Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
My Blog List
Links
- A Christian Thinktank
- Bible Prophecy Today
- Dr. Constable's Bible Study Notes
- Israel, Epicenter Of The World
- Joel C Rosenberg
- Joels' new blog
- Koinonia House Online
- Lambert Dolphin's Library
- Middletown Bible Church
- Olive Tree Ministries
- Persecution.Com
- Study Light Resources
- The Official Ray C Stedman Library
- The Omega Letter
- The True.Origin Archive
Discernment Ministries
155 comments:
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord He is God.
Psalm 100 (partial) cause I want to be first!
My first grade teacher had us memorize Psalm 100. It's stuck with me ever since!
It is He that has made us and not we ourselves. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. Be thankful unto Him and bless His name for the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all generations.
Shoot. I left out the part about us "being the sheep of His pasture." Here's a copy and paste;-)
Psalm 100
1Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
bunch of new earthquakes around the world, at 6.2 mile depth of origination.
Those bats are smart little fellows! They even know how to use computers!
Santa Barbara is now on Fire.
Listen to that "Long Tom Radio" Rosh Hashanna 2008 message.Tom Long">Long Tom
Discussion of Solana or Obama?
interesting bunch of posts about Noah's ark. gee didn't realize one little comment would start a scavenger hunt!
some thoughts
1-regarding the Nephilium-It has been said by some that while Noah's lines were pure those of his son's wives may not have been OR more likely, that the whole process started again after the flood. As to Goliath's sons, I do believe somewhere it says that they were all killed as well by David but couldn't tell you where.
2-regarding Noah being forced into the ark by flood waters due to lack of faith. The man just spent 120 years building the ark so I don't think lack of faith was perhaps the issue. If he had found grace in the eyes of God then think of what his compassion would have been like as well. Perhaps if there was reluctance he thought he could delay God's wrath by not getting in the ark and thereby delay judgment. keep in mind that there likely was extended family he loved very much who were not to be saved for lack of repentance. I think we sometimes consider Noah and his family in a void and forget that they were real people. How sad they must of been that it was only to be them. can you imagine the final family gatherings-"Man if we had known you wre going to marry into such a crazy family we'd never allowed it" "Noah, seriously you're giving the family a bad name-your second cousin twice removed said he lost a job because of you"
the 7 days could have been mourning for Methuselah, God's mourning for His creation or even Noah and his family's time of mourning for those who were about to be judged and killed. we'll have to ask.
on another tangent-I think from Jan Markell on the Prophecy today news site from Epicenter blog she or someone posted a letter from another woman in the ministry that she had received a vision or word from God that "He was coming at a time that would surprise you". I got the feeling that the "you" was not so much her personally, although it certainly might have been, but more the church at large and more that it was a strange pick of times by God to send Christ back. I'll have to see if I can find it
sobering paragraph from a commentary from wnd yesterday about the election aftermath stated that there were about 35 million conservatives eligible to vote. He said that if just 1/35th of those folks had gotten out to vote in 7 key states we'd be looking at a McCain presidency and not a BHO presidency because McCain would have gotten 247 electoral votes.
of course I meant to link it last night but was tired and now I can't find it. Essentially he did some tricky math and found that about 1 million voters would have made the difference.
not sure how accurate he was with the math but there you have it
about the whole aura around the ring of Saturn
did you know that there are some out there who think that Saturn is where new planets come from and that it spit out Venus as an example. It is a rather lengthy explanation and the guy uses a verse somewhere in the Bible to prove that Venus was not part of the original planets but spit out of Saturn and then recorded in the OT. interesting in light of the aura around Saturn. The ancients considered Saturn to be the father of the gods as well. Not sure what Jewish tradition holds about the planets. we've had some discussion here before about the constellations and zodiac as we know them to be corrupted forms of something in Jewish tradition that some felt was a biblical zodiac. any one else remember that conversation? If Saturn in Jewish tradition is considered the planetary symbol of God a newly found aura on the planet could have prophetic significance.
Too bad Harold is not around anymore because I remember him being good on the planetary/prophetic type topics.
Prophetic signs are coming up so fast I don't think we can keep up with them all. Here is one on the Temple Mount & the "Inter- Religious Peace Summit 2008" in Jerusalem. If you read this it will blow your socks off.
Inter- Religious Peace Summit 2008
UN Holds Interfaith Dialogue United Nations
12 November 2008
G-20: Shaping a new world order U.S. economic mettle is tested as emboldened leaders from throughout the world gather in Washington. (Doesn't seem like much will come from this one but I guess it's the start of ?)
Jib,
I just prayed this morning & requested that YHWH would straighten things out for me on the sequence of the Noah's Ark events.
I have faith that He will respond to my prayer so when I get the answer I'll post it.
So far He has provided answers in neither a way nor a time frame I would expect but I'll know it when it happens.
Good God's morning from Okieland! The Sun is shining and the Son is coming very soon!
Last night I did some tedious work retyping the remarks from the Chumash on Noah and the Flood. I hesitate to put it here because it is lengthy but it is full of great insight and expresses the views of the Torah scholars regarding this particular topic. I didn't do the whole thing but the different verses that you might find of interest. The comments are purely from the Stone Edition of the Chumash. Grany
The Stone Edition of the Chumash
Regarding: Noah and the flood
Beginning in Genesis 6:5 through 8
verse 5: HASHEM saw that the wickedness of Man was great upon the earth, and that every product of the thoughts of his heart was but evil always. 6. And HASHEM reconsidered having made Man on earth, and He had heartfelt sadness. 7. And HASHEM said, “I will blot out Man whom I created from the face of the earth~~from man to animal, to creeping things, and to birds of the sky; for I have reconsidered My having made them. 8. But Noah found grace in the eyes of HASHEM.
DISCUSSION OF TEXT IN CHUMASH~~
verse 6: And HASHEM reconsidered. In a penetrating discourse on the concept of God's grief and regret, Akeidas Yitzchak explains that this “grief” does not contradict the principle that God knows the future. As an example, he cites the case of someone who plants a sapling and nurtures it proudly, protecting it from harm as it grows to maturity, when he knows he will cut it down for lumber. When that time comes, he feels sorry that he must chop down a tree for which he worked so hard, even though he knew from the start that he would be doing so eventually. In this sense, the Torah borrows human terms to describe God as “grieving”,
God did not inflict this punishment capriciously, as it were. Only after man had become steeped in evil, beyond salvation, did He discard the Attribute of Mercy and adopt the Attitude of Judgment.
Verse 8: But Noah Found Grace. God's grace was needed in order to save Noah's family, otherwise only he (Noah) would have been spared. Although Noah himself was righteous, he did not try to influence the rest of his generation to know God and to repent. Since he did not attempt to help others, his merit would have been insufficient to save others. If a righteous person attempts to make others righteous, God may spare them for his sake, because there is hope he can influence them to repent (Sforno)."
Now this is my note: There is this Masoretic note and it says: “There are 146 verses in the Sidrah, numerically corresponding to the names of the two kings of Judah, Amaziah, and Hezekiah.
Besides having names with similar gematria (numerical value), these two kings' lives paralleled one another in many ways. Each succeeded his father to the throne at the age of 25; each is described with the phrase “He did what was proper in the eyes of HASHEM; each was attacked in the 14th year of his reign ~~ Amaziah by enemies, Hezekiah by a near fatal illness; and each ruled for 29 years.
Moreover, their names are nearly synonymous as their respective roots both indicate power or strength. This means power of God, and means God is my strength.
Chapter 7: 1 through 10
The Final Call: With the Flood to begin in seven days, God bid Noah to enter the Ark with his family. In addition to the pair from each species that he had been commanded previously to bring, he was now told to bring 7 pairs of the animals that the Torah would later declare to be clean, i.e., Kosher, so that he would be able to use them as offerings when he left the Ark (Rashi). They would also provide him with a supply of livestock for food, in anticipation of God's removal of the prohibition against eating meat (9:3) (Radak).
Up to now, the Sidrah had spoken of Elohim, indicating God's Attribute of Justice. Here he is called HASHEM, the God of Mercy, for He is saving Noah from the Flood, and, in addition, He is saving Noah's entire family and possessions, which, on their own merits, did not deserve to be saved (Sforno). The Name HASHEM is also an indication that Noah's future offerings would be accepted, since the chapters dealing with offerings use only the Name HASHEM (RAMBAN).
Verse 4: For in seven more days. After the original period that God allotted the people for repentance, His mercy decreed that He give them seven additional days. Alternatively, these were the seven days of mourning for Methuselah, who had just died and to whose honor God delayed the Flood (Rashi).
Verse 7: Noah, with his sons. The men and women are listed separately because marital intimacy was forbidden at a time when the whole world was in distress (Rashi).
Because of the waters of the Flood. The implication is that Noah and his family entered the Ark only when the rising water forced them to seek refuge. Indeed, the Midrash comments that his faith was less than perfect, for if the water had not reached his ankles, he would not have entered (Rashi: Midrash). He may have thought that God, in His mercy, would relent, or that the people would repent at the last minute. Nevertheless, the verse implies a criticism of his reluctance, for man should not allow his calculations to stand in the way of his compliance with God's command (Me'am Loez).
Verse 8: That is not clean. By using this long expression instead of the single word Unclean, the Torah teaches a moral lesson: One should never utter a gross expression, for the Torah, which stresses brevity, added several extra letters to the Hebrew text of our verse to avoid using the unseemly expression Unclean (Perachim 3a).
Verse 9: Two by two. The whole verse because it is discussed: two by two they came to Noah into the Ark, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. There were at least 2 from every species (Rashi); but there were 7 pairs of clean animals (Mizrachi).
R'Yaakov Kamenetsky notes that this verse states that the unclean animals came to Noah on their own, but verse 2 implies that the clean animals did not come, for Noah had to take them. The unclean animals were in the Ark only to preserve their species, but the clean animals had the additional purpose of being offerings after the Flood was over. God wants offerings to come as a result of human effort. Therefore, He commanded Noah to search them out and bring them in.
Ramban comments that one pair of every species, the clean ones included, came of its own accord, meaning that God caused them to come instinctively. As for the additional six pairs of the kosher animals that Noah would use later for offerings, he had to gather them himself. (For God to have sent these animals to Noah without any effort on his part would have diminished the significance of his offerings. A person's free-willed offering is an expression of his gratitude or an effort to increase his closeness to God. Consequently, it is his own desire and his own exertions that give value to the offering.)
GRANIES'SIDE NOTE: There is disagreement as to the exact time of the year the Flood happened but the Jewish Rabbi contend it was close to the Fall Feasts or Rosh Hashanah. Here is the comment they post:
"The Torah states that the Flood began in the second month, which Rashi interprets as the the month of Marcheshvan, the second month of the year counting from Rosh Hashanah. This follows the Talmudic view of Rabbi Eliezer; Rabbi Yehoshua, however, maintains that it is the month of lyar, the second month from Nissan (Rosh Hashanah 11b). From the time of the Exodus, however, all the months of the Torah are numbered from Nissan, in honor of the Exodus, which took Israel from servitude and began its mission as the recipient of the Torah at Sinai.
Verse 11: In the six hundredth year. The Zohar states that this verse, which speaks of a deluge emanating from above and below, alludes to the potential of a great flood of spiritual growth that was destined for that year. It would have been the year when the Written and Oral Torahs were given, but mankind failed dismally and was undeserving of the opportunity. Zohar adds that the same opportunity would come to the world during the sixth century of the sixth millennium; the years 5500-5600 (1739 -1740 to 1839 -1840). Indeed that century saw an unusual flowering of Torah accomplishment, and also a secular explosion of thought and achievement, such as the American and French Revolutions, the Industrial Revolution, and an explosion of political and economic thought. Had Israel and society as a whole been more worthy, there is no telling how much more spiritual growth there could have been.
Verse 12: And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. Notice that in verse 17 the narrative mentions Flood, while here it refers to rain. Rashi explains that the precipitation began gently, so that ~~ had the people repented at the last minute ~~ it still could have been transformed into a rain of blessings. Only when they refused did it become a Flood." END OF QUOTES FROM CHUMASH
One point of interest that I read in this book was the mention of the temperature of the water that was involved. The waters that burst from below would have been very hot as the cortex of the earth is of molten material. The waters from above were cool and had been the source of moisture since the creation. Waters that would come from a volcanic type of eruption would be extremely hot (hellishly so) and it would scald and kill plant life. The violence of the storm increased when man still did not repent and that is evidenced from the torrential type of downpour that was spoken of. I didn't see where the fish of the sea were affected by the flood and the opinion of the rabbis was that there was no involvement of the water creatures in Man's sins as there was with the animals that lived on the dry land. (Mizrachi).
