elizabethprata

Of Brimstone and Earthquakes

Posted on June 20, 2012 by elizabethprata

One of the most interesting to me, and by the look of the blog statistics, others as well, is earthquakes as an end times sign. Jesus said that as a sign of His coming there would be earthquakes in diverse places. (Matthew 24:7). Of course, He gave other signs too. And also of course, one earthquake does not mean the end is near.

The end time is actually the time when Jesus ascended and will end when He comes back. So by that token, there have been many earthquakes over the last 2000 years. So what makes so many of us so sure that this is the end of the end time?

Jesus also said that the signs of His coming will be as birth pangs on a woman. (many parallel verses here.) The earth will travail and groaneth as in labor. (Romans 8:22).

You have to think about how labor pains work. The pregnancy gestates, at first unnoticed. Then the baby bump appears. It grows larger, seemingly slowly at first, then quickly. Finally the labor begins with the water breaking (I liken that to the rapture). After the water breaks the real labor has arrived. At first the pangs are painful but bearable. They come far apart. But then they increase with intensity and finally they are unbearably overlapping, painfully crashing one upon the other.

So in the early part of the century there was an earthquake or two here and there. But now, the quakes (and other signs too, I hasten to add) are all happening more frequently with more intensity. So let’s look at quakes.

There was only 1 major quake this past week. (June 10-16). “Major” quakes according to the US Geological Survey are quakes with a magnitude above 6.0 There was a 6.0 in Taiwan.

There were some smaller quakes in unusual places:

4.2 Pakistan
3.1 Dallas
2.5 Urban area Oklahoma City
2.8 near Oklahoma City
3.3 near Oklahoma City
5.3 Turkey-Iraq-Syria border region
2.6 Colorado
2.7 Colorado
4.0, 4.2, 5.7, 5.4, 4.6 Afghanistan

As I have been sharing, the end time prophesies are not just contained in Matthew 24. They are all over the entire bible. As a matter of fact, there is an end time judgment reference in every New Testament book except Philemon. And of course, Revelation is the granddaddy of the bible books with the most information in one place regarding the promises of God in the last days.

Mexico’s Volcano Popocatepetl

In Joel chapter 2 there is a reference to “columns of smoke”. “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.” (Joel 2:30-31).

The Hebrew word defines column of smoke as a pillar or palm-like tree trunk. It is a vivid picture, and can, in my opinion, be interpreted as volcanic column of ash and smoke. For the last three years, volcanoes the scientists thought were dormant have been popping back to life, sometimes very unexpectedly (Chile’s Chaiten).

Science fact of the day: Did you know that the biblical term for “brimstone” is the chemical element sulfur? Elemental sulfur can be found near hot springs and volcanic regions in many parts of the world, especially along the Pacific Ring of Fire. Hydrogen sulfide is the compound that smells like rotten eggs.

Smith’s bible dictionary explains: “Brimstone, or sulphur, is found in considerable quantities on the shores of the Dead Sea. (Genesis 19:24). It is a well-known simple mineral substance, crystalline, easily melted, very inflammable, and when burning emits a peculiar suffocating odor. It is found in great abundance near volcanoes. The soil around Sodom and Gomorrah abounded in sulphur and bitumen.” The bible refers to brimstone 14 times. The Lake of Fire burns with brimstone, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).

Though I don’t have quantifiable numbers, it seems that along with quakes, volcanic activity has dampened somewhat these last two or three weeks. The calm before the storm? Or the catching of breath before the next, bigger pang?

jesus, nephilim, petroglyphs

Ancient and startling petroglyphs found: perhaps of Nephilim?

Posted on June 19, 2012 by elizabethprata

There is a biblical subject I can safely say fascinates many Christians: the Nephilim.

The interpretation of Genesis 6:1-8 has in recent times been a controversy, but did you know that until the 4th century that it was uniformly – and correctly – interpreted with no controversy? The Septuagint actually translates ‘sons of God’ as angels, because that is who they are. Here is the text. It says what it says:

“When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.”

