Posted in repent, salvation, sin

Never forget what sinners we are

Posted on by elizabethprata

“The actual wickedness of men’s lives bears a very small proportion to what is in their hearts. But when lust is inwardly cherished, it will break forth into outward sin. Those who tempt others to drunkenness never can be their real friends, and often design their ruin. Thus men execute the Divine vengeance on each other. Those are not only heated with sin, but hardened in sin, who continue to live without prayer, even when in trouble and distress.”
~Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Hosea 7:1-7

Gustav Kaser said of icebergs,

Think of an iceberg! Only about 1/7th rises above the surface of the water. The remaining 6/7ths are under water and not visible to the human eye. A human being is comparable to an iceberg.

The wickedness we see above the surface is only a small proportion to what is in our hearts…

Therefore, praise God that He sent His Son! Jesus lived a sinless life. He died shedding His blood for those appointed to salvation, and pleased with His Son, God raised Him to life on the third day. Now instead of staggering under the weight of all my sin, that which is seen and that which is unseen below the surface, Jesus sees it all, and He saved me anyway. Now I have His righteousness declared upon me by God. As long as I am in this sinful body breathing air on earth, I have been released from the power of sin via the Holy Spirit indwelling me. I have the glorification to look forward to, when I’m no longer even in the presence of sin.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)

Posted in allah, grace, Obama, salvation, sin

UPDATE from Todd Friel. Bowe Bergdahl’s Father Invokes Allah In Arabic- Obama smiles triumphantly

Posted on by elizabethprata

I have not followed the Bowe Bergdahl issue. I know little about it. Bowe Bergdahl is America’s only known prisoner of war. Apparently Obama secured this detained and ailing soldier’s release by swapping five Taliban detainees — and leaving most of Congress in the dark. As Congress has become more upset at the President’s sudden and unilateral action, it appears as the story unravels, that the soldier may or may not actually be a deserter- not a hero.

I don’t follow the ins and outs of politics anymore. I have limited time and limited emotional capacity, so I try not to fill it with incidental things of life. I stay focused on work, my local church, the people I interact with, and studying the bible, prayer, and writing, etc.

I have to admit also that my distaste for our current occupant of the Oval Office aids me in keeping me from looking too closely at our American machinations at home and abroad.

However, something on Allen West’s website came to my attention. When Obama held a press conference with the soldier’s father, Bob, and the father was speaking, the father spoke in Arabic. They were just a few words, but there you go. Allah was one of the words. Here is former Congressman and Lt. Colonel Allen West’s report of the incident.

First words of Bergdahl’s father at White House were Arabic
Clare Lopez is a former CIA operations officer, a strategic policy and intelligence expert with a focus on Middle East, national defense, WMD, and counterterrorism issues, and a friend of mine. She emailed me this morning a very poignant analysis that only someone knowing language and Islam could ascertain. She wrote:

“What none of these media is reporting is that the father’s (SGT Bowe Bergdahl’s father Bob) first words at the WH were in Arabic – those words were “bism allah alrahman alraheem” – which means “in the name of Allah the most gracious and most merciful” – these are the opening words of every chapter of the Qur’an except one (the chapter of the sword – the 9th) – by uttering these words on the grounds of the WH, Bergdahl (the father) sanctified the WH and claimed it for Islam. There is no question but POTUS knows this.”

Folks, there is a lot to this whole episode — like Benghazi — that we may never know. And this is not conspiracy theory, it is truth based upon Arabic and Islamic dogma and tradition. And here’s the video if you have any questions.

UPDATE, Todd Friel. 56 seconds, another good word from Todd to ponder:

We Americans have been blessed. For the most part we have had leaders who have willing hearts, attitudes of service, and a desire to do the best for our nation and their fellow citizens. Oh, sure, we’ve had bumblers (Jimmy Carter) some bad ones (James Buchanan), some whose personality did not fit the demands of the job (Ricard Nixon), but overall we never had an inkling that the man whom fellow citizens had elected to office was actually an enemy working against them and did not care at all about their best interests.

