Posted in cease fire, egypt, israel, mursi, pillar of cloud, pillar of defense, prophecy, truce

UPDATED-So what was the prophetic meaning of the Gaza-Israel operation ‘Pillar of Cloud’? Isaiah 19:4 comes to mind

Posted on by elizabethprata

UPDATE
A news story just out purports that the actual reason for the Gaza offensive was to train Israeli troops for a battle with Iran. There is always much more going on politically and prophetically than we can see.

Officials: Israel’s Gaza Offensive Was Training For A Possible Fight With Iran
“Israel’s eight-day Gaza offensive was a dry run for any future armed confrontation with Iran, U.S. and Israeli officials told The New York Times.  “In Operation Pillar of Defense, Israel was not confronting Gaza, but Iran,” Israeli ambassador to the U.S. States and military historian Michael B. Oren told the Times.”

The news that Egypt’s President Mursi has grabbed powers is making more and more headlines now. I had posted it 2/3 of the way down a bit earlier today. By now more and more they are calling him Pharaoh. Remember the Isaiah 19:4 prophecy that Egypt will be delivered to a cruel master.  Here is a news update with the prophecy below that.

Reuters: “Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi’s decree exempting all his decisions from legal challenge until a new parliament was elected caused fury amongst his opponents on Friday who accused him of being the new Hosni Mubarak and hijacking the revolution.”

Al-Arabiya: “With Mursi’s absolute powers, will Egypt be corrupted absolutely? Words and expressions such as pharaoh, god, despot and assassin of democracy filled Egyptian media coverage on Friday to brand President Mohammed Mursi following his sudden snatch of sweeping powers.”

