Coming soon!

See What’s Coming Soon!

NEWEST EDITION ADDITIONS:

• Re-edited: Reality of Halloween. What ARE You Celebrating?
• Think being a believer is easy?  The Cost of Being Christian gives insight to the hadships some believers will face. Jesus never said we’d have a picnic.
• If you read the peviously mentioned article, you must know that there is another side to the coin! Reward for Following Jesus tells us of they marvelous payoff we can and will receive if we are faithfull in following Christ! We have the mightiest treasure to look forward to!
• “BIG Questions” series- I will briefly answer some of the “Big Questions” that are frequently asked about the Christian faith. These will most likely come one or a few at a time. Part one is posted now at BIG Questions- Part 1: “Who made God?” “What does He look like?” and “Who wrote the Bible?”  and Part two is at BIG Questions- Part 2: “Is getting a tattoo a sin?” “Is it a sin to smoke or do drugs?” and “Is it really a big deal if I sin?” Be sure to look for more to come! If you would like your question answered, just leave it as a comment below.
• The Rapture- Is there going to be one? When will it be? The answer will surprise most Christians! Will There Be A Rapture?
• Is the swine flu something to worry about? Is it going to turn into a deadly plague? Or is this just the latest hype to keep us entertained? Find out here: Swine Flu a Hoax?
• No one likes to admit it, but nearly everyone, including most Christians, denies Christ more often than they’d like to think. For a unique perspective and a much needed reminder, read DENYING CHRIST

What’s being worked on:

I’m working on a new series that will discuss some of the most controversial and denominationally dividing issues; issues that, if we read Scripture correctly, would have no quarrel. Some topics are:

• The Trinity/ Oneness argument
• A short(er) summary on the timing & placement of the rapture. (See also the article Will There Be A Rapture?)
• Baptism: Water vs. Spirit
• Tongues- Types & Uses in the Church
• Dependability on the Bible- Literal, Metaphorical, or False?
• As always, the fight between Creationism and Evolution marches on. I will provide a list and summary of more evidence that the earth is young, not million of years old. (See also the article The Evolutionary Lie: Biblical Reality Proved)

As always, I’m researching and working on my book, Confessions and Professions. In the book, I examine the gifts of speech and language, and their impacts on our lives both physically and spiritually.

Reality of Halloween. What ARE You Celebrating?

Reality of Halloween. What ARE you Celebrating?

1 Peter 2:11-12 “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

Your eternal home and allegiance is to God, not to man. While we spend this time on earth we are to honor our Lord, lead others to Him, and prepare for the day when we will finally stand with Him in Heaven. A popular item among Christians today is a little bracelet that had WWJD on it. Well, what would Jesus do? Would He dress up as a goblin or a ghost and go door to door yelling “Trick or Treat”? Would He, as an Orthodox Jew, smile at references of Witches and Familiars? Do you remember Jesus, even once, worshipping the dead? How is the Gospel promoted by the House of Horror? You may not like these questions, but as a Christian you should certainly ask them of yourself, and answer them honestly.  

Romans 13:12-14 “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

There is a spiritual conflict going on all around us, Christians! We should be spreading the Gospel message, encouraging one another in spiritual growth, and not following after the world. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Remember, too, as Strangers in this world there are many deceivers out there who do not have your welfare in mind. There are many out there that say, “It’s fine, it’s just a little harmless fun”. God’s Word warns us who are His children:

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 “ For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.”

Which brings up the point: If the Bible doesn’t support it, how can we condone it? It’s time all believers stopped living on the edge of the old sinful life, and started living the new life that is their birthright in Christ. If the historical presentation of this study differs from what you were told, then are you released from making a Godly choice? Is the Scripture null and void because you disagree with this author? It’s your choice, believer. Be careful what you choose! Now, on with the study.
 

What Is Happy About Halloween?

Halloween originated from the witch and warlock religions of Britain, France, Germany, and the Celtic countries. The practicing witches, called druids, lived 100 years before the incarnation of Christ.

The celebration of “Hallow’s Eve” honored the pagan gods, particularly the lord of the dead. The celebration was held on the last day of October, the Eve of the Celtic New Year. On Hallow’s Eve the lord of the dead was supposed to call all of the wicked dead back from the prison of hell, and place them in lower animal bodies (dogs, cats, wolves, bats, etc.). The Celts felt that if they pleased this god with their worship, then he in turn would protect them from these resurrected demons.

Judaism and Christianity ignored Hallow’s Eve because of it’s Satanic overtones. The worship of Hallow’s Eve nearly died out until the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian (100 AD). He built a Temple of the Dead to appease the druids. The Temple gave the people a reason to start backing the festival again.

Rome went through a series of battles until Rome itself fell under barbarian conquerors. By 607 AD the Roman emperor Phocas recaptured the city. From the time Rome first fell until 607 AD, the Church of Christ had moved into Catholicism. Phocas wanted to insure the Rome remained a part of the Roman empire, so he gave the city to Pope Boniface IV. Boniface reconsecrated the Temple of the Dead, dedicating it to Mary, the “Mother of God”.

It was a long standing policy of the Catholic Church to avoid making religious waves among the pagans. The Catholics began to wrongly equate physical growth with spiritual growth, so they would modify Church doctrine in an attempt to make it more pleasing to the pagan. “Certainly”, the bishops reasoned, “If the pagan joins the Church, they will be converted to Christ in time”. Actually their tactic had the reverse effect, and the Church doctrine became more and more muddied by pagan influence. When the city of Rome was given to Boniface IV, he decided to allow worship of the lord of the dead to continue as long as the pagans joined the Church. The legacy of Boniface is that many Catholic Christians, even today, light candles and pray for the dead, just as the druids did nearly 1400 years ago. The Catholics, rather than praying to the lord of the dead, pray to Mary, the Mother of God. This practice, fermented out of the religions of the druids, finds no support in the Holy Bible. The druids day of worship, Hallow’s Eve, was modified to be called All Saints Day.

For two centuries the yearly celebration of the dead was called “All Saints Day”, and was held on the last day of October. In 834 AD the celebration was moved to November 1st, though it still retained the name of All Saints Day. As I said before, Catholics still pray to Mary (just as the druids prayed to the lord of the dead) for the souls of the dead. Their reasoning is that, since Mary was Jesus’ mother, surely she’ll convince Jesus to let these unrepentant souls into Heaven. The Bible, however, makes it plain that you can only be saved if you accept Jesus as Savior while you are in this life:

Acts 4:10-12 “Then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.’”

Why The Children Shout
“Trick or Treat”

The most effective ploy that Satan ever uses is to try and deceive as much of Christianity as is possible using the same trick in different ways. The Catholic Church, by allowing pagan ritual and worship, followed pagan god worship under the guise of All Saints Day. But what about the Reformed Protestant Church?

Ancient druidism had another practice that, up to now, we haven’t discussed. The druids demanded human sacrifice in order to show “proper respect” for the lord of the dead. In order to accomplish this, the druids went from castle to castle and demanded women so that they could be sacrificed.  The women were then taken to sacrificial altars and killed (one of the most prominent areas we know of today for human sacrifice was Stonehenge in England). If the sacrifice was willingly given, the druids left a hollow gourd outside of the castle walls filled with burning human fat. This burning fat was supposed to protect the castle from demonic attack. If the druids were refused the sacrifice, they drew a hexagram on the door or wall of the castle and left. Before dawn someone in the castle would be found dead from fear.

This practice of going “door to door” eventually found it’s way into society as a form of Halloween ritual. The earliest settlers in America encouraged their children to go door to door shouting “Trick or Treat”, little knowing that they were mimicking ritualized murder of days gone by. The children were given fruit, much like the druids were given human sacrifices. If the children were refused a treat, they were allowed to play a little “trick” on the household. Parents put candles inside of pumpkin gourds (just as the druids put human fat inside of hollow gourds) to commemorate Halloween. By making it all seem like harmless fun, Satan drew both Catholic and Protestant, believer and unbeliever into the web of druidic paganism.

What’s Wrong With A Little
Innocent Fun?

Most people, even Christian believers, defend Halloween as only “A little innocent fun for the kids”. It may be innocent, but is it fun to mimic (however unknowingly) devil worship, female sacrifice, and witchcraft? Once the Christian household allows paganism into it’s midst, then how much harder is it for Satan to get us involved in real druidism? The Ouija board, seemingly harmless, is no less than a familiar spirit:

Leviticus 20:6-7 “ ‘I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people. Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.”

Deuteronomy 18:10-13 “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God.”

The question that the Christian must ask his or her self is this: “Do I want to play Satan’s game? Do I want to participate in a festival that originates from human sacrifice and demon worship? What do I want my children to learn?” Take a hard look at these questions and the evidence presented: your spiritual condition (as well as that of your children) may well depend on your answer.

Are there alternatives to Halloween? Absolutely! Many Churches have begun promoting “Fall Festivals” on Halloween night. The festivals are held at Church, children are offered Christian activities and adults have valuable time in which to fellowship with each other. Other Christians use Halloween night as a time to take their children out to eat, to skate, to a clean movie, or just to spend quality time with them. You do not need to deprive your children of fun in order to avoid Satan’s traps. Christians may even use Halloween as an opportunity to witness to the “visitors”. Rather than decorating your yard with ghosts and ghouls, focus on the Christian theme of love and salvation through Jesus. If you feel compelled to give out “treats” to the children, give out salvation tracts as well while telling the children about your Savior. Reclaim the night for Jesus!

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What follows is an article from New Wine magazine. All copyrights belong to New Wine Magazine and the author John Stanko:

Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?
by John Stanko, New Wine Magazine, 1984

Every October 31, Christian parents face a number of questions about Halloween, such as, “Should we allow our children to be out trick or treating?” and Should we answer the door and give out candy  or tracts? ” Without a sufficient knowledge of Halloween’s history and what the Bible says, it is difficult for a Christian to adequately answer these and other questions about participation in Halloween.

 The celebration of what we know as Halloween dates back to before the time of Christ.  In the Celtic countries of Britain, Germany, and France, the Druids (the priests and teachers of the Celts) set aside October 31 to  honor Samhain, the lord of the dead.  At this time of year the  crops were harvested and it was a  time of general decay. The day honoring Samhain highlighted the gloom and cold of the coming season.  The Celts believed that Samhain assembled all the souls of the dead on October 31, the eve of the Celtic new year. This freed them to return to their homes, where their families were to entertain them. If they didn’t find an acceptable welcome the spirits would cast spells or cause other problems for the living (the first form of trick or treat) To prepare for the arrival of these spirits the Druids built huge bonfires, sacrificing animals, crops, and even humans.  This fire was also used for divinations (they studied the remains of the sacrificed animals). During this ritual, many people wore costumes made of animal heads and skins.  When the Romans conquered the Celts, they combined the festival to Samhain with their own festival honoring Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees, making apples and nuts an important part of the rituals.

Despite the prevalence of Christianity this pagan rite continued. The Irish held parades to honor Muck Olla, one of their gods. A leader wearing a white robe and an animal head marched at the head of the parade. Those who followed him asked for food to help celebrate the October 31 festival, punishing farmers who refused to cooperate (another form of trick or treat).  Bonfires raged throughout Wales, Scotland, England on October 31. In the year 834 Pope Boniface IV moved the church feast of All Saints’ Day (also known as All Hallows’ Day) from May to November 1 to counter this growing pagan rite.  October 31 naturally was called All Hallows’  Evening – eventually abbreviated  Halloween.

In medieval times satanic witches took Halloween as an opportunity to mock the saints of the church commemorated on All Saints’ Day. The witches supposedly flew on broomsticks accompanied by black cats (also believed to be a type of witch).  In later years the poor in England went door to door for food on November 2, All Souls’ Day.  Beggars received “soul cakes” in return for their promise to pray for the dead of  that household. In America however, because of the strong religious convictions of the early settlers, Halloween celebrations were banned. In the early 1800’s,  as more immigrants of Celtic origin arrived, Halloween celebrations were instituted

Despite the contemporary decline in trick or treating (perhaps because of dangers such as poisoned candy) Halloween lives on.  School parties, the media, and peer pressure all serve to make Halloween a fun and necessary time in children’s eyes. Christian parents face extreme difficulty in deciding what their family should do about the annual celebration.

Considering Halloween’s origins, it should not be difficult to establish a Scriptural position on the holiday. Deuteronomy 18.9-12 states: “When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.”

As  Christians seek to make a firm decision regarding participation in Halloween, it is important to keep in mind that  believers are called to:

1. “Be separate from the world”: 1 Peter 4:1-4 “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you.”
2.  Be transformed: Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
3. Be obedient and holy: 1 Peter 1:14-15 “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.”
4. Be God pleasers: James 4:4 “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”
5. Be leaders: Ephesians 5:11 “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”

In answering questions about distributing candy on Halloween or allowing children to ‘trick-or-treat’, we must look at the roots of Halloween and what the Bible says, we now have the firm foundation we need to base our decisions on.

 

HALLOWEEN GLORIFIES SATAN AND WITCHCRAFT

Halloween is filled with darkness and paganism, and it is saturated with the influences of Satan. Satan is a very real person. Jesus used personal pronouns when referring to Satan (John 8:44). To accomplish his purposes, Satan uses many “devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11). He has his own synagogue (Revelation 2:9); his own gospel (Galatians 1:6-9); his own ministers (2 Corinthians 11:14-15); his own doctrines (1 Timothy 4:1); and his own communion service (1 Corinthians 10:20-21).

Halloween is not just a fun day. For witches and worshippers of Satan Halloween is serious business. Halloween is a time when Satan makes light of his own operations. He presents himself as a hoodlum–a kind of cartoon character rather than who he is–the real arch-enemy of God. Witchcraft today embraces dozens of unbiblical beliefs and practices, and has many thousands of adherents. The Old Testament and the New Testament make repeated references to the practice of witchcraft, and God always condemns all such practices. Note the following references:

“Do not turn to mediums or wizards; do not seek them out, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:31). They used divination and augury; and they sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord…therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight” (2 Kings 17:17- “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery…those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).

The initiation rites for those involved in witchcraft and the worship of Satan are indeed very gruesome. Two girls described their experience. They had to go to a graveyard in the dead of the night, step on and walk across a large wooden cross, and renounce any belief in Christ; and then they had to drink the blood of animals that had been skinned alive. Surely these are gruesome anti-christian activities. Halloween is the chief holiday of Satanists, and those who practice witchcraft. To participate in the celebration of the pagan festival called Halloween, is to give an open invitation to the forces of Satan to gain more influence on our lives.

