Posted in gnosticism, gnostics, neo-gnosticism, religious tradition

Gnosticism Part 6, Reliance on Human Wisdom and Traditions

Posted on by elizabethprata

What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? Is there more to life than this? Is there life after death?

These are the eternal questions that man has asked almost from the beginning. That’s because God set eternity in our hearts.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Barnes Notes explains, “God has placed in the inborn constitution of man the capability of conceiving of eternity, the struggle to apprehend the everlasting, the longing after an eternal life.”

This is part 6 looking at the origins of Gnosticism and its impact on today’s church, I will examine the sixth element that Zondervan’s NIV bible lists as the main components of the philosophy/religion: reliance on man’s wisdom and traditions. Though Gnosticism encompasses a wide range of beliefs, there are 6 main elements that Paul refutes in Colossians-

1. secret knowledge, (refuted in Col 1:27; 2:3)
2. asceticism, (Col 2:18)
3. depreciation of Christ (lowering Him in name and in glory), (Col 2:18b)
4. strict rule-keeping, ceremonies, or rituals (Col 2:23)
5. worship of angels, (Col 2:18)
6. and reliance on human wisdom and traditions (Col 2:20b-22)

Paul wrote in Colossians 2:20b-22:
“If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21“Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings?”

It is the fact that we ask the eternal questions that unites us as humans. We all feel the need to ask, to find out, to search for meaning above and beyond ourselves. Every human on earth lives in a creation that God made. That He made it is evident. (Romans 1:20). It is the individual’s response to His creation that makes the difference in our eternity.

Romans 1:18-19 discusses the wrath of God against those who see what He has plainly made evident in creation but have suppressed it. However, those who suppress the fact that God revealed Himself plainly, still seek the answers to the eternal questions. So they make up philosophies to satisfy the longing. This is aptly demonstrated in the modern Gnostic’s own words. From Gnosis.org:

“All religious traditions acknowledge that the world is imperfect. Where they differ is in the explanations which they offer to account for this imperfection and in what they suggest might be done about it. Gnostics have their own — perhaps quite startling — view of these matters: they hold that the world is flawed because it was created in a flawed manner.”

The truth is, the world is imperfect because man is imperfect, sinful, as a matter of fact. It was made perfectly and God declared it very good. (Genesis 1:31). Man brought imperfection and thus introduced sin into God’s perfect creation. (Genesis 3:14-19.) But when a religion or a philosophy suppresses that fact, people seek that answer elsewhere as to why things are so messed up. Since they do not understand that they themselves are imperfect, they decide the world must be the problem.

That is why the Gnostics’ philosophies are so appealing to man. It is why Gnostic human wisdom and traditions are so readily absorbed by those who suppress the truth of God. It releases them from responsibility. Or they think it does. Yet all humans sin (Romans 3:23) and all will stand before God to give an account. (2 Cor 5:10, Job 34:11, Matthew 16:27…)

Reliance on human wisdom and philosophy is a tremendously appealing method to attempt to find answers to life’s problems. Buddha certainly thought so.

A gnostic belief system with its reliance on human traditions is like trying not to drown by hanging onto a rock.

Mark Fairley is part of the Fuel Project. He finished the “Know Your Enemy” series recently and has begun a second series called “Stay Free”. In the Enemy series, he explored the coming New World Order from a Christian perspective. He looked at the rise of false religions from the Fall to the current time. In his sequel Stay Free series he looks at morality and how society cannot survive without Christ.

In this 13-minute part, the series looks at the rise of Phariseeism. These were the worst of the worst as far as applying rules and traditions to human wisdom, which are no substitute for God. Indeed, even if one does not substitute tradition for God, man-made rules are not even helpful alongside true faith, as Paul wrote in Colossians 2 and as the narrator demonstrates. Reliance on human tradition and rules will only ever get you tangled up:

Stay Free (Part 18 – The Rise of the Pharisees)

John MacArthur preached on this verse in a sermon titled Philosophy or Christ?

Paul said there were two inadequate sources for wisdom, philosophy and vain deceit. (Col 2:8)

“Two inadequate sources: #1 ‑ tradition. It’s always been the case. People have always believed it. You know what that does? That just perpetuates inadequate, depraved human thinking patterns. Tradition doesn’t mean anything. Just because it’s handed down doesn’t mean it’s true. If you’ve got error to start with and hand it down, it doesn’t make it any better than what you started with. Here he’s saying, “Philosophy comes after the tradition of men.” One of the things that’s so interesting and we don’t really have time to develop this … when you study philosophy, almost all philosophers, build on other philosophers.”

“There’s an incredible sequence that flows through the history of philosophy. And one guy goes this far, the next guy chops off a little bit of his philosophy and develops it, and the next guy…so what you have today in philosophy can go all the way back and almost all philosophy finds its roots in Aristotle and Plato. It’s all just a changing and a variation in the flow of the tradition of man. The errors are perpetuated, perpetuated, perpetuated, perpetuated. Look at Judaism. By the time Jesus arrived on the earth, the Jews had built up such a monstrosity of philosophy, such a mess of human wisdom, that they were unable any longer to tell what the traditions of men were and what the Word of God was. … There’s nothing sacred about tradition. It’s just perpetuated human ignorance.” (source)

God warns us against seeking after human wisdom in our own vain deceit: “For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” (1 Corinthians 1:19)

Solomon had something to say about that search for wisdom-

“I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.” (Ecclesiastes 1:16-17).