Isaiah 19:4: and I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them, declares the Lord GOD of hosts.

~~~~~~~~~~
I don’t know what the prophetic implication is. But God never does anything that doesn’t accomplish His ultimate purpose- to bring Himself glory and to bring an end to sin. As we hurtle toward the ultimate end of the end, past the end of Armageddon and past the Millennial kingdom, we can rest assured that the operation Pillar of Cloud was at root a spiritual battle that accomplished something God wanted to accomplish.

What we can see so far in this short term are several things.

1. Egypt

“President Mohammed Mursi (Morsi) became president after the Arab Spring revolution when previous president Hosni Mubarak was ousted. Morsi is part of the Muslim Brotherhood group. Morsi was a Member of Parliament in the People’s Assembly of Egypt from 2000 to 2005 and a leading figure in the Muslim Brotherhood. He became Chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) when it was founded by the Muslim Brotherhood in the wake of the 2011 Egyptian revolution. He stood as the FJP’s candidate for the May–June 2012 presidential election.”

“The Brotherhood’s stated goal is to instill the Qur’an and Sunnah as the “sole reference point for …ordering the life of the Muslim family, individual, community … and state”. The Brotherhood’s credo was and is, “Allah is our objective; the Quran is our law, the Prophet is our leader; Jihad is our way; and death for the sake of Allah is the highest of our aspirations.”

The Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate for Egypt’s 2012 presidential election was Mohamed Morsi. The Egyptian cleric Safwat Higazi spoke at the announcement rally for the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate Morsi and expressed his hope and belief that Morsi would liberate Gaza, restore the Caliphate of the “United States of the Arabs” with Jerusalem as its capital, and that “our cry shall be: ‘Millions of martyrs march towards Jerusalem.'” [sources, Wikipedia]

I think only a few people recognized the irony that Egyptian President Morsi was the chief negotiator between Hamas in Gaza and Israel. So effectively it was the Muslim Brotherhood negotiating on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslims had high hopes for an obliteration of Jerusalem and the pushing forward of the above stated goals.

When Morsi negotiated a peaceful cease fire with Israel, the People of Egypt became enraged. Thereupon, Morsi granted himself sweeping new powers, effectively becoming a new Mubarak. Thereupon, the people are protesting. Here are some links to that news:

Egyptian President assumes sweeping powers, dubbed new pharaoh
“Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi has assumed sweeping powers, drawing flak that he is acting like a “new pharaoh” and is endangering the gains of the popular uprising which ousted Hosni Mubarak’s dictatorial regime. Mursi made the constitutional declaration yesterday that granted him far-reaching powers and also ordered retrials of officials involved in the killing of protesters during the 2011 mass uprising against the Mubarak regime. The decision came a day after the President was praised by world leaders for brokering a truce between Hamas and Israel. Yesterday’s constitutional declaration has sparked a fierce debate in the country, with supporters calling it “revolutionary” and detractors slamming the sweeping powers it grants Egypt’s presidency as a “coup”.

Egypt braces for mass rallies after Mursi grabs sweeping powers

Protesters throw stones towards riot police during clashes after a rally to mark the one-year anniversary of fatal clashes at Mohamed Mahmoud street, in the vicinity of the Interior Ministry, in Cairo November 22, 2012. (Reuters)

“Egypt’s health and interior ministries were put on high alert on Friday as the country braced for mass rallies to protest against or support President Mohammed Mursi’s latest decrees that grant him sweeping powers. Political parties and citizens, who deemed Mursi’s new decree as flagrant violation of the constitution, vowed to take on the street in what they called “Eyes of Freedom” one-million protest on Friday.”

Isaiah 19:4 declares prophetically that God will deliver the Egyptian people in the last days into the hands of a harsh master. It is not clear whether this is the antichrist himself or simply a cruel man to oppress the people until the antichrist eventually takes over the ten-toed kingdom. (Revelation 13:1, Revelation 17:12-13, Daniel 2:32-33). Maybe Mursi is that harsh master. Maybe not. Keep watching.

In sum, far from the cease fire settling things and calming them down, the cease fire and Mursi’s behavior has only inflamed it. All is not well in Egypt.

2. Israel

Many people are vehemently upset with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Millions of Israelis thought the decision to cease fire was made too soon. They wanted Israel to dismantle Hamas entirely, conquer Hamas in total and reclaim Gaza. The ceasefire stopped short of that, in fact giving Hamas impetus to think they had won. Netanyahu defended himself publicly and also on his Facebook page, writing:

“I realize that there are citizens who expect a harsher military action and we may very well need to do that. But at present, the right thing for the State of Israel is to exhaust this possibility of reaching a long-term cease-fire. As Prime Minister, I have the responsibility, and it is the highest responsibility, to make the right steps to ensure our security. That is what I have done and it is what I will continue to do.”

One benefit to the cease-fire is that although Netanyahu “has long vowed to safeguard Israel from terrorism, Gaza was never his battle. If the cease-fire holds — a major if — Netanyahu has several weeks to turn domestic and international focus back to his signature security issue: Iran. … A lingering, bloodier war probably would have distracted the international attention Netanyahu has worked to center on Iran’s nuclear program” as the Washington Post reports.

In October, Netanyahu called for early elections. The election will ideally happen in three months’ time, he said, rather than in October 2013, as originally scheduled. They will take place on January 22.

As Dan Ephron writes in The Daily Beast,
“Israel’s prime minister avoided a ground invasion and strengthened his reelection prospects, Hamas won itself some glory, and Israelis and Palestinians ended up right where they started. … By taking on Hamas without launching a ground invasion, the Israeli prime minister managed to drive up his approval rating, a significant political achievement ahead of Israel’s general election on Jan. 22. Along the way, he broke the ice with Egypt’s Islamic government.”

Although the truce hit Netanyahu’s support hard he is still ahead in the polls.

3. Hamas

Dan Ephron sums up his opinion of the post-cease fire fallout on the Hamas side–

