(no title)

Snow in Middle East: Move over Jerusalem, Cairo, Amman, Damascus and Alkan Saudi Arabia, Viet Nam got snow too

Posted on December 16, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

I had reported to you about the massive snowstorm in the Middle East last week. It affected Egypt and Israel and nearby environs As I noted int he title, and photos are included below in the “Picture Postcards” news link. The false photo of the Sphinx notwithstanding, there were legitimate scenes of snow on palm trees in Cairo, where reportedly it hadn’t snowed in over 100 years. In Jerusalem, snow was heavy and many motorists were stranded, and power went out for large sections of the nation. Snow in Cairo is rare, extremely so.

I had also reported a snowstorm in Australia. It’s their summer in Oz, and snow, even in the mountains, is rare. This snowstorm was very rare because the snow was very heavy, and accumulated.

Here is a video of a three-mile traffic jam in Viet Nam, where snow is also, shall we say, rare. How rare? According to WikiAnswers, But only on top of their highest mountain (10318ft Fansipan Peak), and only on a few days each year. Furthermore, accumulations are typically not very heavy.“

Yahoo reported,

Snow falls in Viet Nam
“Snow has fallen in Northern Vietnam for the first time in many years. The snow caused a five-hour traffic jam as people drove into the mountainous provinces of Lao Cai and Ha Giang to see the wintry flurries. The weather system responsible for the snow has also brought some unusual weather to other parts of the region. This is normally the dry season, but torrential rain has been lashing Laos, Vietnam and southeast China.“

This article says “Tourtists flock to see rare snow“
“Officials of the Nui Xe Forest Management Station in the town’s Hoang Lien National Park say the snowfall has led to constant traffic congestion on the road from Lao Cai City to Sa Pa, as thousands of tourists flock to the town to admire the rare sight. While it has been known for long that it snows in Sa Pa, this is not a common occurrence.“

(Photo: VNS/VOV)

Sa Pa is 4921 feet above sea level.

(Photo: VNS/VOV)

They have received 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) The record low for Sa Pa is 28 degrees F but the average low is 46F.

Post by Du Lịch Tây Bắc.

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

Sunday Martyr Moment: "Into the kiln!" and the end of Emperor Valerian

Posted on December 15, 2013 by elizabethprata

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. According to this summary from Christian Book Summaries,

Writing in the mid-1500s, John Foxe was living in the midst of intense religious persecution at the hands of the dominant Roman Catholic Church. In graphic detail, he offers accounts of Christians being martyred for their belief in Jesus Christ, describing how God gave them extraordinary courage and stamina to endure unthinkable torture.

From the same link, the book’s purpose was fourfold:

Showcase the courage of true believers who have willingly taken a stand for Jesus Christ throughout the ages, even if it meant death,
Demonstrate the grace of God in the lives of those martyred for their faith,
Expose the ruthlessness of religious and political leaders as they sought to suppress those with differing beliefs,
Celebrate the courage of those who risked their lives to translate the Bible into the common language of the people.

Text from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs

We left off with the martyrdom of Cyprian. Here we conclude the eighth persecution under Emperor Valerian:

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

At Utica, a most terrible tragedy was exhibited: three hundred Christians were, by the orders of the proconsul, placed round a burning limekiln. A pan of coals and incense being prepared, they were commanded either to sacrifice to Jupiter, or to be thrown into the kiln. Unanimously refusing, they bravely jumped into the pit, and were immediately suffocated.

Fructuosus, bishop of Tarragon, in Spain, and his two deacons, Augurius and Eulogius, were burnt for being Christians.

Alexander, Malchus, and Priscus, three Christians of Palestine, with a woman of the same place, voluntarily accused themselves of being Christians; on which account they were sentenced to be devoured by tigers, which sentence was executed accordingly.

Maxima, Donatilla, and Secunda, three virgins of Tuburga, had gall and vinegar given them to drink, were then severely scourged, tormented on a gibbet, rubbed with lime, scorched on a gridiron, worried by wild beasts, and at length beheaded.

