Apostasy happens slowly. That's how it happens.
Let's take a look at 1st Timothy:
"Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, through the pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and enjoin abstinence from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving; for then it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer." (1 Timothy 4:1-5 RSV).
The Spirit says, so this is a true saying. He also says it expressly. Other translations use the world clearly or explicitly.The Spirit wished to impart a clear and pointed teaching, not in metaphors or parables or symbols but in clear words, for emphasis. He expressly says some will depart from the faith. Not that they ever were true Christians (though many would have thought they were) but that they would leave the doctrines that undergird our faith and give expression to it. How would they do this? The Spirit continues: they gave heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.
They gave heed. This means that they yielded some small part of their mind or their heart to some small portion of untruth, even for a moment. But that is all it takes. Remember the first words of satan in the bible, Genesis 3: "Hath God said?" This is a direct attack on His word, and Eve gave heed to it. You know the rest.
"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Avoid such people." (2 Timothy 3:1-5 RSV)
These who fall away from the faith have a form of religion. The outward appearance is one that fools people -for a while- that they are true believers.
Paul wrote about Demas three times. Demas was a co-worker alongside Paul for many years. Demas was with many wonderful men of the faith: Luke, Epahras, others. He had traveled, witnessed, prayed, served for many years.
We see Paul mention him in Colossians-
1. Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. (Colossians 4:14)
We see Paul mention him in Philemon:
2. Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my co-workers. (Philemon 1:24)
We see Paul mention him in 2 Timothy:
3. for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. (2 Timothy 4:10)
Worker, worker, gone. That's it. He's gone. How? Why? Because Demas loved the world. Obviously the Father had not been in him, because you can't have the world AND the Father in you. (1 John 2:15). One or the other will win out, and it will be whichever one you give heed to.
So did Demas leave suddenly? Physically, probably yes, his departure was probably abrupt. But how long had the apostasy been in him? All along. You sink slowly. Let's look at an incident that I believe illustrates this. Peter was not apostate, but the metaphor here is interesting because of the physics of it. Remember when the storm was tossing the boat, and Jesus walked over to the men in the boat on top of the water? Peter asked the Lord, if that is really you, then I will walk on water. And Peter got out of the boat, and for a minute he walked on water too. But when he noticed the stormy circumstances and took his eyes off Jesus, is when he lost it. Most people teach that passage as an illustration of how we have to keep our eyes on Jesus, and it is true, we do. But I'm interested here in the phrase, began to sink:
"But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me." (Matthew 14:30).
Every translation records the same, "began to sink." Think about it. Peter was a burly guy: using his body and his hands to make a living fishing. He had muscles. He was probably 175-200 pounds. Solid muscle. If you toss a 200 pound boulder in the water, does it begin to sink? Or does it sink? Plunk, gone? The latter, it just goes under. But here the bible records Peter sinking incrementally.
That's what happens in apostasy, you slowly sink under the waves of sin, until you're completely covered. Apostasy is an incremental departure. It is like in Hebrews where it says:
"Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. (Hebrews 2:1)
The Greek word pararrhyéō ("drift away from") only occurs in Heb 2:1 where it refers to going spiritually adrift – "sinning by slipping away" (from God's anchor). 3901 /pararrhyéō ("gradually drift away") means to "lapse" into spiritual defeat, describing how we slowly move away from our moorings in Christ. (source)
How can you make sure you love Christ and not the world, that apostasy has not crept in, that you are not drifting away? Of course our wonderful bible has the answer:
"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (2 Cor 13:5)
So...how do we examine ourselves? Here is one page using scripture that helps guide us through the common tests:
Are You A Christian?
TEST 1: Gospel Belief and Confession of Faith
2) Born Again / Sonship / Correction;
3) Repentance / Deliverance from Sin;
4) Good Works by Grace, and
5) The Fruit of the Spirit.
Don't sink, don't leave, don't drift. Examine yourself and stay in the faith!
Monday, July 2, 2012
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Iran says they will wipe Israel off the face of the earth
Iran issues new threat to Israel
"An Iranian military official threatened to “wipe” Israel “off the face of the earth” if the Jewish state attacks, a stark new threat coinciding with the start of a European Union oil embargo to put pressure on Iran’s nuclear program, Reuters reported. Revolutionary Guards General Amir Ali Hajizadeh reportedly issued the warning as he announced new missile tests to take place in the coming week."
When prophecy meets the news, and the news meets prophecy... the convergence really gives me chills
"An Iranian military official threatened to “wipe” Israel “off the face of the earth” if the Jewish state attacks, a stark new threat coinciding with the start of a European Union oil embargo to put pressure on Iran’s nuclear program, Reuters reported. Revolutionary Guards General Amir Ali Hajizadeh reportedly issued the warning as he announced new missile tests to take place in the coming week."
“If they [Israel] take any action, they will hand us an excuse to wipe them off the face of the earth,” Hajizadeh said, according to state news agency IRNA.They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!” (Psalm 83 ESV)
When prophecy meets the news, and the news meets prophecy... the convergence really gives me chills
Hot, with a chance of Godzilla. The forecast from Aaron Justus
"Freelance Meteorologist Aaron Justus worked as the Weekend Meteorologist at WTVR CBS 6 in Richmond, Virginia for just over four years. A clip of Aaron giving a wild forecast released this week and is one of the most watched videos this weekend. The forecast includes soaring temperatures to above 300 degrees from a volcanic eruption, a global super storm dropping 1-200 inches of rain and Godzilla." (source)
Weather is getting so crazy... what else is there to say?
Weather is getting so crazy... what else is there to say?
Authoritarian axis rising, land temperatures, the dumb church, Bethlehem in danger
The Diplomat has a good article out this week. It explores the new axis of power and the reasons for its emergence. Any student of prophecy who understands the prophesied main aggressors and players in the run-up to and through the Tribulation will immediately understand the implications analyzed in this article.
Russia is a major player as well as the Kings of the East, the Asia-Pacific nations of the Orient. (Ezekiel 38:2-3; Daniel 11:44; 9:13-21; 16:12-16). Though throughout all of history the East has never formally allied with the Middle East, the Euphrates being a divider as well as a border. Russia has always been an aggressive force through history. We are seeing these important prophetic pieces coming together as this article outlines. The reasons for the authoritarian emphasis are also prophetic. The group rising to power certainly isn't democracy-friendly and we see that fact in the Tribulation with first the formation of the ten kings (Rev 17:12; Daniel 7:7-8) oppressing the world and then the final king of the antichrist as the ultimate expression of authoritarian power.
An Authoritarian Axis Rising?
"It isn’t the “axis of evil.” But a number of authoritarian states are showing a troubling tendency to look out for each other. It takes time for societies and policymakers to understand that a major shift in global affairs is afoot. But what we see clearly, in recent months, is the emergence of a new constellation of powers.By coordinating their policies, this grouping of powers is beginning to profoundly reshape global affairs, especially in the Asia-Pacific, Indo-Pacific, and Eurasian regions. Who are the members of this group? Today, it includes China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela. Such a concert of nations can only inject turmoil into the international system. It is a relatively new phenomenon that represents a radical shift in international politics, perhaps as momentous as the Soviet Union’s collapse two decades ago."
Why are the youth leaving the church in droves? Robin Schumacher explores the answer to this question in the Christian Post:
The Tragedy of the Dumb Church
"In short, it happens because much of the Church today is dumb. Don’t misunderstand me, I mean no disrespect when I use the term ‘dumb’. What I mean is that the Church is dumb in that they aren’t well educated in what they believe, fail miserably in fulfilling 1 Peter 3:15 that says all Christians should be prepared to give a reason for why they believe, and are woefully unable to handle any challenge to Christianity that comes from unbelievers or the cults."
This interesting article below talks not about the air temperatures, but the land temps and how these sparked and supported the many wildfires going on now in the American Midwest.
NASA's sizzling map of U.S. heatwave displays the burning temperatures that in just eight days broke the last 11 years' average
"While blazing wildfires throughout the central United States consume hundreds of homes and force thousands to flee into this weekend, a sizzling map captured by a NASA satellite only days before helps reveal why. ... Painting the central U.S. in red, the same area currently battling unrelenting wildfires, the map taken by NASA's Terra satellite brandishes a depiction of what they politely call: 'unusually hot weather.'
Below is a different map showing broken heat records, and the one I clicked on is where I live. It was 109 degrees yesterday.
One of only two borders in the Middle East under a peace treaty (Jordan is the other) Israel now looks to the ominous events in Egypt with the election of Mursi the Islamic Brother, and gulps. Israel Behind the News has an analysis-
Morsi Is Israel's Nightmare, But The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow"We have reached the moment feared by generations of Israeli Intelligence and GSS chiefs. The ultimate nightmare scenario is playing out in front of our very eyes -the same narrative that played a major role in the terror scenarios that starred in the secret war games of the IDF and the Israeli defense system for an entire generation. The moment when Egypt fell - into the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood. The inconceivable is materializing in front of our eyes. The “cliff” - Shimon Peres,[the Israeli President]‘s, nickname for Hosni Mubarak - has been washed to sea, and is being replaced by the Muslim flood. All this transpires in the largest Arab country, Israel’s major strategic peace partner, the regional anchor, the neighborhood balance factor. It’s over."
All is not well over at the other border, that is, Jordan and Syria. Turkey borders Syria too and Turkey hasn't been happy with the spillover for a while. Now it's Jordan's turn to ratchet up their concern. The Jordan Times has the news-
Jordan ‘tightening borders’ amid Syria spillover fears
"Jordan has tightened entry restrictions along its northern borders, security officials say, amid concerns that the ongoing influx of Syrian refugees may become a threat to the Kingdom’s national security. According to a security source, authorities have imposed a new policy barring the illegal entry of unaccompanied Syrian males between the ages of 18 and 40, turning away “dozens” from the border in the last two weeks. The new policy comes amid growing concerns in Amman of attempts by opposition activists and regime agents to infiltrate the growing refugee community — whose numbers officials place at over 140,000 — to carry out political or military activities on Jordanian soil. “There are fears that as the number of rebels and regime loyalists increases, Jordan may become a new battleground for their conflict,” said the security source, who preferred to remain unnamed."
Earthquake Shakes Baja, California
"News 11 has reports of a 4.9 magnitude rolling earthquake that shook Yuma and Imperial Counties around 8:30 P.M Saturday evening. It was centered near Guadalupe Victoria, Baja, California with the nearest larger cities being Yuma and El Centro. News 11 also recieved calls from viewers as far as Welton and the Foothills who also felt the rattle.There have not been reports of any damages or injuries but News 11 will continue to track down the details."
There actually have been 14 quakes at Baja, near Mexicali, where the large 7.2 quake occurred 2 years ago.
Bethlehem was in the news earlier this week too. When Russia's Putin visited there Palestinian Authority's Abbas held a ceremony honoring Putin with a street in Bethlehem named after the Russian Czar.
