Category: jesus

Posted in candidate, election, jesus, Obama, voting

Who should I vote for? An election overview from a biblical perspective

Posted on by elizabethprata

I’ve been wrestling, and wrestling hard about the upcoming American Presidential vote. I abhor the current political system, the two parties, and the corruption that is Congress.

I loathe the two candidates, based on spiritual qualifications. Obama is an abomination and Romney is lost and deluded, an enemy of God, being a Mormon. Charles Spurgeon said, “Of the lesser of two evils, choose neither.”

However, standing on the sidelines as a Christian doesn’t seem right, either. The first century Christians lived under a horrible dictator who burned them alive, yet the Word says we are to submit to all governing authorities. (Romans 13:1). This is because God is the ultimate governing authority who sets up kings and takes them down. Rebelling against government is rebelling against God. (Romans 13:2b)

It also didn’t seem right to remain on the sidelines as an American. God, in His providence and wisdom, created me at this time and in this nation, where we do have freedom to speak, worship, and vote. I would not want to squander the gifts and opportunities He gave me, and since I am a free American, I have a right and a duty and a privilege to participate in the government He set me up in.

To play devil’s advocate on myself, though, there is a limit to submission to governing authorities. My friend Pastor Phil Andrukaitis wrote in his sermon series, A Biblical Perspective on Politics, quoting John Piper here. “Scripture supports and prohibits civil disobedience. There are limits when it comes to submitting to horizontal authorities. Therefore, [John Piper said] “subjection to governing authorities is subjective, not absolute; it depends on whether the demands of the governing authorities require the Christian to disobey Jesus Christ”. Have we passed that limit? Are still within the boundaries of that limit? It is up to each Christian to make that determination for him or herself.

How do I balance my heavenly citizenship with my national citizenship?

I am not a fan of the current revival movements that focus on America as a political entity. I mean those movements that call for returning America back to a Christian nation, the ‘America for Jesus’ rallies, praying for America so that we would be reset to ‘original factory conditions.’ Blogger Erin Benzinger calls this ‘patriotic idolatry‘, and I agree. People who call for America’s return to Jesus have no idea how far the Founding Fathers were from the true God and Holy Jesus. John Adams was the most thoughtful, the most curious and the most studied about the things of God. He denied the Trinity, writing to Thomas Jefferson in 1813, “Had you and I been forty days with Moses on Mount Sinai, and been admitted to behold the divine Shekinah, and there told that one was three and three one, we might not have had courage to deny it, but we could not have believed it.”

Pastor Andrukaitis explained that we are citizens of heaven, but until we’re raptured or resurrected, we are also citizens of a nation here on earth. He said, “Paul and Silas beautifully illustrated their understanding of their dual citizenship when they were unjustly beaten, mistreated, and thrown into a Philippian jail. What were Paul and Silas’ reactions? They prayed and sang songs to God (Acts 16:25).”

So I am presented with a quandary…I have a national right and a God-given duty to participate in a corrupt process and thus choose between two men that at their soul-level are ungodly. This is a hard thing.

Then I listened to a 4 minute clip from an essay that’s based on two sermons John MacArthur preached last week called The Campaign for Immorality. The link is to the summary of two sermons, the first sermon is:

Abortion and the Campaign for Immorality
Homosexuality and the Campaign for Immorality

Dr MacArthur doesn’t talk about politics as much as he lays out the case that America is actively campaigning for judgment according to the process in Romans 1. He has spoken of this before. He has been essentially saying the same thing all along, that Divine Judgment comes when a nation rejects the basic platforms and institutions God set forth. Government, family and the Church are the three institutions God set up by Divine decree. MacArthur has been warning for years now that America is under that judgment due to our having rejected those institutions and have descended into immorality as a permeating and institutionalized level.

But this year, this time, it is really bad. In his two sermons, MacArthur shows through the bible how the two political parties, particularly one party, is engaging in a process that will drive us straight off the cliff of Judgment. He attended both Conventions and he returned to his home town stunned and aghast at how closely Romans 1 is being lived out by the decision makers in America today.

For example, taking God out of the Democratic platform, legalizing abortion, homosexual marriages, feminism, and other related government sanctioned behaviors that infringe on God’s territory show us how close we are to that judgment.

It is this that he preaches on.

In the excerpt of the essay, The Campaign for Immorality, Dr MacArthur said the following, which helped me decide what to do about voting. I put in bold the parts that especially helped me come to a decision about my vote. I hope it helps you. Here is the excerpt:

————-begin MacArthur————-

“I’m not one to talk about politics as such, but I was essentially amazed that one of the historic parties here in the United States adopted the sins of Romans 1 as their platform. This is a new day in our country. Parties which used to differ on economics now differ dramatically on issues that invade the realm of God’s law and morality.”

“In an ideal situation, their platform would mean that the government passes out condoms so people can fornicate at will. For those who happen to get pregnant in the process, platform advocates that you kill the baby at the will of the mother, up and including the ninth month.”

“At the same time, it advocates a homosexual marriage, which is an oxymoron, an utter impossibility, and a gross violation of the law of God. And then to add to that, the murder of abortion, and then a platform originally leaving God out. All of that’s Romans 1. Romans 1 says God will judge, God has judged throughout human history, nations that experience sexual freedom. Romans chapter 1 lays that out clearly: the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against those who advocate sexual freedom, sexual conduct outside of marriage. And that’s an indication of the demise of a nation.”

“And then Romans 1 also says that God will judge those nations that advocate homosexual behavior, men with men, women with women, doing what is unnatural. They are also haters of God, haters of God–leaving God out, advocating abortion, advocating homosexuality, advocating free sexual conduct and government-provided condoms so that everybody can do what they want. That is literally creating a platform out of what God hates.”

