Posted in jesus, molech

Bad Old Molech is alive and well

Posted on by elizabethprata

The bible’s earliest books speak of a false god named Molech. Molech worship was cultish worship associated with Ammon, for example, 1 Kings 11:7 speaks of him as “the detestable god of the Ammonites.” God warned the Israelites many times not to sacrifice their children to Molech.

“Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 18:21).

“Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any alien living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death.” (Leviticus 20:2).

“He also defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire for Molech.” (2 Kings 23:10).

A huge statue would be constructed with a furnace in the belly of it. The parents would put their child in the belly and a fire would be lit. The child would burn to death. The sacrifice also included sexual rituals. The hope was that the parents would receive wealth and blessing by sacrificing their firstborn to Molech. So the hope was for the parents to obtain some convenience and personal gain.

Of course, the most obvious modern parallel to child sacrifice to Molech is the fire of abortion, which is also a child-sacrifice for the personal convenience of the parents. The child dies in a horrible way, and is sacrificed for spurious reasons. However, I was reading the following article today and another Molech-like sacrifice came to mind, not the least reason because the article itself used the world sacrifice.

“Recent Charges of Sexual Abuse of Children in Hollywood Just Tip of Iceberg, Experts Say“
“If a spate of recent allegations proves true, Hollywood may have a hideous epidemic on its hands. The past two weeks have brought three separate reports of alleged child sexual abuse in the entertainment industry. Feldman, 40, himself a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, unflinchingly warned of the world of pedophiles who are drawn to the entertainment industry last August. “I can tell you that the No. 1 problem in Hollywood was and is and always will be pedophilia,” Feldman told ABC’s Nightline. “That’s the biggest problem for children in this industry… It’s the big secret.” Another child star from an earlier era agrees that Hollywood has long had a problem with pedophilia. “When I watched that interview, a whole series of names and faces from my history went zooming through my head,” Paul Peterson, 66, star of The Donna Reed Show, a sitcom popular in the 1950s and 60s, and president of A Minor Consideration, tells FOXNews.com.”

The article continues with reporting something that is well-known to insiders, which is that any and all Hollywood child actors were at risk from unscrupulous managers, agents, and others bent on molestation. The article discusses how and why this occurs on such a regular basis, so regular, that it is taken as a matter of course that it will occur.

I can’t imagine what a cesspit Hollywood is. The products we see on the screen are bad enough, and are the end result of a long process that undoubtedly includes lying, slander, greed, sexual favors, drug use, drunkenness, and adultery, among other sins. Like this sin in the article, and it is a quote, of sacrificing  children to Molech:

“It’s almost a willing sacrifice that many parents are oblivious to – what kind of environment do they think that they’re pushing their kid into?” said Peterson. “The casting couch is a real thing, and sometimes just getting an appointment makes people do desperate things.”

A society is judged on their godliness, and the further they fall from His standard, the more they are given over to base desires. (Romans 1:18-24). It they still refuse to repent, their sexual degradation deepens, and they are given over to homosexuality:

“For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” (Romans 1:26-27).

After that, then what? What does it say about a society that not only tolerates but promotes sexual sin, encourages homosexuality, then slides off the cliff into child molestation as a ritual of passage to gain entry to Hollywood? Parents sacrificed their kids to Molech in hopes of wealth, and here in this article we see the same thing. Parents sacrifice their children to the god of pedophilia in hopes of drinking from the cash cow of  Holywood paychecks. Paul shows us the end result of such wanton abandonment of moral scruples. Verse 29-32 goes on by showing us the progression–

“being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”

Here we see a quote from the same article about not only were some practicing pedophilia and still do to this day, the gave hearty approval to those who did the same, even passing around children in their evil putrid circle:

‘“I literally heard that they were ‘passed around,’” Arngrim said. “The word was that they were given drugs and being used for sex. It was awful – these were kids, they weren’t 18 yet. There were all sorts of stories about everyone from their, quote, ‘set guardians’ on down that these two had been sexually abused and were totally being corrupted in every possible way.”

Dr David R. Reagan has a good essay at Rapture Alert entitled “Is homosexuality an end times sign?” When I see articles like the one about the well-known pedophilia in Hollywood, and know that we’ve descended even further than two consenting adults engaged in sodomy, when our precious children are sacrificed to the greedy god of fame, I just want to cry out, ‘How much longer, O Lord?’
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttp://www.facebook.com/widgets/like.php?href=http://the-end-time.blogspot.com/2011/12/bad-old-molech-is-alive-and-well.html

http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=xa-4df8df7d18b59150

Posted in end time, last days, wars and rumors of wars

Wars and Rumors of Wars

Posted on by elizabethprata

In Matthew 24, Jesus answers the disciples’ question about the signs of the end of the age and the signs of Jesus coming, and asked when will all these things happen. Three questions, from verse 1-3 and from verse 4-8 Jesus began His answer.

“And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.”

Then in verse 9 He deepened the answer and referred to tribulation and perilous times by specifically mentioning certain events. He then speaks of the Abomination of Desolation. Some scholars use the break at verse 8 to interpret that Jesus meant that the birth pangs would encompass the entire time between Jesus’ ascension and second coming, and verse 9 onward being the Tribulation, and others interpret those first 4 verses as included in only the Tribulation period of 7 years along with the rest of the Discourse. I take the former view.

Here: “The Bible predicts a downward spiral of catastrophes, human sin, and religious apostasy before Christ returns. Paul writes, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. . . . evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:1, 13). The world will continue to reject God, His Word, and His people. … The erosion of peace and increase of turmoil that precedes the Rapture will reach epic proportions when untold numbers of people disappear from earth.”

I believe the world has been in pangs since Jesus ascended, though like contractions are wont to do, start off mild and unnoticeable, increasing terribly as the birth nears. Then the water breaks, and I believe the rapture is that event we can liken to water breaking. When the water breaks, things really get serious in the labor pains and birthing process. The birth is near once the water breaks. What is being birthed? The Kingdom of Jesus Christ that will last 1000 years. (Revelation 20:2-7; Luke 1:32-33′ Ezekiel 43:7).

