Light is sown like seed for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Psalm 97:11
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Monday, May 16, 2016
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Venezuela: this is what a financial collapse looks like – apocalyptic social meltdown, no food, and violent crime
Republished from The Extinction Protocol page - FB
May 2016 – VENEZUELA – The United States is increasingly concerned about the potential for an economic and political meltdown in Venezuela, spurred by fears of a debt default, growing street protests and deterioration of its oil sector, U.S. intelligence officials said on Friday. In a bleak assessment of Venezuela’s worsening crisis, the senior officials expressed doubt that unpopular leftist President Nicolas Maduro would allow a recall referendum this year, despite opposition-led protests demanding a vote to decide whether he stays in office.
But the two officials, briefing a small group of reporters in Washington, predicted that Maduro, who heads Latin America’s most ardently anti-U.S. government and a major U.S. oil supplier, was not likely to be able to complete his term, which is due to end after elections in late 2018. “You can hear the ice cracking. You know there’s a crisis coming,” one U.S. official said. “Our pressure on this isn’t going to resolve this issue.”
Mobs in Venezuela have stolen flour, chicken and even underwear this week as looting increases across the crisis-hit OPEC nation where many basic products have run short, and the U.S. officials said this could spiral into widespread unrest. Soldiers fired tear gas at stone-throwing protesters on Wednesday as Venezuela’s opposition marched to pressure electoral authorities into allowing a recall referendum against Maduro. –Reuters
Running out of food: Lines at supermarkets stretch for blocks on end in Venezuela. Often when you finally make into the store, the “shelves are already barren,” reports many residents. –AP
Over the last several years we have documented with clockwork regularity Venezuela’s collapse into failed state status, which was cemented several weeks ago when news hit that “Venezuela had officially run out of money to print new money.” At that point the best one could do was merely to step back and watch as local society and civilization turned on itself, unleashing what would ultimately turn into Venezuela’s own, sad apocalypse.
As we wrote then these are simply hungry Venezuelans protesting that their children are dying from lack of food and medicine and that they do not have enough water or electricity. As AgainstCronyCapitalism added, this is a country with more oil than Saudi Arabia, and the government has stolen all the money and now they bottleneck peaceful protesters and threaten them with bombs (or haul them to prison and torture them).
As pure desperation has set in, crime has becomes inevitable. A man accused of mugging people in the streets of Caracas was surrounded by a mob of onlookers, beaten and set on fire, who published a pixeled-out but still graphic video of the man burning as mob justice is now the supreme arbiter of who lives and who dies: “Roberto Fuentes Bernal, 42, was reportedly caught trying to mug passersby in the Venezuelan capital, and before police arrived at the scene, the crowd took the law into their own hands.”
Now, in the latest shocking development, Venezuela saw a new wave of looting this week that resulted in at least two deaths, countless wounded, and millions of dollars in losses and damages. According to Panampost, on Wednesday morning, a crowd sacked the Maracay Wholesale Market in the central region of Venezuela. According to the testimonies of merchants, the endless food lines that Venezuelans have been enduring to do groceries could not be organized that day.
As time went by, desperate Venezuelans grew anxious over not being able to buy food. Then they started jumping over the gates and stormed the supermarket. “They took milk, pasta, flour, oil, and milk powder. There were 5,000 people” one witness told Venezuela outlet El Estímulo. People from across the entire state came to the supermarket because there were rumors that some products not found anywhere else would be sold there. As a result of the massive crowd, the authorities were unable to preserve the peace. “There were 250 people for each National Guard officer… lots of people and few soldiers. At least one officer was beat up because he tried to stop the crowd,” another source told El Estímulo.
Other food dispensaries run by the government were also looted by the people. Far from the promised socialist paradise, as the massive group of people moved, an entrance gate collapsed under the weight of the crowd, leaving several wounded. –Info Wars
The dominoes are starting to fall in large numbers. There are a host of other countries that are in serious financial trouble that you may not have even heard about. Without serious reform or aid; they are likely headed for a financial collapse. The repercussions of their collective collapse will be nothing short of a global financial market Armageddon. I warned of this coming nightmare two years ago in my book, Utopia the Collapse. Prepare yourself and get ready. -Alvin Conway
Your Arm's Too Short to Box with God - by Hal Lindsey
Via Omega Letter community - FB
In 1927, James Weldon Johnson published his classic book of poems, God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse.