HALLOWEEN CLEARLY HAS THE APPEARANCE OF EVIL

One of the wholesome principles which God’s people are to carefully observe, is expressed in the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:22, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.

All the symbols of Halloween are evil. Note briefly each of the following symbols:

Jack-o’-lanterns–were originally carved images of demonic beings and thus have been in league with Halloween celebrations. The carved out pump-kin was lighted with a candle to scare off ghosts and witches and goblins and other supernatural forces wandering around on “the night of the dead.”

Black cats–have long been associated with witchcraft and miscellaneous superstitions related to sorcery and Satanism. Ancients believed that black cats had once been humans who had changed into animals because of evil deeds which they had committed.

Bats and owls–have been related to Halloween since early times. The pagan Celts believed that bats and owls were able to communicate with the dead.

Skeletons, skulls, and corpses–belong to Halloween because it is really a festival celebrating death.

Trick-or-treating--is nothing less than extortion. The concept of “You either give me a treat, or I’ll play a trick on you” is hardly in keeping with the Integrity and second-mile honesty which Jesus taught. (Historically, food and drink were often left on outside porches in the hope of appeasing the demonic night creatures who were roaming around seeking shelter. Mischievous children capitalized on this practice, and disguised themselves with a costume and mask to scare off the ghosts–and then they themselves would steal the food set out for the spirits. This is the origin of the “trick or treat” custom.)

Halloween has been a time dedicated to ghosts and ghouls and goblins and monsters and senseless vandalism. Malicious people have hidden drugs in candy and rarer blades in apples. Getting involved in Halloween celebrations cannot be consistent with the Brethren peace position. Also, police departments in various parts of the country have warned people to guard their animals on Halloween night, because frequently dogs and cats and other animals are mutilated as a result of the ritualist slaughter of animals in sacrifice to Satan at Halloween time. Actually, Halloween not only has the appearance of evil; it is clearly associated with the wicked practices of the god of this world.

Those who get involved with Halloween celebrations, must remember that what was once the accepted practice of European pagans, has now become the accepted practice of many American church members. Many church-goers despise the vandalism and destructive behavior often associated with Halloween, but they go along with it as a necessary once-a-year evil. What was once modified from the pagan Festival of Samhain to the Christian All Saints Eve has now been further modified to become a semi-pagan ritual honoring ghosts and goblins and witches. Many youth fellowships sponsor Halloween parties in church recreation halls and award prizes for the most outlandish costumes. They usually have some group singing and a short devotional to make the evening seem more sanctimonious.

What’s wrong with Halloween? Everything about it is wrong. It does not have one single redeeming virtue. Halloween is a festival which glorifies the devil. Those who go by the name “Christian” should have nothing to do with Halloween celebrations. It is time that we expose Halloween for what it is–a ritual for the occult.

We should never make fun of Satan’s power. Celebrating Halloween can encourage children to take lightly the forces of darkness (Jude 8-10). God’s people are not to be conformed to the world. We are not expected to Wit in” with the practices of our society (Romans 12:1-2). How seriously do we take the words of Jesus about being “in” the world, but not “of it? (See John 17:14-15).

It is proper for children to have good times. “Having fun” is not what is wrong with Halloween. Parents and church youth leaders should provide plenty of family and group activities for children and youth. If there must be an activity on October 31, you can plan an evening of Bible study on demons and sorcery and death. October 31 is a good time to study the Reformation period of church history (Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on October 31, 1517). You can spend an evening reading a youth version of Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. You can have a Harvest Festival, gathering foods and grocery items and delivering them to the poor and to those who may have had a variety of misfortunes.

Another alternative, which could be a worthwhile event, is to plan for an “All Saints Eve.” The first weeks after a death in the congregation, the bereaved family receives much attention, but a year or two later, many widows scarcely hear their husband’s name mentioned. People who were once a major part of a congregation’s life are easily forgotten (except by the family of loved ones). Perhaps on an “All Saints Eve” the pastor (or an older member of the church) could give some vignettes of numerous departed saints from the congregation, and point out specific characteristics of that person’s life and faith that are worth remembering.

It is our prayer that Brethren across the land will resolve to stand apart from the crowd, and dare to stand alone for the truth like the young man Daniel did when he was carried into the land of Babylon many years ago (Daniel 1:8-20). Let us decide to no longer participate in a pagan holiday which commemorates the activities of the powers of darkness.

Halloween glorifies Satan.

      When America and the world celebrates the powers of darkness by masquerading as evil creatures or decorating our homes, schools, businesses and churches with occult symbols, Satanic power is glorified. While you may have participated “all in fun”, be assured, Halloween is serious business for Satanists and Witches.

      Anyone familiar with witchcraft would tell you that there are certain rituals and spells that can only be cast on Halloween night. That is the night when the “veil” believed to separate the living from the dead is thought to be the thinnest, and futures are easier and more accurately foretold by diviners.

      Those who oppose Christ are known to organize on Halloween to observe Satanic rituals, to cast spells, to oppose churches and families, to perform sacrilegious acts, and to even offer blood sacrifices to Satan. Last year, Newscasters in numerous cities warned their viewers to guard their animals on Halloween night. Dogs and cats are thought to be the most often sacrificed animals on Halloween, and many S. P. C. A. centers will not allow black cats to be adopted until after Halloween. In rural communities, it is not uncommon for farmers to awake to find the mutilated remains of their farm animals (cows, calves, chickens, even horses) that were ritualistically slaughtered in Satanic sacrifices. The practices that accompany such sacrificial rites are almost too revolting to believe-the drinking of animal (or human) blood and urine, the digestion of entrails and organs, orgiastic rituals, substance abuse, and something becoming more frighteningly common across the U.S.-human sacrifice. The 700 CLUB interviewed several people last Halloween (several of which were teenagers) who actually participated in or witnessed human sacrifices while involved in Satanism. No one scoffs at such stories anymore, as police departments around the country have had to scurry to develop a whole new field of investigation dealing with the gruesome reality of Satanic sacrifices.

      Isn’t it sad that while Satanist, Witches, Occultists and Police are taking Halloween very seriously, many in the church protest our “spoiling all of the fun for the children,” by urging Christians not to participate in it.

It is the Appearance of Evil.

      The Bible says, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thess.5:22).

      Who can deny that virtually all of the symbols of Halloween are evil? Witches, monsters, ogres, vampires, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, devils and demons all portray evil! On the other hand, Christians are called to be “followers of God” (Eph.5:1), and “lights” to a sin darkened world. How can we justify our masquerading as creatures of darkness in the light of the Scriptures? And if our houses and churches are dedicated to God and are to glorify Christ, how do we justify decorating them with demonic and occult symbols?

      Virtually all of the common Halloween decorations represent something Demonic or Occult. For instance:

      The “Jack-o-lantern” is the ancient symbol of a damned soul.

      The “black cat” has long been associated with Witchcraft and numerous superstitions are still connected to it.

      Witches and Witchcraft are a dominant theme of the holiday, but are an abomination to God (Exodus 22:18; Deuteronomy 18:8-14; Leviticus 18:24-30).

      Even the “trick-or-treat” is a threat! It’s nothing less than extortion! “You either give me a treat or I’ll play a trick on you.”

What Should Our Position Be? 

      Clearly, we should have nothing to do with the Halloween celebration whatsoever. If Christians assemble on Halloween it should be to worship, sing, praise, pray, intercede, wage Spiritual warfare and pull down demonic strong-holds. Under no circumstance should we compromise with this celebration or attempt to imitate the world in any manner. It should not be observed as any kind of a festival or “party” (masquerades, apple-bobbing, games, treats, etc.), but rather as a time to wage holy warfare and be separate from the world.

      The Christian should not fear Halloween or any of the powers of darkness, for we have authority over them (Mk.16:15; Lu.10:19), and “God has not given us the spirit of fear…” (2 Tim.l:7). But at the same time, “We are not ignorant of Satan’s devices” (2 Cor.2:11)

      Some may call me “legalistic” for doing so, but I have forsaken this pagan celebration altogether. Perhaps its time you considered doing the same.

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.” (Eph.5:8).

  

Verses depicting God’s opinion on participating with evil:

Deuteronomy 18:9-14 Detestable Practices  9 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. 13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The Prophet  14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.

Exodus 7:11-1211 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.

Exodus 22:18 18 “Do not allow a sorceress to live.”

Leviticus 19:26 26 ” ‘Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it. Do not practice divination or sorcery.”

Leviticus 19:31 31 ” ‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.’”

Leviticus 20:6 6 ” ‘I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.

Leviticus 20:27 27 ” ‘A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.’ “

1 Chronicles 10:13-14 13 Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

2 Kings 21:5-6  In both courts of the temple of the LORD, he built altars to all the starry hosts.  He sacrificed his own son in  the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.

Isaiah 2:6 The Day of the Lord 6 You have abandoned your people,        the house of Jacob.        They are full of superstitions from the East;        they practice divination like the Philistines        and clasp hands with pagans.

Jeremiah 27:9-10 9 So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’ 10 They prophesy lies to you that will only serve to remove you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish.

Zechariah 10:2 2 The idols speak deceit,        diviners see visions that lie;        they tell dreams that are false,        they give comfort in vain.        Therefore the people wander like sheep        oppressed for lack of a shepherd.

Malachi 3:5  5 “So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,” says the LORD Almighty.

Acts 8:9 Simon the Sorcerer  9Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great,

Acts 16:16 Paul and Silas in Prison  16Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.

Acts 19:19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.

Galatians 1  1Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2and all the brothers with me,       To the churches in Galatia:  3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. No Other Gospel  6I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!  10Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. Paul Called by God  11I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.  13For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.  18Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. 19I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. 20I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. 21Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24And they praised God because of me.

Galatians 5:16-21 Life by the Spirit  16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.  19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

2 Timothy 3:88Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.

Revelation 21:88But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Revelation 22:1515Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

Exodus 7:11-1211 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.

Exodus 22:18 18 “Do not allow a sorceress to live.

Leviticus 19:26 26 ” ‘Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.       ” ‘Do not practice divination or sorcery.

Leviticus 19:31 31 ” ‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.

As believers, we are called to “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. [1 Thessalonians 5:21-22] Who can deny that virtually all of the symbols of Halloween are evil? Witches, monsters, ogres, vampires, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, devils and demons all portray evil. Christians are to “… have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” [Ephesians 5:11]  “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” [Romans 12:2] “For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?” [2 Corinthians 6:14, 15] Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. [1 Peter 5:8]

Ark of the Covenant to be Revealed to the World!

Please take a few minutes to read the articles in the links below. If these plans are true, and I have no reason to doubt them, then this will be the biggest religious event in recent history, possibly since the resurrection of Christ! A church in Ethiopia has, for 3,000 years, claimed to have the Ark of the Covenant, which contains the original Ten Commandments, in a secure location (details in the articles). It has been secured by a guardian constantly since its arrival there. The guardians, over 30 have had the task, live their entire lives inside the confines of a fenced area containing the small building where the Ark is kept. When a guardian dies, a new one is appointed. The patriarch, a religious official of the Orthodox Church in Ethiopia, has announced plans to unveil this treasure to the world.

Rendition of the Ark of the Covenant

 
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=102119
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=102200

For more on Bob Cornuke, the biblical investigator, international explorer and best-selling author who was one of the first to publically discover the whereabouts of the Ark, please visit: http://www.baseinstitute.org/ 

The Cost of Being Christian

 ³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 ⁴“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

 ⁵“Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

 ⁶“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

 ⁷“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

 ⁸“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

 ⁹“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

 

 ¹⁰“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 ¹¹“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

 ¹²“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:3-12)

 

“Persecuted.” “…people insult you…” “…evil against you…”

Upon Jesus’ saying this, the outlook of being a follower of Jesus changes greatly. Prior to this, all of the “Blessed are…” verses contain instruction on being humble, merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers. Then the whammy: You will be hated, pursued, bullied and harassed because of Jesus. You may die for Jesus.

To many, this is a shock to the system. Churches and evangelists often paint the picture of coming to Christ and having a peaceful, wonderful life without worry or fear. Many falsely believe that they will become a Christian and no longer have financial burden, family struggles, relationship issues, or disrespect.

Unfortunately, saying, “I’m a Christian,” is not a magical phrase that makes all needs and problems go away. Jesus never said, “I’ll make your life easy.” In fact, those last verses point to life being anything but easy. Jesus let us know that you may die for His cause, being persecuted for being righteous, by Jesus’ Godly standard. Yet, the reward is heaven. Jesus let us know that they will revile, mistreat and abuse us, and even persecute us because we belong to Jesus. Of course, the ultimate persecutions are torture and even death. And let us not forget the prophesied end-times in which all believers will be hated, sought and killed based entirely on their faith.

This is not to say that there are no benefits to being Christian. First of all, there’s heaven. We also do have immeasurable amounts of mercy upon us, peace that surpasses understanding, Spiritual gifts, such as tongues, prophecy, wisdom, etc. We are allotted blessing upon blessing for both the present life and our eternal life, all according to the Holy Spirit. The rewards always outweigh the concerns of being Christian.

What many do not understand is that being persecuted is not all bad. Surely, it is terrible for the moment. It is horrific to undergo the suffering that some brothers and sisters in Christ endure, even to this day. Yet in the end the reward is amazing. We live eternally in the presence of God; we get to look on the face of Jesus the Christ.

Jesus also said, “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25) He will give in return an eternal reward. A blessing that lasts not for a day, but forever. The joy is forever. The peace is unending. The harmony is eternal. The presence of the Almighty, Creator God, the Christ who died in our place, such a presence you will be in ceaselessly. These will never, ever go away. Should you suffer for Christ for your entire life of 70, 80, even 100 years, yet in ten-thousand-million years your joyous reward will have only begun.

Mission- Kenya, August ‘09. (Read this letter.)

Note: For a background on this and the previous mission, visit Kenya Calling.

