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Thoughts on the "street of gold"

Posted on October 12, 2012 by elizabethprata

“And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.” (Revelation 21:21)

We often marvel at the fact that the main street of the city in our future new home of New Jerusalem will be made of pure gold.

‘Wow!’ we think. ‘Isn’t it amazing that Jesus is adorning the place He is preparing for us so beautifully!’ And He is. (Revelation 21:2)

But I often wondered about the street and its main material: gold. Paving materials are usually waste materials. The Romans used broken stones mixed with cement and sand, cement mixed with broken tiles, curving stones—so the water could drain, and on the top they used tightly packed paving stones, according to Wikipedia. Below is a Wiki photo of a street in Pompeii. I have walked on the Appian Way in Rome and it looks the same.

Encylopedia Brittanica says that in the 1800s when paving became more widespread, “common paving materials were hoof-sized stone blocks, similarly sized wooden blocks, bricks, McAdam’s broken stone, and occasionally asphalt and concrete.”

Do we ever use precious materials for roads? No. We use waste materials, common materials.

I think the street of the city is of gold to remind us that when we tread upon it, what we once thought of as precious will be a vivid reminder that the real preciousness is Jesus. What He considers truly precious is our faith:

“so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)

Our faith is more precious than gold, because it is tested by trials. Gold will perish, but Jesus, the object of our faith, will never perish.

In heaven, gold will be as nothing to us, not when the real treasure is before our eyes. In that case, it is only fitting that gold will be under our feet.

And the Nobel Peace prize goes to…

Posted on October 12, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

It is the end of a wonderful work-week. I am blessed to have work, and even better, it is work I love- with children. Children are such a blessing from Jesus. I pray you have children in your life and they are the light of the savior for you.

The European Union won the Nobel Peace prize today. The UK Daily Mail had an interesting headline, ‘The irony of awarding the Peace Prize ‘where there is no peace‘
“There’s a certain irony in awarding his prestigious Peace Prize to a union of nations which is presently being ripped apart by fiscal anarchy and economic folly. While the Greeks are burning German flags and Croatians are burning EU flags, Herman Van Rompuy seems to shuffle on obliviously.”

A fire bomb explodes among police in Athens
‘The EU is the biggest peace-making institution ever created in world history’, he proclaimed, with a straight face. While Spain teeters on the edge of civil unrest in the worst recession since the 1930s, the talk is once again of revolution. Yet the President of the European Council tells us in his bank-clerk tones that the award is for all European leaders and all European citizens ‘from this generation and the former generations’.

Greeks obediently delivering the Nazi salute in protest at what they see as German-imposed austerity measures.

Peace? Hardly. The part in the headline where the newspaper had put in quotes, ‘where there is no peace’ is a reference to the Jeremiah 6:14 verse where God told Jeremiah to tell the people, “They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” ‘They’ refers to the prophets and priests who dealt falsely. The prophets and priests were the governmental leaders of that day.

We are also reminded of this verse, “While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

And finally, we know that in the end, “peace is taken from the earth so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.” (Revelation 6:4).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is interesting:

‘I lost every friend I had’: What happened when STRAIGHT Christian who believed homosexuality was a sin spent a year living as an out and proud gay man
“Homeschooled by a conservative Christian family, Timothy Kurek was raised to believe homosexuality was an abomination. But when a close friend revealed her family had disowned her for being a lesbian he resolved to learn how gays really lived. Kurek, 26, ‘came out’ and spent the next year pretending to be a gay man, experiencing an isolation from friends and family he never expected. … To make the charade seem real, Kurek also recruited a gay man to pose as his boyfriend. … The first time Kurek went to a gay club he was pulled on the dance floor by a man with no shirt on, covered in baby oil and glitter. ‘I didn’t know whether to punch the guy or smoke a cigarette after the song ended,’ Kurek told the Huffington Post.”

He read his mother’s diary to see what she thought of him being “gay”. He also wrote a book about his year of lying and released it on National Coming Out day.

My reaction to this incident is a harsh one. If you really want to honor Jesus you live the life He revealed to us- by His blood no less- which is to love Him with all your heart, strength, and soul, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Mr Kurek could have kept that commandment by loving his lesbian friend as a Christian without joining the world, indulging his flesh, and living a life Jesus hates. He could have been the Light in her life by demonstrating an agape love to her, and THAT would have done much more for her than what he did, which was live a life of lies, darkness and condemnation in Jesus’s eyes.

What it boils down to is that Mr Kurek professes to love Jesus, but lied to his friends and family for a whole year, lived a life that is an abomination to God, co-opted another person to join his lie (thereby putting a stumbling block in his way), invaded his mother’s privacy, and then wrote a book about his lie and his abomination, and is living off the lucre he gained from it. Let’s see about what the bible thinks:

“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

“Honor your father and your mother, which is the first commandment with a promise…” (Eph 6:2)

“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matthew 6:24)

Did Lot pretend to be homosexual to better understand why people hated his family? No, and God called him righteous. I think the man in that article is an, ‘in the closet’ gay man who wanted to experiment for a year and get away with it, and he used God as his cover.

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

Rejoice in trials, friends! “Tested faith brings experience. You could not have believed your own weakness if you had not been compelled to pass through the rivers; and you would never have known God’s strength if you had not been supported in the flood. Faith increases in quality, assurance, and intensity the more it is exercised with tribulation. Faith is precious, and its trial is precious too.” An excerpt from Devotional by CH Spurgeon, on 1 Peter1:6-7

abortion, election, gay, homosexuality, vote

Mitt Romney isn’t as solid on the social issues as you think he is

Posted on October 12, 2012 by elizabethprata

I think that most people assume that 2012 Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, being a ‘faithful’ man and a conservative, is solid on the social issues. Further many people believe that compared to the travesty that is Obama, Romney is a conservative answer to prayer, who operates within the framework of his Mormon faith and is against the behaviors that are the main social ills of today.

They would be wrong.

He is not.