The bible records after the Fall of man in Genesis 3 that there were sons of God who mated with daughters of man and spawned a race of giants. They were called the Nephilim. Many have ascribed the resulting hybrid race as the Nephilim but the word nephal means to fall, and I believe the Nephilim are actually the fallen angels who did the mating. The fallen angels/Nephilim who did the deed are in chains in the gloomiest dungeon now, as punishment for corrupting man, and as a warning to others who might try the same thing again. (Jude 1:6)

The topic has gotten an unsavory tinge to it not only due to the unwarranted controversy because of the incorrect interpretation, but because I would think also the sexual mating.

Let’s look at the verse. The angels mated with woman, and in the next verse God declared His Spirit would not strive with man forever. Then the verse says that they were the mighty men of renown, and the LORD declares the earth was evil, He was sorry He had made man, and He will wipe out man (except Noah.)

If the evil of man and the cataclysmic judgment of same was inextricably tied to the Nephilim, don’t you think it behooves us to study it?? Especially since Jesus said that the days before the next cataclysmic judgment would be like the Days of Noah??? (Matthew 24:37). Avoiding this topic makes no sense.

When I read archaeological sites and they present petroglyphs of ancient alien-like beings, I personally believe they are depicting the Nephilim who were on earth on those days. Nephilim are aliens: off-planet dwellers visiting earth, bringing with them their superior knowledge and powers, and shining with a bright light. After all, how did the Pyramids get built? What are the Nazca Lines? Why were there such advanced civilizations at places like Peru’s Machu Picchu or the US Southwest’s Anasazi, which mysteriously died out just as quickly as they appeared? When the Nephilim were on earth on those days, I am sure that they were plenty busy, and not just with women. They didn’t come here just to mate, but to thwart God’s plan. Remember, satan’s goal is to be like the Most High, to be worshiped. Satan has a plan, too. (Isaiah 14:13-15). The Nephilim were busy interacting with man in a way that would corrupt civilization in every arena, including spiritual as well as emotional, agricultural, geo-physical, sexual, societal… And by the verse in Genesis 6:5, they were successful.

There are ancient petroglyphs showing strange looking ‘alien-like’ beings. Often they are depicted with glowing heads or as shining beings. Also they are often depicted as being very large in size. Here’s one:

This one is also from Australia, where
the new petroglyphs were discovered

Today some ancient rock art was discovered that not only depict otherworldly type beings, but they are drawn in the act of having sex. The news articles (lol, the UK Daily Mail tabloid would be the first to pick up on it…) are snickeringly calling it “ancient porn.” The intricate paintings depict strange looking and rather large men having relations with women. Here is the news article link:

Aboriginal erotic rock art proves that – even 28,000 years ago – men had ONE thing on their minds

The area is only accessible by a 90-minute helicopter ride into the Australian interior. I thought that was probably the most interesting fact in the whole article. Though the article reports the archaeologists as dating the rock art to 28,000 years ago, Christians know that cannot be true. However it does indicate the ancient age of the art, raising the likelihood of it having been drawn at the time the Nephilim were on the earth.

Now, a caution. While I said up above that it behooves us to study the Nephilim, I meant from the bible. There are a host of weird and flaky websites that have wild theories and many frankly are spam sites. We study man’s fallen condition from his progression from his creation in Genesis 1, to his fall in Genesis 3, to the depths of corruption in Genesis 6. Chasing after ancient aliens diverts us from studying the Most High God.

Another note: The Daily Mail is known for its large photos with lots of short captions in between. If you click on the headline above from the Daily Mail, be aware that there is a large photo showing the large men in the petroglyphs and they all sport something else that is extremely large, too.

Here are a couple of links to essays that deal with the Genesis 6 text in expositional fashion. The information is from solid sources. Do go there and read them, if you have any questions about the interpretation of the Nephilim passages.

Apostates, Be Warned, Part 2

Who were the sons of God?

So that is your weird news of the day!

divination, fortune telling

Update on fortune telling class

Posted on June 18, 2012 by elizabethprata

I wrote yesterday about a situation that we have become aware of at our local library. A two-part class aimed at teenagers ages 12-18 was to be held on the subject of interpreting dreams, palm reading, and fortune telling.

Praise the Lord, the Library cancelled the class! Thank YOU for your prayers and concern!! Children were protected. Jesus’ name was proclaimed in the secular arena. It is all good.