Matthew Henry says of Solomon’s search for wisdom- “Solomon tried all things, and found them vanity. He found his searches after knowledge weariness, not only to the flesh, but to the mind. The more he saw of the works done under the sun, the more he saw their vanity; and the sight often vexed his spirit. He could neither gain that satisfaction to himself, nor do that good to others, which he expected. Even the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom discovered man’s wickedness and misery; so that the more he knew, the more he saw cause to lament and mourn. Let us learn to hate and fear sin, the cause of all this vanity and misery; to value Christ; to seek rest in the knowledge, love, and service of the Saviour.’

The only hope is Jesus and the only wisdom is His. He has generously made that wisdom available to us in the bible. His death on the cross and gift of grace through salvation makes His wisdom understandable to us. Once we are a born-again believer, we can rely on the Holy Spirit to help us understand it!

Why would we want to rely on our on wisdom when we have perfect truth upon which to lean on? The message doesn’t take 800 Pharisaical rules to apply. There is only this:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)
————–
Gnosticism series:

Introduction
Part 1: Secret Knowledge
Part 2: Asceticism
Part 3: Depreciation of Jesus
Part 4: Ceremonies & Rituals
Part 5: Worship of Angels
Conclusion 

Posted in israel, jordan, middle east, nuclear

Jordan accuses Israel of interfering with Jordan’s nuclear ambitions

Posted on by elizabethprata

King Abdullah: Israel disrupting Jordan’s nuclear plans
“King Abdullah II on Wednesday accused Israel of disrupting Jordan’s nuclear program which is aimed at meeting its dire energy needs and powering water desalination plants, in an exclusive interview with AFP. “Strong opposition to Jordan’s nuclear energy program is coming from Israel,” the king said.”

Israel denies interfering with Jordan’s nuclear energy ambitions
“An Israeli official denied that his country is trying to disrupt Jordan’s nuclear energy program. The official dismissed charges by Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Wednesday that Israel is trying to thwart Jordan’s attempts to develop a nuclear energy program, the French news agency AFP reported. “Every time that we were consulted on this we adopted a positive approach,” the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We were consulted and we always said that of course if this was done according to NPT [Non-Proliferation Treaty] regulations and supervision and everything, then fine, we have no objection.”

Jordanian official: No tension between Israel, Jordan
“Asked whether diplomatic relations between Israeli and Jordanian leaders still exist, Amro said: “I believe that there is no tension between the two countries. We have a good relationship.”

Israel’s most unsecured border?
“Sinai smugglers face crackdown around Egyptian border but may soon find an alternative route via Jordan, where border area is alarmingly exposed. Residents fear this will be source of next terror attack.”

And so it goes.

Posted in death to america, innocence of muslims, mohammad movie, protests

Muslim protesters, in the religion of peace, shout "Behead all those who insult the prophet" in Sydney

Posted on by elizabethprata

Protests in Sydney, Australia today–from adherents of the so-called “religion of peace”.

“Eight people were arrested and six officers were injured after a protest swept through the Sydney CBD this afternoon. Police said that, about 1pm today, a group marched from Sydney Town Hall to Martin Place, where a confrontation occurred between protesters and police outside a building housing the US consulate.”

“The protests were [allegedly] triggered by a US film, Innocence of Muslims, portraying the prophet Muhammad as a womaniser and paedophile.”

Muhammad IS a womanizer and a pedophile. He married Aisha at age 6 and consummated his marriage with her at her age 9. This fact is recorded in the traditional hadiths, and published according to traditional Muslim sources.

1. Watt, “Aisha”, Encyclopedia of Islam Online
2. D. A. Spellberg, Politics, Gender, and the Islamic Past: the Legacy of A’isha bint Abi Bakr, Columbia University Press, 1994, p. 40
3. Karen Armstrong, Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet, Harper San Francisco, 1992, p. 157.
4. WikIslam: Koran, Hadith and Scholars: Aisha

Conservative blogger Pamela Geller on Fox and Friends this morning explains how Barack Obama is sanctioning the motive behind the murderous Muslim riots by trying to silence the Muhammad filmmakers.  Geller said of the issue: “You cannot ask me to sacrifice my freedom so as not to offend savages.” (source) Good video here

In Obama’s response, he said “…We reject efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others…”

Obama, this is not religious belief. It is murderous rage.

The anti-American protests are spreading. Over 20 nations now have had protesters doing violence because of the film Innocence of Muslims. There are reports of the protest in Sydney, and in China. The NY Times has a map, this link takes you there. It was last updated yesterday though but is still helpful.

Here is another link that was updated 14 minutes ago, from USA Today. It ends this way: “About 1,500 protest in the eastern Afghanistan city of Jalalabad, shouting “Death to America” “

I think the big crack in the dam was 9/11/01, and the breaking of the dam was the killings at the US Embassies earlier in the week. We have since seen the rage spread to 20+ nations. Sudan just rejected a US request to allow US Marines to enter the country so as to protect US facilities and personnel there.

In my opinion I don’t see the rage calming down any time soon. This is an age of sin, hatred, anger and apostasy. Day by day, things are NOT going to get better. Just be prepared for that, Brethren. But the promises of Jesus are true and solid. No matter what we endure on earth in the coming days, they are but a whisper and a vapor compared to the riches of His glory. (Romans 9:23).