Birthplace of Jesus added to UN's World Heritage in Danger list
"The United Nations (UN) Scientific, Cultural, and Educational Organization (UNESCO) has listed the Church of the Nativity, which sits on the site identified by Christian tradition as the birthplace of Jesus, on its list of sites in danger, officials said on Friday."
Aren't you glad Jesus was born to seek and save the lost? I am. So those were some headlines for today. Enjoy your Lord's Day of worship, prayer, study, and family.
Russia is a major player as well as the Kings of the East, the Asia-Pacific nations of the Orient. (Ezekiel 38:2-3; Daniel 11:44; 9:13-21; 16:12-16). Though throughout all of history the East has never formally allied with the Middle East, the Euphrates being a divider as well as a border. Russia has always been an aggressive force through history. We are seeing these important prophetic pieces coming together as this article outlines. The reasons for the authoritarian emphasis are also prophetic. The group rising to power certainly isn't democracy-friendly and we see that fact in the Tribulation with first the formation of the ten kings (Rev 17:12; Daniel 7:7-8) oppressing the world and then the final king of the antichrist as the ultimate expression of authoritarian power.
An Authoritarian Axis Rising?
"It isn’t the “axis of evil.” But a number of authoritarian states are showing a troubling tendency to look out for each other. It takes time for societies and policymakers to understand that a major shift in global affairs is afoot. But what we see clearly, in recent months, is the emergence of a new constellation of powers.By coordinating their policies, this grouping of powers is beginning to profoundly reshape global affairs, especially in the Asia-Pacific, Indo-Pacific, and Eurasian regions. Who are the members of this group? Today, it includes China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela. Such a concert of nations can only inject turmoil into the international system. It is a relatively new phenomenon that represents a radical shift in international politics, perhaps as momentous as the Soviet Union’s collapse two decades ago."
Why are the youth leaving the church in droves? Robin Schumacher explores the answer to this question in the Christian Post:
The Tragedy of the Dumb Church
"In short, it happens because much of the Church today is dumb. Don’t misunderstand me, I mean no disrespect when I use the term ‘dumb’. What I mean is that the Church is dumb in that they aren’t well educated in what they believe, fail miserably in fulfilling 1 Peter 3:15 that says all Christians should be prepared to give a reason for why they believe, and are woefully unable to handle any challenge to Christianity that comes from unbelievers or the cults."
This interesting article below talks not about the air temperatures, but the land temps and how these sparked and supported the many wildfires going on now in the American Midwest.
NASA's sizzling map of U.S. heatwave displays the burning temperatures that in just eight days broke the last 11 years' average
"While blazing wildfires throughout the central United States consume hundreds of homes and force thousands to flee into this weekend, a sizzling map captured by a NASA satellite only days before helps reveal why. ... Painting the central U.S. in red, the same area currently battling unrelenting wildfires, the map taken by NASA's Terra satellite brandishes a depiction of what they politely call: 'unusually hot weather.'
Below is a different map showing broken heat records, and the one I clicked on is where I live. It was 109 degrees yesterday.
One of only two borders in the Middle East under a peace treaty (Jordan is the other) Israel now looks to the ominous events in Egypt with the election of Mursi the Islamic Brother, and gulps. Israel Behind the News has an analysis-
Morsi Is Israel's Nightmare, But The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow"We have reached the moment feared by generations of Israeli Intelligence and GSS chiefs. The ultimate nightmare scenario is playing out in front of our very eyes -the same narrative that played a major role in the terror scenarios that starred in the secret war games of the IDF and the Israeli defense system for an entire generation. The moment when Egypt fell - into the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood. The inconceivable is materializing in front of our eyes. The “cliff” - Shimon Peres,[the Israeli President]‘s, nickname for Hosni Mubarak - has been washed to sea, and is being replaced by the Muslim flood. All this transpires in the largest Arab country, Israel’s major strategic peace partner, the regional anchor, the neighborhood balance factor. It’s over."
All is not well over at the other border, that is, Jordan and Syria. Turkey borders Syria too and Turkey hasn't been happy with the spillover for a while. Now it's Jordan's turn to ratchet up their concern. The Jordan Times has the news-
Jordan ‘tightening borders’ amid Syria spillover fears
"Jordan has tightened entry restrictions along its northern borders, security officials say, amid concerns that the ongoing influx of Syrian refugees may become a threat to the Kingdom’s national security. According to a security source, authorities have imposed a new policy barring the illegal entry of unaccompanied Syrian males between the ages of 18 and 40, turning away “dozens” from the border in the last two weeks. The new policy comes amid growing concerns in Amman of attempts by opposition activists and regime agents to infiltrate the growing refugee community — whose numbers officials place at over 140,000 — to carry out political or military activities on Jordanian soil. “There are fears that as the number of rebels and regime loyalists increases, Jordan may become a new battleground for their conflict,” said the security source, who preferred to remain unnamed."
Earthquake Shakes Baja, California
"News 11 has reports of a 4.9 magnitude rolling earthquake that shook Yuma and Imperial Counties around 8:30 P.M Saturday evening. It was centered near Guadalupe Victoria, Baja, California with the nearest larger cities being Yuma and El Centro. News 11 also recieved calls from viewers as far as Welton and the Foothills who also felt the rattle.There have not been reports of any damages or injuries but News 11 will continue to track down the details."
There actually have been 14 quakes at Baja, near Mexicali, where the large 7.2 quake occurred 2 years ago.
Bethlehem was in the news earlier this week too. When Russia's Putin visited there Palestinian Authority's Abbas held a ceremony honoring Putin with a street in Bethlehem named after the Russian Czar.
Birthplace of Jesus added to UN's World Heritage in Danger list
"The United Nations (UN) Scientific, Cultural, and Educational Organization (UNESCO) has listed the Church of the Nativity, which sits on the site identified by Christian tradition as the birthplace of Jesus, on its list of sites in danger, officials said on Friday."
Aren't you glad Jesus was born to seek and save the lost? I am. So those were some headlines for today. Enjoy your Lord's Day of worship, prayer, study, and family.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
(Updated 2X) Have you forgotten about Debby already? Fires, Derechos and heat make Debby seem like old news
Update #2: In an ironic twist to the fulfillment of what I said below regarding media's use of ever-topping superlatives to try and explain the outsized events occurring almost daily now, the derechos that occurred yesterday and reported on this morning, are by this afternoon called SUPER-derecho. From Accuweather: "Deadly Super Derecho Strikes Midwest, Mid-Atlantic"
---------------------------------
UPDATE #1 from the Weather Channel summarizing last night's storms:
We are awakening to reports of some severe weather here in the eastern US overnight.
"As storm reports continue to come in from the severe storms, meteorologists say the storm reports from this event are the 2nd highest reported in a single day in 2012. Millions are without power and travel has been impacted. AMTRAK service has been suspended from Washington D.C. to Philadelphia and Washington D.C to Baltimore due to downed trees and signal power. At least two have died from storm related injuries as of early Saturday morning."
-----------------------------
Original post:
Meteorologist Heather Brinkmann wrote, "Check out this radar composite of the derecho that went thru the Ohio Valley today"
NOAA defines derecho as "a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms. Although a derecho can produce destruction similar to that of tornadoes, the damage typically is directed in one direction along a relatively straight swath."
This is what a derecho looks like in real life:
Definitely a scary looking storm.
Although derechos are not unheard of, they are not an everyday occurrence, either. See this frequency map from NOAA. Yesterday's derecho occurred in exactly the place they most likely occur, "along the "Corn Belt" from the upper Mississippi Valley southeast into the Ohio Valley, and the other from the southern Plains northeast into the mid Mississippi Valley."
Yesterday's storms were damaging, especially to the people in Washington DC. This morning millions are without power, and in some cases, it will take multiple days to get them hooked up again. This is bad news, because the extreme heat is supposed to continue. Today's temps are predicted to be triple digit again. A dangerous situation for sure.
The weather has continually been outsized. I often talk about the language newscasters and meterologists use to describe what they are seeing. Increasingly since 2009 they use superlatives such as "greatest," "biggest", "most damaging". But even those top superlatives don't describe what is happening any more. The events keep topping themselves. They now say "Apocalyptic," "epic", "biblical," and "record breaking" or "historic."
The power of words diminishes the more you use one, and the term 'record-breaking', after a while doesn't mean much if records are being broken every day. And they are. Even the Guardian UK asked what is going on:
America in grip of fire and floods
"Natural disasters are wreaking havoc across the US, with the entire state of Florida on emergency flood watch - while, in Colorado, half of the country's entire firefighting force is battling massive blazes that have displaced thousands."
Floods? What floods? Tropical Storm Debby. Oh yes, that's right. Forgotten in the face of the Colorado wildfires, and then immediately after that, the extreme heat and then the derechos. Four disasters in one week, and the brain tries to maintain a sense of perspective, but it can't. Something has to give. Debby's devastating flooding is now relegated to the dustbin of old news, even though it happened just 5 days ago.
I wonder how quickly the plagues of Egypt happened, how long in between them they occurred. Maybe the first few started slowly but by the time the 7th, 8th, 9th plagues came they were overlapping.
Though these are not eschatalogical (end times) judgments per se, like the biblical plagues were, they seem pretty bad as it is. In reading newspaper articles about them, people often refer to the bible. Here is a quote from the Guardian article:
"Local Amanda Rice said: "It was just this God-awful orange glow. It was surreal. It honestly looked like hell was opening up."
This is from the Colorado Springs Gazette:
WALDO CANYON FIRE: Hell in the rearview mirror
"And there I sat in traffic. It’s a memory I’ll never forget. I teared up as I scanned the surrounding cars. Everywhere were children, scared and crying, their parents looking deathly afraid and, in my rearview mirror, a view of the gates of hell."
I want you to think about the heat wave. Here in North GA we had actual temps of 111 yesterday, though the predictions were for 105. Today the predictions are for 109 but I wonder how high the actual temps will be. They are saying that heat indexes (real feel) will be over 114. Yet it will get worse.
During the tribulation, one of the bowl judgments will be to heat up the earth so that people are literally scorched. "The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory." (Revelation 16:8-9).
Bu that time they know and understand that it is God making the crazy weather, not "mother Nature" or "global warning", because the verse says they curse Him. I wonder if it will be that He makes it so hot that asphalt and wood spontaneously combust...or if solar flares actually singe the earth itself...I don't know. But you can imagine the havoc in DC this morning with no electricity yet all this heat. People are going to die today if they can't get cool, it is just a fact. The elderly and the infants and sick will succumb in hot apartments where no air stirs and they can't seem to catch a breath. And yet the bible shows us how much worse it will get.
One thing is better. All this crazy weather activity seems to be making people whose hearts are not closed to Him think of Him. Twitter is the current iteration of vox populi, a Latin term literally meaning 'voice of the people.' Broadcasters use it, a man on the street kind of thing. What are the people saying? Well, this morning I woke up to find on the trending list, "Zechariah 14:9." I can't tell you how rare it is for biblical things to be trending. That means enough people have to be talking about a certain thing over all the world's twitter users, to make the subject one of the top ten of all the things that vox populi could be talking about. Almost always the trends list is stuffed with celebrity news, sports, and meaningless jokes.