It is here proper to take notice of the singular but miserable fate of the emperor Valerian, who had so long and so terribly persecuted the Christians. This tyrant, by a stratagem, was taken prisoner by Sapor, emperor of Persia, who carried him into his own country, and there treated him with the most unexampled indignity, making him kneel down as the meanest slave, and treading upon him as a footstool when he mounted his horse. After having kept him for the space of seven years in this abject state of slavery, he caused his eyes to be put out, though he was then eighty-three years of age. This not satiating his desire of revenge, he soon after ordered his body to be flayed alive, and rubbed with salt, under which torments he expired; and thus fell one of the most tyrannical emperors of Rome, and one of the greatest persecutors of the Christians.

A.D. 260, Gallienus, the son of Valerian, succeeded him, and during his reign (a few martyrs excepted) the Church enjoyed peace for some years.

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

Just as I honor the Christian martyrs for exalting Jesus with their lives, it gives me no pleasure to see the fate of those who persecuted them. I am gripped with a heavy despair for all those who die while in their sins, forever destined to a hell of fire and torment. The torments they inflicted upon the martyrs were but a moment of trouble compared to an eternity in glory. (2 Corinthians 4:17). The torments that will be inflicted upon the tormentors will be a forever punishment for dishonoring the Holy Lord by rejecting His Gospel. (2 Thess. 1:9).

I wish that they had repented. I wish that they had been affected with the truth of the Gospel and the commitment of the martyrs to the name of Jesus Christ. Yet their stubbornness and their suppression of the truth went deep, and many, many tormenters themselves rejected the truth that was being proclaimed in front of them with lives and lips. They themselves unknowingly sealed their own fate even as they were inflicting those passing torments onto the martyrs.

The Lord is holy and just. Believe on His name and be saved.

missing the mark, sin

All have sinned

Posted on December 15, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

We’re all familiar with one of the most familiar New Testament verses, Romans 3:23.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

According to Strong’s Concordance, the word sinned in the verse means “eternal loss due to missing God’s mark. is regularly used in ancient times of an archer missing the target.”

I think we all have seen an archer miss the target. From the cartoons to the Olympics, arrows that go wayward are part of the sport. It’s funny, we think that what we do piles up and can somehow reach God. Our deeds can’t. We cannot get there on our own. (John 15:5).

Anyway, when I read about the archery term of missing the mark, I thought of the early rocket failures. Here is a clip from the movie The Right Stuff, a compilation of NASA clips interwoven with the actors portraying the aeronautical engineers, showing a shortened history of the most famous rocket failures.

Without Jesus, we always miss the mark.

With Jesus we will reach it. He is the sinless One!

[Stills from the 1902 classic Georges Melies silent film “A Trip To The Moon“. Ten minute running time]

contemporary music, praise band

Does it really matter what kind of worship music is played in church services?

Posted on December 14, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

“But now bring me a musician.” And when the musician played, the hand of the LORD came upon him.” (2 Kings 3:15)

To answer the question I’d posed in the title right away, yes, it matters. Here is why, from the bible.


Bibleatlas.org

In the scene above in 2 Kings 3, after Ahab King of Israel died, Ahab’s son Jehoram took over. At that time, Moab decided to cease their tribute to Israel. Mesha, King of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he was bound “to deliver to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams.” (2 Kings 3:4). This was a heavy burden so one day Mesha King of Moab decided to stop paying it. This could not stand, so Jehoram of Israel formed a coalition with two kings, Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and the King of Edom. The three kings set off south toward the Dead Sea to circle around and attack Moab.

The area at the bottom of the Dead Sea is arid and desolate. The advancing army ran out of water. No spring was found in the area either. (2 Kings 3:9). It is a serious matter for three armies on the march to run out of water, and they were only halfway there. They were about to circle north, march through Edom and set upon Moab. They had to be refreshed. What to do?

King Jehoshaphat of Judah asked if there was a prophet among them to which they could go and inquire of the LORD. (2 Kings 3:11). There was, Elisha.

As the kings approached Elisha and posed their petition, Elisha called for a musician. That was the verse I opened with. You can see from the context, that the situation is dire, they Kings needed to commune with the LORD and receive direction. Elisha was the prophetic intermediary at the time, and the scene was one of entering into prayer and supplication to the LORD. It was a worshipful situation.

So why was Elisha’s immediate response to call for a musician? Was he going to party? Did he want to ‘rock the house’? Did he feel like performing a jig? Was he not taking the situation seriously? As a matter of fact, Elisha was taking it extremely seriously, that was why he called for a musician.