Posted in prophecy, rapture, rosh hashanah

Rosh Hashanah begins tomorrow

Posted on by elizabethprata

Rosh Hashanah begins Sunday at sundown (6:43PM Jerusalem time). For many years, people have been saying that the rapture will likely (or as some have said, definitely) occur during the Feast of Trumpets, also known as the Jewish high holiday of Rosh Hashanah. I do not think the Jewish feasts are tied to the Times of the Gentiles because the two are distinct and mutually exclusive. (more here). However the rapture could happen at any time, so this weekend is as good a time as any. Only the Lord knows.

What IS Rosh Hashanah?

From Chabad.org:

“The festival of Rosh Hashanah—the name means “Head of the Year”—is observed for two days beginning on 1 Tishrei, the first day of the Jewish year. It is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, and their first actions toward the realization of mankind’s role in G‑d’s world.”

“The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the shofar, the ram’s horn, which also represents the trumpet blast of a people’s coronation of their king. The cry of the shofar is also a call to repentance, for Rosh Hashanah is also the anniversary of man’s first sin and his repentance thereof, and serves as the first of the “Ten Days of Repentance” which culminate in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Another significance of the shofar is to recall the Binding of Isaac which also occurred on Rosh Hashanah, in which a ram took Isaac’s place as an offering to G‑d; we evoke Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his son, and plead that the merit of his deed should stand by us as we pray for a year of life, health and prosperity.”

The Feast of Trumpets, along with the other six festivals of the LORD, foreshadowed certain aspects of the ministry of Jesus Christ. The shofar blown on Rosh Hashanah may or may not be the trumpet blown to capture the Church up to heaven in the rapture. I do believe the rapture is incredibly close, though.

History Channel explains, “The sounding of the shofar—a trumpet made from a ram’s horn—is an essential and emblematic part of both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The ancient instrument’s plaintive cry serves as a call to repentance and a reminder to Jews that God is their king. Tradition requires the shofar blower to play four sets of notes on Rosh Hashanah: tekiah, a long blast; shevarim, three short blasts; teruah, nine staccato blasts; and tekiah gedolah, a very long blast. Because of this ritual’s close association with Rosh Hashanah, the holiday is also known as Yom Teruah—the day of the sounding of the shofar.”

The last note for Rosh Hashanah is the Teki’ah Gedolah (very long sound) Exodus 19:16,19. It sounds like this-

Friends, the last sound we will hear on earth will be the tekia gedolah, and the first sound we hear as glorified children of Jesus will be His call, probably something like, “Come up here!” (Revelation 4:1)

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

AMEN!!!!!!! AMEN!!!!!!! AMEN!!!!!!! AMEN!!!!!!! AMEN!!!!!!! AMEN!!!!!!!AMEN!!!!!!! AMEN!!!!!!! AMEN!!!!!!! AMEN!!!!!!!

Posted in gnosticism, gnostics, neo-gnosticism

Gnosticism Part 5: Worship of Angels

Posted on by elizabethprata

This is part 5 looking at the origins of Gnosticism and its impact on today’s church, I will examine the fifth element that Zondervan’s NIV bible lists as the main components of the philosophy/religion: Worship of Angels.

Though Gnosticism encompasses a wide range of beliefs, there are 6 main elements that Paul refutes in Colossians-
1. secret knowledge, (refuted in Col 1:27; 2:3)
2. asceticism, (Col 2:18)
3. depreciation of Christ (lowering Him in name and in glory), (Col 2:18b)
4. strict rule-keeping, ceremonies, or rituals (Col 2:23)
5. worship of angels, (Col 2:18)
6. and reliance on human wisdom and traditions (Col 2:20b-22)

“Gnosticism was the predominant source of heresy when the New Testament was written. The books of John, I Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians, I and II Timothy, Jude, and I John all combat various elements of Gnosticism. Even the book of Revelation cites a couple of Gnostic beliefs and practices, referring to “know[ing] the depths of Satan” and “the Nicolaitans” (Revelation 2:6, 15, 24).” (source)

Everything old is new again, and elements of it are infiltrating even the most conservative evangelical, fundamentalist churches today. That’s why I call it “neo-Gnosticism” when referring to the modern version of it.

“Neo-Gnosticism is the philosophy that invites you to search deep inside yourself and discover some exciting things by which you must then live. It is the philosophy which declares that the only real moral imperative is that you should then be true to what you find when you engage in that deep inward search.” source.

In refuting the false doctrines that had infiltrated the church at Colossae, Paul wrote:

“Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize.” (Colossians 2:18a).

Why would Paul combine false humility and worship of angels in the same sentence? It seems like those two warnings are completely disparate. But they aren’t. “Because of the belief that the spirit of a person was trying to get back to heaven, worship of angels and astrology was a common tenet of Gnosticism, since angels and the patterns of stars and planets were believed to hold keys to this spiritual journey. At the core of Gnosticism is the belief that knowledge, typically secret knowledge – knowledge from angels, from the stars and planets, from the ancients – was the path to holiness and salvation,” David Grabbe wrote in Forerunner Commentary.

Paul warned about this again in Galatians 1:8, writing, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”

How many false religions were started by or are perpetuated by a fallen angel? Most. Mormonism, Islam, Seventh Day Adventists, and Jehovah’s Witnesses were started via “angels”, and Catholicism and New Age Mysticism make heavy use of angelic visits though angelic-seeming spirit guides and Marian apparitions. Many New Age sects began through the contact of “Spirit Guides”.

