Posted in earthquakes, judgment, prophecy

Major earthquakes since the election: God is shaking the nations

Posted on by elizabethprata

UPDATE: I posted an update to this essay here, updating the total of major earthquakes since the election.

Not that the US election is a global prophetic barometer, in fact, Israel is the only nation where we can confidently say that, but the US is one indicator of the depths of perversity and depravity that a nation of 300 million souls has sunk to. In addition, the major prophetic focal point, Israel, is being hit with rockets in the south, and attacked from the north… So, let’s look at how the Lord is shaking the nations. Just sayin’–

Nov 7- 7.4 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
Nov 8- 6.3 VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA REGION
Nov 11-6.8 MYANMAR
Nov 11-6.5 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA

There have been 18 aftershock quakes at Guatemala in the last 6 days above 4.3 in addition to the two major quakes.

There have been 6 large quakes at Myanmar today, formerly Burma, including the major 6.8.
5.6 / 5.8. / 5.0 / 5.6/  5.0 / 6.8

There was the strong (for the region) 4.3 quake at Kentucky followed by a 2.5 (New Madrid?).

The USGS has annual averages for each sized magnitude of quake.

As far as previous years go, we note that as of year end 2011, it was the third consecutive year that quakes in each of the categories from magnitude 5.0 to 9.0 have exceeded annual averages. Statistically there is no doubt there are more earthquakes.

Let’s get a thumbnail of how 21012 is stacking up– I usually do a year-end statistical analysis of how many quakes there have been in each year and compare that to the previous nine years against the USGS annual benchmark. It isn’t the end of the year yet, so it wouldn’t be statistically reliable to do an apples to apples comparison until Dec 31, but here is a roundup of how many large quakes there have been so far with 6 weeks to go in the year 2012.

8.0-9.9 : 2
7.0-7.9 : 12
6.0-6.9 : 102
5.0-5.9 : 1336

The USGS search didn’t have in its database the three 6.0-plus quakes that have happened in the last few days, so I added those in. Anyone have an idea that the two categories that haven’t met or exceeded the USGS annual average will be making up for lost time in the next few weeks? I do, if the last few days are any indication.

The writer of Hebrews said,

“At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”” (Hebrews 12:26).

This verse is referring back to Haggai 2:6, and Barnes Notes explains, “The words here quoted are taken from Haggai 2:6, where they refer to the changes which would take place under the Messiah. The meaning is, that there would be great revolutions in his coming, as if the universe were shaken to its center. The apostle evidently applies this passage as it is done in Haggai, to the first advent of the Redeemer.”

Both the first advent of Jesus and the second advent of Jesus will shake the nations. However, the second advent will shake the heavens too.

The shaking of the earth here evidently refers to the commotions among the nations that would prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah.
Listen, people. God is going to come in terrifying judgment. Revelation 6:13 says when the sixth seal is opened, a great shaking will occur in the universe- “and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.”

Matthew 24:29 is a parallel, “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”

The earthquakes are the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy where Jesus said “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 24:7.)

The earthquakes are the warning sign. of the shaking judgment to come. This judgment has been given to JESUS.

“The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,” (John 5:22)

If you believe on Jesus’ name, you will be His friend and not His enemy to be judged. Here is how to be saved from that judgment!

 God’s Simple Plan of Salvation

Posted in damascus, gaza, isaiah 17, israel, prophecy, rockets, syria

Israel getting hit from the north & south, and squeezed from east to west

Posted on by elizabethprata

Israel, O Israel… we cry for you!

“They do not cry out to me from their hearts but wail upon their beds. They gather together for grain and new wine but turn away from me.” (Hosea 7:14)

“But Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him.” (Hosea 8:3)

The situation in the Middle East is deteriorating quickly. The tensions have permeated all the nations around. This weekend in the south,

In the south, Gaza terror factions pound Israel with around 70 rockets
“Over 100 rockets, mortar shells hit South in past 24 hours, Israeli officials weigh “dramatic response”; PMO refuses to comment on reports of Egyptian mediated ceasefire.”
“Israel won’t hesitate to launch a large-scale IDF operation against Gaza-based terror factions if necessary, Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned Sunday, after southern Israel was pounded by some 100 rockets over the past 24 hours.”

Joel Rosenberg landed in Israel this weekend and reports from the ground,

Rockets fired from Gaza
“It’s been a challenging 24 hours here since arriving in Israel. Palestinian terrorists in Gaza have fired more than 80 rockets and mortars at civilians living in southern Israel. The IDF has fired back. There are injuries on both sides of the border. Terrorists also fired an anti-tank missile at an IDF jeep, wounding four Israeli soldiers. The Iron Dome has been fired to shoot down rockets. Israeli forces are on high alert in the south. Schools are closed. Businesses are closed. Tensions are running high as Israelis wonder if Hamas and Iran are trying to draw Israel into a war in Gaza. “The IDF is striking and will continue to strike Gaza,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said. “Terrorist organizations are suffering grave setbacks at the hands of the IDF. The world must understand that Israel will not sit idly.”

Keep in mind Isaiah 19, another prophecy that has not been fulfilled yet. Egypt will become a bitter enemy of Israel. Below, map of Gaza.

Gaza is home to Hamas. Since 2007, Hamas has been in de facto control of the Gaza Strip after seizing power from Fatah gunmen in a series of bloody clashes. Psalm 83 says that Hamas (Philistia) will be one of the groups which attack Israel in a prophesied war that hasn’t occurred yet. With tensions riding so high, we must understand the times.