Dear friends:                                                    

           In 2006 I traveled to Kenya, in eastern Africa. While there, the Lord prompted me to return. I am now planning on leading a return trip to Kenya August 9-26, 2009 as the Lord directs. There is much need in Kenya right now! We will be working mainly in the Maasai village, spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

At that time of my previous visit, Kenya was the most peaceful and safe country in eastern Africa. After their presidential elections in Dec. 2007, was sparked tribal and religious genocide throughout the country. Over 1,500 were killed, over 600,000 were displaced, and in some instances, churches were burned to the ground while those seeking refuge hid inside. This lasted close to five months. Yet we know, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

 As I return this summer, the mission will consist of:

• Preaching in the Maasai villages. We have a translator who will interpret the words into the Maasai language. Many of these people will be hearing the gospel for the first time ever!
• Showing the Jesus film. We will show the film, dubbed in Maa, the language of the Maasai. This film will be instrumental in showing the ministry of Christ, and in leading to the salvation of the lost.
• Clothing outreach. We have a lot of clothes in all sizes, but mostly kids. As children grow, both in the bush and in the slums, they do not have access or income for new clothing. Most children wear very old and tattered clothes. We would like to bless them with new items. We only have to get the clothes to them.
• Construction. The main village in which we will be staying has outgrown the building used for the church. (Praise God!) They would like to build a bigger sanctuary out of stone brick (as opposed to corrugated metal). If enough funds are secured, we will purchase the materials to lay the foundation for this new sanctuary and begin its construction!
• Vacation Bible School (VBS). While the children will be on a break from school, we will conduct a VBS series to teach them about Jesus, the Bible, and Godly characteristics.
• Much more. We will have more opportunities that we don’t even know about yet, but one thing is for sure: We will follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and do the will of the Lord as He instructs.

 I am writing to you to ask for your help. We cannot do this alone. Between flights, lodging, food, materials for work and donation and immunizations, I am looking at a cost of no less than $6,500. If you can assist us, a tax-exempt donation can be made out to:

South Side Christian Church

c/o Kenya Missions

P.O. Box 20800 

Milwaukee, WI 53220 

 Please write “Kenya Missions” or my name, Justin Lessard, on the memo line. Thank you for any consideration.

‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me… Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ –Matthew 25: 35, 36, 40  “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” –Matthew 28:19

            God bless you and those who serve alongside you.

 

Your brother in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Justin Lessard

Servant of Christ

ferventservant1@hotmail.com

Below is a donations form, and below that are a number of facts and other info on Kenya. Please take the time to read it, and prayerfully consider sending a gift.

 

 

 

 

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - –

 

Please print, cut out & send this along with your contribution. Thank you! (Ok to copy/paste this.)

 

 Thank you for supporting the 2009 Mission trip to KENYA 

 

 

 

I pledge to support _______Justin Lessard_______

 

Supporter name(s) __________________________________________________________

 

_________ with my/our prayers

________ with my/our financial gift of (check one) $50_____ $100_____ $150_____ $300_____ $500_____ $1,000_____ Other_____

       (Checks must be received by: March 31, 2009)

 

Send to:       South Side Christian Church

                     P.O.Box 20800

                        Milwaukee, WI 53220                

Attn.: Justin Lessard/ Kenya Mission

 

 - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - –  I wanted to post the most critical info on Kenya. You may notice that a few of the numbers don’t match (ie. population) I don’t know when each piece gathered the info posted (unless noted), but it varies depending on who’s doing the survey. I also imagine that its hard to get precise numbers because of all the Maasai and all the unaccounted for people in the slums. Either way, you get the main idea.

 

 

 The country 

Full name: The Republic of Kenya

Population: 32.8 million (UN, 2005)

Capital: Nairobi

Area: 582,646 sq km (224,961 sq miles)

Major languages: Swahili, English

Major religion: Christianity

Monetary unit: 1 Kenya shilling = 100 cents

Main exports: Tea, coffee, horticultural products, petroleum products

Gross National Income per capita: US $530 (World Bank, 2006)

Situated on the equator on Africa’s east coast, Kenya has been described as ‘the cradle of humanity’. In the Great Rift Valley paleontologists have discovered some of the earliest evidence of man’s ancestors.

Nationality: noun: Kenyan(s) adjective: Kenyan

Ethnic groups: Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%

Religions: Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, Muslim 10%, indigenous beliefs 10%, other 2%
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely

Languages: English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages

Literacy: Definition: age 15 and over can read and write Total population: 85.1% Male: 90.6%
Female: 79.7% (2003 est.)

Independence: 12 December 1963 (from UK)

Unemployment rate: 40%

Source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/ke.html

 

• 52% of Kenya’s 32 million people live below the poverty line of $1 per day.

• A long-running regional drought has affected the food security of three and half million Kenyans .

• Life expectancy is 45 years.1

• More than one in 10 children die before their fifth birthday.1

• More than 400 in every 100,000 women die in childbirth.1

• Access to better water and sanitation is improving; six in 10 Kenyans have access to water from an improved  source.2

• Following the introduction of free primary education, 86%2 of children are enrolled in primary schools (compared to 62% in 1992). Gender equality in primary schools is now at 98%.

• Transition to secondary education has risen from 27% in 1999 to 30% in 2004, with a 2008 target of 70%.

1 2003 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey.

2 2004 Kenya Bureau of Statistics.

  

The people

Population:	37,953,840 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:	0-14 years: 42.2% (male 8,065,789/female 7,953,077) 15-64 years: 55.2% (male 10,498,468/female 10,434,764) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 457,886/female 543,854) (2008 est.)
Median age:	total: 18.6 years male: 18.5 years female: 18.8 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:	2.758% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:	37.89 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:	10.3 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:	at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 0.965 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:	total: 56.01 deaths/1,000 live births male: 58.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 53.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:	total population: 56.64 years male: 56.42 years female: 56.87 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:	4.7 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate:	6.7% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS:	1.2 million (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS – deaths:	150,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:	degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008 )

Reward for Following Jesus

²⁷Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”

 ²⁸And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

 ²⁹“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much,[NIV- a hundred times as much] and will inherit eternal life.

^{30 “}But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.” (Matthew 19:27-30)

 As a man who follows closely what God speaks to me, I can most definitely appreciate this passage. Being of the character that allows one to step out in faith what one believes he is hearing from God, one comes under scrutiny.

The disciples had good cause to ask this question. They had left their lives to follow a miracle-man, a teacher and a prophet, as far as they knew. They followed Jesus for three years, and had no idea what would eventually come of it. Imagine you are at work, doing your job. Fishermen, tax collectors, Pharisees, and prostitutes. These are just a few of the “careers” Jesus interrupted. What about you- on your next shift? Baristas, nurses, machinists, sales clerks, police, priests, pastors, prostitutes and fishermen. All of these He still calls. What if the next time you are at work a man walks in and performs a miracle, saying no more than, “I am from the Father. Follow me.”? Will you? Maybe He supplies enough food for everyone out of enough for only one, or fills the till to overflowing with dimes. Maybe He has you look at the paperwork and it’s already done, or heals someone right in front of you. Will you follow?

That’s exactly what these people did. Simon-Peter, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. So I wonder how many are actually willing to do what Jesus calls us to, however simple or complex or impossible it may seem. These twelve men did follow Jesus and at the point of the verses in Matthew above, they wanted to know what they were going to get from it.

Take for example the fishermen. Their entire livelihood is their boat and nets. When Jesus said, “Follow Me,” He promised nothing. He gave no reason, other than the feeling that there was more to this man than just mere flesh. Sure, He had caught a bunch of fish, but it could’ve been coincidence, couldn’t it? Most assuredly not. So Jesus tells them what is in store. They would sit on twelve thrones and have the honor of judging Israel.

This is great for those twelve men, but it’s the next line that caught me. Everyone who leaves his home, family or farm (I take that to mean property) for the sake of Jesus will be rewarded many times over and will receive eternal life. This is nothing to take frivolously. It is a great promise for a life of difficult decisions and much willful loss.

Case in point- I have heard the voice of God. He first told me I was to go to Africa in 2005. Upon His telling me this, I was in disbelief at what I had heard, but there is something about the presence of God that causes you to check your disbelief. God knows what He says, and to whom He says it. So I went that next year, in 2006, having everything fit exactly as He said it would. There, I went out to a great hill overlooking a distant, picturesque valley. I began to pray, thanking God for this “once in a lifetime opportunity to serve.” Suddenly, I was cut short by the immense feeling of heaviness by what I’d just said, particularly the phrase “once in a lifetime.” The same feeling of a Holy presence was there with me. I knew I was before God Almighty once again. He spoke, telling me that I would return. Foolishly, I was in disbelief, until a Maasai man confirmed the statement. He had been nowhere nearby when this conversation with God had taken place. I was immediately humbled, wondering why God hadn’t just struck me down for my disbelief in His perfect Word.

In 2007, I was married. My wife knew full well God’s call on my life. She, too, was informed by God of my trip, and several other things, in a similar way. In the first few months of 2008, there was great bloodshed in Kenya, my destination, following a presidential election in that country. I asked God to confirm the call for me to go there, as many Christian churches were burned and believers killed. God told me to face my fears and to go to Kenya as Ananias went to Saul, a Christian-killer who later became Paul, the writer of the majority of the Bible’s New Testament. (See Acts 9:1-19) Ananias was afraid to face the man known for killing believers. On top of that, God wanted Ananias to go and pray for Saul, which would reveal Ananias as a Christian. In the same way that God assured Ananias, He did for me.

Trouble is, there are a great number who tell me how unwise it is. This is what I’ve been told:

• Don’t go there alone.
• Don’t go there without a church (which wants membership and/or your tithes).
• Don’t go at all.
• It isn’t economically sound.
• It isn’t practical.
• It isn’t safe.
• It isn’t necessary.
• It’s wrong to leave your family.

Some of these things may be true, but they are not excuses. When it comes to God’s command, there is never an excuse to neglect it. Allow me point out a few details about our Biblical heroes:

• Noah built an ark: Not necessary (there was no rain).
• Lot followed two strangers command to get out of Sodom: Foolish by today’s standard.
• Abraham took his son up to an alter to kill him: Today he’d be arrested and committed.
• Jacob worked 14 years in a field for a woman. Today, I think he’d be accused of all sort of sin, from burning lust to insanity.
• Moses held up a stick several times, each resulting in a miracle. The Israelites still complained, but today I think they wouldn’t have let him get as far as he did. They might wander for 140 years!
• Esther risked her life for an audience with the king. That’s not safe.
• The fishermen dropped their nets, left their boats (their livelihood) and families and followed Jesus. That’s not economically sound and today would show “poor family relationships”.
• Peter got out of a boat to walk on water with Jesus. Not very practical.
• Daniel prayed openly to God, despite a law prohibiting it. Many would say that his prayers weren’t necessary.
• Jesus died for the sins of everyone-for YOUR sins. Even Peter told Him not to. Jesus’ response? “Get behind me Satan!” Jesus pointed out to Peter that that wasn’t God’s will; it was the will of man.

All of these and SO many more are men and women we call heroes. We look upon them in such high esteem, in such regard. Yet, if any of them were a man or woman in a typical congregation, they would be rebuked for their faith, cast aside, insulted, talked down or outright ejected from the church! We no longer hold in high admiration the strong, enduring faith of such believers, but we try to reason them down as the world would. We attempt to explain away the impracticality of the deed they wish to do. With this continuing on, there is little hope for the church.

No wonder the Bible calls for a great falling away of the faith. These people have no faith left, just religion. Religion that is accompanied by lighting, sound systems, meetings, décor, “group activities”, busyness, hyped up music and user-friendly preaching. They have laid aside Spiritual gifts and teaching that rocks the boat. They refuse to offend a sinner, and in result the Holy Spirit is boxed up, gossip is labeled as “keeping informed for the purpose of prayer”, adultery is a simple and often mistake, sin is allowed so long as we pray later, and there are no prophetic words, no deep soul cleansings, no demons cast out, no healings, no miracles, no Jesus. There is no Jesus is these churches, just the use of His Name, powerless by the covering up of sin and the list of convenient excuses.

What a contrast between the Bible’s definition of a believer and the current worldly church. Jesus made a promise to reward those who will leave something behind and follow Him. It seems so simple. Who wouldn’t want to go out in Jesus’ Name and receive an eternal reward? Given the current religious climate, I can see why it is a rewardable and rare practice.

Justin Lessard

May 2009

Sheep & Goats

Sheep & Goats

By: Justin Lessard

 28 May 2009

  ²¹“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.

 ²²“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?’

 ²³“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

 

 ³²“All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;

 ³³and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

 ³⁴“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

 ³⁵‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;

 ³⁶naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’

 ³⁷“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?

 ³⁸‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?

 ³⁹‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

 ⁴⁰“The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

 ⁴¹“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;

 ⁴²for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;

 ⁴³I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’

 ⁴⁴“Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’

 ⁴⁵“Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

 ⁴⁶“These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

(Matthew 25:32-46)

 

Jesus speaks of separating the sheep from the goats. This is a generally well recognized passage, however I believe it to be often misunderstood. I have yet to encounter anyone to come across this passage and say, “Uh-oh. I’m a goat!”

I believe the “goats” to be false converts, believers of improper doctrine, followers of false prophets, the backslidden and lukewarm believers, and the phonies who go to church every week and say the right words before the congregation, yet do not practice their lives accordingly. Let me show you something you may not have seen.

            The goats believe in Jesus. The goats cast out demons. The goats prophecy in Jesus’ Name, and perform miracles. They are like believers, maybe even thinking that their belief is enough, yet is misplaced or weak. The goats have neglected the hungry, the homeless, the naked, sick and imprisoned. They have forgotten the functions of ministry; of the Great Commission. They believe that Jesus is real, but served only on their own terms. Be sure that you understand.

            Notice carefully the two animals compared. Sheep represent the church, congregants, and true followers of Jesus. The comparison to sheep is goats. Not lions, wolves, echidna or chameleon. What is the point of using goats as the illustration comparative? I believe the answer will surprise most. I believe the answer will also provoke into actions that enhance and enforce your faith.

            Goats and sheep are similar, yet each is distinct in many ways.

            Goats look like sheep from a distant perspective. Both have white hair. Imagine shepherding a flock of 500 sheep. In them are 200 goats. They blend together, just as a phony Christian blends in at church. From the point of perspective, it is very difficult to tell them apart, yet when the shepherd positions himself in the field and separates the two animal types, he can easily tell the difference. And when he corrals his flock, he will put aside those which don’t belong.

            Goats sound like sheep. The baas and bleats are very similar. Again, only the true shepherd will know the distinct sound of his flock.

            Goats eat like sheep. Both graze the fields for food.

            People who are religious, people that are cultic, followers of false doctrine, the lukewarm and semi-Christians- All of these eat the same way. They look the same. They even sound the same; that is until you listen distinctly to their words.

            The questions every believer must ask are: Am I a goat? Have I neglected the full ministry of Jesus Christ? Am I going through the motions or am I a truly, full-hearted believer actively living out my faith? Have I believed whatever I was told, or have I sought for myself sound doctrine?

            To answer these questions and act upon the response is to ensure the inheritance set aside for us in the kingdom of heaven.