“This is not about politics, although there are things we could talk about. You’re not voting for a pastor, you’re not voting for a spiritual leader, you’re voting for someone who has some sense of morality. Since the Bible says that the role of government is to punish evil doers and protect the good, you better have somebody in power who understands what is good and what is evil. And if you think homosexuality, abortion, sexual freedom, hating God are not evil, then you better go back and check your Bible again. How can people with that kind of agenda protect those who do good and punish those who do evil? That’s Romans 13’s definition of the role of government. We could talk about foreign policies, should we protect as many defenseless people from evil aggressors as possible? We could talk about economics, Is it right to get into irreparable debt? Is that responsibility? We could talk about that.”

‘We could talk about the economics of if you don’t work, you don’t eat, which is what the Bible says. But those things are not what concern me. And I’ve seen something happen in these conventions that is just stunning. The adaptation of a Romans 1 platform, sexual freedom, homosexuality on an equal level with marriage, the murder of infants, and the elimination of God.”

“And by the way, I didn’t like it any better when they put God back in because that’s blasphemy. To connect God with that agenda is a horror, it’s a horror. It’s taking His name in vain. In fact, I don’t think God should be in either agenda (applause). But when you have an advocacy of support for the slaughter of infants and homosexuality, complete sexual freedom, you have a formula for divine judgment. If we have any sense of justice, if we have any sense of righteousness, if we want to make a little bit of a voice heard about what is right and about the role of government being to punish evil doers and protect the people who do right, then we better step up. I’m not sure what God has in the future, but I do know we can take His side and give Him honor.”

—————end MacArthur—————

Pastor Andrukaitis ended his message about this upcoming election this way, “Therefore, when we enter the voting booth on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 or submit an absentee ballot prior to Election Day, remember that there is a day when each of us will give an account to God for our decisions. Please, choose wisely.”

For me, the quandary about whether to even enter the voting booth and vote has been resolved. The quandary on who to vote for has also been answered.

I hope that this information, or the wealth of Christian information out there helps you resolve any dilemmas you may have on this upcoming election.

Posted in earthquakes, end time, jesus, prophecy

Major Earthquake in Columbia, how many earthquakes have we had this year so far?

Posted on by elizabethprata

Here is some information regarding earthquakes. The year is not over so we cannot compare this year to previous years…unless we compare the exact same time frame, January 1 to Sept 30, which is what I did.

What did the data reveal? How is the number of earthquakes running so far this year, compared to previous years? How is the number running, compared to annual averages by United States Geological Survey? (USGS gives annual averages from Jan-Dec., so the time frame is not exact but you can get an idea of the running total to see if this year is under, the same as, or over expected number of quakes.)

This first chart is the major magnitudes and the annual number of each magnitude of quake, from Jan 1 to Dec 30 for each year, USGS source.

This next chart is one I generated by using USGS search engine to find total of quakes between January 1-Sept 30. I highlighted in red the years where each magnitude of quake exceeded the annual average by Sept 30.

This chart is straight from USGS (though I cropped off the lesser magnitudes). Click to enlarge.

As for quakes in diverse places, there were two just north of Dallas Texas which rattled windows, and nerves. The magnitude was 3.4 with a 3.1 aftershock.

A 7.3 occurred in Columbia today, which was a very strong one, but so far thankfully no deaths are reported. Here is a news story about it, but the current reporting of the magnitude is 7.1 which is wrong. Initially USGS posted the magnitude of the Colombian quake at 7.4. Then USGS downgraded it to 7.1, and that is where most news reports came in. But then USGS upped the magnitude again to 7.3, where it is currently staying.

The other strong quakes this week were:
6.2 at the Gulf of California
6.4 at Andreanof Islands, Alaska
6.0 Solomon Islands

There have been 167 quakes of small size at or just north of the Virgin Islands. They all range roughly from 2.5 to 3.5 in magnitude.

Jesus said, as a sign of His soon return, “There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” (Matthew 24:7b). Not every quake by itself is an indicator of His soon return. However, the totality of the signs He told us would be present is a better barometer of the times. Israel being in the land existing as its own nation is sign number one, given the focus of God upon Israel as the major eschatological component.

However also included but not limited to the signs on the list are earthquakes, famines, diseases, false teaching, false prophets, and sin rising to levels that make the times absolutely perilous.

God either causes or allows each and every thing to happen on this earth, and if an earthquake has occurred, it is of God and from God, as part of His plan in some way. In other words, He is speaking. Are we listening?

Posted in end time, falling away, jesus, prophecy

Apostasy and the Remnant Church, part 2

Posted on by elizabethprata

Yesterday I wrote how the remnant church is like a peanut M&M. I think anyone with eyes to see understands that the global body of believers in Jesus Christ is persecuted, surrounded, discriminated against, and generally derided. I think it’s obvious that the church in the West has been thoroughly polluted by Gnosticism, Phariseeism, ecumenism, and prosperity gospel. The church, especially in the west, is largely apostate.

This is prophesied. We read in Luke 18:8 that Jesus asked the disciples, “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?” He had just finished telling them the parable of the unrighteous judge, and He warned them that at the end the oppressed will get justice, but it won’t be on earth. He was speaking of the time of the Tribulation, but we see that apostasy being set up now.

At the last day, there will be faith on the earth in the form of Tribulation saints, but they will be so few in number and there will be so many who don’t believe, that realistically speaking the believer’s influence will be statistically negligible.

Apostasy will abound in the last days, and that means not only in the tribulation, but now, too. (Matthew 24:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; 1 Timothy 4:1-3). But what does that apostasy look like? How does it begin?