“He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” (Matthew 16:2-3)

Israel drawn into Syria fighting for first time
Israel was drawn into the fighting in neighboring Syria for the first time Sunday, firing warning shots across the border after an errant mortar shell landed near an Israeli military installation in the Golan Heights. While Israel appeared eager to calm the situation, its response was a potent reminder of how easily the Syrian civil war — already spilling across borders with Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan — could explode into a wider regional conflagration. Tensions are also higher than normal in the north. Several days ago, three Syrian tanks entered the demilitarized zone near the Golan Heights. Today, Syrian forces have fired three mortar shells at Israelis on the Golan Heights. One actually crossed into Israel, a 120mm shell. Within the past hour, the IDF has fired back at Syria for the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.”

Isaiah 17 is another prophecy for the times, that Damascus will be destroyed. When the shelling from Syria into Israel began today , an Israeli Defense Force rabbi tweeted Isaiah 17.

Damascus destroyed is on everyone’s mind. Jerusalem Post reports on the situation,

IDF fires warning shot into Syria after shelling
IDF targets Syria for first time since Yom Kippur War.
“The IDF fired a warning shot, in the form of a guided missile, at the Syrian military on Sunday after a Syrian shell exploded in the Golan Heights for the second time in recent days. Israel has not fired at Syria since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. “In the midst of Syrian infighting, a mortar shell fired by the Syrian army struck near an [IDF] outpost at Tel Hazeka,” IDF spokesman Brig.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai said. The shell failed to cause injuries or damages, but was one of a series of shells that landed in Israeli territory.”

Below, a photo of and a map of the Golan Heights, border with Syria. Geographically, the Heights are incredibly important to Israel. I wrote about that on November 5th at length here

Wikipedia source

Always watch the superlatives. ‘Highest’…’biggest’…most’… “First time” comes into play here. Any event that is happening for the first time, or the first time in a long time (in this case, 40 years) is worthy of examining closely. It is a big deal that Israel fired back.

Now for the squeeze from east to west…

Palestinian president rejects US pressure to drop UN initiative despite call from Obama
“A spokesman for the Palestinian president says the Palestinians will proceed with asking the U.N. General Assembly to recognize a Palestinian state, despite a personal call from President Barack Obama to abandon the bid.”

Joel Rosenberg said in his warning piece I’d linked to above,

“Please pray for peace and security to be restored on both borders. Pray for Israeli leaders to have wisdom to know how best to respond. Pray for the innocent civilians — Jews and Arabs — on both sides of the border that are caught in the crossfire. I’ll keep you posted as best I can.'”

Joel the Prophet of the Old Testament said,

“I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land,” (Joel 3:2).

God will judge all nations because they messed with the Land. Israel has been divided and divided and divided and will be divided again. Judgment for that will be severe.

The scriptures which are closely related to the very active things going on in and around Israel today are Isaiah 17, Isaiah 19, Joel 3, and of course Zechariah 12:3-

And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people

Posted in honor, Kay Arthur, Precepts International, service

Happy Birthday Kay Arthur!

Posted on by elizabethprata

The bible tells us to honor our teachers and pastors. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, 1 Timothy 5:17-20). And we do, but often we focus on the men. I think that is because if there is a woman teacher, she would naturally not be in the forefront.

In this day and age of the celebrity pastor, we see borne out over and over again that with growing recognition comes the temptation to narcissism. Paul was the greatest pastor and missionary who ever lived, who did more to lay the foundation of the church than any other, but whom Jesus gave a thorn in his side so he wouldn’t let all of it go to his head.

“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.” (2 Corinthians 12:7)

Would that many of today’s famous pastors not only have, but seek a thorn, to rein in their mounting conceit borne from celebrity and the prideful trappings of fame. Why? Because…

…as Erin Benziger of the Christian blog Do Not Be Surprised posted, too many celebrity pastors are starting to believe their own press. Here, Pastor Driscoll posts that people should come to church to hear him speak.

I have already written this month about the secret Christian feminist female teachers who boldly declare they are taking on the “classic leadership role.” Celebrity goes to women’s heads, too. Beth Moore proudly calls herself obnoxious.

But there are many, many quiet pastors and teachers who plug along in their lives, ministering, or being on mission, or teaching for years, decades, even, and they do not attain celebrity status and amazingly, it doesn’t bother them.

In the midst of all the hubbub, rock and roll events that celebrity teachers and pastors call “church” there are some who humbly plod along, teaching and preaching Jesus for His glory. One of these is Kay Arthur.

Kim at The Mystery of the Ages posted on Facebook yesterday that Ms. Kay turns 79 years old today! Happy birthday Ms. Kay!

I’ll paste some of her bio from Wikipedia, I think you will be surprised and impressed with the body of work she has done, quietly and consistently, for the Lord for many years.

“Kay Arthur is an international Bible teacher, four-time ECPA Christian Book Award winning author, and co-CEO of Precept Ministries International. Kay has systematized studying the Bible, developing a set of steps to follow so as to “mine” the details of the given book under study. Being systematized, it is accessible to lay persons, rather than scholars only.”

“Kay and her second husband, Jack, were serving as missionaries in Mexico in the late 1960s when medical problems forced them to leave the mission field. They returned to their home base in Chattanooga, Tennessee, confident that the Lord had further plans for them. Jack became the station manager of a local Christian radio station, and Kay taught the Bible to teens in their living room.

“The number of teens attending Kay’s bible study group steadily grew, and God subsequently provided a 32-acre farm to accommodate the expanding ministry, which was named Reach Out Ranch. The radio station was sold in 1972, and Jack became full-time administrator for Reach Out Ranch. The ministry’s name was eventually changed to Precept Ministries International (PMI), in order to more clearly communicate the organization’s focus of establishing people in God’s Word.”

“Since co-founding Precept Ministries International, Kay has written more than 100 books and Bible studies, with over 11 million in print. Her inductive Bible studies are available in nearly 150 countries in approximately 70 languages. Precept Inductive Bible Study groups meet in all 50 states of the USA.”

