Posted in end time, prophecy

Sobering news today, and sobering future ahead

Posted on by elizabethprata

Here are a few random news nuggets that belie the danger to the lost and nearness of the time of Jesus’ judgments.

Of all the nations that recently endured an era of devastating hyperinflation, Zimbabwe is that nation. For a picture of what hyperinflation actually does to a nation, read this from Wikipedia, “Inflation rose from an annual rate of 32% in 1998, to an official estimated high of 11,200,000% in August 2008 according to the country’s Central Statistical Office. This represented a state of hyperinflation, and the central bank introduced a new 100 billion dollar note. As of November 2008, unofficial figures put Zimbabwe’s annual inflation rate at 516 quintillion per cent, with prices doubling every 1.3 days.”

In other words, they should know the signs of hyperinflation. They now see it happening in America, and they warn to get out of the Dollar standard and switch to the Chinese yuan for the reserve currency. This is from CNBC:

Zimbabwe Bashes Bernanke—On Inflation!
“The central banker of the country most famous for hyperinflation, Zimbabwe, is warning that the US may be on the wrong path and urging his country to adopt the Chinese yuan as its currency. Gono says Zimbabwe should in fact be looking to the Chinese yuan as its main currency, while urgently seeking to restore its own currency which was abandoned in 2009 after a dramatic loss of its value.”

BBC: Katla volcanic eruption imminent, could have global impact
“Hundreds of metres under one of Iceland’s largest glaciers there are signs of a looming volcanic eruption that could be one of the most powerful the country has seen in almost a century. Mighty Katla, with its 10km (6.2 mile) crater, has the potential to cause catastrophic flooding as it melts the frozen surface of its caldera and sends billions of gallons of water surging through Iceland’s east coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. “There has been a great deal of seismic activity,” says Ford Cochran, the National Geographic’s expert on Iceland.”

Epic windstorm batters west, third of a million without power
“Hurricane force winds, some topping 100mph snarls traffic, downs trees, wreaks havoc. See this video of a huge pine tree downed by the wind.

Iranian and North Korean rocket experts hold Damascus meetings
“Dozens of officials from North Korea and Iran have conducted meetings with representatives of the Syrian government in Damascus to help president Bashar al-Assad obtain weapons following the implementation of sanctions by members of the Arab League and other countries.”

So now that the Arab League has sanctioned Syria, other rogue states will help Syria get weapons of mass destruction. Not good.

Ultraconservative Islamists make gains in Egypt
“Egypt’s ultraconservative Islamist party said Friday it plans to push for a stricter religious code in Egypt after claiming surprisingly strong gains in this week’s initial round of voting for parliament, the first elections since Hosni Mubarak’s ouster.”

Ultraconservative and Islam … also not a good combination.

From the natural disasters happening, to the economic failures, to the military buildup, it is all coming together. Two gentlemen write piercingly heartfelt essays this week, of which I’d like to share some excerpts. They said it all so well:

Ron Graham
“What mankind is witnessing today is only the “birth pangs” associated with the nearness of Christ’s return; certainly we’re not feeling the full on effects of what Jesus tells us is coming in the last days. Jesus’ return is close, and every Christian should reel with anticipation and excitement every time something out of the ordinary or unexplainable happens. But today’s Christians seem to be apathetic concerning the coming of their Lord; a lull between events allows apathy to creep into the Christian’s life lessening the anticipation of future events. Although many may read about the catastrophic occurrences around the world which have led to mass amounts of human death and suffering, there seems to be a sort of disconnect as people simply dismiss any possibility of such devastation occurring near them, or in their lifetime. Today most followers of Jesus Christ are unaware of the unimaginable magnitude of catastrophic events that are coming. Jesus warns the last remaining generation prior to His return that they will be overwhelmed by three specific ever recurring events, which are earthquakes, pestilence, and famines. Interestingly we’re all witnesses to the fact that all three are increasing in frequency and intensity just like birth pangs.”

John McTernan
“I have been warning for a long time for believers to be serious with God because huge trials were coming that were going to test our faith. It now appears that two huge trials are converging at the same time. The European economic meltdown along with war in the Middle East which are going to shake the entire world. Both converging at the same time are like a 10.0 earthquake. The effect is going to be enormous. The European Union meltdown is now heading into high gear as all the warning signs are now flashing of an imminent meltdown. There is not enough money in the world to bail out Europe along with all the debt that the US is creating. The debt monster is now loose and out of control. The collapse of Europe will send the world economy into uncharted waters. Look what happened in the Fall of 2008 when Lehman Brothers collapsed. Just imagine what is going to happen with the Euro along with multiple European nations collapse!

