Category: bible jesus

Posted in bible, bible jesus, end time, nehemiah, prophecy

The only proper response to the Word

Posted on by elizabethprata

I read Nehemiah 8 this morning. It is a short book in the Old Testament, and it is good. Nehemiah was the fellow who supervised the rebuilding of Jerusalem and alongside Prophet Ezra help to purify the Jewish community that had re-gathered there. Nehemiah was governor and Ezra was the priest and the scribe.

The day came when Ezra called all the adults, and all children who could understand, to come and listen to the reading of the Law. They stood and listened. The Levites were there to help them understand what they were hearing. Soon there were tears, weeping, and crushed hearts. They fell on their faces. “For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.” The Jews realized how far they were from God. But Ezra said not to weep, for it was a day of rejoicing. The Festival of Booths was born, and the people celebrated, giving gifts to those who had nothing, and went their way eating and drinking. It is a short chapter. I recommend reading it.

The response of the people was the only proper response but it is one from which we can gather strength and praise our Savior all the more. First, the people listened to the word. Any walk with the Lord should begin with listening, either by reading yourself and listening with your mind and heart, or listening to a pastor. The people were instructed, and that is a good start.

Then they wept. There are a lot of reasons people weep when they read or hear the Word. It is precise,  beautiful, true, and convicting. It is a gift delivered once for all to the saints, and it is good for reproof, exhortation, and education. The Word also reminds us how far we are from Him, Him as savior and we as sinners forgiven by His blood and His grace. But the Word also reminds us of how close we can be to Him!

Then the people were glad. He restores us! He hears prayer, he regenerates us in His likeness, and we are glad, going forth in joy to know that we CAN know our Savior personally. They celebrated, and they gave gifts. We should do that as well, always being on the lookout for those who are in need to fill that need. Giving the gift of the Word, or our time, or our love or all three!

Finally, the people went away rejoicing but their response to hearing the Word did not stop there. They DID something. In this case it was to begin the Festival of Booths (Sukkot). The Israelites evidenced an emotional response but the instructors encouraged them to apply the words to a spiritual response, and they did so.

What is your response to hearing the word? Do you remain unaffected? Do you fall on your face? Do you weep? Do you rejoice….but remain inactive? Or does hearing the word motivate you to a response in the world that in turn affects others?

Our joy should be all the greater because not only do we have the word, we have the promise of the Word.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:1-5)

May He shine brightly in your heart today. If it has been a few days,…weeks…months since you have really listened to the Word, do it today. In Him is life!

Posted in bible jesus, end of days. prophecy, end times, lightning

18 Children killed in lightning strike

Posted on by elizabethprata

Lightning kills 18 kids at primary school
“A LIGHTNING strike at a primary school in western Uganda has killed 18 students and injured 50. Lightning hit Runyanya primary school in Kiryandongo district, about 225km northwest of Kampala, killing 15 girls and three boys yesterday, police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba said. “The injured were taken to hospital nearby and 15 of those who were seriously injured were transferred to Mulago hospital,” in Kampala, Nabakooba said. Local media reported that a further 21 pupils were burned after lightning struck at a second school in Zombo district, about 380km north of Kampala. Police could not confirm the incident. Nabakooba could not provide an exact figure for the total number killed by lightning in recent weeks, but local newspaper The Daily Monitor reported a total of 28 killed and scores injured in the past week, including Tuesday’s incidents. Uganda is experiencing unseasonably heavy rainstorms and concern about the number of recent lightning strikes has prompted lawmakers to demand an official explanation from government.”

In this article, though it is stated that lightning strikes are common in that locality, the fact that so many had occurred at once shook the town leaders:

“The lightning hit the victims in a classroom at a school in Kiryandongo, 130 miles north of Kampala, police said. Another 38 children were admitted to hospital. The East African country has suffered a wave of fatal lightning strikes in recent weeks during unseasonably heavy rains. The deaths were debated in parliament on Monday, with MPs calling on the government to come up with strategy to deal with what several termed “a crisis”. “I don’t know which minister is in charge of the lightning but let the government come up with a statement to inform the country on what is going on and how we can manage it,” Speaker Rebecca Kadaga said. Local meteorologists have criticized the government for not providing enough lightning conductors for buildings in storm hotspots. “The 19 were killed in single lightning strike on Monday,” a police spokesman said. “They were ready to leave school but there was a heavy downpour and so they sheltered in the classroom and then, all of a sudden, it struck.”