Her television show, “‘Precepts for Life” has an audience reach of over 75 million households and broadcasts to over 30 countries. Precepts for Life was voted Best Television Teaching Program for 2004 and 2009 by the National Religious Broadcasters. Kay was awarded the NRB Hall of Fame Award at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) Convention and Exposition in 2011. Kay Arthur, Lois Crawford, and Aimee Semple McPherson are the only female recipients of this prestigious award, … all Christian communicators who have exhibited the highest standard of faithfulness in Christian service.”

Personally, I believe her service to the Lord in systematizing bible study and offering it to women has been a great benefit to the Body of Christ. A deep, theological, systematized study is something every Christian needs, but especially women, who tend to shy away from deeper doctrinal and expository study. And certainly today with the mess that women “teachers” like Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, and Christine Caine are offering with their subjective, mystical, Gnostic approach, much harm is being done to women who seek to learn more about Jesus from His word. The body of Ms. Kay’s work stands for itself, and I praise Jesus for it.

I would say that when they left the mission field, God DID have other plans for Ms. Kay and her husband! Wow. What God does with a willing heart and a humble attitude is amazing. For over 50 years, God has used Kay Arthur and her husband for His glory. Please pray to thank the Lord for a gifted teacher like Kay and thank the Holy Spirit for His ministry through her. I thank You, Lord, for raising up a dedicated and humble woman for us to learn from, and I wish Ms. Kay many years of joy in the Lord.

Posted in earthquakes, new madrid seismic zone

New Madrid Fault: facts and speculations

Posted on by elizabethprata

Most people are familiar with the San Andreas fault, the zipline running north to south in California, and is the catalyst for some of this country’s biggest quakes. And when a nearly 6.0 quake hit Washington DC last year, people woke up to the fact that the east coast has a fault line too.

But even more people do not know about the United States’ biggest quake threat, and that is the New Madrid fault. (Pronounced MAD’rud).

I wrote about the New Madrid in 2010, when the quake swarm in Guy, Arkansas began, freaking people out. It seemed impossible that ‘the middle’ of the US could be subject to seismic movements, and at that time there was little known to the general populace about this fault.

Michael T. Snyder wrote about the New Madrid in 2011, asking the question, “Is The New Madrid Fault Earthquake Zone Coming To Life?“

He provided the following facts about this large seismic zone in the middle of the United States:

“The New Madrid fault zone is six times bigger than the San Andreas fault zone in California and it covers portions of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi. The biggest earthquakes in the history of the United States were caused by the New Madrid fault. Now there are fears that the New Madrid fault zone could be coming to life again, and if a “killer earthquake” does strike it could change all of our lives forever.”

He asked the question in that way, ‘coming to life’ because the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) has been active before. Very much so. Snyder wrote-

“About 200 years ago, in 1811 and 1812, there were four earthquakes that were so powerful in the area of the New Madrid fault zone that they are still talked about today. All four of the quakes were estimated to have been magnitude-7.0 or greater. It is said that those earthquakes opened deep fissures in the ground, caused the Mississippi River to run backwards and that they were felt as far away as Boston. The last major earthquake to hit the region was a 5.4-magnitude quake that struck the town of Dale, Illinois in 1968.”

In my 2010 article, I had quoted Wikipedia’s version of the 1811-12 quakes, “At New Madrid, trees were knocked down and riverbanks collapsed. This event shook windows and furniture in Washington, D.C., rang bells in Richmond, Virginia, sloshed well water and shook houses in Charleston, South Carolina, and knocked plaster off of houses in Columbia, South Carolina. In Jefferson, Indiana, furniture moved and in Lebanon, Ohio, residents fled their homes. Observers in Herculaneum, Missouri, called it “severe” and claimed it had a duration of 10–12 minutes.”

In 1811 the population was very low and major cities inside the NMSZ such as St. Louis MO and Memphis TN  were not as large and sprawling as they are now. The US didn’t even own St. Louis until the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and the first steamboats didn’t begin arriving at St. Louis until 1818. In 1810 only 1600 people lived there. If (when) a quake hits the NMSZ today, the damage would be staggering. We always think about “The Big One” in which Los Angeles would “slide into the sea”

but more likely, actually, St. Louis would slide into the Mississippi. Here is a woodcut depicting the 1811-1812 New Madrid quake damage

Of course, things look a little different in St. Louis today:

I mention all this for three reasons.

One- It is going to occur. Missouri’s Governor convened a panel of officials in New Madrid who are on the front line of emergency response. From AP: Missouri state geologist Joe Gillman said an earthquake the magnitude of the 1811-12 quakes is expected to happen just once every 500 years. But a moderate quake with a magnitude 6.0 to 6.5 is expected to happen every 90 years, and the last one was in the late 1800s. “We are due, if not overdue, for a moderate-sized earthquake,” Gillman said. “Such a quake could devastate power lines and underground water and wastewater pipes, and many buildings could crumble.”

Two- In the Tribulation, there will be many earthquakes. Quakes are a judgment from God, and the 7-year Tribulation will contain all of God’s wrath poured out on the people of the earth. He will not hold back. There will be many quakes in diverse places and they will be mega-quakes. (Revelation 6:12; Isaiah 13:10, Joel 2:10, Matthew 24:7, Revelation 8:5, Revelation 11:13, Revelation 16:18… you get the idea).

No place on earth will be protected from His shaking of it. So, the New Madrid will come to life and snuff out life.

Three- the MNSZ may already be showing signs of its return to life. Notwithstanding the excellent article from Mr Snyder I’d linked to above, a year later we see an increase in NNSZ activity. The ongoing Arkansas quake swarm is similar to the quake swarm that preceded the new Madrid big ones in Dec-Jan 1811-12. The danger is growing to the point where the MO Governor convened the panel to study the issue, as I linked to above. And take a look at the map. It is from the Riverfront Times, and the red blotch represents the 4,000 quakes that have occurred in the zone since 1976.

https://i0.wp.com/blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/New%20Madrid%20Fault%20Zone.jpg

I just wanted to bring a little atention to the fact that when Jesus said earthquakes in diverse places, that it doesn’t only mean Los Angeles or Israel or India, or Tonga; places where we read about quakes so often. It also means Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma and any other place the sovereign Lord wants to make one happen!