“There are all sorts of unconfirmed reports that Israeli Jericho missiles are being moved into firing positions in the West Bank. The Jericho is Israel’s long range missile which can reach Iran. This missile can be armed with nuclear weapons. [There are also unconfirmed reports that China is moving missiles into position, also.) Syria is degenerating in chaos and Assad said he will attack Israel if war breaks out. Israel said it will totally destroy Syria in the next war, so Syria can never again attack Israel! Lebanon said its army will back Hezbollah and Israel said it will destroy Lebanon in the next war! All the elements are now coming together for the all-out war that is described in Psalm 83, Obadiah and Isaiah 17.”

“How much longer can this war be held back? If it does not start by the end of this year, can an entire year go by without it starting? I doubt it. It appears that the time has now arrived for the war that will start the direct countdown to all the end-time prophecy, the Day of the LORD and battle of Armageddon which will usher in the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with His church! All the warning signs are now flashing. The sirens are blasting full power that God’s judgments on this world are about to begin as time is running out.”
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Posted in bible jesus, miami, prophecy

Disgruntled Municipal workers try to put black magic mojo on City Manager

Posted on by elizabethprata

North Miami Beach police employees in hot water over alleged Santeria birdseed plot
Two North Miami Beach police department employees allegedly tried to cast a spell over the city manager’s office.
A note to prospective municipal employees: If you’re looking for a way to help out beleaguered colleagues, casting a spell on your boss is probably not the way to go. Two North Miami Beach employees — one a police officer, the other a department office manager — are in hot water after trying to enlist some supernatural aid in the form of what they believed to be a Santeria practice.”

It all began over budget cuts. The city manager proposed them, the union opposed them, and two employees planned to dispose of him.

Miami is home to a large Cuban and African population, where Santeria flourishes as a mystical, cult voodoo religion that uses dead chickens, animal sacrifice, and black magic. Wikipedia describes Santeria as “Santería is a system of beliefs that merges the Yoruba religion (which was brought to the New World by slaves imported to the Caribbean to work the sugar plantations) with Roman Catholic and Native Indian traditions. These slaves carried with them various religious customs, including a trance for communicating with their ancestors and deities, animal sacrifice and sacred drumming.”

The article goes on, “While Santeria practitioners have argued that their practice constitutes a legitimate religion and bristle at depictions of the practice as black magic or witchcraft, they acknowledge that public displays of their traditions can spook non-believers. And both adherents and experts say that the Afro-Cuban religion, itself an amalgamation of Catholicism and African spiritual traditions, does not count malice — such as casting harmful spells — as one of its principles.”

Suuuuure.

Anyway, the non-union employee involved in the plot was fired and the union employee involved the plot is going through the process of being fired.
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Posted in bible, dignity, prophecy

Has today’s church said "dignity shmignity"?

Posted on by elizabethprata

I enjoy a good laugh as much as anyone. I love fun, a good time, being with friends, and yukking it up. However, I do not believe those things are appropriate for church, for bible study, for ecclesiastical conferences, or for prayer meetings. The call to dignity is both overt and inferred in the scriptures.

In the first essay I wrote about my concerns with Beth Moore’s teaching, I wrote that one of the issues is that she is not dignified on stage. I am not speaking of a personal preference, though I do have biases in this area. The scriptures in that piece speak to how we must act when in the position of teacher or elder. She uses signs, tricks, volunteers, personal anecdotes, jokes, innuendo, and more. When she teaches the bible, she is not dignified.

Mark Driscoll is pastor of the Mars Hill Church in Seattle Washington. He is well known for his casual approach to preaching the Sunday Services, in demeanor and in apparel. He readily admits that his sermon delivery is influenced by stand-up comedians like Chris Rock. I saw the first and only clip of Mr Driscoll a week or so ago. He was speaking of the Twilight novels and movie release in culture and how it is affecting the young girls of today, like his own daughter. I posted the 10 minute video on my blog here, and I fully admit that it is hilarious. He strode about the stage in tennis shoes, jeans, and untucked flannel shirt, making funny remarks and it was a good ten minutes of  punchline delivery that Chris Rock would envy.

I believe that demeanor is important when one is delivering a teaching on the greatest information ever imparted to Man. I am not a fuddy duddy, but the clear call to present the Gospel of Jesus and Him crucified means deliver it with dignity.