“A political outcast since grabbing power in Gaza five years ago, the Islamic group suddenly has champions across the region, including Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar. It also has the dubious glory that, in parts of the Arab world at least, comes with inflicting pain on Israel. So it didn’t down an Israeli plane or hit the parliament building with rockets, as its silly propaganda campaign maintained. But it did force residents of Tel Aviv into bomb shelters and even fired rockets on Jerusalem. “Hamas wanted legitimacy and got it big time,” said Giora Eiland, a retired major-general and Israel’s formal national security adviser.”

The battle is a spiritual one. Whatever is going on is no doubt furthering God’s agenda.

“The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sworn this oath:  “It will all happen as I have planned.  It will be as I have decided.” (Isaiah 14:24)

“for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” (Acts 4:27-28).

We look to the end, to Isaiah 17, Isaiah 19, Ezekiel 37-38, Zechariah 12 and 14, Matthew 24, and Revelation, among many other books and chapters, and we know that satanic hatred of Israel will only grow, the end will come when they are saying peace and safety, and His purposes are holy and will take place as He wills.

Stay tuned, and keep looking up!

Posted in creation under attack, enoch, genesis

Religion professor attacks Christians in class, plus Cain and Enoch

Posted on by elizabethprata

I love going back to Genesis when I do my daily reading of the bible. Everyone has their favorites, and I love beginnings. Genesis was graciously given to us as a way to see where we came from and what happened to set us on this course, now that we are so near the end. Each chapter drips with mercy- God’s mercy to Adam and Eve after they sinned, God’s mercy to Cain after He murdered his brother…

I made some observations in reading Genesis 4 last night. Some things resonate with the end time, as if they were bookmarks.

After Cain killed Abel, Cain worried that in his wanderings apart from his home tribe and apart from the presence of the LORD, that those who found him would kill him. To me, this says that Cain well knew that apart from the LORD, people could be murderous. As early as it was in man’s history, Cain knew that by himself he was a sitting duck. He understood what sin could do and what people were capable of.

He asked the LORD to protect him. What chutzpah! He had just killed his own brother, after being reprimanded by God Himself for failing to give the right offering in proper heart-manner. God had told him that unless Cain appeals to the LORD to hold back his sin, sin would rule over him. It was crouching at the door even then. (Genesis 4:7). But Cain disobeyed and gave a false offering, allowed sin to rule him and killed his brother, was cursed by God and exiled, was worried that others would in turn kill him. Cain did not repent but still had the guts to ask for mercy. God gave it.

“Then the LORD said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.” (Genesis 4:15).

We don’t know what this mark looked like, but God has put a mark on those whom He will put a mark ever since Genesis and He will do so until Revelation. See these verses:

“and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.” (Ezekiel 9:4)

“set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Corinthians 1:22)

He seals the 144,000– “Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” (Revelation 7:2-3)

“They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” (Revelation 22:4)

Of course, satan is a counterfeiter and will incite the Beast (antichrist) to force a mark on all those who must worship him. (Revelation 13:16)

So Cain’s line went on and was ungodly.

“Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden” (Genesis 4:16) and there is no record he ever went back to the LORD.

Cain married and had a son named Enoch. This name means initiation and was the beginning of the descendants of those who were against God. (Though Cain’s line was wiped out in the Flood of Genesis 7). This is not THE Enoch who walked with God and was taken alive to heaven. That Enoch was seventh from Adam and another, different man who came along a bit later.

Cain built a city and named the city after his son Enoch. Again, Cain sinned, because God has said go forth and multiply, and Cain did the opposite. Cain had failed to honor God, failed to repent when God chastised him, murdered, lied, disobeyed…sin had indeed overtaken Cain.

Four generations later, Cain’s line had birthed Lamech. For no reason that is recorded, Lamech disobeyed the marriage law and took two wives. And here we see in Lamech the entrenchment of sin and how it twists thinking.

Lamech killed a man in self-defense. He knew Cain’s story because he recounts it to his wives. And he assumes that because God had promised vengeance on anyone who killed Cain, seven-fold, that God would do the same to Lamech, and even 77-fold! Lamech’s inflated sense of self is amazing isn’t it?! At once sense he knew he had sinned, but repentance was not in him. Instead, he rested on a twisted version of a previous promise God had made to someone else. That is what unrepentant sin does to you.

And that is how people twist the bible today. Without faith and repentance, without a seeking to know His nature and character by studying His written word, they twist something that God had previously said and either spiritualize it or personalize it and it ends up being far from the intended meaning- and usually not even applicable.

Praise the Lord that there were some who stayed close to the LORD.

“And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.” (Genesis 4:25-26).

It is now 240 years after the creation of man. We don’t know how long Adam and Eve were in the Garden so we don’t know how long it was between creation and sin, therefore we don’t know how long it was after the first sin when Cain killed Abel. However Cain was an adult with a profession when he gave the false offering (Genesis 4:2) to God and there were ‘others’ out and about Cain was worried might kill him, so we can assume a hundred or two hundred years for sin to begin to express itself regularly in human behavior. We can see how quickly sin does crouch at the door, desiring to rule over us.

But just so, we read that they called on the name of the LORD. Knowing that without God there is no help for sin, they began to call out. The phrase call upon seems to mean a corporate worship. And the name they called upon was Yahweh.

He reveals Himself to us, desiring proper worship and a relationship with His people. Though the story of Cain is an evil one of sin and disobedience and death, alternately, those who call upon the Lord in worship receive relationship and life.

I post this not only to share observations, but to urge one and all to read the Old Testament. I’ve noticed that today’s Christian rarely reads the OT and fewer read Genesis. Genesis is under attack. Unless we read it we cannot defend it. Read about this recent attack at the University level. This Professor teaches at Florida International University (FIU).