Zechariah 14:9 says:
"And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one."
The saints know Jesus is coming soon. We are excited to see what He is doing in the world. Not that people are in pain, obviously, but that His name is on the lips of many, His glory and power are noticed, and that His word is repeated online between and among believers and non-believers alike. This 'crazy weather' isn't crazy. It is a controlled series of events from the Creator of weather, the Creator of the earth and all that is in it. He is telling us something. How many warnings will there be? Not many more, I fear. He has been patient with us, kind and generous. That period of warning will end and after the rapture, the judgments will begin.
I pray you are among the blessed who have already made Jesus your Lord and King. Repentance is the key. Repenting of your sins and appealing to the One Sacrifice who has the ability to forgive them is the way to heaven. The only way. For as the verse in Zechariah says, the LORD will be King over all the earth. Will you face Him as friend, or enemy? Repentence is the key.
---------------------------------
UPDATE #1 from the Weather Channel summarizing last night's storms:
We are awakening to reports of some severe weather here in the eastern US overnight.
"As storm reports continue to come in from the severe storms, meteorologists say the storm reports from this event are the 2nd highest reported in a single day in 2012. Millions are without power and travel has been impacted. AMTRAK service has been suspended from Washington D.C. to Philadelphia and Washington D.C to Baltimore due to downed trees and signal power. At least two have died from storm related injuries as of early Saturday morning."
-----------------------------
Original post:
Meteorologist Heather Brinkmann wrote, "Check out this radar composite of the derecho that went thru the Ohio Valley today"
This is what a derecho looks like in real life:
 |
| source |
 |
| Source NOAA |
Although derechos are not unheard of, they are not an everyday occurrence, either. See this frequency map from NOAA. Yesterday's derecho occurred in exactly the place they most likely occur, "along the "Corn Belt" from the upper Mississippi Valley southeast into the Ohio Valley, and the other from the southern Plains northeast into the mid Mississippi Valley."
 |
| Source NOAA |
The weather has continually been outsized. I often talk about the language newscasters and meterologists use to describe what they are seeing. Increasingly since 2009 they use superlatives such as "greatest," "biggest", "most damaging". But even those top superlatives don't describe what is happening any more. The events keep topping themselves. They now say "Apocalyptic," "epic", "biblical," and "record breaking" or "historic."
The power of words diminishes the more you use one, and the term 'record-breaking', after a while doesn't mean much if records are being broken every day. And they are. Even the Guardian UK asked what is going on:
America in grip of fire and floods
"Natural disasters are wreaking havoc across the US, with the entire state of Florida on emergency flood watch - while, in Colorado, half of the country's entire firefighting force is battling massive blazes that have displaced thousands."
Floods? What floods? Tropical Storm Debby. Oh yes, that's right. Forgotten in the face of the Colorado wildfires, and then immediately after that, the extreme heat and then the derechos. Four disasters in one week, and the brain tries to maintain a sense of perspective, but it can't. Something has to give. Debby's devastating flooding is now relegated to the dustbin of old news, even though it happened just 5 days ago.
I wonder how quickly the plagues of Egypt happened, how long in between them they occurred. Maybe the first few started slowly but by the time the 7th, 8th, 9th plagues came they were overlapping.
Though these are not eschatalogical (end times) judgments per se, like the biblical plagues were, they seem pretty bad as it is. In reading newspaper articles about them, people often refer to the bible. Here is a quote from the Guardian article:
"Local Amanda Rice said: "It was just this God-awful orange glow. It was surreal. It honestly looked like hell was opening up."
This is from the Colorado Springs Gazette:
WALDO CANYON FIRE: Hell in the rearview mirror
I want you to think about the heat wave. Here in North GA we had actual temps of 111 yesterday, though the predictions were for 105. Today the predictions are for 109 but I wonder how high the actual temps will be. They are saying that heat indexes (real feel) will be over 114. Yet it will get worse.
During the tribulation, one of the bowl judgments will be to heat up the earth so that people are literally scorched. "The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory." (Revelation 16:8-9).
Bu that time they know and understand that it is God making the crazy weather, not "mother Nature" or "global warning", because the verse says they curse Him. I wonder if it will be that He makes it so hot that asphalt and wood spontaneously combust...or if solar flares actually singe the earth itself...I don't know. But you can imagine the havoc in DC this morning with no electricity yet all this heat. People are going to die today if they can't get cool, it is just a fact. The elderly and the infants and sick will succumb in hot apartments where no air stirs and they can't seem to catch a breath. And yet the bible shows us how much worse it will get.
One thing is better. All this crazy weather activity seems to be making people whose hearts are not closed to Him think of Him. Twitter is the current iteration of vox populi, a Latin term literally meaning 'voice of the people.' Broadcasters use it, a man on the street kind of thing. What are the people saying? Well, this morning I woke up to find on the trending list, "Zechariah 14:9." I can't tell you how rare it is for biblical things to be trending. That means enough people have to be talking about a certain thing over all the world's twitter users, to make the subject one of the top ten of all the things that vox populi could be talking about. Almost always the trends list is stuffed with celebrity news, sports, and meaningless jokes.
Zechariah 14:9 says:
"And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one."
The saints know Jesus is coming soon. We are excited to see what He is doing in the world. Not that people are in pain, obviously, but that His name is on the lips of many, His glory and power are noticed, and that His word is repeated online between and among believers and non-believers alike. This 'crazy weather' isn't crazy. It is a controlled series of events from the Creator of weather, the Creator of the earth and all that is in it. He is telling us something. How many warnings will there be? Not many more, I fear. He has been patient with us, kind and generous. That period of warning will end and after the rapture, the judgments will begin.
I pray you are among the blessed who have already made Jesus your Lord and King. Repentance is the key. Repenting of your sins and appealing to the One Sacrifice who has the ability to forgive them is the way to heaven. The only way. For as the verse in Zechariah says, the LORD will be King over all the earth. Will you face Him as friend, or enemy? Repentence is the key.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Strange Sound Reported in San Diego
The sound was felt or heard in all corners of San Diego County
"Residents from Chula Vista to Oceanside are reporting a large rumble around 12:45 p.m. Friday. Some people describe it as sounding like a door slamming while others said it was strong enough to rattle windows. A check of the U.S. Geological Survey website shows no earthquake activity. One San Diego resident mentioned the sound via Twitter "Uh... La Jolla just shook. Or at least my street did. Big boom too." Sometimes, a military exercise known as chaff can cause a similar sound. On Friday, however, Tina Stall with the National Weather Service said there was no visible chaff in the area at the time the noise was reported. A spokesperson from Camp Pendleton said Marines are not training with anything unusual. They often train with various military equipment and will be training with tanks both Saturday and Sunday." (more at source)
I think this is the first time that these worldwide sounds, heard in Russia, Ukraine, Canada, etc have been heard and documented so thoroughly over such a major metropolitan area in the US. People have been calling the strange sound "Sounds of the Apocalypse." I don't know if these sounds are a progressive fulfillment of the following verse, but it certainly gives one pause for thought with all the other historic, apocalyptic, and unusual things happening today on earth. Even the UK Daily Telegraph noted, "America in grip of fire and floods"
"A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 25:31).
Please continue to be in prayer for missionaries, the lost, and the weakening of faith and of strength. The LORD made this promise to Israel but He also will do the same for his Bride:
The Ransomed Shall Return
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
Isaiah 35:1-4
"Residents from Chula Vista to Oceanside are reporting a large rumble around 12:45 p.m. Friday. Some people describe it as sounding like a door slamming while others said it was strong enough to rattle windows. A check of the U.S. Geological Survey website shows no earthquake activity. One San Diego resident mentioned the sound via Twitter "Uh... La Jolla just shook. Or at least my street did. Big boom too." Sometimes, a military exercise known as chaff can cause a similar sound. On Friday, however, Tina Stall with the National Weather Service said there was no visible chaff in the area at the time the noise was reported. A spokesperson from Camp Pendleton said Marines are not training with anything unusual. They often train with various military equipment and will be training with tanks both Saturday and Sunday." (more at source)
I think this is the first time that these worldwide sounds, heard in Russia, Ukraine, Canada, etc have been heard and documented so thoroughly over such a major metropolitan area in the US. People have been calling the strange sound "Sounds of the Apocalypse." I don't know if these sounds are a progressive fulfillment of the following verse, but it certainly gives one pause for thought with all the other historic, apocalyptic, and unusual things happening today on earth. Even the UK Daily Telegraph noted, "America in grip of fire and floods"
"A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 25:31).
Please continue to be in prayer for missionaries, the lost, and the weakening of faith and of strength. The LORD made this promise to Israel but He also will do the same for his Bride:
The Ransomed Shall Return
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
Isaiah 35:1-4
Stunning Map Reveals World's Earthquakes Since 1898
click to enlarge
"If you've ever wondered where — and why — earthquakes happen the most, look no further than a new map, which plots more than a century's worth of nearly every recorded earthquake strong enough to at least rattle the bookshelves. The map shows earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or greater since 1898; each is marked in a lightning-bug hue that glows brighter with increasing magnitude. The overall effect is both beautiful and arresting, revealing the silhouettes of Earth's tectonic boundaries in stark, luminous swarms of color. the project offered several surprises. "First, I was surprised by the sheer amount of earthquakes that have been recorded," Nelson told OurAmazingPlanet. "It's almost like you could walk from Seattle to Wellington [New Zealand] if these things were floating in the ocean, and I wouldn't have expected that." In all, 203,186 earthquakes are marked on the map, which is current through 2003. ... here are undoubtedly many earthquakes missing, given the dramatic change in scope and accuracy of seismological instruments from 1898 to the present day. Nelson said he saw a huge jump in the volume of data from the 1960s forward." [emphasis mine]
For more go here
It brings the verse from Isaiah home even more, doesn't it?
"The earth is utterly broken,the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man;it sways like a hut;its transgression lies heavy upon it,and it falls, and will not rise again.' (Isaiah 24:19-20)
"If you've ever wondered where — and why — earthquakes happen the most, look no further than a new map, which plots more than a century's worth of nearly every recorded earthquake strong enough to at least rattle the bookshelves. The map shows earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or greater since 1898; each is marked in a lightning-bug hue that glows brighter with increasing magnitude. The overall effect is both beautiful and arresting, revealing the silhouettes of Earth's tectonic boundaries in stark, luminous swarms of color. the project offered several surprises. "First, I was surprised by the sheer amount of earthquakes that have been recorded," Nelson told OurAmazingPlanet. "It's almost like you could walk from Seattle to Wellington [New Zealand] if these things were floating in the ocean, and I wouldn't have expected that." In all, 203,186 earthquakes are marked on the map, which is current through 2003. ... here are undoubtedly many earthquakes missing, given the dramatic change in scope and accuracy of seismological instruments from 1898 to the present day. Nelson said he saw a huge jump in the volume of data from the 1960s forward." [emphasis mine]
For more go here
It brings the verse from Isaiah home even more, doesn't it?
