them what to do. Disobedience from His ways and His word always results in catastrophe for the rebel, and I am so sad that this woman is leading other women down a very perilous path.

Do you see the hypocrisy below? The woman priest seems to submit to God but she is only making a show, for she already declared she does not submit to men who hold a doctrinal opinion alternate from hers. She is ultimately rebelling though seeming to submit. And yet the whole thing is a hypocritical endeavor because the entire Catholic Church is false. She is already not submitting. It is what Jesus said,

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1)

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.” (Matthew 6:5)

The problem is, her attitude of dismissing men who are in authority (though Catholic priests and Pope have no authority) infects Christian denominations in a flood. Christian Caine, Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, and many others not as well-known are ordained and/or function as pastors despite the fact that the bible prohibits women from that office.

Women pastors / preachers? What does the Bible say about women in ministry?”

So with women Catholic priests you have an unbibical position falsely created by the false Catholic Church, absolving sins as an “alter Christus”. The Catholic doctrine of ‘alter Christus’ means another Christ, and that is who they believe priests are. It is why they say they have the power to absolve sin. Yet 2 Corinthians 11:4 says that if anyone comes and preaches another Christ, let him be accursed.

And it only makes matters worse to say that a woman is ‘another Christ’. God revealed himself as a man. Much like William P. Young in the blasphemous book, The Shack, who presented God as a woman, and the Holy Spirit as a woman, it is equally wrong to say a woman can be another Christ.

The false ones change what Jesus said, but no longer content with that, they now change who He is.

The only way to combat that in your own life is to know who He is. Read the word, that is where God revealed His Son to us, and it is the only place where we can be sure of the truth. The truth of who Jesus is is not contained in visions, nor dreams, nor other religions, but only in holy scripture.

And once you know who Jesus is, you can know who you are, and you won’t be deceived by people coming along whispering … ‘I’m another Christ, let the men be damned’.

chemical weapons Syria, earthquakes, north korea

USA bad, puppies good: two postcards for sale in North Korea; earthquakes, Syria chemical weapons

Posted on April 28, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Don’t forget about North Korea. They still hate us.

Photo by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic

The scare of earlier this month seems to have died down. Only it hasn’t, it just isn’t being reported all that much. Goodness, the US media has the attention span of a gnat. Look, North Korea! Over there, Lindsey Lohan! Wait, the White House Correspondent’s Dinner! Oy.

North Korea is still busy moving missiles, reports the UK Guardian.

“North Korea has moved two short-range missile launchers to its east coast, apparently indicating it is going ahead with preparations for a test launch, a South Korean news agency reported. Seoul and its allies have been expecting some sort of missile launch during weeks of heightened hostility on the Korean peninsula.”

Sooo, China ordered more troops to the border of North Korea.

“China is reportedly beefing up its military presence on the North Korean border amid heightening tensions in the region. The troop mobilisation is said to be taking place along with deployment of dozens of tanks in the strategically important border region with North Korea, which is separated by the Yalu River. The Chinese military is on high alert over the ongoing tensions in the Korean Peninsula.”

Just thought I’d let you all know that it is still going on over there. Lindsey Lohan notwithstanding.

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

This week there has been some reporting from main stream news outlets that Syria has used chemical weapons. However, those reports started leaking out a month ago. I reported on Israel’s claim that chemical weapons were used in Syria back on March 19. Israel’s claim got a huge ho-hum from the world. But now that a defected Syrian General is telling the world that he was ordered to use them, the world is being forced to face it. So the UN dips a toe and cautiously investigates. The US and UK are “treading cautiously.“

Ignoring it, is my opinion. They went into Libya pretty fast, as I recall.

Joel C. Rosenberg reports that Israel is closing in on the end of their patience with Iran and their nuclear program. He wrote this week, “Close confidante of Netanyahu warns “it’s now or never” for military strike on Iran: Analysis.” The article opens this way:

“Tzachi Hanegbi — a close, trusted, long-time personal friend and confidante of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – made remarks on Tuesday at a security conference in Tel Aviv that did not make news in the U.S. But they should have. Hanegbi explained that the time for sanctions and diplomacy and covert options to neutralize the Iranian nuclear threat is over, and the time for Israel to use its military option has come. “It’s now or never,” said Hanegbi, ”and the option of never does not exist.”