To ignore these things is maintain a place in the cursed eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

Will There Be A Rapture?

 Will there be a rapture? If so, when will it be? There are so many views and doctrines, yet this is one of the most important issues facing the church today.

Let me first say that our fellowship as a body of believers is not concerning the timing of the rapture. Our relationship and closeness with Jesus Christ collectively is the basis for which we call ourselves the body of Christ, the church, brothers and sisters in our Lord.

 That being said, I will attempt to show you that there will not be a “pre-trib” rapture. For those unaware, a pre-trip rapture (short for pre-tribulation) is the theory that prior to Christ’s return and just before any of the end-time tribulations, most of which are laid out in the book of Revelation, that all the true believers in Christ will vanish, disappearing from the earth to be spared from the horrors to come.

 While that is a wonderful idea, and I would most certainly hope to dodge that bullet, it is based on a few misunderstood and misguided Scriptures, taken just slightly out of context. There will be a rapture, also referred to as a vanishing, calling up, a meeting in the air. The question isn’t whether it will happen; it’s a matter of when. Theories mainly include four timelines: 1. pre-trib, happening prior to any tribulation. 2. mid-trib, a rapture in the midst of the terrors to come, sometimes taught as a collective rapture and sometimes as seemingly random vanishings. 3. pre-wrath, after all the tribulations and trials, but just prior to God’s pouring out of His full wrath. 4. and post-trib, a rapture after the trials, test, and tribulations, which the church has experienced and thereby proven their faithfulness to Christ, at least in part. There is evidence to support a post-trib or end-trib rapture.

 Let’s proceed very carefully, setting aside any pre-conceived ideas you may have, whatever side they may be on. Let us look very carefully at Scripture, examining who said it, what was said, and why it was said. I will use a lot of Scripture in its context and in its paragraph form, to assure that it is used and quoted properly.

 In Matthew 24, we read;

  ³As He [Jesus] was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

 ⁴And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.

 ⁵“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.

 ⁶“You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

 ⁷“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.

 ⁸“But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.  (vs. 3-8, NASB)

 So we are told, by Jesus, not to let anyone mislead us. That means that we (the church) will be around to be misled. The warning has no merit if there is no one to lead astray.

We are told that “You will be hearing of wars…” Who is “You”? The church; the believers will. We are the ones are not to be frightened by these things. The unbelieving will be frightened, for they do not know Jesus, they have no assurance when they perish. Clearly, the church will see these things. Yet, these things are “merely the beginning”, so let’s find out what happens next. Continuing in Matthew 24:

  ⁹“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

 ¹⁰“At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.

 ¹¹“Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.

 ¹²“Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.

 ¹³“But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. (vs. 9-13, NASB)

 Remember Jesus’ audience- the believers. Followers of Jesus. What we today call the church or Christians. “They will deliver you to tribulation” How can we be delivered if we are gone in heaven? Hmm. The church must still be here for that part, but maybe it isn’t the tribulation. Jesus continues to describe a coming time when all believers are hated, handed over and killed, if they don’t turn away and follow a false religion. Love is cold, which would help explain the hatred for Christians, who preach a doctrine of love. Also, He makes a point of those who will “endure to the end”, leading us to believe that it will be difficult. He’s speaking of those who survive, both physically and spiritually, the bombardment of killings, hatred, false religions and prophets, and the excessive lawlessness. But “the end” of what? He is still speaking of the end of the tribulation in which we’ll be handed over.  Still, we have not found solid evidence, in Jesus’ words, of anyone whisking away suddenly. So, we continue searching.

  ¹⁵“Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

 ¹⁶then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.

 ¹⁷“Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house.

 ¹⁸“Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.

 ¹⁹“But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

 ²⁰“But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.

 ²¹“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

 ²²“Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. (Matthew 24:15-22)

 Nearly every Biblical scholar agrees that the “Abomination of Desolation” is the, or at least an, Antichrist. Jesus’ audience is still the church, yet He says, “When you see…” Again I ask; how can we see if we are not present? We must therefore still be on earth. At that time, not a moment later, everyone in Judea is told to flee to the mountains. No one may spare even a moment to gather their belongings; they must take flight immediately. He warns of how horrible it will be, especially for pregnant and nursing women, or in winter. Imagine running to a mountain in winter without your extra cloak. Jesus also mentions the Sabbath, so we must assume that the Sabbath day is still honored by His faithful. This may also have to do with the fact that even Jesus had no idea when the last day would be, as He admitted in Mark 13:32.

 Yet after this revealing of the Abomination of Desolation, “then there will be a great tribulation”, the worst the world has ever or will ever know. So bad will it be, that if God had not cut short the time, no one would be able to last; everyone would die.

Part of the pre-trib rapture theory tends to agree that after the “vanishing” many will become believers, through messages left by others, people who have fallen away, etc. The problem with that here, is that there is no time for people to discover the Truth before the Abomination is revealed. The believers have to flee at once! If they have to leave so fast that they cannot even grab a jacket, how can they watch a video left by people who’ve disappeared, or read the Bible and repent into a relationship with Jesus? This is a big problem in timing. The issue here with mid-trib rapture theory is that Jesus tells us that some believers will endure to the end, a part of the church Jesus calls “the elect.”

 The elect being present represents another issue with timing. If, as some teach, those found to be worthy in God’s sight are whisked away, and those remaining were found deserving of these horrible judgments on the earth, we must ask, “Why would God cut short His own judgment on the wicked, unless some of those present were righteous?” What I mean is this: Since all the believers who are commendable by God’s Book of Life are supposedly gone from the earth; secure in God’s presence, there would be none of that category left. That being said, only those unworthy would be left on the earth. According to pre-tribulation theory, those “left behind” are deserving of the punishments they are about to endure, the outpouring of God’s wrath upon the earth. God, then, in deciding the punishment is righteous. Therefore, the days should not be cut short. The only reason to shorten the time of these disasters and unbelievably bloody wars is because it is not justified over the elect, the church of Jesus Christ, who must still be present at this time.

 But, to be completely fair, let us not judge an entire doctrine by one passage. Let’s look further in Scripture.

  ⁷“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”

 ⁸It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

 ⁹Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb ‘” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.”

 ¹⁰Then I fell at his feet to worship him But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:7-10)

 This takes place after all the bowls of wrath are poured out, after the doom, fall, and lament of Babylon. In verse seven, the bride, that is the church, is ready. What does a bride get ready for? A wedding! In this case, we are not told that she is married; only that she is ready. The marriage, that is the union between Christ and the church, has not yet happened. She isn’t yet arrived, because the end has not come. She is given clothes of fine linen, a representation of righteous acts by the saints. For the saints to be clothing the bride at this time must mean that the church is still present to do these acts. The church is “invited” (vs. 9) to the marriage supper. If the supper had already happened, there would not be any more invitation.

  ¹¹And 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.

 ¹²His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.

 ¹³He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

 ¹⁴And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.

 ¹⁵From 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.

 ¹⁶And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

 ¹⁷Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God,

 ¹⁸so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”

 ¹⁹And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. (Revelation 19:11-19)

 At this time, after the pouring out of wrath, after the fall of Babylon, after the invitation to the supper, comes the blessed return of Christ. After a glorious description we can only imagine, comes the command to assemble (vs. 17). At this point, there are many varying ideas on the meaning. Some believe that they are literal birds, some that they are angels, and others believe that this is a symbol of the saints who wage war alongside Christ. Should it be the latter, it is safe to say that at this point, prior to the battle, yet after the tribulations, we have arrived into the company of Jesus. If not, it may have happened prior, or it may be yet to come.

 ⁴Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

 ⁵The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.

 ⁶Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.  (Revelation 20:4-6)

 Between verses 20 and 21 of chapter nineteen, and the first three verses of chapter 20, Satan is seized and bound into the abyss. Then, in verse four, comes the judgment of those who were beheaded for the sake of Jesus’ testimony; the Christians who were killed in the midst of the tribulation, at the hand of the beast and Antichrist because they stood for God’s Word. Those who refused to take the mark of the beast, and would not worship him also receive judgment. These are the ones who reign with Christ for 1,000 years. When the thousand years has been completed, the other dead arise. We are told that this is “the first resurrection”. All believers will be a part of that resurrection, an will not face the second death, which is hellfire. (See verse 14)

 There is also some controversy over whether or not the thousand years is literal or figurative. However, the length of time as we see it has little bearing on who will be a part of it. But let us look into the glorious return according to Matthew.

  ²⁹“But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

 ³⁰“And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.

 ³¹“And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31)

Jesus continues to instruct us on sign in the sky immediately after the tribulation. The sun is darker, the moon is not visible and the stars fall. In verse thirty, He continues with, “And then,” showing the timeline continues from there. After the tribulation and after these signs, the sign of the Son of Man appears, and He is seen by every tribe on earth coming in the clouds of the sky. What He does next is both remarkable and forever permanently altering. He sends the angels to blast a trumpet and to “GATHER TOGETHER His elect” from the four winds and from the sky.

This is a very important piece here. The four winds are representative of the earth, like the four corners, or north, south, east and west. This means, along with “one end of the sky to the other”, that Jesus will, at His return, call all believers of both the earth and those in heaven. This is the first thing that Jesus has mentioned that sounds anything remotely like a rapture. This is the first place He mentions gathering up His elect, the church; and this is after all the events and signs of the tribulation. At that time, and no sooner, Jesus will gather up believers from the earth, those who have survived the terrible tribulation faithfully, as well as those who have died and are in heaven. This is the call of the trumpet of Jesus Christ, and, according to Jesus Himself, it occurs after the signs, after the tribulation, and after the darkening of the sun and moon and falling of stars!

 Well, this tends to offend a lot of people who have decided to believe in a pre-tribulation rapture. So, to be completely fair, let’s look at other Scriptures pertaining to the end times.

  ¹Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,

 ²that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

 ³Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

 ⁴who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4)

The first thing we are told in this passage is a warning, not to be shaken or disturbed. Now, the church of Thessalonica had apparently received false documents, or there was a fear that such a thing would happen. So Paul encouraged them to beware and be aware of any information that came their way, so they would carefully consider the doctrine before just accepting it. Then he gives us a huge clue as to the timing of the return of the Lord. “For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first.” We can be sure of one of two things: Either this passage is wrong and we should discount it; and therefore we can’t trust anything else of Paul’s, if he’s a false teacher. Or, just possibly, Paul knew what he was saying and the return of Jesus won’t be until after the sign of a great renunciation of Christ.

A very powerful but small word follows; one that is easily overlooked: “and.” So the apostasy will happen before Christ returns, and so will the revelation of the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, who we call the Antichrist. Paul gives a few details of what this man of destruction will do, and in doing so he gives us a real understanding of who he is. Verse four serves mainly to reveal this evil man to us, and there is more of a narrative in verses seven through ten. Again, we should ask, “Why would we need to be told these things if we won’t experience them?”

We now have another set of Scriptures telling us that the Lord will not return for us until after a great abandonment of believers and the disclosure of the Antichrist. But, let’s continue to search the Scriptures.

 ⁵¹Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,

 ⁵²in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

Another easily misread verse. I have heard countless times the phrase “twinkling of an eye” used from this verse in favor of a pre-trib rapture, but what follows shows us a different timeline. “At the last trumpet…” Well, if it’s the last trumpet, the other trumpets must have sounded by then. Every other judgment has come already, then, at this last trumpet, we will be changed, the dead will be made imperishable!

 ¹Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.

 ²For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.

 ³While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.

 ⁴But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;

 ⁵for you are all sons of light and sons of day We are not of night nor of darkness;

 ⁶so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-6)

One of the largest arguments for the pre-trib rapture is that there are verses depicting a suddenness by which we depart. While the theme of “suddenly” is certainly in the end-time verses; no one can argue that reasonably; the verses are most often used out of their full context. Here, in verse two, we read that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, and in verse three, Paul even uses the word “suddenly”. The day will come as a thief in the night, but to whom? To everyone, or just certain people? Perhaps it simply means that it’ll sort of “sneak up” on us, the way Christmas does, or our birthdays.  Verse three begins with “While they,” which means not you. While they, the unbelieving, the worldly, the lost, are talking about peace and safety, the destruction will come upon them suddenly, and they will not escape.

In verse four, Paul contrasts “them” with “But you, brethren,” and points out that since we know the truth, that day shall not overtake us as a thief. He points out that we are not of the darkness, the ignorance of the world, but we who believe are in the truth and light of Christ Jesus. Then in verse six, another conundrum: He tells the brethren to be alert and sober. Remember that the entire context of this passage is in the day of the Lord. Why, then, would we need to be alert and sober if we aren’t going to be here to be overtaken? Apparently, we will be here when some, who are unbelieving, are swept over by the sudden devastation. Let’s look at another of the commonly misrepresented verses:

⁴⁰“Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.

 ⁴¹“Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. (Matthew 24:40-41)

This is one of the most- if not the most- commonly used passages to depict a rapture. The belief is that the one who disappears is being taken up to heaven to be with Jesus until His return, while the unbeliever is left to endure the tribulations. Well, if you look at just these two verses that would be very believable, but let’s look at what precedes and follows this selection.

³⁶“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

 ³⁷“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.

 ³⁸“For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,

 ³⁹and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

 ⁴⁰“Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.

 ⁴¹“Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.

 ⁴²“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. (Matthew 24:36-42)

This puts a different spin on things. Verse 36 tells us that even Jesus Himself does not know the day or hour; only the Father knows. The days to come are likened to the utter destruction of Noah’s day. In that time everyone had 100 years to repent, but they did not, and they would not believe Noah of the coming doom. As a result everyone on earth died, save for Noah and his family. In the same way, everyone will ignore the prophecies, ignore the signs, ignore the Bible, and they will carry on with their lives as normal, eating, drinking, marrying, etc. Suddenly, a massive flood the likes of which the world had never see, nor has seen since, swept over everything, annihilating everything and killing them all. In that instant, they understood Noah’s warning, but it was too late. When we compare this to what is said here, the story is quite diverse from the pre-trib teaching. Nowhere in this passage does it say that the believer will be swept up and spared, but we know from Genesis that the wicked were wiped out. With that in mind, lets read the passage in this manner:

For as in those days before the flood they (the wicked) were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, … and they (the wicked) did not understand until the flood came and took them (the wicked) all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there will be two men in the field; one (the wicked) will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one (the wicked) will be taken and one will be left. (Matthew 24:38-41)

Jesus is comparing the two, so we should not assume it to be an entirely new idea. It will be as it was in Noah’s day, not completely different, or Jesus wouldn’t have made the comparison. In Noah’s day the wicked were taken by wrath. In the Lord’s day the wicked will be taken by wrath.

