Category: jesus

Posted in babylon, glory, ISIS, jesus, jonah, Mosul, Nineveh, prophecy

"Iraqi Christians flee after Isis issue Mosul ultimatum," Prophecy and Mosul/Nineveh

Posted on by elizabethprata

God said ‘Jonah, arise and preach to Nineveh.’ (Jonah 1:1-2)

Jonah outside Nineveh’s gate. Rembrandt

We know the rest of the story. Initially Jonah refused, and ran in the other direction. He boarded a ship and sailed away. God sent a storm and overboard Jonah went. As Jonah contemplated his options on the way down to the bottom of the sea, he relented and acknowledged the sovereignty of God. He accepted the call to preach repentance to Nineveh. God had appointed a big fish and the fish swallowed Jonah and then spit him up back to where he began. Hoisting his toga, Jonah set off for Nineveh, heeding God’s call.

It was ‘an exceedingly great city’ some three days’ travel in breadth. Some historians calculate that as many as 250,000 lived in Nineveh. For several decades it was the largest city in the world. When Jonah preached, all the Ninevites repented, from the king on down to the lowliest peasant. All of them. It surely was a great move of God and a great shower of grace upon the many people of Nineveh.

Nineveh’s Adad gate exterior entrance. Wiki CC

God’s move was so powerful and so amazing that even till this day Eastern Orthodox churches of the Middle East commemorate the three days Jonah spent inside the fish during the “Fast of Nineveh”. There are streets named after Jonah in the Middle East and monuments to him. There are even several places claiming to be his tomb. He is known to Muslims as Nabi Yunus, and Prophet Jonah is mentioned in the Q’uran. Therefore we see that God’s move was SO GREAT that the vestigial memory of it rests in the hearts and minds of even the most blinded and spiritually distant from God.

Unfortunately, the Ninevites’ repentant attitude was not permanent and Prophet Nahum records Nineveh’s end. One hundred years later, they had gone back to their ways. Nahum says that it was a city full of blood, lies, and plunder. God said He would make an utter desolation of the city and He did.

The city was so obliterated by 400BC the city of Nineveh itself had passed into history. Even the very name was forgotten. The city was buried so well it was never re-discovered until 1842.

In 1842, French Consul General at Mosul, Paul-Émile Botta began to search the vast mounds that lay along the opposite bank of the river. The Arabs whom he employed in these excavations, to their great surprise, came upon the ruins of a building at the mound of Khorsabad, which, on further exploration, turned out to be the royal palace of Sargon II, which was largely explored for sculptures and other precious relics. Wikipedia

Today’s Nineveh overlaps Mosul. Mosul is in Iraq, or what used to be Iraq, now that the ISIS group has taken over and established “The Islamic State”. You might know that the goal of the Caliphate is to have 100% of all residents in it compliant to Allah. If someone is not a Muslim, they must pay jizya, a religious tax to the dhimmi (community). Or convert. Or die.

Nineveh’s Mashki gate from the west. Wiki CC

The leaders of ISIS issued an ultimatum recently to that very effect. Before the war in Iraq in 2003, there were about 65,000 Christians living there. That is according to official records. However, spiritually, most of those are not Christians, because they adhere to an Eastern Orthodox religion, which is false. Personally I cannot say that the numbers were so large, but we do know that at out of 65,000 claiming Christianity, least some are true Christians.

Remember, Iraq is also home to Baghdad, AKA Babylon, the first city which Nimrod built and future history’s (almost) the last city; a city which will be the prophetic focus of the Tribulation. It has been said that the bible could be subtitled “A Tale of Two Cities: Jerusalem and Babylon.” What I’m saying is, the area has a long, loooong spiritual history. Moreover, and future history will dwindle down to events in this exact region.

After the 2003 invasion of Iraq about half the Christians left. After ISIS came, 10,000 more left. Suffice to say that life for a true Christian in this war-torn, spiritually hostile ground zero place would be hard. And this week, it just got harder.

Iraqi Christians flee after Isis issue Mosul ultimatum

Iraqi Christians are fleeing Mosul after Islamist militants threatened to kill them unless they converted to Islam or paid a “protection tax”. A statement issued by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) was read out at the city’s mosques. It called on Christians to comply by midday on Saturday or face death if they did not leave the northern city. Isis has control of large parts of Syria and Iraq and said last month it was creating an Islamic caliphate. The ultimatum cited a historic contract known as “dhimma,” under which non-Muslims in Islamic societies who refuse to convert are offered protection if they pay a fee, called a “jizya”. “We offer them three choices: Islam; the dhimma contract – involving payment of jizya; if they refuse this they will have nothing but the sword,” the Isis statement said.

This is very similar to the upcoming ultimatum that the antichrist will issue. The antichrist will locate headquarters in Babylon. At the Tribulation, the antichrist will force all to worship him by accepting a mark on their hand or forehead. Or be excluded from the economy and unable to buy or sell, and then to be beheaded. (Revelation 13:16-17).

In addition to the hostility against perceived Christians, the ISIS people also took a sledgehammer to “Jonah’s tomb” in Mosul.

Shocking moment ISIS militants take sledgehammers to Mosul tomb of Prophet Jonah

Donning balaclavas and black coats, they swung sledgehammers into the tombs, causing pieces of dust and stone to fly through the air. One of the devastated tombstones belonged to the Prophet Jonah (Younis in Arabic) and was revered by Muslims and Christians alike, according to Iraqi authorities. Speaking of the latest attack, Ninevah official Zuhair Al-Chalabi, told IraqiNews.com: ‘The elements of ISIS [have] controlled the mosque of the Prophet Younis in Mosul since they invaded the city.’  

It should be noted that there are also alleged burial sites for Jonah in Hebron, Lebanon, and Galilee in addition to Mosul.

We should:

1. Pray for the true Christians in the Middle East. As Joel Rosenberg calls it, it is “the epicenter” because geologically the epicenter is the point on the earth above the center of the earthquake. It aptly describes Israel, Jerusalem, and the countries surrounding her. Geographically, God considers Israel the center of the world. (Ezekiel 5:5) as Rosenberg explains here. Spiritually, it all comes down to God and His people, and history’s last events will be located in Jerusalem and surrounding environs.

From this moment forward, whenever you are reading this, life will only be harder for Christians there. Jews also. Every day will be harder than the day before it.

2. Pray for the rapture. (2 Timothy 4:8). It is spiritually all right to pray for a time of deliverance, in so doing, acknowledging your citizenship (heaven), identifying yourself with the promises of Jesus, and wanting to be where there is no more pain.

3. Be strong in the word. Persevere, and in so doing, being the Light of Hope within us. Let it shine, your patience, calm, and hope will be a balm to those around you.

4. Study scripture and memorize it. Even in America, the time is coming and might already be here when we will need to rely on memory for scripture- as possessing a bible may soon be not-possible. The noose is tightening daily. Apostasy is rising and as John MacArthur said, “Cultural Christianity is dying at warp speed.” I’ll do another blog post later today about that. Therefore we should be aware of what is happening in the world and in our nations, and in that way we can be responsible to our duties as Christians on behalf of the glory of God.

5. Always shine the glory back to Him, He is the originator of the world, the sustainer of the world, and the King, Lord, and Judge of the world, He deserves all glory and acknowledgement in all we say and do. At the very moment that attitude is becoming more rare, is when we need to display it the most.

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

Further reading:

Topical Bible: Nineveh

Posted in color, emerald rainbow, encouragement, green, jesus

Heaven and the color green

Posted on by elizabethprata
Remains of the 12th-century Trim Castle in County Meath,
the largest Norman castle in Ireland

They call Ireland “The Emerald Isle” for its deep green, undulating countryside. The island nation was first nicknamed the Emerald Isle sometime around 1780 in a poem by William Drennan called “When Erin First Rose.” Here is the first stanza
By

When Erin first rose from the dark swelling flood,
God bless’d the green island and saw it was good;
The em’rald of Europe, it sparkled and shone,
In the ring of the world the most precious stone. …

I’ve never been to Ireland but I’ve been to Scotland and the north of England. The green hills of Scotland were tremendously vibrant. Perhaps it was the quality of the northern sunrays bouncing off the grass, or the mystery of travel exhilarating my emotions, but it seemed to be to be a quality of green like no other place I’d ever been. The green there calms the eye, soothes the soul, envelops the body is its aura.

One of my favorite verses in the bible is in Revelation.

And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. (Revelation 4:3)

Green Pastures, river Severn at Caersws, Rod Trevaskus, CC

I love that emerald rainbow. When I pray I envision Jesus sitting on the throne, accepting prayer, listening, and the emerald rainbow all around Him.