First, let’s look at apostasy in the person who has never believed. How can a life-long unbeliever be an apostate, you say? Because we all know God from the beginning. Any unbeliever, whether they have never believed or they seemed to have believed for a while and fallen away, are apostate.

You see, we all start out on equal footing when we are born. We all have a sin-nature. (Genesis 5:3; Psalms 51:5). And as we grow, we all see the glory of God made manifest in the world through His creation. All.(Romans 1:19). Romans 1 continues by showing us the process of how people end up dead in their sins for all their lives.

First, they deliberately suppress the truth. (Romans 1:19). Then, though they know God, they refuse to give Him honor. As a result, their hearts are darkened. (Romans 1:21). Still needing to honor something greater than themselves, though, they trade giving honor to God for giving honor to idols. (Romans 1:22). That’s the end of the mental portion of the process.

If a person has come this far without repenting, then they start dishonoring God with their bodies. (Romans 1:24). The tipping point seems to be the moment when they actively start worshiping nature or idols. If they continue without repentance, then their bodily dishonor deepens and they become homosexuals. (Romans 1:26-27).

At the last, their mind becomes so polluted due to their having suppressed the truth and dishonored God with their bodies, their minds are given over to total debasement. (Romans 1:28.) You notice in the next verse it says they were “filled” with all manner of unrighteousness. The Greek word used here is defined “to make full, to complete”. God allows all sins to flood into them and they are capable of anything at that point.

But what about apostates, you ask. I described the unbeliever’s process, but an apostate is someone who falls away from the faith, right? Yes and no. Yes they fall away from the faith, but they were never IN the faith to begin with. They were an unbeliever the same as those I described above, they just happened to have made a little foray into the church for a while.

It is important to understand that Jesus will never lose one of His sheep. (John 10:28; John 6:39). Those He brings into the faith will never leave. John wrote:

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” (1 John 2:19).

How they leave may take a long time or a short time, but they never were in the faith. They only looked like it on the outside.

An apostate could be someone who came forward at an altar call, who responded to the pastor’s plea for “the sinner’s prayer” to be answered. Maybe they were even baptized. But after that week you never saw them again. They never came back. That was a false convert, an apostate who fell away.

An apostate could be someone who had served as deacon for thirty years. Who had been a long-time member of a church, dong all the right things, saying all the right things, but slowly began drifting away. Their church attendance became spotty, and they gave up on Wednesday night teaching. Then their absences became longer and longer and when asked about it, they said they needed a break. Eventually you realize, they never did come back. They stopped leading devotionals at home…they quit praying… That is apostate also.

So how does apostasy happen to a person who looked like a believer? The exact same way as Romans describes.

In 2 Peter 3:3 Peter reminds us that we should remember the predictions of the prophets of old, that in the last days, “knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.” The Greek word used here for scoffers implies a false teacher. These mockers will be false teachers, who look like they are in the faith, but they mock and scoff at His coming and at the doctrines surrounding His coming, such as pre-tribulation rapture, literal Millennium Kingdom, or even his second coming at all.

Jude 1:18 says the exact same thing. “They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” Haven’t we seen a steady chipping away of the truth of these doctrines? Some even claim that there is no rapture.

But look at this, Peter goes on after reminding them that there will be scoffers, to say in verse 4-5: “They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,” [emphasis mine]

We saw in Romans 1 that the process begins with knowledge of God, even for the overt unbeliever. Of those who claim to be in the faith, and by definition have some familiarity with the bible and the history of our faith, they deliberately overlook the facts that they know. When a person deliberately suppresses the truth, they are on dangerous ground! Whether it is an unbeliever suppressing general revelation of God by His creation or a false believer suppressing biblical fact & history, they purposely suppress. That is the first step for the apostate.

So first the apostate suppresses knowledge. Then they begin to mock and scoff at those in the faith, or aim their ire at who hold to certain doctrines that are evidence of His sovereignty. Then they abandon the faith, either abruptly or slowly.

Picture a hot air balloon anchored to the ground. Those who are in the basket are those who are solidly in the faith. They are being sanctified, going higher and higher by God’s process of Spirit-filled consecrating. Sanctification means we are becoming more Christlike every day.

Some people are around the basket, tying ropes and filling the balloon. They are easy to spot as people who will never get into the basket and allow the Spirit to lift them higher and higher. They are hangers-on, doing works that look Godly in form but they have no solidity. Some people hang on to the basket, even as it rises. Some hang on for a long time. But the further a person goes in sanctification, and the higher the Spirit takes them, the harder it is for the apostate to hang on. Eventually they drop off. They drop off because they were never IN the basket of faith. The hand of Jesus was never holding them (otherwise they never would have fallen away!)

Source

Though it is painful to see our church swamped with apostates, flooded with ungodliness, and surrounded by false doctrines, it is part of the process! The apostasy we see now is a mini-version of what will happen at the end of the 1000 year reign of Christ. At the end of the Millennium Jesus will allow satan out of the abyss for a short while. Satan will gather the nations and like the sand of the sea they will march against the beloved city. (Revelation 20:7-9).

How can this be, you wonder!? The people will have lived for a long, peaceful life, on earth when Jesus made everything perfect, and there was no war nor high degree of sin, because Jesus ruled with a rod of iron. How could satan gather rebellious ones so fast, and so many of them, too! It will have been be a pure theocracy for a thousand years!

Because those people will have been born during the millennium with a sin nature, and the last rebellion is to weed them out. For hundreds of years of their lives, they looked the part, they acted the part, they said all the right things on the outside, but Jesus knew their heart was not inclined towards Him.