I can’t overstress how serious the sin of divination is. (Explanation on what divination is at above link). Attempting to obtain information about our destiny, or about the other side apart from God revealing it to us is a horrific rebellion that He hates. He has called it an abomination, and forbids it in many scriptures in the Old Testament and the New.

Remember when Saul was told by God to kill all the Amalekites and their goods and cattle, but Saul coveted the cattle. His pride in victory over the fierce Agag pushed Saul to let Agag live and Saul took the cattle too. God was angry. He immediately rejected Saul as King. God said,

“For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.” (1 Sam 15:23)

God likened Saul’s outright disobedience to divination. Of course, both of those sins, rebellion and divination, are both acts that people perpetrate outside of God’s bounds.

As for the fortune telling, I had had enough. I drew the line. As Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Captain of the Starship Enterprise famously said:

“I will not sacrifice the Enterprise. We’ve made too many compromises already, too many retreats. They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no farther! And I will make them pay for what they’ve done!”

Of course God will punish, not me. One can only take a quote metaphor so far. But the line was drawn for me on this subject of fortune telling, palm reading, etc. No farther! We must protect our children. We must stand up for Jesus!

I listened to Stand up, Stand Up for Jesus today. I looked into the writing of that old hymn. Here is the story: Episcopalian Reverend Dudley A. Tyng (1825-1858) was a dynamic preacher known for taking strong stands against evil, no matter what the cost. His sermon regarding the evils of slavery in America is still in print today. This sermon resulted in him being removed from one of his pastorates. On Tuesday, March 30, 1858, Tyng preached a sermon on Exodus 10:11, “Go now ye that are men and serve the Lord”, at a YMCA noon mass meeting. Tyng delivered his message to 5,000 men that day. More than 1,000 of those men responded to the altar call, to receive Jesus as their Savior. Just over a week later, Tyng lay dying as a result of a tragic accident. His final statement, whispered to friends and family, was “Let us all stand up for Jesus.”

Now we just have to remain vigilant around here that the class doesn’t re-appear!

We all have our line in the sand. We make too many retreats. We make too many compromises. I will not sacrifice the children. I have nothing to fear wading into the battle, because Jesus is my Commander in Chief. And He has already won.

apocalypse

Mushroom like cloud forms, sparking fears of an armageddon-like event

Posted on June 18, 2012 by elizabethprata

Mushroom like cloud forms, sparking fears an armageddon-like event was underway. This happened in Beijing. “An enormous mushroom cloud formed in the sky over Beijing late last week, sparking fears that a cataclysmic, Armageddon-like event was underway. Alas, it was not the end of the world—or worse, the beginning of a real-life movie starring Will Smith: It was just nature. The giant cumulonimbus—which spanned several miles—was accompanied by lightning, swallowing up the capital’s skyline for an hour, according to the Daily Mail. Photographers and videographers captured images of Thursday’s ominous-looking formation, which “gradually took the shape of an atomic bomb.”

Two weeks ago a weird yellow haze formed in the Chinese city of Wuhan, too. Here is a pic of the mushroom cloud. That is one scary cloud! And the lightning, too!

Did you notice that many of headlines these days refer to the apocalypse?

Apocalypse-like hailstorm in Dallas
Election Apocalypse: Greeks hoard canned food
Drachmageddon? Middle-class poverty. Feral gangs. Neo-Nazis. Athens waits for the volcano to explode
Zombie Apocalypse: Bath Salts Emergency Calls Increase Dramatically in Indiana
Apocalypse now, but we just carry on regardless

‘Drachmageddon”… “Election Apocalypse”, “Apocalypse-like hailstorm..” etc. … Yet here is an irony–

Young people’s belief in God, Judgment Day plummets
“Pew asked respondents in the poll to agree or disagree with the statement: “I never doubted the existence of God.”Sixty-eight percent of those in the Millennial Generation agreed, a figure that has dropped 15 percent in the past five years. Eighty-three percent of under-30 respondents in 2007 said they had never doubted God’s existence. The figures perhaps reflect the increasing boldness of atheist authors and philosophers in public debate, or perhaps the less-than-stellar behavior of prelates who proclaim God’s word. Pew laid out a second statement in its poll: “We all will be called before God at the Judgment Day to answer for our sins.” The Millennial Generation is likewise showing doubt of Judgment Day: 67 percent agreed with the statement, down from 74 percent in 2007.”