I wonder what the color green will look like, up there. The bible says-

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—(1 Corinthians 2:9)

I suppose even the color green as we know it will be startlingly different. There will be precious stones in the foundations of the city walls, including emerald-

The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, (Revelation 21:19)

Benbulbin Mountain, County Sligo, Ireland. Public Domain

Dictionaries – Easton’s Bible Dictionary – Emerald

Heb. nophek (Exodus 28:18; 39:11); i.e., the “glowing stone”, … a precious stone in the breastplate of the high priest. It is mentioned (Revelation 21:19) as one of the foundations of the New Jerusalem. The name given to this stone in the New Testament Greek is smaragdos, which means “live coal.”

Lucifer walked among the precious stones in heaven, including emeralds. (Ez 28:14). They adorned him.

You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. (Ezekiel 28:13)

The breastplate of the High Priest was adorned with precious stones, four rows of three stones each.

the second row shall be turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald;(Exodus 28:17)

Public Domain. Green Pasture, Ireland

Originally, God gave to man every green plant for food. (Genesis 1:30) When judgment came, God sent locusts to eat every green thing. (Exodus 10:15). Green is often used in the bible to represent clean growth, and goodness. (Psalm 52:8, Proverbs 11:28)

I suppose the most famous mention of green in the bible is Psalm 23

The Lord Is My Shepherd
A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake

Randy Alcorn, who specializes in the study of heaven, wrote the non-fiction book called Heaven, and the fiction book Dominion. In Heaven, Alcorn said,

In the same way that the New Earth will be refashioned and still be a true Earth, with continuity to the old, the new cosmic heavens will likewise be the old renewed. In my novel Dominion I try to depict this in a scene in which Jesus takes a woman who has died to a new world:

Eventually they arrived on a world more beautiful than Dani could fathom—cascading waterfalls, rainbows of a hundred colors, mountain peaks five times higher than any on earth. Oceans with blue-green water, and waves crashing upon rocks the Page 4
size of mountains. Grassy meadows, fields of multicolored flowers—colors she had never seen before. This place seemed somehow familiar to her, yet how could it, since it was like nothing she’d ever seen? Still, she felt profoundly at home.

I believe this also. I think there will be the color green in the New Earth. Only better. Different, but the same. What will the emerald green of heaven look like? If the photos above are so beautiful, what awaits? An emerald sparkles. Green pastures are restful. The described emerald rainbow around the throne must be incredible. Yet, even then, the bible says we cannot imagine what awaits us.

No eye has seen, until we go home, that is! Then thanks to the blessed Savior atoning for our sin, and having prepared a place for us, we WILL see. What a day that will be.

Posted in faith, francesco spiera, francis spira, jesus, judas

What are the effects of final apostasy? The case of Judas, John Child, and Francis Spira part 2

Posted on by elizabethprata
Apostate church by Boris Sajtinac

In part 1 of “What are the effects of final apostasy? The case of Judas, John Child, and Francis Spira” I looked at the biblical effects of apostasy on aperson in three famous cases. I’d reviewed the case of Judas and of John Child. Francesco Spiera AKA Francis Spira’s is a longer treatise and I wanted to post it entirely, so I separated these two blog essays into two separate parts.

Last time I’d said that apostasy is hard to spot, happens openly or secretly, fast or slow, and its end is a biblically noted horror as these verses attest-

“Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.” (Matthew 12:45)

“If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.” (2 Peter 2:20)

“The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” (Matthew 26:24)

Judas was tormented in the end and wound up one of two suicides in the bible (Saul is the other). Judas hung himself, and in the case of John Child (Called ‘The English Spira’) he hung himself too. Now here is the case of Apostate Francis Spira. Frank Luttmer introduces the piece and intersperses his explanations in between, in italics. Original text by Bacon in regular font.

————————–

The Fearefull Estate of Francis Spira, by Nathaniel Bacon
(London, 1638), Edited from the original text by Frank Luttmer.

Among English Puritans, the most common and the most feared of Satan’s temptations was the temptation to despair, the loss of hope in one’s own salvation. Perhaps the most widely-known example of despair in the sixteenth and seventeenth century was the case of an Italian lawyer Francis Spira. In 1548, Spira converted to Lutheranism and began to spread the Lutheran message to others. Under pressure from the Catholic Church, however, he renounced his Protestant faith. He then became convinced that he was a reprobate, destined for hell. The story of Spira spread throughout Europe, surfacing in sermons and treatises dealing with despair. In England, an account of Spira’s case by a first-hand witness, Matteo Gribalde, appeared in 1550. The most influential English account of Spira, however, was written by Nathaniel Bacon in 1638. Bacon’s Fearefull Estate of Francis Spira, based on the original Latin records, became an instant best-seller and was reissued ten times in England and eight times in the American colonies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. For anti-Puritans, Spira’s case exemplified the dangers of the Calvinist teachings of predestination and human corruption. Puritans, however, empathized with Spira, seeing Spira’s condition as simply an extreme example of the experience of all godly Christians. William Perkins, the preeminent Puritan theologian wrote:

[O]ft it will fall out that the conscience of Gods child shall bee so exceedingly tormented in temptation, that hee shall cry out, he is forsaken of God, and shalbe damned; when as indeed he stil remains the deare child of God, as Christ our Saviour did Gods welbeloved in the deepest assaults of Satan. And therefore the relation published of Francis Spira his desperation, doth inconsiderately taxe him for a cast-away; considering that nothing befel him in the time of his desperation but that which may befall the child of God: yea our owne land can afford many examples which match Francis Spira, whether we regard the matter of his temptation, or the deepnesse of his desperation, who yet through the mercy of God have received comfort. And therefore in this case Christian charity must ever bind us to thinke and speake the best.

Francis Spira, a Civill Lawyer, an advocate of greate rank and esteeme being of knowne learning, & eloquence; of great experience; of carriage circumspect and severe; his speech grave & composed, his countenance sharpe and austere; every way befitting that authoritie whereunto hee was advanced; endowed with outward blessings, of wife, & eleven children, & wealth in abundance: what his worst parts were, I have no other warrant, then his owne words, which (if not tainted overmuch with the bitternesse of a desperate minde, and bearing the countenance rather of passion, then of sober confession) may seeme to adde a period to all further commendations. . . .

I was (said hee) excessively covetous of money, and accordingly I applied my selfe to get by injustice corrupting justice by deceit inventing tricks to delude justice: good causes I either defended deceitfully, or sold them to the adversary perfidiously; ill causes I maintained with all my might; I wittingly opposed the knowne truth; and the trust committed unto me, I either betrayed or perverted.

When he encountered Lutheran ideas, the self-described covetous man converted and proceeded to spread the Lutheran heresy to others.

[IN 1548, the] opinions of Luther coming into those parts . . . presented an object of noveltie unto him; who being as desirous to know as he was famous for knowledge . . . . he began to taste their nature so well, as he entertaines, loves, and ownes them at length . . . . [H]e became a professor; yea a teacher of them, first to his wife, children, and family, and after to his friends, and familiar acquaintance; & in comparison, seemed to neglect all other affaires; intending ever to presse this main point, that We must wholly, and onely depend on the free, and unchageable love of God in the death of Christ, as the onely sure way to salvation. [He] continued in this private way for about six years, but at length it brake forth into publique meetings; so as the whole Province of Padua dawned by the lustre thereof. The Clergie finding the trade of their pardons to decay . . . [began] striking at Spira with grievous accusations.

The Venetian Senate gave John Casa, the Papal Legatine in Venice, the authority to examine Spira. Because Spira had been so successful in spreading Lutheran ideas, Casa demanded that Spira publicly recant his Lutheranism. Spira must weigh the option of recanting (thus committing apostasy, accepting the fate due heretics, or “falling away” from the faith) or fleeing Italy.

[H]is enemies wanted (lacked) neither power nor occasion to call him to account in Publique, when he must either Apostatize, and shamefully give his former life, yea his own conscience the lye, or indure the utmost malice of his deadly enemies, or forsake his wife, children, friends, goods, authoritie, yea, his deare Country, and betake himselfe to a forraigne people, there to endure a thousand miseries.