How many pastors today forgo a jacket and tie on Sundays anymore? How many over-rely on media such as video, loud music, dancing, casual attire, and any and all things that actually distract from the bible as the central focus?

Venerable evangelist Paul O. Nichols wrote in 1997,

“YOU ARE STANDING ON HOLY GROUND”
“Today if there is ever a time when a man is on “holy ground” it is when he is preaching Christ and Him crucified. Qualifications are specified. The inspired writer says, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Tim 2:2). Peter demanded, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God” (1 Pet 4:11). Preaching and teaching the word of God is a serious matter. The pulpit is no place for frivolity and merrymaking. Theatrics and foolishness are as out of place in the pulpit as a cowbell in a musical concert, and beneath the dignity of a faithful representative of the crucified Christ. No man has a right to profane the pulpit while representing the Saviour of the world. Cuteness and slang may provoke a laugh from the less spiritual, but the more serious disciple of Jesus demands sincerity and evidence that Christ lives in us (Gal 2:20).”

Do you demand sincerity and evidence that Christ lives in us from your church, your pastor, your services? I hope so. Dignity is an old fashioned word these days, much maligned. But while there is a place for frivolity and fun, guffaws and jokes, there is also a place for dignity. The two places are not the same.

The lowering of standards of pulpit behavior is indicative of the lowering of the place of Jesus in the heart of one who is treating Him so casually. It belies an internal attitude that Jesus is lower than He is, which is consistent with the attitude of many of today’s pastors who preach man higher than he is. The lowering and heightening will eventually meet as level after the rapture. It will soon after that find its ultimate culmination in the Man of Sin. Finally, satan (for a little while) will live on earth as the king of earth where Jesus is below man. But not for long.

When the time is fulfilled and the transgression is finished, (Dan 9:24) Jesus will appear as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS! “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.” (Revelation 17:14)

There is none higher and all the enemies of Him are under Him at the footstool. “A Psalm of David. The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” (Psalm 110:1)

You can be a joint heir with Christ, (Romans 8:17) or under His feet when He comes. He leaves the position you want to occupy up to you. Repentance and belief brings the former. Rejection of His pardon brings the latter.
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Posted in media manipulation, prophecy, time magazine covers

Time covers show why Americans know nothing about the world

Posted on by elizabethprata

This is a link to Time Magazine’s covers this week. If you click on it, this is what it will show

Business Insider says, “These magazine covers who why Americans know nothing about the world;” I would have to agree. Click here to compare other recent covers published in America vs. covers printed abroad. For example,

While the rest of the world gets a thoughtful piece about Islam, the U.S. gets … chores!

“Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan may be the key democratically elected Muslim leader who stands at the crossroads between East and West, but hey! What about these inventions?!” Read more.

The Business Insider article comparing the Time Magazine covers is an eye opener, and shows in graphic detail, pun intended, just how manipulated by the media Americans really are.

Just as Paul noted the nobility of the Bereans for being diligent to check all the teachings they received against the bible, applauding them for their Christian responsibility in searching these things out to see if they are true, it is also the citizen’s responsibility to be aware of the world we live in, fully and objectively informed in the political and other spheres. As this personal diligence in both the Christian spheres and the political spheres decline, it just makes it that much easier for the antichrist to come along and manipulate the last vestiges of truth in a dying world to his advantage.
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Posted in back to basics, bible, jesus, salvation

What’s "The Gospel"?

Posted on by elizabethprata

I watched a good movie called Time Changer this summer. It was stodgy and slow, but I like stodgy and slow. It was set in 1900 and was about a junior seminary professor who writes a book saying that in some cases it is all right to preach living a good life without using Jesus as a moral absolute. A senior professor of the seminary objects to that section in the book and urges the young seminarian to use his secret time machine to go 100 years into the future to see where his beliefs will lead. He arrives in 2000 horrified to experience the cold and pale thing Christianity has become.

What I liked about the end was a scene where he is getting ready to return to the past. He says goodbye to a laundromat caretaker he had met, and gives him a bible. He says the following to the laundromat guy, named Eddie:

“Jesus is coming back soon to set up His earthly kingdom. The requirement, though, to enter this kingdom, is that we must be absolutely perfect, without sin.

Well, that leaves me out of that party.

No one is without sin, Eddie. Not one! All of us face eternal judgment and separation from God. This is why we must accept Jesus Christ into our life as Lord. He is the only one who lived a perfect life, and thus became the substitute for our sins.

For me, too?