Why be so (falsely) humble? Because that way, neo-Gnostics can appear to be pious and make up their own rules at the same time. They say, “I’m too humble to know God’s word for sure, but THIS I know for sure, I was visited by an angel who showed me … And I know it’s true because it happened to me!” This aspect of neo-Gnosticism is re-emerging today in increasing amounts. Many are straying away from God’s word and substituting mystical experiences and intuition for truth.

Mike Ratliffe wrote, “These reactions are rooted in the “Hermeneutic of Humility,” which is a way of looking at our faith and interpreting the very Word of God through a filter that sees certainty as a product of pride and uncertainty as a virtue. … people contend that to be certain divides people while uncertainty creates an environment of unity. I contend that the “Hermeneutic of Humility” is that decaying point from which the godlessness in these days has become so manifest in the visible church in our time. Carefully read the passage (2 Timothy 3:1-5). This is a warning of what happens in the Church when the Christian leaders forsake their true duty, which is to minister according the very clear commandments from God’s Word. When Christian liberalism in any form is embraced by those in control in our churches, the Gospel will be neglected. It will be watered down.”

Now, angels are not divine and worship of them is explicitly prohibited (as in Col. 2:18; Rev. 19:10; 22:9).

Mr Grabbe wrote, “In Genesis 3:1, in this first message to mankind, Satan sows seeds of doubt as to whether God can be trusted. Satan’s very first words were, “Has God indeed said. . . ?” Spoken or not, this sentiment that God is untrustworthy, and that His Word is suspect, has been a regular feature in mankind’s relationship with God ever since. The Gnostics were no exception—in fact, they are a prime example. In its most basic sense, Gnosticism is knowing, but its knowledge, while sometimes including the Word of God, does not have it as its foundation. Instead, more than what was contained in Scripture, Gnostics valued what they experienced, what elders told them, or what they learned from “angels,” astrology, or chemistry (alchemy). Thus, we see elements of Gnosticism in Galatians: a mixture of “lucky days,” to which they ascribed spiritual significance (part of their worship prior to conversion) and a belief, brought in by Judaizers or perhaps even an “angel” (Galatians 1:8), that justification could come by works of the law.”

Heresy doesn’t always mean that a sect or a doctrine denies Jesus outright. The most successful sects and heretics preach Jesus, but they preach a different Jesus. They say that more must be done to attain salvation, that Jesus isn’t sufficient. They chip away at His sovereignty and slowly build man up as a partner on the sanctification process. Did you ever wonder why the verse in Acts 1:11 says, “Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”

Because if an angel should come and preach a different Jesus, a different Gospel, let him be accursed! We look for, listen to, and worship this same Jesus who came and died and rose again! A Gnostic’s Jesus will be different from the same Jesus who incarnated into flesh, ministered on earth, and died on the cross as God’s sacrifice for sins, and was resurrected on the third day.

Paul referred to a Gnostic’s false humility. A false humility goes something like this: “‘so humble unworthy me can’t think of worshiping a Holy God. I’ll worship this angel instead.” But what is true humility? One can find a definition at Christian Research and Apologetics Ministry (CARM):

“Humility is the right understanding of who you are before God. Notice, I did not say it means that you have to hate yourself, or call yourself names, or say you aren’t worth anything, etc. Humility is that quality of a Christian that demonstrates a right relationship and position before God. This demonstration is manifested in attitude, words, and deeds.”

Paul referred to real humility in Colossians 3:12- “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,” and the word for humility is translated “lowliness of mind.” Quite the opposite of the Gnostic’s puffed up sense of self and the high importance he places on his visions and experiences and knowledge!

CARM again, “We need to start with our relationship with Him that can only come through a proper relationship with Jesus. We need to be humble before God and dependent up Him, seeking His will. Therefore, prayer, the place of dependence upon God, is the practice of humility before God. When we let our souls bask in the presence of God, we find out who we really are: sinners, saved by grace, and kept by His love. And, as Moses’ face shined because of being in the presence of God, so too will your heart reflect the humility and love of Jesus as we spend time with Him in prayer. Seek Jesus and you will find perfect Humility.”
——————

Gnostic buzzwords to watch out for,
–“received” as in ‘received a text’, ‘received a revelation’,
–ascend,
–spirit guide, spirit being, ascended masters (other terms for false angels and their worship),
–fullness (that is why Paul used fullness in Col 2:9-10),
–mystery, alchemy, altered states of consciousness,
–elementals (Paul refuted the necessity of seeking elemental forces in Col 2:8)

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. (Col 2:8)

The Lord Jesus is GREAT! He is mighty to save. I pray for us all “That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.” (1 Thessalonians 2:12)
———————
Gnosticism series:
Introduction
Part 1: Secret Knowledge
Part 2: Asceticism
Part 3: Depreciation of Jesus
Part 4: Ceremonies & Rituals
Part 5: Worship of Angels
Part 6: Reliance on Human Traditions
Conclusion

Posted in demons, israel, lebanon, prophecy, us

Lebanon protesters burn US, Israeli flags

Posted on by elizabethprata

Lebanon is getting in on the act…

We awake this morning to see that the world’s most hated nation, Israel, is under vicious demonic attack- again. And the most feared nation on earth, The United States, is now ripe for the picking, mocking, and likely attack. Muslims see Israel as Little Satan and the US as Great Satan. They are quite serious about wanting to wipe Israel off the map.(Psalm 83:4)

Lebanese Muslim demonstrators burn the US (R) and Israeli flags during a protest against a film mocking Islam in Abra, east of Sidon, on September 13, 2012 (AFP Photo / Mahmoud Zayyat)

“Several hundred people have rallied in the Lebanese city of Tripoli, burning American and Israeli flags in outrage over an American-made film mocking Islam’s prophet, Muhammad. ­The streets of Tripoli saw a heavy police presence on Thursday despite the fact that only around 200 people took part in the demonstration. There were no reports of violence or clashes during the demonstration.”