As to the ark's door being closed by God. I would picture it much like the closing on an airplane in design. It would have to fit snugly and pitched with tar. It didn't weigh anymore after he built it than it did when it was closed. But the point is, God closes what he will close and that means shuts off, and then he opens what and when he wills to open and no man can shut or open until then. The purpose was to allow extra days for the unsaved to repent of their sins or rebellion and unbelief. Wicked men and women can still be saved as long as the Age of the Church is open but when God sends Jesus on the clouds to call his Body of Believers out, the Church Age will close. The period of Unmerited Grace will be no more. Then God will again deal with the Hebrew people or Yahweh's Wife. There is the matter of Gentiles being dealt with at the same time but that is another story.
But the one thing that keeps coming up in the Old Testament is the mercy that God shows towards righteous men and women. He kept Noah and Company safe and dry, along with all the creatures; He kept Lot safe even though he was living in the very middle of horrible sin; He provided for Abraham many, many times and fulfilled all of His promises to him; He kept Jacob and Company from being overcome by evil and he performed mighty works whenever Israel sought His face and submitted to God's provisions.
Kathy, you know where I am headed don't you. Just as you have said, I don't see the Prewrath rapture because of all the deliverance's of God in times past towards His faithful. No doubt we deserve to share in the Great Tribulation but we don't get what we deserve. We get the promises according to our relationship with Christ.
Love you all,
Grany
Wilma,
Thank you for all the work you put into typing the remarks from the Chumas. I enjoyed reading it.
Praising God with you for His mercy and grace, for withholding what we deserve and blessing us with what we don't deserve!
Love from Kathy
Hi, all!
Look again at the Luke verses with regard to what Jesus says about Noah. He's talking about the second coming, not the rapture.
Scripture is clear that Noah & etc. went into the ark seven days before the flood (Gen 7:1-5). Remember, scripture doesn't contradict itself.
Angie
Angie, you is right on Girl and also, we see images and pictures of the purpose and intents of God taking place in the Old Testament, then echoed or refracted in the New Testament. God said there was NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN and all things that are have already been. I love that!
Angie, I have missed you so very much and I love your Holy Spirit that shines out of your communications. What a blessing you are to me and so many others. I would love to have been on that cruise and witnessed the blessings being poured onto and into you ladies. Isn't God Good! Like Marge says, "and Good all of the time!" Yikes!
Our church is having their annual Thanksgiving Feast today and I miss not being able to be part of the preparations. My hubby, sweet guy that he is, delivered my Carmel Pecan Apple pie to the church for their dessert table and he came back absolutely beaming. It didn't take much of their wonderful atmosphere and fellowship to get him moving into a praise mode. I needed him to get to that Praise Mode, quickly! God provided and it didn't take any effort on my part either.
By the way, if any of you truly like to make pies, especially fruit ones, the new apples that have just arrived here for our consumption are great this year. I made my pie with Fuji apples and of, boy was it good. Not because of anything I did, just a great apple, wonderful recipe and willing eaters.
LW~~would you like a slice of my apple pie with your Latte?
I want to change the subject just a tad and I hope you will forgive me. There is a really weird story starting around the net about Obama attempting to gain the classified files at the FBI headquarters regarding the Clinton, Bush,CIA drug cartel. I read this on a web site that was linked at the Russian Prada news paper. I read it and then it updated with a new article that Bush has threatened Obama to bomb Iran with nuclear attack weapons and then Russia if Obama attempts any further access. According to this report, the Bush family has billions of dollars sitting off shore that was gathered from Drugs along with the Clintons and the CIA.
People, this is how attacks are justified and if they can make that story sound logical, it could be scary. If you want to read it for yourself, go HERE
Nope, it doesn't work
Here is copy and paste link instead
www.whatdoesitmean.com/index1166.htm
Grany, left you a message with your email.
<><
Shalom, all! I hope most if not all of you read Mark Mallett's blog. If not, then you should check out the most recent two entries: The Writing on the Wall, and The Writing in the Sand
I've been getting a lot of people asking for information, and a lot of people sending me dreams and visions. I spent all of yesterday writing a Paranoia Update for my family, and most of what I wrote could be summarized in those two blog entries.
<><
Mark Mallett always has some inspiring words to say & I enjoy reading his blog-(other than the Blessed heart of Mary inserts.)
There are really going to be two lines drawn in the sand but what seems to be happenings is that what we are going to see is three.
The Anti-Christ-rearing it's head as we speak.
The False Prophet-most likely reigning in the Ecumenical movement.
The Bride of Christ-being separated & awakened.
So not only is the line in the sand drawn between the Anti-Christ & Christians but within Christianity - those Christians who will eventually follow the False Prophet and those who will not.
Right now the First Separation has begun. We'll have to see what happens within Christianity for the 2nd separation - then it will become more clear exactly who/what the False Prophet is.
The Temple Mount link I posted earlier may work this all in somehow.
Hey jib,
We did have a thread on Joel's blog about 18 mo ago about Daniel. Legend says he studied geomancy, which was I understand a sort of uncorrupted, non-occultic precursor to the zodiac. Some have speculated he taught this to the sect of priests in Babylon who carried on his knowledge and were the same wise men who showed up to bow to our King because they recognized the signs it the sky. See the DVD "The Star of David" on a modern astronomical approach to the subject. Hope this gets your research rolling.
In His Grip,
Scott
Grany,
Thank you for your kind words!
Yes, there is nothing new under the sun and we do see patterns in the OT reflected in the NT and in prophecy that hasn't yet been fulfilled. God reveals His nature in His actions and repeats Himself. All the same, sometimes I have to be hit over the head with it!!
Angie
AMID FINANCIAL CRISIS, JEWISH SCHOOLS PRAY FOR AID
More threats against Obama since election. Law enforcement officials say he's getting more than other presidents-electOn Saturday, one Stormfront poster, identified as Dalderian Germanicus, of North Las Vegas, said, "I want the SOB laid out in a box to see how 'messiahs' come to rest. God has abandoned us, this country is doomed."
This one is too funny to pass up:
Change You Can Conceive InIn the hours and days since Obama's victory, many of his exhilarated supporters have been, shall we say, in the mood for love. And though it's too soon to know for sure, experts aren't ruling out the possibility of an Obama baby boom.
Grany, I would love some of that apple pie a la mode while I write this note. By the way, I don't personally like late's as milk and me don't agree. My wife doesn't let me have anything blonde and sweet. Я и так сладки.
I think that the women on the ark, and perhaps even Noah's sons had some traces of Nephilim within their genetic pool. (personally, I an George Bush are related a few "greats" back). This does not mean the the evil of the nephilim was transfered, but rather the stature of the anakim could be traced back.
perhaps some of you who are much more expert in washing clothes could enlighten me on the results of washing garments which are of mixed fibres. I would assume that only the really nice, and expensive, and ornamental garments would use such a blend of materials. If washing clothes the old fashioned way in a tub and washboard would cause uneven stretching, shrinking and coloring, I would assume the the owners would be very reluctant to wash such garments. When one looks at the hygenic laws of the OT, one finds a level of cleanliness that we are only now beginning to reach in our daily lives. A seldom washed garment would significantly raise the risk of transferring disease and bugs into God's nation, causing death and suffering.
on the other hand, perhaps I am all washed up on this theory.
Wayne
World asked to help craft online charter for religious harmony
Just to be clear about that last post. I don't think my boy would be too happy about that news if he could understand. He's only 2yrs and 2months old but his heart appears to be set on the Lord, that is the one and only Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He can hardly put together a full sentence but he can sure sing to the Lord already!
His two favorites...
Amazing Graze and
I love You Lord, and I lift my voice, to worship You oh my soul rejoice. (Does anyone know the actual title?)
Obama and Ahmadinejad
Nate,
Can you even believe all this stuff goin on? At once? It's like the horses were let out of the gate. Before they were just rearing up and frothing @ the mouth.
Beware this Saudi deal to help bail out Britain. It comes with a devastating IOU
Maybe the mixture in Daniel of the Toes-miry clay-is Islam & the Western Democracy. They are trying to mix together in this Financial Crisis-then Islam will falsly mix together in the Temple Mount peace agreement. They will only agree to the Temple Mount after they've been defeated again by Israel.
That is their standard protocol anyway. When your down-lie until your back up.
Grany,
Thanks for typing the Noah's Ark Jewish perspective! I especially liked the explaination of the sacrificed animals. That Noah had to find those animals himself but God had lead all the others to the ark. Makes sense & would not have thought of that-not having a Jewish mindset.
Shalom, all! In the previous blog entry, I posted a message on November 13, 2008 7:16 AM about the possibility of some THING happening today, Nov. 15, the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht. For your consideration, I present the following articles:
Rockets from Gaza strike deep into Israel
These aren't just the homemade overgrown pipe bombs they've been building. These rockets are including Katushas, the venerable Russian-built missiles. Ashkelon got hit -- twenty miles away. The next generation will be able to hit Jerusalem.
UN food distribution in Gaza grinds to a halt
The Europeans are complaining because the Israelis decided to stop feeding the people launching rockets at them.
Gaza militant killed readying rocket
I'll bet he was smoking while fueling up that puppy. Drives me crazy when I see people at the gas station doing that.
<><
Church Council Attacks "Obsession"
National Council of Churches (NCC)
"Two of the four spokespersons for the NCC blast against "Obsession" are openly lesbian.. "(one is an Episcopal priest the other a United Methodist and Harvard professor) The other two are:Peter Makari of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination and Antonios Kireopoulos, an Eastern Orthodox.
" The NCC is against “religious hatred,” but generally will not name the persons or ideologies fomenting it if they happen to be Islamist. The NCC has of late been willing to criticize Iran's chief theocrat for his anti-Semitic rants. But the NCC will not elaborate what motivates Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the same way it would readily condemn “fundamentalist” Christians who are purportedly extremist. Most egregious about the NCC's refusal to critique theocratic Islam has been its almost complete silence about fellow Christians who are persecuted and even martyred."
The more I read the more I'm convinced that some people have already been struck w/a "strong delusion."
Dutch Christians for sharia law
I know I've beat the earthquake thing to death, but I counted 16 since Nov 9th that all have the exact same depth. Coincidently, the depth is right about the deepest possible drilling limit.
The magnitudes range from 4.2-5.4
I wrote to the USGS for an explanation or clarification on data.
(Long but worth it-was not available as a link yet.)
Surprised by Jesus
by David Servant
An astounding fact: Although the scribes and Pharisees rigorously studied God's revelation of Himself in the Old Testament, when God appeared in human flesh and simply acted like Himself, they didn't recognize Him. In fact, they hated Him. Think of that for a moment! Here were men who could quote large portions of the Old Testament, who considered themselves extremely devoted to God, who were Israel's spiritual leaders, and who were anticipating a Messiah, but when God appeared on the earth, they wanted to kill Him. They were surprised by Jesus, to say the least.
Why were they so surprised? Simply put, He didn't act and talk like they thought God should. More specifically, He didn't keep their man-made traditions. What makes their surprise even more tragic is that Jesus didn't come to earth disguised or impersonating someone else. He came as Himself---as God. Jesus acted just as He had been acting for thousands of years as revealed in Scripture. When the scribes and Pharisees critically questioned Him about His words or deeds, He answered them from Scripture. He knew what He was talking about. He knew what He was doing. He played the part of God flawlessly, because He was God. Still they were utterly surprised by Him.
I suppose, however, that I shouldn't be too condemning of the scribes and Pharisees, because in times past, I've also been surprised by Jesus. There were certain stories about Him in the four Gospels in which He didn't always do or say what I thought He should. Sadly, instead of adjusting my understanding of Jesus to fit Scripture, I interpreted Scripture to fit my understanding of Jesus. In so doing, I rejected "Bible Jesus" in favor of "My Jesus." Let me give you one example.