Is the New Madrid seismic zone waking up? I believe it is. Keep your eyes open and looking to the Midwestern US and keep looking up!

Posted in good news, spectacle, triumph

The Spectacle of the Roman Triumph

Posted on by elizabethprata

Our Wednesday night bible study is in Colossians. We studied Colossians 2:13-15 this week. We especially enjoyed Colossians 2:15-

“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

I used the NIV translation there because I like the word ‘spectacle’. The word in Greek is deigma, and the definition is “I hold up as an example, make a show of, expose.” (Strong’s 1165)

I love to think of how the demons were partying down when Jesus died on the cross, and suddenly He shows up! It is always especially humiliating when you’re at the pinnacle of gloating and someone comes along to puncture your balloon and show how wrong you were.

Barnes Notes says of the verse, (I really like Barnes Notes, and I use them a lot)

The terms used in this verse are all military, and the idea is, that Christ has completely subdued our enemies by his death. A complete victory was achieved by his death, so that every thing is now in subjection to him, and we have nothing to fear. … He made a show of them openly – As a conqueror, returning from a victory, displays in a triumphal procession the kings and princes whom he has taken, and the spoils of victory. This was commonly done when a “triumph” was decreed for a conqueror. On such occasions it sometimes happened that a considerable number of prisoners were led along amidst the scenes of triumph. Paul says that this was now done “openly” – that is, it was in the face of the whole universe.

So then I’m reading along in 1 Corinthians 4:9, and I see that word spectacle again

“For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.”

Once again, the allusion is military. After a successful military campaign, a triumphal procession was held. Flowers were strewn along the triumphal route, so that when the horses, chariots, and carts rolled over them, the fragrance of the triumph would permeate the city. A triumph granted to a general was the crowning achievement of his career. It marked his victory over opposing forces and was a platform for him to assert personal power. 

Wikipedia explains the Roman Triumph:

“The Roman triumph (triumphus) was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the military achievement of an army commander who had won great military successes, or originally and traditionally, one who had successfully completed a foreign war.”

“On the day of his triumph, the general wore regalia that identified him as near-divine or near-kingly, and a laurel wreath was held above his head. He rode in a chariot through the streets of Rome in unarmed procession with his army and the spoils of his war. At Jupiter’s temple on the Capitoline Hill he offered sacrifice and the tokens of his victory to the god. Thereafter he had the right to be described as vir triumphalis (“man of triumph”, later known as triumphator) for the rest of his life.“

It was a spectacle, all right. This was the order of procession, which stayed the same during the 500 total Triumphs held over the 1900 year history of the Roman Empire:

Order of Procession:

  • The Senate, headed by the magistrates without their lictors.
  • Trumpeters
  • Carts with the spoils of war
  • White bulls for sacrifice
  • Exotic animals from the conquered land
  • The arms and insignia of the conquered enemy
  • The enemy leaders themselves, with their relatives and other captives
  • The lictors of the imperator, their fasces wreathed with laurel
  • The imperator himself, in a chariot drawn by two (later four) horses
  • The adult sons and officers of the imperator
  • The army without weapons or armor (since the procession would take them inside the pomerium), but clad in togas and wearing wreaths. During the later periods, only a selected company of soldiers would follow the commander in the triumph, as a singular honour.

To the Roman, the more impressive the array of high-ranking prisoners, famous names, kings, etc, the better the Triumphal parade. The more powerful, dangerous, or news-worthy the prisoner, the better the public spectacle of their execution.

Barnes explains his interpretation of the public spectacle of the apostles, setting the scene in the Roman Colosseum as an example:

“Paul represents himself as on this arena or stage, contending with foes, and destined to death. Around him and above him are an immense host of human beings and angels, looking on at the conflict, and awaiting the issue. He is not alone or unobserved. He is made public; and the universe gazes on the struggle. Angels and human beings denote the universe, as gazing upon the conflicts and struggles of the apostles. The expression means that he was public in his trials, and that this was exhibited to the universe. The whole verse is designed to convey the idea that God had, for wise purposes, appointed them in the sight of the universe, to pains, and trials, and persecutions, and poverty, and want, which would terminate only in their death.”

See Hebrews 12:1 for a similar word-picture of the universe looking on in this ongoing battle of darkness and light:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”

And that is the interpretation that came to my mind when I compared the two verses of God using Jesus and then the apostles to make a spectacle to the universe. In the former case, with Jesus descending and declaring His triumph over the demons personally, and in the latter case with Paul expressing the view that they (and we) are on display, it seems to me that we are duly reminded by scripture of two things:

1. God points to His own glory and His own sovereignty at all times and in all ways
2. God uses all beings to serve His purposes- whether demons, His own Son, Apostles, the unsaved, or His believing children.

Understanding that we are His spectacle, on display to a great cloud of witnesses, with the universe looking on and knowing even angels long to look into these things, (1 Peter 1:12), how might we behave? The Gospel is the universe’s Triumph, the Good News from age to age, from beginning to end. It is the one and only processional that counts. We are privileged to be His captives, put on display for His purposes- whether unto death as martyr in a jeering theatre of mockers, or unto life as a display of His mercy.

Paul said it best, “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.” (2 Corinthians 2:14)

Posted in news, prophecy

News updates from around the US and the world

Posted on by elizabethprata

I haven’t done a news update for a while. Here are some news excerpts I feel are interesting in these times, which I believe are the last moments of the last days.

