Posted in challies, discernment, jesus, watchblog

Challies, in the crosshairs of discernment bloggers, and whether discernment ministries are any good at all

Posted on by elizabethprata

Pastor, book reviewer and discernment blogger Tim Challies recently wrote an essay titled “In the Crosshairs of the Discernment Bloggers.” His post is causing an uproar. The uproar is for a lot of reasons, but I am not here to write about those. I’m writing about the confusion that has resulted for some people.

In his essay, Mr Challies lumped all discernment bloggers, or “watch bloggers” into one category. The irony that he is a discernment blogger himself wasn’t lost on many. He wrote, “They are the playground bullies of the Internet, shaking their fists and demanding your lunch money; if you give it to them you go hungry, if you don’t give it to them, you get your head shoved in a toilet. Where the Bible calls us to approach conflict with equal parts truth and love, discernment bloggers operate by lies and fear–or half-truths and fear at the very least. It is an intimidating combination if you are the one who may face their wrath.”

Subsequent to his essay, I received a query from someone who said they were not in the habit of reading discernment blogs and supposed that there are all kinds out there, some who do right and some who do wrong. That was a wise statement, but it got me wondering about the new Christian and babes in Christ. What are they to think? Is the entire well of the discernment ministry polluted? I believe Mr Challies did much to discredit the ministry, adding his voice to a growing chorus who either overtly or implicitly (as Mr Challies did) discount the ministry altogether. This is dangerous.

The first problem is that the essay did not name the ministry with which he had issue. This does a disservice to him, the other ministry and to the body in general. As I said a moment ago, it added confusion instead of clarity. No one can go to the other blog and discern whether their words were judgmental or discerning. (Credit: The American Judicature Society).

In the book of Timothy, Paul was not shy about naming the names of the false teachers – he named 8 of them. The NT wasn’t shy about naming the names of the movements that were perpetuating falsity, either, naming two that come to mind: Judaizers, Nicolaitans.

I consider myself a discernment blogger. I was given by grace through the Holy Spirit, the gift of discerning of spirits, prophecy, and teaching, along with faith. Because He has been so abundant giving His gifts to me, there is a responsibility for me to use them for the edification of the body. That is why I blog every day.

In modern times, the body has widened in every day practical life to extend to the global body. Cell phones, blogs, twitter, Facebook, Skype, and many other media have allowed connection to and discussion among believers across the world. This has certainly impacted missions, as it has impacted the kind of ministries now present on earth. Who would have thought of the blessing and benefit ten years ago of The Shepherd’s Conference being live streamed, and being able to watch 3000 men sing hymns to God and listen to astounding preaching at the same time they were receiving it? Or to pray for them while they were receiving it? That is the blessing.

With a widened body connected through media, comes the danger. There are a lot of things to discuss. But there are also conspiracies, mud fights between denominations and individuals, sinful teaching everywhere, and the tendency is to speak on these things carelessly. My personal barometer before blogging is to ask myself two questions, “Does it exalt Jesus?” and “Does it bring clarity or confusion to the situation?”

My e-mailer was right- as with any ministry, people, or organization, there are the good and the bad. I do agree that many watchblogs are gleefully maniacal when it comes to ‘discernment.’ We need discernment to know which discernment blogs to read!

Dr. John MacArthur wrote on the topic of discernment in March 2013, in Pulpit Magazine. (Note that link has gone dead but here is another). The title is “The formula for Biblical Discernment.” I think it applies to what Challies was trying to say

“It is quite true, of course, that exercising real discernment and being merely judgmental are two vastly different things. There are people who seem to take sinful delight in fault-finding, and they do sometimes try to justify their censorious spirit in the name of biblical discernment. But it isn’t terribly hard to distinguish true discernment from mere judgmentalism. Watch out for the full-time critic who constantly reproves and rebukes others but rarely offers any edifying instruction or exhortation when he is the one doing the teaching. Beware the self-styled discernment expert who is always hostile, scornful, or angry toward the subjects of his criticism. There is a place for indignation, sternness, and even sanctified sarcasm, but animosity should not be anyone’s default mode. Also, be especially cautious when you encounter someone who seems to take delight in uncovering others’ sins or constantly publishing shocking exposés. Gossip, guilt by association, mud-slinging, and personal slurs are fleshly weapons. “The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). Some who fancy themselves skilled in the art of discernment are merely being fleshly and factious.”

Of course those are very wise words. The lengthy essay continues in describing what discernment is, why we need it, and how to apply it. I encourage one and all to go to the link and read the piece in full.

I liked how this website described the gift of discerning of spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10): “Discerning of

Spirits=Revelation Gift. Definitions: Recognizing what is of God verses the world, the flesh, and the devil. Example: Paul recognizing that the girl in Philippi had a spirit of divination.” They go on-

Discerning of spirits is the supernatural ability given by the Holy Spirit to perceive the source of a spiritual manifestation and determine whether it is of God (Acts 10:30-35), of the devil (Acts 16:16-18), of man (Acts 8:18-23), or of the world. It is not mind reading, psychic phenomena, or the ability to criticize and find fault.

Discerning of spirits must be done by the power of the Holy Spirit; He bears witness with our spirit when something is or is not of God. The gift of discerning of spirits is the supernatural power to detect the realm of the spirits and their activities. It implies the power of spiritual insight – the supernatural revelation of plans and purposes of the enemy and his forces. It is a gift which protects and guards your Christian life.