Yes, for you too Eddie. He rose from the dead, proving He was God. And He wants to save us from the penalty of our sins, and give us eternal life. But we must first individually receive Him. This is what it means to believe in Jesus.

I never heard it explained so simple, preacher.

God wants us to be reconciled to Himself. So much so that He gave His only so to die for us. It’s all in the bible. I pray that you will consider what I’m saying.”

That is the Gospel. Here are some few scriptures that are proof texts for this Gospel:

Jesus and His kingdom: Revelation 20:4, Daniel 7:13-14, Zechariah 14:8-11
Requirements for entry: John 3:5, John 3:3, Titus 3:5
No one is without sin: Romans 3:10
We all face judgment: 2 Corinthians 5:10, Hebrews 9:27, Romans 2:16, Acts 10:42
Jesus is sinless: 1 Peter 2:22, 1 John 3:5, Hebrews 4:15, 2 Corinthians 5:21
Jesus is our substitute: Isaiah 53:4-6
He died for all: John 1:29, “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'” and John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” 1 John 2:2, “and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
Jesus’ resurrection: Acts 13:33, Romans 1:4
Believe and you shall be saved: Acts 16:31, Romans 10:9
It’s all in the bible: 2 Timothy 3:16

Why was a sacrifice necessary? Why was it necessary that blood had to have been shed? The Gospel is that we believe Jesus the son of God is fully God and fully man, manifested in the flesh, who came to earth to seek and save the lost. He died on the cross, shedding His blood as the perfect, sinless sacrifice. He was buried and resurrected by the power of God three days later. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

 Leviticus 17:11 says “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’ ” Hebrews 9:22 says “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

I do not know why God set it up that the blood is the life, and is the mechanism for atonement, but it is so because we are told that by His word. God had to pour out His wrath for sin upon Jesus, whose shed blood was payment for the sins of the world. There had to be a sacrifice and it had to be pure. Jesus is sinless, and was therefore acceptable to God as that sacrifice. Jesus took on all the sins of the world AND all God’s wrath for it. He took our place so we do not have to endure God’s wrath, unless a person rejects Jesus. Then they are subject to wrath! Forever!!

That’s the Gospel. Please believe it. Your soul depends on it.
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Posted in mark of the beast

Mark of the beast is not just possible now, it’s here

Posted on by elizabethprata

Even atheists have heard of one of the bible’s most deadly and mysterious prophesies, “the Mark of the Beast”. This prophecy is found in Revelation 13:16-18. It says that the antichrist, also known as The Beast, will force everyone to worship him. To cement this worship all people on earth must receive a mark on their hand or forehead. If you don’t accept this mark, you can’t buy or sell (participate in the economy). Also, you will be hunted down and killed. (Rev 20:4).

The Lord gives us the prophecies but He does not fill in every single detail all the time. In this case, we are not told if the mark will be the currency or the mark will be the permission on which someone may buy or sell using their own national currency. Likely the former.

The interesting thing about the prophecy is that it presupposes that the technology available when the conditions are ready for fulfillment will be that every person in the world can be tracked from a central point. For many years during the modern era (after 1920 or so, since electricity and telephones etc) Christians who believe the bible believed the prophecy, but for the life of them could not figure out how it would be fulfilled. Then the space age came and satellites now orbit, and Global Positioning systems reveal just how easy it is to track people and objects.

Even at that, it’s hard to think of how a system can come together where every person who shows up at a cash register at some store can be immediately identified as a friend or a foe to the antichrist. It is hard to think of how each of the 7 billion people of the world can be tracked if they have the mark or hunted if they don’t.

This essay is not to say that the technology is coming soon, but that it is here and in place.

We don’t see technological infrastructure, so we don’t know the degree to which the world’s more advanced governments have pushed the envelope of personal invasion of privacy. But we are finding out, and quickly.

Michael Snyder wrote on his Economic Collapse blog, “If you live in the United States of America, you live in a giant prison where liberty and freedom are slowly being strangled to death. In this country, the control freaks that run things are obsessed with watching, tracking, monitoring and recording virtually everything that we do. Nothing is private anymore. Everything that you do on the Internet is being monitored. All of your phone calls are being monitored. In fact, if law enforcement authorities suspect that you have done something wrong, they will use your cell phone microphone to listen to you even when you think your cell phone is turned off. In many areas of the country, when you get into your car automated license plate readers track you wherever you go, and in many major cities when you are walking on the streets a vast network of security cameras and “smart street lights” are constantly watching you and listening to whatever you say. The TSA is setting up “internal checkpoints” all over the nation, Homeland Security is encouraging all of us to report any “suspicious activity” that our neighbors are involved in and the federal government is rapidly developing “pre-crime” technology that will flag us as “potential terrorists” if we display any signs of nervousness. If you are flagged as a “potential terrorist”, the U.S. military can arrest you and detain you for the rest of your life without ever having to charge you with anything. Yes, the United States of America is rapidly being turned into a “Big Brother” prison grid, and most Americans are happily going along with it.”