I took a look at his record on three main issues, though there are many issues to look at, including foreign policy and economics. I examined Romney’s stance on two social issues and a foreign policy issue of interest to Christians: Abortion, Homosexual agenda, and Israel. I included links so you can check them out yourself. I noted the date, some articles are from 1994 and others are from today.

Homosexual agenda

Boy Scouts:
Romney believes that openly gay people should be allowed to participate in Boy Scouts as members or leaders. Currently the Boy Scouts of America does not allow. Romney is in agreement with Obama on this issue. “Romney says Boy Scouts should admit homosexuals“

Homosexual marriage:
Romney’s views on this have changed since 1994 when he first ran for office. Initially he believed in “equality for all citizens”. He declared he would be more liberal and effective than his opponent, Sen Ted Kennedy.

Said the same in 2002 when running for governor. (source)

When the Mass. Supreme court said that denying gays a legally sanctioned marriage, Romney sought to establish same sex civil unions, but stated that his personal views were that marriage should be just for one man and one woman. (source)

Has stated he would seek a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriages. (additional source)

Romney has consistently opposed expanding marriage to gays and lesbians, while paradoxically insisting that he supports equal rights for everyone. And he has tailored that message to please his shifting audiences. (source)

Other homosexual issues

He supported the Federal Employee Nondiscrimination Act and President Clinton’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy allowing gay men and women in the military in 1994.

Says he is for Gay Rights, (Aug 2011)

Romney’s stance on homosexual agenda issues is contradictory. When asked if it turned out that one of his grandkids was gay Romney said “I love my children, and I love my grandchildren, and of course I’d want them to be happy. My view is this: individuals should be able to pursue a relationship of love and respect and raise a family as they would choose. I would like to have the term ‘marriage’ continue to be associated with a relationship between one man and one woman, and that certainly doesn’t prevent two people of the same gender living in a loving relationship together having a domestic partnership, if you will.” (source) (source)

Abortion

–Said in 1994 that abortion should be safe and legal for all women (source)
–Said the same in 2002, affirming his stance that a woman has a right to choose
–Said in 2005 said he is staunchly pro-life
(source)

Oct 11, 2012- Believes abortion is wrong but will not seek to institute any laws about it. Abortion issues are not part of his agenda, he told reporters today. (source)

Oct 11, 2012 Later the same day he backpedalled on the statement (source)

Said he would de-fund Planned Parenthood. (source)

Here is a link showing Romney’s “evolution” on abortion issues. (source)

This is a straightforward factual listing of the issues written by AP, just out today. The title is Obama and Romney: where they stand on the issues. Side by side comparison of all issues, not just social. The piece includes compasiton of stances on debt, economy, Social Security, abortion, homosexual agenda, etc, the whole gamut is on this page. (source)

Tracy Bloom at TruthDig reports the following:
“GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney “reaffirmed” his staunch pro-life abortion position on Wednesday, saying his stance on the hot-button issue hasn’t changed. At least not since he became pro-life midway through his political career. Like on many issues—taxes, health care, stem-cell research, minimum wage, immigration reform, etc.—Romney has flipped-flopped positions in a seemingly concerted effort to appeal to a certain ideological group of voters.”

I posted Bloom’s piece because I have found the same flip-flopping as I travel the course of Romney’s life. I agree that whatever his personal feelings on an issue, when it comes to public policy, Romney changes to match the situation, constituency or to attain a political goal. This also includes a less than candid reporting of the reasons his grandfather fled the US to Mexico in the 1880s. And I’m not just talking about flip-flops on issues that are decades apart, but for example, the abortion flip flop that occurred the same day.

Israel

At a private fundraiser, a donor asked Romney how the “Palestinian problem” can be solved. Romney immediately launched into a detailed reply, asserting that the Palestinians have “no interest whatsoever in establishing peace, and that the pathway to peace is almost unthinkable to accomplish.” (source). The Main Stream Media treated this “discovered video” as a smoking gun, but in fact, Romney is absolutely right on the issue. The Palestinians do not want peace and it is futile to pursue it with them.

I agree with Romney on this and I’m also pleased he had a reply that included details. A two state solution only presages the judgment from God in Joel 3:2 where God said He will judge the nations because they have divided up His land. The much vaunted “Two State Solution” is no solution.

I post this tonight because I want us to be aware of the fact that Romney is not the answer to conservative prayer that he is being made out to be. The issue is not black and white and in fact is more complicated. Christians are in a quandary for good reason.

Add to that, Christians are weary. We are dejected in seeing the country crumble. We are concerned about the effect Obama has had in a mere four years and are heartily concerned with what will happen if he gets another four. We long to see faith played out on the national arena. We desire to see standards of morals and behavior applied consistently in at least one leader. The vacuum of goodness surely is dark on our hearts. Romney is the Republican candidate, conservative and intelligent, and many people are despondent enough with the way things are to say “good enough… close enough… what else we gonna do, anyway?”

Be mindful that Mitt Romney, while likely being a very nice man, generous and charitable, intelligent and having a grasp of economic issues, is unsaved. His ethics and morals have only been solid as far as they have served his political ambitions. I say this not to denigrate the man, but because I have spent the last two days reading numerous articles and seeing interviews and his positions change, sometimes over years, but more troubling, sometimes depending on who he is speaking to on the same day. I was saddened to read his responses to the hypothetical query about his grandchildren if they turned out to be gay. He wants them to be happy and in a relationship? As a man who claims God and says he adheres to His standards why did he not say that homosexuality is a sin and he would pray daily for the Spirit to transform the person through the saving grace of Jesus, because the homosexual lifestyle is one of despair, illness, and eventual condemnation by Holy God?

It is a paradox for Romney to say he wants his grandkids, if they turned out to be homosexuals, to be happy and in a peaceful relationship then say he would push for a constitutional amendment banning a legal relationship for them…wouldn’t that make them UNhappy?

People say all the time, choose the lesser of two evils. I don’t agree. Choosing the lesser of two evils means you are still choosing evil. Charles Spurgeon said, “When a Christian is faced with the choice between the lesser of two evils he should do neither.”