Being thus distracted, and tossed in the restlesse waves of doubt, without guide to trust to, or haven to flye to for succour; on the sudden Gods Spirit assisting, he felt a calme, and began to discourse with himselfe in this manner: “Why wandrest thou thus in uncertainties, unhappy man; cast away feare, put on thy shield, the shield of faith” . . .Now was Spira in reasonable quiet, being resolved to yeeld to these weightie reasons; yet holding it wisedome to examine all things, hee consults also with flesh and bloud; thus the battaile doth renew, and the flesh beginnes in this manner: Bee well advised, fond man, consider reasons on both sides, and then judge . . .thou shalt lose thy substance . . . undergoe the most exquisite torments . . . die shamefully . . bring thy friends also into danger . . .Thus did the cares of this world, and the deceitfullnesse of riches, choke the good Seed that was formerly sowne . . .
Spira went to the Papal Legate, abjured Lutheranism, begged for forgiveness, and promised never to depart again from the Catholic faith. Casa, however, is determined to exact the most from Spira.
The Legate perceiving Spira to faint, he pursues him to the utmost; hee causeth a recitation of all his Errours to be drawne in writing, together with the Confession annexed to it, and commands Spira to suscribe his name there, which accordingly he did; then the Legate commands him to return to his own Towne; and there to declare this Confession of his, and to acknowledge the whole doctrine of the Church of Rome to be holy, and true; and to abjure the Opinions of Luther, and other such Teachers, as false, and hereticall.

On his journey home, Spira began to reconsider his decision to abjure his faith. In the midst of doubt, he believes that he hears the voice of Christ.

[He considered his] constancie in Christs cause; and to be plaine, how impiously hee had denyed Christ . . . and thus partly with fear, and partly with shame being confounded; he though he heard a voice speaking unto him in this manner.

Spira, What doest thou here . .. doest thou indeed thinke eternall life so meane, as that thou preferrest this present life before it . . .

Now was Spira in a wildernesse of doubtes . . [He] consults friends, who all confirm that he needs to go through with the second abjuration [and] not to betray his wife and children [especially since] already [the] greatest part [is] performed. . . .This was the last blow of the battell, and Spira utterly overcome, goes to the Praetor, and proffers to performe his foresaid promise.

Spira went through with his public recantation, as he had been instructed by the Papal Legate. On his way home, he again thought that he heard the voice of Christ.

No sooner was he departed, but he thought he heard a direfull voice, saying to him; Thou wicked wretch, thou hast denied me, thou hast renounced the covenant of thy obedience, thou hast broken thy vow; hence Apostate, bear with thee the sentence of thy eternall damnation: he trembling and quaking in body and minde; fell down in a swoun; reliefe was at hand for the body, but from that time forwards he never found any peace or ease of his minde; but continuing in uncessant torments, he professed that he was captived under the revenging hand of the great God: that he heard continually that fearfull sentence of Christ that just Judge: that he knew he was utterly undone: that he could neither hope for grace, nor Christs intercession with God the Father in his behalfe. . . .

Convinced that he was reprobate, Spira fell into a deep depression, refusing to eat or drink.

Now began his friends some of them to repent too late of their rash counsell; others not looking so high as the judgement of God, laid all the blame upon his Melancholicke constitution; that overshadowing his judgement, wrought in him a kinde of madnesse: everie one censured as his fancie led him, yet for remedie all agreed in this, to use both the wholesome helpe of Physicians, and the pious advise of Divines, and therefore thought it meet to convey him to Padua, an Universitie of note, where plenty of all maner of meanes was to be had. . . .

His friends took him to see three physicians at the University of Padua in search of a cure for his “Melancholicke constitution.”

[T]hey could not discern that his body was afflicted with any danger or distemper originally from it self, by reason of the over-ruling of any humour; but that this Maladie of his did arise from some griefe, some passion of his minde, which being overburthened, did so oppresse the spirits, as they wanting free passage, stirred up many ill humours, whereof the body of man is full, & these ascending up into the braine, troubled the fancie; shadowed the seat of the judgement, and so corrupted it: this was the state of his disease, and that outward part that was visible to the eye of nature, this they endeavoured to reforme by purgation, either to consume, or at least to divert the course of those humours from the braine; but all their skill effected nothing.

Spira continued in his depression. He told the physicians that his malady was not physical but spiritual, that he had been condemned by Christ. The physicians were finally convinced of Spira’s story and they urged him to consult with priests. By this time, Spira’s case was attracting a lot of attention. Priests and students of divinity began to flock to his bedside to have conversation with the convinced reprobate. Spira had almost daily conversations with two people, a Bishop, Paulo Vergerio (Paulus Vergerius), and a professor of law at the University of Padua, Matteo Gribalde (Mattheus Gribauldus).

[Gribauldus said to Spira], Sir, this is but an illusion of the devil, who doth what he can to vexe you.
[As Spira spoke] the violence of his passion and action sutable, did amaze many of the beholders; insomuch as some of them said with a whispering voice, that he was possessed; hee over-hearing it, said: Doe you doubt it? I have a whole Legion of devils that take up their dwellings within me, and possesse me as their owne; and justly too, for I have denyed Christ. . . .

Heere Gribauldus said, I do verily beleeve, Spira, that God having so severely chastised you in this life, correcteth you in mercie here, that he may spare you hereafter, and that he hath mercies sealed up for you in time to come.

Nay (said Spira) hence do I know that I am a reprobate, because hee afflicteth mee with hardnesse of heart: Oh that my body had suffered all my life long, so that hee would bee pleased to release my soul, and ease my Conscience, this burthened Conscience.

Gribauldus, asked Spira to say the Lord’s Prayer with those present.

Our Father which art in heaven,) then breaking forth into teares, he stopped; but they said, it is well, your griefe is a good signe: “I bewaile (said he) my miserie, for I perceive I am forsaken of God, and cannot call to him from my heart, as I was wont to do”‘ yet let us go on, said Vergerius. Thy Kingdome come;) “O Lord (said Spira) bring mee also into this Kingdome; I beseech thee shut mee not out.” Then coming to those words; Give us this day our daily bread; he added, “O Lord, I have enough and abundance to feed this carcasse of mine, but there is another bread, I humbly beg the bread of thy grace; without which, I know I am but a dead man.” Leade us not into temptation;) “seeing Lord that I am brought into temptation, helpe mee Lord that I may escape; the enemie hath overcome; helpe mee, I beseech thee to overcome this cruell Tyrant.” These things hee spake with a mournfull voice, the teares trickling down abundantly.

Gribauldus and Vergerius tell Spira that his calling upon the Lord, as he had in the prayer, was a sign of the Holy Spirit working within him. His prayer was proof that he was not bereft of the spirit. Spira, however, denies it. He compares himself to Judas.

Then he began to reckon up what fearefull dreames and visions, hee was continually troubled withall; that hee saw the devils come flocking into his Chamber, and about his bed, terrifying him with strange noises; that these were not fancies, but that hee saw them as really as the standers by, and that besides these outward terrors he felt continually a racking torture of his minde, and a continuall butchery of his conscience, being the very proper pangs of the damned nights in hell.

Cast off these fancies (said Gribauldus) these are but illusions, humble your selfe in the presence of God, and praise him. . . . You must not, O Spira, seeke out the secret counsels of Gods election and reprobation, for no man can know so long as hee lives, whether by his good or bad deeds, hee bee worthie of Gods love or anger.

[Spira said] my heart hates God, and seekes to get above him. . . .For as the Elect have the Spirit testifying that are the sonnes of God, so the Reprobates even while they live, do often feele a worme in their conscience, whereby they are condemned alreadie.

Unable to make progress in comforting Spira, Gribaldus and Vergerius decide to call for an exorcist.

Afterwards came in a Priest called Barnardinus Sardoneus: bringing with him a booke of Exorcismes, to conjure this devill: whom when Spira saw, shaking his head hee said: “I am verily perswaded indeed that God hath left mee to the power of the devills: but such they are, as are not to bee found in your Litanie: neither will they be cast our by spels.” The Priest proceeding in his intended purpose; with a strange uncouth gesture, and a loud voice, adjured the Spirit to come into Spira’s tongue, and to answer. Spira deriding his fruitlesse labour, with a sigh turned from him.

The exorcism failed. Spira remained convinced that he was damned.

[Spira said] that Faith that works not a holy and unblameable life, worthie of a beleever; credite mee, it will faile, I have tried it: I presumed I had gotten the right faith . . . living impiously and carelesly, behold now the judgements of God have overtaken mee, not to correction, but to condemnation.

Eventually, Spira was allowed to return home, where he soon died. The text is not clear about the cause (or time) of his death. Some assumed that he died of thirst or hunger, others that he committed suicide.

Thus hee went homewards . . . hee lay about eight weekes in this case, in a continuall burning . . . so spent, that he appeared a perfect Anatomie [skeleton] . . . nothing but sinewes and bones; vehenemntly raging for drinke.

[W]ithin a few dayes after his arrivall at his owne home, he departed this present life. Yet an occasion to make us remember, that secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but charitie to man, to teach him to hope all things.

Posted in jesus, rapture, salvation

Rapture: "Where did all the people go?" What will the world say in explanation?

Posted on by elizabethprata

Many readers of this blog have asked in email or Facebook messages, what I think the government or the ‘powers that be’ will say to a fearful and wondering population after the rapture. With millions of people having suddenly evaporated, the disappearances will have to be explained somehow. I’m often asked to speculate on what the response will be. I know many of you wonder, too.