In early June, a lightning strike at Camp Shelby in Mississippi sent 77 cadets to the hospital. Lightning has been busy lately. Similar lightning strikes have occurred in Northern Nigeria, also. “15 killed by Nigeria lightning“

I was heartbroken to read that it was children who were killed, and shocked to see that they had been inside a structure. However, I was not surprised to see the reaction of man, that a ‘natural’ event had to be managed or even could be managed.

In The Language of God series, I wrote about lightning. You can read that essay here, with scriptures and my interpretation of what lightning strikes may mean. Meanwhile, we can also pray for the families of the little ones taken from earth. I can’t imagine the horror and sorrow of the families who learned that eighteen of their children had been killed. In the US, 18 children comprise an entire classroom. Imagine what the headlines would be if a bus filled with children slid off a bridge, killing the kids on board! Or if there had been a fire, or a shooting, or similar tragedy where so many children had lost their loves! It is terrible.

But worse is the response of man. To make statements that lightning must be managed, to refer to man’s strength instead of Jesus’ mercy, is a worse state of mind and heart. We know that soon, after the rapture, the ‘natural’ events will not be able to be explained. Until then, brothers and sisters, remain strong and sure of His calling and election in your life, and witness through that strength. Peace and calm He gave to us and in addition, He gave us the Spirit, salvation, and an eternal blessing to dwell with Him. I look to and through and beyond the events like the Ugandan lightning strike, to His hands who holds the lightning bolts, and count my blessing He calls us friend.
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Posted in bible jesus, cracks, end time, groundwater, inskip, olpad

Australia- Inskip Point swallowed up by sinkhole, India- Olpad endures groundwater spurt

Posted on by elizabethprata

The Australian Courier Mail reports:
“A MASSIVE sink hole is swallowing up the beach at Inskip, north of Tin Can Bay. Campers have told The Courier-Mail the hole, which appeared about 11am, could be up to 100 feet deep. Camper Shane Hillhouse said four-wheel-drives had been travelling along the popular stretch of sand, near Inskip Peninsula, shortly before the hole appeared.”

“This has the potential to take the tip of Inskip Point with it – this is huge and on a scale I’ve never seen before,” he said. “People are bringing chairs and sitting back to watch it in awe. “This is absolutely amazing – it’s almost at the tree line now.” Mr Hillhouse said the sink hole had expanded dramatically since 11am. “It’s three times bigger than it was an hour ago,” he said. “Chunks are falling out of the beach into nowhere. Where is the sand going? It’s just incredible.” Another camper said sand was dropping 150m into the ocean, although the depth of the hole is unknown. “Sand is sinking in big sections,” he said. No one is believed to have been injured.”

This article says:

Beached sucked away
“CAMPERS are watching in awe as a giant sinkhole swallows a popular stretch of beach at Inskip Point, near Rainbow Beach north of Tin Can Bay. A 100m-wide stretch of beach has been sucked into the ocean since 10.30am, and trees were this afternoon being pulled under. Visitor Rhonda Harris said it was a “phenomenon”. “When we first came up about 11am the water was actually bubbling like it was boiling,” she said. “We saw the ‘no camping’ sign get washed out.”

There is Brisbane news video of the sinkhole from beach side and ocean side but I couldn’t get it to play. It kept buffering. Maybe you’ll have more luck. Of course, the ad played, but not the news vid, lol. Here is the link to ‘7 News Brisbane‘.

This is citizen’s Video of it at Fraser Island (the youtube name is misspelled):

“In other news, there is a ‘peculiar’ situation in Olpad, India. There, groundwater is gushing out to the surface from different locations. And later in the week, the same thing began happening at nearby Surat. The news article reports on the fact of it happening, and what the government is doing about it, but not why it is happening in the first place.”