“A university dean [of religious studies] in Florida, who moonlights as an Episcopal priest and is an admitted lesbian, recently caused controversy after a video surfaced on the web that provided snippets of a lecture she delivered to her Epistemology class, in which she discusses religion and evolution. “This is a book of myth, and that’s going to offend some of you,” stated professor Lesley Northup of Florida International University’s Honor College in the video. “And I don’t really care.” “I know that some of you out there are creationists. You really don’t believe in evolution,” another clip reveals. “I personally don’t think you should be allowed to leave this university with that belief.”

Here is a video of the Professor saying it the bible is a “book of myth” and anyone who believes it should not be allowed to graduate (implicit insult is that Christians are too stupid to hold a degree)–

So go back to Genesis. Read of God’s incredible mercy and care of His people. Read of blessings and sin and worship and struggle and praise of the early peoples. Eve was the mother of all the living (Genesis 3:20) so she is your mother, my mother. We want to know our family tree, don’t we?! Genesis 1-12 records the beginning of the beginning. We’re a generation that is so near the end that we have a unique perspective to see the entire history of man unfolding from Genesis to (nearly) Revelation.

Jude wrote,

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

Prior to the flood, Enoch prophesied that the Lord would come again. From the earliest moments (Genesis 3, for example, and Jude’s mention) God promised redemption and release from sin. If Jude knew of Enoch’s prophecy, and by extension us, and the Flood killed everyone alive except 8 people, that means Enoch’s prophecy was carried through the flood and that Noah taught it to all his sons, who taught it to their sons, and so on, so that all generations would know and be comforted that holiness will be victorious at last!

Go back to the beginning. Because it is almost the end.

Posted in mystery animal attack, turkeys attack

Deer attacks man.Turkeys attack woman. Stink badger attacks in Borneo. It’s chaos I tell ya

Posted on by elizabethprata

Forget about rise of the machines…it’s rise of the animals, lol

Deer attacks two men in their front yard, and injures five police officers AFTER it is tased
Article has video. Impressive dents in the guys’ truck. Happened in TX.

“Joseph Rose and Cole Kellis were leaving their home in Whitehouse on Friday morning when they noticed a deer in their front yard. Rose approached the deer and he says the deer seemed friendly. But then Kellis and Rose say the deer then charged them and started to attack. Rose and Kellis ran to Rose’s pick-up truck to try to get away from the wild buck. The deer then “poked” Rose in his ribs, so Rose jumped out of his truck into the back-bed. Rose says he left his driver-side door open and the deer climbed in and took his pack of cigarettes that were sitting in his center console. The deer starting eating Rose’s smokes, and when Rose tried to get them back, Rose says the deer got more aggressive. They then had to call Whitehouse police and the Game Warden. When police arrived they had to tase the deer and then Rose says it took more than 5 men to restrain the buck. KETK spoke to Smith County Game Warden, Dustin Dockery, and he says, “Admire deer from a distance but do not approach them because they can be dangerous.”

He tried to get his cigarettes back? Dude, know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em…

Complaints About Turkey Attacks On The Rise In Brookline, MA
“Neighbors are on the offensive in Brookline after what some residents are describing as aggressive turkeys. “They were attacking the vehicle,” Karen Halvorson said outside her home in the Aspinwall Hill neighborhood. After getting in her truck, a neighbor came and ran the birds off but it didn’t stop there. “Then, the turkeys came and started attacking my front door,” she said.” A second run-in came a few weeks ago as she walked nearby. “I looked back and three of them charged me,” she explained. She moved to the center of the street to avoid the animals, but it wasn’t enough. “The turkey flew in my face and scratched my neck,” she said. Halvorson refuses to give up her walks so she has taken precautions. Complaints to Brookline Police about wild turkeys have doubled in the past two months.”

Good for her she refuses to give up her walks. Give a turkey and inch and he’ll gobble a mile.

In this story of animal attack from the other side of the world…the wild jungles of Borneo, we read

Villagers mystified by strange animal Villagers mystified by strange animal 
“An Indonesian plantation worker and a 75-year-old farmer got the shock of their lives when they were attacked by an unknown animal species in two separate occasions earlier this month. The farmer, Aris Kuna of Kampung Paon Gahat, was attacked by the rare animal while attending to his pepper garden about noon. The foreigner was attacked a week later at a plantation near Kpg Baing while gathering oil palm fresh fruit bunches… The animal that attacked the duo was described as having a “bear and wild boar” resemblance. Fellow workers and villagers who saw the carcass, brought by the Indonesian, could not identify the animal species. “In all my life venturing into the jungle, hunting and such, I’ve never come across this species,” 62-year-old Louis Nyaoi said.”

“The farmer said that the animal made a strange sound and rushed toward him, at one point standing on its hind legs. The reign of terror—or at least consternation—ended when the farmer, holding a sickle, promptly sliced the creature up. The animal was described as about two feet long, with a long, pig-like snout and long, sharp claws. It also gave off a horrible odor that got much worse after death. “

But Discovery scientists in this debunking article said it was likely a stink badger. Whether a mystery Bornean chupacabra or jungle stink badger, the sickle slices and dices handily. Don’t leave home without it. Operators are standing by.

Posted in Bun Rany, Cambodia, Obama, sampeah

Cambodian First Lady disses Obama, genteelly, of course

Posted on by elizabethprata

Investor’s Business Daily has a good article summing up Obama’s Asian tour. Obama’s Southeast Asia Trip All Style, No Substance

I got a chuckle out of the genteel jab at the President by Cambodia’s First Lady. So much of diplomacy is non-verbal ritual. I’ve noted Obama’s bowing to Arab kings and faux pas with the other leaders in terms of non-verbal signals. Now the Cambodian First Lady comes along but she does not make a faux pas but instead makes a pointed non-verbal remark.

First, a short explanation of what the bowing and pressed hands means. Emphasis mine

Wikipedia
“The Sampeah is a Cambodian greeting or a way of showing respect. It is very similar to the Thai wai and the Indian Añjali Mudrā/namasté. While performing the sampeah, the person places his palms together in a prayer-like fashion while bowing slightly. The higher the hands and the lower the bow, the more respect is shown.