In the bible, should a person choose Jannes over Jambres? No. Both were condemned. Choose Ananias over Sapphira? No. Both were condemned. Why? They were both evil. God didn’t say, ‘I condemn the lesser of two evils’, He judged the evil. Period.

We vote for someone who we believe to the best of our diligent ability who will uphold Biblical principles and protect Constitutional government, regardless of that candidate’s perceived likelihood of prevailing. I sympathize with each and every mature Christian out there because I am agonizing over this as well. I know full well that there is no candidate out there who fully represents and lives out biblical principles. There are few enough who even appear moral.

Randy Alcorn wrote in part 1 of a series he began regarding this election, “Honestly, I am deeply concerned about this election, but not excited about it. I have very little faith in politics. Republican and Democratic administrations have combined together in the last forty years to establish a staggering track record of economic, personal and moral irresponsibility. They’ve proven themselves poor stewards of our country. And in many ways we have proven ourselves poor citizens and stewards.”

Here is a response by the pastors over at Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry to the question “Politics, Mormonism, and Christians.” The last few paragraphs get to the meat of the matter.

Here is another essay answering the question, “Should a Christian vote for a Mormon?“

Hopefully, some of the resources I’ve posted on this issue here and at the other blog entry may help you clarify your thinking. My thinking on the matter is clarified. And it was completely clarified last night before I changed my mind today. I am not settled on this by a long shot.

Lord, I not only pray for wisdom to make a God-honoring decision, I admit I also pray for the rapture so that we can be settled at your feet, enjoying a perfect theocracy once and for all. No voting necessary.

mormon, white horse prophecy

Mitt Romney and the Mormon white horse prophecy

Posted on October 11, 2012 by elizabethprata

An alert reader wanted to know about the Mormon so-called “White Horse Prophecy” and whether this prophecy should impact a voter’s decision regarding Mr Mitt Romney this November 6th one way or another.

The White Horse Prophecy is a prophecy that was allegedly made by Mormon “prophet” Joseph Smith.

It is a belief ingrained in Mormon culture and passed down through generations by church leaders that the day would come when the U.S. Constitution would “hang like a thread as fine as a silk fiber” and the Mormon priesthood would save it, as Salon.com described it, and the Salt Lake Tribune wrote in 2007 when Romney first ran, “In the latter days, the story goes, the U.S. Constitution will hang by a thread and a Mormon will ride in on a metaphorical white horse to save it.”

The prophecy was claimed to have been taught by Joseph Smith in 1840-43 but not revealed until a diary entry by John Roberts was discovered that had been written in 1902, more than 60 years after the fact. Due to the difficulty in authenticating the prophecy and its origins, the LDS church rejects it as doctrine and most Mormons do not believe in it. As they say.

Salon.com’s most interesting article about Mitt Romney and the alleged White Horse prophecy is from earlier this year. Here are some excerpts, but I suggest you read the entire article. It discusses one of the reasons Mormonism was founded, which was to take the government back and institute Mormons in government offices. The goal was the White House. Joseph Smith was shot and killed in Washington DC as he campaigned on this platform.

“Romney avoids mentioning it, but [Joseph] Smith ran for president in 1844 as an independent commander in chief of an “army of God” advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government in favor of a Mormon-ruled theocracy. Challenging Democrat James Polk and Whig Henry Clay, Smith prophesied that if the U.S. Congress did not accede to his demands that “they shall be broken up as a government and God shall damn them.” Smith viewed capturing the presidency as part of the mission of the church. He had predicted the emergence of “the one Mighty and Strong” — a leader who would “set in order the house of God” — and became the first of many prominent Mormon men to claim the mantle.”

“Smith’s insertion of religion into politics and his call for a “theodemocracy where God and people hold the power to conduct the affairs of men in righteous matters” created a sensation and drew hostility from the outside world. But his candidacy was cut short when he was shot to death by an anti-Mormon vigilante mob. Out of Smith’s national political ambitions grew what would become known in Mormon circles as the “White Horse Prophecy” — a belief ingrained in Mormon culture and passed down through generations by church leaders that the day would come when the U.S. Constitution would “hang like a thread as fine as a silk fiber” and the Mormon priesthood would save it.

“Moody is a seventh-generation Mormon, steeped in the same intellectual and theological milieu [as Romney, who is also 7th generation Mormon].

“We were taught that America is the Promised Land,” Moody said in an interview.” The Mormons are the Chosen People. And the time is now for a Mormon leader to usher in the second coming of Christ and install the political Kingdom of God in Washington, D.C.”

“In this scenario, Romney’s candidacy is part of the eternal plan and the candidate himself is fulfilling the destiny begun in what the church calls the “pre-existence.”

“Several prominent Mormons, including conservative talk-show host Glenn Beck, have alluded to this apocalyptic prophecy. The controversial myth is not an official church doctrine, but it has also arisen in the national dialogue with the presidential candidacies of Mormons George Romney, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and now Mitt Romney.”

The question is, does Mitt Romney view the American presidency as a theological office? He says no. He says he does not believe in the White Horse Prophecy.

The Salt Lake Tribune covered the Romney campaign in 2007. Once again, these are excerpts only.

(2007) Romney candidacy has resurrected last days prophecy of Mormon saving the Constitution

WASHINGTON – It’s Mormon lore, a story passed along by some old-timers about the importance of their faith and their country. In the latter days, the story goes, the U.S. Constitution will hang by a thread and a Mormon will ride in on a metaphorical white horse to save it. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says it does not accept the legend – commonly referred to as the “White Horse Prophecy” – as doctrine.

The issue, however, has been raised on those occasions when Mormons have sought the Oval Office: George Romney was asked about it during his bid in 1968, Sen. Orrin Hatch discussed it when he ran in 2000, and now Mitt Romney. “It is being raised,” says Phil Barlow, a professor of Mormon history and culture at Utah State University. “I’ve heard it a bit lately.”
Romney says he doesn’t believe in the supposed prophecy, nor did his father when he ran.
“I haven’t heard my name associated with it or anything of that nature,” Mitt Romney told The Salt Lake Tribune during an interview earlier this year. “That’s not official church doctrine. There are a lot of things that are speculation and discussion by church members and even church leaders that aren’t official church doctrine. I don’t put that at the heart of my religious belief.”