However later, the guy was told to stay mum on all that. And that is the news from the ‘epicenter’.

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

Speaking of earthquakes, I’d noticed that in previous years there had been a huge increase in quakes in the 6.0-6.9 magnitude. Then this year a severe drop-off. Since 2003, quakes in that magnitude had exceeded the United States Geological Survey’s own annual average. See here:

The dearth of 6.0+ quakes has continued into 2013. I had wondered what was up. Apparently I was not the only one who wondered. This article’s title poses quite the interesting conundrum:

A global murmur, then unusual silence
“In the global aftershock zone that followed the major April 2012 Indian Ocean earthquake, seismologists noticed an unusual pattern. The magnitude (M) 8.6 earthquake, a strike-slip event at intraoceanic tectonic plates, caused global seismic rates of M=4.5 to rise for several days, even at distances thousands of kilometers from the mainshock site. However, the rate of M=6.5 seismic activity subsequently dropped to zero for the next 95 days. This period of quiet, without a large quake, has been a rare event in the past century. So why did this period of quiet occur? In his research presentation, Fred Pollitz of the U.S. Geological Survey suggests that the Indian Ocean earthquake caused short-term dynamic stressing of a global faulting system. Across the planet, there are faults that are “close to failure” and ready to rupture. It may be, suggests Pollitz and his colleagues, that a large quake encourages short-term triggering of these close-to-failure faults but also relieves some of the stress that has built up along these faults.”

Aha! We know from the bible that the earth will shake and totter continuously throughout the Tribulation. (Isaiah 24:20, Matthew 24:7). Upcoming earthquakes of increasing magnitude are prophesied to occur. For example, there will be one in Jerusalem that will kill 7,000. (Rev 11:13). A huge one will occur that is predicted in Revelation 6:12 that will submerge all islands and crumble all mountains. In between the earthquakes will continue in diverse places. (Luke 21:11).

All this speaks to the scientist’s notion that the earth’s quake faults are about to fail. It’s because they are.

Pray, live for Christ, and look up, for our Redemption draweth nigh.

sin of omission, tolerance

Discernment lesson: The sin of inaction

Posted on April 27, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

We know we sin. We sin all the time, every day. There is none who does good, no, not one. (Psalm 53:3, Romans 3:12).

The bible is the only reliable barometer for how to act. There are many explicit commands for do and don’t, and some gray areas in the generalities which the Holy Spirit helps us with to interpret what to do in any given situation.

So when we sin, we repent to Jesus, our High Priest, (Hebrews 8:1) who makes intercession for us at the throne. (Romans 8:34). Jesus is faithful to forgive us and that is an amazing praise to His mercy and His glory.

However, failing to act is just as much of a sin as acting in the wrong. Both are sins and both need repentance. In both cases, failure to repent sears the conscience and we travel further away from Jesus. James 4:17 explains it ever so clearly:

“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it,
for him it is sin.”

Just in case someone out there wants to make a case that it doesn’t mean what he thinks it means, Luke 12:47 follows it up, John 9:41 confirms it, and 2 Peter 2:21 cements the deal. Inaction is a sin. Gill’s says it clearly:

“The omission of a known duty, as well as the commission of a known sin, is criminal.”

MacArthur says there are three problems with the sin of omission as James outlined in verse 17. “…this is the sin of disobeying God’s will. First, ignoring God’s will…secondly, defying or denying His will and thirdly, disobeying it.”

Gulp.

When we fail to do the good we know we must do it is actually disobeying God’s will. The entire Word testifies to the danger and ruin that happens when people fail to perform God’s will. Like Nike says, “Just do it,” but in our flesh we don’t. We delay, rationalize, ignore, or simply pretend that it’s not our concern.

Barnes Notes explains the James verse:

“If he understands what his duty is; if he has the means of doing good to others; if by his name, his influence, his wealth, he can promote a good cause; if he can, consistently with other duties, relieve the distressed, the poor, the prisoner, the oppressed; if he can send the gospel to other lands, or can wipe away the tear of the mourner; if he has talents by which he can lift a voice that shall be heard in favor of temperance, chastity, liberty, and religion, he is under obligations to do it: and if, by indolence, or avarice, or selfishness, or the dread of the loss of popularity, he does not do it, he is guilty of sin before God.”