"The earth is utterly broken,the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man;it sways like a hut;its transgression lies heavy upon it,and it falls, and will not rise again.' (Isaiah 24:19-20)
Egyptian President Mursi speaks in Tahrir Square
Mr Mursi will be sworn in tomorrow, Saturday, June 30, 2012. In advance of the event he made a speech today from Tahrir Square.
Well attended would be an understatement.
Obama made a speech in Berlin in 2008.
It was also well-attended. Today, Mursi has become the new Obama.
The world looks to a savior...when they already have one.
Obama made a speech in Berlin in 2008.
The world looks to a savior...when they already have one.
I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. (John 5:43)
What is all this "favor of God" talk really about?
Do we really have as much favor from God as some preachers say we do? What is all this "favor" anyway?
Interview with Joel Osteen:
Q. You talk about God’s favor a lot. What is God's favor?
A. "There are so many people who don’t expect anything good in life. They don’t expect to get breaks, they don’t expect to get promoted, they don’t expect anything positive. So I just try to get people to say, I believe if we expect God’s favor, if we declare it, if we thank him when we do see good things happening, then we’re going to see more of that." ~Joel Osteen
No it's not. Favor of God is His grace upon us, unmerited. "Grace is free sovereign favor to the ill-deserving.” -Benjamin B. Warfield
It all depends on what one means by "good things." I certainly don't expect good things in life from God on the basis of my sparkling personality or because of the supposed favor I did Him by becoming a believer. Not this life...compared to the next. And yet, I DO expect good things. The Holy Spirit has already deposited Himself in me as a guarantee of my inheritance. That's a good thing! Then He dispensed spiritual gifts as He willed. That's a good thing! He has been growing me in sanctification in ever more Christ-likeness. That's a good thing!
Mr Osteen makes the implication, both overtly and covertly, that your Christianity isn't doing you any good unless you are receiving earthly, material things, and getting "breaks".
In this painful but uplifting story out of Egypt, we learn the hopes and fears of the Christians there in the face of increasing violence and hatred toward them. "The service ends with the Lord's Prayer and instructions for members to exit through the church's back entrance--tear gas is in the air in front. A short time later, a wailing ambulance arrives, delivering six young men. One clutches his wrist; another reveals a back peppered with birdshot. Another will probably lose his eye. The following night, the violence touches the church family. A KDEC teenager is shot near Tahrir. News spreads that someone kidnapped the daughter of a church member. Another member is found dead, murdered on his way home from the airport."
Where are their breaks?? Yet they already know they have their "good things." And they act accordingly. The article continues: "We [converts] could be the first people to be killed," said the activist, who asked for anonymity. "We are the rust in Islam that is corroding the walls. We are the threat." But rather than seeking the first opportunity to leave Egypt, he and others like him choose to stay and exert influence behind the scenes. "Doctors stay in medicine; politicians stay in politics; advocates stay in advocacy," he said. "The salt put in warehouses will just go stale. The salt needs to be in the food."
It all depends on what a person expects is a "good thing." The Egyptian Christians are hoping that if it is appointed for them to die, that they die for His name being uplifted and that hope enter the hearts of the killers. In Mr Osteen's theology, Christians should hope to get a good parking space at the mall. Is the 'good thing' Christ oriented, or me-oriented? The way 'favor' is being used by the prosperity Gospelites are that the things we receive are an identifying confirmation that we who possess many earthly riches have more favor with God than the next person, who doesn't possess as many.
For Mr Jentezen, his definition is: "Favor means God has called u to the front of the line! It's your turn. Your [sic] next!" ~ Jentezen Franklin- Twitter
Favor means that I cut ahead of other, sanctified, holy saints to the front of the line? Why would I want to do that? And what line? There's a line? What happens when I get there? Anyway, didn't God say, "So the last will be first, and the first last" ? (Matthew 20:16a). Maybe the head of the line is not good, ha ha. Also, doesn't He love us equally, without favor? As He said to the man in the parable who complained of the ones coming into the vineyard at the last hour, who received the same pay, "I wish to give to this last man the same as to you."
Sort of along the same lines at the man in the parable complaining he'd worked all day and the last guy got the same pay, is this question asked and answered at Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry:
"Why does God hear and answer prayers for some and not others even though they live for Him?" At the end of the good essay (I recommend reading it at their site)
"What is the point of doing good then, if not to gain God’s favor? There is every reason in the world to do good! We do get God’s favor, not because He owes it to us, but because when we do good, we are operating according to God’s design for us, and we benefit from this in more lasting ways. We actually get more of God Himself when we follow Him. He is the source of all good."
Therefore, why do I need 'breaks,' when I already possess the universe's greatest break of all? Why isn't that good enough for the positive confession, name it claim it, blab it and grab it people?
The grace of God IS the favor (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). "That is to say those of us who know God through faith in Jesus Christ are the recipients of the out-pouring of God's continual blessing and favor." MacArthur
But what of passages like this in the bible, you say:
"And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men." (1 Samuel 2:26). Barnes notes explains, "The child Samuel advanced and grew and was good (or acceptable), both with the Lord, and also with men." The word 'favor' translated means 'good, acceptable'. Not that you receive extra special things according to your works.
What of Naphtali's favor? "Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the LORD and is full of his blessing; he will inherit southward to the lake." (Deuteronomy 33:23).
Though it is a different Hebrew word than used in the Samuel verse it means the same thing, "acceptable to the Lord, pleasing, good."
What about Mary? Wasn't she 'highly favored'? "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. (Luke 1:26-28). J. Vernon McGee wrote, "There is a tendency among Protestants to play down the role of Mary, but this tells us that she was highly favored. In the same breath, however, let me say that she was blessed among women, not above women. She is not lifted above women; she lifted up womanhood."
"One thing is clear: while Americans universally want God’s favor, as a whole, they do not want God." (source, John MacArthur above)
What are really asking when we say we "want God's favor"? Is it that we crave His blessings upon us spiritually, as we continually repent of our sins and seek His face, walking in His statutes? No. It is favor upon us personally, as Osteen said, to get breaks, a good parking space at the mall, and a promotion. These kinds of favors are man-sized favors, temporal and earthly, desired by people who live in the flesh. (Mt 6:19)
We should desire the God-sized favor, which means grace on earth and, stored up in heaven. (Mt. 6:20). "Do not exhaust your strength and spend your days in providing for the life here, but let your chief anxiety be to be prepared for eternity...To regulate the heart, it is therefore important that the treasure, or object of attachment, should be right." (Barnes Notes). [Illustration, "On hoarding treasures." Artist unknown. 1593.]
"Freedom, as expressed in Galatians, refers to freedom from the frustrating struggle to keep the law to gain God's favor. It is the freedom of knowing you are accepted by God because of what Christ has done. Such freedom is a tremendous kind of freedom, but it is more than just a deliverance from the oppression of legalism; it is also a positive endowment. When a Christian lives in the flesh, he forfeits the blessing he would receive if he were living in the Spirit. A Christian can live in the flesh, hoping to earn God's favor, but that only cuts him off from the flow of daily blessing." (source)
Maybe the positive confession, favor-seeking pastors and teachers should just read Colossians!
"Positionally, you cannot increase or decrease in the favor of God. As a genuine Christian, nothing you do, or fail to do, can change to the slightest degree your perfect standing before God--for "in Him you have been made complete" (Colossians 2:10). (source)
Q. You talk about God’s favor a lot. What is God's favor?
A. "There are so many people who don’t expect anything good in life. They don’t expect to get breaks, they don’t expect to get promoted, they don’t expect anything positive. So I just try to get people to say, I believe if we expect God’s favor, if we declare it, if we thank him when we do see good things happening, then we’re going to see more of that." ~Joel Osteen
No it's not. Favor of God is His grace upon us, unmerited. "Grace is free sovereign favor to the ill-deserving.” -Benjamin B. Warfield
It all depends on what one means by "good things." I certainly don't expect good things in life from God on the basis of my sparkling personality or because of the supposed favor I did Him by becoming a believer. Not this life...compared to the next. And yet, I DO expect good things. The Holy Spirit has already deposited Himself in me as a guarantee of my inheritance. That's a good thing! Then He dispensed spiritual gifts as He willed. That's a good thing! He has been growing me in sanctification in ever more Christ-likeness. That's a good thing!
Mr Osteen makes the implication, both overtly and covertly, that your Christianity isn't doing you any good unless you are receiving earthly, material things, and getting "breaks".
In this painful but uplifting story out of Egypt, we learn the hopes and fears of the Christians there in the face of increasing violence and hatred toward them. "The service ends with the Lord's Prayer and instructions for members to exit through the church's back entrance--tear gas is in the air in front. A short time later, a wailing ambulance arrives, delivering six young men. One clutches his wrist; another reveals a back peppered with birdshot. Another will probably lose his eye. The following night, the violence touches the church family. A KDEC teenager is shot near Tahrir. News spreads that someone kidnapped the daughter of a church member. Another member is found dead, murdered on his way home from the airport."
Where are their breaks?? Yet they already know they have their "good things." And they act accordingly. The article continues: "We [converts] could be the first people to be killed," said the activist, who asked for anonymity. "We are the rust in Islam that is corroding the walls. We are the threat." But rather than seeking the first opportunity to leave Egypt, he and others like him choose to stay and exert influence behind the scenes. "Doctors stay in medicine; politicians stay in politics; advocates stay in advocacy," he said. "The salt put in warehouses will just go stale. The salt needs to be in the food."
It all depends on what a person expects is a "good thing." The Egyptian Christians are hoping that if it is appointed for them to die, that they die for His name being uplifted and that hope enter the hearts of the killers. In Mr Osteen's theology, Christians should hope to get a good parking space at the mall. Is the 'good thing' Christ oriented, or me-oriented? The way 'favor' is being used by the prosperity Gospelites are that the things we receive are an identifying confirmation that we who possess many earthly riches have more favor with God than the next person, who doesn't possess as many.
Favor means that I cut ahead of other, sanctified, holy saints to the front of the line? Why would I want to do that? And what line? There's a line? What happens when I get there? Anyway, didn't God say, "So the last will be first, and the first last" ? (Matthew 20:16a). Maybe the head of the line is not good, ha ha. Also, doesn't He love us equally, without favor? As He said to the man in the parable who complained of the ones coming into the vineyard at the last hour, who received the same pay, "I wish to give to this last man the same as to you."
Sort of along the same lines at the man in the parable complaining he'd worked all day and the last guy got the same pay, is this question asked and answered at Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry:
"Why does God hear and answer prayers for some and not others even though they live for Him?" At the end of the good essay (I recommend reading it at their site)
"What is the point of doing good then, if not to gain God’s favor? There is every reason in the world to do good! We do get God’s favor, not because He owes it to us, but because when we do good, we are operating according to God’s design for us, and we benefit from this in more lasting ways. We actually get more of God Himself when we follow Him. He is the source of all good."