Satan’s drawing out of them is an opportunity to give them one last chance to decide for him or against Him. Satan was the magnet that drew out the apostates.

This apostasy is a weeding out, too. Though we may feel surrounded at times by encroachment of false teachers, false pastors who strike the sheep, mockers and scoffers even sitting next to us in the pew, the fact that “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Timothy 4:1), means these things must be so.

Don’t worry, peanuts! At the rapture, the brittle candy exterior will be cracked, the chocolate confection melted away, and the peanuts who had been the core of the church will burst out and up. We’ll be brushed off, cleaned up, and forever will be in the presence of Jesus! We’ll be shot out of all that sickening sweetness like a cannonball!

As we strive toward the goal, the balloon is rising higher and higher in our process of sanctification, those who are just hanging on are exposed, and they fall away.

Even so, come Lord Jesus!

Posted in carnal, end time, false church, jesus

The Remnant Church is like a peanut M&M…

Posted on by elizabethprata

Part 2 of Apostasy and the Remnant Church here

———-
Tucker Whitaker wrote an interesting piece this week called “The Rise of the Remnant Church” He wrote-

“The mainstream and denominational churches, the seeker friendly, emergent, and prosperity churches are far from what God envisioned them to be. Entire denominations and religious movements today operate without the Holy Spirit. They are spiritually bankrupt without the presence of Jesus, showing no evidence of spiritual gifts or fruit. They practice a form of godliness devoid of power or conviction which gives no hope of eternal salvation. They are comfortable with the world and are more social and political than spiritual. They appease sin, teach spiritual tolerance and diversity, and deny the authority of the Bible, while casting away all teaching about repentance, heaven, hell, and judgment. They have abandoned Biblical Prophecy for modern relevancy and Replacement Theology believing all prophecy is already fulfilled or that it is all allegory or at very worst that God has abandoned His covenant relationship and promises to His chosen people Israel. By making any or all of these unbiblical claims they prove their own ignorance of scripture and prophetic truth. They prove the very prophecy they deny.”

The remnant church is the small core in the middle of all that. Mr Whitaker wrote,

“I believe He is calling out a Holy Remnant Church, dedicated to Jesus Christ and focused on doing His work during these last days. I believe God is raising up a church that is committed to Him and His cause who are a holy remnant, a group of people who are steadfast and sure of their God. Perhaps the Lord Jesus Christ is calling His Remnant Church to Himself at the end of this age to worship and teach in simplicity and doctrinal purity. Perhaps the desire to be obedient to the Word and to understand Bible Prophecy and to fulfill the great commission and the great commandment has birthed an early church understanding of what it truly means to follow Christ. Perhaps God is preparing a people to stand and hold forth truth in a world where people and “churches” are consumed with materialism, prosperity, self-centered pursuits and desires, and tolerance for those things that are unbiblical. Perhaps a time of final testing for the true church and Israel is upon us, a time for the Remnant Church to “Stand” for Christ. Whatever the ultimate reason, folks are coming out, and almost immediately they understand the need to adapt to this new and extraordinary environment where the Sufficiency of Christ is taught, that Christ alone is indeed all they need.”

Mr Whitaker reminds us that no matter how feeble the Lord’s church may seem, He always preserves a remnant of it throughout the darkest of times. He said that even in the Tribulation there will be 144,000 sealed believers powerfully evangelizing the world, Two Prophetic Witnesses warning the world, and a host of Tribulation believers who will witness unto martyrdom. All this I agree with.

The main point of his articles (part 1 and part 2) is that the remnant church will rise so powerfully that the gates of hell will be shook. He said that ‘God is calling out a remnant church’, and I do not agree with that. I think that the church has always been called by God but the call is being ignored and suppressed in these last days. In addition, I believe that those who do answer some kind of call, are increasingly responding to false calls and are false converts. The church that remains is a remnant but it is holding on amid the increase in candy coated preaching and missional confection. Thus, I do not agree with Mr Whitaker’s ultimate premise that a remnant church will rise, though I do agree that the true church IS a remnant in these days. His articles are very interesting nonetheless.

When I read of the small core huddling at the center of churches surrounded by carnality as Mr Whitaker wrote about, I think of two things. First I think of Paul Washer’s description of American churches. In his sermon “The Great Sin of the American Pastor” he said,

“Now I want to tell you the great sin of the American pastor, and this has gotten me in a lot of trouble, but it’s true. This small group of converted people in that local church, all they want is Jesus and all they want to do is the right thing. They want purity, they want truth, they want Christ. But, the pastor, in order to keep this larger group of unconverted people, he caters to them. So while he is feeding these carnal men and women with carnal things, he is letting the sheep of God starve to death and he is going to stand before God one day in judgment.”

It is a vivid picture of sheep huddled together in the middle pews bleating for real food as goats swirl around the church ransacking everything in sight.

The other picture I get in my mind of the remnant church besides Mr Whitaker’s and Mr Washer’s, is of a peanut M&M.

There is an exterior thin veneer of cohesion, (“ecumenical tolerance”) covering a thick layer of chocolate candy, (false church) which melts away if pressed too hard. Inside all that sickeningly sweet, cloying confection, is a hard core of believers standing on the blessedly sure foundation of Christ. But that core is so small that a thin covering of eye-catching neon candy coating and a thicker layer of chocolate hides it very well. And the pile of M&Ms overall is growing as churches explode in falsity and where the real believer is so hidden as to be invisible,or at least, overlooked. The form of godliness without power is like candy- it’s food, filling without being nourishing. There are calories, but they do nothing for the body.

A worldly spirit makes apostates. “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.” (2 Timothy 4:10). More in the next blog entry on the process of apostasy.