You probably recall the story of Jesus' encounter with the Syrophoenician woman whose daughter needed deliverance. That particular story always troubled me because Jesus did not seem to act like the loving person I knew Him to be, but rather, He seemed unkind and insulting. So I concluded that He was just play-acting, pretending to be an uncaring, bigoted Pharisee---and His act was all crafted to teach His watching disciples a lesson, complete with a surprise ending that revealed His true feelings all along. My imaginative interpretation was certainly a stretch, and the text of the actual story certainly didn't support it. But I had to invent such an interpretation in order to keep believing in "My Jesus."
Since then I've come to realize that Jesus wasn't acting at all. Rather, He was playing the part of God perfectly, acting no differently than God had acted in the pages of the Old Testament. Let's consider the actual story verse by verse so I can explain:
Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.” But He did not answer her a word (Matt. 15:21-23a).
First, take note that Jesus had temporarily traveled out of Israel and was in the district of Tyre and Sidon, a Gentile region. The woman who entreated Him was a descendant of the Canaanites, whom God had commanded the Israelites of Joshua's day to exterminate, and for justifiable reasons. They had a reputation for idolatry, child sacrifice, gross sexual perversion, and a hardness of heart that put them beyond redemption. With such a legacy, it is quite possible that the descendants of those who survived were not exactly paragons of virtue. Jesus' treatment of the Syrophoenician woman certainly seems to verify this. No one can debate that He intentionally ignored her as she cried out to Him---which is exactly what God generally does when unrepentant sinners, Jew or Gentile, make requests of Him.
Readers who believe in "American Jesus"---Mr. Nice Guy---may object, but they should not forget that their New Testaments declare that “the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil" (1 Pet. 3:12). If Jesus was truly God---as He claimed---then we should expect that "His face would be against those who do evil." We should expect that "His ears would not attend to their prayers."
Proverbs 15:8-9 expresses the same idea, perhaps even more strongly:
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight. The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.
Combining all that is said in those two verses, it would be safe to conclude that the prayers of unrighteous people are an abomination to God. When you think about it, it is audacious for unrepentant rebels against God to ask Him for help. We should be amazed that God has such patience with them that He doesn't immediately destroy them for their temerity. But God's mercy is astounding. Mercifully, He ignores the cries of the wicked---in hopes His silence will lead them to repentance.
There are other scriptures that confirm to us God's feelings about the prayers of unrepentant sinners. To rebellious Israel God said:
So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood (Is. 1:11).
Has God changed since the old covenant? To the church, John writes,
Whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight (1 John 3:22).
Answers to prayer, according to John, have something to do with holiness. All of this is to say that we should not be surprised that Jesus ignored the cries of those who needed to repent. And the fact that He intentionally ignored the cries of the Syrophoenician woman should certainly makes us wonder if His disregard was based, not on His uncaring, but on her unworthiness.
In any case, she apparently continued shouting at Jesus as she followed Him and His disciples, and He continued to ignore her. Jesus' disciples became annoyed with her:
And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.” But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 15:23b-24).
Jesus didn't rebuke His disciples for their selfish request to send her away, but neither did He grant their request---an act of mercy on her behalf. If she overheard their exchange, it may have given her some hope.
I also wonder if she heard Jesus' statement that He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. It sounds like a declaration of favoritism, and it is. Like it or not, it shouldn't surprise us. It was a statement of fact. God had been showing favoritism to Israel for hundreds of years. Jesus was born in Israel. He was a Jew. He spent most of His time in Israel. That is where He was sent by His Father. It was to Israel that He initially sent His disciples (Matt. 10:5). We know, of course, that Jesus would eventually die for the sins of the whole world and ultimately in God's plan, the church would include forgiven Gentiles. But Jesus was sent, first of all, to the lost sheep of Israel. At least temporarily, Gentiles were a lesser priority.
But don't think that Jesus' statement was one of bigoted ethnic exclusivity. God-fearing Gentiles could become proselytes to Judaism (see Matt. 23:15; Acts 2:10; 6:5, 13:43, 17:4, 17). This Syrophoenician woman certainly lived in close enough proximity to practicing Jews that she likely had some knowledge of their religion, and if she had had some spiritual hunger, she could have investigated more fully. She knew enough about Judaism to call Jesus "Son of David." She could have joined herself to Israel and submitted to their God. But she hadn't.
Moreover, it was not as if Jesus never did anything for non-Jewish people during His earthly ministry. He healed a Roman centurions' servant (see Matt. 8:13). That centurion, incidentally, was God-fearing (see Luke 7:4-5). Jesus also revealed Himself to a Samaritan woman (John 4:7-26). It was obviously not His ironclad policy to ignore every Gentile! During His earthly ministry He confirmed what Peter later realized: "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him" (Acts. 10:34-35).
Let's return to our story. If the Syrophoenician woman did hear Jesus' declaration that He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel, she would have been reminded of her spiritual state and need for repentance in three ways. First, it would remind her that she was not "of Israel," not a God-fearing Gentile or proselyte to Judaism, and that by her own choice had resisted the truth that was so available to her.
Second, note that Jesus did not say, "I was sent only to the people of the house of Israel." Rather, He said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." It goes without saying that such lost sheep were spiritually lost, and Jesus was inviting them back into the fold by calling them to repentance (see Luke 5:32). His words would have thus reminded her of the fact that, if Jews needed to repent to have a relationship with God, how much more rebel Gentiles like her! In fact in her mind, she may have heard His words something like this: "I was only sent to the lost of Israel, and not to the lost among the Gentiles, of whom this woman is a prime example!"
There is a third way, perhaps more subtle, in which Jesus' statement would have reminded the Syrophoenician of her spiritual state and need of repentance. In her mind, the people of Israel were the folks who lived a little south of her whose ancestors dispossessed and massacred her ancestors. As I've already mentioned, that was by God's decree, and for good reason. God had mercifully waited for the Canaanites to repent for hundred years (see Gen. 15:16). They became wicked beyond redemption, and Israel's conquest of Canaan was God's means of His judgment upon them. If the Syrophoenician woman knew the history, she certainly understood God's view of sin and of the need for sinners to repent. I wonder if she knew the rest of Israel's history, as they backslid and were judged by God by being dispossessed by foreign invaders? If she did, then she certainly knew that God's favor really wasn't directed solely at Israel, but at the righteous. In any case, she was determined to receive the same mercy that the Israelites were receiving, and so she came right up to Jesus. Now she was no longer shouting from a distance, but bowing at His feet:
But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs" (Matt. 15:25-26).
At this point in the story, readers start scratching their heads, theologians dust off old commentaries, and atheists mock. Jesus compared the Syrophoenician woman to a dog! This is certainly not Mr. Nice Guy American Jesus. So we've again got a problem, just like the Pharisees had when Jesus healed people on the Sabbath. God isn't fitting into the mold we've made for Him.
But we really shouldn't be so surprised. This was the same person who called some people, to their faces, serpents and vipers, and referred to others as wolves, foxes, and swine (Matt. 7:6, 12; 23:33; Luke 13:32). This was the same person who, in the Old Testament, called people cows (Amos 4:1), dogs (Is. 56:11), lusty horses (Jer. 5:8), and monsters (Ezek. 32:2) to name a few. Again, Jesus acted just like God, forthright and not always so polite. And in a nutshell, His statement once again reminded the Syrophoenician of her unworthiness to have her request granted.
Some commentators tell us that the word that Jesus used for "dog" is the Greek word for "pet dog" rather than "wild dog." Perhaps that helps soften it a little bit. But if someone called me a dog, meaning either a wild dog or a pet dog, I would be offended---unless of course it was God who said it. Then I would say to myself, "David, you are a dog in God's eyes. If you want to get your prayers answered, you had better do something to improve what He thinks of you. You probably ought to repent." Isn't that what you would think? Now consider the Syrophoenician woman's response:
She said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table" (Matt. 15:27).
She didn't object to or argue against His appraisal. She agreed with it. "You are right; I am a dog." That was a humble confession of her true moral state, at least up until that moment. But she didn't stop there. She described herself as a dog requesting crumbs from the table of her master. That was also a confession. Bowing before Jesus, admitting she was a dog, she asked her Master for crumbs. It seems to me that she was finally at the place where Jesus wanted her, which would explain why He didn't grant her request when she first asked, but why He did then. She had changed. Jesus was no longer just a miracle-working Jew. He had become her Master.
Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once (Matt. 15:28).
After first experiencing divine unresponsiveness and disapproval, she procured, by her faith, Jesus' full attention and commendation. She was no longer a dog to be ignored, but a woman of great faith whose daughter instantly received a miracle from heaven. She did just what Jesus had been hoping she would do, and what He is hoping that every sinner will do---she repented. She made Him Lord.
Coming Surprises
Let me conclude by returning to my original topic. There are many today, like the scribes and Pharisees of old, who are actually rejecting the God they claim to love. They've replaced the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture with someone else who is more to their liking. When some folks talk about "my Jesus," it's literally true. They've replaced "Bible Jesus" with their own version of Jesus---a person whom I often refer to as American Jesus. They've substituted biblical truth about Jesus with man-made ideas, which reveals that their hearts are actually far from God:
This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men" (Matt. 15:8-9).
Jesus warned that there would be many people who would make the tragic error of replacing Bible Jesus, who is holy, with American Jesus, who is not. They will one day be very surprised by the real Jesus:
Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness" (Matt. 7:22-23).
American Jesus would never say such a thing, proven by the plain fact that He doesn't say any such thing from most American pulpits. Very few preachers would dare give a sermon on Jesus' words in Matthew 7:22-23. In fact, American Jesus frequently preaches the exact opposite of what Bible Jesus preached in Matthew 7:22-23. American Jesus is more likely to tell us that anyone who says obedience to the Father is required to enter heaven is preaching a false gospel of salvation by works.
Moreover, in contrast to what we just read from the lips of Bible Jesus, American Jesus is often much more focused on prophesy, demons, and miracles than he is on holiness (as he was, for example, in Lakeland, Florida a few months ago).
American Jesus rarely if ever calls anyone to repentance, as it is unnecessary for salvation, whereas Bible Jesus called everyone to turn from their sins because doing so is a necessity for salvation.
American Jesus never gets angry because he is "love," while Bible Jesus sometimes makes a scourge of cords, and then uses it to scatter those who love money more than God, and who use God to make money (see John 2:15). Bible Jesus violently overturns their tables, spilling their profits on the ground so they cannot be recovered.
American Jesus doesn't care much about the poor. Yet Bible Jesus indicated that our sacrifices for the poor among His family will mark us for salvation or damnation in His foretelling of the judgment of the sheep and the goats (see Matt. 25:31-46). The goats will be quite surprised that it won't be American Jesus sitting on the throne of judgment. They'll be shocked, as Bible Jesus foretold, when He condemns them to hell, something American Jesus would never do to anyone who claims to be a Christian.
American Jesus is nothing like the wrathful God of the Old Testament. He wouldn't hurt a flea. He who has seen American Jesus has definitely not seen the Father. Bible Jesus, however, is one with His Father (see John 10:30). He is coming back to wage a righteous war:
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war....From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty (Rev. 19:11, 15).
The truth is, those who love American Jesus hate Bible Jesus, because they are opposites of one another in so many significant ways. Their hatred for Him is proven by their utter disdain for any preacher who actually preaches about Bible Jesus. One can't help but wonder, If Jesus were to return to the earth today as He did 2,000 years ago, might He be crucified by professing Christians?
For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels (Luke 9:26).
Lisa,
Wow! One of thee best comparisons I've read in a long time! (Bible Jesus versus American Jesus)
In fact, I still remember my sister-in-law going on and on, about what "My God," was all about, about a decade ago. I thought to myself, at the time, what IS she talking about, anyhow? Almost word for word, Lauren (my sister-in-law) went over her God, the American Jesus. Amazing.
Thanks, Lisa!
Everyone should re-read it, and really think about the content of the message. Talk about hitting the nail on the head! And then some!
WOW! That was great Lisa!!!
And in Iraq, the Market is Up
Update on Lisa;
Her neighbors are taking good care of her. She was released from the hospital on Weds. Her husband went to the Homestead races.
Before this incident, the diabetes were uncontrollable. They were so out of whack that there was an ambulance there on a regular basis trying to revive her.
Now, the diabetes are completely under control. Her doctor doesn't believe it, so he's making her come in next week to prove it to him. He is well reknown for his research and study, he's been written up in JAMA. Her sugar level is now a stead 105!
Also, she is no longer needing anti-depressants. She told me this morning that she feels like she can "think" again.
I'll be going home on Tuesday, so I'll be just a few houses away and can help her.