Therefore, why do I need 'breaks,' when I already possess the universe's greatest break of all? Why isn't that good enough for the positive confession, name it claim it, blab it and grab it people?
 |
| An acrostic! |
But what of passages like this in the bible, you say:
"And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men." (1 Samuel 2:26). Barnes notes explains, "The child Samuel advanced and grew and was good (or acceptable), both with the Lord, and also with men." The word 'favor' translated means 'good, acceptable'. Not that you receive extra special things according to your works.
What of Naphtali's favor? "Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the LORD and is full of his blessing; he will inherit southward to the lake." (Deuteronomy 33:23).
Though it is a different Hebrew word than used in the Samuel verse it means the same thing, "acceptable to the Lord, pleasing, good."
What about Mary? Wasn't she 'highly favored'? "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. (Luke 1:26-28). J. Vernon McGee wrote, "There is a tendency among Protestants to play down the role of Mary, but this tells us that she was highly favored. In the same breath, however, let me say that she was blessed among women, not above women. She is not lifted above women; she lifted up womanhood."
"One thing is clear: while Americans universally want God’s favor, as a whole, they do not want God." (source, John MacArthur above)
We should desire the God-sized favor, which means grace on earth and, stored up in heaven. (Mt. 6:20). "Do not exhaust your strength and spend your days in providing for the life here, but let your chief anxiety be to be prepared for eternity...To regulate the heart, it is therefore important that the treasure, or object of attachment, should be right." (Barnes Notes). [Illustration, "On hoarding treasures." Artist unknown. 1593.]
"Freedom, as expressed in Galatians, refers to freedom from the frustrating struggle to keep the law to gain God's favor. It is the freedom of knowing you are accepted by God because of what Christ has done. Such freedom is a tremendous kind of freedom, but it is more than just a deliverance from the oppression of legalism; it is also a positive endowment. When a Christian lives in the flesh, he forfeits the blessing he would receive if he were living in the Spirit. A Christian can live in the flesh, hoping to earn God's favor, but that only cuts him off from the flow of daily blessing." (source)
Maybe the positive confession, favor-seeking pastors and teachers should just read Colossians!
"Positionally, you cannot increase or decrease in the favor of God. As a genuine Christian, nothing you do, or fail to do, can change to the slightest degree your perfect standing before God--for "in Him you have been made complete" (Colossians 2:10). (source)
Thursday, June 28, 2012
How do you respond to an atheist?
One Minute Apologist and Dr Edwin Lutzer. Question: How do you respond to atheists? Answer:
"Puffs of smoke..." The Word of God surely lives, doesn't it!
"Puffs of smoke..." The Word of God surely lives, doesn't it!
El Hierro island bulges, plus other news
The following is from a still of a Youtube video made of the storm in Ireland today. They happened to be videotaping when one of the many lightning strikes hit the bridge.
Sferic map showing a lot of lightning strikes over many parts of the north and northwest at the moment. Irish Weather Online
Irish Weather Online- Flooding in Douglas, Cork. Image Eddie OHare
Waldo Canyon Wildfire, CO, described as 'epic', 'catastrophic', vicious' (photo source). In my opinion disasters of this scale will only increase, but what's epic is my heartbreak for so many people's losses.
Does it seem like wildfires are increasing? If it seems that way to you, it is because they are. "Thousands of wildfires raged across the United States last year, 2011, burning a record amount of land, especially in the southern U.S. In fact, 2011 the third-most-active fire season since 1960 (when this record-keeping began) with respect to acres burned"
A late-June heat wave continues to rewrite the record books in the Rockies and Plains.
The heat is headed east, and we in GA and other areas up to the northern Mid Atlantic States will receive this dangerous heat tomorrow.
We need the rain here in GA and other parts of the south, but poor old Florida got way too much from Tropical Storm Debby. Here, a Nassau County FL bridge has been washed away. The cleanup begins.
Betty Crocker endorses homosexual marriage
So Betty, (above) endorses this, (below)
You note that the above promotional poster is a deviant take on the Last Supper of Christ. The illustration depicts a homosexual, naked Jesus presiding over a table filled not with bread and wine, but sex toys.
Oh, Betty. Our clean and wholesome American Icons are continually being deluded and increasingly accepting that which is abominable to God.
Oreo fell to satan's deception, too:
Kraft Foods has posted a beautiful gleaming color picture of an Oreo stacked with six different layers of brilliantly colored filling. They form a rainbow, which in this case is a symbolic statement of Oreo's solidarity with the Gay Pride movement, covering gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons.
Newly elected president Morsi says the "Koran is our constitution, Prophet Mohammed is our leader, and jihad is our path, in this chilling speech
A Turkish military truck transports a mobile missile launcher to the Syrian border, near Kilis, Turkey, Thursday, June 28, 2012. (AP Photo). Turkey is furious with Syria's downing of their jet.
In addition to looming retaliation from Turkey, Damascus has its own internal problems. A duo of powerful bombs went off today in Syria's capital city, in front of the Palace of Justice.
Volcanic activity continues. El Hierro in the Canary Islands was again raised to Yellow.
"The most interesting volcano-related event at the moment is certainly the seismic crisis on El Hierro where the high-intensity earthquake swarm accompanied by tremor episodes continues. The quakes, still at "safe" 20 km depth, have now migrated to the El Julan coast where magma could be accumulating. This Spanish media reports the island has elevated itself 2 inches in 4 days-
With even more spectacular undersea eruptions continuing apace also, El Mundo reports.
"Mt Siple volcano in Antarctica might have become active and produced a steam plume recently detected on satellite imagery." 'Might have become active...' aren't we hearing that more often these days?
So that is a news roundup for you.It is only a slight bit, there is so much more going on int he world than one can possibly show even a representative window into. But the most important news is...
Jesus is in TOTAL CONTROL of it all, and He coming soon! Are you looking for Him? Do you know Him? Here is what it is all about if you don't know: The simple, concise explanation of the Gospel.
Sferic map showing a lot of lightning strikes over many parts of the north and northwest at the moment. Irish Weather Online
Irish Weather Online- Flooding in Douglas, Cork. Image Eddie OHare
Waldo Canyon Wildfire, CO, described as 'epic', 'catastrophic', vicious' (photo source). In my opinion disasters of this scale will only increase, but what's epic is my heartbreak for so many people's losses.
Does it seem like wildfires are increasing? If it seems that way to you, it is because they are. "Thousands of wildfires raged across the United States last year, 2011, burning a record amount of land, especially in the southern U.S. In fact, 2011 the third-most-active fire season since 1960 (when this record-keeping began) with respect to acres burned"
A late-June heat wave continues to rewrite the record books in the Rockies and Plains.
The heat is headed east, and we in GA and other areas up to the northern Mid Atlantic States will receive this dangerous heat tomorrow.
We need the rain here in GA and other parts of the south, but poor old Florida got way too much from Tropical Storm Debby. Here, a Nassau County FL bridge has been washed away. The cleanup begins.
Betty Crocker endorses homosexual marriage
 |
| source |
You note that the above promotional poster is a deviant take on the Last Supper of Christ. The illustration depicts a homosexual, naked Jesus presiding over a table filled not with bread and wine, but sex toys.
Oh, Betty. Our clean and wholesome American Icons are continually being deluded and increasingly accepting that which is abominable to God.
Oreo fell to satan's deception, too:
Kraft Foods has posted a beautiful gleaming color picture of an Oreo stacked with six different layers of brilliantly colored filling. They form a rainbow, which in this case is a symbolic statement of Oreo's solidarity with the Gay Pride movement, covering gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons.
Newly elected president Morsi says the "Koran is our constitution, Prophet Mohammed is our leader, and jihad is our path, in this chilling speech
A Turkish military truck transports a mobile missile launcher to the Syrian border, near Kilis, Turkey, Thursday, June 28, 2012. (AP Photo). Turkey is furious with Syria's downing of their jet.
In addition to looming retaliation from Turkey, Damascus has its own internal problems. A duo of powerful bombs went off today in Syria's capital city, in front of the Palace of Justice.
Volcanic activity continues. El Hierro in the Canary Islands was again raised to Yellow.
"The most interesting volcano-related event at the moment is certainly the seismic crisis on El Hierro where the high-intensity earthquake swarm accompanied by tremor episodes continues. The quakes, still at "safe" 20 km depth, have now migrated to the El Julan coast where magma could be accumulating. This Spanish media reports the island has elevated itself 2 inches in 4 days-
With even more spectacular undersea eruptions continuing apace also, El Mundo reports.
"Mt Siple volcano in Antarctica might have become active and produced a steam plume recently detected on satellite imagery." 'Might have become active...' aren't we hearing that more often these days?
So that is a news roundup for you.It is only a slight bit, there is so much more going on int he world than one can possibly show even a representative window into. But the most important news is...
Jesus is in TOTAL CONTROL of it all, and He coming soon! Are you looking for Him? Do you know Him? Here is what it is all about if you don't know: The simple, concise explanation of the Gospel.
Let the Word refresh you in troublous times
Today already has been a crazy day. Joel Rosenberg simply said, "SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS SOCIALIZED MEDICINE: Implosion more likely." America took a treasonous blow, thanks to SCOTUS and the failure to see the Obamacare bill for what it is, Colorado is charred in catastrophic fires, dangerous heat waves are affecting millions, and in the Philippines tropical storm Doksuri, AKA the Giant Eyeball of Death, is blowing up to a deep convection never before seen by trackers.
America is scorched and burning. America's President welcomes the Egyptian Jihadist, caliphate-seeking enemy of Israel to power. Are the two related? I believe indisputably! Things are only going to get worse from here.
Sometimes when the world is going crazy, the best thing to do is simply read some scripture. Feed on it, be bathed in its refreshing waters of truth, let it wash over you and calm your spirit. On days like this, when there is so much calamity, I just read. It is different than studying, or searching, or listening, or skimming. I just read His word and He restores me to equilibrium.
"As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." (Proverbs 25:25) Let His word wash over you as cold water, refreshing you in good news!
I found John 15:1-11 and its parallel passages in Isaiah 5 to be my refreshment. How about you?
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."
America is scorched and burning. America's President welcomes the Egyptian Jihadist, caliphate-seeking enemy of Israel to power. Are the two related? I believe indisputably! Things are only going to get worse from here.
Sometimes when the world is going crazy, the best thing to do is simply read some scripture. Feed on it, be bathed in its refreshing waters of truth, let it wash over you and calm your spirit. On days like this, when there is so much calamity, I just read. It is different than studying, or searching, or listening, or skimming. I just read His word and He restores me to equilibrium.
"As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." (Proverbs 25:25) Let His word wash over you as cold water, refreshing you in good news!
I found John 15:1-11 and its parallel passages in Isaiah 5 to be my refreshment. How about you?
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Editorials in Major Newspapers increasingly point to prophecy
Israel National News: Jerusalem the Immovable Rock
"The call of the world at this time then, is the attempt to lift this 'Immovable rock', but in return, to only find that the word of G-d is the unshakeable truth. All who burden themselves with pressuring Israel in changing what G-d has said in His word concerning Jerusalem, will find themselves facing nothing less than G-d's judgment. Jerusalem will be a cup of trembling to the surrounding nations attempting to take it over from Israel; the June,1967 'Six Day War is an example of the supernatural protection around this Holy Land. His word is faithful and true.'