How to Test a Spirit

You can discern or test whether or not a spirit is of God by the following three ways:
–Observing what a person does. In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus explains that false prophets are known by their fruit – by their conduct and actions.
–Observing whether or not a person exalts Jesus Christ as the Son of God and as Lord and Savior (1 Corinthians 12:3).
–By listening to what a person says (I John 4:1-3). Does their confession line up with the truth of God’s Word?

This is not to excuse the Christian to whom the Spirit has not bestowed the specific gift. We are all to display wisdom in our dealings. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says “but test everything; hold fast what is good.” Rely on the Spirit for judicial and correct application of that verse and the others (1 John 4:1, 1 Cor 14:29) which will grow your skill in discernment even if you do not have the gift. However, Christians with the specific gift strive to use it in every area available to them to edify the body (1 Corinthians 14:3-5, 12, 17, 26; Ephesians 4:12). It is not to be carelessly used to gratify the ego, puff up personal pride, or sling mud.

Those with the gift of “discerning of spirits” or discernment do often run into a problem of pride, and/or of entrenched negativity due to the nature of the ministry. I have to watch out for that myself. With the ease of setting up a blog and gaining an audience, these kinds of sites have proliferated. Look at Jeremiah, depressed and petulant with God. Elijah, running away and then demanding fire from heaven instead of a still small voice. One can get pretty angry and negative. It is a tough, tough ministry. (Graphic, Bible Yellow Pages)

I’ve often said that it’s much more nice to be in a helps ministry. You bring cake. Everyone loves you. In a discernment ministry, you point out sin and call people to accountability and repentance. No one likes you. It always involves some sort of conflict. It gets tiring, and when one is tired they don’t guard against negativity. I combat that by praying and looking to Jesus. But someday I may start slipping. I pray good people will point it out to me if I slide toward constant negativity in tone or subject.

I give the Holy Spirit credit in Justin Peters’ case. He has been a discernment preacher for many years and he is still as gracious and gentle as he was when he started. A hard thing to do for the flesh is weak. Thereby we know it is the Spirit who strengthens Mr Peters. This is to the glory of Jesus.

Some people do not fall into negativity over time, but incorrectly use the concept of discernment as an excuse to bully right off the bat.

But worse, others take the “judge not” verse to the other extreme. That is what Challies is intimating in my opinion. It is what MacArthur was addressing, he said in the same article,

“It is tragic that real discernment is considered out of fashion by so many evangelicals, because the church has never been more desperately in need of sober, discerning hearts and distinct, authoritative voices to call the people of God back to the clarity and authority of His Word. … An undiscerning church has no defense against false teaching.”

Liberals unfortunately piggy-back on the proliferation of negative discernment bullies and use them to make the claim that discernment isn’t needed at all. “Judge not!” they say (a stance MacArthur addresses also in his essay.” Those ‘bullies’ are actually doing satan’s job for him because the more people pull back on discernment, the more satan infiltrates, and the more the few discerners out there have to do and point out. It is a downward cycle.

Friends, use discernment when reading discernment blogs, including mine. MacArthur’s words above are

wise. Is the blog a screed of hateful and gleeful finger pointing? Or is the finger pointing to Jesus in hopes that restoration and repentance can arise from the false teaching or bad situation being written about? It is not hard to detect the difference between judgmentalism and discernment, the Spirit is there to lead you. And if you ever want more wisdom, pray to the spirit and He will give it without reproach.

Posted in north korea

Is the US amassing B-1 strategic bombers near North Korea? Respected avionationst thinks so

Posted on by elizabethprata

Voice of America journalist Steve Herman tweeted, “Respected aviation blogger on possible movement of USAF B-1 squadron to Guam amid DPRK tension,” and he linked to this article-

U.S. amassing B-1 strategic bombers near North Korea
It seems like Washington has taken Kim Jong Un threat seriously.

After moving two Langley’s F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to Osan airbase, in South Korea, launching a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber on a round-trip training mission over a South Korean’s gunnery range from the Continental U.S., and deploying THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system to Guam, positioning two guided-missile destroyers in the waters near the Korean peninsula, the Pentagon has decided to strengthen its presence in the region by deploying several B-1 Lancer long range bombers to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.

But, for the first time in the last few weeks, the deployment of the “Bones” to the Pacific atoll was not made public (at least, not yet), a fact that could be the sign that the U.S. is not only making symbolic moves (as the above mentioned ones), but it is preparing for the worst scenario: an attack on North Korea.

Of course, there is more at the link.

Posted in israel, naming names of false teachers, north korea, writing on the wall

Naming names, where is USS John McCain? Israel surrounded, writing on the wall ain’t what it used to be.

Posted on by elizabethprata

I found a few things I think are interesting. I hope you do too.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz laments the cultural co-opting of the phrase “the writing on the wall.”
Wordplay: The writing on your (Facebook) wall
Today’s ‘writings’ are not what they used to be. There are ‘texts,’ ‘tweets’ and ‘posts,’ and walls are not what they used to be either.
“The key part of the well-known phrase “the writing was on the wall” − which is, according to most lexicons, an idiom that presages “imminent doom or misfortune” − is the verb “to be,” in the past simple ‏(“was”‏) tense. Only by virtue of that “was,” with hindsight, do mere words inscribed on a partition become validated, and acquire the heavy weight of a warning unheeded.” … “But today “writings” are not what they used to be. There are no “writings” anymore per se: There are “texts,” “tweets” and “posts” in our post-writing post-modern age. And walls are not what they used to be either. A “Wall” was once the original Profile space of Facebook users, something they could cover with their own “posts” and keep unblemished by other people’s ‏(friends’ or foes’‏) words.”