Jesus said one thing to look out for is wars and rumors of wars. It was the second thing He said to look for, after false Christs. War rhetoric has always been with us on earth, we are a warlike and rebellious people. The Middle East since Israel’s re-birth has especially been rife with wars and rumors of wars. But never to the degree that the epicenter has seen today. Seven or more nations are on war alert, live drills with live missiles are taking place. Rockets are being moved. War Ministers are readying troops. Ambassadors are being recalled. Warships are moving into place. The following headlines are from the past two days. They are extraordinary. In my opinion, they exemplify “wars and rumors of wars” to a high degree.

I believe that final, final pieces are being readied for the last days prophesies to be fulfilled quickly. If that is the case, then the rapture is even sooner.

‘Iranian forces go on war alert‘
Iran moving missiles to secret sites, Western officials tell British paper; earlier, Tehran residents reported to stockpile goods, fearing imminent strike
“Growing panic in Iran? The commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards has ordered his forces to raise their operational readiness ahead of a possible war or strike on the country’s nuclear facilities, the Telegraph reported late Monday.”

“The British newspaper quoted Western intelligence sources as saying that Iran is repositioning ballistic missiles, explosives and troops into defensive positions, in order to offer a quick response in the case of an attack by Israel or the United States.”

Iran’s downing of US drone rattles Washington
“U.S. military officials have expressed concern over news reports that Iran recently downed a U.S. spy drone that had violated the country’s airspace.On Sunday, an unidentified Iranian military source said that the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic had downed a U.S. drone along the country’s eastern border, the Fars News Agency reported.“An advanced RQ-170 unmanned American spy plane was shot down by Iran’s armed forces. It suffered minor damage and is now in possession of Iran’s armed forces,” the source said, according to Fox News.The official also stated that Iran would give a crushing response to any violation of its airspace, saying the response “will not be limited to the country’s borders.”

US officials say Pakistan leaving liaison centers
“Pakistan is pulling its troops out of at least two of the three centers meant to coordinate military activity across the Afghan border in apparent retaliation for NATO airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, U.S. military officials said.”

Pakistan recalls ambassadors for consultations after NATO attack
“Pakistan recalls ambassadors for consultations after NATO attack Islamabad has recalled a number of its ambassadors for urgent consultations in the wake of NATO’s killing of 25 Pakistani soldiers, the country’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. The envoys will be instructed on new foreign policy which has been reviewed in the light of last month’s attack, Itar-Tass reports. Ambassadors in the US, the EU countries, Russia, India, Afghanistan and other states were called back, the ministry said, adding that they will be familiarized with the new foreign policy doctrine. Earlier, Islamabad warned it would review its ties with the US and its allies.”

Rare attacks on Afghan Shiites kill 60, suicide bomber strikes Kabul mosque
“A suicide bomber struck a crowd of Shiite worshippers who packed a Kabul mosque Tuesday to mark a holy day, killing at least 56 people, and a second bombing in another city killed four more Shiites. They were the first major sectarian assaults since the fall of the Taliban a decade ago. … Religiously motivated attacks on Shiites are rare in Afghanistan although they are common in neighboring Pakistan.”

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Prime Minister: If Iran attacks Israel it will be gone the next day”
“United Arab Emirates’ PM downplays concerns about nuclear Iran, tells CNN he believes Israel will destroy Iran if attacked. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) discounted on Tuesday the West’s concerns about a nuclear-armed Iran.

Sectarian bloodshed worsens in Syria amid uprising
“Dozens of bodies were dumped in the streets of a Syrian city at the heart of the country’s nearly 9-month-old uprising, a grim sign that sectarian bloodshed is escalating as the country descends further toward civil war.”

China’s Hu urges navy to prepare for combat
“Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday urged the navy to prepare for military combat, amid growing regional tensions over maritime disputes and a US campaign to assert itself as a Pacific power.”

As Matthew Henry said in his commentary on the Matthew 24:6 verse, “Our Saviour cautions his disciples to stand on their guard against false teachers. And he foretells wars and great commotions among nations. From the time that the Jews rejected Christ, and he left their house desolate, the sword never departed from them. See what comes of refusing the gospel. Those who will not hear the messengers of peace, shall be made to hear the messengers of war. “

Make sure your heart is at peace with the Savior.
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttp://www.facebook.com/widgets/like.php?href=http://the-end-time.blogspot.com/2011/12/wars-and-rumors-of-wars.html

http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=xa-4df8df7d18b59150

Posted in false doctrine, the daniel fast

If you have concerns about The Daniel Fast…

Posted on by elizabethprata

Here are scriptures that address the issue. In my opinion, the verses clearly show that The Daniel Fast cannot be supported by Scripture. Information about the Daniel Fast here & here.

Comparing The Daniel Fast to Scripture:

Matthew 6:16-18
“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

Jesus taught us to go out of our way to conceal the fast. he said to keep it secret. How much clearer can it be?

Colossians 2:23 says:
“These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.”

Mark 7:19 all foods are declared clean.

1 Corinthians 8:8: “Food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat.”

Therefore, food is neither spiritually good nor bad. So the more a teacher insists on imposing fasting on me the more concerned I become. Fasting is a private, Holy Spirit inspired activity usually and traditionally associated with grief, repentance, or for a specific purpose that Jesus relegates to a private matter between a believer and God, vertically. A fast is never presented as a spiritual activity in and of itself. There is no scripture in the NT that I have found that supports fasting as a church activity used as a mechanism for growth.

In churches that take up this fad, there is often a public contract to sign to declare one’s intention to maintain the fast for the three week period. It is legalistic to me to sign a public contract. To consult a man-made list of foods deemed acceptable or unacceptable is a doctrine of men. The Daniel Fast promoters and Jentezen Franklin have made it an activity on some name it-claim it spiritual check-off list, a horizontal display of public piety laden with potentials for hypocrisy and pride, exactly what Jesus said not to do.

1 Cor 8:9-13 goes on to say be careful you do not cause a brother to stumble, (in being careless with the new liberty to eat all foods). I believe the principle is the same in its opposite sense, do not set the new brother up on a legalistic restriction of foods by artificial means because his new conscience can’t take that either.

Verse 9: “And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.”