Do you feel like you are part of a remnant church? I do. The church may look bedraggled on the outside, but His true Bride is unbesmirched, glowing, and pure. It may be small, but it has the power of He who overcame the world within it, sustaining it, and holding it. And that is a beautiful thing indeed.

Posted in ahmadinejad, end time, isa, islam, jesus

Isa is NOT Jesus!

Posted on by elizabethprata

Today the President of Iran, Mr Ahmadinejad, said the following–

Iranian President Ahmadinejad Tells UN Jesus Christ and ‘Ultimate Savior’ Are Coming
“Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered his address before the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, saying that the return of Jesus Christ was soon to come, along with the Islamic end-time figure the 12th Imam. “God Almighty has promised us a man of kindness, a man who loves people and loves absolute justice, a man who is a perfect human being and is named Imam Al-Mahdi, a man who will come in the company of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) and the righteous,” Ahmadinejad said, according to a transcript by PolicyMic. According to Shi’a Muslim beliefs, which the Iranian president subscribes to, Jesus of Nazareth will return to Earth along with the above-mentioned Imam, and they together will solve many of the world’s problems.”

Of course we know that unbelievers are fools. (Psalms 14:1; Titus 3:3; Ecclesiastes 2:14…). They are deceived and walking in darkness. Of course they would be fooled by empty talk.

But too many believers are fooled too. They see famous people mentioning Jesus and they believe that we “share” a faith. Islam’s Allah is NOT the God of Abraham. And the Muslim “Jesus” is NOT the Jesus who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. If you are a Christian, get that notion out of your head right now.

The “Jesus” (Isa, or Īsā in Arabic) is NOT Jesus. When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Rick Warren say ‘Isa’ they don’t mean our precious Jesus. They mean a man who Muslims teach was a prophet but not God. A man they claim was a sinner and not perfect. A man who never died on the cross to atone for sins, but was lifted up to heaven directly without dying. A man who is prophesied to return with final Imam (whom they teach is perfect), and kill all the Christians. A man who will break the cross. A man who will renounce his tie to Christianity. A man who will live during the Muslim version of the Millennial Kingdom, marry, have children and die a natural death.

 At the 2008 Obama inauguration when Rick Warren prayed in the name of Isa, that is who he prayed to. Warren may as well have said “I pray in the name of Baal”. When Ahmadinejad says ‘Jesus is coming’, THAT Jesus bears no relation to God in the flesh who died for the sins of the world. Ahmadinejad’s Jesus, or Isa, is satan. Rick Warren’s Jesus/Isa is satan. Ahmadinejad may as well be referring to Lucifer when he claims Jesus.

 Do not be fooled, or Jesus will call YOU foolish to your face.

Posted in God, islam, jesus, muhammad, Obama

Blasphemy is on everyone’s lips

Posted on by elizabethprata

It seems that everywhere these past days I read a news story which now affords Muhammad a respect and title he had not been given before. We see more and more often in the newspapers and in media the Muslim man named Muhammad called ‘The Prophet Muhammad’ and not simply Muhammad. They even use a capital P. Entertainment Weekly referred to Muhammad this way. National Public Radio referred to Muhammad this way. The NY Times referred to Muhammad this way. And many others. Obama referred to Muhammad that way just today at the UN. (But ‘Jesus Christ’ was all our Savior got for a title from Obama, not Messiah Jesus or Savior Jesus or even Prophet Jesus. Only ‘Jesus Christ’).

Nowadays when Muhammad is referred to in print or video news items, increasingly he is accorded that elevated status and title.

I believe this is significant. (Jude 1:18; 2 Peter 3:3). It signals a shift away from Christ and toward Islam, which is really a prophesied shift away from the true religion toward a coming false one. At the end of the end, there will be a one world religion, and that religion will be worship of the antichrist (really, satan-worship). (Revelation 13:3-4). Worldwide hatred of anything having to do with Jesus will be the order of the day. (Revelation 13:7-8).

Also significant, is the global push for about instituting some kind of restriction of speech about Islam and specifically Muhammad. On Friday, September 21st I’d posted a news blurb about the Muslim call for a global blasphemy law. I’d mentioned that the Muslim nations had successively made that call at each session of the UN but it never had gotten anywhere. The motion had always died. But it has revived with a bang.

If you think for a moment how ridiculous this is and how obviously it betrays Muslim intention to dominate the world. How can a religion pass a law? How would they enforce it? Can a person mot a Muslim even blaspheme a person or object in which they do not believe? Sharia is their goal. Sharia is the moral code and religious law of Islam, governing every aspect of a Muslim’s life & is based on the Koran).

Here is one news blurb about the global blasphemy law from today-

Muslim-led nations seek global ban on insults of Muhammad
“As the U.N. General Assembly convenes this week in New York, several leaders of mostly Muslim nations are suggesting that the world body consider sanctions on blasphemy, amid widespread protests against an amateur movie that denigrates Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will focus at least part of his remarks on the film when he addresses the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday.”

It’s one thing for people of another religion to lobby for certain rights to the UN, which has no sovereignty over the United States (for now) but it is quite another for citizens OF the United States INSIDE the United states to lobby for the same.

Leaders of Kansas City Muslim group petition Obama to limit free speech of American citizens
“The leadership of the Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City have launched an online petition campaign for President Obama to back a bill to limit the free speech of American citizens they deem offensive.”

Back at the UN, “Blasphemy campaign threatens to derail UN“
“The demand for limits on anti-Islamic expression is coming from leading Islamic groups such as the Organisation for Islamic Co-operation, and leaders as diverse as the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Egyptian President, Mohammed Mursi, and the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.”