Until Obama.

In my opinion, he is a traitor, working actively with satan to dismantle our nation. And that makes me sad, because I love this nation. I mourn for the soldiers who must perform under such a Commander in Chief. I feel empathy for the impoverished ones, the fatherless and the widows in this climate of coldness and rising crime and chaos.

I have felt this way for 7 years. But so what? In looking at nations since the first nations formed in Genesis, 7 years of living under a man who isn’t working for Jesus and isn’t even working for the best interests of the citizens is a tiny, microscopic mite in the historical scheme of things. What about Pharaoh, who let his own people die out of pride? What about invading armies into Israel, killing children? What about Herod and the Massacre of the Innocents? Nero?

What about Germany’s historical shame of Hitler, someone they elected? What about every dictator who ever lived; Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Manuel Noriega, Genghis Khan… Actually, monarchies and dictatorships have been the historical norm for governments. And given man’s depraved state, it is only natural that sinful men do sinful things, and even ‘good’ dictators turn bad.

So who are we to have pity parties over one man for a few years, even while our nation is still one of the wealthiest on the planet? Here is THE question I asked myself: am I more willing to pray for Obama, an obviously lost and hell-bound man, than I am willing to complain about his motives? Am I more willing to complain about Obama than I am to praise Jesus?

I have to admit that I don’t pray for him as much as I should. Well I hardly ever pray for him, if I’m honest. And this is despite the fact that the bible says we must pray for our leaders. It is despite the fact that for 42 years I was a sinner like Obama, and only now I am released from the power of sin by Jesus’ grace. As it is written in 1 Timothy 2:1-4,

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

We should not get all tangled up and angry when sinful people do what they normally do: sin. This goes for even our leaders, whom sometimes we set apart as somehow higher, more noble, less sinful. But the lost are just that, lost. A lost man smiles when another prays to a false god. A lost man smiles when his plans for evil seem to be coming true. But God means all evil for good to those who love Him. (Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:28). It is by God’s grace that we even know that He means it for good, having the Holy Spirit in us to illuminate the bible’s meaning to us in the verses which declare it so.

As for Obama, all our leaders, any leader, or every sinful person, “Their foot shall slide in due time.” (Deuteronomy 32:35). Obama can smile triumphantly all he wants, but the only triumphant smile I will give is the one if in the Lord’s purpose and plan, He calls Obama to salvation. I once was a sinner like the president, smiling when false gods were mentioned. If he is saved, we will be brothers in grace. THAT calls for a smile of triumph.

Posted in God, hail, storms

Hail’s destructive path in the Midwest

Posted on by elizabethprata

Severe storms rolled through Iowa and Nebraska yesterday. Unfortunately, more are forecast for today. I was amazed at the hail damage in Nebraska from the violent storms that rolled through. I have seen hail dent cars many times, but I’ve never seen hail puncture them!

Storms hit Midwest, ‘dangerous evening’ forecast
Homes and cars in parts of Nebraska and Iowa were pummeled Tuesday by baseball-sized hail and damaging winds as potentially dangerous storms targeted a swath of the Midwest, including the Omaha area, where flooding left dozens of drivers stranded and prompted home evacuations. The National Weather Service said reports of extensive hail damage and flooding had trickled in as storms pushed into Nebraska and moved into neighboring Iowa, where winds of up to 85 mph were recorded. Up to 4 inches of rain was expected in parts of Nebraska and Iowa.

Weather Center Live meteorologist Shawn Reynolds tweeted yesterday at the height of the storms: “It’s the day from #hail: More than 130 storm reports of hail today”

Thunderstorms leave wake of destruction in Council Bluffs, southwest Iowa

@nonpareilonline: A floating car in #CouncilBluffs (Iowa
sent in by @melaniexyz & others

In Blair Nebraska, there were injuries from hail at
Walmart parking lot, 12 taken to hospital, conditions unknown.