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Making a new life after 20 years of false imprisonment

Frank Carrillo was falsely imprisoned in California and after 20 years released after witnesses admitted they had lied. It took 15 years even to get anyone to listen to him. This 3-minute video is a first-person recounting of his journey and how he feels now. He is not bitter he says. Not angry, either. He only wants to finish his education and live a free life.

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Here is a map I found in Facebook (HT Julie Sommerkamp Pence) showing in visual style the breadth of the hostile territory surrounding Israel. Even the white blob is too big, for Israel is truly tiny. Zechariah 12:3 says that “On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.”

They will not prevail.

God will save all Israel (Romans 11:26.) At the end of the Tribulation God will redeem His nation, not just the individual people. Jeremiah 31:31, Jeremiah 32:38). The LORD said it, it will come to pass.

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Here is a Pentagon release on the status of the ships in the Asian theatre of operations:

“Pentagon official on status of USN destroyers in Pacific: “The guided missile destroyers USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) and USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) have arrived at pre-determined positions in the Western Pacific, where they stand poised to respond to any missile threats to our allies or our territory. USS Decatur is finishing a deployment to the 5th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility and the hope is to not extend her deployment any further. USS Fitzgerald is forward-deployed to Yokosuka,Japan and is fully-capable of taking over for Decatur.”‘

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Naming false teachers? Don’t be so mean! Except … in one book of the bible, Paul named eight. (2 Timothy). From “Naming Names…Is it Biblical?“
1) Phygellus 1:15
2) Hermogenes 1:15
3) Hymenaeus 2:17
4) Philetus 2:17
5) Jannes 3:8
6) Jambres 3:8
7) Demas 4:10 (apostate)
8) Alexander the coppersmith 4:14

“We see clearly here that fighting the good fight and finishing our course involves and includes marking deceivers. Men of God today are mandated to do the same, yet only by the revelation of the Word of God. Marking people is commanded in the Bible (Rom. 16:17-18). If a public leader is teaching people falsehood, he is to be confronted and exposed. The fruit of truly repenting of teaching something that contradicts God’s Word is that the leader will publicly amend his way and doctrine. Naming names must never be done recklessly or out of a personal vendetta, but only according to the Word and in the Spirit for the glory of God and protection of His beloved people.”

Posted in end time, missile, north korea, peace and security, prophecy, south korea

North Korea Loads 2 Missiles Onto Launchers, tells UK to consider evacuating ambassadors from Pyongyang

Posted on by elizabethprata

Here is the latest from Steve Herman on the Korean peninsula, reporting for Voice of America. VOA material is in the public domain.

Report: North Korea Loads 2 Missiles Onto Mobile Launchers
“South Korea’s military is stepping up preparations for anticipated missile launches by North Korea. Meanwhile, the Cabinet minister in Seoul in charge of North-South relations says it is up to Pyongyang to keep in operation the only joint project of the two Koreas.South Korea has dispatched two of its warships, equipped with advanced missile tracking radar, amid rising concern North Korea could soon conduct provocative missile launches.One ship has been placed off the west coast of the Korean peninsula, the other is monitoring the east coast. South Korea’s semi-official news agency, Yonhap – quoting what is described as a top government official – reports North Korea has now placed a second intermediate-range missile on a mobile launcher. The Ministry of National Defense in Seoul on Thursday confirmed the movement of one missile. The Yonhap report says both missiles have now been hidden in a military facility near the east coast.”

Above, North Koreans attend a rally against the United States and South Korea in Nampo, North Korea, April 3, 2013. Reuters via VOA.

“They want to scare the world well enough so that after the missile test or nuclear test when we decide to convene and pass another round of sanctions against them, another round of condemnation, we would think twice, do we really want to bring the escalation by another notch up or not,” said Mansourov. South Korean officials and independent defense analysts speculate Pyongyang may time missile launches to coincide with an April 15 national holiday. That is when North Korea celebrates “The Day of the Sun” to commemorate the birth of its late founder, Kim Il Sung. At the only joint project involving the two Koreas, the Kaesong industrial complex, operations were suspended Friday, which is a national holiday in North Korea. On the two previous days, the North did not allow any cargo trucks or South Korean citizens to enter. The vehicles and the managers of numerous small factories making household goods were not given permits required to cross the border.”

End VOA Report. There is more at the link. Next, in the UK Telegraph we read,

North Korea tells Britain to consider evacuating Pyongyang embassy 
“We can confirm that the British Embassy in Pyongyang received a communication from the North Korean government this morning,” said a spokesman for the Foreign Office. “It said that the North Korean government would be unable to guarantee the safety of embassies and international organisations in the country in the event of conflict from April 10,” he added.”

In the Telegraph article above, the UK spokesman said that Russia also said it had received the same notice. Though we understand that North Korea blusters annually every spring, this time seems different.  As the official is quoted in the Telegraph article, “Unfortunately, the situation (on the Korean peninsula) is not developing in the way that we would like.”