Another locality spurts groundwater
“Despite efforts to control the peculiar situation in Olpad, water woes continue to haunt people of the area. In fact, the situation worsened on Sunday with groundwater starting to spout from another area of the town late on Saturday night. Groundwater started coming out with high pressure at Isanpore area, which is more than four kilometres away from Olpad town. It spurted from bore-wells and the ground floor of two houses at Halpati Vaas of Isanpore. After complaints from residents, officials rushed to Isanpore and asked residents not to panic. Along with Isanpore, water started to spurt from two more places at Asamanabad.”

“Meanwhile, four families were shifted from Malifalia to government quarters in Olpad on Sunday. Houses of these families got filled with water, after groundwater seeped from cracks in the floor. These families were provided necessary requirements after shifting to government quarters. Moreover, ONGC officials started drilling its well no. 1 located at Olpad in a bid to control the situation. Officials also started digging a temporary pond beside the well, to pump out excess gas and water. Sources said that the drilling and digging procedure will be completed within a week.”

I’ve been showing that one of the signs of the imminent return of Jesus is that the weather (air and circulation systems), earth itself, and celestial bodies will be behaving increasingly erratically. During the Tribulation this will be apparent in a big way as soon enough, nothing will be working correctly any more. A third of the sun will go dark, earthquakes will be happening on a monumental scale, the moon will go blood red, there will be no rain for three years, the sea will be struck as blood, and more. In the time just prior to the Tribulation, known as the Church Age, the signs o these things to come will be increasing. Jesus said they will be like birth pangs. The metaphor He relayed is akin to the contractions in a woman having labor. When the water breaks then you know the baby is almost here. The rapture will be the water breakage and the upheaval, bloody and painful labor that will be the Tribulation will eventually birth a new earth and Jesus’ kingdom, fresh and new

One of those signs will be the earth cracking up. Things will get so bad that by the very end,

“The earth is broken asunder,
The earth is split through,
The earth is shaken violently.
The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard
And it totters like a shack,
For its transgression is heavy upon it,
And it will fall, never to rise again.” (Isaiah 24:19-10)

The indicators that these things are almost upon us are the continual earth changes, cracks, and upheavals that the people themselves who are experiencing them call ‘peculiar’, ‘strange’, ‘unexpected’, or ‘unprecedented.’ They are are correct. It is a sign that ‘natural’ processes that we have come to think are ours to manipulate are not. The earth is in the LORD’S hands, not ours.
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Posted in asteroid, bible jesus, birth pangs, end time, prophecy

Newly discovered asteroid to swing closer to earth than some satellites

Posted on by elizabethprata

You can read or watch video the entire summary of the world’s recent weather here, from Irish Weather Online. Below is one short video focusing on the North Dakota flood situation, but there is so much more going on in the world! The Irish Weather link gives a great overview.

The situation in Minot ND is dire. The is about to be wiped off the map. Flooding has been particularly swift and record-breaking there, and 800 National Guardsmen have taken over the town to try and keep it above water. This report from AL Jazeera English acknowledges “Mother Nature’s” participation in this terrible event. Sigh. The soldier talking about it is at the .53 mark and generously gives ‘Mother Nature’ a vote in the proceedings.

Asteroid to Pass Extremely Close By Earth On Monday
“Here’s something to dwell on as you head to work next week: A small asteroid the size of a tour bus will make an extremely close pass by the Earth on Monday, but it poses no threat to the planet. The asteroid will make its closest approach at 1:14 p.m. EDT on June 27 and will pass just over 7,500 miles above the Earth’s surface, NASA officials say. At that particular moment, the asteroid — which scientists have named 2011 MD — will be sailing high off the coast of Antarctica, almost 2,000 miles south-southwest of South Africa.”

Er, the asteroid was just discovered on Wednesday. Four days’ notice?? With all the fancy telescopes and all the billions in dollars they spend scanning for, well, asteroids? The astronomer in this next piece tries to explain the oops. The headline from Space.com made me laugh out loud. It is exactly the headline one would expect to see in an end of the world spoof, but the headline is real.