“But now bring me a musician.” And when the musician played, the hand of the LORD came upon him.” (2 Kings 3:15)

Pulpit Commentary says of this verse,
“But now bring me a minstrel. A player on the harp seems to be intended. Music was cultivated in the schools of the prophets (1 Samuel 10:5; 1 Chronicles 25:1-3), and was employed to soothe and quiet the soul, to help it to forget things earthly and external, and bring it into that ecstatic condition in which it was most open to the reception of Divine influences.”

Ah! Music was the precursor to prayer and petition and thanks and praise! Music was used as a vehicle to alter a physical, emotional, and biological state; and to prepare the heart and mind for close communion with God.

“David and the chiefs of the service also set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals. ” (1 Chronicles 25:1).

They prophesied with Lyre.

King David composing the Psalms.
From Folio 30V of The Vespasian Psalter, English c750
Public domain image

“After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying.” (1 Samuel 10:5)

They prophesied with instruments.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary says, “bring me a minstrel—The effect of music in soothing the mind is much regarded in the East; and it appears that the ancient prophets, before entering their work, commonly resorted to it, as a preparative, by praise and prayer, to their receiving the prophetic afflatus.“

We are not prophets today, seeking a direct revelation from the Lord (I hope) but when we enter the church sanctuary, we are there to inquire of the Lord via preaching of the Word, there to praise Him, and to offer our thanks to Him. It is an important moment in our worship. Even though we are not prophets as Elisha was, we are still humans, with the same variety of emotions we experience at any given moment, and the same proclivities which prevent us from a proper attitude of receptivity. Music is acknowledged as a method for altering our mental state and bringing us into receptivity. The kind of music therefore played brings us into which kind of receptivity- Divine or demonic.

As Dr John MacArthur explained in his Q&A “Contemporary Worship, Civil War in the Church“
“I think you have to be very careful with music, musical form that is inseparably linked to the base expressions of the culture. I just don’t think you go there and bring honor to the Lord with that. You say, “Well the words sanctify the music.” I don’t think so. The music is the power in the expression, that’s why it’s musical. And I think you have to be very careful using that which is associated with sex and drugs and the baser things as a vehicle to convey the lofty sacred holy serious realities about God and the glory of Christ.”

Rend Collective Experiment,
a ‘worship’ band from N. Ireland.

As we press our position that the type of worship music matters, we are far from old fuddy-duddies who are out of touch with the ‘new’ styles. Music is linked to base expressions, our baser instincts, and can bring about an interior attitude that either reflects holiness or accepts carnality.

Let’s look at the comment Pulpit Commentary again. If music was used throughout the Old Testament in prophetic and worship situations in order to bring it into that ecstatic condition in which it was most open to the reception of Divine influences, then does one not believe that satan also brings us into that ecstatic condition in which it was most open to the reception of demonic influences? Music has the power to prepare us to receive Him, it also has the power to prepare us to receive the beast, also. That’s what Dr MacArthur was referring to when he mentioned the base expressions.

Satan is a liar and a beast. He seeks to thwart every move of God in every arena possible. Corporate worship is a high target for him to disrupt. We have seen even in the last five short years, the decline of preaching, the collapse of biblical discernment among the sheep, the rise of false teachers and doctrines and the worldwide desire for tickled ears. Of course satan will use music in order to confuse the heart and make it receptive to his demon-influence. Do we think that we are appropriately prepared for respectful worship after this?

“Passion 2013: We Rocked the Dome“

Is that the job of preparatory worship music, to ‘rock it out’? Is this what Elisha did as he prepared his heart to go before the LORD? Hardly.

still from video of Elevation Church, Charlotte, NC
Code Orange Christmas dance

The war on music is not one of tastes. There is terrific modern music which uplifts Jesus as much as music from past centuries. The issue isn’t which instruments should be allowed on the stage, either. Drums, piano, guitars, trumpets, as long as the music the instruments are playing uplifts Jesus … AND adequately creates an atmosphere where the hearts of people can be soothed and prepared for communion with Him. I’m not saying music has to be quiet, as long as the worship team, choir, or praise band has mindfully prepared it to play for the people to create an atmosphere of reverence.

Be aware of music’s influence. Just as it lifts your spirits in the car when your favorite song comes on, so it lifts or depresses your spirits at church. Music opens you to the Divine or the demonic. Music pleases or displeases the Lord.