This is how Bun Rany, Cambodia’s first lady, gives President Obama a “sampeah” greeting at a tilt usually reserved for servants. Read More At IBD

Bun Rany, Cambodia’s first lady, gives President Obama a “sampeah” greeting at a tilt usually reserved for servants.

LOL!

Posted in jesus, life of pi, movie review, satan

Life of Pi: A Christian review

Posted on by elizabethprata

A new movie by Ang Lee is hitting theaters and the movie-appreciating audience is making a buzz over it. Ang Lee was the man who directed Brokeback Mountain (an ode to homosexuality) and the beautiful and absorbing fairy tale Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Lee is considered one of contemporary filmmaking’s best directors. He has been nominated for Oscars and has won Oscars. He is well regarded and has a unique visual style that he brings to the screen which immediately identifies his work.

The movie that’s making so much buzz Ang Lee’s Life of Pi. Life of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. It won the Booker Prize, garnered other prizes and went on to become a best-seller. This is a story that Hollywood initially sought to bring to the screen because the book was so well-written, unique, and salable.

However, Hollywood soon dropped the idea of making the book into a movie due to the inherently exquisite difficulties of bringing the otherworldly narrative to film. Eventually, most producers thought that it would be too hard to relate the mystical beauty of the tale to film in a way that would hold audience attention.

Ang Lee’s incredible talent was brought to the fore and he surmounted those difficulties. The film was released yesterday. By all accounts it is a visual triumph and a stand-out, unique film compared to the fodder and tripe that usually permeates the theaters at this time of year.

Wikipedia reports, “In a letter directly to Martel, Barack Obama described Life of Pi as “an elegant proof of God, and the power of storytelling”. Brian Bethune of Maclean’s describes Life of Pi as “[a] head-scratching combination of dense religious allegory, zoological lore and enthralling adventure tale, written with warmth and grace”. Master Plots suggested the “[c]entral themes of Life of Pi concern religion and human faith in God”.

Apparently not only is the story well-told on film, not only is it a feast for the eyes in lyrical beauty and lauded its ability to transport the viewer to another place of peace and transcendence. Not only is it a box-office triumph, but many Christian reviewers are rating it highly also.

This fact has piqued the interest of a usually under-served Christian segment of the movie-going population, and so Christian families are streaming to the movie in droves. This essay is to determine if the movie is good food for Christian families to absorb.

We long for family movies that honor God and exalt Jesus. We are thirsty for some good food to take in, where we can relax in our seats and know that nothing we that we’re presented on the film will assault the eyes or offend God.

Life of Pi is NOT THAT MOVIE.

I have not seen it. Yet I am reviewing it. How can this be? Well, sometimes one can read an outline of the plot and know immediately that it is not worthy of attention. Do I need to watch Scorsese’s Last Temptation of Christ to know that it is not something I want to enter my mind? No. I don’t have to watch Jesus repudiate God’s plan and descend from the cross to live a fleshly life with Mary to understand it wasn’t something that God wants us to entertain.

One part of Wikipedia’s synopsis caught my attention.

“Pi is raised a Hindu, but as a fourteen-year-old he is introduced to Christianity and Islam, and starts to follow all three religions as he “just wants to love God.” He tries to understand God through the lens of each religion and comes to recognize benefits in each one.”

Right away I know this is not a movie for me. Anything that competes with or elevates anther god to equal status with the One True God is not worthy of my money, time, or attention. Pi, who is born a Hindu, at his mother’s behest to embrace plurality in everything, praises Jesus for bearing our sins while reciting the Quran? No thanks.

But that’s one person’s synopsis, what do others say?

CBN is Christian Broadcasting Network. CBN’s Movie Review says-

“While Christian audiences will be thrilled with the amount of onscreen time devoted to the cause of Christ and what it means to believe, they will also be quite disappointed as Islam and Hinduism receive equal representation. However, when viewed through the eyes of evangelical Christianity, you can’t help but be encouraged by the flickers of faith being projected onscreen. … Filled with thought-provoking moments of self-discovery, redemption and God’s unrequited grace, Life of Pi is an exploration into whether a person truly believes what they say they believe. For Christians, that is whether Jesus Christ went to the Cross as the ultimate sacrifice for sinners to be saved by grace. Unfortunately, this quest is played out for the other three religions as well.”

Are we so desperate for crumbs of a true holiness presented on screen that we are willing to eat the crumb off the corner of satan’s lip after having spewed Allah, Vishnu, and Catholic gods? Why do we settle for “flickers”? And lying flickers at that? Is that what encouragement has diluted down to? Apparently.

Christian Science Monitor wrote:
“Young Pi, raised in a not-very-strict Hindu household, tries his hand at Christianity and Islam as well. He’s an ecumenical free spirit who sees all religions as equally affirming.”

They called it a “sane movie” and gave it a B rating. That’s insane.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christian Cinema gave it ‘five doves’ and referred to the fact that the movie is ‘Dove Family Approved’ by the Dove Foundation several times in its review. So let’s see what they wrote:

“Pi’s agnostic father taught him, “Faith is a house with many rooms.” Pi himself is a religious person, but without a specific doctrine. He often prays to the God he learned about from a Catholic priest, but occasionally sends up an appeal to Allah, Vishnu, and Krishna. One desperate prayer Pi cries out when he’s nearly lost all hope is, “God, I give myself to you, a vessel.” The cinematography is spectacular, and the CGI and 3D effects rival those in “Avatar.” The movie is rated PG, however, there are several tragic events that are better taken in by older audiences. Therefore, we are pleased to award this profoundly moving story on film the Dove “Family-Approved” Seal for audiences over age 12.”

How can this be a Christian-approved movie when it is blatantly stated that the main protagonist prays to false gods, and when all his hope is lost, gives himself to one of them? Which one? The Catholic false god? The Hindu false God? The Muslim false god? And the Dove Foundation calls this “profoundly moving?!”