Thanks for your prayers, it's so cool to see the results.
This was an interesting "religion."
They will mummify your cat,dog,even you. They believe the 1st set of 10 commandments which Moses broke had some "different" words of knowledge on them than the 2nd set. So now they want to install a monument in this park of their "1st 10" Commandments next to the Biblical Ten Commandments already existing. The park doesn't want their weird ones so now they may take out the Biblical monument as well.
Turkey's Erdogan calls Obama to establish global peace.Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that U.S. president-elect Barack Obama would be the one to establish the global peace.
"THE ONE?"
The,the,the One?
Grandpa said, "Let the wind flow free where ere' it be, for it was the wind that killeth me" .... he was talking about passing gas!
Syria uncovers 'largest church'
I just thought of this the other day but I'm not sure-wanted to run it by you. When I saw this article it popped up again.
How the Anti-Christ has no regard for the desire of women. So far I've heard a couple theories. One is that he's gay-no attraction. Another is that he's Muslim minded-no respect.
What about in the sense that he doesn't value the life which comes from a woman's womb?The desire of a woman to create & nuture life?
What if in today's terms it means Pro-Abortion?
We know many women now days have no respect for themselves sexually or otherwise but could this "no desire" for women possibly be in this sense? Women's lib has changed our outlook quite a bit from Biblical times. I think women were more or less expected to take care of the household & have children. So getting married & having children used to be a strong desire.
Initially when I read it my take is that he's gay w/no sexual desire for women. But maybe he wouldn't be gay but have no sex drive at all for he thinks he's god & magnifies himself above both male & female? Above everything.
Daniel 11:37
"Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all."
This is Stone's quote from From this Article
"The “left” are always spewing out their discontent
with the “Christian right” as being illogical, closed minded and not tolerant. However, their true colors come out when a person takes the stage that is labeled a “conservative Christian.”
Suddenly the left begins screaming like a baby that has lost its bottle. Listening to their comments, we soon discover
they are the intolerant and closed minded. The “left” does not mind voting for someone who is labeled
a “Christian,” as long as that so called “Christian”
does not hold to the values in Scripture, such as marriage is between and man and woman and the sacredness of life in the womb."
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
37. Neither . regard . the desire of women-(Compare Eze 24:16, 18).
The wife, as the desire of man's eyes, is the symbol of the tenderest relations (2Sa 1:26). Antiochus would set at naught even their entreaties that he should cease from his attack on Jehovah's worship [Polanus].
Maurer refers it to Antiochus' attack on the temple of the Syrian Venus, worshipped by women (1 Maccabees 6:1, &c.; 2 Maccabees 1:13).
Newton refers it to Rome's "forbidding to marry."
Elliott rightly makes the antitypical reference be to Messiah. Jewish women desired to be mothers with a view to Him, the promised seed of the woman (Ge 30:23; Lu 1:25, 28).
Nate,
I believe we all have been deceived, to some degree, with the American Jesus. The fact is, we live in a democracy. And we tend to believe (many times) we can be excused for this, that, and such, because of the Govt. we live under. We need to realize that Jesus is our LORD. And King of Kings and Lord of all Lords.
I woke up to this fact, when I read, Driven By Eternity, by John Bevere. I would recommend reading it, to everyone. He brings out this truth, better than I have ever heard explained. It's an awesome book. Plus, it's especially interesting, because it's a book, within a book. (kinda like a wheel within a wheel :)
Anyhow, I'm brimming over with joy tonight, because I gave my two weeks notice at work this evening! YAH! In two weeks, I'll be on vacation. (I may get another part time job, somewhere in the future, if it's God's plan for me) And I'll no longer work under a Manager that is, IMHO, evil. At best, she's been unfair and mean spirited to me. (and I'm only one of many)
In a couple of monthes I'll be drawing my Soc. Sec. so,....God is GOOD and GOOD ALL THE TIME!!!
May everyone have a wonderful and blessed Sunday.
And remember to praise the Lord! His mercies are new every morning.
Good morning, all! Just checking in!
Good night all!
Shalom, all! Before I leave, I want to share some thing I just wrote. My brother-in-law sent a very short note asking "...Is this really the end? Or does civilization just descend into civil war?" Here is my reply:
Dear Mike;
It's so very, very easy to look a these signs and despair. Don't. Absolutely, DO NOT despair! Despair belongs to the Evil One. Despair denies that we have a G_D who loves us deeply and personally, and who wants the very best for us. We will be going through tough times, but G_D never promised us otherwise. In fact, we have been warned throughout the ages that this time (if it IS this time) would arrive.
This is a time of hope. As I wrote in my letter, the End Times is the fulfillment of G_D's promise that evil will NOT triumph, that it will end and be finished in our lives. For that to happen, we must be prepared to show G_D how much we love Him, by how much we are willing to bear in order to be faithful to Him. The consequences of our actions will resonate not just in this life, but beyond Time. By that I mean heaven exists beyond Time. It is eternal because without Time, there is no beginning AND NO END. It is that hope, and not the despair, that we must focus on.
Our jobs may end, but G_D remains. Our plans will end, but G_D remains. America will end, if not now then at some time in the future. BUT G_D REMAINS. Our task, always, has been to focus on G_D. To focus on Him and to serve Him in whatever we do. We can do this by believing that whatever we do in G_D's name will be used by G_D to save people, people we never knew and probably never will on this side of Time.
You really need to read Mark Mallett's blog -- he has some wonderful writings on this subject. Most of all, what you (and everyone) needs to do are three things: PRAY! PREPARE! REPENT!
PRAY! Say the rosary each day, or the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Improve your prayer life so that it's not just 10 or 15 minutes you squeeze out of something else, but so that you've been praying in one form or another all day and the 10 or 15 minutes you set aside as special time to pray is the high point of your day.
PREPARE! Ask G_D what you need to buy to set aside for the future. Contribute what you can, especially food and clothing, to different charities. DON'T NEGLECT TO TITHE! It is even more important now that times are tough. I've been reading some works lately that have mentioned the great spiritual benefits of tithing. It is an act of faith that by giving G_D the first and the best of what you have, He will provide the rest of what you need. I am of the firm belief that what I cheerfully give now will be returned by G_D when I need it in the future. Ask G_D what you need to set aside to give to others in a few months, and in your prayer life, ask G_D for the faith to believe that you can give what people ask of you, because G_D will provide what you need. Not what you WANT, but what you NEED. Work on simplifying your life now.
REPENT! Try to remain in a state of grace through frequent Confession and Communion. Ask G_D to show you those ways and those parts of your life that are offensive or hurtful to him, and ask Him how to change so you become more pure for Him.
Just a few more things before I sign off. One thing that's been mentioned many times in some of the web sites I visit are some prophecies that indicate during the hard times to come, G_D will direct people to set up "parallel communities" for the people who love Him. Some prophecies indicate that angels will lead us to these communities. (If that's the case, they won't be beings we recognize as angels. Rather like those stories of people in trouble, a stranger shows up to help them, and then the stranger disappears.) By "parallel communities" I mean there will be places where the people of Christ will live, and nearby or next door or just a few miles down the road, there will be another community -- one that has more food, more heat and light, more comfort than the Christian community. They will probably be very welcoming to strangers; probably have a very Unitarian-type faith; and if you want to share in the extra food, extra heat and light, and extra comfort, you'll have to take some kind of mark to show you've accepted the rules (whatever they are) of this community. I think you know which community you want to belong to.
Going to bed now, will TTYL
Yours in Christ,
Jim
PS -- does your priest preach about end times? Show him this letter (if you want to), and ask him to preach about pray, prepare, and repent. They're classic homily themes -- he can't go wrong with them!
Jim C.,
Can you explain a little more on the prophecies you have been hearing about w/the parallel communities, angel beings & Unitarian-type faith? This is a new one to me.
Are these prophecies spoken through Catholics or? I personally have not heard of anything along these lines from the prophetic type Christians I typically listen to.
The only thing remotely close would be the need for House Churches once again in which the Spirit seems to be communicating through various people.
Also in agreement is the preparedness for persecution. I loved what you wrote about that! (**minus the need for the rosary & Chaplet-There is nothing in the Bible that we should pray to or through Mary.)
1 Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;..."
John 14:6 "I am the way,the truth' & the life, No one comes to the Father except thorugh Me."
Hebrews 13:5-9
"Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU," 6 so that we confidently say, "THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?" 7 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited."
Jesus Christ NEVER changes. He NEVER told us to pray through Saints or Mary. If it were true God's Word would have included this. Nothing should be added or taken away from His word.
Revelation 22:18 "For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
This does not just include the Book of Revelation-this includes the ENTIRE written Word of God. YHWH IS SERIOUS.
If we don't listen- He is going to allow a strong delusion to overcome us & I'm not confident that someone can break free from this once it's been sentenced as it's a Divine Judgment due to a lack of obedience in searching out the truth in His Word.
We all been granted different spiritual gifts & burdens-And I don't enjoy harping on some of the
topics I've been burdened with but this is one of them. I fear the Lord more than being considered a "downer" or a "literal evangelical freakist". Note than anything I say is felt with all humility & a broken heart. I’m aware that it may not come out as such because I'm not very eloquent in speech-and maybe this is my "thorn" so that I'll always remain humbled in the uncertainty of how these words will be taken.
I pray someday I can become well rounded & able to communicate with gentle spiritual fruits (Jim C.your blessed w/that) and less directness.(Meanwhile I hope you can put up w/my communication style.)
Here is something up until now I've never told anyone:
In times of Worship I have a hard time singing all the way through because I choke back tears. I look at the singers, raising their hands with confident joy & I know that there is no way I could even spit out the first few stanzas without breaking down on stage.(It's a good thing song is not a gift of mine because I would be horrible!)
I suppose someday Jesus will have me cry it all out so to speak. Meditating upon & being in tune w/Holiness, Righteousness, & His Glory is joyful but yet at the same time the thought of His awesome magnificent presence make the tears begin to flow.
I see others cry @ times but the emotion for me is overwhelming & a struggle to keep in check. If I actually let it go I'm sure people around me would wonder what in the world was going on & I don't even have the words to explain it.
Or topic today was Rev 2-the Church of Smyrna. (Smyrna is as the herb "Myrrh" the sweet fragrance only comes forth when it is crushed.) It was a really heavy duty message on Persecution and thoughts of Kathy-the “Overcomer” came right to mind. We may argue over Pre-Wrath & such but it seems as if her burden is to teach us this very subject. I'll post the link w/it's available.
Snow in Jerusalem Photos by Will King
Teaching by Pastor Joe Focht:
How to be a Witness" Acts 1:8
BTW, I should have added that I HIGHLY recommend listening to Pastor Focht's audio.
Lisa,
I often struggle to keep my emotions in check during worship. I love the Lord so much. Our church is not a hand raising church and today I was overwhelmed with the desire to raise my hands, I almost did...but I didn't. I need to get over what others would think of me. One of these days I think it is going to happen. God made our emotions, even anger! If I saw you crying I wouldn't wonder, I'm pretty sure I'd know exactly what was in your heart!
You are becoming more and more dear to me my friend.
Love from Kathy
Lisa, different people have related to me over the years that the meaning of raising their arms and hands to worship God involved this:
They were giving him all of their praise, not holding anything back;
They were simply loving God and giving him all of their attention;
Just a public declaration of their adoration and praise. To me, it is one of the post profound parts of giving my all for the One and Only for all that he has done.
When I am in a church setting where raising your arms and hands in worship is not acceptable, I feel like I haven't really been worshipping and praising Him completely.
I agree with Katherine, People would know and you would be surprised to learn that there probably aren't that many people watching you as you think. I wonder how many more in your church would breath a sigh of relief and join you in your adoration of God? Besides Lisa, God desires our praises. It might bring on the Flood but that could be the cleansing that your soul is waiting for to complete the rebirth. Not that it takes raising our hands, in case someone tries to read that into my remark. But surrendering to God totally is one of the most glorious parts of our Christian faith.
I have a very difficult time praising Him without raising them.
JIM C. You are a very good brother and your sharing the letter you wrote to your brother really touched a cord in my heart. Be very thankful for those gifts that Mother and Father gave you in the form of brothers and sisters. Even if the sisters are in-laws, they are all family.
Everyone, have a great week and don't waste it be fearful. God is still on His Throne and Jesus is still Lord.