Above photo was tweeted on Shawn Reynolds’ stream,: “RT @AdamPeters: Hail damage in Blair, NE via @Michaeldkrueger’s cousin #newx“

In Treynor Iowa, hail damages a house

Above photo tweeted from Shawn Reynolds’ stream: “This is just nuts RT @KWWLSchnack: Hail damage in #Treynor from storms Tuesday afternoon. #iawx“

driftwood1963 Instagram, “Wickedness falling from the sky!
#iowa #storms #crazy #wicked #hail #thunderstorms”

Here is a collage of damage from yesterday’s weather put together by The Weather Channel

I’m not a weather expert by any means but it seems to me that though we had a few years of rising tornadoes and worse damage from them, that this year tornadoes haven’t been the bid bad mama of weather. There are fewer tornadoes, while hail storms seems to be the weather destroyer in 2014. Here is a graph that seems to confirm that there are fewer tornadoes this year: (thank goodness!)

You notice that unusually, there were no tornadoes in January or February. It is a fact that 2014 is the slowest start to tornado season ever, and gratefully, no fatalities.

I searched insurance websites to see what the claims from weather damage have been for the last few years.

The Rocky Mountain Independent Insurance Agents bulletin reported that “The nation has experienced severe storms (wind, tornado, hail) that are occurring with more intensity and affecting more areas of the country. While scientists debate why these storms occur, no one argues with their effects—extensive property damage and, many times, loss of life.

Fast Fact: National Hail Statistics: Damage caused by wind and hail cost State Farm and its policyholders more than $3.9 billion in 2012, according to an April 2013 analysis by the insurer. Texas was the state with the most wind/hail losses, followed by Illinois, New York, Ohio, Missouri, Tennessee, Indiana, New Jersey, Kentucky and Colorado. (source)

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reports that “Hail Damage Claims in the United States, between 2010-2012, more Frequent, Severe Storms Drive 84 Percent Claims Increase.” In Montana, it is reported that the year 2013 was a record-setter for hail damage.

Here is some information from the National Weather Service regarding hail safety tips:

“Imagine a baseball dropped from an airplane flying at 30,000 feet … imagine that baseball reaching speeds of 120 MPH as it falls to the ground … and imagine you’re under it! Imagine you’re driving along at 70 MPH…or your crops are under the hail producing thunderstorm…or your home is under the thunderstorm… Hail causes $1 billion dollars in damage to crops and property each year.”

The article discusses how hail forms, how to size hail, why some hailstones are irregularly formed, the largest hailstone ever recorded in the US, and more.

Whenever I read of a hail storm I can’t help but think of the 100 pound hail that will pound men during the Tribulation. Revelation 16:21 says

“And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.”

One hundred pound hailstones are not normal. It is not natural. The Weather Underground reports that “The largest officially recognized hailstone on record to have been ‘captured’ in the U.S. was that which fell near Vivian, South Dakota last summer (2010) on July 23rd. It measured 8.0” in diameter, 18 ½” in circumference, and weighed in at 1.9375 pounds.”

So when the 100 lb hailstones fall men will know that it is God, because such large hailstones have never fallen in the world to date. These hailstones will be larger by a factor of ten.

Give glory to the God in heaven now, for His restraining hand, for His blanket of mercy and common grace He delivers to the Godly and the ungodly every day. We have air to breathe, a creation to live upon, blessed rain in season, food to eat. We have the knowledge of the Gospel and for those who don’t, the opportunity to share it. His grace and mercies are manifold. There is much to praise.

When the large hail falls upon the city during the Tribulation, and men curse God, it shows us just how depraved we are. When faced with irrefutable proof of His existence, in creating such large plagues of hailstones, man in his pride still will not bow down.