I’m going to conjecture a bit here, but I can imagine what the congregation at Thyatira went through. Let’s

look at the verse, one which I believe is a life action experience of what James was talking about. We find it in Revelation 2:20-21:

“But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.” (Revelation 2:20-21).

There’s a lot going on here but mainly Jesus is condemning the people at Thyatira, an actual church of John’s day, because they knew something was wrong in their church and they did not do anything about it- for a long time. See, all the time Jesus gave the false prophetess time to repent, He was giving His sheep time to address the problem.

I can imagine how hard it may have been for the people at Thyatira. The false prophetess may have been well-liked. Maybe she was very popular and loved and they thought that were doing the loving thing by not ‘stirring up trouble’ or ‘making a controversy’. Perhaps she was well-connected and they did not want to infringe on the money flow, rationalizing that with the money, they could really do some good things. Perhaps they didn’t know who should address the problem, or how, saying “I’m not a leader, I’m not an elder…it’s someone else’s God-given task to open this can of worms.” Whatever the reason, the false prophetess had been around long enough to have birthed spiritual daughters. This means in my opinion that her false teaching was now infecting a second generation of foxlets, (Revelation 2:23) who were going out and carrying the seed of corruption with them.

Jesus charged the false prophetess but He also charged the people who knew she was teaching and doing wrong but failed to act.

Being tolerant is not loving- to JESUS. We tend to forget some important truths. First is this- no matter how much we love a person, we must love Jesus more. (Matthew 10:37). Love toward a fellow believer isn’t the sole barometer for whether we act. It isn’t even an important barometer for how or why we act. Jesus said we must love HIM MORE. When we act on behalf of Jesus at the seeming ‘expense’ of others, we are honoring Him by putting Him first. All good will flow from this. (Romans 8:28).

If we fail to act because we love that person more than Jesus, what we are actually doing is setting Jesus aside. All bad will come from that. Where Jesus is dishonored, He will do no mighty work there. (Mark 6:5).

So as hard as it may have been for the people at Thyatira to confront the false prophetess with her sin, it would have been much better to do so. If there is an issue in your church or in your family somewhere that needs addressing, or there is a false doctrine being accepted in your church, or the pastor or a leader is engaging in a gross ethical violation, whatever it is, and the person performing the sin is not addressing it, you must risk the confrontation.

Failure to do so actually encourages the wicked, (Ezekiel 13:22) and his sin of commission and your sin of omission combine to do an even darker work of evil. Ezekiel was warned about failing to do his duty. If Ezekiel had received a word from the LORD and failed to speak it, he was performing a sin of omission and he would be liable. (Ezekiel 3:16-21).

Paul discovered that a gross sin was being tolerated by the Corinthians and he laid into them, and said they ought to mourn and to confront the man performing the sin! (1 Corinthians 5:1-8).

We are not engaging in a right view of fellowship when we allow someone we love to continue in their sin. It is a wrong view of fellowship with each other but most importantly it is a wrong view of fellowship with the sweet Savior, who is the Head of the Church.

No one likes it, but we must risk the confrontation. Paul did, with Peter.

“But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.” (Galatians 2:11).

Paul loved Peter enough to understand that his own failure to confront his brother would lead to his brother’s condemnation and leave blood on his own hands. Show no partiality. We must – in all meekness- look AT sin, not away from it, and lovingly call for repentance. And yes, it is our business:

Charles Spurgeon said,

“Did I not hear someone in the company say, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” I know that gentleman! I heard his voice years ago. His name is Cain and I have this to say to him—it is true that he is not his brother’s keeper, but he is his brother’s killer . Every man is either the keeper of his brother, or the destroyer of his brother! Soul-murder can be worked without an act or even a will—it can be and is constantly accomplished by neglect!”

Do not encourage the wicked, leave your brother condemned, and open a space for satan to waltz into. Instead, risk the confrontation, honor Jesus, retrieve your brother from condemnation, and reject the wicked. Operating within His will is always better!