Grany
You know what's odd. There might be times you want to raise your hands but restrain only because you are concerned about the person standing next to you, whne the person next to you might be wanting you to raise their hands so they will feel more comfortable and at ease to raise their own hands. (I'm pretty sure that's a run on sentence)
Let's try this again....
There might be times you want to raise your hands but restrain only because you are concerned about the person standing next to you, whne the person next to you might be wanting you to raise YOUR hands so they will feel more comfortable and at ease to raise their own hands.
Atty (Grumpy) and Harold, where are you?
Raising your hands is the universal sign of surrender.
surrender:
1. to yield to the possession or power of another
2. to give oneself up
3. to abandon or relinquish
4. to give oneself up
5. an act or instance of surrendering
Have you ever come to the end of singing the Lord's Prayer, and you sing those words:
For thine is the Kingdom,
And the power and the glory,
Forever!
Amen.
sitting down, or not raising your hands?
I don't know about anyone of you? But I want to jump to my feet, raise my hands, with tears running down my cheeks, in praise and worship to our Lord Jesus Christ.
That's about as close to heaven, as we get on this earth, IMHO.
If you haven't done it yet? I highly recommned doing it. It will rock your world. Really.
* I must like 2 and 4 :)
Lori,
If someone is sitting on your side, and they want to raise their hands, you could always lift your hands cupped, in front of you. (if that's what you meant?) I've done that in crowded Services.
I invent my own English structure as I go :) It keeps me entertained :)
ha not so many that I couldn't cathc up.
We went north for the weekend-to our son to see Santa on the Polar express train. We did a day trip to the South rim of the Grand Canyon-his first trip there.
I must say after talking about the flood and the one link that one of you posted about the flood and the formation of the Grand Canyon I saw it through new lenses so to speak. As many times as I've been there, this was amazing, awesome etc.
we went on a Ranger guided tour and he talked about this one area on the canyon in terms of bays, beach front, the shallows, the deep etc. I nearly fell over. He said it was a mystery to them why the area had such distinct water imagery and why in this area the land fell down instead of up like it does for mountains. All I could think of was that I was looking at one of the sources where the waters of the deep broke through. wow
Grany
I too appreciated the effort to type the whole Chumash narrative up. Not sure I agree with them on lack of faith but would note that if Noah did enter the ark because of the flood waters that would seem to contradict using the ark story as typology for the rapture being pre trib. just saying. I personally don't think Noah was chased in by the flood waters for the record so I still see noah sitting in a sealed ark 7 days before
Marge
congrats! I knew the woman was such a thorn for you. enjoy
Lori
that's great news about your friend but I really have to wonder-comes from the TV shows I watch I suppose.
your friends husband didn't want her to go to hospital. Wife comes home from hospital, he goes some place else. Wife's blood sugars while away from husband suddenly become stable, wife no longer depressed (actually that's the easiest to explain as out of control blood sugars will do that to you).
I'm not saying that God isn't behind all this but if her blood sugars just happen to get all wacky again when hubby is in the picture more full time. I'd be worried and concerned about that.
Wayne
not that far off. Much of the dietary laws we now know would have protected the Jews from a number of diseases. So to the laws concerning rashes in Leviticus-if you got a rash in those days you were set outside the camp quite simply in quarantine.
if you want to read a little more I found the book "None of these diseases" to be quite interesting.
As to wearing poly blend clothes-we are under grace not the law so that one wouldn't apply
Scott
thanks for the reminder. I've obviously not done any further research since I've been out of town but in all my spare time I hope to look more into that.
Lisa
wow, an amazing post. I'm with Marge.
One of the things I always found so interesting at Joel's more than here was that quite a number always complained about the lack of niceness for a better word when dealing with wrong doctrine. this article would be a great one for them to read.
I will be sending it out to friends and family.
see next post about BHO stuff
Lisa
I don't think your reading of the "lack of desire" comment is all that far fetched. It could also refer to someone who was a serial womanizer as well. I think the reason "gay" was always thought of is that womanizing and abortion while certainly around in those days would not nearly have approached what we see today.
Further, I will be reading the link about BHO being the one to bring world peace with much interest.
I truly think BHO is a person of interest shall we say.
did anyone else see the article about some Bedouin Arab chief claiming that BHO is family? there is some credible evidence gathered by Corsi and others that BHO is not black but arab in ancestry.
the plot thickens
On a personal note Lisa
I think I know the reason you don't cry (personal experience) and it isn't entirely seeming weird to those around you although it certainly is a part. have you thought that perhaps you are afraid you might not stop?
I also sometimes yearn to lift my hands to God. for those of us who were not raised in "expressive" churches shall we say (and no not just talking about charismatics) it is very difficult to feel comfortable with that. I practice while listening to music in an environment that is comfortable to me. I have started doing the hand cupping thing in public on my lap or if we are standing and my arm is around hubby's waist at his back-such a big step. remember baby steps count on this one
Jim C
great letter. I have yet to read the Mallet posts but there are on the list of links to read.
lets try this again
Must read article on BHO plans to make peace treaty with Israel and ARabs, if not the 7 year treaty might be what gives peace to Israel pre Gog and Magog. Russia and Iran mentioned in article as well
interesting
Son of Turkish immigrants newly elected party leader for one of the more powerful parties in Germany
Jib, Shalom! You wrote:
As to wearing poly blend clothes-we are under grace not the law so that one wouldn't apply
As someone who grew up wearing poly blend clothes in the hot and sticky Iowa summers, I can attest that while we may not be under the Law it's possible to truly appreciate the benefits of the Law!
<><
Hi Folks,
and Jib, you sure are on a roll tonight.
Now I wished I had paid a bit more attention to the Noah discussion.
Reading your post connecting the flood to the Grand Canyon was interesting to read. It sure is an amazing place.
Noah and the flood has always peaked my attention...mostly because of Noah's sons and families, where the sons migrated to, etc., and how the ARC appears to be symbolic and the whole story a shadow of end times.
Genesis really sets the stage for all things.
I have to say I've never focused on how or why Noah closed the door..so guess I will read it all to see what all the hub-bub is all about.
I assumed he was following God's instructions and closed the door.
Well hope you had a nice trip, Jib.. and hope all is well with everyone else.
<><
Lisa, Shalom! You wrote:
Can you explain a little more on the prophecies you have been hearing about w/the parallel communities, angel beings & Unitarian-type faith? This is a new one to me.
Are these prophecies spoken through Catholics or? I personally have not heard of anything along these lines from the prophetic type Christians I typically listen to.
Catholic saints have made prophecies about Christians or the remnant church being "set aside" during the end times. As we've been getting closer to what appears to be the end times those prophecies have been getting more specific. The phrase "parallel communities" is one that comes up most frequently in these recent Catholic prophecies. The Protestant prophecies that I usually follow use different terms, but the intent is clear: at some point, the remnant Church will be "set aside" in some way from the rest of the world in order to both test and save it. The Protestant sites that have not come up with or use this idea are the ones that preach a pre-Tribulation rapture: if the REAL Christians are raptured out before the testing, what need is there for the Church to be set aside?
The "angel beings" aren't in all the writings I've read, so it's not something we can all count on. Most people will be led by the Holy Spirit to where these communities will be -- and this is where we would really need to exercise our gift of discernment, to ensure that we're being led to the community G_D wants us to join, that will be faithful to Him. The "angel beings" would be reserved for those few who, for their own safety, must leave their homes and leave NOW.
When thinking about "parallel communities" I frequently think of the Steven King novel, "The Stand" which I think is one of, if not THE best novel he's written. In the novel you have people being led to one of two communities -- a good one in Colorado and the other in Las Vegas. I keep thinking of a scene where a spy from the good community gets a job in Las Vegas. She thinks about a co-worker she hangs out with, and comes to the realization that before the plague, this girlfriend is someone she could have been close friends with. Yet now, the girlfriend and the spy have both made simple choices of where to go after the plague, and now the choices are irrevocable.
As for a "Unitarian-type faith", that's my own spin on things. Unitarians preach non-judgmentalism, and that all religions in the world are equal before G_D. It's a false unity, one that is easily adaptable to be used by the Evil One.
<><
Oh, and Lisa, one more thing: Don't forget that the chapters and the verses weren't originally part of Scripture. They were added later to make Scripture easier to study. Rev. 11 and 12 weren't written separately. Try reading them as one unified piece. Copy them to a text file and edit out the verse numberings, and see how it sounds and feels when you read them together.
<><
This is very wierd. My apologies if this was posted earlier.
Simply put, on Nov. 5, the day after the election, the evening "Pick 3" in Illinois was "6-6-6" The evening "Pick 4" was "7-7-7-9". (Now I gotta figure out what that extra "9" means...)
Is Obama the Antichrist?
This Newsweek article mentions Todd Strandberg of RaptureReady.com. Strandberg says Obama probably isn't the Antichrist, but he's watching the president-elect carefully. On his Web site, he has something called the Rapture Index, a calculation based on signs and prophecy of the proximity of the end. According to Strandberg, any number over 160 means "fasten your seat belts." Obama's win pushed the index to 161.
Illinois Lottery Rolls 666
Our Rising Sound
According to this, on the next day Nov. 6, 6-6-6 appeared in the Pick 3 for Deleware, Joe Biden's state.
<><
The Anti-Christ And Mr. Obama
And a pleasant day to you, Mr Carroll.
Oh, the raising of hands is another issue.
The Worship @ this Church is a major focus. I would say Worship, Message, Ministry are the strongest traits.
The previous Sunday w/the Ephasis message the Pastor kind of "got on" the congregation about those who do not raise their hands.
We literally Praise God & stand up for an entire hour (or close to it) before the message is given. He was having us imagine if a camera was solely focused on us in worship what would it record? Would there be any emotion or would it record someone just going through the motions?
So I had been reflecting upon that & is probably why I brought up the topic of emotion in worship. In my case you would see emotion but I would look more like someone singing their heart out trying not to cry. (And Jib you’re right-if I let it go I would have a hard time stopping & would find myself a distraction & probably be embarrassed @ the same time.)
I'm more of a compromised hand raiser. I come from a traditional church background as well. So when I raise my hands it will be one outstretched or both @ waist level. I wouldn't feel embarrassed @ this Church for raising both since that's completely encouraged.
I've held back more than I normally would because my husband has always wondered what in the world is this "hand raising" all about?
At the Maranatha Church in CA they also raise their hands but not even close to the extent as this Church in TN does. So when I first brought hubby to Church his first response was concerning the "hand raising" in CA. I just thought-OK this is different but they raised their hands in the Bible so it's their style & fine.
Hubby kept asking, and asking-boy I just wanted him to drop it & listen to the sermon but he gets distracted easily & will comment on what other people are doing,wearing,etc.... I am so focused on the Worship or Pastor unless someone is just "out there" I just don't pay any attention to those things.
So not to distract him even further I've not been quick to join in the hand raising.
He also did not like the length of the Worship & just wanted to come in to hear the message. So he would loiter around the coffee shop & pass time until most of it was over. (This really irriated the blank out of me but I stayed patient. I knew the Holy Spirit had much work to do.)
He has now come to the point of not questioning the hand raising & he will actually raise them at waist level. I am so proud of him-that is a HUGE accomplishment. He's also not trying to ditch most of the Worship time.
On a personal note this is going to sound really stupid but I've never been one to raise my arms a whole lot. Back in my dancing days-(That was one of my favorite past times) I thought it looked cool to dance & raise your arms about but I have never been completely at ease w/that. Really I feel like an octopus. My arms are unusually long- along with my neck. I used to have to wear my hair in a bun when I worked in a restaurant. My neck looked so long that they nicknamed me "ET."
Now my hands don't drag on the ground or anything but raising them is just not comfortable to me.
I just sat here and tried it and it's hard for me to keep them up w/o extra effort. (Should I go to the gym & work out or what?)
So I guess you can say I'm not a "Natural". I'll keep working on it. I think I have to overcome four things. One is the crying for the majority of the worship. The second is distracting hubby. The third is my octopus arms. The fourth is sticking my arm pits up & being worried about BO. (I do wear deodorant by the way.)
So there you have it. I've confessed my Four excuses for not enthusiastically raising up both my arms in a Church where it's socially acceptable & encouraged.
And a pleasant day to you, Mr Carroll.
Thank you, Mr. Hyde. I trust you're having a pleasant day, also. And a touch of lemon with my tea, thank you.