This is because once the Light has broken into our stony hearts and conformed us to the image of Christ, it is soooo hard to see life any differently. The presence of the Holy Spirit in us makes everything suddenly so clear about our sin, our condemnation, and our destination before we knew Him. We wonder how it is that so many will STILL refuse to believe, despite the world’s most massive sign, ever.

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. (John 3:19)

So we know many will still reject. We wonder what kind of explanation will be offered that could satisfy a lost and unbelieving world.

The rapture will be an event unprecedented in human history. The Flood was a global catastrophe, but there were only 8 people alive to witness it and the aftermath. The rapture will be the opposite. A few will be taken and the multitude will be left behind to witness the aftermath. Christians who are alive and Christians who are dead will be taken instantly, in the twinkling of an eye, to meet the Lord Jesus in the air (1 Corinthians 15:52). Of course, we have no way of knowing for sure what will be said in the aftermath. The Church will be gone.

We understand one of the false explanations that may be given is that it is new technology being tested. It may also be proposed that the government explains that the disappearances are due to space beings of a higher order (i.e aliens) taking all the bad people (i.e Christians).

I watched a rapture movie last night on Youtube. It was produced in 1981, and like many in the genre, is low budget with cheesy special effects. It is called “Years of the Beast.” Never mind that it is hosted on Youtube by someone calling herself “Apostle” Mary Thomas, it is the theater version of the 33 year old movie, credits and all. Internet Movie Database has the scoop on it, including some viewer reviews.

The synopsis reads: College professor Stephen Miles (Gary Bayer), his wife, a young girl, and a drifter (Jerry Houser) are suddenly faced with a society where money is worthless, food is scarce, your neighbor is your enemy and oppression reigns. The four must survive a world of earthquakes, natural disasters, looters, corrupt officials and the Anti-Christ in power.

In the movie, after the rapture we saw the people left behind watching the news, and the newscasters tried to explain the disappearances in exactly the above ways. They said it was new technology, or aliens. Another explanation was no explanation, “We just don’t know what we are dealing with yet, that is why the entire planet must come together as a family…” an explanation which of course paved the way for the antichrist.

However two of the main characters are discussing the event in their truck as they drove along. They were hashing over the above given explanations. One said to the other, ‘what do you think?’ And the actor playing the drifter (Jerry Houser) said,

“Someone told me it is a hoax. That the radical Christians dug up their friends
and went into hiding.”

Now THAT is a biblical explanation! It is the first proposed explanation I’ve heard that might be the actual reason given for the rapture. Read Matthew 28:13-18. It is the report of the Guard to the chief priests. Jesus had resurrected and of course His body was no longer in the tomb.

While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

In the Movie Years of the Beast, the adult daughter and son in law drove from Seattle to her father’s farm to find out why her dad was not answering the phone. They couldn’t find him. They waited some days and then they came across his clothes in the chair, his watch and wedding ring next to them. They realized what had happened, and they ran out to the family cemetery plot behind the house. They were running to check if her mother’s grave had opened. It had.

Human depravity is a powerful thing. The priests and Pharisees and scribes and Sadducees were standing in front of Messiah, recipients of His teaching, miracles, love, discipling, and yet they rejected. The power of the human mind to remain embedded in darkness even when a powerful sign is right in front of us is something most people can’t fathom, whether they are saved or unsaved.

Therefore, yes, people will believe whatever explanation is offered as to where the Christians went. Personally, I don’t believe there will be so very many alive that will go. The world will be in chaos, yes, but the world will easily paper over the disappearances and get on with business, the business of rejecting Christ all the way to the grave.

So let us turn from this speculation, as interesting as it is, and ask the eternal question: are YOU ready? Christ’s return in the air to gather His elect could happen at any moment. It could happen now, or tomorrow or next week. Never put off what you can do tomorrow what you must do today.

For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:1-18)

Posted in hope, jesus, prophecy, revelation

Has your church shut the door to Jesus?

Posted on by elizabethprata
To the Church at Laodicea:

“Rather than allowing for the common interpretation of Christ knocking at a person’s heart, the context demands that Christ was seeking to enter this church that bore His name but lacked a single true believer. This poignant letter was His knocking. If one member would recognize his spiritual bankruptcy and respond in saving faith, He would enter the church.” ~John MacArthur commentary

This was Jesus’ letter to the Lukewarm church. Looking around at churches today, is it SO hard to believe that an entire ‘church’ could lack one believer? Not really. True believers are so much rarer than we think.

Though millions call themselves Christian, the actual number is quite small. We’d have to erase most Catholics from the group, and most Eastern Orthodox, and many Charismatics, and all cults that call themselves Christian, including Mormons.

Here Jesus uses the word many to remind us of the fate of the unsaved:

Jesus said, “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’’” (Matthew 7:22-23).

Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.” (Matthew 7:13)

In both those verses, the word for many in Greek is polloi. It means a “multitude, numerous, great in amount.” So, no, it isn’t hard to believe that churches could be full and there be not a believer among them. After all, on the day of judgment for the Cities of the Plain, among the bustling cities of Admah, Zeboiim, Sodom, and Gomorrah, there were found only three true believers.

We read the following from 2 Timothy 4:4, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,”

We usually envision that verse as one which the teacher has accumulated the people, as an Osteen or a Joyce Meyer has accumulated. But the verse depicts the reverse: the people will heap up false teachers to themselves. What people? People calling themselves Christian but lacking discernment, or even true faith, they will follow the false ones who bring a pleasing but Gospel-less message. The Greek word for ‘heap up” [teachers] means “to obtain a multitude of.”

When Jesus said He will destroy the cities Abraham asked Jesus if, for the sake of 50 righteous, would the Lord destroy the city? For the sake of Lot and any believers, Abraham contended for them with Jesus. Abraham dwindled the number down and down until he got to ten:

 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.” (Genesis 18:32-33)

The Lord is gracious and merciful! And again, we see in the Revelation verse, if there be one inside the church, the Lord will come in and sup with him and he with Him.

Many inside the church are lost!

AW Tozer said in his devotional,

So skilled is error at imitating truth, that the two are constantly being mistaken for each another. It takes a sharp eye these days to know which brother is Cain and which is Abel.

So what is to be done? Here is what we can do in these waning days:

1. Do not automatically assume that every church member or teacher who calls themselves Christian actually are. (1 Peter 4:17).

 2. Give the benefit of the doubt, certainly, but also test what they say, watch for fruit, and exhort for holy living. (1 Peter 1:16). This is important for two reasons. First of course is the Lord’s glory. Second, when one exhorts for holy living, the holy will appreciate it. The lost will be flushed out, because they will react badly.

3. Pray, pray, pray ceaselessly. Pray for your brethren inside your own local church. Pray for your local church; for protection, clarity and wisdom for the leaders, for discernment for the members. The Spirit gives discernment. (1 Corinthians 2:14). Therefore pray to Him for the wisdom we need in these terrible days. (Psalm 119:125).

4. Pray for the global body. Appeal to Jesus on behalf of the brethren who are in places where apostasy is likely or present. (1 Corinthians 12:12–14; more here)

5. Pray for yourself, for all of the above; wisdom, clarity, discernment, protection. (James 1:5; Proverbs 2:6, Psalm 5:11)

6. Repent often so that your purity is of the highest levels. (Matthew 3:8).

How utterly tragic that in some congregations all or most believers are so devoid of Spirit that Jesus is outside the church! It makes it all the more joyous to anticipate glorious, perfect worship in true, righteous unity in heaven!

1 Thessalonians 4:14–18

“For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

John 14:2–3

In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

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

Further reading

What does the bible say about heaven?

Spurgeon, Faith’s Checkbook, “It Will Not Be Long”

“Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” (James 5:8)

Spurgeon: “The last word in the Canticle of love is, “Make haste, my beloved,” and among the last words of the Apocalypse we read, “The Spirit and the Bride say, Come”; to which the heavenly Bridegroom answers, “Surely I come quickly.” Love longs for the glorious appearing of the Lord and enjoys this sweet promise – “The coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” This stays our minds as to the future. We look out with hope through this window.”

“This sacred “window of agate” lets in a flood of light upon the present and puts us into fine condition for immediate work or suffering. Are we tired? Then the nearness of our joy whispers patience. Are we growing weary because we do not see the harvest of our seed-sowing? Again this glorious truth cries to us, “Be patient.” Do our multiplied temptations cause us in the least to waver? Then the assurance that before long the Lord will be here preaches to us from this text, “Stablish your hearts.” Be firm, be stable, be constant, “stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” Soon will you hear the silver trumpet which announces the coming of your King. Be not in the least afraid. Hold the fort, for He is coming; yea, He may appear this very day.”