The disputed prophecy was recorded in a diary entry of a Mormon who had heard the tale from two men who were with Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, Ill. when he supposedly declared the prophecy.

“You will see the Constitution of the United States almost destroyed,” the diary entry quotes Smith as saying. “It will hang like a thread as fine as a silk fiber.”

Not only will the Mormons save the Constitution, under the prediction, but the prophecy goes further, insinuating that Mormons will control the government. “Power will be given to the White Horse to rebuke the nations afar off, and you obey it, for the laws go forth from Zion,” the prophecy says.

So, what are Christians to make of this? Will we be putting America at risk by voting for Romney? Is there anything to this prophecy? The Washington Post published an article on October 9th which clearly shows that evangelicals are mighty skittish about Mr Romney:

“Evangelical leaders worried that Mitt Romney’s Mormonism could suppress conservative turnout on Election Day are intensifying appeals for Christians to vote. In poll after poll, evangelicals have overwhelmingly said they would back the Republican presidential nominee despite theological differences with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But what had been thought of as a hypothetical question for American evangelicals for years, Southern Baptist leader Al Mohler said recently, is now a reality with this election and is being tested in a contest that will likely be decided by slim margins. “The fact is that Mitt Romney is a Mormon, and many of our people are very, very uncomfortable about voting for a Mormon, as I am. I supported somebody else in the primary. But, hey, we have no option,” said Steve Strang, an influential Pentecostal publisher, in a conference call with pastors last week.”

Personally I believe not. First of all, Mormonism is not a Christian religion, so any prophecies coming from their leaders is not from Jesus. Jeremiah 28:9 gives the barometer of true versus false prophets: “But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true” (Jer. 28:9).” Ezekiel 33:33 says the same. Since Mr Smith has many failed prophesies then we can confidently say that his words are not from the Lord.

Deuteronomy 13:3 warns us not to listen to the false prophets.

But it does seem that the Constitution IS hanging by a thread…and if Romney gets in to the White House that the Mormons will seize on the moment and institute a false…something. Maybe so, maybe that will exactly happen. Or not.

We can be sure that whoever gets in to the White House, if we are not raptured by then or of Obama doesn’t institute martial law and simply stop the election, or refuses to vacate the White House in January, or any other scenario, GOD IS IN CONTROL.

There are many prophecies in the world. Will the world end in December 2012 as the Mayan Long Count prophecy seems to indicate? Do we change our routine or decisions based on the Mayan Doom prophecy? Of course not. We know there will be 7 years of Tribulation and then 1000 years of peace before the world passes away, so again the Mayan prophecy is false and the Lord is true. It is the same with the Mormon White Horse prophecy. Do we alter our decision making based on a false prophecy? Of course not. We look to the bible and see what it may say about choosing leaders, or about our participation in government, but we don’t do or not do something because of what a false prophet has said.

(Personally I resent any comparison of anyone or anything to the White Horse of Rev 19:11 that Jesus rides to smite the sinners and save the world. NONE but Jesus will ride a White Horse to the world’s rescue!!!)

Daniel 2:21 assures us that “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding). We are not citizens of this world. If God chooses to judge America by removing our liberties, then He will do so. He may use the vehicle of Obama to do it. If He wants to judge us by allowing a harlot religion to flourish, then He may do so, using the vehicle of Romney to do it. We don’t know, but we love the LORD and His ways. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

All we have to do is remember our accountability to Him. We need to vote for the man or woman who best will fulfill their job, ethically and morally. We are on the road to serious, destructive, damning sin. Do we vote for a man who exemplifies sin and has done so for the last four years in everything he says and does? Or do we vote for a man who has a track record of selfless service, generosity, charity, and morals? Or do we want to vote for another person who is not of the main parties who more closely aligns with your own doctrines or political ideology? It is for each individual Christian to decide, but in all, we give an account to God for our decision. Make it wisely, prayerfully.

He will work ALL to His good and glory. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). False prophesies are just that, false. Read Ezekiel 13:1-16 for the word on how God will deal with false prophets who spout false prophecies. We need not worry about that. All we need do is remember that God will set up in His government whom He wants, regardless of our vote. What we are voting for is not the outcome but the opportunity to make a good account to the Lord.

afterlife, eben alexander, jesus, NDE, near death experience

Afterlife exists says top brain surgeon

Posted on October 10, 2012 by elizabethprata

Afterlife exists says top brain surgeon
“Dr Eben Alexander, a Harvard-educated neurosurgeon, fell into a coma for seven days in 2008 after contracting meningitis. During his illness Dr Alexander says that the part of his brain which controls human thought and emotion “shut down” and that he then experienced “something so profound that it gave me a scientific reason to believe in consciousness after death.” In an essay for American magazine Newsweek, which he wrote to promote his book Proof of Heaven, Dr Alexander says he was met by a beautiful blue-eyed woman in a “place of clouds, big fluffy pink-white ones” and “shimmering beings.”

Why does it make the news when some British brain dead doctor wakes up and says he saw heaven but when Jesus, in front of witnesses, died and rose again, in front of witnesses, the world yawns? Just think about that for a minute.

I am sad for the doctor. And he wrote a whole book called “Proof of Heaven” ??!! Jesus wrote a whole book – the bible – which is proof of heaven.

The man’s medically induced, hospital-drug involved experience in no way proves heaven. He experienced something. It wasn’t heaven. The man’s brain was swelled up, neurologically destroyed for a period, and drugs were keeping him alive. Anything could be happening in his brain at that moment! His experience is proof of nothing.

If you notice all the people who say they have been brought to heaven, their visions do not line up with what the bible says. The doctor saw cotton-candy clouds, and women angels (not biblical) but NOT Jesus? If he is saved, the man would be with Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8a). If he was not saved, he would not be in heaven.