Regarding the article you posted, thank you. It was very enlightening, so much so that I don't think I'm going to make it to bed as early as I had hoped. I have a vivid imagination, which is not necessarily a good thing. This last weekend I sent out to my family my latest Paranoia Update. If you want a copy, send me an email by clicking on my blue name. (Or maybe I'll finally get that blog going...) In any case, one major point was that this weekend on the 15th, there would be the beginning of the 70th year of anger against Jerusalem and the cities of Judah talked about in Zechariah 1. I believe there are two events that might qualify for that. First was the economic meeting that took place in Washington, DC. I believe the decisions made there will set the stage for the War of Psalm 83.
The second comes from the renewed missile launches from Gaza into Israel. The particular article I want appears to have been pulled. It described how two men had been killed in a missile explosion as they were preparing to launch the missile. Now, most of the missile being launched from Gaza into Israel are Kassam, or Qassam missiles. These are homemade missiles, between 3 and 4 feet long and 4 to 6 inches across, and can be assembled in a garage workshop. It carries about 20 lbs of explosive, and the biggest of these can reach about 5 miles. On a good day with the right conditions, it can reach Ashkelon. The reason this story stuck in my head is that the missile being launched that supposedly blew up weren't a Qassam.
It was a Katyusha.
Katyushas, while a simple rocket to produce, is still beyond the ability of a garage workshop builder. If it was the same type used by Hezbullah during the 2006 Lebanese War, it could NOT have been built by workers in Gaza. It would have to have been a Syrian-produced Katyusha, carrying around 60 pounds of explosive and with a range of 19 miles. That's about half-way to Tel-Aviv. If a Syrian-manufactured rocket could be smuggled into Gaza (and there's no reason to believe that only one Katyusha was smuggled in) then they could be smuggled into the West Bank. It would be no problem to launch a Katyusha from Bethlehem to land in Tel Aviv. I suspect the story is being pulled because then someone in Israel would have to answer questions about it. But you can bet the people in the IDF are loosing sleep over this. It's possible to defend against a missile that flies 300 miles to its target. You can't defend against a rocket that reaches its target in less than two minutes.
One more amusing thing:
While researching this, I used the Yahoo News search feature and searched on "gaza missile explosion". It told me that it didn't find any results for "gaza missile explosion", then it went into the sales links. The first one:
Missile. Browse a huge selection now. Find exactly what you want today. www.ebay.com
At last. A proper answer to that guy that keeps parking in my spot.
<><
Lisa
thanks for the chuckle this morning. I keep telling you that we are more a like than different. I could admit to a couple of those reasons myself.
but seriously- a whole hour standing to sing and then the message. wow. your hubby really has come a long way.
Jim C
too funny on the Iowa comment but I know what you mean.
As an aside there are those however in this day and age as Christians who don't think we should wear blended fiber clothes because the Bible forbids it.
Jim C.
So you also have Psalm 83 in mind now.
Since you’re smarter than I in these historical comparisons-can you tell me the reasoning for believing the 1967 War was the fulfillment of Psalm 83?
What I have heard is that the 1967 war comprised of all the nations mentioned in Psalm 83-therefore the fulfillment.
This being said I have no argument to present that it has not been fulfilled since I just don't know.
So silent I remain on that one.
But-more people have started talking about Psalm 83. I don't know if it's because of the "Isralestine" book which came out or? The argument that it precedes Ezekiel 38/39 is really strong but I don't remember any information explaining why Psalm 83couldn’t have already been fulfilled in the 1967 war.
Lisa
I have wondered the same thing. perhaps because it doesn't fit their preconceived notions it couldn't possibly be fullfilled.
if you look at it though
1-same nations:I'll spot you on this one since I'll admit I haven't looked it up but since I have had the same thought in the past I must have done the research at one time.
2-Israel is now relatively more at peace than she has ever been-buffer zones they're a good thing- AND she is substantially wealthier than she was before that war. The whole peace thing is what gets most folks since they don't consider Israel to be at peace. perhaps not by our definitions but I think joel said in one of his books that the Israeli's themselves do consider themselves to be living in the most peaceful time they have ever lived in. Also people are rather stuck on the one wall that does exist claiming that because of it Israel doesn't fulfill the requirement of "being without walls". trouble is that wall is different than the walls that Ezekiel was talking about so don't know that it's a problem.
seems to me that one could make a rather reasonable argument that Ps 83 has already happened.
Joel has a new post up.
I appreciated the Jack Kelly post btw. With even Newsweek running a similar story if BHO DOES turn out to be the AC guess that answers one question I have had since the Left Behind books came out-how could a world in which much has been published both fiction and non fiction about the end of days fall for the AC? I figured they would have had to have been under a rock. Nope, the answer's just much simpler than that
Regardless of who is the AC I have come to the following conclusion-they want to accept him in place of Christ. as strange and horrific as it sounds, they are/will willingly and joyfully choosing/choose death rather than life!
in addition to the link that Mac provided here is a really recent interview with Gerald Celetene
seems according to him that Scott and I have job security-I would hope he's correct about that and wrong about the other stuff
The coming Greater Depression
this was referenced in the Jack Kelly article that Mac posted
I don't feel comfortable lifting my hands when singing in church. I'm not an emotionally demonstrative person, so that sort of thing doesn't come naturally to me.
Sometimes I envy the ease with which some people raise up their hands, and sometimes I feel the desire to do so myself, but I just can't make myself do it. Part of it is that it's not in my nature, but I know that a part of it is not wanting to look silly.
I try not to think too much about it because it's what's in my heart that counts. It's what's in my heart that God sees, and He knows that in my heart I'm either dancing with my hands raised on on my knees.
Unfortunately, it's human nature to think too much about what other people think!
Angie
Angie
you are wise. it is the inner being that is important in the long run and not what we are outwardly. your comment happened to trigger memories of all sorts of sermons, verses etc on how the Pharisee's used to place the emphasis on the outward and not on the inward when God cared about what was inward.
I'm not implying or saying that if you lift your hands that you are a Pharisee at all but I am saying that for those who are less than comfortable raising their hands God does see our inner being and that is what is the most important is our attitude!
Jim C
or anyone else who wants to chime in
Do any of the major US cities sit on 7 hills? not sure why my dad is convinced that the economic Babylon is the US but I know many are. For that to be true however, one of the cities would have to sit on 7 hills or is that just Religious Babylon?
Good God's Day from Okieland!
It is another gorgeous day that the Lord has made and I am rejoicing in it with Him!
I went to bed early last night (before midnight is early for me) and I can't believe I slept in real late. The leafs outside my kitchen window are all gold (beautiful 24 Karat Gold) and the sun shining on them is making reflections all over my kitchen. It is breath taking and I just feel such a presence of God here with me. He makes me cry because I know I don't deserve his wonders. It makes me very homesick and today, with everything this is going on, I just want to get close and personal with Him. Hubby is setting in the dining room singing "How Great Thou Art" and he has a drop dead voice. Never heard him singing at the table before and it really blessed me.
JIB, I don't think Noah would have balked at getting into the ark either. After all, he built the ark out of obedience and I don't think he had a sudden change regarding the ark boarding. I think sometimes people who spend their time dissecting and criticizing the scriptures are reflecting their own mind sets and not the real ones involved with the bible characters. Noah probably did want others to come on board but didn't God tell him to gather the necessary food stuffs for him and his family. I like to study what others have to say about it and then kinda homogenize all of it and try to come up with a more rounded, practical dialogue.
JIB and LISA, I can attest to the strong emotion of not wanting to dissolve into a mass of mess out in front of the whole world. My first experience with the hands lifted in praise was during a very difficult time in my life and for me to be able to find a spot to Praise God and really mean it just wasn't happening. I loved Him but I thought He was the one responsible for the horrible emotional duress I was in at the time. I didn't dare watch Abbott and Costello or even Sanford and Son. My laughter soon turned to racking sobs that would not and could not be stopped. So, the first time I accepted an invitation to share Sunday Morning church services with a new and very dear friend, brought me quickly to that chasm and the fear that rose up inside of me was about to choke the life out. Then my friend very quietly whispered in my ear, "Wilma, God is not the author of your heart break; it is time to stop blaming him and just give it all to him." I had never told anyone how I felt about this and her remark crumpled my knees right then and there.
I love to sing and I have a very strong voice in normal circumstances but at that time, not a sound would come out of me. The dam broke, the tears flowed and when I walked out of the church, I was healed of that terrible boundage. God meets us where we are and we are never the same again. He doesn't gauge us on someone else' needs, it is pure and simple~~God and me! God and You!
Now I wasn't raised in a church that lifted anything to God! Three songs, prayer and a sermon on 3 points, out by noon! But you see, God kept planting our family in the close proximity of a little God fearing church where they praised God with all of their heart, mind and strength and their neighbors as their self. They were boisterous, raised their hands and shouted when they were happy. They seemed to have a strength that never stopped and kicked into high gear during the roughest of times. Funny thing is, I was always too timid to let anyone see me enjoying the times I would be an outside participant. So, back to my strong voice lead. I always got the part of the Angel shouting Hosannas in the Christmas play because you could hear me in the balcony. I would sing only if I could be concealed someway and I am still that way today. So, raising my hands to worship was just not natural for me. Then one day, I couldn't contain myself anymore and my Mother was standing beside me, loving God and shedding tears of thankfulness when all of a sudden we both raised our hands in one of the most beautiful moments of total loving God truly and only. Neither of us had ever done this before and was not during an especially emotion charged time in the services either. It was just profound longing to give Him all of our love. So, I still express this whenever I feel His Presence. I don't do it to impress people and really am not even aware of others around me. I have been chided for doing so but I just understand that they are questioning what my motives are and not knowing what is really going on. My answer is always the same, "I'm just loving my Lord".
Mac, that is a great link. Thank you White Knight!
I am not going to try to comment on everything (smile) and yet I have to tell you, I am enjoying the discussions greatly. I loved that article that Lisa shared on the American Jesus vs The Real Thing! Good food for thought and also, a good way to weed out the misconceptions of who God really sent to us and not the imitation polyester version.
Thanks everyone and have a wonderful and glorious day in the Lord,
Grany
FYI on my hands; palms away from me, hands as high as they can go without dislocating anything important! he he he I will give Him all my worship, I will give HIm all my praise, He alone, I long to worship, He alone is worthy of all praise!
Okay, and as far as BO, never have it since I switched to Milk of Magnesia. I'm not kidding. I buy it at the dollar tree and it lasts me several months.
I told a friend of mine. As it turns out, she had such a terrible problem with her BO, she was on 2 prescription deodorants. She only uses the M.O.M. now and she said it works better... so you can quit laughing now!
White guilt? Done; over; history
Commentary on Prop 8 My friend wrote this guy a great letter-but listen to his world view.
Artic Ocean... 5.1, at a depth of 6.2 miles
Lori,
That was funny by the way-I'll look for that antiperspirant!
What is the significance of "6.2"?
I know it keeps coming up but are we looking @ it because of the "6"?
Since Nov 9th there have been more than 20 earthquakes, that all have the exact same depth. Coincidently, the depth is right about the deepest possible drilling limit.
The magnitudes range from 4.2-5.4
I wrote to the USGS for an explanation or clarification on data.
I don't think it's a coincindence.
I think countries are flexing their muscles by testing nukes or the earth's crust is breaking all around the world at exactly the same depth.
Lori-that it interesting.
Obama's "Universal" Service Plan - Part 2 Mind Change and Collective Service
Good article-I think we can all see where this is heading.
A brother shared this slideshow to watch It Seems Impossible!
Then I got distracted and saw this one One God (We should make our own power point One God! And we know which one it is!!!)
Lori,
Do you drink it, (M.O.M) or smear it under your armpits???
Hmmm...I wonder if I can purchase some of that milk of magnesia in Australia. I know someone - here - who could use some.
My apologies if you have already posted this, Lori:
Latest Earthquakes in the USA - Last 7 days
Mac,
I'm thinking it would be cheaper to buy M.O.M. in bulk???
Thats funny, I was just looking for the link you sent out the other day mac that had the graph of the earthquakes.
Can you point us to that again...please??
:)
Here's the link, Donna.
USGS Worldwide Deadly & Destructive Earthquakes between Magnitudes 6 and 8
Marge; Bulk? Do I really smell that bad?
Marge, I'm a Bulky MOM does that count?
Thanks, Mac...it really is incredible to look at!
I think the M.O.M. looks like one of those "push up" lollipops.
You can either lick or or stick it.