Posted in gay pride, homosexuality, iraq, ISIS, israel, jesus, judgment

Tel Aviv, Sodom’s new headquarters; part 2 ISIS and prophecy

Posted on by elizabethprata

In both the introduction, Do the events of today in Iraq have prophetic import? and in Part 1, “Has the Assyrian Empire just revived? ISIS, Baghdad, and the Middle East in prophecy part 1,” I discussed the terrible unfolding events of the near-collapse of Iraq as the terror militant group ISIS drives forward to capture huge swathes of Iraq, Syria and part of Turkey. I’d said that though we don’t know for certain if these are directly prophetic events, but that such sudden moves in bible lands are always worth watching and worth praying over.

Over 800,000 Iraqis are fleeing the incoming army of rabidly ferocious ISIS soldiers. The refugee situation in the area is horrific, with millions of displaced Syrians already in ever-growing refugee camps in Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan, and even Italy. Where are these Iraqi refugees going to go?

They are fleeing because the ISIS group is known for violence, bloodshed, and brutality. The UK newspapers are reporting streets lined with heads, as beheading of even surrendering opposition takes place. Targeting of civilians is common. God, being holy and just, is not pleased with such sin.

I made the comment that the lands the ISIS insurgent group has re-taken are lands that match the heart of the old nation of Assyria, the once most feared empire on earth. Things don’t change, I’d written, because the enmity between them and God was put there in the Garden after the Fall (Genesis 3:15). It will remain until Jesus returns.

In the bible it is equally clear that He uses nations to render judgment for sin. In the past He especially used Assyria as ‘His rod’ to punish Israel for their sins.

He used Isaiah and Micah and Hosea to warn, and “Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer” (2 Kings 17:13). Israel did not repent and the invasion came to pass.

Isaiah gave one of the warnings:

“Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation. I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations.” (Isaiah 10:5-7)

Here is the result: Israel did NOT repent,

Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land and went up to Samaria and besieged it three years. 6In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. (2 Kings 17:5-6)

Wikipedia gives an overview: “The Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian monarchs, Tiglath-Pileser III (Pul) and Shalmaneser V. The later Assyrian rulers Sargon II and his son and successor, Sennacherib, were responsible for finishing the twenty-year demise of Israel’s northern ten-tribe kingdom, although they did not overtake the Southern Kingdom.”

In that case God used Assyria as His rod to punish Israel for their disobedience and preserved a remnant for Himself (the Southern Kingdom).

What was Israel doing that ignited God’s ire so much? 2 Kings 17 records one warning:

“they had feared other gods, and had walked in the statutes of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel, …

And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God,  …

So they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. …

And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. …

the LORD removed Israel out of His sight, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria, as it is to this day.“

God doesn’t change, His expectations for His people do not change. He expects His people Israel and His Bride the Church to be holy, to seek after Him and Him alone. Does one believe that God will overlook this, going on in Tel Aviv, Israel this very day?

Gay Pride flag flies in US embassy in Tel Aviv Israel
Welcome to Sodom’s New Headquarters
“The U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, has hoisted the gay pride flag over the embassy building in Tel Aviv. Todd Starnes grabbed the pic from the embassy’s Facebook page.”

The UK Independent reports backlash!
“The US embassy in Tel Aviv faced a backlash of criticism after it raised the rainbow flag next to the American flag above its office for the first time in history earlier this week. On Tuesday, Daniel Shapiro, the US ambassador to Israel, made the announcement that the rainbow flag had been raised during Tel Aviv’s Pride Week, which runs until 14 June. “For the first time in history,” Mr Shapiro wrote on the embassy’s Facebook page, “the US Embassy in Tel Aviv has raised the Pride flag together with our American flag. We are proud to join with the municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo and its residents in celebrating LGBT Pride Week.” … But Mr Shapiro’s announcement was met with a barrage of angry comments from users claiming it did not represent the views held by American citizens, with many demanding the flag be taken down immediately.“

The Jerusalem Post reports that as Tel Aviv “celebrates” Gay Pride week, Tel Aviv is the world’s “best gay city.”
People of all ages, races, nationalities and sexual identities, many scantily clad and adorned in rainbow flags, crammed into the vibrant park-space in central Tel Aviv to listen to local musical performances, visit stalls of organizers and activists, hear an introduction from Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai, and show off the best of LGBTQ culture. It is no surprise that this event was so heavily attended; the only state in the Middle East that does not outlaw homosexuality, Israel, and specifically Tel Aviv, is host to a large and vibrant LGBTQ activist community. … The parade ended in a massive beach party at Charles Clore Park, after which attendees dispersed to explore the best that “the world’s best gay city” had to offer. “

Source

Twitter comment regarding the above photo: “100,000+ #LGBT people have gathered in #Israel for gay pride parade. Imagine that anywhere else in the Middle East.“

I submit to you the point of this essay: that the beheading violence from the ISIS soldiers in Mosul Iraq is just as violent and abhorrent to God as the kissing queers on the Israeli beach. Does one think that our Holy God who was outraged at the sodomy at Sodom and Gomorrah would not also be angry at the sodomy at the new Sodom, Tel Aviv? He is.

He will bring judgment to Israel, and punish them severely. This is coming. It is prophesied.

Revelation 11:8 makes reference to Jerusalem being metaphorical Sodom!

and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.

He will punish.

“I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem.” (Zechariah 12:2)

“For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city.” (Zechariah 14:2)

“but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.” (Revelation 11:2)

Does America, that bastion of homosexual ‘equality’, think it will escape the judgment of Holy God? Our sins are so many. Sodom didn’t escape. Gomorrah didn’t escape. Admah didn’t. Zeboiim didn’t. Jerusalem won’t. This news from earlier today

When Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi walked away from a U.S. detention camp in 2009, the future leader of ISIS issued some chilling final words to reservists from Long Island. “See you in New York.”

 Army Col. Kenneth King, then the commanding officer of Camp Bucca, didn’t take these words from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as a threat. Al-Baghdadi knew that many of his captors were from New York, reservists with the 306 Military Police Battalion, a unit based on Long Island that includes numerous numerous members of the NYPD and the FDNY. King had not imagined that in less that five years he would be seeing news reports that al-Baghdadi was the leader of ISIS, the ultra-extremist army that was sweeping through Iraq toward Baghdad. … King says “He was a bad dude, but he wasn’t the worst of the worst.” That is the face that King was so surprised to see this week as the man who had become the absolute worst of the worst, so bad that even al Qaeda had disowned him. The whole world was stunned as al-Baghdadi now told his enemies “I’ll see you in Baghdad.”

Israel’s judgment will be severe, as it will be for all those on earth enduring the punishment of wrath from a Holy God. Sin must be dealt with. One can wait and have the angry God deal with you regarding your sin, or you can deal with it now, during the Age of Grace.

and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

What IS The Gospel? From Bible.org,
In a day of depressing headlines and uncertainty all around us, good news is very welcome. What better news could there be than as the old hymn says: “The vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives?” When Christians refer to the “Gospel” they are referring to the “good news” that Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for our sin so that we might become the children of God through faith alone in Christ alone. In short, “the Gospel” is the sum total of the saving truth as God has communicated it to lost humanity as it is revealed in the person of His Son and in the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. If you aren’t sure whether or not you are God’s child, you might want to read God’s Plan of Salvation.

Be saved today! Be saved from his wrath and the coming judgment. Meet Jesus as friend, father, Groom.

Saved, Saved:

Posted in encouragement, jesus, prophecy, veil

Rahab’s scarlet thread

Posted on by elizabethprata

“Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt gather unto thee into the house thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household. Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head.” (Joshua 2:18-19)

Gill’s Exposition explains the scarlet thread: “so the scarlet thread was an emblem of the blood of Christ, by which salvation is; redemption and all the blessings of grace are through it; justification, remission of sin, reconciliation, and atonement, and safety, and protection from avenging justice, and wrath to come, are only by it“… more at end

You may hear Christians speak of the “Scarlet Thread.” This is a shorthand reference not only to the literal verse literally reporting on Rahab’s scarlet thread, but to the fact that the blood of Jesus and His plan for Redemption runs through all the bible from Genesis to Revelation. The bible is about the atonement from beginning to end, and it’s about the One who accomplished that atonement, Jesus. There is no “Old Testament God of Wrath” and a “New Testament God of Love.” There is no God vs. Jesus. There are no two halves, one fulfilled and one marginalized. The scarlet thread runs through the entire bible.