Amen to that.

The world is certainly paying attention. In separate Voice of America tweets (@W7VOA) today, ‘Australian Prime Min. Gillard tells Pres. Park her nation fully supports efforts to cope with North Korean threats and Australia’s heart is with South Korea’ and ‘The Philippines foreign minister tells reporters his country considering offering U.S. use of military bases there if North Korea attacks.’

I don’t know if this is accurate, being from a lay-person in Florida on Twitter, but it seems so, “Thank you to our troops supporting the United Nations Command (S.Korea). Army: 19,755 Navy: 274 Air Force: 8,815 Marines: 242.”

We have focused our attention on our troops in the Arabian deserts so long that we also need to

remember the troops in the Asian sphere; Hawaii, Japan, Guam, South Korea.

However, if the situation is not moving in the direction the officials would like, is it moving in the direction as Jesus would like? Of course. Jesus said that there would be wars and rumors of wars. (Matthew 24:6). He goes on in the first part of verse 24:7 to say, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Photo caption, Juche Tower Monument to the philosophy of Juche = self-reliance. Wikipedia).

His dialog in Matthew 24 with the Disciples is a Tribulation discussion. Jesus is speaking to them about what will happen to the Jewish people and the world in the future “Time of Jacob’s Trouble.” (Jeremiah 30:7). There will be wars because in Revelation 6:4 we read that peace will be taken from the earth and to the rider of the war horse “he was given a great sword.”

If the rider is to take peace from the earth, peace must have existed upon it prior. This is the peace and safety spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 5:3, that “While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” It is the peace spoken of in Ezekiel 38:8b before the Gog-Magog alliance attacks Israel, “Its people were brought out from the peoples and now dwell securely, all of them.”

In Barnes Notes, we read of the Revelation verse where peace is taken from the earth by the rider on the red horse,

The characteristics of the period referred to by this are:

(a) that peace and tranquility existed before;
(b) that such peace and tranquility were now taken away, and were succeeded by confusion and bloodshed; and,
(c) that the particular form of that confusion was civil discord, producing mutual slaughter: “that they should kill one another.”
(d) The presentation of a sword: and there was given unto him a great sword. As an emblem of what he was to do, or of the period that was referred to by the opening of the seal.
The sword is an emblem of war, of slaughter, of authority Romans 13:4, and is used here as signifying that that period would be characterized by carnage.

I’m interested in the ‘great sword’. Sword is a symbol of war in the bible. This time it is a great sword. In the Greek great means ‘great, in the widest sense.’ A great war tool that brings great carnage…could it be thermo-nuclear? Very likely. But that is then. What about now?

Wars and rumors of wars are nothing new in the Age of Grace. For the past 2000 years, there have been wars and rumors of wars. However the context of these rumors and threats from North Korea if placed within the context of everything else happening, makes the situation more closely aligned, in my opinion, to the coming prophecies in Matthew and Revelation (And Zechariah 10).

All the officials seem to believe that though North Korea’s bluster is annual, this time is different. And that difference is causing them to make troop deployment and war materiel movements based on their collective assessment of the Korean situation being of a more threatening color than previously. If we look at Matthew 24 and Revelation 6 and 1 Thessalonians 5, for there to be such worldwide peace, perhaps it is brought on by war. Perhaps something occurs first to shake the world into shock and push them over the edge into wanting peace at all or any cost. Perhaps this is that moment.

Perhaps not.

But we still watch, wait, and look up for our Redemption.

After relating that there would be wars and rumors of wars, Jesus went on to say, “See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.

How much less should we be alarmed given that we are dwelling in the Age of Grace? Jesus advised the disciples not to be alarmed, and that would be taking place after terrible wars that thrust Israel into the clamor for peace we discussed above, after the rapture, after mystifying cosmic incidents, massive storms… seems pretty alarming! But don’t be alarmed in that context is “Don’t be scared because it is all unfolding exactly as I wish. Have no fear, I am in control.”

We live in a beautiful time. It is a time of Jesus. We read in the bible of the heroes, Moses, Jeremiah, Elijah, David, Daniel, Rahab, Jael…but what of the decades and centuries in between where multitudes of Israelites just lived their lives in regularity an anonymity? There are countless men and women who lived, worshiped the LORD and died, of whom we know nothing. Yet Jesus put us here, now, at a time such as this, when His mightiest works will be shown, prophecies unfold and the rapture occur. We are His ambassadors for that time when we can call people to repentance, share the Gospel, and be His lights in the darkest time as yet.

How great is that? Jesus said how great it is to serve Him:

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:26).

Posted in grace, jesus, prayer, spiritual armor

Put on your armor and cling to the Rock!

Posted on by elizabethprata

Here is some good scripture for you. I hope it motivates and comforts you, as it does me:

“10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.”

“16In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:10-20).