That’s what I mean when I say ‘irony’- that though fewer people say they don’t believe in apocalypse, more and more the secular world is talking about it.

damascus, jesus, prophecy, russia, syria

UPDATED 2X–Rumors: Russia to escort Assad out of Syria?

Posted on June 18, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

UPDATE #2
IDF: Iran Realizing Assad is Finished
DF Spokesperson Brigadier General Yoav (Poly) Mordechai said Friday that Syria’s allies Iran and Hizbullah are coming to realize that Bashar Assad’s regime has “reached its end.”“Another week is almost over, during which the desperate effort by Iran and Hizbullah to help the Assad regime survive was evident,

UPDATE #1
A story below mentioned that the US had enlisted UK’s aid in stopping the alleged shipment by Russia of helicopters to war-torn Syria. Today the UK Telegraph reports “A Russian ship believed to be carrying helicopters and missiles for Syria has been effectively stopped in its tracks off the coast of Scotland after its insurance was cancelled at the behest of the British government.’ More here
——————–
During the fog of war there is by definition a clash of truth and rumor. It becomes very hard to know what is true and what’s a feint. What is propaganda and what is accurate. With that in mind I bring you some news of the events in the fast-unfolding arena of imminent prophecy fulfillment: Syria, Israel, Egypt.

Syria, which Isaiah 17 prophesies its capital city of Damascus and environs will be totally destroyed, has been in the news since winter of 2011. The citizens rose up against its dictator, much like the citizens in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Algeria, Libya etc did. Except the Syrian uprising is still going on. The feeling of imminent fulfillment deepened last week when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reported that Russia was planning to deliver attack helicopters to Syria’s leader, Bashar al-Assad. The two nations have been allies for 40 years, and Syria is Russia’s biggest customer for war weapons.

Egypt has also been in the news, with the uprising, capture of dictator Mubarek, and Muslim Brotherhood ascension to power, and now their elections. Isaiah 19 is an unfulfilled prophecy regarding Egypt in the last days.

It is also no coincidence that Russia began expanding Syria’s port of Tartus last year so that it can host Russian warships. Tartus is the only port on the Mediterranean that Russia has access to. For Russia, having an ally and thus a presence in Syria is critical. Russia is in prophecy in Ezekiel 38-39 as a participant in the Gog-Magog war.

That was the background. Several news stories caught my eye this morning.

EGYPT-ISRAEL

Amid presidential elections, al-Qaida leader urges Egypt to cancel treaty with Israel
“Al-Qaida’s leader has urged Egypt to cancel its peace treaty with Israel and to establish Islamic rule, according to an audio message released Sunday. He said the goal was to stop Israel from turning Jerusalem into a Jewish city.”

IDF moves tanks closer to Egypt
“The IDF has deployed Armored forces near the Israel-Egypt border, moving tanks closer to the fence, Ynet has learned. The unusual move followed Monday’s terror attack on defense contractor crews building the new security fence”

RUSSIA-SYRIA

US enlists Britain’s help to stop ship ‘carrying Russian attack helicopters’ to Syria
“The US government has enlisted Britain’s help in a bid to stop a ship suspected of carrying Russian attack helicopters and missiles to conflict-riven Syria, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.”

Stop the presses! Forget the helicopters, that was so yesterday. Today Russia just upped the ante from helicopters, to warships and troops.

Russia to send ships and marines to Syria
“Two Russian navy ships are completing preparations to sail to Syria with a unit of marines on a mission to protect Russian citizens and the nation’s base there, a news report said Monday. The deployment appears to reflect Moscow’s growing concern about Syrian President Bashar Assad’s future.”

Ahhh, now here comes the rumor:

Russian Commandos ‘to Escort Assad Out of Syria’
“Ships carrying Russian commandos may soon sail to Syria to escort strongman Bashar Assad to safety from the country where a rebellion against him is growing fiercer.Reports to this effect were cited by Voice of Israel radio’s veteran “listener” Miki Gurdus, who specializes in listening to radio broadcasts on various frequencies worldwide.”

Of course Israel is in prophecy, everywhere. Most applicable today is the prophecy in Zechariah 12:1-2.