Bow now to the Comforter, the Prince of Peace, the Loving Son, and Great Shepherd. Or you will bow later, Romans 14:11 says. Excerpt then, you would bow before God as His enemy. Bow now in grace as His friend. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.

For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” 31It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:30-31)

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 apocalypse, dust storm, iran, rapture, tehran

Apocalyptic dust storm suddenly engulfs Tehran

Posted on by elizabethprata

I am always intrigued when people term an event ‘apocalyptic’. We are all wired to acknowledge God, we’re made in His image after all, and we’re living on His creation. We all understand that there are events, and there are disasters, and then there are disastrous events that defy normal comprehension. (Joplin MO F-5 tornado, Japan 9.0 quake, Indonesian tsunami…). And yet, for all that, the Tribulation will be so far beyond that, we can’t even really manage a comprehensible envisioning of that event, really.

And yet, when an unprecedented or unexpected or especially disastrous event happens, they say it is an apocalypse.

Tehran, Iran engulfed by massive dust storm
A massive dust storm engulfed Tehran late Monday afternoon, killing up to five people and creating an apocalyptic scene in the Iranian capital. “The skies over Tehran suddenly turned black as a wall of sand hit the city from the west, my wife called me to come home ‘now’,” tweeted Thomas Erdbrink, Tehran bureau chief for the New York Times. Fars News Agency, an independent news organization in Iran, called the event “unexpected and rather unprecedented.”

The Washington Post reported the reason that the storm freaked everyone out so much:

Tehran, Iran swallowed by massive dust storm, walloped by 70 mph winds
Weather observations in Tehran show a stunning transformation in conditions as the storm struck. A 5 p.m. local time, it was 91 degrees with a moderate breeze. At 5:30 p.m., the temperature dropped to 73 degrees with a raging sustained wind at 55 mph gusting to 69 mph in a reported thunderstorm with heavy rain. By 6 p.m., the temperature was down to 66 degrees, with a sustained wind of 35 mph.

I am reminded of the bible’s warnings of the day when judgment shall come. Not that this particular storm is judgment, I don’t know that one way or another. But conditions were calm one moment, and half an hour later people thought the apocalypse was happening. When it actually happens, it will be just like that, rapid, sudden, unprecedented, and surprising.

“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.” (Genesis 7:11)

Just like that, one day it had never rained, and the next, at a precise hour, all the fountains of the earth burst open.

“For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matthew 24:38-39)

The point is, are you ready? Jesus will render judgment one day. It will be sudden and surprising- to those who were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage, that is. To those of us who pray, worship, and watch, it will not be surprising. We eagerly await the Groom, and we will be removed at a sudden second before the judgment comes again. Some who are left behind will see that sign and know that when the rapture occurs, the fountains of the deep are opening again metaphorically speaking, and they will repent. The penalty for not claiming Jesus as King during the Age of Grace is that they will live during a time of horrific judgment, and die during that period, or be martyred. Some will live to the end and populate the Millennial Kingdom, but oh, what sorrow they will endure.

Others will deny the rapture event as a sign and continue planting and building and buying and selling … but they will be destroyed.

“Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” (Luke 17:28-30).

Therefore friend, the question of this age, is Are You Ready?

——————————————-
From GotQuestions:

“How can I be ready to be caught up in the Rapture?”

It is much simpler than you may think. The short answer is that you must receive Jesus Christ as your Savior. Now for the long answer. When you ask this question, we assume that you have heard that not all Christians will be taken when the Rapture occurs. You probably have been told that only “super Christians” who are living a holy life will be raptured, and all the other Christians will have to suffer through the Tribulation. This is not true, and we will show you why this is not true from Scripture.

The first thing that you must understand is the purpose for the Tribulation. The Tribulation is a time of judgment on the earth and punishment for Israel. Please note that Israel and the Church are not the same group of people. The Church is a spiritual organism. People in the Church are related because of their spiritual birth (by being born again – John 3:3). The people of Israel (Jews) are related by blood. This is a race of people to whom God made special promises in the Old Testament. God declared a time of judgment upon Israel for their unfaithfulness. This time of judgment is clearly declared to be only for Israel (Daniel 9:24-27).