“Protesters carried black banners bearing the traditional Islamic message, “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Prophet.” Several protesters burned American and Israeli flags while chanting “God is great!” Another demonstration took place in the southern city of Sidon, on Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast. Offended men and women showed posters containing slogans like “freedom does not mean insults to religion” and “who are you, you lowlifes, to insult what is good for people.”

Isaiah 28:20-24 has a prophecy against Sidon:

Prophecy Against Sidon

20The word of the Lord came to me: 21“Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against her 22and say, Thus says the Lord God:

“Behold, I am against you, O Sidon,
and I will manifest my glory in your midst.
And they shall know that I am the Lord
when I execute judgments in her
and manifest my holiness in her;
23 for I will send pestilence into her,
and blood into her streets;
and the slain shall fall in her midst,
by the sword that is against her on every side.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.

24“And for the house of Israel there shall be no more a brier to prick or a thorn to hurt them among all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.”

This prophecy tells us not only about the nation of what is now Lebanon, but also that the demonic forces are behind many kings, including the King of Tyre which is the ancient name of Lebanon, as described in verses 11-19.

Much of this prophecy has already come to pass. Tyre and Sidon were vanquished when Alexander the Great came to town. Yet the last parts of are still to come: Lebanon will be completely neutralized and of no threat to Israel any more. Since there are at this moment thousands of rockets stations on Lebanese soil aimed at Israel, and the Lebanese do not know the LORD, we can expect the last verses of the prophecy to come to pass. Matthew Henry says of this prophecy,

“The Sidonians were borderers upon the land of Israel, and they might have learned to glorify the Lord; but, instead of that, they seduced Israel to the worship of their idols. War and pestilence are God’s messengers; but he will be glorified in the restoring his people to their former safety and prosperity.”

I’d said in comments last night on another blog entry that I believe the killing of the Ambassador and the attacks on the Cairo and Libyan embassies were the dam breaking. I wrote that when I heard about the embassies I got a knot in my stomach. When I heard it was planned and coordinated ahead of time, the knot deepened. When I read that Obama knew 48 hours ahead that it was likely to happen- AND DID NOTHING- I felt that this was truly the Franz Ferdinand moment (the Bosnian King who was assassinated, sparking WWI). I think the embassy violence is the dam breaking. The dam has broken open. As Obama does nothing, the Muslims become emboldened. There will be no stopping them.

“House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) warned Thursday that escalating attacks on American embassies in the Middle East could develop into “real trouble” and said that the United States needed to clearly signal the ramifications of future attempts to breach diplomatic missions abroad.”

John McTernan wrote that ‘the violence in the Embassies is the fuse lit to Armageddon.‘ I am inclined to agree. The downward slope is slippery and the momentum is beyond catchable now.

I think we should expect an attack on our soil in the coming weeks. My opinion. Why do I think this? The US used to be the world’s policeman. It stands to reason, because this nation has the most Christians, and was used mightily to further the kingdom. Just as a town or a city needs policemen, so does the world. And that role fell to the US. We were used mightily not only to further His kingdom by sending missionaries He raised up, but to hold back the hellish kingdom by policing the evil men. In the first case, missionaries were used to bring the Gospel and thus, to break the spiritual demonic strongholds in a nation person by person. In the second case, the US was used to police a nation, and thus break an evilly controlled man’s strongholds on a country.

What we’re seeing is the diminishing of our role as policeman and the result is the criminals are running wild. The Middle East’s violence is not human excitation, it is demonic fervor. In Revelation 16:16 we read that it is the demonic spirits that gather the armies to Armageddon. The demons so hate Jesus, His people the Jews, and their children the Christians, that they whip up ALL the world’s armies into a frenzy and gather them there to fight Jesus.

What we see today on earth is the beginning of that demonic fervor being unleashed to what will soon be Revelation’s final filling at Armageddon. It is not rational. It is not logical. It is demonic hatred from the pit of hell. There is no reasoning with it. There is no diplomacy with it. By this point in the prophetic agenda, it is my belief that only prayer and appeal to Jesus, individual by individual, for unbeliever’s salvation and for believer’s sanctification will suffice. The Gospel is more important than ever because it is the only rescue and the only refuge. It only ever was, but by now while we are on the cusp of the rapture and the unleashing of hell on earth, repeating that people need to repent because Jesus saves, is the only message that matters.

Posted in embassy, muslims

FBI warning for US soil; Arabs warn of Armageddon

Posted on by elizabethprata

Ominous news today.