Here is an example from the bible about the scarlet thread. God told Hosea His prophet to tell the Israelites this pronouncement of judgment,

The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel,
shall be destroyed.
Thorn and thistle shall grow up
on their altars,
and they shall say to the mountains, “Cover us,”
and to the hills, “Fall on us.”
~Hosea 10:8

For those who believe that God is outdated and so is the Old Testament, or for those who believe it’s not necessary or study the Old Testament, or for those who believe that the OT has no bearing on our lives today in this modern world, here is Jesus on His way to Calvary referring back to that exact Hosea prophecy and also prophecies in Hosea 9:11, 14, (Give them, O LORD— what will you give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. … Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird– no birth, no pregnancy, no conception.”)

“And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ “
(Luke 23:27-30)

And once again the scarlet thread progresses in its weaving truth to men as we reach Revelation, where once again the Hosea prophecy of the past, the Jesus mention at the midpoint, and the reference is made again, this time to the future:

“Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!”
(Revelation 6:15-16)

Back to Gill’s again on Rahab’s Scarlet thread as metaphor in Joshua 2:

and thou shall bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household home unto thee; into her house, where the scarlet thread was bound, and where only they would be safe, as the Israelites were in the houses where the blood of the paschal lamb was sprinkled, Exodus 12:23; and so they are safe, and they only, who are under the blood of sprinkling, and partake of the virtue of it.

Praise the Lord for the fact the scarlet thread exists! With it we are covered, safe, and dwelling in the House…’where ONLY they would be safe’! The beauty, wonder, mystery, and truth of God’s word is always inspiring and convicting. Jesus’ blood runs throughout the entire word, for He IS the Word.

Posted in false religion, God, jesus, mary worship, worship

"All to Jesus through … Mary?" Catholics are taught to worship Mary as God

Posted on by elizabethprata

A friend was walking in the Italian-Catholic neighborhood of Boston’s North End. He wrote that he passed by an impromptu shrine. He took a photo of it. I read the statement on the bottom of the shrine, which was dedicated to and all about Mary, and it sounded like a creed to me. It was also blasphemy. I decided to look it up.

Why blasphemy? The word of God does not say to “all to Mary” nor does it say to get to Jesus by going through Mary. James 4:7 says submit yourselves to God. Exodus 20:5 says not to bow down to another [besides the one true God]. Ephesians 5:23-24 says Christ is the head of the church and the church submits to Him.

The most successful false teachings are almost the truth. False teachings are like a Peanut M&M. There is an attractive, bright candy coating. There is a layer of velvety chocolate. But buried deep inside is a nut. Picture that nut as the false teaching. False teaching is layer upon layer of goodness with a hidden poison pill buried deep inside.

So often, attention is given to religions that seem like they so far away from Christianity, like atheism and Islam. But all false religions are spiritually the same, because they originate from the same source. However, some false religions seem almost true, because they claim Jesus, they use scriptures so well, and they have a seeming logic to them. But these are the most dangerous of all. For example, int eh Garden of Eden, satan disguised as a serpent didn’t approach the woman by saying, “God is wrong! Don’t listen to Him!” He approached the women by asking questions, insinuating, and blending half truths with lies.

When I searched for “all to Jesus through Mary” I found the following. It is brilliant in its false logic, evilly deadly in its blending of half-truths and full-on lies, you would see if you read the piece in its entirety. It is a Catholic piece written by a Catholic-educated man named Jayson Brunelle, and one of his many books that he has written is titled “The Blessed Mother’s Plan to Save Humanity.” This essay about how Mary is Co-Redemptrix with Jesus appeared in the Homiletical and Pastoral Review last year.

To Jesus, Through Mary, In the Spirit of St. Joseph: The Wheat, the Rose, and the Lily
“St. Louis de Montfort and St. Maximillian Kolbe, … have consistently taught that the most appropriate response on our part to Mary’s role as spiritual mother is filial entrustment, or “total consecration” to her. This perfect devotion of total con­secration to Jesus through Mary is truly the most sanctifying of all devotions.”

That was the sub-hed, or the article summary. Let’s take a moment to look at the word ‘consecration” and what it means. It is a word that has a concept that’s wide-ranging, but Easton’s Bible Dictionary explains the basic meaning–

“The devoting or setting apart of anything to the worship or service of God. The race of Abraham and the tribe of Levi were thus consecrated (Exodus 13:2, 12, 15; Numbers 3:12). The Hebrews devoted their fields and cattle, and sometimes the spoils of war, to the Lord (Leviticus 27:28, 29). According to the Mosaic law the first-born both of man and beast were consecrated to God. In the New Testament, Christians are regarded as consecrated to the Lord (1 Peter 2:9).

When something is set apart for holy use, whether a priest of the Old Testament, cattle, or a New Testament modern believer, it means set apart for the Lord’s use, in worship and devotion to Him. To continue with the article “To Jesus through Mary”,

So very few persons, pious Catholic Christians included, realize the tremendous role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the sanctification of souls. Being spiritual mother of the Mystical Body, she, along with the Holy Spirit, has the tasks of forming Christ in souls, and nourishing her children with the milk of divine grace.

In that passage, the author is putting a sinner, Mary, in equal position with the Holy Spirit, whose ministry it is to point to Christ in souls. (1 Corinthians 2:14). Yes, Mary was a sinner like you and me, in need of a savior. She said as much in Luke 1:27. She is a servant of God, certainly not equal with God, and said so in Luke 1:48. The One who upholds the universe by the word of His power does not make a sinner co-equal in His work! (Hebrews 1:3)

Mary does not dispense divine grace. Only our Trinitarian God does that. As Charles Spurgeon said, “It is the chief office of the Holy Spirit to glorify Christ.” Yet Catholics are taught that Mary sanctifies souls, is our ‘spiritual mother’, and delivers divine grace.

When you speak of these things to a Catholic, they will deny they worship Mary, claiming that ‘venerating’ her is only giving her respect, but this lesson taught by a Catholic theologian destroys that stance in just a few sentences.

Remember, Catholics are not Christians, any more than Muslims are Christians or Atheists are Christians. Their spiritual father is the devil, (John 8:44), while all who believe the true Gospel has a spiritual Father in Jesus.

In this next passage, the author explains how Mary is the Church’s “Spiritual Mother”:

Mary, in giving birth to Christ the Head, also gave birth to the body connected to that Head, which is the Church. Thus, Mary, in giving birth to the source of all grace, can rightly be called “Spiritual Mother” of all who benefit from that grace.

It sounds logical, doesn’t it. We understand the biology of conception, gestation, birth, and nurturing. Jesus used those analogies many times and Paul & Peter both spoke of spiritual nourishment as milk. Yet, it falls apart when we remember that first and foremost, the virgin birth was a supernatural event unlike any other in history ever before or since. And secondly, it denies the Holy Spirit’s role in forming the Church, which occurred at Pentecost, by His indwelling of the believers there (Acts 2:4) who had been appointed to believe since before the foundation of the world. (cf Acts 13:48). Mary had nothing to do with it. She was a vessel being used by God (Luke 1:38).

Continuing with the article, we come to the next section, which the author has titled:

Mary, Mediatrix of all Grace
To understand the logic of total consecration to Jesus through Mary, we must first grasp Mary’s role as Mediatrix of all graces. This is the Church’s doctrine that every grace that comes to us from God comes through the willed intercession of Mary. But this role of Mary as Mediatrix of all grace is really the completion of her role as Spiritual Mother, and follows from her unique cooperation in the redemption of humanity with Christ on Calvary. … But Mary most fully became our mother at the foot of the cross where she, in a completely singular way, participated in the redemption of humanity with Christ. That is why some theologians are wont to ascribe to Mary the title Co-Redemptrix. De Montfort said: “the more a soul is consecrated to Mary, the more it is consecrated to Jesus”

I hope your discernment and knowledge of the Word allowed you to understand that what is being taught in that Catholic Doctrine above, is that Mary is really God, or is above God. If “every grace that comes to us through God” is through Mary’s will, then it is God who is taking the subservient role. In this Catholic doctrine Her will trumps His. But it is not so! It is Christ who pours out graces. (Acts 2:33). Further, this doctrine teaches that Mary is the Intercessor, not Jesus. (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25).

So in just a few short sentences, or in one essay if you read it at the link, we see that Catholics are taught that Mary has a role that trumps all three roles of our Trinitarian God. As dispenser of grace and mother of the church she edges out the Holy Spirit. As intercessor she bumps out Jesus. And as giver of all graces via her own will through God she takes over His role there as well. This is why Catholicism is false. They have another god: Mary.

The Crowning of the Virgin by the Trinity. Velázquez, 1645

I bring these things up so you can be prepared when speaking with a Catholic person. I did a rudimentary and very clumsy job of apologetics here, but I hope it gave you food for thought. The creed adorning the Marian shrine in Boston’s North End is emblazoned with lights and candles, but is in fact bringing a doctrine of darkness. Here is part of the author’s conclusion:

Having established the irrefutable validity of Mary’s role as Mediatrix of all graces, we can now understand the reason for entrusting ourselves to her, which is the essence of Marian consecration.