Uganda The Observer: Are we seeing a prophecy on Damascus?
"Around 720 BC Isaiah prophesied that in the fullness of time (end times), Damascus, the Syrian capital, would cease to be a city and become a ruinous and useless heap of rubble. In the wake of the wider Arab Spring – a wave of upheaval throughout the Arab world – are we really going to see the fulfilment of this damning prophecy in our lifetime?"
" In Isaiah 17:1–3 the Bible declares: “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city. And it will be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken. They will be for flocks which lie down and no one will make them afraid. The fortress also will cease from Ephraim, the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria. They will be as the glory of the children of Israel.” Whether in our lifetime or not, these words will surely come to pass because they were declared by God Almighty'. ... What is the key message in all this? In Matthew 24, our Lord Jesus said that during the end times, there would be famines (brought about by economic hardships), wars and rumours of wars, earthquakes, etc."
"Exactly what is happening now. He also said that nobody would know the day or hour (Matthew 24:36), but we would see the signs. For those with casual relationships with God Almighty, it is high time you repented (Acts 3:19, Jeremiah 2:13), asked for God’s forgiveness and began living a Christ-centred life. Time is really short and all of us will stand before God to give an account of our deeds, words and thoughts."
EPIC FIRES IN COLORADO: Is God using natural disasters to get our attention?
'Catastrophic. Epic. Historic. Apocalyptic. Is it possible God is using natural disasters to get our attention? As I write in Implosion, “Natural disasters continue unfolding one after another here in the at home and around the world as they always have. But have you stopped to notice that so many recently are described as ‘historic’ and ‘unprecedented?’
"Thousands of years ago, God told the Hebrew prophet Haggai to write down these words: “For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. I will shake all the nations. . . . I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations’” (Haggai 2:6-7, 21-22). This is Bible prophecy. This is an intercept from the mind of the all-knowing, all-seeing God of the universe. It is a weather report from the future, if you will, a storm warning. It was given to us so that we would be awake and ready and faithful and walking close to Jesus when the tempests come. God told us well in advance that he was going to “shake all the nations.” That certainly includes the United States."
Assyrian International News Agency (AINA) The Fight for Egypt's Future
"To see how Egypt's revolution has changed the lives of its 8 million Copts (Egyptian Christians), walk one block from its epicenter: Tahrir Square. Pass between the effigies hanging from street lamps, past the ramshackle tents of demonstrators, and turn right at the graffiti-covered concrete blocks barricading the newly elected parliament and loathed police headquarters. Here sits the largest evangelical Arabic-speaking church in the world--6,000-member Kasr El Dobara (KDEC)."
"The sturdy white sanctuary, lined with tall stained-glass windows depicting New Testament stories of Jesus, is half full on the Sunday evening before the first anniversary of military dictator Hosni Mubarak's February 11 downfall. Attendance is low. Four days earlier, more than 70 soccer fans were massacred in the coastal city of Port Said. A short distance away, angry demonstrators clash with police. ... Are Christians fleeing Egypt? Some, yes. Nearly every church can name a family that has emigrated. Many more families desire to follow suit but cannot. But the closer one looks, an irony emerges. Coptic leaders report that a significant number of Christians, especially in rural or poor communities, do fear the future. But many of the most ardently Christian--former Muslims who now follow Christ and have the most to lose under an Islamist government--are the most eager to stay. They hold to their love of country--and to their belief in God's promise in Isaiah 19: "Blessed be Egypt my people." But rather than seeking the first opportunity to leave Egypt, he and others like him choose to stay and exert influence behind the scenes. "Doctors stay in medicine; politicians stay in politics; advocates stay in advocacy," he said. "The salt put in warehouses will just go stale. The salt needs to be in the food."
1. God's word is true and more people are noticing the news lining up with the prophecies because of it
2. We're members of a local church (hopefully) but we are also members of a global church body that extends back to the 3000 saved at Pentecost and into the future when the Church Age ends. There are millions of Christians all over the world right now in pain, jail, torture or loss because of their witness for Christ. Please continue to remember our brethren, and that we are the member of the most glorious Bride of the Lamb, and we should each bear each other's burdens as members of that worldwide, and soon to be heaven-wide, church.
"The call of the world at this time then, is the attempt to lift this 'Immovable rock', but in return, to only find that the word of G-d is the unshakeable truth. All who burden themselves with pressuring Israel in changing what G-d has said in His word concerning Jerusalem, will find themselves facing nothing less than G-d's judgment. Jerusalem will be a cup of trembling to the surrounding nations attempting to take it over from Israel; the June,1967 'Six Day War is an example of the supernatural protection around this Holy Land. His word is faithful and true.'
Uganda The Observer: Are we seeing a prophecy on Damascus?
"Around 720 BC Isaiah prophesied that in the fullness of time (end times), Damascus, the Syrian capital, would cease to be a city and become a ruinous and useless heap of rubble. In the wake of the wider Arab Spring – a wave of upheaval throughout the Arab world – are we really going to see the fulfilment of this damning prophecy in our lifetime?"
" In Isaiah 17:1–3 the Bible declares: “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city. And it will be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken. They will be for flocks which lie down and no one will make them afraid. The fortress also will cease from Ephraim, the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria. They will be as the glory of the children of Israel.” Whether in our lifetime or not, these words will surely come to pass because they were declared by God Almighty'. ... What is the key message in all this? In Matthew 24, our Lord Jesus said that during the end times, there would be famines (brought about by economic hardships), wars and rumours of wars, earthquakes, etc."
"Exactly what is happening now. He also said that nobody would know the day or hour (Matthew 24:36), but we would see the signs. For those with casual relationships with God Almighty, it is high time you repented (Acts 3:19, Jeremiah 2:13), asked for God’s forgiveness and began living a Christ-centred life. Time is really short and all of us will stand before God to give an account of our deeds, words and thoughts."
EPIC FIRES IN COLORADO: Is God using natural disasters to get our attention?
'Catastrophic. Epic. Historic. Apocalyptic. Is it possible God is using natural disasters to get our attention? As I write in Implosion, “Natural disasters continue unfolding one after another here in the at home and around the world as they always have. But have you stopped to notice that so many recently are described as ‘historic’ and ‘unprecedented?’
"Thousands of years ago, God told the Hebrew prophet Haggai to write down these words: “For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. I will shake all the nations. . . . I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations’” (Haggai 2:6-7, 21-22). This is Bible prophecy. This is an intercept from the mind of the all-knowing, all-seeing God of the universe. It is a weather report from the future, if you will, a storm warning. It was given to us so that we would be awake and ready and faithful and walking close to Jesus when the tempests come. God told us well in advance that he was going to “shake all the nations.” That certainly includes the United States."
Assyrian International News Agency (AINA) The Fight for Egypt's Future
"To see how Egypt's revolution has changed the lives of its 8 million Copts (Egyptian Christians), walk one block from its epicenter: Tahrir Square. Pass between the effigies hanging from street lamps, past the ramshackle tents of demonstrators, and turn right at the graffiti-covered concrete blocks barricading the newly elected parliament and loathed police headquarters. Here sits the largest evangelical Arabic-speaking church in the world--6,000-member Kasr El Dobara (KDEC)."
"The sturdy white sanctuary, lined with tall stained-glass windows depicting New Testament stories of Jesus, is half full on the Sunday evening before the first anniversary of military dictator Hosni Mubarak's February 11 downfall. Attendance is low. Four days earlier, more than 70 soccer fans were massacred in the coastal city of Port Said. A short distance away, angry demonstrators clash with police. ... Are Christians fleeing Egypt? Some, yes. Nearly every church can name a family that has emigrated. Many more families desire to follow suit but cannot. But the closer one looks, an irony emerges. Coptic leaders report that a significant number of Christians, especially in rural or poor communities, do fear the future. But many of the most ardently Christian--former Muslims who now follow Christ and have the most to lose under an Islamist government--are the most eager to stay. They hold to their love of country--and to their belief in God's promise in Isaiah 19: "Blessed be Egypt my people." But rather than seeking the first opportunity to leave Egypt, he and others like him choose to stay and exert influence behind the scenes. "Doctors stay in medicine; politicians stay in politics; advocates stay in advocacy," he said. "The salt put in warehouses will just go stale. The salt needs to be in the food."
1. God's word is true and more people are noticing the news lining up with the prophecies because of it
2. We're members of a local church (hopefully) but we are also members of a global church body that extends back to the 3000 saved at Pentecost and into the future when the Church Age ends. There are millions of Christians all over the world right now in pain, jail, torture or loss because of their witness for Christ. Please continue to remember our brethren, and that we are the member of the most glorious Bride of the Lamb, and we should each bear each other's burdens as members of that worldwide, and soon to be heaven-wide, church.
You'd be surprised to see how many things are named after false gods...
Sometimes people have a hard time believing that satan is god of this world. (2 Corinthians 4:4). It doesn't mean satan is outside the sovereignty of God, or that he is equal to God. It just means that he has been given authority for a time to operate freely in influencing humans.
GotQuestions explains it this way: The verse means that it "is the major influence on the mind-set expressed by the ideals, opinions, goals, hopes and views of the majority of people. His areas of influence also encompass the world’s philosophies, education, and commerce. The thoughts, ideas, speculations and false religions of the world are under his control and have sprung from his lies and deceptions."
Since satan's original sin was pride, it is natural that he would want to see himself reflected in anything and everything. He wants to use the earth as a personal mirror, reflecting himself back to himself in as many human endeavors as possible. To this end, he has been fairly successful.
For example, the names for the days of the week originate from Roman, Greek, and Norse mythical false gods. Anything from an ancient myth from any culture is not from God but in fact is satan's attempt to create a false religion apart from God.
The days of the week are named after false gods in satan's image:
Sunday:The name comes from the Latin dies solis, meaning "sun's day": the name of a pagan Roman holiday honoring the sun god, whom Romans called Mithra and Apollo.
Monday: The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon monandaeg, "the moon's day". This second day was sacred to the goddess of the moon.
Tuesday:This day was named after the Norse god Tyr. The Romans named this day after their war-god Mars
Wednesday:The day named to honor Wodan (Odin). The Romans called it dies Mercurii, after their god Mercury.
Thursday:The day named after the Norse god Thor. In the Norse languages this day is called Torsdag. The Romans named this day dies Jovis ("Jove's Day"), after Jove or Jupiter, their most important god.
Friday:The day in honor of the Norse goddess Frigg. In Old High German this day was called frigedag. To the Romans this day was sacred to the goddess Venus, and was known as dies veneris.
Saturday:This day was called dies Saturni, "Saturn's Day", by the ancient Romans in honor of Saturn. In Anglo-Saxon: sater daeg.
The planets are named after Greek gods, corporations and technologies are named after characters and gods in myths (Delphi, Oracle, Amazon, Aetna, Ajax, Juno, Nike, Pandora radio), the elements on the periodic table are named after gods, (Mercury, vanadium (Vanadis) and thorium (Thor); titanium was named after the Greek Titans.