FBI Warns of Violence in America Over Anti-Islamic Movie [emphasis mine]
“A U.S. intelligence bulletin warned today that the violent outrage aimed at U.S. embassies spawned by a movie mocking the Prophet Mohammed could be spread to America by extremist groups eager to “exploit anger.” The Joint Intelligence Bulletin issued by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said “the risk of violence could increase both at home and abroad as the film continues to gain attention.” “First responders should remain aware of the potential for spontaneous large crowds and protests that could overwhelm resources and should be vigilant for possible efforts to encourage peaceful protesters to commit acts of violence,” the warning said. It urged “faith-based organizations to promptly report suspicious activities that could indicate pre-operational plotting against Jewish, Coptic, Islamic, or any other faith-based communities.” It added, however, that there was no information regarding any specific threats. The bulletin warned that “violent extremist groups in the United States could exploit anger over the film to advance their recruitment efforts.”

Arab Israelis Warn Of ‘Armageddon’ Over Anti-Islam Film
“Israeli Arabs protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv Thursday following the attacks on U.S. compounds in Libya, Egypt and Yemen. The Times of Israel reports about 100 peaceful demonstrators marched outside the embassy to protest the anti-Islam movie which mocks the prophet Muhammad. Israeli Arabs Protest US Embassy In Tel Aviv. A radical group called the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement led the demonstration, according to the Times of Israel. “If the U.N. does not mobilize to stop this erosion, it will be Armageddon,” MK Talab el-Sana told the Israeli paper.”

He is right. Armageddon will come eventually due to the world wanting to wipe Israel off the map and because of their rejection of Jesus. I truly feel that the US will be neutralized soon. Perhaps an electro-magnetic pulse delivered by a shoulder launched nuke missile from an anchored container ship at Baltimore…or New Orleans…or Long Beach…or Staten Island. Perhaps America will be neutralized by the rapture. There will be fewer Christians taken up to heaven by Jesus than we think, but still, the US has more Christians in it than any other country. So the loss of millions has to put a severe dent onto this nation, with the loss of payroll, employees, etc.

The hatred of Israel is reaching a frenzied pitch. The nations are literally foaming at the mouth, and it wouldn’t take much to push them over the edge.

Ambassador Stevens suffocated in Libya in attacks that were planned ahead of time
 

If Israel strikes Iran (and an EMP may be the method Israel chooses to neutralize Iran and its nuclear facilities, too), then I can see that attack being the catalyst for the Arabs retaliating via the Psalm 83 war. Whenever Israel is attacked and is successful, they get more land. The bible says she will be successful in warding off the enemy in the Psalm 83 war then I can see her borders being enlarged to the point where Russia, Turkey and Iran retaliate again and coming for a great spoil and a plunder as the Gog Magog verses state. (Ez 38:13).

It seems to me that each week that goes by that the hatred and sin is rising exponentially higher than the week before. Events are coming faster and faster. However, nothing is out of control. The Arabs storming the embassy are foaming at the mouth but God is perfectly in control. Nothing surprises Him. Nothing is happening that He does not want to happen. For thousands of years, He has been working all things toward this moment, and the moments to come. That sin will be dealt with, nations will be judged, and His Great City of Jerusalem will be the earth’s crown jewel at the restoration. Peace will come at last. Peace, peace.

Posted in dalai lama, false religion

Dalai Lama says religion no longer adequate

Posted on by elizabethprata

Is religion dead? Seems so. (Fortunately, JESUS IS ALIVE!)

Dalai Lama wrote on Facebook yesterday,
“All the world’s major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can and do promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether.”

HuffPo noted that “The Los Angeles Times notes the 77-year-old Buddhist monk was by no means “denouncing faith,” but rather highlighting the need for a universally shared ethos that is rooted in compassion and is relevant in this modern age. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, the Dalai Lama has long been a vocal advocate for compassion, religious tolerance and the need to bring together science and spirituality in the face of modern suffering.”

Dalai Lama argues that secular ethics are more important when it comes to dealing with the problems in today’s world than organized religion. When he says secular ethics, he means science. Are we finally at that place where religion is deemed irrelevant and science tells us that we are our own gods? Almost. During the Tribulation,  the one world religion the Dalai Lama hopes for will “flourish” for three and a half years. But after that, the antichrist will crush the religion and demand that the world worship him. (Revelation 13:15).

All religions are dead, except for those who follow Jesus. We are not in a religion but instead have a relationship with the Messiah. Religion is increasingly irrelevant in this world because they don’t work. 

They don’t work because people are dead in their sins, and nothing man does will resurrect his own dead spirit. Only Jesus, the Lamb slain for our sins and resurrected by the power of God, can revive us by sending His Spirit into us when He forgives us of our sin. How do we get our sins forgiven:? Repent! We are sorry for those sins, which are crimes against Jesus. If we ask Him to forgive them, He will.

BTW, the Dalai Lama is called His Holiness. He is known as an all-around, really nice guy. Dalai Lamas are the head monks of the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Wikipedia notes, “Tibetan Buddhism comprises the teachings of the three vehicles of Buddhism: the Foundational Vehicle, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna. The Mahāyāna goal of spiritual development is to achieve the enlightenment of Buddhahood in order to most efficiently help all other sentient beings attain this state. The motivation in it is the bodhicitta mind of enlightenment — an altruistic intention to become enlightened for the sake of all sentient beings. Buddhahood is defined as a state free of the obstructions to liberation as well as those to omniscience. When, in Buddhahood, one is freed from all mental obscurations, one is said to attain a state of continuous bliss mixed with a simultaneous cognition of emptiness, the true nature of reality. In this state, all limitations on one’s ability to help other living beings are removed.”