What did Ezekiel see? God (Ezek. 1:26)
What did Daniel see? God (Dan. 7:9)
What did Isaiah see? God ((Isa. 6:1)
What did Jacob see? God (Gen. 28:12, 13)
What did Stephen see? Jesus (Acts 7:55)
What did John see? God (Rev. 4:2)
What did Micaiah see? God. (2 Chron. 18:18)
What did Paul see? He wasn’t allowed to say!

Not only do these trips to heaven not line up with the bible, they do not line up with each other. No one, like Colton Burpo or Don Piper or this doctor etc., saw the same things as each other. They each saw different things.

Now satan, who is a liar and the father if lies, wants to delude someone, wouldn’t you think he could give an unsaved person a vision and delude them into thinking they saw heaven and are headed there? That they are all set and do not need Jesus for salvation? Which is more likely: Jesus giving tours of heaven which differ from each other, or satan, father of lies deluding people into thinking they are saved by giving them a false vision?

Here is a good 15-min video of a discernment minister named Justin Peters explaining why these ‘visits to the afterlife’ and visions of heaven are false.

Justin Peters Explains Why Stories of Trips To Heaven Do Not Line up With the Bible

Sorry to burst your bubble, people.. 🙂 We want to be excited, but we have to be discerning.

end time, judgment, prophecy, revelation

Why is there silence in heaven for half an hour?

Posted on October 9, 2012 by elizabethprata

Here is some news that caught my eye. Prophetic mention after each news excerpt and a prophetic discussion below.

Raccoons taking over, hissing at New Yorkers
“A turf battle of sorts is taking place in some neighborhoods. Raccoons are invading. They’re getting into garbage cans, backyards and even breaking into homes. And what’s more, these resourceful raccoons are outsmarting the most determined of trappers, CBS 2’s Dave Carlin reported. Clinton Hill, Brooklyn resident Susan DeBrango snapped pictures of the suspects, their faces masked, trying to get inside her home. “They are adorable but not in your backyard when they impact your life,” DeBrango said. “When he saw at me he stood up on two legs and hissed at me.” They are getting more brazen on Washington Avenue, rummaging through trash, and running right up to neighbors. One even went face-to-face with Barbara Mattocks on her own front stoop. “I don’t want that feeling ever again. I was petrified,” Mattocks said. It’s gotten so bad, one 3-year-old Maltese named ‘Snowball,’ who used to love to play outside, is now a prisoner in his own home, according to his owner. “He refuses to go out in the yard,” Mattocks said.

One of the coming judgments will be the plague of animals. When the Pale Horse of death is unleashed, authority is given to “kill [a fourth of the earth] with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.” (Rev 6:6-8). A quarter of the earth will die from 4 methods and one of them will be by animal. [shudder]

Scientist predicts major earthquake in Middle East The Middle East may not possess the same reputation for seismic disasters as some other parts of the world, but that is of little comfort to the people of north-west Iran, over 300 of whom were killed when a twin earthquake struck the country’s mountainous region earlier this year. Destroying villages and injuring many thousands, the two six-plus magnitude quakes – striking the same location north-east of the city of Tabriz and spaced just 11 minutes apart – were among the worst to hit Iran since 2003, when an earthquake killed 25,000 people in the city of Bam. … We fear that a major earthquake in the Holy Land is imminent,” says Marco, whose research led him to conclude that following four major earthquakes in the region some 300 to 400 years apart in roughly the first millennium, the last 1,000 years of quiescence are a matter of grave concern for all in the Holy Land.”

“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).

God has always used earthquakes to warn, to judge, to demonstrate His power. It will be the same, but even more so, in the Tribulation.

Universe Today: Curiosity Finds…SOMETHING…on Martian Surface

“While scooping its first samples of Martian soil, NASA’s Curiosity rover captured the image above, which shows what seems to be a small, seemingly metallic sliver or chip of… something… resting on the ground. Is it a piece of the rover? Or some other discarded fleck of the MSL descent mechanisms? Or perhaps an exotic Martian pebble of some sort? Nobody knows for sure yet, but needless to say the soil samples have taken a back seat to this new finding for the time being.”

Large asteroid to pass by earth Friday Morning “An asteroid the size of a 7-to-10 story office building is expected to slide past the Earth early Friday at an altitude of 35,000 miles from the surface. The asteroid, designated 2012 TC4, was discovered less than a week ago by scientists. Experts said they do not expect any adverse effects from the asteroid. According to NASA, the 20-to-30 meter wide asteroid will pass Earth at 20 percent of the distance from the Earth to the moon, or 0.2 LD.”

Just discovered a week ago?!?! Passing by with a few miles? Oy.

The bible says “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” (Luke 21:25-26).

Personally I think the thing on Mars is a chip or a flake from Curiosity flying off in the descent. It is a stretch to say that the news of ‘something’ on Mars is a sign, because it isn’t, but it certainly does add to the sense of foreboding, and enhances the public’s proclivity to see aliens around every corner and conspiracy theories behind every water cooler. Especially when asteroids pop up out of nowhere. The truth is, society IS perplexed and in a state of foreboding, so news like this will only rattle the cages and pound the hearts all the more.

You know that war between Syria and Turkey is one mortar away, don’t you? Turkey has the 2nd largest army in NATO, after the US. Turks and Syrians have been exchanging shelling for over a week, Turkey is still burning due to Syria shooting down the Turkish war plane earlier this summer, and troops on both sides are mobilizing at the border. Syria’s Assad is thinking of making a national call-up to all soldiers. If they go to war, NATO will get involved. If NATO gets involved, the US will too. We’re part of NATO.

Turkish president says “worst case” unfolding in Syria “Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Monday the “worst-case scenarios” were now playing out in Syria and Turkey would do everything necessary to protect itself, as its army fired back for a sixth day after a shell from Syria flew over the border. Gul said the violence in Turkey’s southern neighbor, where a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad has evolved into a civil war that threatens to draw in regional powers, could not go on indefinitely and Assad’s fall was inevitable. “The worst-case scenarios are taking place right now in Syria … Our government is in constant consultation with the Turkish military. Whatever is needed is being done immediately as you see, and it will continue to be done,” Gul said.”