This is an interesting essay on the correlation between elections and earthquakes

What Earthquakes Can Teach Us About Elections
“Political historian Allan Lichtman says he sees elections the way geophysicists see earthquakes — as events fundamentally driven by structural factors deep beneath the surface, rather than by superficial events at the surface. … Lichtman says he sees elections the way geophysicists see earthquakes — as events fundamentally driven by structural factors deep beneath the surface, rather than by superficial events at the surface.

That thought dovetails with an essay I read earlier today, that “Elections are the fruit, not the root, of morality.”

Now on to news of real earthquakes-

Magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Honshu Japan
“The US Geological Survey (USGS) is reporting that an earthquake with an initial magnitude of 5.5, occurred off the coast of Honshu, northern Japan, early on Friday. … The last major seismic incident in Japan was a magnitude 9.0 earthquake in March 2011, that set off a tsunami that left over 20,000 dead or missing and caused a nuclear accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant, the worst since the Chernobyl catastrophe in 1986.”

Powerful quake hits Guatemala, killing at least 48
“A 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocked Guatemala on Wednesday, killing at least 48 people in two states as it toppled thick adobe walls, shook huge landslides down onto highways, and sent terrified villagers streaming into the streets of this idyllic mountain town near the border with Mexico. One hundred people were missing, and hundreds were injured. The quake, which hit at 10:35 a.m. in the midst of the work day, caused terror over an unusually wide area, with damage reported in all but one of Guatemala’s 22 states and shaking felt as far away as Mexico City, 600 miles (965 kilometers) to the northwest.”

‘Perfect storm’ of geological factors make the Eastern U.S. more susceptible to strong earthquakes than previously thought
“As if the folks out on America’s east coast don’t already have enough to worry about after the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy, it now looks like last year’s magnitude-5.8 earthquake in Virginia was no anomaly. According to a report presented this week at the Geological Society of America’s annual meeting, the highly populated area around Washington, D.C. features a kind of ‘perfect storm’ of geological factors, that could amplify the effects of seismic activity. And worse still, the area also appears to be susceptible to landslides.”

Who’d a thunk it? Jesus did! “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” (Matthew 24:7)

Earthquakes this week: USGS

Large quakes:
6.3 Vancouver island, Canada
7.4 Offshore Guatemala

Diverse places, unexpected or unusual, at least to the populace-at-large:

3.7 Ontario-Quebec border region, Canada.
3.1 Utah
2.6 Arkansas

Volcano update- good satellite images of volcanoes, including Kilimanjaro, Shasta, Bezymianny, Toba and more:

Volcanoes Seen From Space for November 9, 2012
“[I]t seemed like it was time to take a look down on some of volcanoes from the eyes sitting in space. Some are volcanoes that are currently erupting, some haven’t erupted in thousands of years, but they’ve all left their mark on the landscape. As always, if you want to keep up with all the activity each week, be sure to read the Smithsonian/USGS Global Volcanism Program‘s Weekly Volcanic Activity Report.”

~~~~~~~~One World Economy~~~~~~~~

“Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.” (Revelation 13:16-17)

How will the antichrist monitor who has the mark at the point of sale, and who does not? Heavy surveillance and invasive monitoring via technology, one surmises. All over the world we have seen in these last years a huge growth of the Big Brother and government with eyes everywhere. It has increased with rapidity in the UK and the US. Now this news from Florida, United States:

Armored trucks with cameras in FL
“Coming soon to a St. Petersburg neighborhood near you: an armored truck that you cannot miss and that cannot miss you, at least not with the four cameras mounted behind bullet-resistant glass, pointed in all four directions.”

Next is a good Christian essay about the decline of culture. Keep the progression of Romans 1 in mind. A culture without God never ascends, it always descends.

Psalm 12:8 Illustrated Yet Once Again
“The light Tuesday’s election cast on the degradation of Western culture’s expression in the United States should not have surprised us. But we still hope for some restraint, some sign that God will restrain the madness of men rushing to destroy everything that is good and holy and just. But what did we see? An open lesbian elected to the United States Senate. A trans-sexual elected to office in the Northeast. A bisexual here in my own state of Arizona. The profaning of marriage in multiple states, for the first time by popular vote. It was truly an amazing revelation. I have avoided watching much media since Tuesday evening. I know too well that Psalm 12:8 is being played out repeatedly: The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.”

~~~~~~~~Israel!~~~~~~~~

 Zechariah 12:1-3 says “The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: 2 “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. 3 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.”