O, how satan loves to take our eyes off the true Rock, the only Bread, the source of the Living Water, Jesus Christ! We do NOT consecrate ourselves to a sinner named Mary whom God used as a biological vessel. We give ourselves wholly and totally to Jesus, the only worthy one in the universe.

Our church has a mission team heading to Peru next month to witness to the lost, many of them Catholics, and these doctrines saturate the Peruvian hearts and poison their minds away from the beauty and clarity of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Please, pray for missionaries in the Catholic regions. Pray for the Light of grace from our true God to be delivered to hearts and minds wrongly focused on Mary, so they may be lifted from the bondage of sin and darkness under which they are laboring.

Mary’s Magnificat was a hymn of praise and joy. Here as Charles Spurgeon explains Mary’s joy at the news of the coming of the Lord, not as Mother of God, but as a sinner graciously saved, in his sermon delivered on Christmas Day 1864, on this text, “And Mary said, My soul does magnify the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” Luke 1:46, 47″

“I must close by observing that while her song was all this, yet how very humble it was, and how full of gratitude. The Papist calls her, “Mother of God,” but she never whispers such a thing in her song. No, it is “God my Savior,” just such words as the sinner who is speaking to you might use, and such expressions as you sinners who are hearing me can use, too. She needs a Savior, she feels it; her soul rejoices because there is a Savior for her. She does not talk as though she could commend herself to Him, but she hopes to stand accepted in the Beloved. Let us, then, take care that our familiarity has always blended with it the lowliest prostration of spirit when we remember that He is God Over All, blessed forever, and we are nothing but dust and ashes; He fills all things, and we are less than nothing and vanity.”

Will you sing of His tremendous grace, in joy at how He releases sinners from bondage? Pray for those in bondage to Mary to be released, so they also might sing of how their soul magnifies the Lord and their spirit also may rejoice in the Savior.

Posted in brave german woman, heidi mund, jesus, martin luther, speyer

Heidi Mund: "The Brave German Woman"

Posted on by elizabethprata

Last November (2013) a concert called “The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace” written by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins, was scheduled to be performed in a church in Speyer, Germany. The church was built to honor the great reformer Martin Luther.

Luther was a German monk, theologian and priest in the Catholic church. He is considered the catalyst for the Reformation because he challenged the teachings of the church by asking 95 questions. He hadn’t intended to take on the Catholic Church but the Church’s response to his thoughtful and scholarly (not challenging) questions confirmed to Luther that he was right.
Speyer means “spires”.
Luther did not believe the current teachings of the Church; that sins could be forgiven if indulgences were bought with money, that heaven could be attained by doing good works, that salvation was not a free gift of God. Luther was especially concerned over the Catholic practice of indulgences and said so to the indulgence salesman who was making the rounds on behalf of the Pope so as to gather money to repair St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Thesis 86, asks: “Why does the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build the basilica of Saint Peter with the money of poor believers rather than with his own money?” (source: Hillerbrand, Hans J., “Martin Luther: Indulgences and salvation,” in Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2007)

As Wikipedia puts it, “Luther’s theology challenged the authority of the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge from God. Martin Luther died in 1546, still convinced of his Reformation theology, and with his decree of excommunication by Pope Leo X still effective. … On his deathbed, Luther was asked, ‘Are you ready to die trusting in your Lord Jesus Christ and to confess the doctrine which you have taught in his name?’. He answered, ‘Yes’ before taking his final breath.

“The Memorial Church of the Protestation is a Protestant Lutheran church in Speyer, Rhineland-Palatinate. Built between 1893 and 1904, the church was constructed in memory of the protest that took place at the Diet of Speyer by the Protestant states of the Holy Roman Empire in 1529. This Protestation at Speyer sealed the schism of the Christian church and is considered the birth of Protestantism. From this time on the adherents of the reformation movement were called Protestants.” (source)

So it would seem that Speyer is an important historical place in our faith, at least the builders of the Memorial Church at Speyer thought so, commemorating the man Luther and the men who stood for Christ against the false Church at Rome.

Back to November 2013 and the Brave German Woman as she is known. Her name was soon discovered, Heidi Mund. Though she does not live in Speyer, Ms Mund had heard that a Muslim call to prayer was going to take place at Speyer in the Memorial Church. She prayed, and eventually asked her brother to accompany her to the place. The believers were allowed to make a protest, but only a silent protest and only at quite a designated distance from the church. Ms Mund decided to buy a ticket, and along with her brother, entered the venue. The only seats available at that late date were the balcony seats. She continued to pray.

There is a 6-minute opening song called The Armed Man, and then a Muslim is supposed to call to prayer for two minutes. When the muezzin stood up and began to ululate his call, a righteous anger rose in Mund, she said later, she unfurled her German flag-banner emblazoned with “Jesus Christ” and shouted “Jesus Christ alone is Lord over Germany! I break this curse [of Muslim prayer]. I am standing here, I cannot do otherwise! [As Luther had said]. This is the church of Martin Luther! I stand here, I cannot do otherwise!” It was about that time she was approached by security and escorted out. Her brother kept filming.

A bystander shouted, “This is a concert for peace!!” Believers were angry because we disturbed their concert.
~Heidi Mund

Mund shouted back in reply, “No it is not! Not when Muslims are shouting Allahu Akbar while murdering people! Do not be fooled! It is a lie!”

Allahu Akbar opens the prayer, it is an Islamic phrase, called Takbir in Arabic, meaning “God is greater” or “god is [the] greatest” [over all other gods]
The Armed Man: The Call to Prayers (Adhaan, the Muslim call to prayer)

Allahu Akbar
Ashadu An La Illa-L-Lah
Ashadu Anna Muhammadan Rasulu-l-lah
Hayya Ala-s-salah
Hayya Ala-l-Falah
Allahu Akbar
La Illaha il la-lah
Allah is the greatest.
I bear witness that there is no God but Allah.

I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
Come fast to the success.
Allah is the greatest.
There is no god but Allah
As one Muslim explained, “the main purpose behind the multiple loud pronouncements of adhan in every mosque is to make available to everyone an easily intelligible summary of Islamic belief. It is intended to bring to the mind of every believer and non-believer the substance of Islamic beliefs, or its spiritual ideology.”

This call was proclaimed in the Memorial Church as Speyer, a Christian church, during the concert.

By March 2014, CBN had picked up on the incident, which had made the rounds in Germany. Mund was interviewed on its program. After that, the incident became more well-known in the US.

Though the news media portrayed Ms Mund’s protest as a protest of a muezzin calling to prayer in a Christian church, and it was, what was little reported was that it was part of a concert with ecumenism as its thesis. The call to prayer by a muezzin was not the sole feature. Here is information about the Karl Jenkins concert, “The Armed Man.”

The Armed Man is a Catholic Mass. It is an anti-war piece based on the Catholic Mass and the 15th century “L’homme armé” a folk piece widely used by Renaissance composers as a cantus firmus for the Latin Mass. The concert includes other religious traditions, including Hindu, pagan folklore from the King Arthur Legend, pieces from the Holy Bible’s Psalms and Revelation, and of course the already-noted Muslim call to prayer. Also included are the Catholic Agnus Dei and the Benedictus. Let’s let that sink in for a moment, while we return to Ms Mund.

 Politically Incorrect News has a translation of Ms Mund’s own words about incident. Here are some excerpts-

I don’t want to join the silent vigil that had permission to quietly protest far away from the church. Regarding the issue, I cannot simply remain silent. We have tickets for the balcony. My brother – we are all like one family – cannot keep his mouth shut. He is from Northern Africa, and he’s already been through a lot. When reading the inscription at the tall statue of Martin Luther, we are deeply concerned. …

 Confidently the Imam is reaching the pedestal and starts with this awful call. Quickly I’m taking my German flag which reads: Jesus Christ is the Lord. I’m unrolling the flag and speak the famous quote by Martin Luther: “I am standing here. I cannot do otherwise.” I know, time is short. I’m lifting the curse the Imam has just placed on the church and on us.

From each corner, people start pulling my flag. I don’t want it to rip. Then they are pushing me and F. They shall leave me, don’t touch me. I keep telling that I will leave voluntarily. They try grabbing F.’s cell phone he used for filming. Over and over they try holding me ruggedly. They already had been waiting for us to come up with something. Through the rear exit we are being pushed downstairs. I remember what Jesus Christ himself once said to those who are not worthy of God’s peace: “And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.” (Matthew 10:14 English Standard Version (ESV) So we both consciously do. I keep thinking: this is betrayal, betrayal of the martyrs, betrayal of us believers, of our country, of God himself.