“The burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel: Thus declares the LORD, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: 2“Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples.”

While Isaiah 19 foretells a time of strife and wrath from the Lord upon Egypt, it is hopeful to know that God has a glorious future in store for Egypt (and Assyria and Israel as well!!) Egypt turns to the Lord! Assyria is blessed! (What IS Assyria? Here is a map)

Isaiah 19 ends with the following promise that will be fulfilled in the Millennium:

“In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border. It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. And the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the LORD and perform them.

“And the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them. In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”’ (Is 19:19-25)

The LORD is good!

It is my opinion that with events moving into place so quickly and the probable fulfillment of these prophecies coming into view, nay, landing on our laps, that the rapture is even closer. The rapture is an event that has no sign, and could happen at any moment. It is dependent upon Jesus taking the full number of believers that he has set aside, (Romans 11:25) and we don’t know what that number is or how close we are to it. That is why the rapture has always been imminent, meaning, could occur at any time. It is not dependent upon one certain thing occurring before it could take place.

In listening to Pastor JD Farag’s weekly prophecy update last night, he said he is changing his message from “get ready” to “BE ready.” He said it is too late to get ready. Make preparations now for being snatched up to the Lord. No more waiting, no more dithering, no more researching, no more wondering. This is it. The rapture seems so close, he said, in his opinion, it is closer than any of us can imagine.

I agree.

He referenced the rapidly moving events that coincide with what the Lord said to look for and what the Lord promised would happen. Things are moving at a day-by-day clip now, with each dawn unfolding new developments that seem to be ripped out of the pages of the bible. Now is the time to know the Lord through repentance of your sins and acceptance of Him as Savior and Lord.

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED??

“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)

Believe upon the Gospel. WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

The basic ingredients of the gospel message are the death, burial, resurrection, and appearances of the resurrected Christ. “Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve… (1Corinthians 15:1-5)

He was buried, so His death became an established fact. He was resurrected which witnesses verified, therefore His claims of being God were verified. He is who He says He is: God in the flesh, come to seek and save the lost in their sins by becoming the sacrifice upon which God poured out all His wrath for sin, so we would not have to bear it. He took the penalty for it. However, His though His death and resurrection provided the way, it is the ONLY way to heaven and thus of escaping God’s wrath. Any other way is not the pardon, it is the death sentence.

Do we have to work our way into heaven? Even if we accept Jesus?

No. His grace is sufficient. “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)

“Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:29)

Repent and believe! The end is nigh.

expository preaching, laodicean church, topical preaching

Are you hot, lukewarm, or cold? Your approach to the bible will reveal the answer

Posted on June 18, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:15-20).

Often forgotten in the prophecies are the warnings Jesus gives to the churches in Revelation. As with many prophecies, there is a near fulfillment and a far fulfillment. The 7 letters to 7 churches that opens Revelation were actual letters sent to actual churches and actually read as warnings, encouragements or indictments against them. The second reason the letters were sent was to reveal seven different types of individuals/churches throughout history from then to now, and instruct them/us in God’s truth. Illustration: “To the Church in Laodicea”, Stephanus Garsia Placidus (11th cenury).

The last verse is the one I want to point to. Jesus is not ‘knocking at the door of your heart’ in this verse. It is obvious He is knocking at the door of the church. The church had become (and will become, like it is now) so pale and non-Gospel oriented that Jesus is outside it! Just think of Joel Osteen’s church at Lakewood and you have a perfect fulfillment of the kind of church Jesus is warning about here. Mr Osteen never preaches sin or wrath or judgment because he doesn’t want to offend anyone, wanting to stay positive. But how can a person repent if they don’t know they are sinning? He refuses to put a cross on his stage, because it might prove an “obstacle to anyone who might come.” But if they are not coming to the cross, what are they coming to??? Jesus is standing outside Mr Osteen’s church, knocking to get in.

That sad indictment is repeated over many parts of the body of Christ today. I pray you find a good church that has solid beliefs, and participate there. If your pastor stands on the foundational principles of the faith, and preaches them- support him. He is a rarity these days, and precious. Treat him like he is.