Eating one kind of food, and abstaining from another, have nothing in them to recommend a person to God. So Paul cautions against putting a stumbling-block in the way of the weak by entangling them in guilt. Presenting a list of approved or non-approved foods that the weaker brethren may partake in is a recipe for causing a brother to stumble when/if he fails this artificial food fasting test. The verse says doing this to the weaker brothers not only causes injury to the brother but is a sin against Jesus. Put simply,

Don’t force on a brother what God is not forcing on him by his conscience!

1 Timothy 4:1-5 says in part:
“But the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will [a]fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.”

That verse says clearly that men in the latter times who advocate abstaining from foods are following a doctrine of demons.

Romans 14:17 says:
“The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Colossians 2:20-22
“Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men?”

The Scriptures are clear. So when a leader belabors fasting to me, it’s time to stand up and using the scriptures, say STOP! Shame is on the teacher or pastor who falsely claims any biblical authority whatsoever to restrain my diet. I reject efforts to impose non-biblical standards on my conscience. No man has permission to go beyond what is written in the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 4:6). God is specific in His will. We cannot presume that we can take the smallest detail and ignore it. This fasting program ignores the clear scriptures and I reject it for that reason.

FALSE DOCTRINE

Protecting the Gospel from false doctrine is the theme of 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus and issues regarding it appears in Jude, Ephesians, Colossians, Acts…suffice it to say the NT is permeated with warnings of false doctrines and instructions on what to do about it throughout much of the NT.

2 Tim. 4:2-3 “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine”.

2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires:”

Hebrews 13:9 “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with foods, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.”

Therefore, if I interpret rightly, what is my duty to Jesus and His Word if my church promotes this legalistic and worldly fad?

THE DUTY TO POINT OUT FALSITY

The main thing that Paul has in mind in the writing of 1Timothy 1:7-11 is to encourage Timothy to bring the church to a place of sound doctrine and godly living. He is concerned about the impact to the brethren of false teachers, as we all should be.

1 Timothy 5:20: “Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.”

Titus 1:13: “This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith.”

Titus 2:15: “These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.”

There are many more verses related to the duty of the Christian in pointing out false teaching. Paul rebuked Peter at Antioch. This shows us that anyone can fall under a false teaching, even Peter, and that anyone can and should oppose it to their face, as Paul did. (Gal 2, Acts 15).

In many cases when a false teaching is pointed out, the reaction will be of anger, but always remain calm, and insist that the scriptures be shown that supports their opinion. We are all responsible to Jesus for what we believe and for what we allow to occur in His name. Be strong and kind when pointing out that your understanding of the scriptures does not support the Daniel Fast, but do not hesitate to do so if that is your understanding and if led by the Holy Spirit. Be a Berean!
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttp://www.facebook.com/widgets/like.php?href=http://the-end-time.blogspot.com/2011/12/if-you-have-concerns-about-daniel-fast.html

http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=xa-4df8df7d18b59150

Posted in theology

The rapture’s likely effect on the economy

Posted on by elizabethprata

Todd Strandberg and Terry James are the co-editors of the website RaptureReady.com. RR is the longest running end times website on the internet. For twenty years, RR Founder Todd has been bringing to online seekers information from the bible about end times, or eschatology. There is a wealth of stored information about the rapture, the Tribualtion, Jesus, the plan of Salvation and much more. Their goal was to have this archive ready and protected for people who clamor to know from a biblical perspective what is going on in the moments, days, and years after the rapture.

In that sense, Mr Strandberg, along with Hal Lindsey and others, have made eschatology their niche in bible study have a unique perspective because they have the long view.

I read their weekly editorial this morning and I agree with the following statement completely. In writing about the global economy and the looming economic bubble about to burst, Mr Strandberg states:

1)We are amazed that the bubble hasn’t burst; 2)We believe that the longer the crises build, the greater will be the explosion; 3) We maintain that only the staying hand of God has thus far prevented it from bursting; and 4) We are of the opinion that it will likely be the Rapture of the church that will pop that bubble.”

I agree. I look at the economy and with what rudimentary knowledge I have, even I can see that the current situation long passed sustainable, viable, or even feasible in life OR on paper, even. When you have more debt than money, you can’t function. Even I know that much. Yet for three years, especially the last few months, we have functioned. It is only God who can perform the impossible, and today’s economy is impossible.

With that, I’ve long felt also that it would be the rapture itself that would pop the bubble. I wrote in September 2010,

“Then the rapture will come. Suddenly, things will tip even more to the panic side of global turmoil. A terrorized populace will ask, scream, demand to know ‘Where did they go? Why? Who took them?’ The weakened economy perhaps will not be able to stand the vacuum created by millions of vibrant and contributing Christians. The problems will get worse.”

Imagine the sudden removal of a workforce of millions. Imagine the vacuum created by the economic loss of participating contributors to payroll, consumer spending, etc. It would be like the air let out of a balloon and crash the economy will go.

My opinion and the Rapture Ready guys’ opinion, Hal Lindsey mentioned this too, a while back, don’t amount to a hill of beans in the face of biblical truth. However we can connect some dots, make an interpretation based on long years of study (those guys, I’m just a whippersnapper) and we can truthfully say that based on what the Lord shows us in His Word compared to the world situation right now, the rapture seems closer than ever.

For the born again believer, this comes as good news. For the unaware believer, this comes as a kooky opinion. In 2 Peter 3:3, Peter wrote, “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.”

Understand that the mocking and scoffing does not come from just unbelievers, but also from Christians who deny this doctrine and scoff at fundamentalists who proclaim it. Just today I deleted two comments that vehemently denied the rapture in capital letters and a plethora of exclamation marks, but didn’t use a single bible verse to support their opinion. For many, Christians included, the rapture is going to be a huge surprise. I pray that for many of them, it is a happy surprise, and not one for whom will be left pleading with the Lord, saying-

‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'” And they will hear the devastating reply from the One True God,

“Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Mt 7:22b)

Not that denying the rapture is a method of detecting salvation, it isn’t, but here is the iron clad promise from the Lord:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Mt 7:21

The supernatural Hand of God seems to be temporarily staying the economic crash and the beginning of wars, among other things. I think it will be the rapture that breaks the dam. The Restrainer will be removed (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7), the economy will collapse, at least in some form before returning to capitalism depicted in Revelation 18, and sin will explode. I pray you are among those who are called by the Lord as blessed part of the Bride, and not a mocker or scoffer pleading with the Lord later for permission to enter the Kingdom.
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttp://www.facebook.com/widgets/like.php?href=http://the-end-time.blogspot.com/2011/12/raptures-likely-effect-on-economy.html

http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=xa-4df8df7d18b59150

Posted in theology

Back to Basics: What is prayer?