Music prepares the listener for receiving satan, or receiving God. He hates the former (Amos 5:21-23) and loves the latter. (2 Chronicles 5:13)

Which do you listen to? Which does your child listen to? Which does your church play? Yes, it matters what kind of worship music is played in church services.

And when the musician played, the hand of the LORD came upon him.

cairo, snow, weather

Snow in Cairo for 1st time in 100 years, Huge storm in Jerusalem, snow in summer Down Under (updated)

Posted on December 14, 2013 by elizabethprata

The Lord is sending some strange weather to us these days. There’s snow in the desert, and snow in summer. While supposed weather experts are still clinging to the global warming myth, for the first time in over 100 years, it snowed in Egypt.

“A powerful winter storm left Jerusalem covered in snow on Friday, forcing police to block access to and from the city as a cold snap drove some Israelis to seek treatment from emergency medics. Rare snow also fell in Cairo’s suburbs and the port city of Alexandria while a blanket of white covered St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai. Some media reports say it was Cairo’s first recorded snow in 112 years.” (source)

This article from the Washington Post explains,

“A powerful, slow-moving storm is producing historic snows in the Middle East – from Jerusalem to parts of Cairo. From all accounts, snow in Cairo is exceptionally rare – although historical records are difficult to attain. … The Weather Channel notes even rain isn’t all that common in Cairo, which averages less than an inch a year. The storm has generated crippling amounts of snow in Jerusalem, stranding commuters, cutting power in areas, and closing schools and businesses. A foot to a foot and half of snow has fallen across the city. Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat said the city was facing “a battle against a rare storm, the likes of which we have never seen.”

Two Palestinian women play with snow outside Al-Aqsa Mosque. source
in Jerusalem, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Vehicles are seen stranded in the snow in Jerusalem
on December 13, 2013. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD GHARABLI Source

On the other side of the earth, another unusual snow occurred as well. Unlike the Cairo snow, where the location of it was unusual, in Australia, it was the timing that was the issue. It is summer Down Under, but it snowed anyway! Australia News reports,

“Snow falling. In Australia. In summer. That is all“
Thredbo resort in new South Wales is now in the very unusual position of desperately needing its snow to melt. Thredbo has a huge mountain bike event this weekend but the course is currently snow-covered. Hopefully, forecast warmer temperatures will take care of things. … This is just the beginning. The really cold air and the really heavy snow is due later in the day, but snow is already falling today across the high country of New South Wales and Victoria. And yes, it’s December 5. The fifth day of summer. Your calendar is not wrong. Today’s system is a little stronger than your typical out-of-season wintry blast, and snow accumulations could reach as much as 20 cm by tonight.

Praise the Lord from the earth,

you great sea creatures and all deeps,

fire and hail, snow and mist,

stormy wind fulfilling his word!

Psalm 148:7-8

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Updated: Egypt closes Mediterranean and Red Sea ports
Updated: Four fatalities and Jerusalem still sealed off, but Israel’s worst storm in decades over

Worst storm in decades batters Jerusalem

Huge storm hits Jerusalem: ‘likes of which never seen’

jesus, king, prophecy

The coronation of Jesus

Posted on December 13, 2013 by elizabethprata

I read Daniel 7 the other day and I still can’t get the spiritual-awesome out of my mind. I’m still mulling the scenes and pondering them in my heart.

I think of this scene with much joy:

The Son of Man Is Given Dominion

“I saw in the night visions,

and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.
Daniel 7:13-14

The Lord is presented to the LORD! His coronation is seen! He comes into His kingdom! O, what long years and epochs the Son of Man has waited. What patience, what obedience, what submission!

Yet at the moment the Ancient of Days enters the heavenly throne room (Daniel 7:9), and the Son of Man is presented to Him, it is glorious all-joy! Jesus comes into His kingship. This is just before He calls His bride Home, and then returns with us. By then he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But now, as in Revelation 4, we see the moment He is given all absolute authority.

I long for when Jesus will come into His kingdom! I long for when the honor due Him will be expressed fully. He is due ALL, and this moment in the scripture shows the honor that is gloriously given Him.

Don’t you long for the day when Jesus is absolute King? When no man dare to sully His name on sinful lips? This scene in Daniel is uplifting in the extreme. I hope it blesses you as well.