One of them is called, "The Prodigal Son." It begins with the famous words, "Young man -- Young man -- Your arm's too short to box with God."
Apparently the powers that be in American sports disagree. I'm not talking about individual athletes. I'm referring to the big professional sports leagues and the media that cover them.
Though they have nothing to gain and everything to lose, it appears to me that they have decided to go to war against God. Further, it seems to me that they have also decided to go to war against the average American.
And that seems an odd thing to do since the average American fan is the one who puts money into their pockets.
And what life or death issue has caused these normally perceptive business people to place themselves as arbiters of right and wrong in America? And also to publicly threaten to punish the citizens of states which disagree with their political point of view?
Restrooms.
More precisely: Your right to feel safe and secure when you visit a public restroom.
Even more precisely: Your mother's, wife's, mother-in-law's, sister's, daughter's, grandmother's, granddaughter's, niece's, cousin's, girlfriend's, co-worker's, or female friend's right to feel safe and secure when they visit a public restroom.
And why? So that .003 percent of the population can live out their fantasies and use the restrooms of the opposite sex.
No. I'm not making this up. I wish to heaven that I were.
But this is America 2016, where being politically correct trumps common sense. Where bowing and scraping to the LGBT lobby (which, by the U.S. government's own figures, comprise less than 3% of the total population) trumps the traditional values of the vast majority of Americans.
To allow a man to freely and brazenly enter a public womens' restroom and do his business (and maybe more?) simply because he says he "feels" like a woman that day is beyond nonsense, it's insanity. But that's where ESPN, The National Basketball Association (NBA), The National Football League (NFL), American Airlines, PayPal, Wells Fargo, and Target, to name but a few, have chosen to make their stand and invest their credibility.
And I'm not just talking about tacitly agreeing to such nonsense, I'm talking about firing people who disagree and publicly threatening to wreak economic harm on the citizens of entire states if they do not capitulate to their way of thinking.
That's what is happening in North Carolina. When the state legislature passed a law requiring people in the state to use public restrooms that correspond to their birth gender, an incensed NBA threatened to pull the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte. PayPal vowed to stop its involvement in the state, which meant the withdrawal of several billions of dollars in construction funds and jobs. American Airlines and Wells Fargo made similar threats against North Carolina's citizens.
The state's governor, Pat McCrory ignored the threats and signed the bill the day it was passed.
Not like Georgia, where a similar bill was passed by the Georgia Legislature. The NFL threatened to stop having Super Bowls in Atlanta and the governor folded and vetoed the bill.
All of this over the issue of letting transgender individuals, and any others who so wish on a given day, decide to use the restroom for the opposite sex. These common sense laws simply say that if you have outside plumbing, you use the men's room. If you have inside plumbing, you use the ladies. Or go into the private restroom and lock the door behind you. Your sexual preference doesn't matter. This is a simple, physical determination.
But that's not good enough for the LGBT crowd. They want us to do it their way or suffer the consequences from their corporate enforcers.
Folks, this is nothing short of corporate persecution. But it's not about religion, you say. Not yet. But it is about being punished because we make common sense choices based on certain moral values. Moral values that the elites and other powers that be want to see eroded so that one day they can do what they choose, when they choose. Morality be damned.
But, you may protest, when corporations make vague threats against entire states, it doesn't really affect individuals.
It affected Curt Schilling.
The pitcher for the Boston Red Sox cemented his place in baseball history when he won Game Six of the 2004 American League Championship Series (ALCS) over the New York Yankees. He pitched just days after ankle surgery and endured a sore and bleeding ankle to go seven innings and allow only one run. His bloody sock became a part of Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox went on to win the World Series. Schilling has three World Series rings.
ESPN, the major American sports broadcaster, hired Schilling to work as a color commentator for its telecasts. But Schilling is an outspoken man with conservative values. Last year, he was disciplined by the network when he made the comment on his personal social media outlet that people claim that only 5% to 10% of Muslims are extremists. He noted that when Hitler rose to power, only 7% of Germans were part of the Nazi party. Then he asked, "How'd that go."