Gabriel brought a message from God to Daniel (9:20-21). Daniel 9:24 says, “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place.” In this message Gabriel specifies to Daniel that the time is “for your people.” Daniel’s people were Jews, the nation of Israel. God declared 70 weeks against the nation of Israel. This “70 weeks” is literally in the Hebrew “70 sevens.” In other words, 70 times 7 years, or 490 years. Of those years, 483 (69 times 7) of them were fulfilled from the end of the Israel’s captivity in Babylon to the cutting off of Messiah (the crucifixion of Christ). This leaves 7 years of judgment yet to be fulfilled. Those 7 years are the years of the Tribulation. The point is that this prophecy concerns Israel primarily, and the purpose of the judgment is “to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place.”

Now, we can also demonstrate from Scripture that Christians will not be in the Tribulation. A study of 1 Thessalonians 4:13 through 5:9 shows this. In this passage Paul writes about the Rapture and the Day of the Lord. First Thessalonians 5:9 gives Christians this promise: “God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Pay close attention to this verse. Paul says God has not destined us for wrath, specifically the wrath of the Day of the Lord (5:2).

Further evidence that Christians will not go through the Tribulation comes from 1 Corinthians. In that letter Paul sharply rebukes the believers for being carnal Christians. But in chapter 15, Paul writes of the Rapture, and he never indicates that any of the Corinthian believers, carnal though they were, would be left behind. True believers in Jesus Christ will not have to endure the Tribulation.

The only way you will be left behind in the Rapture is if you have not received Christ as your Savior.

————-end GotQuestions————

Jesus could call His bride home at any moment. I am looking forward to that. Words don’t do my anticipation justice. I hope to see you there.

Posted in creation, creator, creator of the universe, galaxy, God, stars

How many stars are there in the Milky Way?

Posted on by elizabethprata

Space.com has an interesting discussion about how many stars there may be in the Milky Way galaxy. They wrote that it is “surprisingly difficult” to determine an answer to the question. The short article describes the counting methods and the problems with each method. In the end, the article concludes,

So is there any way to figure out how many stars are for sure? In the end, it comes down to an estimate. In one calculation, the Milky Way has a mass of about 100 billion solar masses, so it is easiest to translate that to 100 billion stars. This accounts for the stars that would be bigger or smaller than our sun, and averages them out. Other mass estimates bring the number up to 400 billion. The caveat, Kornreich said, is that these numbers are approximations. More advanced models can make the approximation more accurate, but it would be very difficult to count the stars one by one and tell you for sure how many are in the galaxy.

Below, Night sky photographer Amit Ashok Kamble captured this amazing panorama of the Milky Way over Pakiri Beach, New Zealand by stitching 10 images together into a complete mosaic. credit: Amit Ashok Kamble:

Universe Today writes about how many stars there could be in the entire universe, “And so, if you multiply the number of stars in our galaxy by the number of galaxies in the Universe, you get approximately 1024 stars. That’s a 1 followed by twenty-four zeros. That’s a septillion stars. But there could be more than that.”

If we go with the septillion number, Adam Ford, AKA Adam 4D has this free-to-use graphic to ponder:

Let’s take a moment to give praise and honor to our Creator! He made the stars. He numbered the stars. He named the stars. What man cannot comprehend, God did in a day. He is high and lifted up!

He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. (Psalm 147:4)

To him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever; (Psalm 136:7)

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8:3-4)

Indeed, in all His awesome majesty, He created Man, to have a relationship with. God loves us, Jesus is praying for us and the Spirit is helping us.