His grace that saved us sinners is infinite. It was showered on us, and we will be privileged to dwell with the coronated King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

O, come soon, Lord Jesus. Come into Your Kingdom!

christmas hymns, eternity, salvation

Favorite Christmas Hymns: O Come All Ye Faithful

Posted on December 13, 2013 by elizabethprata

We all have our favorite religious Christmas hymns. I mean the ones about the true meaning of Christmas and not the ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ kind.

I’ve always loved O Come All Ye Faithful. It moves me, and the words just seem to lift my spirit. Here is the first verse.

O come all ye faithful joyful and triumphant
Oh come ye O come ye to Bethlehem;
come and behold him born the King of angels;
O come let us adore him Christ the Lord.

When it would come on the radio, I’d sing with feeling and fervor. The song just gave me a good feeling and I would always perk up when that seasonal song came on.

Now for the funny part: I felt this before I was saved.

I wonder now, post-salvation, who I thought I was singing about, back then. Why the good feelings of joy and peace when singing it? I was a depraved enemy of God, apart from Him and unreconciled. Strange.

Here is the second verse.

O Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation,
Sing all that hear in heaven God’s holy word.
Give to our Father glory in the Highest;
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

How was I singing about the Lord? Why were they adoring Him so much? I didn’t know, but I sang it with feeling. Normally in everyday life if I came across someone who was talking about the Lord I’d become angry and shut down the conversation. I mocked the notion of a virgin birth. In everyday life I’d reject every aspect of Jesus and the whole Gospel, every element of it. Especially the part about me being a sinner.

Yet every 12th month, Christmas would come around and I’d sing “O come let us adore Him” with the best of them.

I always thought that strange.

After a person is saved, if they look back over the landscape of their lives, they can see little markers of salvation future. Bread crumbs in the dark evil forest showing the way. I remember being fascinated when a long-lost aunt told me about the rapture when I was ten years old. I didn’t see her again much but the one time I stayed there she took advantage and told me. I remember bursting into tears when reading “Footprints in the sand” a sappy poem about Jesus carrying a person during their times of trouble. I wondered, even through my tears, why I’d been moved so much when I didn’t even believe in Jesus.

Romans 1:18-32 describes the fact that all humans have knowledge of God, no matter when they lived and no matter where they lived. Romans 1:19-20 explains,

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

Then the verses go on to say what happens. Though His eternal attributes can plainly be seen in in creation, they deliberately suppress this truth (Romans 1:18) and they choose not to honor Him (Romans 1:21). The rest of the verses show what happens to a person the longer they deliberately suppress the truth.

I am an example of salvation by this method. Though I was raised in an atheist home, I traveled a lot and plainly saw the complexity and beauty of the earth, the precision of the tides, the movement of the planets and the change of seasons. It was all so orderly, eventually I decided there must be a God. It seemed pretty clear.

Salvation does not come until one repents and believed the Gospel, but the key here is that I did not deliberately suppress the truth, I saw plainly that through creation God existed. Also, I felt deeply that there must be an eternity (Ecc 3:11) and since there is an eternity, someone must run it. The door was kept open in my mind, I never suppressed nor rejected, and at the right time the Spirit worked on my soul and then I claimed the name of Jesus and was saved.

Though I don’t like to write about myself, I share this to offer any person reading this…hope. Don’t give up! I spent years in the wilderness, yet the eternity set in every person’s heart, in my heart, flickered weakly. The conscience, the creation, the Spirit, all working on me until the moment of salvation. Your brother, sister, friend, mother, child may also be feeling these perplexing spiritual feelings and not know why. By God’s grace, someday, they will.

elijah, enoch, prophecy, two witnesses

"Where is Elijah’s body?"

Posted on December 11, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Elisha Succeeds Elijah

An icon of Elijah
from Saint Catherine’s Monastery,
Mount Sinai

Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him opposite them, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. And they said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men. Please let them go and seek your master. It may be that the Spirit of the Lord has caught him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.” But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men. And for three days they sought him but did not find him. And they came back to him while he was staying at Jericho, and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?” (2 Kings 2:15-18)

Elijah had been taken up to heaven bodily in a chariot of fire, while his successor, Elisha, looked on. Elisha then took Elijah’s left-behind mantle and doffed it. When the other prophets saw Elisha return wearing it, they knew what had happened, and you see in the verse, they bowed in respect to the new premier Prophet of Israel.