 ¹“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.

 ²“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.

 ³“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:1-3)

Here again Jesus talks about His return. We are told that He is preparing a place for us; heaven. Jesus promises to return for us, that the church may be received unto Him, that we may be together. No matter when you believe this will happen, one thing is certain: it will be magnificent. Yet, no timing is offered here, just that it will happen sometime. But we do know this: Jesus receives us to Himself when He returns. If we read other places in Scripture, we know that He comes at the end of the tribulations, so we could conclude from this passage that we, the church, will be gathered together with Jesus Christ at His final return, which leaves us collectively on earth until that time.

Another of the commonly misinterpreted verses comes out of Revelation 4:1, in which we are told that the church is called to, “come up hither” (KJV). This is once again taken entirely out of context. Much of the prophecies in the book of Revelation are figurative metaphors, such as the woman clothed with the sun (Rev. 12:1); however this verse is not a metaphor. It is John’s explanation of how he came to know what was to follow in the next nineteen chapters. Here it is in the full context (in NASB):

  After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” (Revelation 4:1)

 The phrase is actually John being called up to see heaven and the prophetic events to take place so that he could write them for the church. (And aren’t you glad he did?!) There is absolutely nothing about this verse that relates the phrase to the church being called away then, now, or in the future.

Another out of context argument is that the word church is not present in the book of Revelation after Chapter three; therefore the church must not be present on the earth. This is an absurd argument.

There are eleven books of the New Testament (NASB) which do not contain the word church. So, should we ignore those books? Surely not. Even though the word church is not present, we know full well that the church is the intended audience. Advocates of the pre-trib rapture say that the word is gone from the text until after the resurrection. This is true typographically, but the church is certainly implicit in the text from Revelation 1 to Revelation 22.

The last time I checked the Christian Church was still made up of saints. (See Ephesians 4:12) The word, saints occurs 13 times (in NASB, ESV & KJV; 14 times in AMP, NKJV, & Darby’s Translation) between Revelation 4 and Revelation 21. That being said, we must conclude that the church, specifically named by their sainthood, or sanctification in Christ, is present in the end-time periods described in those chapters of Revelation.

 ⁹And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

 ¹⁰And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.

 ¹¹They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11)

 In looking for an example of a rapture, many have turned to Jesus’ ascension. Some say that He was showing us how we will just go up one day. What we need to remember though, is that Jesus died first, and then was raised from death, before His ascension. Not only that, but when we look at this passage, there is nothing listed about it being either an example for us or the way we will go up. In fact, the two men, believed to be angels, tell us that Jesus will come back in the same manner as they watched Him go. If anything, this passage points to the church waiting for His return on earth. The Lord’s re-descension is reaffirmed in the next passage:

 ¹⁶For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

 ¹⁷Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

 There are some big clues hidden in this selection. First, we are told that the Lord will descend with a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God. This will not be a quiet sneaky return; it will be loud and powerful. At this point, some argue that the Lord comes back as a thief, silent and sly. The reference to this is in the context of suddenly and without warning, as we talked about in describing 1 Thessalonians 5:2. We are next told that the dead in Christ will rise first. This phrase has many translations, but the most likely is that it refers to all the saints who have “passed on” prior to this point are given their new bodies (as promised in 1 Corinthians 15:49 and 1 John 3:2) and return alongside Jesus. Then those who remain on the earth are caught up together with them in the clouds, meeting Jesus in the air. We aren’t meeting Him directly in heaven, but in the air and clouds of our earth. From this point on, all believers will be with the Lord forever. There is nothing here to point to us whisking away prior to this event. Instead, it points to our having two alternatives: 1. die before this event “the dead in Christ will rise first”, or 2. Remain until this event “we who are alive and remain”. We will either be with Him already, by our bodies dying on earth, or we will be here for Jesus’ return, having gone through the tribulations described in the book of Revelation.

²⁰For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

 ²¹who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. (Philippians 3:20-21)

 Scripture refers to waiting for the return of Jesus. If we aren’t to do so, but be raptured beforehand, this verse might say, “For our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await our arrival there to meet Jesus,” but that isn’t what it says. It says that we are waiting for Him here. Then He will transform our bodies into that wonderful eternal spirit-body that we will have forever. We are waiting on His return so that He will transform us into the unending embodiment with which we can be ceaselessly in His presence.

 Let’s stop and ask ourselves, “Why do we even study the End Times?” What is the great significance? We study the End Times because the generation in which the Lord returns is the most written about generation in Scripture. Over 100 chapters in the Bible have the End Times as their main theme. Scripture gives significant divine information about the End Times. Jesus spoke more about the last generation of natural history than the generation that He was born in. Why? To prepare the Bride to be victorious in love and power during the most dramatic time in world history. What a wonderful thing for Jesus to see His church stand for Him in the midst of the most desperate, treacherous and perilous time that will ever be. Jesus will be proud of His faithful.

We do not know the exact day because Jesus said that no one knows the day or the hour. However, Scripture requires those in the generation the Lord returns, to know the prophetic signs and to respond appropriately. We will be able to see these signs and know the season is near.

 Now learn this parable from the fig tree: Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. (Matthew 24:32–33)

Jesus and Paul emphasized the know-ability of the prophetic signs of the End Times (Matthew 24:32–34; Luke 21:25–29; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–6; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–11).

²⁵“There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,

 ²⁶men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

 ²⁷“Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory.

 ²⁸“But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:25–28)

 

¹Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. ²For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. ⁴But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; ⁵for you are all sons of light and sons of day… ⁶so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2, 4-6)

 God promised to give prophetic signs in the generation that the Lord returns as an expression of His mercy, so people may make the necessary preparations for what is coming. These prophetic signs serve the Church like a weather station that signals trouble before it comes, so people can prepare and save lives.

 And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God …and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:4-5)

We know that the time will come when Christians will be hated with a passion like never before. We know that it will be a terrible time and very many will be deceived by the false prophet, and the Antichrist. Christians will be beheaded for the sake of their testimony of faith in Christ as well as their, and anyone else’s, refusal to take the mark of the beast. I cannot imagine that in a time of such distinct separation, hatred, and prejudice that anyone from the other side would say, “Hey, those hater Christians who are against everyone else’s views are being beheaded and persecuted. They can’t buy or sell anything and the punishment for being one is death. I think I’ll stop hating them and convert.” I cannot imagine such an event happening when all the true believers have been wiped off the face of the planet prior to any real distress.

Another reference to the unleashing of Christian persecution is found in Revelation 14:19-20, which tell us that the blood of the believers will flow “up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.” That’s a lot of blood to come from only converts during a time of extreme hate for the faith. Do you really think that many unbelievers would become believers without preaching and outreach from the church? Is that kind of conversion seen today even with church resources available? No, it isn’t.

In the selection above, we are also told that the beheaded believers will be brought to life to reign with Christ first, then the rest of the dead come to life. And that is the “first resurrection”. Not the second, third, etc. Also, there is no mention of a category of believers that did not die and were raptured. No, only the dead before, and the dead because of the tribulation. The very first resurrection, according to Scripture in the book of Revelation, is after the tribulation.

 Neither Daniel 2 nor 7, both of which contain prophetic visions which render historical sketches of the Gentiles from the time of the Roman Empire to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, give any indication of a pre-trib rapture, or secret catching away of the church before the tribulation. In fact, the following seems to be quite contrary:

²¹“I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them ²²until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. (Daniel 7:21-22)

The horn is a representation of the Antichrist who takes power of the kingdoms of the earth. In Daniel’s vision, he sees that this horn wages war against the saints until the return of the Ancient of Days, or Jesus Christ, also called the Holy One. The Antichrist combats Christian church all the way until Jesus comes in glory to give the kingdom to His Church. Nowhere in Daniel’s prophetic visions is there mention of any disappearance, vanishing, rapturing, etc. of the saints. All indications point to our being here in order to be confronted by the evil powers that rule the land prior to Jesus’ arrival.

If we are really honest, there is just no evidence to support a pre-tribulation rapture. It would be a great thing to know that we won’t have to endure the trials to come, but we must stop teaching these false ideas. Our hope to be whisked away cannot be sound doctrine with this much contrary Scriptural evidence. This is a dangerous doctrine for a few reasons. People believing that they will not endure tribulations are not going to be prepared for what is to come. Consider the mark of the beast, from Revelation 13:16-18. Anyone who takes it is in the Devil’s hands, yet we are warned to be cautious and able to discern the mark. If a believer is under the impression that he will not be around for the true mark of the beast, he will accept the mark, thinking, “This can’t be the mark; I won’t be around for that.” Many will accept the false prophet as true and from God, and become deceived with false teaching. Many will be lead astray by the beast because they won’t deem him to be the real deal. Part of Satan’s plan is to make people believe he isn’t real. For those that know he is, he must make them think that he is someone else, even someone great. He will be hailed as a hero, savior, messiah and a champion. Paul warns in his letters to Timothy:

 ¹But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, ²by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron… (1 Timothy 4:1-2)

³For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, ⁴and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

With warnings so vivid and so stern, we must consider the possibility that some of these doctrines and theories could’ve crept into our theology. We can tell that the season is near, that times are drawing near. Things are intensifying all over the world. It is very possible that this theory that we needn’t be concerned about our tomorrows at all is a lie. We will be here. We, the church, will endure ever-increasing hardships, persecutions, and sufferings. We will be insulted for our faith, jailed for our faith, beaten for our faith, and even killed for our faith in Christ Jesus. Many are already undergoing such harsh treatment today. We must reaffirm all doctrine with in-context Scripture, no matter who is teaching that doctrine. Any teacher is able to be sought by Satan, and we will not know until it is too late. Do not be fooled with fancy words and tickled ears. In all things, we must, MUST, return to the unadulterated Word of God for solid wholesome Truth, praying fervently for the Lord Himself to show us what it is we need to see.

…looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,” (Titus 2:13)

DENYING CHRIST

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DENYING CHRIST

“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. “ –Matthew 10:32-33

Confessing Jesus is a lot more than just saying, “I believe in Jesus Christ” or saying “yes” when asked if you are a Christian. Confessing Jesus is a lifestyle. Confessing Jesus involves every action and word that comes out of you. It involves your thoughts and prayers, your attitudes and your motivations. Confessing Jesus is an all-consuming, cleansing fire that burns away the redundant debris in our lives, leaving only what is worthwhile and useful.

 

There is a magnificent payoff, an unfair one, really. We don’t deserve anything that we will receive. Not only will we live a richly blessed life here on the earth, but Jesus Christ- the very one who lived a perfect life, died on a cross, and rose from the dead- this same Jesus will confess our name before Father God in heaven. Jesus will speak up for us, saving us from the literal hell our sins have earned. Jesus will spare us from judgment, claiming His own sacrifice for our sin-debt. That is a mighty prize, one which we can never truly deserve, and yet Jesus gives it freely to any and all who accept the offer! It is by the gift of His grace that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8-9).

 

However, many will not confess Jesus’ Name. In fact, more will deny Him than accept Him. (“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” –Matthew 7:14) This is not only an unwise decision, it is downright deadly. To deny Jesus is much more than simply not saying His Name, it is the rejection of Him in your everyday life. You can deny Jesus by misusing His Name, by denying His power, His authority, and His presence. Jesus is denied when we cover up our belief to avoid embarrassment, when we ignore Biblical teaching, when we know better but don’t care. All of these things are a direct rejection of Jesus in your life.

 

Just as there is a reward for confessing Jesus before men, there is a punishment, a consequence, for denying Him before men. This consequence is worse that anything you can imagine. It is a physical, emotional, spiritual, psychological, and a literal hell. It is a pit of fire and darkness, screams and pain, demons and evil, and it is eternal. Worse yet, when we sin against the Lord, we reject Him, and so we deserve this punishment. We have earned it. That is what makes the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice so much more wonderful. 

 

There is no else who can do this for us. Jesus is the only one. Only He lived that perfect, sinless life. We cannot go a day without sinning. Only Jesus was a worthy sacrifice. Our good works are measured as filthy rags, and they do not earn us salvation. Only Jesus is seated at the Father’s side interceding for us. He willingly speaks on our behalf, wiping away our sins, allowing us entry into the everlasting peace of Heaven.

 

 “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” -1 Timothy 2:5

In your prayers today, ask Jesus how you can confess Him before others. In what ways can you lift up His Name and presence? And when you are provided that opportunity, do not pass it up. Do not deny Jesus, but glorify Him in anything you do.

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BIG Questions- Part 2: “Is getting a tattoo a sin?” “Is it a sin to smoke or do drugs?” and “Is it really a big deal if I sin?”

There are a few questions that trip up just about everybody. But every question has an answer. I have been asked a number of these, and some I didn’t have the answer to at the time. So, I’ve looked up a few and I want to share those, so that you can have the answers, too, and so you can tell anyone else who asks you. This time, we tackle tattoos, smoking, drugs, and comparing sin- is any of it really so bad?

                                       Don’t forget to leave your questions and comments below!!

1. Is getting a tattoo a sin?

This question grows in popularity as the “art” of self-mutilation grows. It has become easier and more acceptable to get tattooed. Many are even risking infection and disease by having them done with needles and pen ink in their own homes. The danger there goes without saying, but is it a sin? The Bible mentions tattoos specifically one time. That is in the book of Leviticus.

Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:28 NIV)

Now, some people have argued against this statement, despite it being perfectly clear. Among the series of commands that this verse is in, we are also told not to eat bloody meat, not to practice divination or sorcery, not to cut our hair at the sides or trim the edges of our beard, and not to make our daughters prostitute. Out of these, the only one we don’t follow nowadays is the trimming of our hair and beards. This command was for the Jews (some of whom still practice it), and was “overturned,” so to speak, later on. Still, some have said that since we cut our hair, we can cut our bodies and tattoo ourselves. This is not a fair comparison at all. We must look at what a tattoo really is, and what it does to our body.

We need to be extremely careful of what marks we put on our bodies. If, for no other reason at all, then for the following.

He [the Antichrist] also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that none could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:16-17 NIV)

That is what we commonly call the “Mark of the beast”. It is something that most people will actually want to get, because they are blinded by the convenience and commonality of the world. Still, we can look even deeper into a tattoo’s function. How do you get a tattoo? You let someone stab you with a needle, and while the wound is fresh, they inject foreign ink into your body. Despite some of the beautifully artistic pieces, my view has always been “Hang it on a wall”. So tattooing is not really more than a clever way to mutilate the flesh with a pleasant-looking after effect. What does the Bible say about that?