The bible says, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24:6) “And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.” (Revelation 6:4).

These are signs of the end, in one way or another. But people who mock and scoff say, ‘Wars and rumors of wars and earthquakes have always happened! And the raccoons are probably either rabid or sick! And so what there’s a metal flake was on Mars, that has nothing to do with anything!”

This kind of denial is rampant. It is also easy to deny because the quakes and animals and wars, though more intense and frequent, are “normal.” Even the catastrophes in Revelation 6 during the Tribulation are “normal” insofar as the society of those that dwell on the earth will explain them away just as people are attempting to do now. Bah, they will say, Wars and quakes and storms and disease are part of life on earth. But then Revelation 8 happens…

“When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.” (Revelation 8:1-5).

Why the silence? And what does that have to do with hissing raccoons, earthquakes, and Turkish war drums? Learn the Bible says, “There is a distinction between the seven seals [of Revelation 6] and the seven trumpets that indicates a shift in God’s dealings with man in the midst of the tribulation period. The seven seals bring judgment through either manmade or seemingly natural events. They are the judgment of God, but could be dismissed as natural events. The seven trumpets, on the other hand, are clearly supernatural in cause. They are clearly the pouring out of God’s wrath upon the earth. Revelation 8 describes a pause in heaven before this shift in judgment occurs.”

The essay at LTB goes on to describe more on why there is silence and what it has to do with worship. It is a good article, and sobering.

Do not wait for those times to repent. Repent now. Believe on the name of Jesus and the sacrifice for sins and which was accepted by God. God was pleased to crush His Son: “Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.’ (Isaiah 53:10).

The name of Jesus is the only name by which ye may be saved. “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

bible study, end time, prophecy

How can I go deeper into the bible?

Posted on October 8, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

This is a lesson oriented lesson blog entry about how I go deeper from the bible. This morning I posted an essay about the parable of the wheat and the tares. Another word for tares in some translations is weed, and they both refer to darnel.

How did I know it was referring to darnel? I didn’t. But I did notice that in my bible there is a little footnote for verse 25. It led me to the bottom of the page, where the note said “c- 25 Probably darnel, a wheat-like weed.”

Darnel (left) is a weed that’s wheat-like? Hmmm. In going deeper in study, don’t stop there. Find out about darnel. I find it useful to ask questions. “Why darnel? Why not dandelion weed? What is it about darnel that the Spirit decided to use that representation for the weed in the parable, and not another? What does darnel look like?” And so on.

You notice later on in Matthew 13, the disciples went to Jesus and asked questions. They wanted to know the deeper meaning of the parable they’d heard. “Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” They took the initiative. The Holy Spirit delivers wisdom without reproach to all who ask, according to James 1:5.

I’ve found that having a book on the natural history of Israel is very helpful. Occasionally I check it out from the library. Someday I’d like to buy one for myself to have on hand all the time. I’ve looked up references to the animals, trees, birds, topography, and so on, many times. It always helps deepen my understanding of the Word, and also grounds me in the location.

So in pursuing the information about the qualities about darnel, I go to the Jewish Virtual Encyclopedia, or just Google ‘darnel’, and click on the sites that result in the search list that look credible.

I read a lot about darnel. I learned its agricultural properties and also the history of its use in either sowing an enemy’s field and the legal ramifications and also the medicinal properties of it that cause a poison-like reaction in people who consume it warm.

There are a multitude of parables, metaphors, and examples in the bible that are agriculturally related. America is an industrial society. Without looking deeper into the natural history references and understanding the agriculture, we miss so much. Here are some quick examples:

In Psalm 29:5 where it says “The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.” If you know that the cedars of Lebanon are exceptionally tall, straight and strong, (up to 130 ft high and 8 ft in diameter) it deepens the passage to understand that the LORD’S voice is quite powerful indeed to break such a sturdy tree.

The parable of the mustard seed means more when you learn that the seed is the smallest seed but grows the largest bush.

Knowing the topography of the Sermon on the Mount, that it is a natural grassy ampitheatre where the acoustics would have carried Jesus’s voice very far without amplification, is an interesting fact. Modern sound engineers have tested the place and concluded that a crowd of 7,000 would have had no trouble hearing Jesus’s words. According to the website See The Holy Land,

Salvadora Persica, Mustard tree

“About 1km northeast of Tabgha is a small bay with exceptional acoustic qualities. Here it is believed Jesus taught the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-9) from a boat moored in the bay. The semicircular bay, at the foot of the Mount of Beatitudes, is one of the most attractive places along the shoreline. It is called Sower’s Cove or the Bay of the Parables. The slope of the hill forms a natural amphitheatre, rather like a Roman theatre. Acoustical research has demonstrated that as many as 7000 people could hear a person speaking from a boat in the bay. Pilgrims who test the acoustics, usually by reading the Gospel account, are amazed at how far the voice carries. This location was also an appropriate setting for the story of the sower and his seeds. There is fertile black earth, rocky ground and plenty of thorns and thistles.”

So to sum up about going deeper:

–ask questions to yourself about the passage, verse, or word. Not to doubt, but to enhance. Ask yourself why this word, what are the qualities of the tree/animal/plant that is being used as an example, etc. Get in the habit of asking questions. If you don’t have time to follow up then, keep a notebook next to your bible and just jot the questions down to look up later. For example, Acts 16:14 describes Lydia as “And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira…was a worshiper of God” so of course you would ask, “what is a seller of purple?” “What does it mean to be a worshiper of God (it meant something different in those days than it does now).

–Read the cross-references, and the footnotes. If a cross-reference sparks a memory or another verse but you do not have time to follow it up right then, jot it in the notebook- and then really look it up later.

–Use maps to see where the events took place, and note the place names around it. For example it helps to know that the ancient name for Damascus is Rabbah, and Salem is another name for Jerusalem.