The decline of belief is symbiotic. If you attend a church like Lakewood for any length of time, even if you were hot for Jesus at first, you will fade into lukewarmness having remained unfed from the full counsel of God. A steady diet of corn flakes won’t sustain your body, and a steady diet of prosperity optimism won’t sustain your soul. You need meat! A well-rounded diet!

If the full counsel of God is preached, His perfect message of sin and wrath/mercy & redemption is held up and you will grow in Christ-likeness. Without the cross preached, who are the Lakewood/Laodicean congregants going to look like? Man, not God.

Therefore don’t shy away from sermon messages that preach “hellfire and brimstone.” Don’t feel proud because your pastor avoids the difficult passages in the Old Testament. If he doesn’t preach them, and you really cannot find a solid, well rounded church in your area, then the wonderful internet can bring any kind of solid, convicting sermon to you.

Above, unhinging a scripture verse
from its context leaves us ripe
for scripture-twisting interpretations

Look for a preacher who preaches the bible book-by-book. This is called expositional preaching. This simply means that the pastor is explaining the meaning of a passage in scripture verse by verse embedded in the historical and cultural background. Preaching that preaches a topic by choosing a subject and finding scripture texts that support it is all right, but there is a danger of getting weaker and weaker in the explanation of the topic. The worse case of topical preaching is Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer (who isn’t even biblically qualified to be a preacher because she is a woman,) and Beth Moore (ditto). Once you release the scripture from its context, you risk twisting it to suit man-made interpretations. It is the difference between shaking out a tapestry in the wind and letting one ribbon flutter. The ribbon of scripture needs to be attached to something, i.e, the context of culture and history and the other text surrounding it.

Most pastors have a church website nowadays where audio of their sermons can be found, or the website Oneplace.com hosts literally thousands of sermons by preachers who preach expositorily. Hischannel.com also has many good preachers in video.

The warning by Jesus is a prophecy, also. Are you in a church where “you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing?” Or are you like the praised church of Philadelphia: “you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name… you have kept My command to persevere…” (Rev 3:3b-4a). The Church at Philadelphia was praised for staying true to Jesus, persevering patiently. How did they stay on course so well? How does any church stay on course today? They stayed in the full Word. (Ps 119:105). Stay on the path of the word, and His light will guide your way.

dream interpretation, palm reading, satan, tarot

Calling all believers to a prayer request

Posted on June 17, 2012 by elizabethprata

Please see UPDATE here.

What is below is an actual letter I have sent to my local newspaper. I live in an area of the USA that is considered the “Bible Belt”. See map at left. The Bible Belt is “an informal term for a region in the southeastern and south-central United States in which socially conservative evangelical Protestantism is a significant part of the culture and Christian church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation’s average.”

Yet in our Christian conservative evangelical area, satan has made bold and dastardly attempts to target our precious youth. See the explanation for my call to prayer in the following letter I’ve sent in:

There’s a local Summer Library Class for teenagers called “Enter Portentia”. In it, youths aged 12-18 will be taught “how to interpret your dreams, read palms, tell fortunes and become open to the portents (secret messages) around and within us.”

We’re all intensely curious about the ‘other side’ aren’t we? I think it’s natural for people to wonder about the realms we cannot see. The fact that we do wonder is testament to the fact that we believe those realms exist.

Before I was saved by Jesus’s grace, I used a Ouija board, went to a Tarot Reading, had my palm read, and had my Aura photographed. I was looking for answers to those secrets I knew were beyond my grasp. But to be honest, each time I felt a little silly. I didn’t think that looking at my own palm’s flesh was going to reveal the secrets of the other side. For that, I needed to look beyond myself. Besides, how could I trust any information I got? What was the source of it? I remained uneasy.

When I was born again, the messages from the other side became clear, because Jesus sends Holy Spirit to guide us into truth. The scales fell from my eyes, and questions about the other side were answered- in the bible. Jesus is the only reliable source!

Any information we get from the other side that’s not from God’s Word is occult and is outside His bounds. Therefore it’s bad for us.

The bible condemns activity such as the Portentia class in the strongest possible terms. Verses in both New and Old Testament call divination an abomination. I urgently request that the Library decision-makers stop this class. You are exposing children to realms that God condemned, because He knows to partake of them invites hell into your house.