And now we have a new mineral that has been discovered. So what do they name it?
"The name of the titanium dioxide mineral, which has been approved by the International Mineralogical Association, honors Pan Gu, said in Chinese mythology to be the first living being who created the world by separating yin from yang (forming the earth and sky)."
It is amazing how satan has saturated all cultures with things that divert from the one True God. (Matthew 16:22-24). It's like the old subliminal advertising, subtly and not even consciously absorbing what satan wants you to absorb. As Christians operating in the power of the Holy Spirit we can see these ploys for what they are, and use our armor to ward off encroaching worldiness. But as a mental exercise, try to keep how many things in our world are named after false gods and you will be amazed at how long the list gets, very quickly.
God has all the power and the victory. He won and He will prevail at the end of days. Satan's day will end and he will be tossed into the lake of fire, there forever to be tormented for his sins. (Rev 19:20). In the meantime, let's continue praying for the people who are deluded into thinking that the false gods are real and the real God is not, and for revival of many hearts in these days of Noah.
GotQuestions explains it this way: The verse means that it "is the major influence on the mind-set expressed by the ideals, opinions, goals, hopes and views of the majority of people. His areas of influence also encompass the world’s philosophies, education, and commerce. The thoughts, ideas, speculations and false religions of the world are under his control and have sprung from his lies and deceptions."
Since satan's original sin was pride, it is natural that he would want to see himself reflected in anything and everything. He wants to use the earth as a personal mirror, reflecting himself back to himself in as many human endeavors as possible. To this end, he has been fairly successful.
For example, the names for the days of the week originate from Roman, Greek, and Norse mythical false gods. Anything from an ancient myth from any culture is not from God but in fact is satan's attempt to create a false religion apart from God.
The days of the week are named after false gods in satan's image:
 |
| Source |
Monday: The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon monandaeg, "the moon's day". This second day was sacred to the goddess of the moon.
Tuesday:This day was named after the Norse god Tyr. The Romans named this day after their war-god Mars
Wednesday:The day named to honor Wodan (Odin). The Romans called it dies Mercurii, after their god Mercury.
Thursday:The day named after the Norse god Thor. In the Norse languages this day is called Torsdag. The Romans named this day dies Jovis ("Jove's Day"), after Jove or Jupiter, their most important god.
Friday:The day in honor of the Norse goddess Frigg. In Old High German this day was called frigedag. To the Romans this day was sacred to the goddess Venus, and was known as dies veneris.
Saturday:This day was called dies Saturni, "Saturn's Day", by the ancient Romans in honor of Saturn. In Anglo-Saxon: sater daeg.
 |
| Mercury, planet and false god |
And now we have a new mineral that has been discovered. So what do they name it?
"The name of the titanium dioxide mineral, which has been approved by the International Mineralogical Association, honors Pan Gu, said in Chinese mythology to be the first living being who created the world by separating yin from yang (forming the earth and sky)."
It is amazing how satan has saturated all cultures with things that divert from the one True God. (Matthew 16:22-24). It's like the old subliminal advertising, subtly and not even consciously absorbing what satan wants you to absorb. As Christians operating in the power of the Holy Spirit we can see these ploys for what they are, and use our armor to ward off encroaching worldiness. But as a mental exercise, try to keep how many things in our world are named after false gods and you will be amazed at how long the list gets, very quickly.
God has all the power and the victory. He won and He will prevail at the end of days. Satan's day will end and he will be tossed into the lake of fire, there forever to be tormented for his sins. (Rev 19:20). In the meantime, let's continue praying for the people who are deluded into thinking that the false gods are real and the real God is not, and for revival of many hearts in these days of Noah.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Gaza truce immediately broken, 4 rockets fired, also, Bethlehem street named after Putin
June 17-22: More than 150 rockets fired from Gaza have struck southern Israel since the cross-border attacks began.
June 22:Hamas seeks truce with Israel
June 24: Netanyahu: Ready to Hit Gaza If Truce Broken
June 26: Rockets fired from Gaza hit Israel despite truce
Will Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu make good his threat to hit Gaza if the truce is broken?
News is breaking fast and furious. Syria declares it is in a state of war. Turkey is incensed and warns Syria to beware its wrath in return of downing their jet plane, and moves its tanks to Syrian border, Muslim Brotherhood representative won't speak to Israeli journalist, Putin is in Jordan with King Abdullah while a ceremony is held in Israel to name a street in Bethlehem after Putin...
June 22:Hamas seeks truce with Israel
June 24: Netanyahu: Ready to Hit Gaza If Truce Broken
June 26: Rockets fired from Gaza hit Israel despite truce
Will Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu make good his threat to hit Gaza if the truce is broken?
News is breaking fast and furious. Syria declares it is in a state of war. Turkey is incensed and warns Syria to beware its wrath in return of downing their jet plane, and moves its tanks to Syrian border, Muslim Brotherhood representative won't speak to Israeli journalist, Putin is in Jordan with King Abdullah while a ceremony is held in Israel to name a street in Bethlehem after Putin...
"Beware the Turkish wrath" and the pride of the rainbow cookie
Random headlines that stuck me today:
CULTURE
It isn't a coincidence that the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender and Transgender movement (LGBT) is that they chose "Pride" as their motto, clarion call, and founding principle. Wasn't that satan's main problem, too? (Isaiah 14:12-15)
OREO unveils rainbow-stuffed 'pride cookie'.
"America’s favorite cookie is stirring up more than milk today after Kraft Foods posted a gay pride Oreo on the cookie’s Facebook page. Oreo posted the photoshopped picture of an Oreo cookie stuffed with rainbow-colored layers of frosting Monday evening with the caption “Proudly support love!” Over the past 17 hours more than 157,000 people have “liked” the image, 40,000 people have shared it and 20,000 have commented on it."
What struck me about this story is that the man refused to move! Man vs. Bison. BISON ALWAYS WINS!
Bison Gores Man In Yellowstone Park, Throws Him 10 Feet In Air
"Officials in Yellowstone National Park say a Massachusetts man was gored by a bull bison that threw him 10 feet in the air and then pinned him to the ground. The man, who is in his mid-50s, suffered a broken collarbone, shoulder blade, several ribs and a groin injury in Saturday’s encounter near the Norris campground. He was airlifted to an Idaho Falls, Idaho hospital and is expected to recover. His name was not released. Park officials say the man was not taunting the animal, but let the bull approach within a few feet of where he was sitting and refused to move away.'
Is man just getting stupider? He certainly is not "evolving" ever higher. As a matter of fact, there's big news on the evolution front.
"Peer-Reviewed Paper Concludes that Darwinism "Has Pretty Much Reached the End of Its Rope"
"An interesting paper was recently published by David Depew and Bruce Weber in the journal Biological Theory. The paper bears the title "The Fate of Darwinism: Evolution After the Modern Synthesis." ... The second point of interest is the paper's claim that "Darwinism in its current scientific incarnation has pretty much reached the end of its rope."
CYBER
It isn't your grandfather's war any more. It's invisible, it's real, and it's devastating
Cyber criminals may have siphoned off 2 bn euros from 60 banks
"Cyber criminals may have attempted to siphon off anywhere between 60 million euros and 2 billion euros in fraudulent transfers from at least 60 banks globally, a McAfee and Guardian Analytics study today said. The study highlighted a highly sophisticated, multi- tiered, global financial fraud ring that is comprised of at least a dozen groups use active and passive automated transfer systems to steal high value amounts from high balance accounts."
World faces an ‘astonishing’ level of cyber threats:
"The West faces an "astonishing" threat of cyberattack and cyberespionage, the British spy chief said Monday. Thousands of hackers in underground, organized cybercrime networks are targeting businesses, universities and government data. And the threat isn't only from criminals. Government-sponsored cyber-spying is widespread is certain countries - China chief among them, ABC News reported. "The extent of what is going on is astonishing," said Jonathan Evans, director general of Britain's MI5, in a speech to financial executives in London Monday. It was his first public address in two years."
Al-Qaeda Trains Norway Islam Convert To Carry Out Terror Plots
"A Norwegian man has received terrorist training from al-Qaida's offshoot in Yemen and is awaiting orders to carry out an attack on the West, officials from three European security agencies told The Associated Press on Monday. Western intelligence officials have long feared such a scenario – a convert to Islam who is trained in terrorist methods and can blend in easily in Europe and the United States, traveling without visa restrictions."
MIDDLE EAST
Syria to get more arms from Russia soon-think-tank
"Russia is expected to deliver air defence systems, reconditioned helicopters and fighter jets to Syria this year worth nearly half a billion dollars despite international pressure to halt arms sales to Damascus."
Russia's modern-day Czar, Vladimir Putin, is making the rounds in the Middle East. Russia is prophesied to be a major end times player in the war of Gog and Magog, holding an alliance with Iran, Turkey, Armenia, and other Arab nations to attack Israel in the last days. Putin also visited Israel on this trip.
Putin due in Kingdom today
Amman, Jordan: "Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to begin a working visit to Jordan on Tuesday, during which he will hold talks with His Majesty King Abdullah, according to a Royal Court statement. The talks will focus on bilateral relations and ways to develop them in various fields, the statement said. Discussions will also focus on political developments and changes in the Middle East, in addition to efforts to revive peace talks. Meanwhile, a Jordanian-Russian Business Forum convened in Amman on Monday to “strengthen investment and commercial relations between Jordan and Russia” . During his one-day visit, the Russian president will also attend the official opening of the Russian Pilgrimage House at the Baptism Site, where, according to Christian beliefs, Jesus Christ was baptised by John the Baptist."
We should pray that Vladimir Putin will be over come by the leading of the Spirit into repentance and submit to Jesus Christ as His sovereign!
Turkey sends letter to UN on jet downed by Syria
"Turkey sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council on June 24 over Syria’s downing of a Turkish warplane in the eastern Mediterranean two days previously. The letter, published by the New York Times, calls the shooting incident a "serious threat to peace and security in the region" and gives information on the coordinates of the location where the plane was struck and where it crashed."
"When people say, "There is peace and security," destruction will strike them as suddenly as labor pains come to a pregnant woman, and they will not be able to escape." (1 Thess 5:3 ISV).
NATO Backs Turkey Against Syria
"NATO on Tuesday firmly backed Turkey saying Syria’s shooting down of a Turkish jet was “unacceptable," NATO’s Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen condemned the incident saying, "We consider this act to be unacceptable and condemn it in the strongest terms…It is another example of the Syrian authorities' disregard for international norms, peace and security, and human life."
Erdogan tells Syria beware Turkish wrath
"Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told Syria to beware the wrath of Turkey after the shooting down of a warplane and said he had ordered the armed forces to react to any military threat from Syria near the two countries' border. Erdogan's warning to Syria reflected increased tensions not only on the Mediterranean coast, where the aircraft was shot down last Friday, but on a long common land border criss-crossed by rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad."
Beware the wrath of He who wrote the words and promised His own wrath in the ancient prophecises, which will come to pass and may even be coming to pass today!