I know, this is not just about a show concealed as a “concert”. This is about the foundation of our existence. This is about our lives.

The Memorial Church in Speyer had been built at the beginning of the last century by the German state and the congregation in commemoration of Martin Luther and the German rulers who protected him. Now “the great prostitute” (Revelation 17:1 (ESV) had occupied it.

The great Apostle Paul says in Galatians 1:8 (ESV):
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.”

Reading about the content of this terrible performance, it seems to me like a curse on our country. It feels as if we were singing to this “concert” for our own judgement. It’s pure idolism being carried out in God’s church. The living God, this house has been dedicated to, will react to this. The pastors and the leader of the Protestant/Evangelical Church in Germany betray their founder Martin Luther and the reformers, they betray our country which built its law and moral standards upon God’s word, the Bible. They betray all of us.

People only dare to change God’s word when they don’t know God, I would be very afraid to change anything as long I have known God, I would be too afraid.”
~Heidi Mund
I’m thankful that Ms Mund and her brother relied on the strength and courage of the Holy Spirit to make a stand in the place where other believers had stood centuries before making a stand for Jesus. She’s right, the Memorial Church at Speyer’s elders betrayed us and most importantly, betrayed Jesus, by allowing such blasphemies to be proclaimed in His house.

She’s also right about the insidiousness of a “concert’s” hidden agenda. Many believers were encouraged all over the world and in Germany by this one woman’s brave stand. I’m so thankful.

It is sickening to me that a muezzin would be allowed to stand in a Christian church and be allowed to shout that Allah is greater than God. Sickening. Ms Mund was brave, no doubt about that. I’m heartily encouraged by her prayerful action.

But I ask this rhetorical question. If we remove the Call to Prayer by the muezzin from the concert program, and leave only the Catholic portions of the mass, would she have been as exercised? Would she have driven 40 miles, and spent double digits to enter the concert, risk jail or physical punishment? She has said many times that it was the Muslim call to prayer that was such a catalyst to her action.

Luther wasn’t protesting Islam, as heinous as that religion is. He was protesting the almost-trueaspect of Catholicism, and how it melds truth and lies to deceive millions. How it uses power to strip peasants of their money while giving them false hope. Islam is obviously a false religion. Catholicism isn’t as obviously false, but it is just as deadly.

Would I have made such a stand if a concert containing Catholic elements were in it? Would you?

The Benedictus, or Sanctus, is part of The Armed Man concert. In the Roman Catholic Church, a partial indulgence was once specifically granted for recitation of the Sanctus prayed once daily together with the Trisagion. Indulgences was the very activity that sparked Luther and his reformation, and it had come full circle and entered in the church at Speyer where the schism from Catholicism was cemented. Now THAT is something to protest! I’m upset about the muezzin, but more upset about the Catholicsm allowed back into the place where it was once ejected, costing bloody lives of many believers. That is the betrayal. But would we protest? Do we?

These questions are pertinent. The day is coming and is already here, where all manner of religions will force their way into the church. The most obvious false religions are dangerous. However, the least obvious are the most dangerous. Jesus Calling, Seeker Sensitive, Vision Casting, Catholic concerts for peace…all are wolves disguised as sheep, crouching at the door. And in Speyer, it is boldly entering in, and bringing with it Muslims who dare to proclaim Allah is greater.

God will richly repay.

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19).

The LORD is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth. (Psalm 94:1)

Meanwhile, I think Ms Mund did the right thing. She stood her ground, proclaimed Holy Jesus in His house, left peacefully when pressured by the law, and prayed to the Spirit to take her words for whatever glory He will make of it in order to exalt Jesus. This is what we in America will have to do, and soon, by the looks of it.

We enter into the Memorial Day holiday tomorrow, remembering the soldiers who gave their lives to protect us and our freedom. Included in that freedom is the freedom to practice our religion. Would you make a stand as a soldier of Christ if the opportunity presented itself? Would you be a Brave American Woman in the army of God?

Posted in God, hail, jesus, rapture

Crazy hailstorm in Denver and Pennsylvania, photos (updated)

Posted on by elizabethprata

I was torn about tonight’s blog essay. I had prepared about 80% of an essay about the unusual earthquakes happening this week. Then I became entranced with the phrase “ears to hear” and discernment, and spent time in prayer and listening to a sermon about it. But yesterday and tonight I’m watching in amazement the severe weather beating up the eastern half of the United States- the thunder and lightning and wind, and especially the hail!

There was epic hail in Denver and environs last night and tonight it is happening in Pennsylvania now. I mean epic. People were flabbergasted and weather forecasters were astounded. Let me show you.

————————–

UPDATE Friday, May, 23. Shawn Reynols at Weather Center Live just tweeted, “Almost 500 reports of #hail since Tuesday. Insane.”

————————–
First Choice Weather ‏@1stChoiceWeathr Incredible hail along 222 in Lancaster. Thanks to @s_sstormchasing

RT @Stormrushdotnet: Hail storm in Reading, PA shattered my mom’s apartment windows. Wow. #pawx

4 inch hail in Binghamton NY photo by National Weather Service NY

Tennis ball sized hail in Danville PA photo by Kevin Pursel

Tornado warned area in Franklin VA photo by @MartinMMC

 Windows shattered from golf ball sized hail. Wyomissing, PA via @t_franco12

Today it has been stormy from Va to PA to NY. Last night it was the middle of the country. Here is a shot of a thunder and lightning storm rolling in to Cleveland OH-

Epic #OHwx –> RT @BuzzFeedStorm: Thunderstorm approaches downtown Cleveland, Ohio, earlier tonight – @JeffreyRStroup

Crazy pic of hail from Colorado Springs, Colo. via @KKTV11News:

Incredible #COwx –> RT @COWeatherguy: @WCL_Shawn @coloradowx hail for you!!

I saw a video of inside malls, where the hail had easily broken the skylights and hail and rain was pouring in, one in CO and one in PA. Here is a CNN report of the CO hail storm, and there were tornadoes too.

 Tornadoes, large hail smack Colorado
“A fierce weather system — featuring baseball-sized hail and multiple tornadoes — ripped through Colorado on Wednesday afternoon, spurring warnings to people in and around Denver to take cover. The frenzy was tied to a dangerous super cell thunderstorm that, in addition to heaps of hail, produced a number of twisters, according to storm chasers on the scene. The National Weather Service said there were reported tornado touchdowns in Watkins, East Denver, Aurora, Byers and Leader. One witness, Jeff Piotrowski, said shortly after 3 p.m. (5 p.m. ET) that he had personally seen five tornadoes on the ground not far from Denver International Airport. … The weather service’s Boulder branch retweeted a photo of about 6 inches of accumulated hail in Denver’s Green Valley Ranch, plus another showing Highway 470 restricted to one lane because of the hard, white stuff.“

Here is a news article about the hail from Weather Channel
Hail the size of ping pong balls sent pedestrians running for cover in Colorado Springs, and cars slid on the hail along Interstate 70 in Aurora. The hail piled up several inches deep, dented cars and broke windows out of some homes. Officials used snow plows to clear the hail from the main airport access road. Frontier Airlines says 13 of its flights were canceled due to its aircraft being damaged by hail. … Wednesday marked the second day in a row a hail storm hit the Denver metro area.
Thunderstorms packing hail and dangerous lightning also made their way across Illinois and Indiana on Wednesday.

Two days of epic hail is interesting. The bible says of hail, one of many verses,

He gave them hail for rain,
and fiery lightning bolts through their land.
He struck down their vines and fig trees,
and shattered the trees of their country. 
(Psalm 105:32-33)

Easton’s Bible Dictionary says of hail: “one of the plagues of Egypt ( Exodus 9:23 ). It is mentioned by Haggai as a divine judgment (Haggai 2:17 ). A hail-storm destroyed the army of the Amorites when they fought against Joshua ( Joshua 10:11 ). Ezekiel represents the wall daubed with untempered mortar as destroyed by great hail-stones (Ezek. 13:11 ). (See also 38:22 ; Revelation 8:7 ; 11:19 ; 16:21 .)”

Even secular man jokes about the plague of hail. Shawn Reynolds of Weather Center Live at the Weather Channel tweeted, “Incredible pics of hail in PA, tractor trailers on fire in AL. Anyone know if the locusts are due to arrive around 5p?“

No, not locusts (yet) but Jesus is due to arrive at some point in the future, the near future by the look of it. I hope that sinful man is prepared by repenting of his sins and submitting to Lord Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the ONLY way. (John 14:6).

And aren’t we grateful God made a way for us to return to Him in heaven! Separated no more! Though He reveals His power in the weather, He revealed His love through His Son, Jesus.

“And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)