Incoming! Asteroid to narrowly miss earth on Monday!
Astronomer Mark Thompson reports on the large asteroid that will pass within 8,000 miles from Earth and why we were given such short notice.
“This may sound like late notice, but astronomers have just spotted a rather chunky asteroid heading our way, set to narrowly miss us on Monday. In fact, it will be such a narrow miss that astronomers in the Southern Hemisphere should be able to spot the flyby with fairly modest telescopes. Coincidentally, I was watching yet another re-run of Armageddon the other night when the heroic Bruce Willis and his motley crew of oil drillers-turned-astronauts saved Earth from certain asteroid doom. On arrival at the asteroid, and having sacrificed many of the team, Willis et al. succeeded in dropping a typical Hollywood-style uber-bomb into the depths of the incoming asteroid and blew it to bits, giving everyone on Earth a glitzy meteor shower.”

‘Coincidentally’ the near earth asteroid passage made him think of an end of the world movie?? Hmmm, to continue the article from Discovery News:

“This newly discovered interplanetary interloper is thought to measure no more than 20 meters wide, making it no real threat — but it’s a warning all the same.”

Yes, it’s a warning! Jesus said He would send warnings. “Men’s hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth for the powers of heaven shall be shaken” (Luke 21:26). It is unfortunate that though Christians correctly see this as the warning that judgment cometh, astronomers and secular people see this as a warning that they need better telescopes or something.

“If 2011 MD did hit us, then it would more than likely break up in the atmosphere and give us an amazing display of fireballs and meteors. As it turns out, it will sail harmlessly by at a butt-clenchingly close distance of only 7,500 miles, 32 times closer than the moon, and closer than some geosynchronous satellites.”

‘Butt-clenchingly close?’ Descriptive language for an astronomer. However, he mirrors biblical language.

“Then the king’s countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the joints of his loins were loosed and his knees smote one against another.” (Daniel 5:6). In other words, the king didn’t clench his butt close enough, and he pooped his pants. That is a physiological reaction to seeing the power of the Lord unleashed and His imminent judgment against you. In Luke during the Tribulation, when they see these things they will faint dead away in perfect fright. There is nothing like the Power of a Holy God to remind us all that we are puny and He is mighty. And, that we are accountable.
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Posted in bible jesus, families, fatherhood

Trust your father

Posted on by elizabethprata

Yesterday America celebrated Father’s Day. It is a Sunday in June set aside to honor our fathers (and grandfathers) as the foundational person of the family and to thank them for their contributions. The fifth Commandment is to “honor your father and your mother, so you may live long in the land the LORD is giving you.” (Ex 20:12).

It is a hollow day in America. Statistics show that most fathers are absent. They are either absent from the family totally, absent emotionally though physically present, or absent from church as the spiritual leader of the family. There is no doubt that absentee fathers have had a devastating impact on society as a whole.

“For the best part of thirty years we have been conducting a vast experiment with the family, and now the results are in: the decline of the two-parent, married-couple family has resulted in poverty, ill-health, educational failure, unhappiness, anti-social behaviour, isolation and social exclusion for thousands of women, men and children.”
From Experiments in Living: The Fatherless Family, By Rebecca O’Neill; Sept. 2002, CIVITAS

This is satan’s plan, his plot, to divide the family. Divide and conquer is a time-honored stratagem because it works.

“The Fuel Project, “Know your enemy: part 67- Satan’s war on parents” is a ten minute video on how today’s culture, government and society is working to separate children from parents. It is worth a look. The entire series is well worth a look!

I had an emotionally absent father until I was 14 years old, then my parents got divorced and he really was absent. I remember being shocked at age 10 when I learned that fathers actually spent time with their children individually. My friend and I were riding our bikes past construction for a new subdivision. She said sadly that she will miss playing on the green hills, and having picnics with her father there. I said “Wait, what?” It did not compute that she and her father, by themselves, spent time in recreational activities. I was shocked, and I spent the rest of the day mulling this new information. Dads did that?

Emotional absenteeism would slap us in the face every night, Our dad, who was hard working and did provide for us in good style, would come home tired, but that tiredness soon turned into disgust at the family. We weren’t quiet enough. We weren’t smart enough. We weren’t clean enough. Something was always not enough, no matter what we did. Soon he would crumple his newspaper in disgust, vault himself out of his chair, and mutter, “I’ve had it.” He would head for his bedroom (my parents slept separately) and go in and close the door. Then he would lock it.