–Take time to study the natural history, topography, and agriculture of ancient Israel. Knowing how they winnow, thresh, make olive oil, ferment wine, etc enhances the picture for you. In the Proverbs, there are four inconspicuous animals/insects that are lauded; the ant, the rock badger, the locust (grasshopper), and the spider. It would be fun to compare the real-world behaviors of each to see why the Lord applauds what these animals do.

Just yesterday in studying winnowing, I learned that the threshing-floor David bought from Ornan is atop Mr Moriah where the Temple was…and that it is also the place where Abraham (almost) sacrificed Isaac. Doesn’t it resonate, knowing that the the son of Abraham was almost sacrificed on the spot where the Son of Man actually was sacrificed? And that the threshing floor became the temple which will also be the spot that Jesus lands at the Second Coming?

This short lesson only discusses the agriculture, natural history or topography. Going deeper also involves looking at the original language, the historical context, and always accompanying prayer, among many other methods of going deeper. And at the most basic, just reading the text for what it is, a gift and a pleasure!

What do you do to go deeper into the bible?

jesus, judgment, winnowing fork

The wheat and tares. Is the winnowing is about to begin?

Posted on October 8, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Matthew 3:12:

“His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

The way the ancients used to process their wheat is to gather it from the field, place it on the hardened threshing floor, and thresh and winnow it. The threshing-floor is a hollowed out spot with a packed earthen floor on the top of a hill where the late afternoon wind kicks up. The first part of the process is threshing. They thresh the wheat stalks by passing a sledge over them on the threshing-floor. Dragging the sledge over the stalk rolls the chaff kernel off the wheat stalk. You can see one woman standing on a sledge in the photo. The sledge is the tied-together planks with turned up front. Sledging separates the wheat from the chaff. You want the wheat. The chaff is the hard kernel husk, and you don’t want that. It is inedible. As the threshing process goes on they mound the stalks in the middle of the floor.

Next they take a winnowing fork, poke it into the mound, and toss all the material – wheat, chaff, straw, weevils, etc, – into the air. The wind carries the chaff away. The heavier wheat falls to the ground.

A threshing floor in the hills of Galilee – the women threshing

A threshing floor in the hills of Galilee - the women winnowing Palestine

Library of Congress

Primitive winnowing [picture] : [Palestine, World War II]

National Library of Australia

When they finish the threshing and winnowing, they gather the broken straws and bundle them for fuel to be burned. The wheat is gathered and tied together in bundles also and put into the barn.

The Matthew verse speaks to the judgment of Jesus. The chaff are unbelievers which will be burned with an unquenchable fire. That speaks to the fire of hell which will torment the unbeliever forever.

The wheat that has been gathered into the barn is the raptured and resurrected saints gathered to Jesus to the place He has prepared for us.

Now here is the Parable of the Weeds (Tares)

“He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” (Matthew 13:24-30).

In regards to that parable, I see some things happening in Christendom that are really pretty startling. I’m watching people I know, people who claim to be Christians, falling into activities or sins or speech that are not Christian. This is very prophetic.

Here is Jesus’ explanation of the parable.

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. (Matthew 13:36-40)

You see, the world is filled with tares as well as wheat. Satan came in and secretly brought in destructive heresies and false workers to spew them in order to bring reproach onto the name of Jesus and hinder His kingdom on earth. To illustrate this, Jesus told the parable of the weeds, posted above. The weed is darnel, which enemies used to sow into an enemy’s field. This was a problem in the ancient days, so much so that Rome passed a law prohibiting it and levied severe penalties to anyone caught doing it. It is a catastrophic way to destroy the economy of your enemy, because the darnel looks exactly like wheat, until the very last moment when the ear appears. Darnel is called “false wheat” in many parts of the world. In the bible it is also known as tares.

In Montana they are combating Persian darnel infestation. Montana State University Extension reports, “At high densities, Persian darnel could cause crop yield loss of up to 83 percent, 70 percent and 57 percent for spring wheat, canola and sunflower, respectively.” An 83% loss of your grain certainly is catastrophic.

We know that false Christians populate the world. The Parable of the Tares tells us this. Also, the following verses are a few that tell us that there will be false ones among us. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 2 Timothy 3:5; Titus 1:16)

Additionally, the bible’s record of the false ones’ future pleas to Jesus tell us there will be “many” who were false. They will say, “Lord, Lord, did we not…” and He will say “Depart from me you workers of iniquity, I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:21-23). These are people who looked the Christian part, acted the part, even attended church and prophesied in His name. We couldn’t tell they were saved or not because that is not our job.

We can, however, often get a sense of whether a person is genuinely saved or not. We can compare their life that is allegedly sanctified to the Word and if they bear no fruit we suspect the worst. We can pray for them in that case. But we can’t uproot the wheat because we don’t truly know for sure if they are wheat or darnel. That is not our job.

Forerunner Commentary explains, “The bad seeds grow to become poisonous weeds that allow only the healthiest of the wheat to survive. … Only when the wheat has matured can the tares be detected. Then the tares are gathered together in bundles in the field and destroyed by fire. … Many who are not in the process of conversion resemble those who are. Just like true Christians, they go to church, pray, and read the Bible, but they are only religious hobbyists. Jesus calls them “sons of the wicked one” (Matthew 13:38), and being tares, they will be destroyed. [Mathew G. Collins, Forerunner Commentary.]

The harvest time has not begun yet, because that is the Rapture and then the Day of the Lord, AKA the Tribulation. The darnel weed is identified from the real wheat at the end when the growth is nearly complete. Though they are not uprooted yet, we are beginning to see who is a wheat and who is a tare. At the very end, when the ear begins to appear, right before the harvest, we see what’s what. I think the very fact that so many Christians are apostasizing, veering away from the faith, reveals how very late we are in the age. The world is full of darnel.

If you grind darnel along with wheat into flour it will cause a kind of drunkenness. It makes a person stagger, vomit, and generally act stupid. The tares of today are acting like that.