Times of Israel reports,

At interfaith meet in Jerusalem, a grim picture of Jewish-Protestant relations
“Protestant clergymen painted a largely pessimistic view of the church’s relationship with Israel and the Jewish community during a visit to the Holy Land, suggesting that anti-Semitism is a deep-seated problem based in Christian theology that will be difficult to uproot. Jewish-Protestant relations are currently undergoing a severe crisis after senior leaders of Mainline Protestant churches in the US last month accused Israel of “widespread” human rights violations and urged Congress to reconsider military aid to Jerusalem. … “I am completely pessimistic in terms of believing that I, we, are going to overturn 2,000 years of erroneous theology that has manifested itself in all kinds of diatribes and anti-Semitic factions,” said the Rev. Paul Wilkinson, the associate minister at Hazel Grove Full Gospel Church, a small pro-Israel congregation in Stockport, England. “I believe we’d be fooling ourselves if we believed that we can overturn and change what I perceive to be a Goliath of theology in the church. The Goliath we face is the Goliath of replacement theology, the Goliath of Christian Palestinianism that taunts Israel, that goads Israel, that accuses Israel, that condemns Israel and those Christians who stand with Israel.”

~~~~~~~~The Tribulation~~~~~~~~

It will be a time of unparalleled terror, strife, and wrath. It literally will be hell on earth. It is hard for the unbelieving world to understand that things will or could change that dramatically. (2 Peter 3:4).

I think that a glimmer of how things can change so quickly was delivered to us this week. Hurricane Sandy, huge quake in Canada & Guatemala, and the election results combined changed the world for a lot of people. Mostly, Hurricane Sandy brought to mind that once infrastructure is stripped away, we revert quickly to living as animals. Because the unregenerated heart has only a veneer of morality, once it is pressed, it disappears fast. It is easy for Jesus to rip away electricity. Child’s play to send a storm of any size. Simple to collapse homes under a strong wind or swept away under a rushing flood. These photos reminded me in a small way of the coming sights the unregenerated will be seeing after the rapture- not as an unfortunate anomaly, but as a daily overload.

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Scenes like these are becoming commonplace, absolutely common. Last year’s Midwestern drought was terrible but worse were the Joplin tornadoes, but still worse just a few months later, Hurricane Irene came. As each disaster stacked up one on top of another, the previous one, endured only a few months or weeks prior, slipped from minds as the new disaster comes on the scene. Hurricane Irene was terrible, but that faded quickly as coldest-ever winter slammed the northeast, and the spring floods, then hurricane Sandy superstorm…then the nor’easter, then the quakes. These last few, occurring in 2012, all happened in the same month. The same week.

There is so much pain and tragedy in the world, so much that the mind rebels against the notion that it could and will worsen. What used to happen a year apart shrunk in time scale to months apart then weeks apart now there seems to be some horrific thing happening daily. And I don’t mean just news, regular ole news, but news that newscasters, scientists, climatologists themselves call first ever ,or worst ever or apocalyptic or horrific. But it will get worse, to a degree that even Jesus said would be hard for us to comprehend:

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” (Matthew 24:21-22)

That was the bad news. Please be mindful of the difficulties people are enduring. Be in prayer for your brethren in the US and around the world who are living in increasingly hostile territory. This is the Good News- always have confidence in the faith Jesus delivered once for all to the saints. (Jude 1:3). These earthly trials will pass and we will be glorified with Him when we meet Him in the air. Therefore bring along as many with you as you can 🙂

Posted in discernment, holy spirit

Discernment tip: the Spirit points to Jesus

Posted on by elizabethprata

Discernment: “Anything that diverts people’s attention away from the bible is not the work of God. It is the work of the enemy.” [Justin Peters]

The context of that statement was a discussion of the best-selling book by Sarah Young titled Jesus Calling. It is a book where the writer, Ms Young, wrote words that she ascribes to Jesus and pens them in the first person. She said she received incoming messages from an entity she claims is Jesus himself, and was instructed to write these messages down. The messages, predictably, are not the full message of God (being only comforting affirmations and never commands, entreaties, or practical methods of how to live out His precepts). In several cases she misuses scripture, thereby ascribing error to ‘Jesus’.

What Mr Peters was saying in his comment in that context, is that when you pick up a devotional, a curriculum, a teaching, a book, any material of a Christian kind intended to instruct you or edify you, even a novel, keep that axiom in mind. There may not be one smoking gun kind of indicting statement you can put your finger on and say, AHA! This book is bad!, but if you use the filter of this following verse you will gain discernment as you thumb through and get a measure of the book’s overall tone.

“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,” (John 15:26).

The Holy Spirit always points to God. If the author was operating in the Holy Spirit, the resulting pages will be drenched with pointing to God. If the author was not operating in the Holy Spirit, the book will be drenched with “me”. With things I can do. Things I can get. My power. Things of man and the flesh.

Good tip.

Speaking of smoking gun kind of statements, they are rare. Satan is more subtle than to come out with something stupid or directly heretical. (Genesis 3:1). But there is sometimes a statement you can point to which alone indicts an author.

 I wrote about Sarah Young’s book Jesus Calling on September 10, 2012. I’d commented on just such a statement the author of that book had made in her introduction:

“I began to wonder if I, too, could receive messages during my times of communing with God. I had been writing in prayer journals for years, but that was one-way communication: I did all the talking. I knew that God communicated with me through the Bible, but I yearned for more…”

That one IS a heretical statement and gives the reader a good insight into her inner man. I’d said, “Is not the bible sufficient for all revelation from God? It is supposed to be. Faith is believing on His name, not the experiences or revelations we receive from an unknown source.”

Sufficiency is the battle. Many teachings and books these days slyly, craftily, intimate that the bible is not enough, and the implanted desire is that there is more. (Read Genesis 3:5!).

On Brannon Howse’s radio show, World View Weekend, his guest, Discernment Minister Justin Peters said of that very statement from Ms Young, saying “The bible is not enough for people any more… Most Christians do not believe in the sufficiency of God’s word, That’s why they go to Jesus Calling, 90 Minutes in Heaven, Heaven is For Real, …all these books claiming Divine authority, but outside of scripture.”

The Spirit always points to Jesus. Any lesson you are taking from any teacher will do the same, if they are operating in the Spirit!

Posted in flock, sheep, shepherd

The Shepherd speaks to His sheep

Posted on by elizabethprata

“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. ” (Matthew 9:36-38 KJV).

Barnes Notes:

But when he saw the multitudes – That followed him from place to place. When he saw their anxiety to be instructed and saved.

He was moved with compassion on them – He pitied them.

Because they fainted – The word used here refers to the weariness and fatigue which results from labor and being burdened. He saw the people burdened with the rites of religion and the doctrines of the Pharisees; sinking down under their ignorance and the weight of their traditions; neglected by those who ought to have been enlightened teachers; and scattered and driven out without care and attention. With great beauty he compares them to sheep wandering without a shepherd. Judea was a land of flocks and herds. The faithful shepherd, by day and night, was with his flock. He defended it, made it to lie down in green pastures, and led it beside the still waters, Psalm 23:2. Without his care the sheep would stray away. They were in danger of wild beasts. They panted in the summer sun, and they did not know where the cooling shade and stream was. So, said the Saviour, is it with this people. No wonder that the compassionate Redeemer was moved with pity.

Jesus is a wonderful, wonderful Savior. Jesus went about preaching and proclaiming….and healing. Let’s look at the healing for a moment.

John wrote that Jesus did so many miracles that all the books of the world could not contain them. (John 21:25). We read the record of the types of miracles but certainly not the entire body of miraculous work that Jesus did. Most of the miracles were healing. (Matthew 9:36). You note the verse says Jesus drove out every sickness and every disease. This means every type and every last one. For all intents and purposes, the Land was cleansed from disease during Jesus’s ministry.

Blindness? Healed. (John 9:6-7). Paralyzed? Healed. (Mark 2:12). Internal injury? Healed. (Mark 5:21-43). Leprosy? Healed. (Matthew 8:1-4). No matter what the sickness or injury, whether it was from birth or recent, no matter if it was internal or external, Jesus healed them.

When Jesus was concluding His ministry, “He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. (Matthew 10:1). Healing continued (for a while, pp.19-26).

Why would Jesus be so consumed with not only proclaiming and preaching, but healing? MacArthur interprets that it is the compassion of Jesus that is the basis for Jesus doing this work. That Jesus wanted us to know that He cares, that God is concerned with each of them. Would a good shepherd see a sheep with an injury and not care for it? Of course He would bind their leg, minister to their illness. The sheep otherwise would be so scared and in such pain! A good shepherd helps His sheep.

The Pharisees had been preaching a distant God, a harsh god, an inattentive God. The people, as the opening verse stated, were sheep without a Shepherd. Even though God was on His throne and entirely involved in the people’s lives and His care for them just as potent as the day He created Adam, the people did not know it. They were being led by false teachers proclaiming false doctrine. The worst impact of that false doctrine was that they were fainting and scattering.

Notice a second thing about Jesus and His healing. It was instant and it was total. Each person He healed was made whole. If you read Colossians, Paul preaches that Jesus is ALL we need. All that Jesus does is perfect and entire. This includes the healings, as we see from the following sample verses:

“And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” (Mark 5:34)

“Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment.” (Matthew 9:22)

“And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.” (John 5:9)

“And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Luke 17:19).

The healings Jesus performed in His compassion as Shepherd unto His sheep were complete. It is the same with His spiritual healing. He makes us whole, instantly. Our sanctification (growth in Christ over our lives) is progressive, but when we are justified, the spiritual healing at the moment of our conversion is whole, complete, and entire. That is what the Book of Colossians is about. Read the Colossians 1-2 and note how many times you read the words ‘fullness’, ‘all’, ‘filled’, ‘fully’.

He is our all in all, His work is perfect and complete. It is complete in us. Far from being a distant and uncaring God, our Christ is loving and compassionate. He is our Shepherd, and we need never wander or faint again. Though we long for the restful pastures and still waters of the Kingdom in body and in presence, we do have that rest and calm now on earth until the Day. Our Shepherd is mighty and is standing at the center of our lives with His crook, caring for each of us every moment. His eye is upon His sheep. I pray that you hear His voice, speaking love and care to you now.

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. ” (John 10:14-16)

Selah.

Posted in satan, spiritual battle

Does satan still think he will win?

Posted on by elizabethprata

At church last night we got into an interesting discussion about satan. We are studying the verses in Colossians 2:14-15.

Verse 15, ESV: “He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.”

NIV: “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

KJV: “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”

The question was, do we think the cross chastened satan enough so that after the cross he understood he is a cooked goose, and now is just taking as many down with him as possible? Or is he uncowed by the cross and continuing in his pursuit of exaltation over God? In other words, what impact did the cross have on him when Jesus descended and made a spectacle of the demons and their evil leader, satan?

Here are my thoughts on it.

Why do I believe satan thinks he will win, and that the cross did not sway his thinking on this score one bit?

1. The nature of sin.

We’re told that the unregenerated heart is totally depraved. We’re told that it only goes from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Tim 3:13). That they grow only more and more ungodly (2 Tim 2:16). That there is a progression to sin that descends us and never ascends (Romans 1). In addition we’re told specifically about satan that he is the father of lies and to destroy. (John 8:44; John 10:10).

We know that sin makes us stupid (Romans 1, Ephesians 4:17-18 …) We are speculating on satan’s reaction to his defeat at the cross as if he were a rational being reacting naturally to a defeat as we would react to it. He isn’t and he won’t. We can’t use a logical mindset to apply to his subsequent actions to that defeat. Sin makes us stupider and stupider. He is not in his right mind. As Ephesians says, our minds become futile. The cross would be a setback and not a defeat- in his stupid, sin-drenched, futile, darkened mind.

So due to what we are told about the nature of sin, there is no reason to think that satan is any different than he was at the outset of his fall as described in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, arrogant and prideful, and every biblical reason to know he is worse. I think the cross did not chasten him at all. In fact it probably acted as a catalyst for satan to redouble his efforts. We know satan is defeated. I do not believe he does. His behavior has shown us that. Here are some examples:

2. Arrogance from the beginning

Though he was the guardian cherub, THE chief guard of the guards as it were, and served God in His temple, and no one was closer to God than he was, satan’s intent from the beginning was to conquer God. He said,

“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: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” (Isaiah 14:14b-15)

Satan saw God create the earth with the power of his own voice, he watched God create a human and breathe His life into him, and yet satan still thought he could exalt himself above God. THAT is arrogance of all arrogance.