Lisa, Shalom! As for the 1967 war being the War of Psalm 83, the participants don't line up:
The tents of Ishmael and Edom, the people of Moab and Hagar,
Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre.
Assyria, too, in league with them gives aid to the descendants of Lot.
Ishmael, Edom, Moab are Jordan, as are Ammon and Amalek. Amalek is on the very north side of Jordan, and so MAY include Syria -- that's kindof iffy in my view. Gebal (depending on your source) is the north part of Saudi Arabia or the southern Sinai. If it's the southern Sinai, that along with Hagar are Egypt. Philistia is the Gaza Strip, and Tyre is southern Lebanon. Assyria is NOT modern Syria; Assyria is generally anything to the north of Israel but usually refers to the northern parts of Iraq and Iran, and the very eastern part of Turkey. It DOES include the modern city of Tehran.
The '67 war (The Six-Day War) had Egypt, Jordan, and Syria lined up against Israel. It did NOT include Lebanon (Tyre). What's more, none of the participants got support from Iran (Tehran, i.e., Assyria). In fact, the Shaw of Iran was outraged. For all the their bluster, many Islamic states did a healthy trade with Israel. The Shah was making a fortune by selling Israel oil. When Egypt blockaded Erat (which was a de-facto act of war, although not described as such), Egypt blocked the Iranian tankers from delivering oil, which was money out of the Shah's pocket. So Assyria DEFINITELY did not support (be in league) with anyone in the Six Day War.
We DO, on the other hand, find Tehran (Assyria) supporting Tyre (Lebanon) and Philistia (Gaza). You could make an arguement that Fatah in the West Bank gets support through neighboring Jordan (Edom, Moab, Ammon, and all the other Ishmaelites). Since for all their hatred for each other, Hamas and Fatah hate Israel more, I'm sure that Assyria could persuade Philistia to loan a couple of Katyushas to the Ishmaelites.
<><
Lisa, Shalom! I listened to that Keith Olbermann piece; now I remember why I don't listen to Keith Olbermann!
<><
RE: the 6.2 miles --
6.2 miles = 10 kilometers, which happens to be the average depth of the ocean. I noticed that the earthquakes in the middle of nowhere in the ocean were all at 10Km. The ones that happened in or near ridges or boundaries were all much deeper.
<><
Let's see, if you put M.O.M. in your pits, you will not stink, if you drink it, you will get a completely different sensation!
Jim, some where in land, i.e. Congo, China
Lori...all of the earthquakes have been 6.2 miles deep?
Iraq: Can Ancient Babylon be Rescued?
Yeah thanks Mac! Donna-you see all those dots in So.Cal? That's where I'm heading.
I'm swimming over to Jib's when CA breaks off into the ocean.
Jim C.
Thanks for the Psalm 83 comparison!
Kathy,
Your kind words made my day. You'll have to watch yesterday's sermon when I post it. My husband is still reeling from the "Persecution" message. He said "That was not uplifting or very positive." I don't think he completely "got it" & wants to see it again. Then I tried to explain a little of it & we got into a discussion of Christians who are currently under persecution.
He wanted to minimize it & said "oh they are only in a pocket of society" & I explained it was really more prevalent than he realizes. Then I could see the wheels turning in his head-possibly wondering if he would come under fire & remain steadfast for Christ.
People are really in denial that it would not happen in "America" & do not have much compassion for others being persecuted. They just stick their heads in the sand.
Following what some of the Missionaries are doing always refreshes my mind of what is happening in other parts of the world. They deal with the hard truths of reality on a daily basis.
Well I think we can agree it looks like Disneyland America has had it's heyday & now there is some shakin & awaken in our future.
The 20 or more that I've been tracking since Nov 9th, have all been at exactly 6.2 miles deep.
Wow that's something. I wonder what's up with that...
Hey Lisa...yes, I thought of you headed back there. I have several friends who live over that way, too.
Looks a bit shakey!
Another great flood: time to build an ark?
g'nite... time for bedy bye
Lisa
we'll leave the light on for you! hope you aren't allergic to dogs.
I agree on the whole people with their heads in the sand. It does just seem to me that people would rather go on with their lives and have no thought or care about what's going on or what could be coming
Jib,
You wrote:
As to wearing poly blend clothes-we are under grace not the law so that one wouldn't apply.
Clearly, there are many things regarding sexual relations in Leviticus that still apply. We're not under the law but yet some things are still regarded as immoral and others we simply ignore and say "we're under grace." How do we have a differentiate?
(I don't have any answers. I've honestly always struggled with this question.)
Jib, Shalom! re: any US cities built on 7 hills;
I honestly can't think of any. US mountains are much younger than European and Middle Eastern ranges. They generally haven't had the time to erode into separate mountains or hills, or erode small enough that you can build a city on or around them but large enough that you still recognize them as hills.
If you're looking for literal hills, keep in mind that the 7 hills of Rome are there, but they're on the opposite side of the Tiber River from the Vatican, so the Vatican can't be part of that symbolism. In other words, Rome could work as a secular/economic whore, but it wouldn't include (and in fact would be in opposition to) Catholicism. Two other cities literally built on 7 hills are both Moscow, and Mecca/Medina. Either of those would strike me as good candidates, with Mecca/Medina getting the tip of the scale.
If you want to look at the "7 hills" as symbolic, where hills/mountains usually represent kingdoms in Scripture, then you've opened the door to quite a few other representations. For example, would they be literal kingdoms (as in a revived Ottoman Empire) or would they be a combiniation of economic kingdoms, cultural kingdoms, technology kingdoms, etc.
(Maybe this means the Anti-Christ will be really, really into World of Warcraft...)
<><
Top of the morning to you all. I finally sat down and had a chance to read the 'American Jesus' article. Boy, that was good.
I think my 'American' perspective does indeed get in the way of understanding that and other passages. I appreciated having it put in context for me.
I enjoyed the Noah discussion. Need to go back and read it all. We were just at the Creation Museum this month, so this discussion tied in nicely with other thoughts of Noah gained from our visit.
Then, there is the 6.2 depth discussion, and Milk of Magnesia as a deodorant. Oh, the depth of the riches to be mined in the cave.
;-)
My curious mind can't get over the MOM. Do you slather it on? Isn't it a liquid? Inquiring minds want to know.
-HB
Jim G
Sexual immorality is listed as on of the 10 commandments and those still do apply. Christ broadened the meaning of adultery and murder in the NT to include the thought intent without actually physically committing that particular sin. Also, sexual immorality as specific sins were repeated in the NT several times.
In Acts when Peter is commanded by God to go to the Gentiles he was given a dream of clean and unclean animals and told to eat of all of them. When he refused to eat the unclean He was told who was he to decided what was clean and unclean. Thus the lifting of the prohibition on eating unclean animals. Furthermore Paul I believe contended on at least one occasion with Judaizers who were telling new converts that were gentiles that they also had to be circumcised and obey other things like the food laws etc and Paul said that was contrary to God's plan and newer revelation (that would eventually become the NT. Keep in mind they had the OT and the NT was a work in progress so the Apostles no doubt had special revelation from God for the new way the became our NT).
None of us go to our pastor with a rash either for diagnosis on what it might be nor are we thrown outside the camp if sick. Clearly the illness laws also do not apply either. In other days in times that brings up the point of if people got sick what did they do. I'll grant that medicine was probably a little more advanced than the time of Leviticus but I'll bet not much. So I'll be there was a lot of miraculous healing going on because that is what they had although we keep finding that some of the natural treatments folks used for different things actually had active drug in them-Keep in mind the germ theory of disease is a relatively new construct. There are a lot of things we take for granted as possible in the field of medicine that have only become hugely possible even within my lifetime in medicine-non related transplant being a prime example. The illness laws might have still been observed because it was good medical practice then and continued into the early 1950's more extensively than now when antibiotics came on the scene. "In the early 1950's we still treated strep throat evolving into scarlet fever by quarantine. In fact we still treat some disease with antibiotics and a light quarantine-pink eye springs to mind as an example. If you walk into your local hospital in a week or so you'll might see signs asking folks to leave the kids under a certain age at home due to RSV-again a sort of quarantine.
It would seem to be that poly blended clothes would fall into the not necessary category law for the above reasons. The reason for the law, most likely what Wayne said, really doesn't exist.
Further, sexual immorality is a destruction of the picture that is meant to exist between God and mankind-the food laws, disease laws and likely the clothing laws appear to have been instituted to protect mankind from disease and pandemics.
Other diseases still treated with a quarantine of sorts are mostly viral in nature (although with strep throat I know we've been told by the doctor to keep our son at home until he's been on antibiotics for 24 hours)
such as chicken pox.
in fact most of the vaccines that we have are for viral illnesses because we still to this day really have no means of treating them except for rest, quarantine and prevention outright with vaccines. So at least for viral illnesses we honestly have progressed from a treatment standpoint much beyond the time of Leviticus BUT we can prevent them from happening with vaccines which is a huge advantage. I know Grany lived through a time when many of the vaccines we give kids today weren't available and the disease they protect against were the major childhood killers and source of disability. Measles and chickenpox, and small pox actually would have fallen under the disease laws in Leviticus because they involved rashes.
This book looks great-I would buy it now if we not packing up.
BETRAYED - THE CONSPIRACY TO DIVIDE JERUSALEM by Mike Evans
JR Church did a quick review on it Monday-It's still up if you catch it before they switch to Tues.
Gee Mr Soros turns up in the strangest places
Soros funds the main think tank for Mr BHO which is behind many of his campaign ideas one I do approve of and that is the creating of groups that small businesses can belong to to leverage their purchasing power for health insurance. Actually it isn't a new idea. Back in the day if you belonged to the chamber of commerce of your local town, you could purchase your health care via them which gave small businesses much more clout in purchasing health insurance. The insurance companies themselves did away with that stating that only actually employees of a group were allowed to participate in purchase of health care. This would significantly lessen the strain on small businesses to purchase insurance for their employees, for the most part get rid of exclusions (most larger companies can negotiate that nothing will be considered pre-exisiting with some of the health plans offered). As a single person office/small business I can vouch for the fact that providing insurance is one of my largest expenses in my overhead
here is something you all might be interested in-Glenn Beck is doing a live simulcast of his Christmas tour show in select theaters throughout the country-it is a family show.
Here is the link to see if it's coming to a theater near you
yet another thought this morning (my morning schedule got canceled so nothing to do until 9:30 oh well)
has anyone noticed how divisive the election still is? We've talked before about what would happen if we as a country persisted in trying to divide up Israel and we are slowly going to two countries our selves. Don't believe me-take a look at the red blue map from the last election. Of the states that were present
just before the civil war including Missouri and Maine (from the famous compromise that made one slave and the other free) all the states that became the CSA are in red and all the states that stayed with the Union voted blue. Commentators were observing that Missouri is usually a bellweather state-as Missouri goes so goes the rest of the union and they just couldn't understand how the folks in Missouri got it wrong this time. just an interesting observation. The folks in the south like to joke about how the South will rise again-might become reality. Also keep in mind that the precedent has been set in Europe by the US no less. When Kosovo wanted to be an independant country despite the fact that it has always been a state and never in recorded history has ever been it's own country the US was one of the leading proponents of the idea that this state could secede from it's country. Russia opposed the idea although I see the have put it to good use with Osstia over in their neck of the woods. Suppose the Southern states that voted red decide they want nothing to do with Mr BHO-not really a constitutional candidate for example or actually gets some of those really liberal laws passed that he promised to pass-people are already talking secession so may be the south really will rise again.
Jib,
My grandmother was from east Texas. And my grandfather was from Missouri. (my mothers parents) And even though they left Taxas in 1906, my grandmother always told me that the south would rise again. And she wasn't kidding, either! I wished I'd have asked her some questions about it now. (she passed away when I was 18 years old) She was devote Old Time Methodist woman, and maybe there were some prophecies she'd heard? I truly don't know, but there's one thing I do know, she believed that the south would rise again! Now, we joked about it, and my grandfather didn't place much stock in it, either. But it
kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it? (with your information, etc.)
Well,
Don't you'all think BHO is anticipating this? Or something to the effect?
He'll have his Civilian security force in place (& his other security concoctions) probably in place before he springs out the worst on us.
Don't you have a feeling whatever his "unpopular" ideas he's planning to unleash is going to create some form of backlash?