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:15, 19-20 NIV)

Since your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and you are living for God, and your body in fact belongs to Him, what authority do you have to cut, poke, mutilate, inject ink, etc.? Jesus paid a price for your body, for your very life, and God asks that in return you use your body to honor Him. Paul warns in his letter to the Philippians,

Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. (Philippians 3:2 NIV)

So let us take to heart the words of Scripture that plead with us to offer ourselves wholly to God, body, mind, and everything that we are. Don’t allow an inch of the devil’s work to touch you or taint you. Allow yourself to be put to unadulterated service, in every capacity, to the Lord. Since God is in control, let His glory be your decoration, and supply yourself to Him.

Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. (Romans 6:13 NIV)

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1-2 NIV)

What about those who already have a tattoo?

Don’t worry if you have one. Many people have gotten tattoos before becoming a Christian, or maybe just didn’t realize the way God felt about it. While the tattoo is difficult to remove, the sin isn’t. Cutting yourself or tattooing is NOT the unforgiveable sin. God will forgive you if you repent sincerely. Many Christians who were previously tattooed use the mark as a part of their testimony of the life they left behind when they accepted Christ. It is never too late.

                               Don’t forget to leave your questions and comments below!!

2. Is it a sin to smoke or do drugs?

This question has a lot of similarity to tattooing, since it involves harm to the body. However, there are a couple other reasons that smoking and drugs are sinful.

One of the biggest excuses is that God made it, so it’s okay to smoke it. This isn’t further from the truth. Although the Bible does declare that God made everything for good, (Genesis 1:31; Ecclesiastes 3:11a) you must also remember that the earth is not now how God originally made it. Because of the sin of mankind, the earth was changed. God allowed thorns and thistles to grow, plants that were not for our practical use; plants that were not in God’s perfect Garden.

Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. (Genesis 3:17-18 NIV underline added for emphasis. See also Hebrews 6:8)

Another reason is that it is illegal to do drugs, and to smoke until a certain age. Ask yourself, “Why would such a law be in place unless it was somehow harmful to smoke?” The truth is, the law allows you smoke at such an age because they believe that at that age, you can decide whether or not you want to harm your own body and health. The Bible demands that we not only obey God, but also our governing authorities, i.e. the police, courts, judges, laws, etc. If it is illegal, and harmful to our bodies, you are really committing two sins at once if you smoke.

            Obey your leaders and submit to their authority… (Hebrews 13:17 NIV)

One other thought is this: God has made everything, but for a good purpose. Marijuana plants can be used to make hemp, which is useful and safe. God never said that should smoke the plant. That was sinful man’s idea.

Remember, your body is made in God’s image and is designed for worship. Jesus died to give you life, not so you could slowly destroy yourself. Keep in mind what the Bible teaches about your body:

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:15, 19-20 NIV)

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1-2 NIV)

                 Don’t forget to leave your questions and comments below!!

3. I try to be good, but I keep making mistakes. Since everybody sins, is really such a big deal if I do once in a while? 

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

To you, it might seem like no big deal. It might even seem that way to the person you sinned against. To God, however, it’s a very big deal; the BIGGEST! Sin is the one factor that separates us from God, even if its what we call a little sin. The Bible tells us that everyone has sinned.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

This is a HUGE problem for us. Even just one little lie; or if we steal a candy bar; or if we misuse God’s Name; all of these make us imperfect. God is absolutely perfect, and so is heaven. If heaven had just one sinner in it, it would no longer be a perfect place. Because of this, we have only two options: Be perfect or go to the only other place we can go- hell. “But,” some would ask, “What about all the good deeds I do?”

            For all of us have become like one who is unclean,

And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;… (Isaiah 64:6)

All your good deeds are wonderful, and please God, but compared to our sin, every good deed is like a dirty garment. What value is a filthy, robe? Absolutely none. God doesn’t measure your sins in one pile and your good works in another to determine if you make it. You are either perfect, or you aren’t. The problem is, everyone has sinned,, and there is a price to pay for sin:

            For the wages of sin is death… (Romans 6:23)

Because we sin, we die. The punishment for sin is that death, and if we die with that sin still covering our lives, the death continues in hell. That is why God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sin. We are instructed in how we can have our sin erased, as though it never happened!

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Jesus has paid the price for us, but we can choose to accept or ignore this gift. To accept, all we need to do is confess our sins to Him, and He will faithfully forgive us. That is how we can be made perfect! Once God forgives our sin, we have a new start; a perfect record! Of course, we need to try our best to avoid sin in the future, but should we slip up, God is still faithful to His Word. The apostle John continues to urge us on by saying:

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

Jesus paid the price for the entire world. That includes you. The prophet Joel records God’s words as He urgently calls us to go back to Him in repentance. God beckons us to Him.

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,

“Return to Me with all your heart,

And with fasting weeping and mourning;

And rend your heart and not your garments.”

Now return to the Lord your God,

For He is gracious and compassionate,

Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness,

And relenting of evil. (Joel 2:12-13)

When you go to God with your sin, it’s serious, yet He is slow to anger. He loves to be gracious and kind to us; He loves to defeat the evil in us. God would be more than thrilled to forgive you of your sin. He wants to erase the sin and one day welcome you into His Heavenly Kingdom. If you need to, confess your sins to Jesus in prayer.

            He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,

            But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. (Proverbs 28:13)

 What are your thoughts on any of these questions? Do you have questions of your own? Let me know below!

Jesus- Not the Peacemaker You Thought

So many people, including Christians, have a false idea, a wrong image of who Jesus is. So many picture the gently wounded, pitiful Man on the cross with His head tilted slightly, a cloth draped over Him, a few drops of blood flowing from His brow, and His heart glowing in some mysterious way.

Others see the wise teacher who had no worries or fears or troubles ever encounter Him. They see no conflict, no drama. It is as if, in their minds, He just calmly stated the perfect line in response to every inquiry or challenge, oh-so gracefully.

Most see Jesus as a Man that walked in the room and everyone just shut their mouths and listened intently to whatever this divinely inspired Prophet taught, and that all of a sudden all wrongs were forgiven, all fences mended.

While this may have been the effect to some people Jesus encountered, it is most certainly not the Jesus of the Bible in His entirety. Jesus isn’t some inexplicable peace bringer to everyone who acknowledges His existence. In fact, Jesus states quite the opposite:

 

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”-  Matthew 10:34

 

Jesus’ intentions are not to bring harm and death, as some would mislead here. Instead, Jesus was simply recognizing the reality of the human reaction to His Truth. Because of Jesus, there have been countless martyrs, immeasurable acts of hatred, and incalculable divisions between families, friends, communities, and entire cultures.

Yes, friends, Jesus is the way to peace, and those who accept Him find a certain peace, despite their afflictions. After all, the Bible also says,

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” –Romans 5:1

 

In Christ, we have the peace that surpasses all understanding. Yet the world around us will either accept Christ, receiving peace, or they will fight against Him, His teaching, and all that He and we, as Christians, stand for, and in doing so they will continue to fulfill the very passage about which Jesus spoke in Matthew 10:34.

opportunity for blessing

Recently, I’ve embarked on a very new and unique kind of ministry for myself. Most of my readers know that I have been planning a second missionary trip to a Maasai village in Kenya, Africa. I have been working and stressing over raising funds, planning what activities will go on, researching flights, costs, guest houses, etc. I have been trying to get myself there and get accomplished the supplying of needs, as far as possible on my part. I realize that I cannot do it all, that I won’t be able to once-and-forever solve the need for food, water, education, biblical teaching, etc. I just want to do all that I can, but nothing less.  I don’t want to face the Lord one day and hear Him say, “Good, but you missed this and this and that, and didn’t want to do these.”  I don’t want to hear about what I didn’t do; I don’t want to miss out on the blessing.

 

So when this new need arose, I was at a loss. Having a picture in my mind of doing this work, I had to come to realize that I can’t do it all, even if I wanted to and tried to. There is a worldwide food crisis. I’ve heard about it on the radio, seen an article or two, and here in the U.S., a few food items have gone up in price a couple dimes. In parts of Asia, South America, and especially Africa, the crisis is much more real. People are literally dying. Not just a few small colonies on some sappy “Support the people” infomercial at 3 a.m.; these are real people, working hard 40, 50, or more hours every day. There simply is no food. A large part of this is from lack of rain.

 

When I heard that my friends in Kenya were affected- the ones whose village I’m going to- I was taken off guard. I must admit that I felt ashamed. I never thought hard enough about the need. I just knew it was “out there” and was glad it wasn’t me. Immediately, I decided to do something, but what could I do? This could not wait for my mission trip. I didn’t have enough money on my own to make a difference. I came to the conclusion that the best thing I could do was ask the church. I called my Pastor and explained the situation, asking if I could speak for a few minutes on Sunday about the need. I was advised by another brother that it might be wise to extend the offering for two Sundays, giving people a chance to plan ahead for the next week.

 

So that’s what we did. I printed up a request sheet sent by my friend in Kenya. Sunday, I put a copy in every family’s possession, stood up during the announcements, and shared my heart. We left a basket out until everyone had left. The take- $40, not counting what I put in myself. I wondered if this was a mistake. Did anyone really care about a bunch of starving tribes on the other side of the world? The next Sunday came and went, but I didn’t see what was in the basket. When I picked up the check that week, my heart was heavy. Then I opened the envelope- $1,000.00. I was in awe. I once again had faith in the compassion of the American church. Keep in mind, the congregation is only about 40-50 members.  

 

Everything is different when you know the people helplessly starving. Suddenly, breakfast isn’t so important; you don’t really care what you eat for lunch; and when you throw out what you can’t eat, you feel glad that they aren’t there to see. Suddenly, you notice the running water when you brush your teeth, the cooler with water bottles by the checkout, and the extra five buck in your pocket feels like guilt money. When you know people dying because they don’t have these luxuries, everything changes. This should not be. We should have always cared.

 

I researched a few banks to see who would send for less, and only had to pay a $30 fee in the end. This is part of the email I just received from my contact in Kenya:

 

Dear Brother Justin,
 
The money came through and we were shopping for food here in the city and will be headng to the village tomorrow with a pick-up full of food! This next two weeks, the villages at Oloilalei will be different. The people will be able to work, without having to worry what the children will eat come evening. Please thank all the brethren for their kindness and expression of Christian love. The rains are suppose to be here but and not! We continue to pray and trust God for the rains.

Thank you again for your love and care.
 
Warmly in Christ,
 
Josiah

 

Anyone truly can change a life, make a difference, and save children’s lives. I am so glad that this isn’t about me; its about the goodness of God and His faithfulness, and because of that I truly feel good. Until the next opportunity-

Justin

 

“Every challenge is an opportunity for blessing”

 

Abortionist Family Dies in Crash at Right-to-Life Tomb‏

Family of Irving ‘Bud’ Feldkamp, Owner of the Nation’s Largest Privately Owned Abortion Chain, Dies in Montana Plane Crash

 Mar. 24, 2009 /Christian Newswire/ — Some of you may have seen the major news story of the private plane that crashed into a Montana cemetery, killing 7 children and 7 adults. But what the news sources fail to mention is that the Catholic Holy Cross Cemetery owned by Resurrection Cemetery Association in Butte – contains a memorial for local residents to pray the rosary, at the ‘Tomb of the Unborn’. This memorial, located a short distance west of the church, was erected as a dedication to all babies who have died because of abortion. What else is the mainstream news not telling you? The family who died in the crash near the location of the abortion victim’s memorial, is the family of Irving ‘Bud’ Feldkamp, owner of the largest for-profit abortion chain in the nation. Family Planning Associates was purchased four years ago by Irving Moore “Bud” Feldkamp III, owner of Allcare and Hospitality Dental Associates and CEO of Glen Helen Raceway Park in San Bernardino. The 17 California Family Planning clinics perform more abortions in the state than any other abortion provider – Planned Parenthood included – and they perform abortions through the first five months of pregnancy. Although Feldkamp is not an abortionist, he reaps profits of blood money from the tens of thousands of babies that are killed through abortions performed every year at the clinics he owns. His business in the abortion industry was what enabled him to afford the private plane that was carrying his family to their week-long vacation at The Yellowstone Club, a millionaires-only ski resort. The plane went down on Sunday, killing two of Feldkamp’s daughters, two sons-in-law and five grandchildren along with the pilot and four family friends. The plane, a single-engine turboprop flown by Bud Summerfield of Highland, crashed into the Catholic cemetery and burst into flames, only 500 ft. from its landing destination. All aboard were killed. The cause of the crash is a mystery. The pilot, who was a former military flier who logged over 2,000 miles, gave no indication to air traffic controllers that the aircraft was experiencing difficulty when he asked to divert to an airport in Butte. Witnesses report that the plane suddenly nosedived toward the ground with no apparent signs of a struggle. There was neither a cockpit voice recorder nor a flight data recorder onboard, and no radar clues into the planes final moments because the Butte airport is not equipped with a radar facility. Some speculate that the crash was due to ice on the wings, but this particular plane model has been tested for icy weather and experts have stated that ice being the cause is unlikely. In my time working for Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, I helped organize and conduct a weekly campaign where youth activists stood outside of Feldkamp’s mini-mansion in Redlands holding fetal development signs and raising community awareness regarding Feldkamp’s dealings in child murder for profit. Every Thursday afternoon we called upon Bud and his wife Pam to repent, seek God’s blessing and separate themselves from the practice of child killing. We warned him, for his children’s sake, to wash his hands of the innocent blood he assisted in spilling because, as Scripture warns, if “you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you”. (Ezekiel 35:6) A news source states that Bud Feldkamp visited the site of the crash with his wife and their two surviving children on Monday. As they stood near the twisted and charred debris talking with investigators, light snow fell on the tarps that covered the remains of their children. I don’t want to turn this tragic event into some creepy spiritual ‘I told you so’ moment, but I think of the time spent outside of Feldkamp’s – Pam Feldkamp laughing at the fetal development signs, Bud Feldkamp trying not to make eye contact as he got into his car with a small child in tow – and I think of the haunting words, ‘Think of your children.’ I wonder if those words were haunting Feldkamp as well as he stood in the snow among the remains of loved ones, just feet from the ‘Tomb of the Unborn’? I only hope and pray that in the face of this tragedy, Feldkamp recognizes his need for repentance and reformation. I pray that God will use this unfortunate catastrophe to soften the hearts of Bud and Pam and that they will draw close to the Lord and wash their hands of the blood of thousands of innocent children, each as precious and irreplaceable as their own. “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then.” (Deut. 30:19)

BIG Questions- Part 1: “Who made God?” “What does He look like?” and “Who wrote the Bible?”