~~~~~~~~~~~
Crosswalk is the only Christian review I’ve read that calls it what it is, ‘full of wonder but a poison pill’. They write-

“English theologian Ronald Knox once quipped, “Comparative religion is an admirable recipe for making people comparatively religious.” The current spirit of our age is to embrace many faiths as leading to the same god, not a philosophy that works with orthodox Christianity. The Bible practically screams warnings against such thinking, such as in 1 John 4, 2 John 1, 1 Timothy 4, 2 Corinthians 11—the list goes on.”

“Life of Pi“, the new film from director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) and based on the bestselling book from Yann Martel, has, at its core, a message that Christians reject. But—can there be a “but” after that?—the filmmaking in Life of Pi is often nothing short of spectacular. It has images of beauty and power that won’t be matched by any other film this year. Visually, it’s marvelous—it literally contains one marvel after another. But sandwiched in between those thrills is a message that’s contrary to the Gospel.”

That is how satan works. Sinuously. Beautifully. He comes as a beautiful angel of light but he brings death.

You will be tempted to view the film for its vaunted visuals. In 3D I hear it is even prettier. But do you want to violate the scripture that says–

“Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.” (Proverbs 23:31-32)

Gill’s Exposition says
“when it moveth itself aright; sparkles in the glass, or goes down the throat pleasantly; or rather looks well to the eye, and appears right and good, and promises a great deal of satisfaction and delight.”

You say, ‘But that is a prohibition against drinking too much wine! It has nothing to do with a movie!”

The principle is the same. It sparkles… you’re attracted to it… you drink it in… it poisons you.