I’m sure you’ve seen the headlines that match and support the truth of the above. I have. Now there is another headline that today gives me pause. It is actually the basis for writing this piece.

Researcher’s Video Shows Secret Software on Millions of Phones Logging Everything
“The Android developer who raised the ire of a mobile-phone monitoring company last week is on the attack again, producing a video of how the Carrier IQ software secretly installed on millions of mobile phones reports most everything a user does on a phone. Though the software is installed on most modern Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones, Carrier IQ was virtually unknown until 25-year-old Trevor Eckhart of Connecticut analyzed its workings, revealing that the software secretly chronicles a user’s phone experience — ostensibly so carriers and phone manufacturers can do quality control. But now he’s released a video actually showing the logging of text messages, encrypted web searches and, well, you name it.”

It gets worse. More from the article:

“Cringe as the video shows the software logging each number as Eckhart fingers the dialer. “Every button you press in the dialer before you call,” he says on the video, “it already gets sent off to the IQ application.” From there, the data — including the content of text messages — is sent to Carrier IQ’s servers, in secret. By the way, it cannot be turned off without rooting the phone and replacing the operating system. And even if you stop paying for wireless service from your carrier and decide to just use Wi-Fi, your device still reports to Carrier IQ.”

Now is it possible to see how quickly the prophecy from Revelation can be fulfilled? One inhibitor to the general populace accepting this was that the general populace rebelled against even the thought. Now we have gotten so used to invasive technology tracking our every move that we don’t even murmur when it pushes ever more deeply into our lives. It’s obvious that the people don’t care if they are tracked, and it is equally obvious that the technology developers and installers have no moral qualms about tracking. So as of this moment, there is means and opportunity, as they say in the crime shows. All that is left is the motive. And with the collapse of Europe and the global financial system likely upon our doorstep, motive will soon appear. Very soon. Jim Cramer of CNBC says that because of what is happening in Europe, the global financial system is at “DEFCON 3, two stages from a financial collapse that is so huge it’s hard to get your mind around.”

ANd one more item, also from Michael Snyder, about a new bill in the US Congress. “A new bill that is going through the U.S. Senate would allow the U.S. military to arrest American citizens and hold them indefinitely without trial. This new law was recently discussed in an article posted on the website of the New American….In what may be a tale too bizarre to be believed by millions of Americans, the U.S. Senate appears ready to pass a bill that will designate the entire earth, including the United States and its territories, one all-encompassing “battlefield” in the global “war on terror” and authorize the detention of Americans suspected of terrorist ties indefinitely and without trial or even charges being filed that would necessitate a trial.”

So the world is a battlefield in which technology can and should be used to track people. They want to track Americans now but that could and soon will change to tracking everyone. How do I know this? The bible tells us. Revelation 13 and it is called The Mark of the Beast. It is here.

Means & Motive exist. Opportunity is knocking as we speak. The most sinful, evil person in the entire world will soon appear on the scene and soon after that, he will implement the Mark. Are you ready? You will have to ready yourself for that fateful decision, if you are not one of Jesus’ children right now, and among those therefore who will be raptured out of the world before all this begins. Repent of your sins, meaning, are you sorry for the sinful person that you are? If you believe you are a sinner and that Jesus came to earth in a body, lived a sinless life, died to become sin and take the wrath of God, and rose to life on the third day, then you are a believer in the Gospel. That’s the Gospel. That is what you need to escape all these things and be reconciled to Jesus forever. Consider it.
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Posted in prophecy

Wow the headlines are just so gripping!

Posted on by elizabethprata

I look at how the world is descending into chaos and I am simply amazed. The headlines today are so prophetic, and so cautionary.

The Economist today: “The euro: Beware of falling masonry“
“The crisis in the euro area is turning into a panic and dragging the zone into recession. The risk that the currency disintegrates within weeks is alarmingly high”

Weeks! The antichrist is prophesied to emerge from the revived Roman empire (Dan 9:26) and eventually install an economic dictatorship involving a mark without which no one may buy or sell. (Rev 13:16-17). That the currency of a swathe of nations who’d combined financially, comprising the a huge portion of the old Roman Empire, can’t be ignored in the face of prophetic economic and financial things to come.