There are a few questions that trip up just about everybody. But every question has an answer. I have been asked a number of these, and some I didn’t have the answer to at the time. So, I’ve looked up a few and I want to share those, so that you can have the answers, too, and so you can tell anyone else who asks you.

 

1. If God made everything, then who made God?

“To whom then will you liken Me

That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing.

(Isaiah 40:25-26)

God is not something that we can compare to anything. That includes time. God created “time” for us; something measurable by which we can gauge our life. God is not limited by time, space, distance, etc. He is limitless with few exceptions: He can do no wrong, and He cannot be out-done. Other than that, God is limitless. To ask where God came from, you have to assume there was a “where” to come from. If we ask who made God, we are falsely assuming that there was someone to make God, and that God was made. He was not. Before God made the earth, there was no billions and billions of years; there was no time, as we know it.

 

We usually picture time as a line, because it simplifies our explanation. To God, time is more like liquid. Imagine a big bowl of water. You live in one drop of that water; that’s your “time” on earth. Other drops are the Creation of the world, the great flood, the Tower of Babel, the Crucifixion of Jesus, the 1980 U.S. Presidential elections, the moon landing, the last world war, the future rise of the antichrist, the Battle of Armageddon, the final trumpet sounding, the new earth, etc. In that bowl of water, God can see everything clearly, and it is all fluid to Him. He holds the bowl in His hands, and can touch any event or era at once. God can see your sin at the same “time” He is judging you, at the same “time” He watches His Son, Jesus, die on a cross for you. God is not limited to time as we are.

 

So, who made God? No one. He’s always been, for as long as time as we know it has existed.

Where did God come from? There was no “where” for Him to come from, until He made it.

 

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17)

 

I realize that this is a concept that is very hard to understand. We think about everything using time. Hours, minutes, dates, ages, anniversaries, and the list goes on and on. You can’t understand God fully; just accept that much- its okay. What is important is that you have faith that God is. Just believe in Him to be in control over time, and over your life.

 

 

2. What does God look like? Why doesn’t He show Himself to us?

So many kids have asked me this question, and “No one knows” is never a satisfying answer. That is the short answer, because we cannot stand face to face with Him and get details, but the Bible does offer us an idea of how God would look. Our first clue comes from the first chapter of Genesis.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness… God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

So if you want to see God, you can look in a mirror. Since you and I are made in His image, we are a reflection of Him. God looks like us, each and every person who ever has, is, or will live is made in God’s image.

Daniel had a vision of God, although he did not physically see God, this is the image in Daniel’s vision:

“As I looked,
       “thrones were set in place,
       and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
       His clothing was as white as snow;
       the hair of his head was white like wool. (Daniel 7:9)

 

The truth is that we cannot see God; no one has, except Jesus. John 1:18 says,

No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.( NIV)

 

Jesus affirmed these words in John 6:46, and John wrote again in 1John 4:12 that “no one has ever seen God”.  There was also a time when Moses found favor with the Lord. Moses asked God to show His glory. He didn’t want to continue on without the presence of God.

 

Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!”

And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you…” But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!”

Then the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”(Exodus 33:19-23)

 

Following this experience, Moses’ face shone so much, the Israelites put a veil on his face. Just the passing glory of God has such a dramatic effect on a person, it is no wonder we cannot see His face and live. The beauty and glory is far too powerful for our human bodies to stand.

Others have had occurrences with God. Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden before their fall into sin. (see Genesis 3:8-13)  God appeared to Abraham (see Genesis 18:2-33), to Jacob (see Genesis 35:7, 9), to Solomon (see 1 Kings 3:5; 9:2; 11:9; 2 Chronicles 1:7; 7:12), to Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-5), and to Ezekiel (see Ezekiel 1:26-28)

The Lord has also appeared as a symbol or sign, such as the burning bush (Exodus 3:2), as fire (Exodus 19:16-24) and clouds; He has shown himself by miracles, such as stopping the sun in the sky, setting a rainbow in the sky, tearing the temple veil, parting the Red Sea, providing food where there is none, writing on a wall, earthquakes, and much, much more.

One of the main reasons for God appearing symbolically is established in the first letter to Timothy:

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17 NIV Underline added for emphasis)

God has what we would consider a physical appearance; He does look like something, but the invisibility is in respect to an audience of humans. God’s invisibility toward us is by His choice. It encourages faith. Rather that showing up and forcing belief, God chose to remain at a visual distance so that we can choose to seek Him and believe. It allows us to decide whether or not we will follow Him, or the ways of the convenient world.

 

 

3. Who wrote the Bible?

Many people who are critical of Christianity or religion in general, argue that we don’t know who wrote the Bible. A little studying goes a long way, as we now know almost every author. Some continue to argue that the Bible is written by mankind, so we cannot trust it as being “from God”. We know, however, that:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16)

So without further ado, here are the authors who penned the words of God-

BOOK	WHO WROTE IT
Genesis	Moses
Exodus	Moses
Leviticus	Moses
Numbers	Moses
Deuteronomy	Moses
Joshua	Joshua
Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Esther, Job	Debated or unknown authors
Lamentations	Jeremiah
Psalms: A composite of many authors’ work. Of the 150 psalms, 116 are provided with a title
Psalms 3-9, 11-32, 34-41, 51-65, 68-70, 86, 103, 108-110, 122, 124, 131, 133, 138-145	David
Psalm 42, 44-45, 47-49, 84-85, 87	Sons of Korah
Psalms 50, 73-83	Asaph
Psalm 72, 127	Solomon
Psalm 88	Heman the Ezrahite
Psalm 89	Ethan the Ezrahite
Psalm 90	Moses
Psalm 119	Ezra
Psalms 120-134	Hezekiah
Psalm 137	Jeremiah
Psalms 146-147	Haggai and Zechariah
Proverbs- Again, the book is a composite, so far as authorship is concerned.
Proverbs 1:1-24:22	Solomon
Proverbs 24:23-34	Attributed to “the wise”
Proverbs 25:1-29:27	Attributed to Solomon, but were collected and recorded by “Hezekiah’s men”.
Proverbs 30:1-33	Agur
Proverbs 31:1-31	Lemuel
Ecclesiastes	Solomon
Ezra-Nehemiah	Author unknown, though Ezra’s chapters 7-9 apparently were written by Ezra, since they are in the first person.
Song of Songs	Solomon
The following were written by the person whose name they bear.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai
Zechariah	Chapters 1-8 written by Zechariah; Chapters 9-11 by Jeremiah; Chapters 12-14 are titled “an oracle” and are attributed to no one.
Malachi	Some believe Malachi was the name of a specific prophet, but it is also the Hebrew term (mal´aki) for “my messenger”, used for priests and prophets alike. Thus, based on Mark 1:2-3, Malachi may have been  written by Isaiah
Matthew	Matthew
Mark	Mark
Luke	Luke
John	John
Acts	Luke
Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy. Titus, Philemon	Paul
Hebrews	Possibly Paul
James	James
1 Peter	Peter
2 Peter	Peter
1, 2 & 3 John	John
Jude	Jude
Revelation	John

 

Love Vs. Sex- A brief story of encouragement

A teenage girl about 17 had gone to visit some friends one evening and time passed quickly as each share theirvarious experiences of the past year.

She ended up staying longer than planned, and had to walk home alone. She wasn’t afraid because it was a small town and she lived only a few blocks away.

As she walked along under the tall elm trees, Diane asked God to keep her safe from harm and danger.

When she reached the alley, which was a short cut to her house, she decided to take it.

However, halfway down the alley she noticed a man standing at the end as though he were waiting for her.

She became uneasy and began to pray, asking for God’s protection.

Instantly a comforting feeling of quietness and security wrapped round her, she felt as though someone was walking with her.

When she reached the end of the alley, she walked right past the man and arrived home safely.

The following day, she read in the newspaper that a young girl had been raped in the same alley just twenty minutes after she had been there.

Feeling overwhelmed by this tragedy and the fact that it could have been her, she began to weep.

Thanking the Lord for her safety and to help this young woman, she decided to go to the police station.

She felt she could recognize the man, so she told them her story.

The police asked her if she would be willing to look at a lineup to see if she could identify him.

She agreed and immediately pointed out the man she had seen in the alley the night before.

When the man was told he had been identified, he immediately broke down and confessed.

The officer thanked Diane for her bravery and asked if there was anything they could do for her.

She asked if they would ask the man one question.

Diane was curious as to why he had not attacked her.

When the policeman asked him, he answered, “Because she wasn’t alone. She had two tall men walking on either side of her.”

Amazingly, whether you believe or not, you’re never alone. Did you know that 98% of teenagers will not stand up for God?

PS: God is always there in your heart and loves you no matter what…..and if you stand up for Jesus, He will stand for you.

“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. “ –Matthew 10:32-33

“But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” -1 Timothy 1:5

Government to Chip People with 666 Code

I have noticed a gain in the interest of two particular topics, both of which are related quite closely. The topics of which I speak are UPC codes and their connection to the number 666, and the use of small electronic chips implanted in people.

 Share your comments below!   

Let me briefly bring up to speed the issues of each. In barcodes, there is a hidden “666” in each one. These are not in the actual bars that represent the digits, but in the “guard bars”, which are at the ends and middle of the barcode, and usually extend down slightly further than the others. There is a left side parity and a right side parity of each digit, 0-9, making 20 bar and space combinations. The guard bars are patterned “bar-space-bar”, which is what the number six reads, in the “right side parity”. So, to the human eye, they read as a clear 6-6-6. You can read more about that in detail at Mark of the Beast- Part 1- Barcode 666.

The chips are called RFID chips, which stands for Radio Frequency Identification. They are able to hold all of your vital information, including bank account info, SSN, Date of Birth, medical records, and they are able to work with programs that control door locks on cars and homes, turn on your computer, etc. They will be marketed as convenient and safe, and people will buy them, having doctors implant them into their skin. While on the surface, this seems harmless, and in fact terrifically impressive, there are a great number of hidden dangers. To read more specifics on the production of RFID chips, read Mark of the Beast- Part 2- RFID Chip.

 

So, what is the connection? How can something that would eliminate identity theft and provide vital medical information be bad? Each and every RFID chip is assigned and associated to a barcode number. That is its, or your, identification number (Yes, you will be a number). That means that every person will have a tiny “666” imbedded in their skin. To add insult to insult, RFID chips are radio-frequency, which means that they are remote. Obviously, you can’t just plug it in. International governments will then be able to track them by satellite. You will have a built in GPS that tells anyone watching where you go and what you do. The same technology already lets your cell phone be tapped, even when you aren’t on a call. 

Share your comments below! 

Okay, so you have a chip that’s traceable and the barcode equals 666. What does that mean? Why are we making a big deal about it? The Bible warned us some 2,000 years ago, in speaking of the Beast, or Antichrist:

 “And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.” –Revelation 13:16-18 (NASB)

Share your comments below! 

 

So the number and the “mark” are clearly associated with the beast, and it is widely believed by theologians and Biblical scholars that the RFID chip, in some capacity, will be interpreted into the mark. The Bible says that the mark will be put into the right hand or forehead. Remember that the “666” in the barcodes’ guard bars is the “right hand parity”. The mark will also be forced, not just an option for the rich. The only thing that needs to happen is an occasion for the government to feel the need to take control, forcing people “for their own good” to get a chip implant. Maybe that will be a massive earthquake, volcanic explosion, tsunamis or floods. Maybe it will be one global catastrophic event. We learned a few years ago that a great tsunami could realistically wipe out tens of thousands of people. The Bible prophesies such a disaster.

 Share your comments below!

After the event, the governments will combine, forming an alliance. After all, with so much destruction and death all over the world, what better time to lay aside differences and claim peace? We know that an alliance will be formed particularly with Israel, for seven years, and be broken at 3 ½ years. When the international community forms such a union, (and by the way, the US, Canadian and Mexican governments have been planning a North American Union, scheduled for 2010 at the earliest) they will mass produce these chips. Currently, they are down to about 35¢ each. That will most likely become even lower. They will then decree that everyone will have to get one, because all monetary systems are going to be converted. (Reminiscent of the switch from analog to digital TV)

Share your comments below! 

Since everyone will have a RFID chip, stores, banks, military police and hospitals will need to know where to scan people. The fatty tissue in the palm of your hand just below your thumb is a primary spot. It is easily accessible and you can point it anywhere you need to. The other place is likely the squishy part between your eyebrows. They will all be in one of those two places for conformity and efficiency. 

Without one, you cannot buy or sell. They are imbedded with a hidden 666 code. (Remember, it takes wisdom to discern the mark of the beast, this coming from the guy who wrote and fully understood Revelation.) Taking this mark will turn you over to Satan, and seal your fate in a fiery hell. Whether you believe this or not, play it safe and take no marking whatsoever on your hand or your head.

 

If you have questions, please post them below, and I will reply to you.

If you would like to comment, please do that also. I enjoy receiving comments on my pages.

Growth- A Spiritual Look at Our Standing (or Running)

GROWTH

One of the biggest, if not the biggest problem that Christians face is a lack of growth. So many just, kind of stop. Wherever they happen to be in life, they cease going to Bible studies, and prayer meetings, and the worship thing that all your friends were going to at that other church, and… You get the idea.

I’m not saying its your fault or their fault, I’m just pointing it out. Maybe the church put the men’s group on hold for the holidays and just never picked it up again. Maybe the prayer meetings were canceled for the summer when the leader was out of town and they haven’t restarted. Maybe the worship thing is too far away, or maybe, whatever it is, just fell off your radar. That happens. Unfortunately, though, life goes on. The world continues.

The thing we need to do, is find another place to plug into. What group, activity, fellowship, etc. could-

a.) benefit from your presence;

b.) be a blessing to you;

c.) act as a continuance of your worship and/or exaltation of the Lord

The first thing to do in order to find the right fit is to find what’s missing. While you’ve been “doing your thing”, the planet has been spinning. That means that there have been multitudes of people answering God’s call without you. Thousands around the world, even millions, have been praying, fasting, worshiping, studying; all to keep up the work of the Lord. For you to plug back into that, think back. Think of the time when you feel that you were doing the most for God. Meditate on that time and remember what it was that you were active in. Was it High School? College? When you joined a new congregation? When was growth at its peak; when did you shine the brightest?