Hmmm. Interesting leaders it is coming from…Iran-Turkey will form an alliance to attack Israel in the Gog-Magog war of Ezekiel 37-38, and Egypt will participate in the Psalm 83 war against Israel. (I believe the Hagrites referred to in Psalm 83 are Egyptians. Hagar was Egyptian and she got an Egyptian wife for her son Ishmael from Egypt (Gen 21:21).

With all this blasphemy talk on everyone’s lips, I could not help but remember the prophecies in Revelation 12 and Daniel 7 & 11. In Revelation 13 the antichrist is given a great mouth to boast blasphemies against God. In Revelation 13:5-6 blasphemy is written three times. In Revelation 13:1 he is also called a blasphemer. Daniel 11:36 prophesies that he will say unheard-of things against the God of gods! Thessalonians 2:4 says he will oppose God and exalt himself and proclaim himself to be God! Blasphemy defines this coming Man of Sin! Blasphemy saturates every moment of the Tribulation!

How is all this significant? I’m not sure of the big picture yet. I feel that this global blasphemy push and the elevated name in print are something though. In one sense, it is significant because it shows how global the ummah really is. Ummah is an Arabic word for nation or community, and of course it means nation or community of Muslims. They truly see themselves as a global community of peoples, not just a local coalition of peoples. That is what Ummah means. Why else would Muslims in Sydney march against a movie made by a US resident and shown in Egypt?

As a matter of fact two days ago the Prime Minister of Pakistan called for the Ummah to unite.

“Time for Muslim Ummah to unite; seek permanent solution to end Blasphemous acts: PM‘
Responding to the uprising against the Youtube video about Muhammad (“Innocence of Muslims) the PM said, “Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said the Muslim Ummah needs to stand united and seek a permanent solution to ban hate speech that sows seeds of discord.”

He noted the ‘blasphemy’ also. The word blasphemy is on everyone’s lips today but it was on Jesus’s 2000 years ago. The Tribulation will be characterized by true blasphemy, against the one true God.

Christian blasphemy is defined at CARM as “speaking evil of God or denying Him some good which we should attribute to Him.  It could also be understood to be acting in any impious, mocking or contemptuous way toward any member of the Trinity.1 The word blasphemy comes from the Greek word, blasphemia, meaning “curse” or “vilifying.” 2 Blasphemy arises out of pride (Psalm 73:9,11), hatred (Psalm 74:18), injustice (Isaiah 52:5), etc.  Christ was often mistakenly accused of blasphemy by Jewish leaders (John 10:30-33).”

Muslim blasphemy is defined as “Blasphemy in Islam is any irreverent behavior toward holy personages, religious artifacts, customs, and beliefs that Muslims revere. The Quran and the hadith do not speak about blasphemy. Jurists created the offence, and they made it part of Sharia. Where Sharia pertains, the penalties for blasphemy can include fines, imprisonment, flogging, amputation, hanging, or beheading. Muslim clerics may call for the punishment of an alleged blasphemer by issuing a fatwā.”

One thing all this blasphemy talk is doing is heightening the lost people’s sensitivity for holy and unholy speech. We are beyond politically correct or incorrect speech. Now the global conversation is all about holy or unholy speech. The blasphemy talk also frames debates in religious terms.

Here is what the bible says about the coming blasphemy, the real blasphemy!

“And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.” (Revelation 13:1)

“And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.” (Revelation 17:3)

“But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.” (Colossians 3:8)

I think the blasphemy talk emerging worldwide is important. We are heading toward a dark time when blasphemy against a non-existent god via a pedophile false prophet will likely protected speech but blasphemy against a Sinless and Holy God will be ripe on everyone’s lips. And watch for how people from this day forward refer to Muhammad, either verbally in news stories or in print. It’s no longer Muhammad but The Prophet Muhammad. The wicked are addicted to blasphemy:

“Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.” (Psalm 74:1)

May the Holy God of Israel and He who is the Light of the World come soon!

Posted in bible, jesus, judgment, rob bell, satan

Back to Basics: Who is Satan?

Posted on by elizabethprata

Satan is real.

He was God’s covering cherub, the highest of the high, and the most beautiful. (Ezekiel 28:14-17). This means he is an angel and therefore a created being under God’s sovereignty. The eternal clash between good and evil is not one of equal opposites, but one of rebellion of a created being against an uncreated, holy God. (Isaiah 14:13-14)

We hear satan’s actual voice three times in the bible. Once in Genesis 3:1-5 when he is talking with Eve in the Garden of Eden. There, he insinuated to Eve that God is not good enough to her by not letting her have all the fruit of the Garden. The second time we hear him speak, it’s in heaven to God about Job. (Job 1:7-11). There, he told God that God was being too good to Job. The third time is when satan tempts Jesus. (Luke 4:1-12). In that scene, he used several the schemes in his arsenal (temptation of the body, temptation of power, temptation of testing God) and when he failed, he went away until another opportune time. (Luke 4:13).

These scenes tell us that satan has many schemes in his bag of tricks, he is not hesitant to use them against people, or Jesus or even GOD, and that he never quits.

Satan is mentioned in the Gospels twenty-nine times. And twenty-five of those times, Jesus is the one talking about Satan. Satan is mentioned in seven Old Testament books and every New Testament book.

Satan is a real person. He is not allegory, a metaphor or a figment. If you believe he is an allegory or figment or just an evil force, then you destroy the integrity and truthfulness of every NT book, each Gospel, a quarter of the Old Testament, and the character of Jesus. It is not possible to disbelieve satan is real but also believe the rest of the bible is truthful, historical, prophetic, and the word of God.