Report: Explosion rocks Iran city of Isfahan, home to key nuclear facility
“Semi-official Fars news agency says blast heard distinctly in several parts of the western Iran city; a uranium conversion plant near Isfahan went online in 2004. An explosion rocked the western Iranian city of Isfahan on Monday, the semi-official Fars news agency reported, adding that the blast was heard in several parts of the city. … The reported incident occurred about two weeks after Gen. Hasan Tehrani Moghaddam was killed together with 20 other Guard members Nov. 12 at a military site outside Bidganeh village, 40 kilometers southwest of Tehran.”

ABC reported of the explosion, “A major Iranian nuclear research centre is located near Isfahan city, although none of the Iranian reports of the blast said whether the explosion was near it. “In the afternoon, there was a noise like an explosion, but we don’t have any information from security forces on the source of the noise,” judiciary head Gholamreza Ansari was quoted as saying.Iranian media provided contradictory information about the incident, which came less that three weeks after a massive explosion at a military base near Tehran that killed at least 17 members of the Revolutionary Guard, including the head of its missile forces.”

Hmmm, the second mysterious explosion heard near an Iranian nuke facility in as many weeks.

NATO supply route through Pakistan stopped permanently
“Supply trucks for American-led forces in Afghanistan backed up on Pakistani roads near the border after Pakistan closed the routes following a NATO air strike that killed 24 of its troops.”

Pakistan is furious, actually. It seems that each nation is moving into the final geo-political positions…east against west, Muslim against Christian, Tribulation nations allied as per Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38, world against Jerusalem…

In 2010 I wrote about how the lens through which God sees thew world is through Israel. We know this because in Genesis 12:3 God said to Abraham- “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Israel is the lens through which God judges nations. What happens to Israel affects the entire world. In that essay I included come ancient map images. Ancient cartography depicted Jerusalem as the belly button of the world, and Israel was always dead center on the map.

The net is drawing tight, and all things are almost in place. I hope you are born again, saved by faith in the work of Jesus on the cross. If not, think about it now.
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Posted in back to basics, born again

What does it mean to be born again?

Posted on by elizabethprata

I came to faith in Jesus at age 43. In my youth and in adult life I never was exposed much to church or Born Again believers or the things of Jesus. A few minimal run-ins, a week or two at a bible camp in some dank church basement here or there and that’s about it. As an adult in New England, which is rife with false religions and atheists, I never bumped elbows with “Jesus freaks” as they are known up there.

That said, there is a vocabulary associated with Christianity that a person hears at some point in their lives just from listening to news clips or seeing movies or television. “You have to be born again,” or “He’s saved” are examples. I never knew what they meant. I do now. I’ll do my best to explain them.

According to the definition using scriptures at Christian Research and Apologetics Ministry, “Born Again” means “The term Born Again refers to new birth enjoyed by Christians upon conversion and regeneration. It is a work of the Holy Spirit within a believer. It is related to faith in Christ and Him crucified (John 3:3-5). It means that the person is no longer dead in sins (Eph. 2:1), no longer spiritually blind (1 Cor. 2:14), and is now a new creation in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17).”

Why do we need to have a new birth in Christ? Well, we’re all sinners. Sinning means we all do, think, and say wrong things. No one likes to hear that they are born sinful. They say, “I’ve done nothing wrong. I am not a murderer. I’m not like Hitler! I live a good life. Babies aren’t sinners!” But the fact is, we are born with a nature that is permeated with badness. If you ever saw a child willfully throw their peas to the floor you are witnessing sin. If you ever had a two year old throw a tantrum because they didn’t get their way, you are witnessing sin.

This was brought home to me in this video. In it, a small child is shown to be throwing a tantrum. Now, most people think that children do this simply because they are too young to control their emotions and their internal desires get the better of them. And that is true! But the video also shows by example that children even as young as this one know what they are doing when they rebel. He has his tantrum only when his mother is in eye view, he cries only when his mother is in sight, and he repeatedly positions himself to rebel purposely and for maximum effect.

We have a sin nature. From birth.

Now, Jesus came to take the penalty for God’s wrath for all this sin. He is Holy and the Judge. If we commit crimes against Him, he can’t just let it go, can He? A judge in a court on earth would not do that. You do the crime, you pay.