Take that time and hold it in your mind. Now, from then to today, divide that in half. For example, if my high point was 3 years ago, then my half way point is 1 ½ years ago. Measure your growth as a Christian from beginning to halfway, and from halfway to now. Which has the bigger growth? If you said the first half, then you are behind schedule. What stopped? What took place to move you from that place of substantial Spiritual growth to a stunted growth? That is what you must rectify. If you cannot return to the same group, for whatever reason, find another one that is both available and Biblical.

In some cases, it isn’t the group that had problems; it might’ve been you. Perhaps you weren’t ready to go to the next level at the time when everything else seemed to be doing just that. Perhaps the growth is in an area that you are now able to achieve. Here is a list of things that every believer should strive for. Not only to do, but to do better.

1.      Forgive others freely

2.      Worship God wholeheartedly

3.      Be readily available and willing to witness your faith to others

4.      Serve God unselfishly in any capacity

5.      Give cheerfully, not just monetarily, not just materialistically, not just emotionally, but entirely

6.      Generously offer encouragement

7.      Be a Scriptural leader (maybe that means you lead the new Bible study)

8.      Receive correction humbly

9.      Accept thanks respectfully

10.  Pray over others in any circumstance (even if you have to find one to pray about)

11.  Discern spiritual traps, don’t give the devil an inch

12.  Overcome addictions and pleasures of the world

13.  Control the tongue

If you constantly work at these, you will become increasingly better equipped to serve God, your church, and others. You will notice a distinct difference in your life and the lives of people you encounter. You will be able to look back and see that the last half has had an increasingly improved Spiritual growth, and that it will continue to grow even more. The beauty of growing with God is that we never quite arrive; we just keep improving in ways that we may never have thought possible for us. Remember what Jesus said, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

Don’t hesitate. Now that you know what you need, and where you need it, go to God with it. Whether you are at home or sitting in a coffee shop or online with your phone, humble yourself before God in prayer right now (or as soon as possible). Shut the door and turn your phone off for a few minutes and just talk to God. He will always welcome you back and He always has more for you.  In closing, carefully read this selection of Scripture and meditate on it as you consider God’s faithfulness to His prodigal, even when that prodigal is you.

 From Luke 15:

 11And He said, “A man had two sons.

 12“The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me ‘ So he divided his wealth between them.

 13“And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.

 14“Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished.

 15“So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

 16“And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.

 17“But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!

 18‘I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight;

 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”‘

 20“So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

 21“And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

 22“But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet;

 23and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;

 24for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.

25“Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.

 26“And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be.

 27“And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’

 28“But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him.

 29“But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends;

 30but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’

 31“And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours.

 32‘But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’

(Luke 15:11-32)

 

 

Think English is Easy?

We’ll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;
but the plural of ox became oxen not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
yet the plural of moose should never be meese.

You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice;
yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
why shouldn’t the plural of pan be called pen?

If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet,
and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?

If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
why shouldn’t the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
and the plural of cat is cats, not cose.

We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
but though we say mother we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
but imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim.
-Anonymous

_______________

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) There is no time like the present, he said it was time to present the present.
8.) At the Army base, a bass was painted on the head of a bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18.) After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
22) I spent last evening evening out a pile of dirt.

__________

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine In pineapple.

English muffins weren’t invented in England.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce and hammers don’t ham?

Doesn’t it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend?

If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?

Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?

Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wiseguy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

If Dad is Pop, how come! Mom isn’t Mop?

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SOME FUN FACTS ABOUT LANGUAGE:

Widow is the only female form in the English language that is shorter than its corresponding male term (widower).

Victor Hugo’s Les Miserable contains one of the longest sentences in the French language 823 words without a period.

There is only ONE word in the English language with THREE CONSECUTIVE SETS OF DOUBLE LETTERS…. Bookkeeper

There is a word in the English language with only one vowel, which occurs five times: “indivisibility.”

There is a seven letter word in the English language that contains ten words without rearranging any of its letters, “therein”: the, there, he, in, rein, her, here, ere, therein, herein.

There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: “abstemious” and “facetious.”

There are thirteen languages spoken by more than 100 million people. They are: Mandarin Chinese, English, Hindi, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Bengali, Portuguese, Malay-Indonesian, French, Japanese, German, and Urdu.

There are roughly 6,500 spoken languages in the world today. However, about 2,000 of those languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers. The most widely spoken language in the world is Mandarin Chinese. There are 885,000,000 people in China that speak that language.

There are only two sequences of four consecutive letters that can be found in the English language: “rstu” and “mnop.” Examples of each are understudy and gymnophobia.

There are only 4 words in the English language which end in “duos”: tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

There are at least two words in the English language that use all of the vowels, in the correct order, and end in the letter Y: abstemiously & facetiously.

There are 41,806 different spoken languages in the world today.

The word “queue” is the only word in the English language that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed.

The word “honcho” comes from a Japanese word meaning “squad leader” and first came into usage in the English language during the American occupation of Japan following World War II.

The shortest word in the English language with all its letters in alphabetical order is the word “almost.”

The Philippines has more than 1,000 regional dialects and two official languages.

The only MLB team to have both its city’s name and its team name in a foreign language is the San Diego Padres.

The longest word in the Finnish language, that isn’t a compound word, is ‘epaejaerjestelmaellistyttaemaettoemyydellaensaekaeaen’. In English it means ‘even with their lack of ability to disorganize’.

The longest word in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis. The only other word with the same amount of letters ispneumonoultra-microscopicsilicovolcanoconioses, its plural.

The longest word in the English language is 1909 letters long and it refers to a distinct part of DNA.

The longest one syllable word in he English language is “screeched”.

The letter most in use in the English language is “E” and the letter “Q” is least used.

The computer programming language ADA was named in honor of Augusta Ada King. The U.S. Defense Department named the language after the Countess of Lovelace and daughter of Lord Byron because she helped finance and program what is thought to be the first computer, the “analytical engine” designed by Charles Babbage.

The Chinese language does not require punctuation.

The “huddle” in football was formed due a deaf football player who used sign language to communicate and his team didn’t want the opposition to see the signals he used and in turn huddled around him.

South Africa used to have two official languages, now it has eleven.

Some biblical scholars believe that Aramaic (the language of the ancient Bible) did not contain an easy way to say ‘many things’ and used a term which has come down to us as 40. This means that when the bible -in many places -refers to ‘40 days,’ they meant many days.

Seoul, the South Korean capital, just means “the capital” in the Korean language.

Rudyard Kipling was fired as a reporter for the San Francisco Examiner. His dismissal letter was reported to have said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just don’t know how to use the English language. This isn’t a kindergarten for amateur writers.”

Out of all the eight letter words in the English language, only one has only one vowel in it: “strength”

Only 3 words in the English language end in “ceed”: “proceed,” “exceed,” and “succeed.”

On June 26th, 1945, the charter of the United Nations was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco. (The text of the charter was in five languages: Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.)

Of all the words in the English language, the word “set” has the most definitions.

Of all the languages in the world, English has the largest vocabulary about 800,000 words.

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.

No language has more synonyms than English.

Latin is a dead language.

In Vulcan, Alberta Canada, the tourist welcome sign is written in both English and Klingon (alien language from “Star Trek”).

French was the official language of England for over 600 years.

Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, has been translated into more languages than any book outside of the Bible.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Finnish word SAIPPUAKIVIKAUPPIAS a soapstone seller is the longest known palindrome in any language.

“Underground” is the only word in the English language that begins and ends with the letters “und.”

“The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick” is said to be the toughest tongue twister in English.

“Four” is the only number whose number of letters in the name equals the number.

“Forty” is the only number which has its letters in alphabetical order. “One” is the only number with its letters in reverse alphabetical order.

“Rhythms” is the longest English word without the normal vowels, a, e, i, o, or u.

Many languages in Africa include a “click” sound that is pronounced at the same time as other sounds. You must learn these languages in childhood to do it properly.

More than 1,000 different languages are spoken on the continent of Africa.

There is no word that rhymes with purple.

The most common letters in English are R S T L N E.

Pinocchio is Italian for “pine head.”

There is no word that rhymes with orange.

It has been estimated that the number of actively spoken languages in the world today is about 6,000.

The language of a society changes slowly but steadily with the result that an educated person will not be able to read or understand words in his language written 500 years ago.

No word in the English language rhymes with “month”.

“Go.” is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

Of all the words in the English language, the word ‘ set ‘ has the most definitions!

The language in which a government conducts business is the official language of that country.

Somalia is the only African country in which the entire population speaks the same language, Somali.

All pilots on international flights identify themselves in English.

The most difficult language to learn is Basque, which is spoken in northwestern Spain and southwestern France.

There are more than 2,700 languages in the world. In addition, there are more than 7,000 dialects.

Blasphemy of Barack

Blasphemy of Barack

By Justin Lessard, 25^th January 2009

http://justinlessard.wordpress.com

World Net Daily just reported this story. Apparently, the image of Barack Obama as a “savior” and a “messiah” has been taken a step further. While Obama’s audacity has injured and insulted true Christian and Biblical values from the start, an Iowan artist has brought the insult to a higher level. Obama’s anti-Christian trail runs rampant with his support of abortion, promoting it internationally now, his support of homosexual marriages and benefits, his collection of Islamic Muslim, Socialist, Communist and atheistic associates and acquaintances. Clearly, Obama, despite his claims, is against the Christian faith.

Meanwhile, many are deceived, thinking that he is some kind of a redeemer, sent to liberate everyone for everything that they believe. Obama claimed to be a Christian; however the church he attended teaches spirituality called “Black Liberation Theology”, which promotes black power while negating the “rich white man”. It promotes racism against whites and “the man”, or the governmental authorities. Ironic, since Barack is now the most powerful authority figure in the U.S. now. Prior to that, Barack was trained as a child with the Koran, registered at his grade school as Islamic.

I say all of that to point out the sickening form of Blasphemy that is being spread in Obama’s name. The artist, Matthew J. Clark, built a statue of Barack Obama riding on the back of a donkey, then lead the statue down the streets of Iowa’s capital, Des Moines. At the same time, a woman made her way down the sidewalks, ahead of the ass (I’ll let you decide which one that is), handing out palm branches for spectators to lie before the figure.

The Bible tells us of the entry which this event mocks: (7) They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. (8 )A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. (9)The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
   ”Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
   ”Hosanna in the highest!” –Matthew 21:7-9

This is not a merely vague symbolic reference; it is plainly a clear representation of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This event brings to light the deceit that so many American’s are under. Christians everywhere need to wake up, and realize that we have but One Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Obama does not stand for Christian values; does not support the sanctity of marriage; does not oppose the slaughter of unborn children; does not support the solidarity of a Jewish Israel, respecting it as the Holy City of God (as the Bible teaches).

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked…” –Galatians 6:7

“…there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.” -1 Corinthians 8:6

“But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed.” – Deuteronomy 30:17-18

“”For false Christs and false prophets will arise…, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.” –Matthew 24:24

For more, see the WND article at: http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=87040

 

Javier Solana – Candidate for Antichrist

Are you American or Canadian? Ever here of Javier Solana? If not, its not surprising, there seems almost a coordinated effort to not mention him on this side of the Atlantic.

There was so much good info floating around on this man, but what seems to be almost a news blackout of his coming and goings, I thought it deserved its own topic.

And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate (Daniel 9:27 New America Standard Bible).

It is commonly believed the passage above foretells the rise of a strong leader from out of a revived Roman Empire who will make, or confirm, a covenant with the many for seven years. Israel will be included in this covenant. As far as Israel is concerned, he will violate his covenant 3 1/2 years later. In other passages from Daniel, we learn this leader will rise from among a 10-nation alliance (Daniel 7:7-8 ) and subdue three of the 10 kings (Daniel 7:24). In the New Testament book of Revelation, we learn that this leader will somehow be identified with the number 666 (Revelation 13: 18 ).

In December of 1998, at their Vienna summit, the EU’s heads created the new Office of High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy for the European Union. The holder of this Office would direct their common foreign policy toward Russia, Ukraine and the Mediterranean. Out of over 1150 documents they generated at the summit, the document that created this Office happened to be numbered 666.

On June 5, 2000, the WEU adopted its Assembly Recommendation 666. This document recommended keeping the 10 Brussels Treaty Powers together as the EU’s new military wing and giving the EU’s High Representative emergency powers over the whole EU, putting the office holder over the EU presidency.

In March of 2005, one year after the Madrid train bombings, world leaders met in Madrid to discuss the EU’s and the international community’s war against terror. The EU decided the U.S. war was going nowhere, nothing much had been accomplished over that last year. It was noted that the EU member states were reluctant to give Solana what he needed to get the job done. What this really meant was, the EU “big three” — France, Germany and the UK — were still standing in Solana’s way. In other words, in order for Solana to do his job leading the EU’s foreign and security policy, the EU “big three” must somehow be subdued. (See Bible quote above) Interestingly, the EU “big three” leaders were all on the scene in 1999 when the Office of High Representative was first occupied by Solana. And, they were all members of the 10-nation alliance. Could these three super countries be the three kings who are destined to be subdued according to Daniel 7:24?

Since the start of his 7 year period peace and safety initiative, we should see him make some big strides in bringing peace to the middle east very soon. The 3 1/2 year, or halfway point, checkup is scheduled in 2010. I also wonder about some of the other things that seem to be sparked by this same belief of middle-east peace and prophetic fulfillment. The Catholic church for one seems to have come to the conclusion that the start of the Tribulations are just ahead and that the church must now work out its battle plan. You see it in how this latest global war seems to methodically be ramping up with no real way to end it. You see this in how fundamental freedoms we all grew up with, are being locked away for our “safety”.

Please see my previous articles, ‘The Job Title for the Antichrist”  http://justinlessard.wordpress.com/2008/12/02/the-job-title-for-the-antichrist/

and “Who Is the Antichrist? How Will We Know Him?” http://justinlessard.wordpress.com/2008/11/28/who-is-the-antichrist/

For more on possible ‘Marks of the Beast’, see “Mark of the Beast Part 1- Barcode 666″  http://justinlessard.wordpress.com/2008/10/03/mark-of-the-beast-part-1-barcode-666/ and “Mark of the Beast- Part 2- RFID Chip” http://justinlessard.wordpress.com/2008/10/05/mark-of-the-beast-part-2-rfid-chip/ 

For info on signs of the end, to know how things will be and when to expect them, see “The End? Let’s Review” http://justinlessard.wordpress.com/2008/10/11/the-end-lets-review/

Original Source for bulk of article: “Wassabi; a member of AboveTopSecret.com” in form of message thread called: Javier Solana – candidate for Antichrist or setting the stage for the Beast; http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread183503/pg1#pid1836234.

Links from articles on http://justinlessard.wordpress.com