Posted on by elizabethprata

Prayer is a privilege and a responsibility for every Christian. Why? It is the way Jesus taught us to communicate with Him.

Rather than the wrathful gods of the Aztec era of human sacrifice, or the ancient Middle East where child sacrifice was demanded, or the Muslim god who is demanding but mercurial and untrustworthy, the One True God creates us to have a love relationship with Him. He wants to redeem us from our sinful state to dwell with Him in heaven. His Holy Word tells us who He is and how to love Him back, and His promises never fold.

In His book, He explains how to communicate with Him. Unlike the gods of old, all other gods as a matter of fact, we can speak with Him at any time. He has told us He listens. From Genesis to Isaiah to Philippians, we’re told to pray to God.

“And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD” (Genesis 12:8)

“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:” (Isaiah 55:6)

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6)

So what IS prayer, exactly? Why do we pray? How do we pray?

As Christian Research and Apologetics Ministry (CARM) explains, “Prayer is the practice of the presence of God. It is the place where pride is abandoned, hope is lifted, and supplication is made. Prayer is the place of admitting our need, of adopting humility, and claiming dependence upon God. Prayer is the needful practice of the Christian. Prayer is the exercise of faith and hope. Prayer is the privilege of touching the heart of the Father through the Son of God, Jesus our Lord.”

Why pray? “For one thing, prayer is a form of serving God (Luke 2:36-38) and obeying Him. We pray because God commands us to pray (Philippians 4:6-7). Prayer is exemplified for us by Christ and the early church (Mark 1:35; Acts 1:14; 2:42; 3:1; 4:23-31; 6:4; 13:1-3). If Jesus thought it was worthwhile to pray, we should also. If He needed to pray to remain in the Father’s will, how much more do we need to pray?”

He has made Himself known in three Persons, God, Jesus the son, and Holy Spirit. We can pray to all three or to one or to two. He is all the same. Any or all are appropriate to pray to. However, the Triune God is the ONLY appropriate person to pray to. The first Commandment says that He is the one true God and we shall have no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:2-3). We do not pray to angels. (Rev 22:8-9).  We do not pray to saints such as the Catholic Church venerates. (1 Tim 2:5) We do not pray to Mary the mother of Jesus. (Luke 11:27-28). We do not pray to the dead, whose final condition is fixed. (Luke 16:19-31; Hebrews 9:27).

How, then, shall we pray? Jesus answered this exact question in Matthew 6:9-13.

“Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread.
12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]”

It is not to say that unconscious repetition of this exact phraseology is the way to pray. Jesus pray ‘in this way‘. He began with a statement to whom He was addressing. He led with a praise. It is always proper to praise the Lord at any time but especially in prayer because it sets our heart condition rightly and reminds us of our position. His Kingdom and His will are tantamount to any Godly life and in any prayer because when we pray knowing it is His will we are appealing to and reminding ourselves He is sovereign. This reminder helps us when the prayers are answered in a way we do not expect or in a timing we are uncomfortable with.

Give us this day our bread is a statement from Jesus telling us it is all right to ask for things to sustain us while we are living on earth. (Matthew 6:32-33). But you notice the prayer doesn’t say pray in a way where you ask for surplus, He is asking for daily bread. Not weekly bread. The manna that was given to the Hebrews in the desert was given daily. Asking for daily bread helps us not become greedy hoarders, and it also is a way for the Lord to bless us daily!

Asking the Lord to forgive our sins is a way to remind us that before any prayer can be answered we need to ensure we are on the right side of God and not accumulating sins, and also that if we forgive others we are also on the right side of God. (Mt 6:14-15; Mark 11:25). Why should He bless a bitter heart? He will not. (1 John 2:9).

“Lead us not into temptation” must be understood correctly. Barnes Notes: “God tempts no man. See James 1:13. This phrase, then, must be used in the sense of “permitting.” Do not “suffer” us, or “permit” us, to be tempted to sin. In this it is implied that God has such control over the tempter as to save us from his power if we call upon him.”

 So don’t mindlessly repeat Jesus’ prayer exactly but let the power behind the concepts conform your heart to your own words. Know to Whom you are praying. Praise Him. Understand you position before Him as penitent, His kingdom within you and also your external destination someday. Ask for what earthly provision you need in humility, trusting Him to answer in faith.  Ask for unearthly provision such as release from temptation or protection from temptation.

If you are new to prayer, don’t worry about fancy words or proper phrases. That is the utter beauty of our God. He hears the heart cry, understands the motivation behind what we are asking. He listens to all words fancy or not, as long as they are sincere. Don’t worry, just pray! It is a way to talk with Him. He doesn’t change by your prayer, but you are changed by praying. So don’t put it off another minute!
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttp://www.facebook.com/widgets/like.php?href=http://the-end-time.blogspot.com/2011/12/back-to-basics-what-is-prayer.html

http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=xa-4df8df7d18b59150

Posted in theology

The new ‘survival’ game: Urban Foraging

Posted on by elizabethprata

I ran across two news articles this week that used a new term to me: “urban foraging.” Let’s take a look at what they are talking about.

Steal this Continental breakfast: The Urban Forager’s Guide, Vol. 1

“Times are tough, so many people are searching for hotels with free continental breakfasts.Problem is, some of those eating aren’t guests, says Hampton Inn manager front desk clerk Alfonso Tobenas. That’s right. Folks walk into tourist hotels and pose as guests to gain access to morning chow. Who would do such a thing? Lots of people, according to local hotel insiders. “It is what it is, bro, times are tough and they’re hungry,” Tobenas says. “They’re just trying to beat the system and save a buck. The first time you’re going to get away with it, the second and third time I’m going to ask you to leave. Tobenas says some people even regularly rotate hotels for their free breakfasts, but he recognizes their faces after a while. When he spots them, he lets them eat free-of-charge so they let their guard down. Then he confronts them and asks for their room number. At that moment, they realize they’ve been found out and generally leave without incident.”