Just this morning I was chatting with a authentic "Good ole Southern Boy" in the Supermarket & he brought up the subject of the TN Wal-Mart giving money to gay organizations. When they had the bill here to pass the gay Marriage legislature it lost by over 80% of the vote.
Wal-Mart then took another look @ who their customers where & where the contributions went. Actually they were shocked by the numbers.
This guy was the best. A simple man just filled to the brim with the Holy Spirit. It reminded me today of the verse "The first will be last & the last will be first."
Glory to be to God! His ways are not our ways! That simple obedient man is greater in the eyes of God than the richest rebellious highly esteemed person on the face of this earth.
What a God we love!!
Lisa that is a good book by Mike Evans and one I highly recommend.
I think it is rather odd that there are two mind sets regarding our economic future among the Christian communities. One group is saying all is well and by Thanksgiving(this year) it will be the biggest blessing we have ever had. Of course, this group also proclaimed that before George Bush left office a new source of energy that would replace fossil fuels would be discovered and quickly utilized. Then the other group is telling us that we had better prepare the worst and hope for the best. It is always amazing to me that there can be so much disagreement in what God is directing his people to do by way of the so called prophets. If we listen to each one of them, we will be like a bunch of sheep when a storm hits. Either we will run in circles not knowing what to do or end up going over the cliffs into the raging sea. I think that what is ahead is simply, in God's hands. What we have to do is quit looking for a "Teller" to see into the future and give us his/her reading. If it is troubling to me, what do you suppose it is like being a new Christian and hearing all of the differing "thus saith the Lord".
Maybe that is why we are to spend more time in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that the lost and discouraged, not to mention the ones who are scared beyond our wildest imaginations, will be given hope and a reason for joy unspeakable. I would not want to be without Abba's closeness during these times and to know that the Son of God lives in me. No Way Hosea!
I am still having major computer problems with my main computer and they have had to order all new parts. The last ones didn't work and the new parts just arrived this noon. I have to be able to save my hard drive people, it is an investment that I can never replace, nor do I even want to think of having to do so. If you have a little extra space in your prayer time, would you keep me in that slot? I really don't have a good feel about this one. I would have laid hands on it and prayed but I wasn't lead that way.
Milk of Mag used to be my best friend when I was a teenager. Do you know that it is excellent for the foot problem also? I used to use it on my grannies tooties (she had heart trouble) and in the summer, it felt so good because it was a little cooler than her skin. In the winter, I would get it a little warm and then massage her feet.
Gotta go and check on my kitty kat, but I am trying real hard to keep up with everyone. Lori, 6.2 is a little deep and I see what you are referring to. Very interesting to say the least.
Grany
Grany,
There is your split in Christianity. The one with their "American Jesus" & heads in the sand and the other who are willing to look at the "Bible Jesus" and view reality "as is."
You have to be an imbecile in order to believe America is not on the way down hill. We prayed "Come Lord Jesus" & He's coming! Maybe not exactly in our "American" time frame but we know the signs of the times & He's true to His word.
Grany how long have you been looking for the "one world currency" to happen? Our govt. is meeting on this right now.
If the Lord decides to tarry-I admit-I'll be shocked. It could only be God who could save us from this impending fall. Is American society repenting? No-they are coming after us Christians-God's most precious possessions & He might just be saying enough is enough. It's time for Jesus to reign w/His rod of iron.
We know what has to happen 1st and are we not witness to it now?
On a side note:
Which do you think is easier? Waking up a sleeping Christian or bringing an unbeliever to Christ?
Here is the sermon on "Persecution"
I was talking about:The Seven Love Letters of Jesus (Part 2) Guird your loins-It's heavy duty. (Church of Smyrna.)
Lisa,
I've been pondering on your side note question. I would categorize my son as a sleeping Christian and Jim at the Laundromat as an unbeliever. My heart is burdened for both. What do you do in each case? I think it is the same. You give them Christ all the while praying for the Holy Spirit to work, and you leave the results up to God. If God did a work in my son when he made a profession of faith nine years ago when he was sixteen, he belongs to God. And God as His Heavenly Father will discipline him because that is what loving fathers do. If Jim’s name is written in the Book of Life, eventually the blinders will come off and the Holy Spirit will convict Jim of sin and he will see Jesus as the Treasure He truly is. We just need to be faithful in making much of Christ to everyone, wherever we go.
What do you think?
(I will listen to your pastor's message and give you my thoughts.)
Lisa, I believe this is the first generation to see the signs of a one world Government and also a universal monetary system forming. Some thought it was going to happen in WW2 when the USA and England formed to create a solid Allied front in the European Theater but then they added Russia at Yalta and the idea of a one world currency went kapoot! That was a very grave mistake on Franklin D. Roosevelt's part and one that Churchill did not find comfortable at all. But the reason at the time for thinking of a currency that would be recognized in all of Europe was due to the total chaos of countries that were mostly destroyed by the Nazi regime.
This is the first serious talk and yet, all these centuries we have known that somewhere in history it would be or else, God would have mislead us. I would bet my life on God's word and so back in the 60's when I first became a Born Again Believer, I knew there was going to be but not yet! Now YET has happened and we are in the birth pangs of a One World Government.
Lisa, there has always been this chasm in the people who say they are Christians and also in those who say they are Holy Spirit filled. We know that deception is going to be standing on every corner waiting for the innocent to come along and listen to their song and dance. We asked that God heal our land and maybe this is the way he is going to do just that. Sometimes you have to perform surgery to get rid of the cancer and then the treatment regime begins in earnest. What is our Rx on this nation? Hard to tell right at this time but if my Spirit's unrest and groaning is any indication, it wouldn't hurt one little bit to prepare for war and hope for peace.
As far as which is easier to reach with the Real Jesus; by far it is the Unsaved! Been part of both camps and the only person who can bring the slipped ones back is the Holy Spirit and people who only speak as the Holy Spirit directs them to. I think of so many ministers who have forsaken the ministry that they were called to be in and it makes me weep for a while and then anger sets in. Anger that only is caused by the fact that something gigantic had to have happened to cause these men and women to give up something that had touched their hearts so deeply at one time. If my heart is troubled in me over it, what do you suppose God is feeling.
I came into this world with nothing and when I leave I will leave with nothing! The only thing I will take is my Spirit Man and soul. You know what? I am ready for the take away to begin. The sooner the better then I can get it over with and be out of here. Not that I don't love sharing and caring for all of you guys and dolls but when Heaven calls, I don't plan on putting it on an answering machine.
Love you all,
Grany
I heard something today, from John Hagee, that tied in to the topic of the American Jesus, versus the Bible Jesus.
John Hagee was speaking about the tithe. He said, people want to play "Let's make a Deal," while God is saying, "here is the deal!"
A pretty accurate comentary, IMO.
Jib and Marge,
I'm not from the South but I do appreciate Southern values such as those that encourage hospitality and respect. Of course, as a Christian, I naturally am against the racial bigotry and hatred that infected much of the country in general and the South in particular.
As much as I appreciate Southern conservative values, I think there would be much bloodshed and violence if the South attempted to "rise up" and break away from the Union under BHO. People would claim that it was due to racism (rather than liberalism and immoral policies). If BHO wasn't half black, it wouldn't be nearly as dangerous to see people in the South rise up and attempt to succeed from the Union.
Anyway, from a Christian perspective, I'm not sure it would be profitable in any way. Just my two cents for what it's worth.
Well, Southerners may be known for their hospitality, but the few times I have been South of the Mason Dixon line I witnessed bigotry and it was pretty shocking.
So I wonder how far their hospitality really goes.
I also noticed how the voting played out...the red states for the most part being southern (I guess they are called rednecks for a reason :) ) and the blue states for the most part being northern.
Pretty sad.
However, no matter what group anyone belongs to, the most important group to belong to is being His child, and being forgiven by Him for ALL of our sins by accepting what He has already done for us on the cross.
<><
Jim G., and Donna,
I only know what I've heard. Because I've lived all my life (other than 6 monthes in central CA.) in western WA. And oddly enough, all my grandmother's relitives came to visit her, as she never returned to Texas, after they moved to WA. State.
I'm not an authority on the south, believe me :)
However, it does make one wonder.
Jim G. and Donna, Shalom! Just reading the conversations, and thinking how odd it is to think of "Southern State" and "Republican" in the same sentence. Remember, Lincoln's side (Republican) won the War of Northern Aggression, and was responsible for a generation of carpetbaggers and oppression of liberty.
Right now, if you asked me what possibility scares me the most, it's not an EMP weapon like I described a couple of months ago, it would be what was described in the "Grace Through Faith" article: having Obama de-certified as President-Elect because he's not constitutionally able to assume the office of President. THAT'S when you'd see rioting and civil unrest, not just in America but around the world. If that were the case, I could see Obama being hailed as the World's Saving Victim, and moving to Brussels to be elected as the President of the European Union.
And Donna, "rednecks" got their name because during one of the battles to unionize the coal miners, the coal mine owners hired the Pinkertons to break the unions, and the Pinkertons hired thugs to use whatever means necessary. At one such battle, the Pinkertons held the high ground and were using it against the union men who were trying to march past peaceably. The union men, on the other hand, actually KNEW the ground, and knew how to shoot, and shoot to kill. Everyone had a big red handkerchief, so they tied those around their necks so you could tell what side the guys you were shooting at were on.
Yeah, the owners may have had bigger guns, but the union organizers had better songwriters. Just listen to that chorus from Union Maid by Woody Guthrie:
Oh, you can't scare me, I'm sticking to the union,
I'm sticking to the union, I'm sticking to the union.
Oh, you can't scare me, I'm sticking to the union,
I'm sticking to the union 'til the day I die.
<><
This is one of the most disturbing videos I've ever seen.
All I could think about was Lot and his family being escourted out of Sodom and Gommorah by the angels.
Wait a second?!?!?! I thought everyone would love us now! There's got to be some mistake. Oh no, what did I do? Maybe I voted for the wrong guy. Buyer's remorse, buyer's remorse......
Hugs and Kisses from abroad
Lori,
There is a "heated" discussion going on @ Joel's Trumpet about the situation on this video.
At first I thought "Poor Christians" but then it occurred to me who these Christians were-they are Dominionists. Now I'm really upset @ their "Leader" for placing them there on Friday night in the worst place possible to intercede with their virtual spiritual warfare practices as they sing down the power of God in their "Open Heaven". They believe they are going to reign in The Kingdom of Christ through these spiritual warfare intercessions.
So there is really more to this than some Christians singing Carols on the street corner.
I expressed my most likely unpopular opinion & have not gone back to see how fiercely I've been blasted yet.
Then @ 3:00 am I woke up & it occurred to me. One thing was that there is another video on Joel's where the pastor of this group is speaking @ the Church. If you watch him he continues to rock back & forth.
This is unsettling to me-not just because it looks weird but I just couldn't place it. Then when I woke up-Wham. This "rocking" motion is exactly what Todd Bentley did in his ministry & we know what spirit was behind his shenanigans.
Then another blogger posted on Joel's that her daughter was involved in this same Christian branch & they are affiliated with IHOP. Now that also sent up red flags. Do you remember that I posted some info on IHOP awhile ago? I couldn't remember exactly what it was that was unbiblical.
Then when I woke up-There it was! I have to go back & recheck but it's the "LOVE" aspect. They were brainwashed to "LOVE" everybody & "LOVE" Jesus to the extent that they would be encouraged to actually have sexual relations w/Him. (NOW THAT IS SICK!)
So while it's awful what these gay's did on a Friday night drinking & drugging-what these Christians chose to do on this particular night was not the wisest
choice to make.
Unfortunately this type of thing can have a negative effect on all Christians because the "world" does not differentiate one denomination from another.
Correction-I should have said
encouraged to "Visualize" having sexual relations w/Him. Not that they could "actually" do it. (Unfortunately-they probably would if they could.)
MERRY TOSSMAS 2008
Dave,
Great minds think alike! I thought the same thing when I saw that about 15 minutes ago. I thought the world was suppossed to fall at Obama's feet!
Seriously, I think this will unite a lot of people behind Obama. Do you suppose Al-Q is using reverse psychology and expecting that exact reaction?
Dave and Angie,
So good to see you back and posting again!
Be sure to read the comments on the article Dave posted. Some of them are priceless!
Hi all!
New post is up.
Bye, bye
Nate, we are on Facebook.
But a few of us are still monitoring the blog here. Would love to hear from you, buddy.
Maranatha
Post a Comment