They were also concerned about proper burial of Elijah’s body. They kept asking and asking and asking until they were ashamed to ask any more. Elisha kept saying No, and No, and No, until he was ashamed to say no anymore. He relented and said, Go. He knew they would not find Elijah. Elisha had seen Elijah be taken to heaven alive.

When the prophets returned unsuccessful, Elisha said, ‘Well? Didn’t I tell you not to go?’

Though Elijah’s body was not found in the deserts of Israel long ago, some time in the future, will it be seen by not just the concerned prophets, but all the world?

There will be Two Witnesses in the Tribulation who will come to tell the world of God’s truth. They will prophesy for 1,260 days.

The two witnesses, as depicted
in the Bamberg Apocalypse, an 11th-century
illuminated manuscript.

“Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city—which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

“But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.” (Revelation 11:7-11)

The Two Witnesses are not named. I believe they will be Enoch and Elijah, because these are the only two men in the world who have not died. (Genesis 5:23). Hebrews 9:27 says it is appointed for man to die once, and then the judgment. Only Enoch and Elijah have been taken to heaven alive, and never died once.

“By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.” (Hebrews 11:5)

“It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” (Jude 1:14-15)

Elijah and Enoch – seventeenth-century icon,
Historic Museum in Sanok, Poland

IF the witness who lays in the streets of metaphorical Sodom is Elijah, and I have no certain information that it is, then the little detail in 2 Kings 2 about where Elijah’s body is becomes even more poignant. The prophets were searching and searching for a body that will not be found … until the far future, in the streets of a city that had become so unholy it is called Sodom, and to be seen by millions upon millions, not just fifty men.

The prophets wanted to honor his body, but instead, it will be desecrated and lay unburied, spit upon, and mocked by all the world.

However, the witnesses’ bodies will become the vehicle whereupon God will show His power. He will call them up to heaven, and their bodies will reconstitute before all the eyes of the world, and be translated to heaven for their eternal rest.

Praise our Holy LORD for His plan, His mind, His perfection. The bible is fascinating.

billy graham, jesus, universalism

Universalism, Billy Graham, and the precision of God

Posted on December 11, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

The false notion that we all end up in heaven is an old one, but in these days, it is called Universal Reconciliation. Wikipedia explains it, “In Christianity, universal reconciliation [ ed note: universalism for short] is the doctrine that all sinful and alienated human souls—because of divine love and mercy—will ultimately be reconciled to God.“

[ Video: Christ the Only Way (RC Sproul) ]

We know that God is love and mercy, but we also know that He is Holy and Just. He will not allow unreconciled sinners into heaven. (John 14:6).

Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist) Pollock, 1950,
National Gallery of Art

Universalism is actually a terrible blasphemy against the Spirit, the unforgivable sin. It is also a heinous reproach unto the incarnated Jesus, who died a horrible death to make a way for sinners to be reconciled.

Do universalists think it was all a big joke? That Jesus says, ‘oops, just kidding about that cross thing, come on in anyway!’ Do they believe entry into heaven is like a Jackson Pollock painting? Splats and drips winding up where they did due to gravity and haphazard placement? That once any sinner dies they slide down the white tunnel and plop into some part of heaven like a splatting tomato bouncing off a vegetable truck? “Come on in, whoever you are and wherever you came from.”

Do they not suppose that God is precise as He was in Genesis, creating the earth just so far from the sun and the moon just so far from the earth and each petal of each flower just so. He does not throw open the doors of heaven and say, “Aw , you’re all just so adorable, come on in!”

The transition from earth to heaven is extremely orderly. Once there, the proceedings are orderly too. Everything is moment upon moment, exact, and completed with a precision that astounds the mind. The scene from Daniel 7 is one such example about what happens in heaven is precise, including the people who are there.

A stream of fire issued
and came out from before him;
a thousand thousands served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;
the court sat in judgment,
and the books were opened. (Daniel 7:10)

If you read the entire chapter, it’s not long, your mind will be blown. Daniel’s certainly was. (Daniel 7:15, 28).

Bible Study Outlines

Please bring your attention to the phrase, “Books were opened.” It has an ominous sound. In heaven, they keep records. They write down names. They keep track. Revelation 20:12 repeats the phrase in a similar scene given to John. “Books were opened.”