Hey! Urban Foraging is like, so five minutes ago. Now it’s CREATIVE Urban Foraging

Woman Uses Dating Site to Get Free Meals
“A New York woman is being scrutinized and praised after people learned that she used a dating website to procure $1,200 a month in free meals. According to Business Insider, 23-year-old Jessica Sporty was deep in debt. Sporty found it difficult to live on her $45,000 annual salary after spending nearly $1,500 a month in rent, paying her credit card bill, and buying food. So she signed up for Match.com and was quickly going on five dates a week. Sporty even created a spreadsheet with detailed information on each of her dates, limiting each guy to a maximum of five. Sporty was taken to high-end New York restaurants, and one of her dates even bought her a $200 bottle of champagne.”

The dishonest woman was praised? In the first article, it went on to give tips for how to better scavenge for food at some of the smaller hotels, actually giving tips on how to steal the breakfast more efficiently. In the title to the essay I put ‘survival’ in quotes because the woman had an income of $45,000/year, a roof over her head and clothes to wear. Therefore her stealing isn’t a means survival but simply a sinful way to satisfy her own desires for fancy food.

Back in the 80s it was called dumpster diving but Urban Foraging has a gentrified ring to it and that is the term being used now. But there is a difference between the 80s and 90s dumpster diving and today’s urban foraging. Back in the day, dumpster divers did so usually because they were making a behavioral statement that our consumer culture threw out too many goods that were usable, even food. They “dove” to retrieve what was good but destined for the landfill and considered themselves part of a Green Movement. Even the impoverished who dove to either supplement their home or to survive, stayed within ethical boundaries.

In that time, dumpster divers used to scavenge for what was obviously thrown out. Today’s urban foragers steal. However, the shocking thing about both those articles is the response: praise and kudos for the thieves.

Isaiah 5:20 says “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” As the Geneva Bible Study guide succinctly puts it, Woe to those “Who are not ashamed of sin, nor care for honesty but are grown to a desperate impiety.” They prefer their own reasons to Godly commands. For those who are lost to God by reason of their rebellion and rejection of Jesus, this behavior is to be expected, sadly. Paul wrote;

“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)

But hopefully the people acting this way are not Christians, because we are called to be holy and act righteously. Peter wrote,

“Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” (1 Peter 2:11-12)
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttp://www.facebook.com/widgets/like.php?href=http://the-end-time.blogspot.com/2011/12/new-survival-game-urban-foraging.html

http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=xa-4df8df7d18b59150

Posted in babylon, judgment

Babylon: The Spiritual and Economic Harlot, Part 3

Posted on by elizabethprata

Babylon: The Spiritual & Economic Harlot, Part 1
Babylon: The Spiritual & Economic Harlot, Part 2

Is the USA in end times prophecy? Perhaps the most asked question after, ‘are we in the end times now?’ I admit I go back and forth on the answer. I cannot dogmatically say one way or the other because as far as I can tell from my limited studies, the bible doesn’t say one way or the other.

For a long time I believed that the US was not a specific player in end times prophecy, any more or less than any other nation that is on the earth, except for the biblically identified nations in last times prophecy in the Middle East. After all, Iraq is home to Babylon, Israel is the navel of the world, Egypt is ancient, Damascus is 4000 years old. America as Americans know it is less than 300 years old. Why should we of all places have any part in this ancient drama?

But then there are some things that trouble me in attempting to resolve. Babylon is the focus of Revelation 17 and 18. Rev 17 Babylon is the fall of Spiritual Babylon and Rev 18 is fall of Economic Babylon. The city itself is also mentioned. Revelation 18:9b mentions it twice as a city, as does verse 16, 18, 19 and 21. It is said seven times to be a city in Revelation 18. So Babylon is not just a spiritual false religion and not just an economic system, it is an actual city, too.

Babylon in Iraq exists. It is partly abandoned but before Saddam Hussein was killed he was rebuilding it. He actually thought of himself as a modern king Nebuchadnezzar and had bricks made that one one side had the name Hussein and on the other side had the name Nebuchadnezzar imprinted. Some have speculated, including myself, that after the Iraq war ends the investments and money flowing to the city would propel it to prominence.

However there are some details that do not make sense in thinking of the Iraq Babylon as the prophesied city. In Revelation 18 there is much mention of ships seafaring cargoes and sailors and captains. Babylon Iraq is 375 miles from the Persian Gulf. Merchants are mentioned, commodities, but why sailors and seafaring cargoes? The verse says:

“For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’ “They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’ (Rev 18:17-19).

So the sailors stand off at sea watching the demise of Babylon the city… The verse goes on with this title punctuating the story:

“Finality of Babylon’s Fall”
“Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore.” (Rev 18:21).

So the finality of Babylon’s demise comes from the sea. How can this be if Babylon is the desert Babylon? Just because we can’t picture it now does not mean it won’t come to pass the way described. The Tribulation is full of devastating earthquakes and perhaps one of them cracks the land enough so that Babylon becomes waterfront property.

But another notion comes to mind. I am speculating here. Perhaps Babylon is New York City.

Revelation 18 is all about the fall of the evil economic system. The world’s current economic woes began when Lehman Brothers fell, sparking an economic panic and decline that continues to this day. Wall Street is home to the brokerage houses that caused the economic panic and global decline. The world’s reserve currency is the US Dollar, and NYC is home to all currency at one point or another. NYC drives the world’s economy.

NYC is also home to the United Nations, thought to be a progenitor of the home to the one world government prophesied to come in Revelation 13. NYC is a busy port. Within one generation, the US has been both the strongest ally to the new nation of Israel and its biggest betrayer. Islam calls us two the Great Satan and the Little Satan. Here, Patrick Heron makes a case for Babylon the city being NYC.