Look back at the first verse, be strong, this is a command, but do it in HIS might. We know we are not strong, we are weak. Therefore the Spirit helps us in our weakness. (Romans 8:26). The Lord sends ministering angels. (Hebrews 1:14, Hebrews 13:2). He sends armor, as we read above. This support is sent to us because we must never forget we are in a battle. We are not warring against people. The ungodly act the way they do because they cannot help it. The Godly act the way they do because the flesh is weak and we stumble, but we are to love and restore because we stand on the same blood-soaked ground together that Christ died for us. Those are the only classes of people, unsaved and saved. Therefore, we do not war against people. Our battle is spiritual. (Photo- be strong and stand firm, you’re on the Rock! photo credit: Dru! via photopin cc)

In the case of the Spirit, He is in us and we follow His lead. We do nothing except follow. In the case of the angels, we are unaware of how or when they help us, but we trust His word that they do. We do nothing because we don’t know they are there. In the case of the armor, we must do something- put it on and wield it.

Whatever portion or part of the armor you need today, wield it. I am wielding the shield of faith so as to extinguish the darts of the evil one. Barnes Notes explains beautifully why this one is the most important of the suit of armor:

“Faith here is made to occupy a more important place than either of the other Christian graces. It bears, to the whole Christian character, the same relation which the shield does to the other parts of the armor of a soldier. It protects all, and is indispensable to the security of all, as is the case with the shield. The shield was an ingenious device by which blows and arrows might be parried off, and the whole body defended. It could be made to protect the head, or the heart, or thrown behind to meet all attack there. As long as the soldier had his shield, he felt secure; and as long as a Christian has faith, he is safe. It comes to his aid in every attack that is made on him, no matter from what quarter; it is the defense and guardian of every other Christian grace; and it secures the protection which the Christian needs in the whole of the spiritual war.”

Look at the part of the verse which states we are fighting against the “cosmic powers.” Does that make you feel like a superhero? It should, partly! It is Christ in us who overcame and overcomes the cosmic powers, He is THE Superhero. But it is completely amazing that He uses us in the battle! Life on earth is really a long training session in Gladiator School, lol.

When He sends us out as sheep among wolves, He does not leave us alone! (Matthew 10:16). He does not save us just to leave us alone in the middle of the pasture with a pack of wolves out to get us. We are not alone. Oh, the wolves are there, and will try hard to devour the sheep, but those who endure and hold fast will be shown in the end to be the righteous ones. (Matthew 10:26). Meanwhile, we have armor, and help.

The passage above goes on with even more tremendous ammunition- prayer! Verse 18 reminds us of the power of prayer as we do our acts for God. Never feel like you’re ‘bugging God’ with too many petitions. We are told to do so. ‘Make supplication at all times in the Spirit’. Oh, wait, that was another very present help that’s listed in the passage! The Spirit! He is so gracious to send all these helps!

When you have the whole armor on, stand firm. After all, He sent His Son to retrieve us from the clutches of the evil one. He overcame so that we would not be snatched out of His hand. He sends squads of angels. He gives armor. He sent the Spirit to dwell in us. He gave us each other to encourage each other. He encourages prayer, listens, and answers. He sent His word to strengthen us and equip us. Wow!

He sent His grace, which is sufficient. His grace alone is sufficient to win the battle. Yet how much more abundantly does He equip us to withstand these present evil days!

Stand firm. Have faith. Love God and Fear His name. You will be all right 🙂

Posted in north korea, nuclear

What’s Behind North Korea’s Bluster? Korea’s plutonium reactor re-started? US troops ready to respond

Posted on by elizabethprata

This short interview by Voice of America to VOA correspondent Steve Herman, reporting from Korea, is insightful. VOA material is in the public domain, so I have posted the entire piece.

What’s Behind North Korea’s Bluster?
“For the past week, the world has been hearing almost daily threats and belligerent statements from North Korea. While this kind of talk is not new for the government in Pyongyang, the pace and pitch of the recent pronouncements stand out. To help add perspective to these developments, VOA turned to its correspondent in Seoul, Steve Herman, and asked what might be behind Pyongyang’s escalating war of words.”

VOA: “Steve, after the younger Kim took over, there was sort of a long period where we didn’t hear these kinds of statements. What can you tell about why this would be happening now?”

Steve Herman: “Well, that’s a good question. Now there are two things that we can point to that have been going on that would fit into the pattern of how North Korea behaves. One is they always vociferously object to the annual joint military exercises that U.S. and South Korean militaries do.

“Second: the North Koreans have a pattern of testing new South Korean presidents. And we have a new president, who was just recently inaugurated. So we can combine these two together and that would partly explain why we are seeing these sort of provocations so frequently. But a number of diplomats I’ve been speaking with, military officials and people in the intelligence community, concur on something that I also feel, and this is just a hunch.

“We’re missing something. There is a piece of the puzzle that we don’t know. There may be something else going on in Pyongyang. Whether this involves some struggle for power within the military — or something that the North Koreans believe or fear beyond their normal types of concerns, we don’t know for sure.

“We also have to remember that North Korea obviously feels under siege on the diplomatic front with the additional sanctions that have been put into place by the U.N. Security Council, including support, to some degree, for those sanctions from China, which you know, of course, has to be North Korea’s sole significant ally since the demise of the Soviet Union. So as much as some of this is directed at the United States, some of this may also be directed to get something out of China as well.”

​​VOA: “The thought often is in North Korea that the real power lies with the military generals. Do you have any sense of whether or not that’s the case?”