It was the lock that got me. Being young, and not knowing how fathers and mothers and children were supposed to interact, I knew intrinsically that it wasn’t supposed to be like this. You weren’t supposed to be afraid of your father. You weren’t supposed to be demeaned by your father. You weren’t supposed to be locked out by your father. Daily. Closing himself off just as we were thirsting for fatherly sustenance was a blow. Then the sound of the deadbolt turning…it was awful. To have a father that actually locked you out was crushing. I hated that sound of the lock falling into place. Sometimes I’d go into my bedroom and cry, not knowing why I was suddenly so disconsolate.

The bible has much to say about the three-legged stool that is father-mother-children. The family. Divorce is actually a violent act, for flesh is being torn from flesh. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24). Husbands are supposed to be devoted to their wives and their families, as the head, even as Jesus is the head of the Bride and the Body (Ephesians 5:25-33). Fathers are commanded to instruct their children wisely in the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4).

Yet satan has infiltrated society with the lie that an absent mother will make no difference to the family. That motherhood is second class to career. That absent fathers or gay fathers will not impact the childrens’ development. All lies.

If a man’s home is his castle, he is not supposed to bar the gate against his family. As Christ is the head of the Body, he likens the father of the family as the head of the unit. When Jesus says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. … I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. (John 10:7, 9). The open door is critical.

How critical? Growing up fatherless, which the bible likens to society’s most vulnerable, means it becomes that much harder to trust the real Father. How many children grow up without a steady hand to guide them, without an authority figure in their lives, without stability, without trust? “Why should I trust Father God?” they wonder, and shouts of glee emit from the serpent every time a fatherless child asks this.

Fathers, be fathers. Be loving, sacrificial, and gently authoritative as the bible urges. God has a plan for the family and it begins with fathers. Go to church and set an example. Spend time with the children, talking, playing, listening.

A two legged stool will not stand!
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Posted in bible jesus, prophecy, satan, slander

Satan’s merchandise: lies and gossip

Posted on by elizabethprata

I’m in the midst of watching The Fuel Project, a series of short videos explaining the roots of satan’s evil and his influence in the form of all the false religions of the world from Genesis to Revelation when he is finally defeated.  Kim from The Mystery of the Ages sent it to me and I’ve watched 40 parts already and have found it to be interesting when describing the secular and biblically sound when referring to the bible.

In the first 7 parts, Satan’s fall is explained, why and how. The narrator focused on Ezekiel 28 and especially verse 16 to describe how satan convinced 1/3 of the angels to follow him into rebellion against a Holy God whom they personally knew and  worshiped. I’ve often wondered how angels who saw God’s power in the creation (Job 1:6-7) and who visited the throne room (Ex 37:9) could possibly follow satan? What did he tell them exactly to make them a better offer?? That is answered in Ezekiel 28:14-16 —

“You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned.”

The scene here is a prophecy against the King of Tyre. The previous chapter is spent lamenting the city of Tyre (Lebanon) and its earthly ruler. But as we know from so many examples and passages in the bible, satan is often the puppet master pulling the strings behind the power that is shown through the earthly ruler. The Prince of Persia is another example. Satan is the power behind the throne, so to speak, in many cases. He is the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4), prince of the powers of the air (earth and near environs; Eph 6:12) and at one point remember, he offered Jesus every kingdom on earth (Mt 4:8-9).

In the Ezekiel chapter the scene sifts from the earthly ruler in the flesh (Prince of Tyre, ch. 27) to the supernatural power of the King of Tyre (satan, ch. 28). It is said that wickedness was found in him and through his “widespread trade” he was filled with violence. In this case, the widespread trade does not mean economic traffic. Does one believe there were shops in heaven, with checkouts and money exchanged? No, surely not! What would satan possess that would be better than hat the angels already had? No, instead, the phrase widespread trade comes from the Hebrew word r’kullah, the main word rakil, meaning slander.

Satan went on a whispering campaign against God, the same as he did later to Eve (“Hath God said? Genesis 3). he went around and around and around ceaselessly to the angels, whispering that God was a tyrant, He was egotistical, He was withholding from them the good stuff, whatever that was. With Eve we know satan insinuated God was withholding the knowledge of good and evil. Whatever satan said to the 1/3 of the heavenly host that ended up following satan, it was lies and we know that he was a liar from the beginning.

“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44). Devil means slanderer.