The first rule of biblical understanding is to take the bible literally where it is obvious it should be taken literally. Babylon was and is a city in Iraq. I’m still inclined to believe the prophecy will culminate in the literal place the bible tells us it will, but I am throwing out this a possibility to chew on.

Read for yourself in the bible, and read widely. Revelation is not the only place that the final judgment of Babylon is discussed. Jeremiah 50 & 51, and Isaiah 13 are but a few examples. The idea is to read and pray for understanding with open mind. We can’t be dogmatic about the details when the details are not given.

True believers in the church will not be on earth when the final judgments occur, and certainly not be here to witness Babylon’s fall. However, we will praise the Lord for its death! Revelation 18 shows the earthly lament for Babylon’s fall, but Revelation 19:1-6 shows the heavenly praise for the Lord’s final sweeping away of the curse that Babylon is! There is a “Fourfold Hallelujah”!!

“After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,
“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER.” And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And a voice came from the throne, saying,

“Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying,

“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.”

Babylon: The Spiritual and Economic Harlot, Part 1, here
Babylon: The Spiritual and Economic Harlot, Part 2 here
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttp://www.facebook.com/widgets/like.php?href=%20http://the-end-time.blogspot.com/2011/12/babylon-spiritual-and-economic-harlot_4232.html

http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=xa-4df8df7d18b59150

Posted in babylon, judgment, revelation

Babylon: The Spiritual and Economic Harlot, Part 2

Posted on by elizabethprata

Babylon: The Spiritual and Economic Harlot, Part 1, here
Babylon: The Spiritual and Economic Harlot, Part 3 here

God will judge Spiritual Babylon in Revelation 17. Nimrod, Noah’s great-grandson, and his wife Semiramis, brought the first organized false religion to man. His city, Babel, was the place where the Tower was built. The tower was a monument to man and what man could do, not a monument to God and what He can do. God stopped the building of the tower but that did not stop the growing of the false religion. It still grew. Babylon is therefore forever known as by full name: “Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and Abominations of the Earth”. (Revelation 17:5)

So where is Spiritual Babylon today? Does she still exist? Yes, she exists. Technically, Babylon the Mother of Prostitutes is the mother of all false religions, starting with Nimrod and his wife, Semiramis, who called herself Queen of Heaven. The Queen of Heaven is mentioned in Jeremiah 44:15-19. The Queen of Heaven’s counterparts in different cultures are Ishtar and Isis. All false religions that spawned from her are the harlot daughters of the original. But there is one religion that can be said not to be a daughter of the original Harlot Babylon but is still the Mother herself: The Catholic Church. Mary is the Catholic’s Queen of Heaven.

I bring Catholicism into this discussion because of the prophecy in Rev. 17:9, “This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits.” Rome is known as the City of Seven Hills.  I do not know dogmatically that the city of 7 hills refers to Rome. I do not believe that the Harlot of False Religion is only the Catholic Church, I believe that it refers to ALL false religions in the world. The prophecy in Revelation shows us that though all false religions are tolerated by the Beast (Antichrist), in the middle of the Tribulation the Beast puts a stop to them all, and any semblance of ecumenism goes out the window. Catholicism will not be tolerated. Wicca will not be tolerated. Judaism will not be tolerated. Islam will not be tolerated. The Beast insists all worship HIM and him alone. (Revelation 13:11-18).

But…since the antichrist will emerge from the revived Roman Empire, it behooves us to look at its capital, Rome and the nation nesting inside Rome, Vatican City.

The Fuel Project Series explores the coming New World Order from a Biblical perspective. In this part, it discusses how Catholicism was created by putting a Christian facade on Mystery Babylon paganism. This Fuel Project, Know Your Enemy, Part 23 is only 16 minutes long. It gives a great overview from Constantine onward to the solidification of Catholicism, its marriage to money, and its relation to Babylon.

FUEL Project part 23 transcript, excerpt beginning at ~7:00–
“Stanley’s history on page 40 says, The popes filled the vacant place of the Emperors at Rome, inheriting their power, their prestige and their titles from paganism Pope Damascus recognized the power inherent in his new title. He believed himself to be head over not just the Christian church, but also over the pagans in Rome. It meant complete authority and domination; both the secular and the sacred, under one system. So how was the Roman Church to consolidate this rule over the pagans and the Christians under one system? They needed to somehow iron out the differences between the Babylonian system and the Christian system to create a unity between all peoples… and that meant compromise. What the Catholic Church did was consistently compromise the Gospel message with pre-existing pagan beliefs and adapted it based on whatever form of Babylonian mysticism existed a culture held to.”

That melding of all the religious beliefs will find its ultimate expression in the first half of the Tribulation. This movement has already begun. It is called the Ecumenical movement

Ecumenical movement is a pursuit of a unity in and among all churches with the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church began its modern pursuit of ecumenism in 1961, but actually it has always been its stated aim, since at least 1274 if not before. The Catholic Church believes that it is the identical Church Christ founded and that all others have wandered. Ecumenism is the pursuit of the wayward churches back to the Catholic fold.

“Ecumenism takes as it starting point that Christ founded just one Church, not many churches; hence the Roman Catholic Church has as its ultimate hope and objective – that through prayer, study, and dialogue, the historically separated bodies may come again to be reunited with it. Before the Second Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic Church defined ecumenism as a relations with other Christian groups in order to persuade these to return to a unity that they had broken. Pursuit of unity, thus understood, was always a principal aim of the Church.” (source)

Knowing the past will help us identify the future when it arrives, as we see the pursuit of the folding-in of all religions into one.

A missionary couple our denomination supports recently came to speak of their work. They said that the Catholic Church’s influence and embeddedness in Guatemala makes their work in bringing the truth of the Gospel very hard. The Mayans in the area are completely melded to the Catholic Church, mainly because the Catholic Church allows them to retain their Mayan rituals. Outside one local Catholic Church, he showed us a photo of a cave kind of pit, where the indigenous Indians sacrifice to the Mayan god before entering the Catholic Church to worship. The Catholic Church built the sacrificial pit as an honorary understanding that both religions could be accommodated. Therefore the Mayans sacrifice outside and then enter the Church and leave their money tithe inside.