He almost lost his job.
Last month, Schilling posted a picture on his personal Facebook page of a grotesquely dressed transvestite man. The caption asked if you wanted to let this man into the restroom with your daughter. It noted that if you didn't want that to happen, then you are considered narrow-minded, judgmental, unloving, and racist.
Every word he posted was true. Like his first post in 2015. But each one bore consequences.
This time, Schilling was summarily fired for his personal, non-work-related view. Which ESPN has every right to do.
But not only did ESPN fire him, they went back and completely removed the portion of a documentary program on that 2004 ALCS series that showcased Schilling's performance in the critical Game Six. Coincidence?
But ESPN may suffer consequences, too. When it starts punishing people for expressing a view outside of work that is held by the vast majority of Americans, it should expect some blowback.
And maybe it's already started. For a variety of reasons, ESPN, once a model American success story and cash machine for The Walt Disney Company, has started hemorrhaging. Its value has declined dramatically recently. So much so that it has begun to affect Walt Disney's bottom line. Coincidence?
ESPN, Walt Disney, the NFL, the NBA, American Airlines, Wells Fargo, PayPal, Target, and others may soon learn the hard lesson that, "Your arm's too short to box with God!"
But that's not all I'll cover on this week's program.
I'll discuss the recent election of Sadiq Khan as Mayor of London. With his selection, London becomes the first major western city in history to elect a Muslim mayor.
And on May 30, France is hosting a meeting of major players to plan a Middle East peace summit later this year. All the usual suspects will be there. In fact, it appears to be a reunion of the infamous "Quartet" of organizations and states: the UN, the EU, the US, and Russia. The goal of the summit? Devise a plan for dividing Jerusalem and finally bringing peace to the Middle East through a two-state solution in Israel.
And if Israel doesn't adopt the plan? Well, France vows to then officially recognize Palestine as an independent nation.
137 nations already do, but the United States provides cover for Israel at the UN Security Council. But now it appears that Germany is starting to turn its back on Israel, too. A Middle Eastern news outlet insists that Europe is turning against Israel as a result of the leadership of the American White House. It insists that, "This belated European insight was the result of American inspiration." (Al-Monitor)
Folks, the prophet Zechariah predicted that in the last days, "...all of the nations of the world will be gathered against it (Israel)." (Zechariah 12:3) We are seeing that happening right now.
Finally, I will discuss the differences between the Bible and the Koran. The world considers both of them to be "holy books." One is said to have been handed down intact through an angel, with no human involvement, and committed to the page hundreds of years after the "revelation."
The other is "God-breathed." Written by 40 different authors from various times and places, it coordinates perfectly and seamlessly. It does not contradict science, history, or nature, but confirms them, though primitive men wrote it.
Its prophecies have thus far been fulfilled with 100% accuracy. In fact, its test for the validity of a prophet is either 100% accuracy or death by stoning. Tough standards.
It miraculously combines "spiritual thoughts with spiritual words." (I Corinthians 2:13) And though it does not make sense to those who are spiritually "dead," it promises that anyone who wants to experience a spiritual rebirth can do so and become "spiritually alive."
Tune in this week to discover which book is which. (If you don't already know.)
Don't miss this week's Report on TBN, Daystar, CPM Network, The Word Network, various local stations, www.hallindsey.com or www.hischannel.com. Check your local listings.
NEW OPTION: Watch this week's Report before it airs! An HD quality MP4 download of each week's show will now be available for purchase from the website. Visit the store at www.hallindsey.com to get your report.
God Bless,
Hal Lindsey
mail: HLMM, P.O. Box 470470, Tulsa, OK 74147
email: comments@hallindsey.com
web: http://www.hallindsey.com
In 1927, James Weldon Johnson published his classic book of poems, God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse.
One of them is called, "The Prodigal Son." It begins with the famous words, "Young man -- Young man -- Your arm's too short to box with God."
Apparently the powers that be in American sports disagree. I'm not talking about individual athletes. I'm referring to the big professional sports leagues and the media that cover them.