Revelation 18:12-14 alludes to this satanic lying bill of merchandise. When Babylon the false economic system is fallen, satan is accused of trading in “merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men.” The last phrase, souls of men, is a merchandise not in the physical but in the celestial. A good, short study on ‘Satan’s Celestial Slander’ is from Dr. Richard Davidson from Andrews Theological Seminary (7th Day Adventist) here. If you want a thorough examination of the Hebrew word for merchandising used in this context of Ezekiel 28 and the wider exhortations in the bible not to be a slanderer, go here. (Truth Magazine).

A whispering campaign according to Wikipedia, is “A whispering campaign or whisper campaign is a method of persuasion in which damaging rumors or innuendo are spread about the target, while the source of the rumors seeks to avoid being detected while spreading them.” Whisper campaigns are considered unethical, but are used frequently in political campaigning as a strategy. If you apply all the corruption, lies, and unethical behavior from any current Presidential campaign in the US to satan’s original merchandising campaign of busily flitting from angel to angel, painting himself as the better candidate for God-hood, you have the idea of the meaning behind the Ezekiel verse and satan’s method of achieving it. No wonder there are so many prohibitions against slander in the bible!

Agostino Carracci, Whispering Angels

His relentless whispering campaign worked. A third of the angels were swayed, followed satan, and are now forever damned.

If you also put in your mind the energy expended in any political campaign, and think of the Ezekiel verse where the visual image is of satan going all around heaven whispering his bill of goods to the angels, several other scriptures come to mind.

Job 1:1 “The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.”
Job: 2:2 And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.”

Dan 12:4 “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.””

It is the eternal restlessness of a fallen angel, now a demon, who seeks his will above all and is relentless in stalking the world and its inhabitants. One of the names for satan is Beelzebub (Baal-zebub) and the entire name is Lord of the Flies and zebub means fly. This kind of fly is a hard-to-kill, strong and biting fly that lives entirely by sucking blood of cattle or people. It is the zebub and also known as tsetse fly in Africa. Satan was given that name because he was supposed to be able to be lord over these much-feared flies that caused destruction to cattle and sickness to people. It is one of the reasons God sent a plague of flies to Pharaoh, to show HIS mastery over the flies in the face of helpless false gods. This name was given to the god because he was supposed to be able to avert the plague of flies which in that region was to be feared.Flies never settle for very long Anyone who is not saved will feel that eternal restlessness n his spirit as well. Satan is truly Baal-zebub, Lord of the Flies.

That is satan, flying here and there, to and fro, roaming up and down, claiming blood from victims and buzzing in your ear. There are two lessons here. One: satan is relentless. Flies always come back to garbage no matter how often you swat them away. Second: satan’s lies are powerful. He cold sway angels who knew God in person, in heaven, for perhaps eons. Do you think he cannot sway you? I know he can sway me, if I let him. I use my flyswatter often: studying the Word. It is, after all, how Jesus rebuffed that pestilential fly, He repeated the Word back to satan in each temptation.

Jesus has won the victory. Satan is merely a created being who was completely crushed at the cross and only has been in his frenetic death throes this last 2000 years. But the time the Tribulation comes, he really panics, for he knows he has but a short time. (Rev 12:12). For us, though, beware slandering each other, engaging in ‘widespread trade.’ Do not be a fly, going here and there, whispering things that murder someone’s reputation. Certainly be sterling in all your communications about the LORD. Because His are perfect unto us! And that is a campaign worth participating in!






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Posted in bible jesus, children, end of days. prophecy, end time, pole dancing

UK: three-year-olds being taught to pole dance

Posted on by elizabethprata

A year ago, I wrote “Sexualizing the young: the ‘Single Ladies’ little girls dancing controversy“. In that blog entry I’d shown that a certain dance number held in Los Angeles for little tots at a competition had sparked a controversy. The tots wore sexy lingerie and were dancing in choreographed moves that were sexual in nature. At that time I’d said, “He discusses the importance of marriage and having godly offspring in Malachi 2:13-14. To desecrate a little one by perverting them through sex for a dancing award is definitely not Godly. The main issue is the morality slide. Every time a benchmark line is crossed, non-believers say that there can be no absolute morality, but that the downward slide will certainly stop before it gets too bad. Right? Wrong. Man’s craven and fallen state means that he is led by satan and satan lives to destroy. His perverted depth knows no bottom. We will slide further and further down until…”