“Thus, although Buddhas possess no limitation from their side on their ability to help others, sentient beings continue to experience suffering as a result of the limitations of their own former negative actions.”

Buddhism is a false religion. It is the opposite of Christianity, in which we know we are wretched human beings, can never do anything to resolve our depravity, and are of no help to anyone, in addition to being an abomination to God. It is HIS work on the cross that allows us the opportunity through His grace and mercy to be forgiven. When one believes on Jesus by faith and seeks forgiveness through repentance, He will transform us into living creatures, sanctified for every good work. Apart from him, there are no good works. (Psalm 14:1). Unless the Dalai Lama repents to Jesus, he will go to hell when he dies.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:4-10). [emphasis mine]

Posted in brimstone, judgment, sulfur

Salton Sea plagued by rotten eggs sulfur smell

Posted on by elizabethprata
Abandoned, salt-encrusted structures
on the Salton Sea shore at Bombay Beach. Wiki photo

The Salton Sea is a weird place. I think I have written about it before. I visited there when my husband and I were traveling across country in our VW van. It is strange, creepy and spooky. The place is definitely an anomaly.

Interestingly, it was the one place we felt the most unsafe. We had camped in remote areas many times. We camped at the Mexican border, we camped in cities such as Miami and New Orleans. At the Salton Sea, we felt acutely uncomfortable, and the feeling worsened as night fell. We tossed and turned and remained in a fitful state until finally at 3AM my husband said, “Are you awake?” I said “Yes.” He asked me if I felt creepy. What we were actually feeling was frightened, a supernatural kind of fear when the hairs on the back of your neck raise up and your heart is pounding a little. We decided to close up shop and race outta there. We made LA by dawn.

I read in the news last night of a terrible rotten-egg smell that has been wafting from the Salton Sea all the way to LA. Initially, Los Angelenos did not know it came from the US’s largest inland sea, because it is so far away from LA- about 150-195 miles.

“A strong Rotten Egg Smell had Southern Californians plugging their noses and crying foul Monday as air quality investigators scrambled to determine if the sulfurous scent was coming from the Salton Sea.”

Today they have made that confirmation.

Rotten egg smell traced to California’s Salton Sea
“After a day of “odor surveillance” and other scent-based sleuthing, Southern California air quality investigators confirmed Tuesday what they had already expected — that a pungent, rotten-egg aroma that stretched across the region came from the Salton Sea. Investigators from the South Coast Air Quality Management District collected air samples, modeled weather patterns and measured hydrogen sulfide levels to determine that Monday’s stench came from the saltwater lake 150 miles southeast of Los Angeles, as strong winds from a storm churned the water and stirred up foul-smelling gasses from the lake bottom, where they normally are trapped.”

They don’t know why the smell escaped the lake bottom. The scientists said the “likely” cause was a fish-die-off. LOL, there’s that word “likely” again, which I read more and more often when scientists are quoted in attempting to explain the inexplicable.

The smell issue was unusual. The LA Times reports, “We now have solid evidence that clearly points to the Salton Sea as the source of a very large and unusual odor event,” said Barry Wallerstein, executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District. How unusual? As late as Monday night, AQMD officials weren’t even sure it was scientifically possible for a malodorous scent to trek the distance the Salton Sea’s fumes did. So they asked an air quality modeler to use sophisticated computer modeling to find out if it was “theoretically possible” for a stench to fly that far. “I think we’ve shown it was theoretically possible,” said Sam Atwood, an AQMD spokesman. “But this is just something we did not expect.”

“Atwood said AQMD inspectors collected air samples that contained hydrogen sulfide.”

Hydrogen sulfide is part of the sulfur cycle. Sulfur is also known as brimstone.

Wikipedia explains: “sulfur (Latin sulphur) was known in ancient times and is referred to in the Torah (Genesis). English translations of the Bible commonly referred to burning sulfur as “brimstone”, giving rise to the name of ‘fire-and-brimstone’ sermons, in which listeners are reminded of the fate of eternal damnation that await the unbelieving and unrepentant. It is from this part of the Bible that Hell is implied to “smell of sulfur”.

So the weirdest and demonically spookiest place on earth I’ve ever visited smelled of brimstone so bad that it wafted almost 200 miles, and still smelling strongly, plagued the residents of the city where Hollywood is.

Hmmm.

There IS evidence of geothermal activity that’s also visible. There are mudpots and mud volcanoes on the eastern side of the Salton Sea. Right, mudpots at Salton.

Today the Ukrainian city of Lviv was in the news. Residents there are complaining of a rotten egg smell. It is really pungent, apparently. “The smell has gotten so bad that many residents have begun wearing face masks and keeping children and asthma-sufferers indoors when the odor grows particularly ripe’.

Residents in Point Place in Ohio reported a month ago about a rotten eggs smell. “For over a year, District 6 City Councilman Lindsay Webb said, she’s been getting regular calls, emails, and social media messages from constituents concerned about a smell emanating from the direction of the city’s Hoffman Road Landfill, which is just northwest of Point Place. Most of those people, including Ms. Webb, believe the landfill is responsible for what’s been described as a stench of garbage or rotten eggs.”

In Revelation 9:2 we read that hell will literally be on earth. “He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft”.

The verse doesn’t say anything about a smell but I am sure that a sulfurous smell will accompany the demons’ release along with all that smoke.

God’s signature use of hail, famine, pestilence, earthquakes, and “brimstone” (sulfur) are well-known throughout history.