Steve Herman: “I would be very cautious about anyone who jumps to conclusions that Kim Jong Un is ‘not in charge.’ He is the hereditary ruler of North Korea. That has been very important in Korean history. That blood tie to his grandfather is the foundation of the Democratic Peoples of the Republic of Korea and I don’t think we should forget that. The other thing that always must be kept in mind with North Korea: the military comes first in North Korea. Period. Full stop. Even though Kim Jong Un may be only about 30 years old, has spent part of his early days being educated in Europe, but he was the one over his other brothers selected by his father.”

——————-

This is from US-Korea Institute. An agreement brokered by the US in 2007 with NK stipulated that NK would disassemble critical parts of its plutonium production reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear complex. As the link below explains, this agreement may just have been torn up.

Satellite Images Show New Construction at North Korea’s Plutonium Production Reactor; Rapid Restart?
“Commercial satellite imagery shows that new construction activity started at the 5 MWe reactor in the six weeks between the beginning of February and the end of March 2013, prior to the Pyongyang’s announcement earlier this week that it intended to reactivate the facility. While imagery from February 7 shows no activity at the reactor site, March 27 imagery indicates that construction has begun along the roadway and toward the backside of the reactor building.”

Please read the entire piece at the link above. They explain it very well. And there’s pictures 😉

——————-

 U.S. Troops Stand ‘Poised to Respond’ at North Korea Border
“The United States says it stands “poised to respond” at the border of North and South Korea, where U.S. troops are on high alert.  “They have ratcheted  up their bellicose, dangerous rhetoric and some of the actions they’ve taken over the last few weeks present a real and clear danger,” Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said. The U.S. is sending  a missile battery to Guam and two guided missile destroyers are on the border of South Korea, joining Navy warships already poised to shoot down an incoming missile.”

There is a short roundup of the North Korea news and analysis. Follow Steve Herman at Voice of America for good updates, @W7VOA.

Posted in heresy, history channel, the bible series, tolerance

The Bible series: what can we expect?

Posted on by elizabethprata

David Nilson at The Gospel Coalition put his punctuation on the History Channel’s The Bible series with a concluding essay. Here is how he ended his piece:

“The Bible might not excel as an education tool, at least it isn’t brazenly heretical. For an American cable TV drama, that’s probably the best we can expect.”

That’s just sad.

There are three thoughts in that sentence that I want to pursue a bit further.

–not excel as an education tool
–brazenly heretical
–the best we can expect

Let’s look at the stance that the tv series does “not excel” as an education tool. The opposite of excel is “bad, failing, imperfect, indistinguished, inferior, poor, second-class, second-rate, unnoteworthy, unworthy”. So if we plug any of the antonyms in his sentence we can say of the series instead , 

‘The Bible might be unworthy as an education tool.’
‘The Bible might be inferior as an education tool.’
‘The Bible might be bad as an education tool.’

Then there is the notion that ‘At least it’s not brazenly heretical.’ CARM defines heresy as “A doctrinal view that deviates from the truth, a false teaching.”

Brazen means bold and without shame. So we can translate his phrase by saying, “At least the false teaching is not too bold.” That’s like saying, ‘at least the manure I’m eating is not too pungent.’ Not too brazen? Like, we can mange living with its discomfort, as opposed to something that would really anger  Jesus?

Too often we forget how devastating false doctrine is. It is an infection that destroys. It is a lion who devours and kills, not a cuddly kitten who accidentally scratches us as it reaches for the yarn.

And the best we can expect? I might agree with that, as long as he understands that none of the front-people involved with developing the series are saved. In that case, we can say with certainty that we never expect the world to present biblical truths with integrity or correctly. I think of James 4:4 here-

“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”

If he believes the people offering theological oversight such as TD Jakes, Joel Osteen, and Rick Warren and the producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett are saved, then saying “at least it’s the best we can expect” is a sad indictment on our expectations of the glory and beauty of Jesus. Even in this polluted world, especially because the world is polluted, Jesus shines through His ambassadors, missionaries, witnesses, people. For any Christian who submits to His will and works, we can expect great things, because He is great.

In the same essay, the author states that the production values were great. The movie looked good. And the music was pleasing too! It sounded good.

Words like these help us lower our standards on the height and majesty of Jesus. It sinks us into a pit of slime we eventually become used to. People, don’t become used to it. Satan is the master of incrementally lowering our standards. Just a little bit here and there, flash over substance. I’m reminded of the pivotal scene in the 1987 movie Broadcast News, where Albert Brooks tries to convince Holly Hunter that the important moment in her life had arrived. The moment where we make a choice to accept a little bit of flash to satisfy the flesh, or to sacrifice and stick with substance.

It’s the scene where Brooks, playing Aaron, tells Hunter that the object of her affection (Tom) represents everything that concerns her about the journalism profession’s downward slide. He says, “Tom, while being a very nice guy, is the Devil. He will be attractive. He will be nice and helpful. He will get a job where he influences a great God-fearing nation. He will never do an evil thing. He will never deliberately hurt a living thing. He will just bit by little bit lower our standards where they are important. Just a tiny little bit, coax along, flash over substance.”

Looking good and sounding good are not enough. IS it good? It is only Good if Jesus is in it.

So, did the series “The Bible” meet your expectations? It depends on where your standards are.

Posted in Uncategorized

A praise for the Holy Spirit’s inspiration of the timeless words of the Bible

Posted on by elizabethprata

How do I know the word is living and active? How do I know that the word is true and stands the test of time? First, because the Lord said so. (Luke 16:17, Luke 21:33).