“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.” (Revelation 20:12)

In this verse, we are given an additional detail, the things we do are in the books as well. The book of life is singular and the books in general is plural. It stands to reason that the book of life is singular because Jesus said few find the way. (Matthew 7:14). The book of life is the roll of the names of the saved. Heaven has a precision, and those who are elected to salvation are in the book. Actually, there are two sets of books, one is the book of life and the other is the book which the unsaved will be judged.

People hate it when I say that we will be judged.

People reject the notion of standards today. They reject the concept that some people are qualified for things and other people aren’t. For example, women are not qualified for ministry. Unrepentant, active homosexuals are not qualified for marriage. Unrepentant sinners are not qualified for heaven.

God has standards. He has expectations. No set of standards worth the paper they’re printed on is a standard which accepts all comers. There are learning standards. When a student achieves them, they graduate. If they don’t achieve them, they don’t graduate. There is a standard of care, “the degree of prudence and caution required of an individual who is under a duty of care.” There is a breed standard, in which in animal fancy and animal husbandry is a set of guidelines which is used to ensure that the animals produced by a breeder or breeding facility conform to the specifics of the breed.”

Does a person think that a farmer has a standard for breeding of cows, but our Holy God doesn’t have

Wikimedia commons free to use

standards for entry into His kingdom? Foolish notion!

The standard for entry is a single item. Just one. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15). That’s it. No works, no study, no tradition, no payment. Jesus did the work, He studied the Father’s will, and He paid the price. He did it for us. Believe on His gospel and you will be saved.

There are so-called Christians who believe that all people will go to heaven. They are Universalists. This violates not only the one standard that God set forth (Belief in Jesus’ atoning work on the cross for forgiveness of sins) but it violates logic. It belies the orderliness of the heavenly scenes we see in scripture. It makes God out to be a patsy and a liar.

Billy Graham is one who believes that all peoples, ‘if they lived a sincere life” will go to heaven. He has believed this since 1960. He said in part,

“They may not even know the name of Jesus but they know in their hearts that they need something that they don’t have and they turn to the only light they have and I think they’re saved and they’re going to be with us in heaven.“

Wikimedia Commons free to use

There are essential doctrines that one must believe in order to be considered a Christian. The exclusiveness of the Gospel is one. If a person doesn’t believe the exclusivity of Christ as the sole entry to heaven, he cannot be considered a Christian.

Acts 4:12 says “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””

Now, Mr Graham is going to die soon. He has said so himself. His son has said so. When Mr Graham dies, there will be many accolades and an outpouring. I want you to know the truth: not all who claim the name of Jesus are in Him. The scriptures say that many will plead with Jesus on His day.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

It is the most heartbreaking scripture in the bible. It tears my heart apart every time I read it. My mother will be one of these pleading with Jesus. So will my sister. And so will Billy Graham.

The precision of God is ultimate. It is laser-point. It is Jesus.

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The myth of Myths: God wrote the true bible, satan writes the myths

Posted on December 10, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Dionysus with satyrs. Interior of a cup painted
by the Brygos Painter, Cabinet des Médailles.
Wikipedia commons photo

It’s so interesting to study the myths of the world when one has a Christian perspective. The other myths then make sense. We can understand their origin, their point of view, their characters … because if a person is a Christian one knows that all other religions and all myths are written by satan.

The Greek and Roman myths in particular are interesting and have many parallels in opposite to the Christian bible. Allow me to offer a few verses which allude to this fascinating story. I say allude, because aside from a few specific bible verses, we don’t know any more. However since all scripture is God breathed and profitable, and the verses are in there, it is good to study them. God wants us to know. He just didn’t happen to reveal it all.

In Genesis 6:1-4, we read that the world had become totally corrupt. One item that God mentioned in aiding and abetting this corruption was the fallen angels, who left their first estate as Jude says, and came down and messed with women. These unholy angels were the worst of the worst, the vilest.

“When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.”