This great God who stretched out His hand and created a septillion stars by the power of His will, also loves each and every one of His called sheep. He loves you, nurtures you, protects you, disciplines you. Our great Yahweh, the One True God, Creator and Sustainer…

… Father.

Posted in chaos, control, creation, eruption, God, volcano

Major eruption in southern hemisphere at Sangeang Api

Posted on by elizabethprata

Some Geo-news:

Explosive Eruption at Sangeang Api in Indonesia, “New reports from Indonesia tell of an sizable explosive eruption that occurred today yesterday at Sangeang Api.”

Ash cloud chaos may go on for days with volcano still erupting
FLIGHTS across Australia may be affected by a vast ash cloud from an Indonesian volcano, which has shut down Darwin airport and affected services to Bali. Three separate plumes are billowing from Sangeang Api, which is now erupting continuously after an initial blast yesterday afternoon. The cloud is now sweeping southeast over the west side of the Northern Territory as far south as Alice Springs, according to Tim Birch, a meteorologist with the Bureau of Meteorology’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin.

Here is some information about the volcano:
Sangeang Api is an active complex volcano on the island of Sangeang in Indonesia. It consists of two volcanic cones, Doro Api at 6,394 ft, and Doro Mantoi 5,889 ft. Sangeang Api is one of the most active volcanoes in the Lesser Sunda Islands. It erupted in 1988 and the island’s inhabitants were evacuated. Between its first recorded eruption in 1512 and 1989 it erupted 17 times. It erupted again during December 2012 and May 2014.

The Australian’s headline is of interest to me. When they write ‘ash cloud chaos’ it bespeaks of man’s illusion that he controls nature. As in, ‘Aw, rats. Just when we had everything organized, this ash cloud is going to interrupt our orderly jet flights, picnics, ball games, and tanning.’ If they think one volcano erupting is ‘chaos’ then I wonder what they will think when all the world’s volcanoes are erupting during the Tribulation?

Here is a headline from the ever excitable UK Daily Mail, but their photos cannot be beat:

Pictured from a passenger plane: Menacing 12-mile-high ash cloud looms over Indonesia’s ‘Mountain of Spirits’ after volcano erupts

That does look quite ominous, doesn’t it? Here is another view, retweeted by Volcano expert Professor Erik Klemetti:

MT @teideano The view of the #Sangeang eruption from the sea. Impressive #eruption column. #volcano #indonesia

Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down:
touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. (Psalms 144:5)

Whenever God’s power is expressed so visibly, I ponder His attribute as Creator, King over His creation. I also think about what it will be like during the Tribulation, when God UNcreates the earth.

He created the perfect world, (Genesis 1-2); sin came and He cursed the ground, (Genesis 3:17); He judged the world through the flood and mountains came up, (Genesis 6-9); and He will judge the world again and through that judgment, will reverse the curse. Mountains will fall, (Isaiah 34:9-10, Micah 1:4 ); the earth will crack, (Isaiah 24:1, 19, Nahum 1:5); rivers will dry (Revelation 7:2, Revelation 16:12), and more. The LORD controls the earth. If chaos ensues when one volcano erupts the chaos will be incomprehensible when all of them go off. Read about the power of God in His divine Judgment of the Flood, and think about the coming judgment that awaits the unbelieving world left behind after the Bride is taken up to heaven:

The Power of Divine Judgment in the Global Flood
All we know is God split open the earth and blew what amounts to volcanic eruptions all over the planet that created the mountains, created the valleys,… 

…[Y]ou can do some reading on the Mount St. Helens explosion back in 1980. The steam explosion released energy equivalent to 20 millions tons of TNT when that mountain blew its lid. It toppled 150 square miles of forest in six minutes. Really, talk about reshaping the surface of the earth. 