Listen to what Psalm 101:3-4 says- “I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all who deal crookedly; I will have nothing to do with them. I will reject perverse ideas and stay away from every evil.” (NLT)

I would rather you go to see Brokeback Mountain, because it is honest in its lies and perversity. At least it is what it is. Life of Pi is what it isn’t. Mixing our Holy God with other gods and equalizing them is a worse blasphemy. Why would a Hindu or a Catholic think he needs Jesus after seeing this film, and especially if you are sitting next to him enthusiastically affirming the movie’s premise? Why would a recently saved youth or a weaker Christian brother see the need to repent of his Oprah-Osteen “many paths” apostasy when he sees you taking in the same lies, and liking it?

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21). An idol is anything that replaces the one, true God. Or competes with Him.

Read this from 1 Samuel 5:1-5:
“When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.”

God tolerates no others in His house. Now your body is His house.

GotQuestions asks, “Should a Christian go to movies?“
“The Bible tells us that many things are permitted, but not all things are beneficial or constructive (1 Corinthians 10:23). It also says that whatever we say or do (or watch) should be done to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). We are to set our minds on things that are noble and pure (Philippians 4:8). If—and this is a big if—we can watch a movie or TV program that contains questionable content AND still be in agreement with these commands from the Bible, then it’s hard to see a wrong in this. The danger lies in (1) how what we are watching affects our heart and (2) how it affects others.”

It IS a danger, especially in this day of the last days when satan’s encroachment into everything is so pervasive. MacArthur said in his sermon, The Danger of Being a Friend of the World, “The evil impulses of man’s heart draw him toward worldliness and a worldly life brings one into a conflict with God.”

This movie will draw you, beautifully, but it is a draw toward compromise nonetheless. I take a hard line, as you know. I believe I could watch that movie and enjoy its visuals and its reported life-affirming message without compromise to my faith. I believe that my watching it would not present a stumbling block to weaker ones in my sphere. I believe my faith is very strong and that it would not be a problem. However, I will not watch it. Why?

Because my faith is so strong! It pains me to see other gods given equal time. It hurts to see others fall under satan’s lie that there are many paths to ‘life’. I mourn over the lies satan so easily sends out in tendrils that choke a heart. Unless the movie clearly identifies Jesus as the only way by the end of the film, it is not life-affirming. It is death affirming. My faith won’t let me spend two hours in a death-affirming event, no matter how prettily it’s presented.

Proverbs 26:23 says it best, “Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel are fervent lips with an evil heart.” The heart of Life of Pi is evil. I reject the crumb satan offers from his lips and I will stay away.

Posted in false religion, jesus, pericle fazzini, pope, sculpture, the resurrection

Now this is just plain evil. Not to mention ugly

Posted on by elizabethprata

Catholic News Service reported last year,

Giving new life to a Vatican sculpture
“Rome’s unseasonably warm weather is giving the Vatican time to erect scaffolding and start a serious cleaning of Pericle Fazzini’s sculpture, “The Resurrection.” Work began today on the piece, which towers over the stage in the Vatican’s Paul VI audience hall. Since it’s plenty warm enough to hold the pope’s weekly general audience outdoors, visitors won’t even notice. The sculpture, dedicated in 1977, is almost 66 feet wide and more than 23 feet tall. According to L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, the bronze piece weighs about 15 tons. It depicts Christ “rising from a tomb in the Garden of Olives, while the earth is shaken by an enormous storm.” During the work — in case the weather does turn cold — a tarp with a reproduction of the sculpture will hang over the scaffolding, so the audience hall still can be used. The work is expected to be completed in early December.”

The depiction is of Jesus emerging out of an atomic bomb crater with resurrected souls. You can read more about the sculptor and the sculpture here in the NY Times Obituary of him. His name was Pericle Fazzini. He died in 1987.

“Pericle Fazzini, the sculptor whose monumental statue ”The Resurrection” is the backdrop for Pope John Paul II’s weekly general audiences, died today. He was 74 years old. The sculptor, a native of Grottammare on the eastern Italian coast, began his career as an exponent of the Roman school of the 1930’s. His early wooden pieces, characterized by their simple style, led to the starker later figures, which he fashioned almost exclusively in metal, particularly bronze.”

“The Vatican commissioned Mr. Fazzini to provide a work for its modern auditorium. The result was ”The Resurrection,” a statue depicting Jesus rising from a nuclear bomb crater.”