Some people reject this, saying that angels can’t/don’t mate, however the plain language in Genesis says they did. The angels who came to inspect Sodom stayed overnight, slept, and ate. The verse in Hebrews says that holy angels minister to us, unawares, obviously taking on human form and can do so incognito so that we remain unaware. Both the holy angels and the unholy angels have or can adopt a biology when they enter this dimension. (Gen. 18:1–2, 8; 19:1, 5; Heb. 13:2). (If interested there is more here)

Artist: Peter Paul Rubens, c.1630

In primeval times (pre-flood) vicious and perverse angels came down and sinned with women and spawned a race of fierce and mighty men of old. I believe that this is where we get the myth of the demigods. Homer and Hesiod use the term, hemitheoi, meaning the person had one parent who was a ‘god’ and one who was a mortal. I personally believe that the secular/mythological cultural memory of these half-breeds, such as the mighty men of old mentioned in Genesis 6, were men like Hercules and Aeneas, and were the product of such matings. They really overstepped, and these particular unholy angels who did the deeds were locked up in Tartarus, as Peter explains in 2 Peter 2:4, Holman Standard Christian Bible,

“For if God didn’t spare the angels who sinned but threw them down into Tartarus and delivered them to be kept in chains of darkness until judgment;”

Tartarus is the lowest, darkest, worst dungeon.

It is here where the Lord Jesus went after He died, in order to proclaim His success over sin to these forever-lost spirits in chains-

Wilhelm Kotarbinski: The Spirit of the Abyss

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.” (1 Peter 3:18-20)

MacArthur explains, “Those wicked spirits were sent to the abyss because they overstepped the boundaries of God’s tolerance. They filled the earth with their wretchedness to such an extent that not even 120 years of Noah’s preaching convinced anyone beyond his family to repent, believe in God, and escape His judgment. Since that time, the demons who committed such heinous sins had been bound and imprisoned when Jesus died at Calvary. Perhaps by then they thought He had lost the upper hand over them, but such was not the case. Instead He appeared in their midst and proclaimed His triumph. Colossians 2:15 declares, “When [God] had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through [Christ].” (source)

Jude mentions these chained up spirits also,

“And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1:6)

Wiki photo, commons

And although it doesn’t say Tartarus, it is there in my opinion that the demons at Gadara pled with Jesus not to be sent to the abyss,

“And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.” (Luke 8:31)

Abyss, or abussos in Greek means unfathomable depth, the home of the dead and of evil spirits. “Noooo, anything but Tartarus!! Let us go into the pigs!!

The angels are called the ‘sons of God.’ In the bible version, satan, a son of God, wanted to overthrow the Father,

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:12-15)

Photo of statue of The Jupiter de Smyrne, discovered in Smyrna in 1680

But he was and will be unsuccessful. In satan’s version of the Greek mythology, the Olympians, the sons, incited a war in heaven and were successful in overthrowing the fathers.

Revelation 12:7-9 has the real story of the war in heaven, and the ending,

“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him“

In a postscript to this, frighteningly, these worst of the worst angel criminals will be let out of the abyss on the great day of judgment,

The Abyss of Hell, Sandro Botticelli 1480

“And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft.” (Revelation 9:1-2)

Which brings us back to Genesis- if there are so many they blotted out the sun upon their release there were a LOT of those sinning angels,…and Tartarus must be pretty big to hold them all!

Fortunately, true Christians will be lifted up to heaven bodily, either dead & resurrected or alive, we will be glorified, and spend eternity with Jesus in New Jerusalem, before the terrible demons are let out of the abyss..

All other religions are written by satan, and so are the myths. What are myths? Why do they originate?

Robert Graves said in the “Introduction,” to his New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology

“Mythology is the study of whatever religious or heroic legends are so foreign to a student’s experience that he cannot believe them to be true. . . . Myth has two main functions. The first is to answer the sort of awkward questions that children ask, such as: ‘Who made the world? How will it end? Who was the first man? Where do souls go after death?’. . . . The second function of myth is to justify an existing social system and account for traditional rites and customs.“

Lawrence J. Hatab said it simply. In his book Myth and Philosophy he wrote, “A myth is a narrative which discloses a sacred world.“

If you don’t have Jesus, who is the Truth, then you are only too willing to insert into your spiritual vacuum a myth which will attempt disclose a sacred world. It will be a false world, but it will have germs of ancient truth, but will be wrapped in a lie. I’m so grateful satan cannot re-write the truth, it will be as God ordains. Satan will lose his place and be cast down, and eventually be incarcerated in the Lake of Fire forever. (Revelation 20:10). If you don’t have Jesus as Truth though, you will be open to any supposed “sacred” mythology. See how deeply these people were deceived by the myth when the real God’s representatives were standing in front of them!

“And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.” (Acts 14:11-15)