Well, just imagine that going on all over the planet. Spirit Lake nearby, north of the volcano…created an enormous wave just because of the tremendous explosion. It created what amounted to a tidal wave, and it stripped slopes of trees 850 feet above the lake’s level. Total energy output, according to what I read, was equivalent, listen to this, to 40 million tons of TNT from that one mountain. Or 20,000 Hiroshima A-bombs. And that’s just one volcano. And when God broke up the planet and reshaped it, it would be that multiplied almost an infinite number of times. The face of the land was changed by steam blasts, landslides, water waves, hot pumice ash, mud floes. Six hundred feet of strata was formed in a handful of minutes.

God’s power is incredible. His attribute of Creator is so often overlooked in pondering His equally wonderful attributes of love, healing, restoration, reconciliation, grace, mercy … but we met God in chapter 1, page 1 of His revelation the bible, as Creator. His power is incredible, speaking the worlds into existence with just a word. Speaking all life into existence in just 6 days, all its myriad manifestations as a ready adult, with complicated reproductive systems, eco systems and habitats. He is amazing!

He will crumble it all away, this time through another global judgment, (The Tribulation) and then after the 1000 years Millennial reign is over, by a fervent heat (2 Peter 3:10). In thinking about God’s power in creation and UNcreation, please also think about the people who will endure His wrath.

Though the heavenly abode will be literally flooded with redeemed saints (Revelation 7:9-17), hell will also have to enlarge its mouth to receive the myriads of hell-bound sinners who will die during the UNcration that happens in the Tribulation. Please be sensitive to that fact, and witness with your mouth and your life. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by HIM. Proclaim Jesus, be sure to be clear WHICH Jesus you are proclaiming, and stand in awe of His power when you see such events as a volcanic eruption, and earthquake, or any other powerful earth or solar storm.

I’m so glad I know that God is on the throne. When volcanoes explode or earthquakes happen, I don’t have to believe in any such thing as ‘chaos.’ God’s world is orderly, His plan is unfolding in perfect timing. We may not always know why these things happen, but we do know that chaos is not in control. God is in control.

Posted in appearing, clouds, crown, rapture

He is coming on the clouds

Posted on by elizabethprata
EPrata photo

Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:8)

Pulpit Commentary says, “That have loved his appearing. It will be a characteristic of those who will be crowned at that day that all the time they were lighting the good fight they were looking forward with hope and desire for their Lord’s appearing and kingdom. “Thy kingdom come” was their desire and their petition. They will be able to say at that day, “So, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation” (Isaiah 25:9)

John MacArthur says of the 2 Timothy verse,

“Now somebody might say, “This seems a little egotistical. I’ve finished my course. I’ve kept the faith. I’ve done it all, now, Lord, I want my reward.” Is this selfish? Is this somewhat crass or self-indulgent? Is this a bit self-centered? Let me tell you why it’s not. God has made the promise. God promised the reward, it isn’t wrong to want what God promised. Furthermore, listen carefully, our eternal reward takes into consideration not only what we did but why we did it. Did you get that? And why we did it can either affirm the doing or cancel the doing. For Paul writing in 1 Corinthians chapter 4 and looking ahead to the time of reward says, “Do not go on passing judgment before the time but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.” Motive is bound up in the deed. And admittedly sometimes…sometimes it seems as though you never do anything from a totally pure motive. But God knows the motive and what of that motive is pure is that which will be rewarded. So we don’t need to fear that we might be rewarded for selfish self-centered egotistical self-indulgent crass service. The wrong motive cancels the doing of the deed. But whatever has been done for Christ and in His name with a proper heart motive for His glory, that will be rewarded.”

I tell people that Jesus will come tomorrow. And the next day I say He will come tomorrow. And the next…and so on. One of these days, soon I think, I’ll be right. He IS returning, He promised to. He will gather His babes to Himself and take us to His home, and forever we will be with the Lord.