Also because the word proves itself over and over. When we have good preachers who rightly divide the word, it is a glorious thing! I started listening to Pastor Jim McClarty’s preaching through the book of Hebrews yesterday. And because it is spring break from school and I have all the time in the world to bathe in the word and also because I am a raving fundamentalist geek who can’t get enough of His truth, I listened to Pastor John MacArthur’s treatment of the same book right after. MacArthur’s sermon was delivered in 1972. McClarty’s was delivered this year (no specific date is given).

Both men came to the same conclusions regarding the text. Two men, a continent apart, 4 decades apart, arriving at the same conclusion. That is because there is ONE Holy Spirit teacher who illuminates the word. (John 16:13). There is ONE Holy Spirit who gives wisdom in the knowledge and revelation of Him (Ephesians 1:17). There is ONE Holy Spirit who helps us compare the spiritual with the spiritual (1 Corinthians 2:12-13).

Topical preaching is OK, certainly. Sometimes it suits to listen to a sermon or a series for a short time on a subject that the Holy Spirit is impressing upon the preacher as a prophetic voice unique to his congregation. But a steady diet of that diminishes the higher truth that the Word properly explained verse by verse, book by book, is for all the saints for all time. That should be the main diet. We read in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”.

The word is timeless, and eternally plumb-able. We who have been saved by grace have the inexpressible
privilege of what the Apostles and the men from Emmaus experienced, personal teaching directly to us by Jesus. (Luke 24:27). His Holy Spirit is the teacher now and in glory we can approach our King and learn from Him in person. So what are you waiting for? Even though the word is timeless, the time is now to read it.

Posted in end time, kings from the east, north korea, prophecy

Will North Korea strike the US? Should we fear? No!

Posted on by elizabethprata

Well North Korea certainly seems to be making a permanent job of bluster. Except this time, it may not be bluster.

Lately they have been issuing videos of ridiculous quality which would be laughable if they weren’t so crazy. There have been three in the last month so far. As the UK Telegraph reports on the latest video issued last week,

North Korea ‘defeats’ US troops in new video
“The latest propaganda video to emerge from North Korea depicts paratroopers descending on Seoul in an invasion scenario that it said would see thousands of US citizens living in South Korea taken hostage. … An video released early last month showed New York in flames after an apparent missile attack, and another two weeks later depicted US soldiers and President Barack Obama burning in the flames of a nuclear blast. And earlier this week, another video showed the dome of the US Capitol building in Washington exploding in a fireball.”

Then have come the belligerent threats, backed up by action this time however. Dictator Kim Jong Un has threatened nuclear war on the Korean peninsula, in the Pacific at Guam and Hawaii, and on our shores at the continental US. We sent stealth bombers. He made more threats and declared war and started his missiles to ignite position (or some such). We sent destroyers. Jong Un threatened to re-start nuclear facilities, and China sent troops to its border with Korea. We sent a radar tracking device closer to Korea. Finally the UN stepped in yesterday and said enough is enough, this will end up in a collision course.

I keep reading in the news that NK has no such capability to hit Guam or Hawaii and of course not the US shores. But if they have obtained a sub, they can launch a nuke over the US and with one electro-magnetic pulse, fling us back to pre-industrial age. Or from a container ship, same deal. They are so secretive we really don’t know what they have nor what they will do. Our intelligence has failed us on many a more open nation and there is no reason to think that the times being what they are, that NK will not follow through with igniting something.

For Jesus said…

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” (Matthew 24:6-8).

The Oriental nations do play a role in the last days Tribulation (which the church will be long gone by).

At Bible.org, the opening paragraph to the essay titled “Kings of the East, The Oriental Confederacy” states,

One of the significant developments of the twentieth century is the political and military awakening of the Orient. The great nations of Asia east of the Euphrates River, slumbering for centuries, are now beginning to stir and to become a major factor in the international situation. The geographic immensity and the millions of humanity involved make it inevitable that any future development embracing the entire world must take the Orient into consideration.

Times are such that in the end of the end when the ten-nation conglomerate spoken of in Daniel 2:31-35, 40-45; 7:7-8, 19-24; and Revelation 13:1-2; 17:3, 7, 12-16 comes to fruition it is more than likely one of those will be the Asian peoples. Japan, the Koreas, China and perhaps Mongolia, Tibet etc will have joined forces. That China and North Korea are joined as allies now is a start, and that is a huge percentage of the world’s population. Also is worrisome that two militaristic and insular nations are joined. It is only a matter of time until the rest join in too.

1986 is the last year North Korea released any statistics at all regarding their population, and at that time it stood at almost 20 million. It may be more now due to growth rates or it may be less due to starvation.

China’s population is 1.3 billion.

I personally believe that an electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) burst will be the preferred method to reduce our stature, remove us from the world stage and push us over the edge (if the rapture hasn’t happened first, which will achieve the same result). An EMP over America’s heartland will do much more damage to us than a nuke, which has a more discrete damage area.

But Jesus and the Holy Spirit said many times, fear not!

I was reading Psalm 86 yesterday. It is titled “Great is Your Steadfast Love.” It is a wonderful, wonderful conversation David is having with God. Even though we do not read of God answering back in the Psalm, we know it is a conversation because God is living and active and so is His word. We know He heard David, and we know David’s prayer was answered. Here is something that David asked for which touched me. It is now my second favorite phrase after “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands” (Psalm 100:1)

“Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.”