"Then the kings of the earth, the important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and all the slaves and free people concealed themselves in caves and among the rocks in the mountains. They said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to endure it?" (Revelation 6:15-17).
CULTURE
It isn't a coincidence that the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender and Transgender movement (LGBT) is that they chose "Pride" as their motto, clarion call, and founding principle. Wasn't that satan's main problem, too? (Isaiah 14:12-15)
OREO unveils rainbow-stuffed 'pride cookie'.
 |
| Image credit: facebook.com/oreo |
What struck me about this story is that the man refused to move! Man vs. Bison. BISON ALWAYS WINS!
Bison Gores Man In Yellowstone Park, Throws Him 10 Feet In Air
"Officials in Yellowstone National Park say a Massachusetts man was gored by a bull bison that threw him 10 feet in the air and then pinned him to the ground. The man, who is in his mid-50s, suffered a broken collarbone, shoulder blade, several ribs and a groin injury in Saturday’s encounter near the Norris campground. He was airlifted to an Idaho Falls, Idaho hospital and is expected to recover. His name was not released. Park officials say the man was not taunting the animal, but let the bull approach within a few feet of where he was sitting and refused to move away.'
Is man just getting stupider? He certainly is not "evolving" ever higher. As a matter of fact, there's big news on the evolution front.
"Peer-Reviewed Paper Concludes that Darwinism "Has Pretty Much Reached the End of Its Rope"
"An interesting paper was recently published by David Depew and Bruce Weber in the journal Biological Theory. The paper bears the title "The Fate of Darwinism: Evolution After the Modern Synthesis." ... The second point of interest is the paper's claim that "Darwinism in its current scientific incarnation has pretty much reached the end of its rope."
CYBER
It isn't your grandfather's war any more. It's invisible, it's real, and it's devastating
Cyber criminals may have siphoned off 2 bn euros from 60 banks
"Cyber criminals may have attempted to siphon off anywhere between 60 million euros and 2 billion euros in fraudulent transfers from at least 60 banks globally, a McAfee and Guardian Analytics study today said. The study highlighted a highly sophisticated, multi- tiered, global financial fraud ring that is comprised of at least a dozen groups use active and passive automated transfer systems to steal high value amounts from high balance accounts."
World faces an ‘astonishing’ level of cyber threats:
"The West faces an "astonishing" threat of cyberattack and cyberespionage, the British spy chief said Monday. Thousands of hackers in underground, organized cybercrime networks are targeting businesses, universities and government data. And the threat isn't only from criminals. Government-sponsored cyber-spying is widespread is certain countries - China chief among them, ABC News reported. "The extent of what is going on is astonishing," said Jonathan Evans, director general of Britain's MI5, in a speech to financial executives in London Monday. It was his first public address in two years."
Al-Qaeda Trains Norway Islam Convert To Carry Out Terror Plots
"A Norwegian man has received terrorist training from al-Qaida's offshoot in Yemen and is awaiting orders to carry out an attack on the West, officials from three European security agencies told The Associated Press on Monday. Western intelligence officials have long feared such a scenario – a convert to Islam who is trained in terrorist methods and can blend in easily in Europe and the United States, traveling without visa restrictions."
MIDDLE EAST
Syria to get more arms from Russia soon-think-tank
"Russia is expected to deliver air defence systems, reconditioned helicopters and fighter jets to Syria this year worth nearly half a billion dollars despite international pressure to halt arms sales to Damascus."
Russia's modern-day Czar, Vladimir Putin, is making the rounds in the Middle East. Russia is prophesied to be a major end times player in the war of Gog and Magog, holding an alliance with Iran, Turkey, Armenia, and other Arab nations to attack Israel in the last days. Putin also visited Israel on this trip.
Putin due in Kingdom today
Amman, Jordan: "Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to begin a working visit to Jordan on Tuesday, during which he will hold talks with His Majesty King Abdullah, according to a Royal Court statement. The talks will focus on bilateral relations and ways to develop them in various fields, the statement said. Discussions will also focus on political developments and changes in the Middle East, in addition to efforts to revive peace talks. Meanwhile, a Jordanian-Russian Business Forum convened in Amman on Monday to “strengthen investment and commercial relations between Jordan and Russia” . During his one-day visit, the Russian president will also attend the official opening of the Russian Pilgrimage House at the Baptism Site, where, according to Christian beliefs, Jesus Christ was baptised by John the Baptist."
We should pray that Vladimir Putin will be over come by the leading of the Spirit into repentance and submit to Jesus Christ as His sovereign!
Turkey sends letter to UN on jet downed by Syria
"Turkey sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council on June 24 over Syria’s downing of a Turkish warplane in the eastern Mediterranean two days previously. The letter, published by the New York Times, calls the shooting incident a "serious threat to peace and security in the region" and gives information on the coordinates of the location where the plane was struck and where it crashed."
"When people say, "There is peace and security," destruction will strike them as suddenly as labor pains come to a pregnant woman, and they will not be able to escape." (1 Thess 5:3 ISV).
NATO Backs Turkey Against Syria
"NATO on Tuesday firmly backed Turkey saying Syria’s shooting down of a Turkish jet was “unacceptable," NATO’s Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen condemned the incident saying, "We consider this act to be unacceptable and condemn it in the strongest terms…It is another example of the Syrian authorities' disregard for international norms, peace and security, and human life."
Erdogan tells Syria beware Turkish wrath
"Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told Syria to beware the wrath of Turkey after the shooting down of a warplane and said he had ordered the armed forces to react to any military threat from Syria near the two countries' border. Erdogan's warning to Syria reflected increased tensions not only on the Mediterranean coast, where the aircraft was shot down last Friday, but on a long common land border criss-crossed by rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad."
Beware the wrath of He who wrote the words and promised His own wrath in the ancient prophecises, which will come to pass and may even be coming to pass today!
"Then the kings of the earth, the important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and all the slaves and free people concealed themselves in caves and among the rocks in the mountains. They said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to endure it?" (Revelation 6:15-17).
Curiosity Rover about to land on Mars
Did you know that another Rover is about to land on Mars? Its name is "Curiosity." The following is an amazing short video of NASA technicians and engineers explaining the challenges in creating a machine that will go through space and land on Mars, successfully. On Aug 5, the rover "Curiosity" will land on Mars after what the scientists call the "7 Minutes of Terror".
"From the top of Mars' atmosphere to the planet surface takes seven minutes. Engineers at the California Institute of Technology's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have the challenge of going from 13,000 miles per hour to zero in seven minutes to safely touch down on Mars. Those closest to the project have dubbed this entry sequence window "7 minutes of terror." It is the most critical time in the years-long journey and there is zero margin for error. Further complicating the challenge to rapidly reducing entry into the Martian atmosphere is the fact that Mars' atmosphere is 100 times less dense than Earth." (source)
It is an interesting and amazing video in which the scientists who worked on Curiosity describe the sequence of events that has to happen for the small vehicle to hurtle through vast oceans of space, encounter an atmosphere, and make a precision landing. Interspersed with their comments is a computer model video showing what they are describing. As I watched the 5-minute video, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride, awe, and gladness that I'm alive to witness such marvels of achievement. I was also thinking about the universe God created, and humankind that He created too, to do these things and to be conscious and sentient and have a mind, unlike ALL the other animals he made.
The video ended with a black screen and three words:
DARE MIGHTY THINGS
While I felt pride in humankind's ambition and achievements on these astronomy and technical matters, my bubble of elation and awe was eventually burst. Of course God wants us to be proud of what we have accomplished, but to achieve such a technological marvel and not to acknowledge the One who gave us the mind, means, and opportunity makes the video more of a Tower of Babel moment than a Parting of the Red Seas moment. Moses was the visible manifestation of the power to part the sea but God was the power! Achievement without being grateful to God is empty. Pursuit of the wonders of the universe without acknowledging the One who created it is not daring nor mighty, but only judgment-worthy.
"because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen." (Rom 1:25)
Why pursue the universe and not its Creator? because they have exchanged the truth with a lie. And in so doing, they may "dare mighty things" but as 2 Timothy 3:4 says, in the last days men will be "treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God."
The word conceited there means "I puff up, make haughty: I am puffed up, am haughty."
Of many of these mighty men doing mighty deeds, unless they are saved by Grace, they will say "Many will tell me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?' (Matthew 7:22).
"And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;" (Revelation 6:15)
"For he who is mighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name." (Luke 1:49).
For Jesus, in His power and through His Spirit, that where is the daring to do mighty things comes from. On its own, no matter how cool the feat is at the time, it will be shown to be puffed up and paltry. Not mighty. Poor and worthless. As long as the focus of our eyes, mind, heart, and strength is Jesus, and that we do all for Him, we will be blessed. What a poor and empty life to dare mighty things but not have the Rock at the center of it? It will simply implode, like a collapsing souffle.
Jesus is the prize. He is the treasure. He is the mighty One! And He is coming in might and in glory!
"I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." (Mark 14:62).
It is an interesting and amazing video in which the scientists who worked on Curiosity describe the sequence of events that has to happen for the small vehicle to hurtle through vast oceans of space, encounter an atmosphere, and make a precision landing. Interspersed with their comments is a computer model video showing what they are describing. As I watched the 5-minute video, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride, awe, and gladness that I'm alive to witness such marvels of achievement. I was also thinking about the universe God created, and humankind that He created too, to do these things and to be conscious and sentient and have a mind, unlike ALL the other animals he made.
The video ended with a black screen and three words:
DARE MIGHTY THINGS
While I felt pride in humankind's ambition and achievements on these astronomy and technical matters, my bubble of elation and awe was eventually burst. Of course God wants us to be proud of what we have accomplished, but to achieve such a technological marvel and not to acknowledge the One who gave us the mind, means, and opportunity makes the video more of a Tower of Babel moment than a Parting of the Red Seas moment. Moses was the visible manifestation of the power to part the sea but God was the power! Achievement without being grateful to God is empty. Pursuit of the wonders of the universe without acknowledging the One who created it is not daring nor mighty, but only judgment-worthy.
"because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen." (Rom 1:25)
Why pursue the universe and not its Creator? because they have exchanged the truth with a lie. And in so doing, they may "dare mighty things" but as 2 Timothy 3:4 says, in the last days men will be "treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God."
The word conceited there means "I puff up, make haughty: I am puffed up, am haughty."
Of many of these mighty men doing mighty deeds, unless they are saved by Grace, they will say "Many will tell me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?' (Matthew 7:22).
"And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;" (Revelation 6:15)
"For he who is mighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name." (Luke 1:49).
For Jesus, in His power and through His Spirit, that where is the daring to do mighty things comes from. On its own, no matter how cool the feat is at the time, it will be shown to be puffed up and paltry. Not mighty. Poor and worthless. As long as the focus of our eyes, mind, heart, and strength is Jesus, and that we do all for Him, we will be blessed. What a poor and empty life to dare mighty things but not have the Rock at the center of it? It will simply implode, like a collapsing souffle.
Jesus is the prize. He is the treasure. He is the mighty One! And He is coming in might and in glory!
"I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." (Mark 14:62).