Posted in counterfeit christians, hosea, prayer, S. Lewis Johnson

An oddly wonderful prayer

Posted on by elizabethprata

When I read the bible, I read through a whole book. Not all at once, usually chapter by chapter. And sometimes if the chapter is long, or convicting, or complicated, only part of the chapter. Then I pray. Then I listen to an expositor. If I can’t find a good sermon I read a commentary on the passage. Then I read the passage again. Usually a phrase or a verse will leap out at me, and I’ll mull that, I’ll look at parallel verses, or the historical background, and pray. And pray some more. Then I go on with the next chapter. In this way the Spirit delivers understanding and sews the quilt of the bible together pieces by piece so that little by little I gain understanding.

Finding credible Old Testament expositors is difficult but we as a body of believers are blessed to have John MacArthur’s Isaiah sermons, Martyn Lloyd Jones, and S. Lewis Johnson to name a few. I’m reading Hosea right now and Pastor Lewis has a sermon series on the entire book.

I appreciate the care and accuracy he applies to his preaching. But also I’ve come to appreciate his prayers. He prays after reading the text and he prays at the end. His prayers are moving. They are just as wonderful as the text he is preaching on. He prays with sensitivity, within biblical standards, concerns from the heart…and this. I thought this was an odd and wonderful prayer. Odd because no one prays this any more.

“We pray for the whole church, for all of those who name in sincerity the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and we pray, O God, that those who counterfeit Christianity may experience failure. We know that Thou hast said, the church will be founded upon the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against the true church, and we pray O God for all of the manifestations of the truth. We pray for the other churches where the gospel is proclaimed, and today Lord may they be fruitful in their ministry.” ~S Lewis Johnson

Praying for the failure of the counterfeits, while at the same time praying for all manifestations of the truth. How wonderful.

——————————-
Hosea 7, “The Blessedness of Grey Hair”
Sermon audio

Transcript

Posted in encouragement, God, israel, old testament, repentance

Repentance is more than just "turning".

Posted on by elizabethprata

As one reads through Hosea, particularly chapter 7, it is amazing the number of metaphors God uses to show Israel’s perfidy. They were separated from their God and Protector through their own actions. God hadn’t gone anywhere, Israel had. They needed to repent and turn to Him.

However there is turning and there is turning. God was angry that Israel turned to idols. They turned to Egypt. They turned to Assyria. They turned to themselves, in their own beds crying and wailing. (“They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their beds”; Hosea 7:14) They turned a lot. They didn’t turn the right way.

They turn, but not upward,  (Hosea 7:16a)

Turn upward!

Judas turned. In the KJV of Matthew 27:3 it says, “Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,”

Did Judas repent? No. He turned, he felt grief, he refused to look at his sin… but he didn’t turn upward.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary says there are several words for repent used in the bible. In the case of Judas the verb is “metamelomai is used of a change of mind, such as to produce regret or even remorse on account of sin, but not necessarily a change of heart. This word is used with reference to the repentance of Judas (Matt. 27:3).

The other word for repentance according to Easton’s is “Metanoeo, meaning to change one’s mind and purpose, as the result of after knowledge. This verb, with (3) the cognate noun metanoia, is used of true repentance, a change of mind and purpose and life, to which remission of sin is promised.”

In Judas’ case, his turning was not upward.

In your grief over sin, in your restlessness in finding peace, in your agitation, turn, not from one worldly thing to another, but upward!

The lessons of Hosea 7 are many. One is, that God is looking down upon His elect. He is looking. Look upward! See Him! Our holy Savior as High Priest is looking at us, loving us, calling to us to repent. Repentance is a matter of turning, but turning in the right direction, and it is having a right heart condition. Judas’ heart wasn’t right. Ephraim’s heart wasn’t right. They cried but it wasn’t from the heart. Judas cried, but it wasn’t from the heart. If you cry over your sins, is it from the heart? If you turn from your sin, is it in the right direction? We have learned that a horizontal turning is not the right direction because the only thing in our horizontal field of vision is the world. The world doesn’t forgive. God in heaven forgives. Upward is the right direction and having the right heart attitude is important too.

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