If you’re not a Christian and you’re reading this, don’t dismiss it. Divination is not a “harmless” activity. As a parent, if your daughter came home with Tarot cards and books on palm reading, do you say, “Goodie! I hope she makes a career out of it!”? Do you say, “What a relief, this is such a wholesome activity!” You don’t say those things, because in your heart you know that the uneasiness you feel is there for a reason. Kids who get sucked up into occult activity rarely come out the other side without experiencing a downward spiral first.

The answer to what is on the other side is Jesus. If there are Christian participants and leaders of that class: Stop the class. Repent and ask Him to forgive you. He will. Non-Christian participants and teachers of the class: If you ask Him to forgive you of all your sins, He will do that too. You won’t need to read lines on your palm anymore, because you’ll have an eternity to discover the secrets of the other side that Jesus is waiting to share.

Here are some resources on Divination and Spiritism:

Does the bible take a position on clairvoyance and parapsychology?

What kinds of things can open you up to demonic oppression?

Is there demonic activity in the world today?

What does the bible say about palm reading

The class is in two parts. The first part has already passed. The second class is scheduled to be held June 21. Would you please pray that the teachers of this class, the youth participants, and the Library Board’s hearts would be changed? That this second class be cancelled? That any youth hooked by the first class would be released? And that those involved would repent, or become saved if they are not?

Though it is disheartening to me to be on a battlefield that has satanic ammunition constantly lobbed from any direction, at any time, I praise the Lord He gave us His Word, His armor, His Son, and His victory so that we can go forth in confidence and joy in doing His work. Thank you for your consideration on this personal request.

prophecy, summer, the true vine

The promise of future bounty

Posted on June 17, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

The summer has been gentle and the Lord has provides bounty from the earth. The summer garden crops are coming in and they are plenteous. The figs are coming in. The muscadine vine is full. It reminds me in particular of two verses in the bible. They are promises. That is what prophecies are, you know. Promises of things the Lord has in store for the people who love Him and for those who don’t love Him.

“Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken.” (Micah 4:4).

“In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.” (Zechariah 3:10)

In the bible, vines (usually grape) and fig trees were emblematic of agricultural abundance and that abundance bespoke wealth. Many fig trees meant prosperity. The promised land was described in Deut. 8:8 as “a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates.”

It was not described as a land flat and therefore ripe for land prospecting development. It was not described as a land full of silver and gold mines. It was not described a land of great cities producing a rich population. The prosperity the land promised was riches from a bountiful earth. Remember that after the Fall, Adam was cursed with toil, and that the land would not yield unless he worked it with sweat and labor, and even then it would produce thorns and thistles.

“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground,” (Gen 3:17b-19b).

What was it like before the Fall? I can’t wait to find out, and that is what these prophecies promise. That curse will be reversed and the land will pop with generous abundance. Remember the two spies who came back, in Numbers 13:23 reporting that they saw huge grapes and figs and pomegranates? Doesn’t sitting under our own fig tree and our vine and sound relaxing? Refreshing? Cool? Like walking with God in the garden in the cool of the day.

And Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). And look what Jesus did! He did everything!

He accomplished redemption for mankind, by breaking His own body and allowing it to be poured out! We are His branches, connected to the Great Gardener whose vine covers us, and which provides all sustenance. When you’re out haying this summer, sweat running down your face, or you’re out mowing this summer, and thirsting because of the heat, or you’re gardening and battling the bugs who are killing your bean plants, remember, the prophecies.

“My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.” (Isaiah 32:18).

“I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.” (Isaiah 5:1).

How beautiful the relationship. We are the branches, closely grafted into the true vine. The true vine covers us, and we sit under it in peace and abundance. The abundance comes from the Vine Dresser who is the Father (John 15:1), who cares for the true vine in love and cares for his children, the branches.

Our God is a tremendous God!!!!!

bunheads, gay, homosexual, mercy, repent

Gay demographics: what are the REAL numbers?

Posted on June 16, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

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

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

Not so fast.

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

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

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

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

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

Bunheads.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

creflo dollar, mark of the beast, td jakes

The future of marriage of worship and love of money

Posted on June 15, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Luke 9:58)

Source, HT Do Not Be Surprised

There was not only the gala, but the after-gala soiree. source

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

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

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

The article quoted Mr Dollar as saying–

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

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

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

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

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