Being born again happens when a person recognizes their sin nature, that they are a sinner, and that this sin is separating them from God. It is very, very, very hard to do this, because our sin blinds us to this fact. You might ask, if sin is so pervasive and blinds us to the degree of our own position before God, what hope is there to ever get out of it?

Jesus! And the Holy Spirit! And God! John 6:44 says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 12:32: “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”

It’s the Holy Spirit that brings understanding of our position before God as sinners, through the reading and hearing of God’s Word, being burdened with thoughts and guilt of the bad things we do, hearing the Gospel and His free pardon to us. He enlightens us and reveals to us who Jesus really is and what He has done for all mankind. We may know about Him, as I did for 43 years, but we will not know Him and His lovingkindness toward us unless we first understand that we sin.

Once we are born again, a one-time event, He then sends the Spirit inside us to help us grow away from our sinful nature and become more Christlike. We will never be completely away from our sinful nature until we are in heaven. At that time the transformation process of cleansing sin from our literal body, begun at the new birth, is completed. He gives us a new body! No more sin! And we can finally be with Him, the Sinless and Holy One, in heaven.

It is really simple. We do bad things, and they aren’t just murders and rapes and robberies, but even gossip and slander and lust in the heart or lust through the eyes is sin. Everyone who was ever born on earth is a sinner- except Jesus. So by definition no one on earth can go to heaven. Here is what Jesus said on the matter:

“The New Birth

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

“Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ” (John 3:1-17).

That’s kind of hard to understand, and impossible to understand if you are not a Chrisitan saved by Jesus. But essentially it means, we’re born sinners, we won’t go to heaven when we die, we’ll go to hell. To save us from hell, Jesus died on the cross as the sacrifice required to pay the price of His wrath for sin. Jesus was resurrected on the third day and ascended to heaven. Anyone who believes this Gospel by faith will be born again. He sends the Spirit into you and the Spirit changes you from the inside out. You’re a new creation! Born again!

Born a second time, from sinner to believer growing in Christlikeness. You’re qualified for heaven, and will be with Jesus for all eternity instead of your default destination: hell.

Being born again is wonderful. I’m just sorry I wasted all the prior years, but Jesus’ timing is perfect and His plans are accomplished right on schedule.
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Posted in theology

A Testament

Posted on by elizabethprata

This is what the Lord has done this week for me and with me:

He used me for His glory and for His name. It is a hard thing to be used so well by the Holy Spirit while it is happening, but the reward is great: a closer walk with the King and a greater humility when it is over that I could be used for His name.

He gave me crystal clarity to a situation. He didn’t have to do that, but He did. I praise His name in the highest!

Another result I received a greater faith in His word, and what a blessing that is. He is steady and true, and He is with me always.

He gave me understanding of an overlooked sin, and forgave me when I repented of it.

He showed me why I am the way I am. I learned last summer that I am a high functioning autistic/adult Asperger’s, and though it answered many questions in my mind about why I think and feel about things the way I do and why I connect with the world in a different way than everyone else, I wasn’t settled about it. But this week He showed me how He could use me because He made me this way.

He gave me His felt presence in a fervent prayer session and I came away with tears, knowing that His word does not go out and come back void. He works all things for the good for those who love Him. Before, I knew it, today I know it.

He answered prayer. I had asked for provision. He gave it. No, I don’t have a bigger bank account. He delivered treasures galore: peace, conviction, understanding, nearness to Him, and joy. I’m rich!

Most of all, He ministered to me an even better understanding of His mercy, His greatness and His love. What a tremendous, tremendous God we have. Jesus is so High, yet came low for us. He will return to gather His bride, and I’m so happy for this. Until then, I seek His face always.

“For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the LORD.” (Jer 1:7b-8)

Do not be afraid to step out in faith and do what the Lord commands. He is with us.
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Posted in babylon, prosperity gospel

Follow the money! To Bankruptcy, that is

Posted on by elizabethprata

When we think of bankruptcy we always think of material bankruptcy. Someone went broke. Someone had money, and they don’t any more. Bankrupt.

What we never think of is spiritual bankruptcy. We never ponder that we are all bankrupt. “What?” You ask? “I have money in my bank account and my bills are paid.” No, we are born sinners, bankrupt of the spirit that we need to come into alignment with Jesus, which is the spirit of repentance for our sins.

His glory is that men respond to His call for repentance and come out of spiritual bankruptcy because of His grace and mercy. It is the highest act of a Holy God to redeem men.