Vatican City is the smallest nation in the world. It is not just a city, it is its own nation. “The size of a golf course, the Vatican City  is the smallest country in the world. It’s basically a walled enclave inside of Rome, Italy. It’s so small that the entire country does not have a single street address.”

“Another unique thing about the smallest country in the world is that it has no permanent citizens. Citizenship of the Vatican City is conferred upon those who work at the Vatican, as well as their spouses and children, and is revoked when they stop working there. The Vatican City may be small, but it is very powerful. It is the sovereign territory of the Holy See, or the seat of the Catholic Church, its central government, which has over 1 billion people  or about 1 in 6 people on the planet as constituents. The Vatican City was created in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty, which was signed by one of history’s most repressive dictators, Benito Mussolini and is ruled by the Pope, a non-hereditary, elected monarch who rules with absolute authority. He’s the legislative, executive and judiciary all rolled into one. Indeed, the Pope is the only absolute monarch in Europe.”

Interesting, isn’t it?

“The country’s economy is unique: it is the only non-commercial economy in the world. Instead, the Vatican City is supported financially by contributions of Catholics worldwide (called Peter’s Pence – hey, even the Pope accepts credit cards!), the sale of postage stamps and publications, and tourism.”

I had shown through scriptures in Part 1 the tie-in between money and false religion. Being wealthy is not a sin. Abram was wealthy (Genesis  13:2). It’s doing wrong things with the money and for the money that brings judgment. Remember Elisha’s greedy servant Gehazi? “But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, by not receiving from his hands what he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” (2 Kings 5:15-27). He ended up a leper. Remember Ananias and Sapphira? They stole from the tithe by falsely holding back and lying to Peter? They ended up dead. (Acts 5)

Jesus reminds us that where vast wealth exists, falsity likely exists too. “And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:23-24). Jesus repeats His warning in the same verse.

How rich is the Catholic Church? Time Magazine wrote in 1965,

“Bankers’ best guesses about the Vatican’s wealth put it at $10 billion to $15 billion. Of this wealth, Italian stockholdings alone run to $1.6 billion, 15% of the value of listed shares on the Italian market. The Vatican has big investments in banking, insurance, chemicals, steel, construction, real estate. … Unlike ordinary stockholders, the Vatican pays no taxes on this income, which led the leftist Rome weekly L’Espresso last week to call it “the biggest “the biggest tax evader in Italy.”

That was in 1965. I wonder how much more wealth the Vatican has accumulated in the ensuing nearly 50 years? If I calculated right, and I may not have, 15 billion in 1965 dollars in today’s dollars would be 105 billion. The Catholic Church is the wealthiest organization on earth. Italian author Avro Manhattan wrote,

“The Catholic church is the biggest financial power, wealth accumulator and property owner in existence. She is a greater possessor of material riches than any other single institution, corporation, bank, giant trust, government or state of the whole globe. The pope, as the visible ruler of this immense amassment of wealth, is consequently the richest individual of the twentieth century. No one can realistically assess how much he is worth in terms of billions of dollars.”

Babylon the False Religion will be destroyed and its partner the Babylon the false economic system will also be destroyed. The Catholic Church has a role to play, whether it is prophetically the Babylon of the city on 7 hills or whether it is a part of the general destruction of all false religions.

The Harlot is mentioned again in the destruction of Babylon the false economic system. “For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” (Rev 18:3). It’s called prostitution because of the addition of the exchange of morals, faith, and conscience for money. It is the money exchange that makes it the harlot.

The lesson for us is to heed Jesus’ warnings that vast wealth corrupts. In Revelation 18 when the Babylon economic system is destroyed, the woes that are heard from the crying participants only for the loss of the consumer goods, not the people. It is all about them, they are crying, ‘where will be get our luxuries from, now?’ (Rev 18:11, 14, 18-19).

The Son of Man had no place to lay His head, (Mt 8:20) but the King of Vatican City has golden monstrance, gold embroidered robes, gold jewelry, velvet garments and a satin pillow to lay his head…

Fornication with false religions and fornication as a greedy consumer and hoarder of wealth will find their ultimate whorish marriage both fulfilled in the Tribulation and judged in the Tribulation.

If you are blessed with wealth, that is wonderful. But take care to be a generous giver, (2 Corinthians 9:7), a diligent doer of the Word, (James 1:2) and pray always for the Holy Spirit to guard your heart from prostituting yourself for filthy lucre.
Babylon: The Spiritual and Economic Harlot, Part 1, here
Babylon: The Spiritual and Economic Harlot, Part 3 here

http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttp://www.facebook.com/widgets/like.php?href=%20http://the-end-time.blogspot.com/2011/12/babylon-spiritual-and-economic-harlot_03.html

http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=xa-4df8df7d18b59150

Posted in babylon, false religion, revelation

Babylon: The Spiritual and Economic Harlot, Part 1

Posted on by elizabethprata

Babylon: The Spiritual and Economic Harlot, Part 2 here
Babylon: The Spiritual and Economic Harlot, Part 3 here

The most intriguing name in the bible may well be Babylon. (AKA Babel). It is mentioned over 300 times, more than any other name except Jerusalem. Babylon figures prominently in Genesis and in Revelation, illustrating to us the bookend of the false system that has bracketed mankind from the beginning to the end. It was with us after the flood (Genesis 10) and it never left the earth, but it will be addressed in the future. Just because the Lord has not yet judged Babylon the harlot religious system does not mean that He won’t.

Babylon is a false religious system, or spiritual harlotry. Revelation 17 is all about the evil thing that spiritual adultery leads to, and shows us the final judgment of it. Revelation 18 shows us the false political/economic entity Babylon will become and also shows us its final judgment. There is a third meaning of Babylon in Revelation, and that is the name of an actual city. From Revelation’s intertwining of spiritual adultery and economic adultery we can surmise that where one exists, the other follows. They are closely related.

SPIRITUAL HARLOTRY
Babylon’s full name is found in Revelation 17:5: “Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and Abominations of the Earth”. Pretty strong! So what exactly does spiritual harlotry look like?