The KJV of the Bible offers many examples of the phrase “fire and brimstone.” Brimstone is sulfur (British spelling, sulphur). In Genesis 19, God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah for their immoral homosexuality via a rain of fire and brimstone. In Deuteronomy 29, the Israelites were threatened with the same punishment if they abandoned their covenant with God. Divine judgments involving fire and sulphur are prophesied against Assyria (Isaiah 30), Edom (Isaiah 34), Gog (Ezekiel 38), and all the wicked (Psalm 11). The ultimate book of wrath, Revelation, shows God using the punishment with fire and brimstone throughout. Here is one example…

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10, KJV)

In Ezekiel 38:22-23 the Gog-Magog war, God saves Israel by raining down brimstone. “With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur. 23So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Interestingly, in Isaiah 30:33, the breath of God is compared to brimstone: “The Breath of Jehovah, like a stream of Brimstone, doth kindle it.”

“Brimstone,” used to be the common name for sulfur. The word when used today is almost exclusively in allusions to God’s fiery wrath. Sulfur is Brimstone. When the people of SoCal smell that distinctive “rotten egg” smell, it is sulfur, or brimstone. Brimstone is the language of God.

Are we listening?

Posted in hell, jonathan edwards, sinners in the hands of an angry god, wrath

"God abhors you"

Posted on by elizabethprata

The default position on earth for every adult is hell. That is the destiny. If a person dies outside of Christ, they will remain outside of Christ for all eternity. Further, because they have sinned against Him and hadn’t dealt with those sins prior to death, they will endure His punishment for all eternity. (Matthew 3:12; 2 Thess 1:9).

But here is the GOOD NEWS.

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,” (Colossians 1:13).

Hell, though prepared for the devil and his angels, became the permanent abode for humans. (Matthew 25:41). UNLESS… before a person dies, he repents of his sins and appeals to the Lamb who was slain. Jesus died on the cross as the sacrifice to satisfy God’s wrath. As a sign of that acceptance, God resurrected Jesus. Jesus now reigns and will come again- to judge the earth. (1 Thessalonians 4:14; Romans 14:9).

People don’t realize how close hell is to them at any moment. (Deuteronomy 32:35). Unbelievers are unaware of the gossamer wispiness of the silk net upon which they tread. At any second, it could tear. Your entire life, and your physical body, will slam down into the miry pit. Jonathan Edwards wrote about this in his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” He wrote:

“The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince; and yet it is nothing but his hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment. It is to be ascribed to nothing else, that you did not go to hell the last night; that you was suffered to awake again in this world, after you closed your eyes to sleep. And there is no other reason to be given, why you have not dropped into hell since you arose in the morning, but that God’s hand has held you up. There is no other reason to be given why you have not gone to hell, since you have sat here in the house of God, provoking his pure eyes by your sinful wicked manner of attending his solemn worship. Yea, there is nothing else that is to be given as a reason why you do not this very moment drop down into hell.”

“God abhors you.” Quite a different story than the one we hear from the Prosperity Gospel preachers, the Gnostic/Mystic teachers and the Emergent pastors, isn’t it?! “God abhors you.” You don’t believe it? Read Psalm 5:5, Psalm 11:5, Lev. 20:23, Prov. 6:16-19, Hosea 9:15, Jeremiah 12:8…

Let’s focus on the Colossians verse for a minute: “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,” (Colossians 1:13).

Rescue? From what? What is the rescue about?

I think of the Twin Towers. Our national day of remembrance for the terrorist hate attack on the US on 9/11/01 is just a few days past. I thought a lot about 9/11 on Tuesday. Eleven years later, it still hurts.

The life we live can be compared to the moments during the time when the planes hit. When the planes hit, people above the strike zone did not know that they needed rescue. They continued to work, they went to different rooms as instructed, or they waited. But they did not know that a fiery death was a short time away. The fires were igniting and the floors were softening under their feet. But they didn’t know it.

When the people above the hole realized the situation, they expected rescue. A fire ladder…a helicopter, something. Their minds would not let them believe that they would end up in the fiery pit. When it became apparent that no rescue could come, they knew that death awaited.

For most people, they do not have that luxury- knowing that death was coming for them and that the ground under their feet would fall away. They made calls, they wrote notes, they said goodbyes. Hopefully, some prayed to Jesus and were saved. Normally the floor is softening under the feet of every person on earth. At one unknown and unforeseen moment, it will give way and they will die.

Man rescues only the body. It is JESUS who rescues the soul and then gives a new body. That was the ONLY rescue awaiting the victims of the terrorist attack on the upper floors. In the world, it is like every person on earth is dwelling on the floors above where the planes hit.  They don’t know they need rescue. If at some point, they do become aware, will they wait for man to rescue them? Or turn to Jesus?

Rescue is in Jesus. He rescues from having to spend eternity in the fiery wrath. He abhors sinners, but He loves to forgive.

Jesus RESCUES.

Edwards wrote: “And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands in calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners; a day wherein many are flocking to him, and pressing into the kingdom of God. Many are daily coming from the east, west, north and south; many that were very lately in the same miserable condition that you are in, are now in a happy state, with their hearts filled with love to him who has loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood, and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.”

“Therefore, let every one that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath to come. The wrath of Almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over a great part of this congregation. Let every one fly out of Sodom: “Haste and escape for your lives, look not behind you, escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed.”

JESUS rescues.