Satan is not in hell. He is not the ruler of hell. So where is he? He is roaming up and down upon the earth. (Job 1:7, Job 2:2; 1 Peter 5:8). Satan is the prince of the air. (Ephesians 2:2). Satan is in heaven accusing the brethren. (Revelation 12:10; Job 1:6). God has granted limited and temporary sovereignty to satan, for he is the god of this world. (2 Corinthians 4:4). From this we see that satan has been granted much latitude by God on earth, the air and in heaven.

Satan is busy! He is accusing the brethren, roaming the earth, fighting the holy angels, sowing tares among the wheat, polluting the doctrine. He is wreaking devastation and destruction. (John 10:10). And much more!

What is satan’s destiny? When satan rebelled in the primordial past, God prepared hell for satan and his angels. (Matthew 25:41). There will be no offer to repent and no opportunity to come to salvation. The devil and his angels’ futures are fixed. (John 16:11). Meanwhile, God uses their evil for His good and glory.

During the time since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden, satan has been allowed latitude in each of the three spheres of earth, air and heaven. However, midway through the Tribulation, he will be thrown out of heaven and access will no longer be granted to him or his angels. Perhaps satan thought he would be able to go on like this forever. God’s patience is longsuffering, but it does have an end, and satan gets tossed. He and his angels will be furious and will wreak that fury on the population of the earth. Woe to them! (Revelation 12:7-17).

At the conclusion of the Tribulation, satan will be thrown into the abyss and locked up for 1000 years. When 1000 years is over, he will be let out for a little while to foment one last, short, rebellion. (Revelation 20:3; 8). After that time he will be thrown into the lake of fire, the place prepared for him in the primordial past. His angels will be thrown there too, (Revelation 20:10) along with every person who followed him. (Revelation 20:15).

To all the precious brethren, fighting and strong or struggling and weak: he who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. We need not fear satan, but we do need to appreciate his capabilities and thus rely on the Holy Spirit more than ever. And to the lost: make no mistake, satan is real.

Rob Bell casts aspersions on the Holy Word. In his infamous book, “Love Wins“, Bell wrote about hell and by definition, satan,

“‘A staggering number of people have been taught that a few select Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better. It’s been clearly communicated to many that this belief is a central truth of the Christian faith and to reject it is, in essence, to reject Jesus. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’ message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear.’ “

Oh, woe to those who disbelieve Jesus’s words about future judgment for sin and His word to John in Revelation about the Book of Life. If your name is not written in it, you will be thrown into the Lake of Fire to be tormented forever.

Mr Bell believes love wins: and he is right, it does. Look at the cross! God’s love of humanity- expressed through Jesus-  triumphed over evil and sin and death! (Colossians 2:13-15). However, Mr Bell believes love and holiness are mutually exclusive. They are not. Holiness wins too. (John 9:39). All one needs to do is look at the lake of fire- the place prepared for the devil and his angels, and all those who follow satan. (Matthew 12:30-32). Unless you believe in Jesus, you are actually following satan by default. When you die, you will follow satan right into the Lake of Fire.

Now for some encouragement to the brethren:

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

“Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.” (John 12:31).

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Thanks be to God for Jesus!

Those are a few facts about satan. As always, read the word for yourselves to see if these things are true.

Posted in jesus, monkeys, salvation, skelton, storing up treasure

$7 million in gold found in dead Nevada man’s home

Posted on by elizabethprata

An odd story, and a sad one. The scripture that comes immediately to mind is:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

$7 million in gold found in dead Nevada man’s home
“When Walter Samaszko Jr. died at his home in Carson City, Nev., he had $200 in a bank account. But as officials later discovered, Samaszko had about $7 million stored neatly around his home, the Nevada Appeal reported. In late June, neighbors called authorities because of a smell emanating from Samaszko’s home. He was a recluse who had told them he hated the government and feared getting shots, but still, it had been a while since they had seen him, according to the Appeal. According to the coroner, Samaszko, 69, had been dead for at least a month.”

“He died of heart problems, the Las Vegas Sun reported. In came the cleanup crews, which discovered boxes of gold in the garage. “At that point, we took the house apart,” said Carson City clerk-recorder Alan Glover. They found gold coins and bullion, tiny dos-pesos, $20 gold pieces, Austrian ducats, Kruggerrands and English Sovereigns dating to the 1840s – enough gold to fill two wheelbarrows. Samaszko and his mother had lived in the three-bedroom home since the 1970s, which is around the time they started collecting gold. Glover told the Appeal that the two kept detailed records of the gold they had purchased.”

“As for who can lay claim to the riches — Glover said the Internal Revenue Service will take a sizable amount in taxes — about $750,000 — and that the rest will likely go to a first cousin, a substitute teacher in San Rafael, Calif.”

I think of what it must have been like for that old man…piling up gold, worrying about it, attending to his records of it, thinking up hiding places for it. Yet he died alone, and no one noticed for a month, until his body had decomposed and the death smell wafted out to the street. How sad!

What did he put his trust in? He didn’t trust government. He didn’t trust doctors. He didn’t trust neighbors. He had no family to confide in. What was his heart condition? The bible tells us–

“Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.” (Proverbs 23:4)

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10)

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5).

Jesus does not condemn riches. Job and Abraham were massively wealthy and they are noted as men of integrity and faith. Yet their first priority was God. They clung to Him, His ways, and His statutes.

We should do the same. People who are not saved do not realize the utter fulfillment of knowing Jesus, no matter what the external circumstances. Whether I have money or whether I don’t have money, I am rich. When we take our eyes off ourselves and our earthly belongings, and focus on Him, perspective immediately shifts to eternal treasures and immeasurable wealth of eternal life in glory. The richness is life with Him, and the treasure IS Him. Yet the unsaved senselessly cling to what will eventually disappear.