Though they have nothing to gain and everything to lose, it appears to me that they have decided to go to war against God. Further, it seems to me that they have also decided to go to war against the average American.
And that seems an odd thing to do since the average American fan is the one who puts money into their pockets.
And what life or death issue has caused these normally perceptive business people to place themselves as arbiters of right and wrong in America? And also to publicly threaten to punish the citizens of states which disagree with their political point of view?
Restrooms.
More precisely: Your right to feel safe and secure when you visit a public restroom.
Even more precisely: Your mother's, wife's, mother-in-law's, sister's, daughter's, grandmother's, granddaughter's, niece's, cousin's, girlfriend's, co-worker's, or female friend's right to feel safe and secure when they visit a public restroom.
And why? So that .003 percent of the population can live out their fantasies and use the restrooms of the opposite sex.
No. I'm not making this up. I wish to heaven that I were.
But this is America 2016, where being politically correct trumps common sense. Where bowing and scraping to the LGBT lobby (which, by the U.S. government's own figures, comprise less than 3% of the total population) trumps the traditional values of the vast majority of Americans.
To allow a man to freely and brazenly enter a public womens' restroom and do his business (and maybe more?) simply because he says he "feels" like a woman that day is beyond nonsense, it's insanity. But that's where ESPN, The National Basketball Association (NBA), The National Football League (NFL), American Airlines, PayPal, Wells Fargo, and Target, to name but a few, have chosen to make their stand and invest their credibility.
And I'm not just talking about tacitly agreeing to such nonsense, I'm talking about firing people who disagree and publicly threatening to wreak economic harm on the citizens of entire states if they do not capitulate to their way of thinking.
That's what is happening in North Carolina. When the state legislature passed a law requiring people in the state to use public restrooms that correspond to their birth gender, an incensed NBA threatened to pull the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte. PayPal vowed to stop its involvement in the state, which meant the withdrawal of several billions of dollars in construction funds and jobs. American Airlines and Wells Fargo made similar threats against North Carolina's citizens.
The state's governor, Pat McCrory ignored the threats and signed the bill the day it was passed.
Not like Georgia, where a similar bill was passed by the Georgia Legislature. The NFL threatened to stop having Super Bowls in Atlanta and the governor folded and vetoed the bill.
All of this over the issue of letting transgender individuals, and any others who so wish on a given day, decide to use the restroom for the opposite sex. These common sense laws simply say that if you have outside plumbing, you use the men's room. If you have inside plumbing, you use the ladies. Or go into the private restroom and lock the door behind you. Your sexual preference doesn't matter. This is a simple, physical determination.
But that's not good enough for the LGBT crowd. They want us to do it their way or suffer the consequences from their corporate enforcers.
Folks, this is nothing short of corporate persecution. But it's not about religion, you say. Not yet. But it is about being punished because we make common sense choices based on certain moral values. Moral values that the elites and other powers that be want to see eroded so that one day they can do what they choose, when they choose. Morality be damned.
But, you may protest, when corporations make vague threats against entire states, it doesn't really affect individuals.
It affected Curt Schilling.
The pitcher for the Boston Red Sox cemented his place in baseball history when he won Game Six of the 2004 American League Championship Series (ALCS) over the New York Yankees. He pitched just days after ankle surgery and endured a sore and bleeding ankle to go seven innings and allow only one run. His bloody sock became a part of Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox went on to win the World Series. Schilling has three World Series rings.
ESPN, the major American sports broadcaster, hired Schilling to work as a color commentator for its telecasts. But Schilling is an outspoken man with conservative values. Last year, he was disciplined by the network when he made the comment on his personal social media outlet that people claim that only 5% to 10% of Muslims are extremists. He noted that when Hitler rose to power, only 7% of Germans were part of the Nazi party. Then he asked, "How'd that go."
He almost lost his job.
Last month, Schilling posted a picture on his personal Facebook page of a grotesquely dressed transvestite man. The caption asked if you wanted to let this man into the restroom with your daughter. It noted that if you didn't want that to happen, then you are considered narrow-minded, judgmental, unloving, and racist.
Every word he posted was true. Like his first post in 2015. But each one bore consequences.
This time, Schilling was summarily fired for his personal, non-work-related view. Which ESPN has every right to do.