January 31, 2012, Atlanta pastor “Bishop” Eddie Long
is wrapped in a torah, draped in a prayer shawl,
crowned a king, then paraded around in his throne

A Christian church advocating getting a tattoo for Lent?!
And what’s with the caption about ‘Jesus falling the first time??

Darnel-driven drunken silliness abounds. I could post photo after photo that illustrates it.

I believe that when we see such overt tare-like behavior that we are seeing the end of the maturing process. If the tares are so easily detected now, it must be close to the end. This is my opinion. We are at such a close time to the harvest that the darnel’s head has appeared and we can begin to see their real state. Verse 26 in Matthew 13 says “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.”

The false Christians are becoming evident. This process has amazed me with its rapidity. In my opinion, since the false Christians are so evident, which indicates that the tares are mature, it means the winnowing is very likely about to begin.

election, end time

John MacArthur: "I don’t know how long America has left, I really don’t."

Posted on October 7, 2012 by elizabethprata

We are nearing the end of the days of the Church Age. We are very close to the end.

Some of you know this because you see your pastors grapple with issues and problems that they have never dealt with before in like frequency or content.

Some of you know this because you have eyes to see, and notice that wherever you are living has gotten so sinful, immoral, and crime ridden you wonder and marvel at the patience of our Holy God to tolerate it.

Some of you know that we are nearing the end because you listen to or read watchmen pastors like Hal Lindsey or JD Farag, or others who illuminate us as to the signs Jesus said to watch for.

Still others, like John MacArthur, use Romans 1 as the cultural and spiritual barometer.

Romans 1 is the chapter where Paul tells the church about the wrath of God revealed to immoral nations. It outlines the process of what, how, and when God judges a nation via His wrath of abandonment.

God has many different kinds of wrath, and none of them are the human wrath of uncontrolled anger or petulance. MacArthur lists the elements of God’s wrath.

“There is eschatological wrath. That is the wrath that will fall on the earth at the end of human history in a time called the time of Tribulation. There is sowing and reaping wrath. That is the wrath of God that comes consequent on sin–whatever a man sows, he reaps. There is cataclysmic wrath. That is the wrath of God that He sets on man from miraculous use of the natural order, such as the Flood, or any other massive disaster that catapults souls into eternity. So there is that wrath of God which is eschatological and which is consequential and which is cataclysmic. And then there is that wrath of God which is eternal wrath, and that would be the wrath of God unleashed on the ungodly forever in the punishments of eternal hell.”

“But the wrath that is being referred to in Romans 1 isn’t any of those. It is the wrath of abandonment.”

And that is the wrath of Romans 1.

I have been listening to Dr MacArthur for a long time. I’ve listened to his sermons going back to 1969. I’ve listened to many in each decade of his ministry. I’ve listened to all of them regarding the end times. In all of them I notice two things. One is that he uses Romans 1 as his barometer of where the culture is in regards to the nearness of judgment. And the second is that he outright never says how close we are. He just preaches Romans 1 in his sermons and as a response to any Q&A sessions, plenary panels, or interviews and leaves it to the Christian to make that determination for themselves. It’s always just teaching Romans 1 but never has he said how close we are.

Until now.

One can intuit by comparing the society to the Romans chapter how close we are. Romans goes from verse 1 to 32. During this month Dr MacArthur attended both sessions of the political conventions, Democratic and Republican. He returned home to southern California at the beginning of September and through the month of September he has been preaching three messages related to the culture. This is a departure for him anyway, he rarely preaches a message that is unrelated to a book of the bible and is culturally oriented.

But these messages are at root biblically oriented. He returned home shook up and amazed at how close we are to judgment. He is also heartbroken, you can hear it in his voice. For a pastor, I can’t imagine the agonies of watching a society and all the people in it fall away from the offer of salvation and reject it at such a massive and global scale. If you are a good pastor, this breaks your heart, and Dr MacArthur is a good pastor.

We are at verse 32. The last verse in the outline of God’s progressive wrath is now at the last word, the last period of that chapter. And in one of these three tremendously convicting and horrifying sermons, he said,

“I don’t know how much time America has left, I really don’t. But we’re on a course described here as God casting us out. The land has become defiled. “I’ve brought its punishment upon it,” verse 25, “so the land has spewed out its inhabitants.””

I plead with you to listen to all three of the messages. You will receive a biblical overview of not only the coming election, which is helpful, but the times overall. You’ll understand the depth of passion with which we must live for Jesus in these last days. You will see clearly and breathtakingly how far we have traveled down the road of wrath and how close we are to the end. I am sure of it. Dr MacArthur lays out the chapter so clearly and biblically, if you have one molecule of regenerated sanctification in you, you will see it too.

Here are the three messages, in order. They are each about 45 minutes long.

Thank you and God bless.

Abortion and the Campaign for Immorality

Homosexuality and the Campaign for Immorality

A Warning to Every Proud Ruler

flexahexagon, math, vi hart

The flexahexagon will blow your mind

Posted on October 7, 2012 by elizabethprata

If you enjoy Flatland, Dali’s Hypercube Crucifix, and MC Escher’s Mobius, you will love the Youtube video by mathematician Vi Hart playing with a flexahexagon.

Robert T Gonzalez wrote about it at io9,

“Remember the first time you saw a Möbius strip (the ring-shaped surface with only one side) and it felt like your world had been turned upside down? The hexaflexagon tends to have a similar effect. Only more so. In this, her latest video, fast-thinking, faster-talking YouTube-maths-wizard Vi Hart presents us with the topologically fascinating hexaflexagon. First discovered in the 1930s by a daydreaming student named Arthur H. Stone, flexagons have attracted the curiosity of great scientists for decades, including Stone’s friend and colleague Richard Feynman. Here, the ever-capable Hart introduces the folding, pinching, rotating, multifaceted geometric oddity with her signature brand of rapid-fire wit and exposition. She even shows you how to make your own. Seeing as Hart has dubbed October “The Month of the Flexagon,” it sounds like we can look forward to a few more similarly themed videos in the weeks ahead. We’ll keep you posted.”

[Vi Hart] website

I really did LOL–