Hosea was a prophet of God whom God commanded to marry a prostitute. (Hosea 1). As Pastor Weaver exposits, “At the beginning of Hosea’s ministry, the northern kingdom was seemingly prosperous under the stable reign of Jeroboam II. But though things appeared to be calm on the surface, underneath the torrents of the kingdom’s destruction were swirling. The nation had forsaken Yahweh. Though they retained allegiance to Yahweh with their lips, their hearts were far from Him. They had began to mingle elements of the Canaanites’ fertility religion with Yahweh worship by engaging in sexual rites and drunken orgies which were thought to secure the giving of rain and the fertility of the land for their crops.”

The first indicator of spiritual harlotry is unseen. It is a heart condition that God sees. Everything looks all right on the surface because people speak and act in ways that seem consistent with God. But everything is not all right. The second indicator of spiritual harlotry is when religious people incrementally meld pagan rituals and ideas and doctrines with the Truth as revealed from God. Today this can be seen when churches bring the world into the pulpit, such as promoting the latest popular book, following a worldly fad, or singing secular songs.

This is a process Paul described as gangrene. (2 Timothy 2:17). If not stopped immediately, the false practices and doctrines continue to infect the body.

Pastor Weaver continues,
“The book of Hosea is not primarily about Hosea and his marriage, it is ultimately about God and His relationship to His covenant people, Israel. Hosea was commanded to marry a prostitute because that is the kind of wife which Israel had become to Yahweh. By combining elements of Baal worship with the elements of Yahweh worship commanded in the Law, Israel was engaging in spiritual adultery – a religious syncretism which by combining true Yahweh worship with idolatry resulted in a perversion which God Himself viewed as spiritual adultery.”

Though the excerpt above characterizes idolatry as spiritual adultery, I prefer to use the term used in Revelation, prostitute, whore or harlot. While adultery to me is a setting aside of morals, prostitution has the additional component of money changing hands. We will see from scriptures below that money is always a large component to spiritual falsity.

The Tribulation’s Spiritual Babylon is the end result of man’s failure and inability to eradicate false religion from the flesh and the mind. Finally, they all just quit trying. The Holy Spirit’s ministry of restraining of sin and illuminating the Truth has slowed this gangrenous creep for the last 2000 years, but when the Restrainer is removed, (2 Thessalonians 2:6), Babylon as spiritual harlot will explode all over the earth. Almost everyone will be infected by it. The final result will be that the world worships satan. The exhortations to the Tribulation believers in Matthew 24:13 and Mark 13:12 show us how hard it will be to remain faithful in a fallen and perverted world.

ECONOMIC HARLOTRY
So Revelation 17 dealt with the harlot Babylon in religion and Revelation 18 deals with harlot Babylon as false economic system. To me, this illustrates how the two are closely related. Once the mind begins to allow the world in, then money follows. By reverse logic, the old adage to “follow the money” shows that when we follow money to the root, the person will be evil at root also. 1 Timothy 6:10 states that “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” That verse shows us that the love of money and false religious systems are intertwined.

Look at the cross references to the 1 Timothy 6 verse warning us about the evils of replacing God with the idol of money: Joshua 7:21, Psalm 62:10, Proverbs 15:27, Ecclesiastes 2:19, Matthew 6:19, Matthew 13:22, Mark 4:19, Colossians 3:5, 1 Timothy 3:3, 1 Timothy 6:9, 2 Timothy 3:2, James 5:19. NOT following the money is a huge theme in the bible, and the final end of such waywardness is shown to us in Revelation 18 when the Economic Babylon is destroyed.

Titus 1:11 warns us against false teachers who always do what they do for “filthy lucre’s sake”. Peter repeats this warning in 1 Peter 5:2: “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;” (KJV). So it is no wonder that Babylon the Spiritual Whore is joined to Babylon the Economic Whore.

Babylon was the first organized false religion, and she has many daughters. However, there is one daughter who can actually be stated to still be the mother. That is the Catholic Church. This will be explored in part 2 of “Babylon the spiritual and economic harlot”, and part 3 will look at the city of Babylon.
Babylon: The Spiritual and Economic Harlot, Part 2 here
Babylon: The Spiritual and Economic Harlot, Part 3 here
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttp://www.facebook.com/widgets/like.php?href=%20http://the-end-time.blogspot.com/2011/12/babylon-spiritual-and-economic-harlot.html

http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=xa-4df8df7d18b59150

Posted in theology

Happy birthday to me!

Posted on by elizabethprata

I was born again on December 3, 2003. I was raised in an atheist family in a Godless part of the country. I had no spiritual upbringing and no religious education. Yet Romans 1:20 lived in my heart:

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

In a back recess of my mind and in a small corner of my heart, I understood that there had to be God. God must exist. Nothing made sense without His presence. I understood this because He plants eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Romans 2:14-15 reminds us that we have the law written on our hearts and that our consciences as His moral barometer prick us. (2 Corinthians 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5:11). From birth, we all know He exists. How we respond to what is in us determines our destiny.

I remember being completely astounded by something that happened to me when I was in my twenties. I came across a bookmark that had the “Footprints” poem on it. Amazingly, I picked it up and actually read it. Usually I just skipped over anything that had Jesus name on it.

Footprints in the Sand
Mary Stevenson, 1936
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

When I got to the last line I burst out crying. I was amazed first because I was even reading something that Had Jesus’ name on it, and secondly because I was so overcome by the beauty of the sentiment. Though I was not saved at that time, and I had no knowledge of who Jesus is, my spirit was responding to the simple truth written in my heart. The bible says “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Though my sinful mind could not accept Jesus, the law written on my heart cried out for Him. And in His power and omniscience, He heard they cry of my heart. In His timing, twenty years later, I was saved. I called out to Him, fully believing, and I was born again.

Thank you Lord Jesus, for
pursuing me
delivering me
forgiving me
saving me
loving me
growing me

It took 43 years, but I got there. If you have family and friends who are not saved, just keep trusting the verses that tell us He is implanted in us. Keep praying for an activation of the seed of truth that we all have deep in our souls, that Jesus is real, He loves us, and we can be reconciled to Him through His forgiveness of our sins.
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttp://www.facebook.com/widgets/like.php?href=%20http://the-end-time.blogspot.com/2011/12/happy-birthday-to-me.html

http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=xa-4df8df7d18b59150