2b. Arrogance continued through Jesus’s earthly ministry (Luke 4)

I believe satan’s arrogance was deepened by the time Jesus came to earth, because satan tempted Jesus. Wow. He offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth and Jesus did not correct satan, but simply refused the offer. Satan’s leash is a leash but satan, I think, has forgotten he is one a leash at all. I think he thinks that because he has access to heaven, 1/3 of the angels on his side, and is god of this world that he can and will continue to gain territory.

3. Satan’s fury at being tossed out of heaven, (Rev 12:7-17).

In Rev 12:13 it says “When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.” The common interpretation, I understand, is that has had access to heaven since his fall, but at this point in the Tribulation, satan is barred further access to heaven, along with his 1/3 fallen angel army. In fact, this is what sparks the Great Tribulation. He is so furious he fiercely persecutes the Israel/Jews in the 2nd half of the Tribulation, and then the Christians. He’s shocked, shocked, at being thrown out. It even takes him a bit of time to absorb the fact. See–

…where the verse says “when he realized he had been thrown down”. If satan has to take time to even realize he has lost the war in heaven, he must have thought that his access would have gone on forever. The word in the verse for “he realized” means he perceived or discerned, “to see with the mind” (i.e. spiritually see), i.e. perceive (with inward spiritual perception). (Strong’s). In this case I propose that if he is just realizing it in the Tribulation that he lost territory, then prior to that he didn’t have a clue he even could lose. The cross notwithstanding…

3b. The permanence of his intent to conquer God

Satan’s reaction to this loss of access to heaven is cold evil fury (Rev 12:17). The Greek word for his fury means settled anger (opposition), i.e. rising up from an ongoing (fixed) opposition. This tells me that his anger was as fixed as it was the day he declared war on God by saying he will exalt himself above God. It means an unwavering, settled anger. So once again I interpret that satan is still arrogant and still believes he will win even at the future date of the Great Tribulation’s outset. He starts to get a clue in Rev 12 where the angel says ‘people, rejoice because the devil knows his time is short.’ But that does not stop him at all. The cross notwithstanding. As a matter of fact… it only spurs him on. Because next on the schedule of events is…

4. Armageddon

As John MacArthur preaches the verses in Rev 16, we see all the armies of the world that satan has demonically influenced to assemble at Armageddon. Why do they all gather there? There is one world government and one world leader…so they don’t come to fight against the antichrist…and not against each other, because they are all there as one military unit. Do they come to fight against Israel? Perhaps, MacArthur says, but more to the point they have gathered to fight against GOD. Even that that late date, satan still thinks he will win. His armies at Har Megiddo are there to fight against Jesus Himself. The cross notwithstanding!

5. Millennium Rebellion

Even after defeat at the cross, being tossed out of heaven, losing at Armageddon, and after being locked up for 1000 years, the first thing satan does after getting out (at the end of the millennium,) is that satan foments a rebellion. A big one. Rev 20:8-9, “will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them,”

This evil angel believes he can win until the very second he is thrown into the lake of fire!

I believe the cross was a severe blow in satan’s mind but not a defeat in his mind, (we know that it was the final nail in his coffin, of course) but that the cross only redoubled his efforts. My opinion is: he thinks he will win. He is relentless in his hatred, which is total. Sin only deludes further and further as we know from Romans 1. And those reasons above are the basis for me having formed that opinion. But it is only an opinion. I can’t be dogmatic about it. What do you think?

The point I want to make is that we should never underestimate the persistence of sin in our lives. Jesus broke those chains for us and therefore satan has no power over  us- if we cling to Jesus tightly. We must always appeal to the Holy Spirit to help us resist our natural inclination to sin (as long as we are in our bodies).We can be influenced by satan and tempted to sin and as we see from the progression of his activity throughout the ages, he is relentless.

As for the lost, if you have unsaved people in your family or your workplace or your school…please remember satan’s monumental arrogance, pride, and aim to totally destroy. Their chains have not been broken and they are under satan’s sway. Pray for them and have patience with them. They do not know what they are doing!

Let me know what you think on this subject or any other.

Peace,

EP

Posted in rapture

Rapture: an animated short

Posted on by elizabethprata

Are you ready? No? Here’s how

How can I be saved?

Question: “How can I be saved?”

Answer: This simple, yet profound, question is the most important question that can be asked. ”How can I be saved?” deals with where we will spend eternity after our lives in this world are over. There is no more important issue than our eternal destiny. Thankfully, the Bible is abundantly clear on how a person can be saved. The Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). Paul and Silas responded, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

How can I be saved? Why do I need to be saved?

We are all infected with sin (Romans 3:23). We are born with sin (Psalm 51:5), and we all personally choose to sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20; 1 John 1:8). Sin is what makes us unsaved. Sin is what separates us from God. Sin is what has us on the path to eternal destruction.

How can I be saved? Saved from what?
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Because of our sin, we all deserve death (Romans 6:23). While the physical consequence of sin is physical death, that is not the only kind of death that results from sin. All sin is ultimately committed against an eternal and infinite God (Psalm 51:4). Because of that, the just penalty for our sin is also eternal and infinite. What we need to be saved from is eternal destruction (Matthew 25:46; Revelation 20:15).

How can I be saved? How did God provide salvation?

Because the just penalty for sin is infinite and eternal, only God could pay the penalty, because only He is infinite and eternal. But God, in His divine nature, could not die. So God became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. God took on human flesh, lived among us, and taught us. When the people rejected Him and His message, and sought to kill Him, He willingly sacrificed Himself for us, allowing Himself to be crucified (John 10:15). Because Jesus Christ was human, He could die; and because Jesus Christ was God, His death had an eternal and infinite value. Jesus’ death on the cross was the perfect and complete payment for our sin (1 John 2:2). He took the consequences we deserved. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead demonstrated that His death was indeed the perfectly sufficient sacrifice for sin.

How can I be saved? What do I need to do?

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). God has already done all of the work. All you must do is receive, in faith, the salvation God offers (Ephesians 2:8-9). Fully trust in Jesus alone as the payment for your sins. Believe in Him, and you will not perish (John 3:16). God is offering you salvation as a gift. All you have to do is accept it. Jesus is the way of salvation (John 14:6).