But not only did ESPN fire him, they went back and completely removed the portion of a documentary program on that 2004 ALCS series that showcased Schilling's performance in the critical Game Six. Coincidence?
But ESPN may suffer consequences, too. When it starts punishing people for expressing a view outside of work that is held by the vast majority of Americans, it should expect some blowback.
And maybe it's already started. For a variety of reasons, ESPN, once a model American success story and cash machine for The Walt Disney Company, has started hemorrhaging. Its value has declined dramatically recently. So much so that it has begun to affect Walt Disney's bottom line. Coincidence?
ESPN, Walt Disney, the NFL, the NBA, American Airlines, Wells Fargo, PayPal, Target, and others may soon learn the hard lesson that, "Your arm's too short to box with God!"
But that's not all I'll cover on this week's program.
I'll discuss the recent election of Sadiq Khan as Mayor of London. With his selection, London becomes the first major western city in history to elect a Muslim mayor.
And on May 30, France is hosting a meeting of major players to plan a Middle East peace summit later this year. All the usual suspects will be there. In fact, it appears to be a reunion of the infamous "Quartet" of organizations and states: the UN, the EU, the US, and Russia. The goal of the summit? Devise a plan for dividing Jerusalem and finally bringing peace to the Middle East through a two-state solution in Israel.
And if Israel doesn't adopt the plan? Well, France vows to then officially recognize Palestine as an independent nation.
137 nations already do, but the United States provides cover for Israel at the UN Security Council. But now it appears that Germany is starting to turn its back on Israel, too. A Middle Eastern news outlet insists that Europe is turning against Israel as a result of the leadership of the American White House. It insists that, "This belated European insight was the result of American inspiration." (Al-Monitor)
Folks, the prophet Zechariah predicted that in the last days, "...all of the nations of the world will be gathered against it (Israel)." (Zechariah 12:3) We are seeing that happening right now.
Finally, I will discuss the differences between the Bible and the Koran. The world considers both of them to be "holy books." One is said to have been handed down intact through an angel, with no human involvement, and committed to the page hundreds of years after the "revelation."
The other is "God-breathed." Written by 40 different authors from various times and places, it coordinates perfectly and seamlessly. It does not contradict science, history, or nature, but confirms them, though primitive men wrote it.
Its prophecies have thus far been fulfilled with 100% accuracy. In fact, its test for the validity of a prophet is either 100% accuracy or death by stoning. Tough standards.
It miraculously combines "spiritual thoughts with spiritual words." (I Corinthians 2:13) And though it does not make sense to those who are spiritually "dead," it promises that anyone who wants to experience a spiritual rebirth can do so and become "spiritually alive."
Tune in this week to discover which book is which. (If you don't already know.)
Don't miss this week's Report on TBN, Daystar, CPM Network, The Word Network, various local stations, www.hallindsey.com or www.hischannel.com. Check your local listings.
NEW OPTION: Watch this week's Report before it airs! An HD quality MP4 download of each week's show will now be available for purchase from the website. Visit the store at www.hallindsey.com to get your report.
God Bless,
Hal Lindsey
mail: HLMM, P.O. Box 470470, Tulsa, OK 74147
email: comments@hallindsey.com
web: http://www.hallindsey.com
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Punished Before Our Wedding? Biblical Qs and As
Republished from https://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher
Q.
A Bible teacher whom I respect greatly wrote an article concerning our
judgment for sins after we die as Christians. My whole Christian life I
have been painfully aware of my sins. The only hope I have is the
knowledge that all my sins are covered by the blood of Jesus. I have
been looking forward to the Rapture when all the things of this life
will be no more and we will be free from this burden of sin.
But according to the Bible teacher this won’t happen. As soon as we die or are raptured we will face God’s judgment and and have to answer for every sinful thought and deed we ever had. I am almost in tears thinking of the shame I will feel. Now the rapture doesn’t seem like something we can look forward to but is something to dread. How can we encourage each other about the rapture if there’s a big judgment coming right after it?