”Suddenly there came to me the idea of Christ preaching peace for 2,000 years, and the place where He prayed for the last time: the olive grove of Gethsemane,” said Mr. Fazzini in a book about the work. ”I had the idea of depicting Christ as if He were rising again from the explosion of this large olive grove, peaceful site of His last prayers. Christ rises from this crater torn open by a nuclear bomb; an atrocious explosion, a vortex of violence and energy.”’
”The Resurrection” is molded in red bronze and yellow brass and measures 66 feet by 23 feet by 10 feet.

“It was unveiled by Pope Paul VI in 1977 and dominates the stage of the Vatican hall where the pope’s general audiences are held. Among Mr. Fazzini’s works is the bronze ”Sybil” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and a giant sculpture of a sea shell commissioned by the City of Dallas. Mr. Fazzini is survived by his wife, Anita, and a daughter.”

You wonder what goes through a man’s mind to come up with a horrifyingly evil looking depiction such as that. Remember, Catholics adhere to doctrines and traditions that are not biblical so the likelihood exists that Fazzini was not saved and therefore had a blinded, depraved mind. (2 Corinthians 4:4; John 12:40). It seems evident that he could not rightly see Christ, (Mark 4:12) nor could the Pope that commissioned it nor the Popes that sit before it. Here is a very short news piece about the sculpture.

Imagine sitting in front of that evilly horrific sculpture week after week conducting ‘religious’ services, with a serpent-looking Christ coming out of a man-made bomb crater carrying sooty souls. Images are important. The scene speaks volumes.

Posted in cease fire, gaza, hamas, israel

Updated- it is effect now. Hamas, Israel agree to cease fire

Posted on by elizabethprata

NBC News reports, “Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire, the Egyptian foreign minister said Wednesday in a press conference, after eight days of fighting that have killed more than 140 Palestinians and five Israelis. The cease-fire is set to start at 9 p.m. Cairo time, Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr announced alongside U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.”

Right now it is 8PM in Cairo.

PM of Israel tweeted: ‏@IsraeliPM “PM #Netanyahu spoke with Pres Obama; accepted his recommendation to give Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire a chance”.

I think Israel probably achieved its objectives and thus had less to lose by agreeing to a cease fire. Where this will go in the next days is anybody’s guess. We know from the bible that this isn’t over. Keep praying.

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The cease fire is in effect officially as of now. However alerts are still going off in southern Israeli towns and after the cease fire deadline passed a rocket did explode. Pray that it was the last one.

Posted in jordan, prophecy, tel aviv, turkey

Middle East war news: Tel Aviv bus bombing, Turkey asks for Patriot Missiles deployment, Jordan unstable

Posted on by elizabethprata

I’ll keep updating this blog entry through the day if situations warrant. Likely they will.

Tel Aviv bus hit by bomb; Hamas celebrates
A bomb exploded on a bus in central Tel Aviv on Wednesday, wounding 15 people in what Israeli officials said was a terrorist attack that could complicate efforts to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Celebratory gunfire rang out across Gaza as the news spread and the territory’s Islamist rulers Hamas praised the bombing, but no one claimed immediate responsibility.”

Source JPost

On Twitter, Hillel Fuld wrote, “Putting a bomb on a bus of innocent people. WHO DOES THAT? A person 100% brainwashed and blind to reason. No talking peace with such people.”

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BNO News reports,

NATO chief says Turkey has requested deployment of alliance’s Patriot air defense missiles
Posted on 11-21 at 15:04:40 CST
[As released by NATO]

“Statement by the NATO Secretary General on Patriot Missile Deployment to Turkey”

“I have received a letter from the Turkish government requesting the deployment of Patriot missiles. Such a deployment would augment Turkey’s air defence capabilities to defend the population and territory of Turkey. It would contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along NATO’s south-eastern border. And it would be a concrete demonstration of Alliance solidarity and resolve.”

“In its letter, the Turkish government stressed that the deployment will be defensive only, and that it will in no way support a no-fly zone or any offensive operation.”

‘NATO will discuss Turkey’s request without delay. If approved, the deployment would be undertaken in accordance with NATO’s standing air defence plan. It is up to the individual NATO countries that have available Patriots – Germany, the Netherlands and the United States – to decide if they can provide them for deployment in Turkey and for how long. Next week a joint team will visit Turkey to conduct a site-survey for the possible deployment of Patriots.”

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I reported earlier today that the situation in Jordan is tenuous and getting more unstable by the day. Here is some more news–

Gulf states extend lifeline to Jordan as they seek to contain unrest
“ABU DHABI – Oil-rich Gulf states are mulling ways to help Jordan shore up its fuel supplies after sharp price increases sparked protests against the king, the United Arab Emirates foreign minister said on Monday.”

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“Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:23-24)