Sadly, we live in a time when there is much material bankruptcy but also much spiritual bankruptcy. There is spiritual bankruptcy in the church. The Prosperity Gospel, also known as Name it-Claim it, the Health-Wealth Gospel or the Word of Faith Gospel, permeate today’s Laodicean Church of America. The Prosperity Gospel is spiritually bankrupt.

I wrote a blistering essay on the view Jesus holds of the last church in the Church Age. We are in that phase now, and it is called the Laodicean Church. I wrote about what Jesus says of this church, here.

Jesus said of this last church they will say “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’” This is a direct quote of what Jesus said the last church will say of themselves. He abhors this church. He vomits it out of His mouth. (Revelation 3:14-22). How did we get here? What happened?

False philosophies don’t just appear, they have always existed, since the Garden when satan exhibited pride and sought to diminish God before men. All philosophies stem from this, in various iterations. As far back as 1860 (or so) Charles Spurgeon preached:

“I believe that it is anti-Christian and unholy for any Christian to live with the object of accumulating wealth. You will say, “Are we not to strive all we can to get all the money we can?” You may do so. I cannot doubt but what, in so doing, you may do service to the cause of God. But what I said was that to live with the object of accumulating wealth is anti-Christian.”

Even further back, Jonathan Edwards preached in the 1700s, that “On judgment day even the condemned will testify against unfaithful ministers for their failure to seek the salvation of souls. Such ministers neglect the proper work of the ministry and attend chiefly to accumulating wealth. “They will face a dreadful Judgment.” “Those precious souls who were committed to our care lost through neglect will rise up in judgment against us and shall declare how we neglected their souls.” (source, book “The salvation of souls: nine previously unpublished sermons on the call of ministry and the Gospel” by Jonathan Edwards.)

Prosperity Gospel is nothing new. But our response to it, is.

Hearken to a warning from even further back. Jesus’ warning of the Laodicean Church was not only condemning a general attitude of the last church in the Church Age, but was a letter to an actual church in 90AD. It was read at the church in Laodicea. It is real. Jesus warned the actual Laodicean Church that accumulating wealth for wealth’s sake will lead to them being blind, poor, naked and unrighteous. By poor, I believe He meant poor in not having the treasure of Jesus as the primary consideration of their heart.

We receive other biblical warnings about the gangrenous effect of replacing the treasure of Jesus with the idol of money.

“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.” (James 5:1-6)

The Holy Spirit causes James to write that the rich will weep. There is no getting around that. The rich will weep. They will howl. They will be miserable. Not that money is bad, but look what the verse goes on to say they did with it: they accumulated it in the last days. They defrauded. They cheated honest workers. Do we see these conditions now? Yes.

So that is the second verse that shames and condemns the church that trades spiritual treasures for material wealth. Revelation 3:14-22 tells us, James 5:1-6 tells us. And now Jesus tells us in Matthew the same warnings. In Matthew 13:22, Jesus explains the parable of the sower. He says, “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.”

The deceitfulness of riches chokes the Word.

In Matthew 6:19 Jesus warns, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:”

Paul warns Timothy, in 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Focusing on wealth makes us stray. It chokes the word. It makes us howl. It produces misery. And if we pursue material wealth at the expense of Jesus and to the exclusion of Jesus, we will be vomited out His mouth.

Do we take heed?

Money is good and useful for advancing the Kingdom of God. It is great for showing the love of Jesus through giving to our neighbor. But if we accumulate it, hoard it, gain it by deceptive means, we succumb to its inherent evil, because then money has been separated from its intent: to show the glory of Jesus. Be warned.

Revelation 18:4-5 is the end of the end of the prosperity gospel. It is last chance Texaco, the bitter end of the sin of riches come to full fruition. See, even as the harlot economic Babylon is almost at her final moment, in His mercy He still calls us out of the deceitfulness of her riches!

“And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” (Revelation 18:4-5)

But then the damnation comes. It is where this has all been leading since the American Prosperity Gospel polluted the American church in the twentieth century, since Charles Spurgeon warned us not to accumulate riches in the nineteenth century, since Jonathan Edwards preached against ministers accumulating wealth at the expense of their charge of lost souls, since satan in the garden tempted man with the notion that satan has more to offer than God does, we have been chugging down this road. It all ends in Revelation 18.

“In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.” (Rev 18:4-5, 7-8).

Use your money for the Glory of God. Check your motivations for accumulating it. And combat the Prosperity Gospel as the evil daughter of the Harlot Babylon that it is. Don’t be spiritually bankrupt. Work, labor, be paid, and give back joyfully. “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)
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