There is an old story missionary Arnold Skelton told of the natives in the jungle who discovered a way to trap monkeys. They dried and hollowed out a gourd, hung it from a tree, and in it, they placed peanuts. The monkeys would come and slither their hand into the gourd’s narrow neck seeking the delicious treat. The monkey would grab a handful and clenching it, try to remove its hand from the gourd. The hole was too small for a clenched fist to go through. If they let go the peanuts, they would be free. But it would never occur to the monkeys to let go the treasure they had found. Eventually the hunter came back and killed them. Their own greed and selfishness ensnared them in a trap.

It is the same with people. Are you ensnared in a trap of your own making? Let go the gourd, and look up over the top of the trees. Jesus is in the clouds and He will return soon to claim HIS treasures: us. Please be part of that group. Repent and believe on the Gospel, and you shall be saved.

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

Posted in imminent, jesus, rapture

If we’re getting so excited at the nearing of the Groom…

Posted on by elizabethprata

Imagine how excited JESUS is! I like to think that He is excited as any groom who awaits his bride would be. As the moment draws closer the more excited any groom becomes. He is eager, thinking of all the love he has for his soon to be bride, and chomps at the bit.

Jesus is the ultimate bridegroom, so His love and excitement is superlative and perfect, excellently outpacing our excitement at His soon return!

I know we sense the nearness of the time. We know the rapture can happen imminently, it has always been imminent. But the time is so close, and we’re excited to see our Groom.

Our Groom is even more excited to claim His Bride, I am sure!

Don’t you think so too?!

“And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” (Matthew 9:15).

The long dry spell of life without Him bodily on earth is almost over.

John the Baptist said,

“The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.” (John 3:29).

O, we long to hear His voice, but He longs for His Bride, and waits for the Father to tell the Son:

“GO GET YOUR BRIDE.”

“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.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

Be encouraged! We are one day closer to that moment than we were yesterday!

Posted in abu islam, cleric, graveyard, israel, jesus, muslim

Iranian cleric boasting that Jerusalem will be world’s biggest graveyard unknowngly predicts the future for his own people

Posted on by elizabethprata

Hatred of Christians and Jews is rising absolutely demonically now, as per Zechariah 12:2-3.

The Assyrian International News Agency reports:

Muslim Cleric Tears Bible At Protest Outside the US Embassy in Cairo
“During the demonstration which was held in front of the American Embassy in Cairo on Tuesday, 9/11, a Muslim cleric named Abu Islam tore and burned the Holy Bible in front of thousands of Muslims. His action was met with applause and anti-Christian cheers from the demonstrators. Before leaving the demonstration and getting into his car, he told the crowds “next time I will urinate on it.”

Abu Islam also said, “This is the book the dog Terry believes in, as well as those dogs with him the Egyptian Christians in America. 1.19 Abu Islam: Today I can only TEAR IT APART. He starts tearing the bible and throwing the leaves towards the mob, amid chants of Allahu Akbar and “Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews, the army of Mohammad is coming.” 

What does the bible say?

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:2-3)

“They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” (Jude 1:18).  “knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires,” (2 Pet 3:3).

Though it can be said that the frenzy against Jesus has gone from mocking and scoffing toward drunken, irrational frenzy as Zechariah prophesied in Zechariah 12:2-3. Muslim hatred against Jews and Christians really is hatred of Jesus. Muslims don’t go after Hindus or Buddhists, do they? Aren’t they apostate, too? God said on that day He will make it so that all who try to come against his Great City will injure themselves.

How will they injure themselves? See the final outcome of the Muslim hatred, particularly the Iranian hatred, below.

Oh how sad for him and those who jeer and mock our precious Holy God on the Day they face Jesus…sad! Don’t be angry with these people. Instead mourn their sad and tortured souls! Pray for them.

Iran: Jerusalem will be Israeli ‘graveyard‘

An Iranian analyst posted on his blog that Jerusalem will become the biggest graveyard in the world. The blog page is in Persian. Reza Kahlili translated the page and brought it to the West’s attention, writing, “Iranian analyst Alireza Forghani boasted today [on his blog] that Jerusalem, which he claims was invaded over 50 years ago by the “pig-faced” Jews, will soon become a mass “graveyard” for the Israeli people.”

“Forghani, a strategy specialist in the camp of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, boasted that every city in Israel will turn into a killing ground and the longsuffering of Muslims worldwide “will be justified by the mighty Islamic Iran.” No one then will listen to the cries of the women and children of Israel, the author warned, when Jerusalem becomes “the biggest graveyard in the world.”

Below are screenshots of the aforementioned Iranian analyst’s blog-

What does the bible say? Ezekiel 38:5 lists the participants in the Gog-Magog battle. Persia, now known as Iran, is one of ‘the multitudes’ will will meet their doom in Israel.

“On that day I will give to Gog a place for burial in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers, east of the sea. It will block the travelers, for there Gog and all his multitude will be buried. It will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog. For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land. All the people of the land will bury them, and it will bring them renown on the day that I show my glory, declares the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 39:11-13)

The Iranian analyst is right, near to Jerusalem, just to the south near the Dead Sea where Sodom used to be, will be a graveyard. His own people’s graveyard! It will gravesites for the Iranians who ally with Turkey and Russia and surprise-invade Israel at the Gog-Magog battle depicted in Ezekiel 38-39. The graveyard will be so large that the well-worn travel route will be blocked. The Iranian Muslims prophecy and predict and boast of making Jerusalem and Israel into a graveyard, but in truth they are speaking their own doom. It will take 7 months to bury all the bodies, it will be so large. The LORD is mighty.