And now we have another example of how this fallen culture sexualizes their children. This time the offending region is in the United Kingdom, and it is about a pole dancing school for young girls, some as young as three years old. The UK Daily Mail reports:

“To the tiny students at this dance studio, the moves are totally innocent. In fact, they are being instructed in the sleazy art of pole dancing. And their age? As young as three. Child protection groups yesterday labelled these images from the classes ‘deeply disturbing’. Parents pay £5 an hour for their daughters to learn pole dancing at the Little Spinners classes. Instructor Carly Wilford insists it helps youngsters keep fit and boosts their self-esteem. But charity Kidscape warned it was another indication of the growing sexualisation of children, which has prompted Government-backed proposals to protect their innocence. Up to eight girls attend the weekly classes at the Make Me Fabulous dance studio in Northampton. The revelation comes a week after it emerged that a beauty parlour is offering make-overs and facials for children as young as one.”

“Trendy Monkeys in Brentwood, Essex, caters only for the under-13s. It offers to transform children with face masks, new hairstyles and lipgloss. The pole dancing lessons take place in a room decorated with pink feather boas and sparkling mirrors. They are advertised on a website which also promotes adult lessons, features pictures of lingerie-clad women and describes pole dances as ‘sexy, relaxing and invigorating’. The children, aged three to seven, learn moves including holding their legs in a V-shape while sliding down the pole.” More at link.

In this parable on prayer found in Luke 18:8, Jesus is speaking. “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

We could just the same wonder if Jesus won’t ask, ‘However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find innocence on the earth?” “‘

I DO cry out. I cry out loud and long when I see our innocents abused and neglected and forgotten and worse, sexualized to conform to a craven culture. When I read stories like this I DO lose heart. But then I take solace in His promise. “He will bring about justice for them quickly.” The parable is explained this way, “surely be true to his promises; but the danger is that his elect – his afflicted people – will be discouraged; will not persevere in prayer; will not continue to have confidence in him; and will, under heavy trials, sink into despondency. The sole meaning of this phrase, therefore, is, that “there is more danger that his people would grow weary, than that God would be found unfaithful and fail to avenge his elect.” For this cause Christ spoke the parable, and by the “design” of the parable this passage is to be interpreted.” [Barnes Notes]

Pray, ye faithful. Never cease praying. Prayer is the lifeline that keeps us from despondency. The rapture is an event that is not prophesied to have a date, if it comes the next moment God would not have set aside His true promise therefore to come. The more of us who pray the likelier it will be He will arrive ‘quickly’.

I despair for our little ones, but then I re-draw myself into a soldier posture and I pray to Him whose promises are true. I trust His justice and I trust His soon coming. It is nearly unbearable now, Lord, but your timing is perfect. I know you will take your children, the adults you know are your children and the little ones who are the children of children, and you will sweep us up into your eternal arms where love and peace reigns forever. Not one more child will be abused. Not one more child will be unloved. Not one more child will be traded for sex. I am looking forward to that day, O Lord, and I cry out to you in faith, SOON COME!”

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Posted in bible jesus, prophecy

The dangers of "The bible AND…"

Posted on by elizabethprata

A reader sent me an interesting story out of Maryland. An Episcopal church has decided to convert, en masse, to Catholicism. The parishioners, along with the pastor, wants to be under the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and its pope. Why? “[C]hurch members said, they were satisfying their longing for a clear religious authority by welcoming the leadership of Pope Benedict XVI.” It was not because their denomination allowed gay and lesbian ordination of pastors. No, that wasn’t it, sad to say. It wasn’t because of bitter land disputes around the country costing tens of millions, either, as “Seven breakaway Northern Virginia congregations have been in court for more than four years with the Episcopal Church” over land issues. No, the congregation is converting because they want authority and they decided that the Reformation was a mistake. “It feels fantastic,” Delaney said. “It’s like correcting 500 years of history.”