I fear nothing on this earth. I fear no man, for Jesus who is with me is greater than any man. I fear no event, because the event of the cross is greater than anything man can devise against man.

I want to fear the LORD. It is a good fear, a holy fear. O Lord, unite my heart to fear Your name!

Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10). His holiness is fearfully glorious and awesome in its power. We fear Him because He is the Creator with all power, and He also chastens us when we rebel against Him. But we do not have a fearful relationship with Him because we are to endure no judgment from Him. Jesus paid that through enduring God’s wrath at the cross.

O Lord, unite my heart to fear your name!

David’s praise continues in Psalm 86:12-13,

“I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.”

David knew that despite being pursued by insolent men and a ruthless crowd seeking to take his life, God is “abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (verse15b).

If David can praise His name, glorify Him, seek to fear Him, and depend on Him whilst running from a murderous crowd, we can do the same from the comfort of our homes, which still have not been struck by a bomb or darkened by an EMP. And if you are in the part of the world where you, just like David, indeed are running from a murderous crowd (like Saudi Arabia) or experiencing bombs or rioting, then take heart in David’s plea for mercy to a God who is steadfast and merciful. Fear not, because fear of the LORD is whence our comfort comes. If you fear Him, you need not fear anyone or anything else.

Lord, unite my heart to fear Your name, that is where it all begins … and ends 🙂

Posted in bema, crown, rewards

Our rewards in heaven!

Posted on by elizabethprata

We get rewards you know.

We do.

And it is OK to talk about them.

I’m looking forward to the rewards, but whenever I bring that up, I get the stink-eye from people. They mentally wag a finger and intimate that if I was a REAL Christian, I wouldn’t even mention the rewards, because after all, Jesus is plenty for a reward. I must be greedy or something. “Well, seeing Jesus in person is more than enough for me,” they say.

Well, of course He is enough for me. Salvation is a gift that never ends and enlightens my every day on earth. It is a gift that I never tire of thanking Him for. I am grateful for it every day. I can’t wait to see Jesus and I pray every day that today will be the day of the rapture.

But the doctrine of rewards IS in the bible and of Paul was excited about it then I’m excited about it.

The Bema Seat of Christ is what the rewards ceremony is unofficially known as. The bema is from Greek and it meant the raised platform from which athletic victors were given their wreaths. It also was where judicial acts occurred- arguments spoken by lawyers to the judge, and orators addressed the people from it also.

After the rapture, while the Tribulation is going on, is the rewards ceremony. Paul describes it in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15,

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

We stand before Jesus but we are not judged. Make no mistake- this is not a judgment. We are evaluated, not judged. It is a massive final exam. We are co-heirs, adopted sons, and cleansed of sin. Justified and declared righteous. But we were a work in progress. Did we work for Him? Did we rely on the Spirit to bear fruit? Did we bring Him glory by working out our salvation with fear and trembling?

We will stand before Him and He will display our works. Some that I think were for Him I am sure will be revealed to have had selfish motives and will be burned up. Other works, many I won’t even remember doing, will have been kept in the books by God and emerge as diamond. But it all will be laid bare. Ouch.

Even though it is not a judgment I am sure I will squirm!

In this essay by Bible.org titled, The Doctrine of Rewards: The Judgment Seat (Bema) of Christ, they write,

In 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, the Apostle Paul drew courage and was motivated by the fact of rewards at the return of the Lord for the church which he mentions in every chapter in this epistle and becomes the primary subject of 2 Thessalonians. The Lord’s return and what this means not only to the world but to us individually is a very prominent subject of the New Testament.

It is a very big subject! Please read the thorough essay at Bible.org. Now we read this from (Matthew 10:41)

“The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.”

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:12)

“Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.” (Luke 6:23)

“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.” (Revelation 22:12)

“knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:24)

And don’t forget the crowns!

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12).

“Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)

“And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” (1 Peter 5:4)

“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (1 Corinthians 9:25)

“He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward”.  (Heb 11:26)

I’m not a huge Chuck Missler fan, but he speaks of the Bema Seat in this clip between 11:00 and 14:00. What he says there makes sense to me. I’ll summarize it below.

Missler says, “I think a lot about the Bema seat every day. It is not an academic concept. The bible talks about how God will wipe the tears from our eyes, twice in Revelation, this puzzles me. There is no sickness, no death, Everything is good in heaven, why are there tears. I think what we are going to grieve over at the seat of Christ are not our sins. He paid it all, those were over and done with at the cross. I think what will grieve us is when we review our lives before our King and we see the wasted opportunities. Remember Schindler’s list at the end, he said “I could have saved one more” [Missler cries here] What will upset me are the things I could have done. Those moments when I wasn’t quite bold enough to challenge someone with the Gospel, or I wasted time on silly trivia instead of the King’s business. How diligent was I with the opportunities He put before me? How often I wasted away wasted opportunities, that will get to me.”

Our God is gracious…imagine even then, ministering to us, wiping our tears when we cry over the times we let Him down! And He rewards us who are His children, His lambs. Oh, yes, Jesus IS enough.

But I think I’ll look good in a crown. Maybe a tiara.

There is a reward, brethren. The good times are coming. They are almost here, maybe even at the door…

Dr. Todd Pylant, image- creative commons license free to use