The thirst for authority has come, they say, because of the dearth in leadership in their congregations, and the ‘absolute authority’ of the Pope is attractive enough to fill that spiritual void.  “In the Episcopal Church, bishops in one place say one thing and in another say another,” explained Patrick Delaney, a lay leader from Mitchellville. “That’s the crux of it. Each bishop has its own kingdom.”

They forgot that their authority is Jesus, the Word!

This story is emblematic of the larger problem of the prophesied apostasy. Apostasy is a falling away from the truth. The word Paul used in the prophecy of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is ‘apostasia’ meaning a defection, or leaving a previous standing. Apostasy is not new to the church. Almost immediately, the church was infested with people falling away, and Paul even used these words to describe one group that defected [from the Truth]: “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;” (Galatians 1:6).

But Jesus said that at the end of days and as a sign of His coming, defection from the truth would occur in widespread fashion. In Matthew 24:5 He said, “For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ’ and will deceive many.” And in verse 10 He reiterates, “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,” and in Luke 18:8b Jesus asked rhetorically, “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Other examples of a current falling away come to mind. Charismatics, many in holiness Pentecostal churches, allow personal revelation and spiritual experience to be added to the Divine Word. It’s gotten so bad in some cases that they allow personal revelation and ‘spiritual’ experience to be the authority for the congregation instead of the Word. When one member stands up and says “God told me and we should do the following,” they DO, even if it is against the Word!

In the case of Mormons, they have allowed an angel named Moroni bringing a different Gospel to become their authority. Even though Paul wrote in Galatians 1:8, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” Mormons accepted what “Angel Moroni” had to say and a cult was born. The Mormon issue is serious because one who holds great political and cultural and political sway is Mormon Glenn Beck, and two candidates running for President are Mormon. (former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.). The article “Mainline Protestants need not apply” remarks on how none of the current 2012 Presidential candidates are from traditional Protestant denominations.

The figure atop all Latter Day Saints (Mormon) temples is the angel Moroni. Jesus is not given that high position of worshipful adoration, a false angel is, even though the Word says not to do it! (Rev 22:8-9)

In these three cases, either a fallible man (Pope) has become their authority, or personal experience has become their authority, or an angel has become their authority. The Catholics allowed the Word to be swamped under Tradition. The Charismatics have allowed the Word to be added to. The Mormons allowed the Word to be rewritten.

I believe all humans have an inherent compass that seeks ultimate authority. We chafe under authority sometimes but we all need it and we all look for it. In the cases of apostasy, that drive to find ultimate authority has been jogged off the path of righteousness toward a false authority of some kind or another. In all cases, from Paul’s time to this, the mistake is the same. They left their first love. The sin of the Church at Ephesus so described by Jesus in the Revelation 2:4 is that they declined in love, slipped and slid away from sound doctrine. They were not completely cold. But the condition of the faithful at the end of the age is one that WILL have lost all its warmness. Paul warns Timothy that people will be unholy and without love (2 Tim 3:2b-3a). Jesus prophesied that at the very end, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,” (Mt 24:12)

When fervency for the Word is lost, other doctrines creep in, and so do other authorities. The bible and its doctrines are all-important because Jesus IS the Word, and the Word IS Jesus! “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) When you submit to His authority you submit to the Word, and when you submit to the Word, you submit to Jesus. Accepting other authorities means you set Jesus aside and accept not the truth. Then begins a long, downward spiral. It’s like that 70s song by Johnny Lee, “Looking for love in all the wrong places“

Mark 12:24  Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?

Romans 10:17  Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

The authority is not the Pope. The authority is not Moroni. The authority is not a spiritual revelation given by a dream or a word. The authority is Jesus and His Word. Do not leave your first love. Why? Because He first loved US! (1 John 4:19)

————————————-
 For fun, listen to the video again but through a filter of Jesus and the truth. Video.

I’ve spent a lifetime looking for you
Single bars and good time lovers, never true
Playing a fools game, hoping to win
Telling those sweet lies and losing again.

I was looking for love in all the wrong places
Looking for love in too many faces
Searching your eyes, looking for traces
Of what.. I’m dreaming of…
Hopin’ to find a friend and a lover
God bless the day I discover
Another heart, lookin’ for love

You came a’knocking at my heart’s door..
You’re everything I’ve been looking for..
…
God bless the day I discover
You, oh You, lookin’ for love

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