But according to the Bible teacher this won’t happen. As soon as we die or are raptured we will face God’s judgment and and have to answer for every sinful thought and deed we ever had. I am almost in tears thinking of the shame I will feel. Now the rapture doesn’t seem like something we can look forward to but is something to dread. How can we encourage each other about the rapture if there’s a big judgment coming right after it?
A. Stop
and think. God knew every sin of your life before He went to the cross,
and died for all of them. Your sins can’t be pinned on you because
they’ve been nailed to the cross and taken away (Colossians 2:13-14).
He did this before you even knew Him, because He knew you and loved you
enough to die for you so you could live in eternity with Him (Ephesians 2:1-7).
Now that you’ve professed your love for Him does it make sense that He’d make you answer for the very things He has already paid for with His life?
Stop listening to the opinions of men and stay focused on what God has said. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). If you’re in Christ you’re a new creation (1 Cor. 5:17) with a righteousness from God that comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (Romans 3:21-22).
You have been washed (cleansed of your sins) sanctified (made holy) and justified (rendered righteous) in the name of Jesus by the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 6:11). As part of a radiant Church, you are without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless (Ephes. 5:27).
Your sins have been removed from you as far as the East is from the West (Psalm 103:12) and God will never bring them up again. From His perspective it’s like they never happened. Reclaim your joy and be encouraged in the name of the Lord.
Now that you’ve professed your love for Him does it make sense that He’d make you answer for the very things He has already paid for with His life?
Stop listening to the opinions of men and stay focused on what God has said. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). If you’re in Christ you’re a new creation (1 Cor. 5:17) with a righteousness from God that comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (Romans 3:21-22).
You have been washed (cleansed of your sins) sanctified (made holy) and justified (rendered righteous) in the name of Jesus by the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 6:11). As part of a radiant Church, you are without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless (Ephes. 5:27).
Your sins have been removed from you as far as the East is from the West (Psalm 103:12) and God will never bring them up again. From His perspective it’s like they never happened. Reclaim your joy and be encouraged in the name of the Lord.
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Analysis from FB post.
Note from this blogster: This is a reprint of a friend´s analysis of the controversy surrounding the NC use of the bathroom debate that rages around the nation on this election year. The following comment is mine. You cannot let such a good music go to waste. Don´t worry, my tongue is still in my cheek.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The issue on which bathrooms people should use came at an interesting time. The Democrats controlled NC for generations and this never came up. If it is such a moral issue why did they not solve it when they controlled the state? Is it only a moral issue now that they are no longer in control? After many generations of Democrat control the state was running a huge deficit, jobs were leaving, the state economy was in bad shape and we had no issue about which bathroom to use. The Republicans took control of the NC House, NC Senate, and Governors Mansion after generations of Democrat control and now, after only a few years of Republican leadership, our teachers are receiving pay raises, we now have a budget surplus and we were just ranked tied for first with Texas for business climate. I do not think the Democrats want to discuss those issues. This debate has nothing to do with bathrooms and a lot to do with the fact that the Democrats are looking to change the discussion. The only thing this debate has in common with bathrooms is the Democrats have soiled their undies realizing that the Republican economy is working and they are looking for a place to change them. While in there they may as well create a controversy to avoid a discussion about the strong economy. They have nothing else to run on in November. Do not be fooled by the shiny object."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The issue on which bathrooms people should use came at an interesting time. The Democrats controlled NC for generations and this never came up. If it is such a moral issue why did they not solve it when they controlled the state? Is it only a moral issue now that they are no longer in control? After many generations of Democrat control the state was running a huge deficit, jobs were leaving, the state economy was in bad shape and we had no issue about which bathroom to use. The Republicans took control of the NC House, NC Senate, and Governors Mansion after generations of Democrat control and now, after only a few years of Republican leadership, our teachers are receiving pay raises, we now have a budget surplus and we were just ranked tied for first with Texas for business climate. I do not think the Democrats want to discuss those issues. This debate has nothing to do with bathrooms and a lot to do with the fact that the Democrats are looking to change the discussion. The only thing this debate has in common with bathrooms is the Democrats have soiled their undies realizing that the Republican economy is working and they are looking for a place to change them. While in there they may as well create a controversy to avoid a discussion about the strong economy. They have nothing else to run on in November. Do not be fooled by the shiny object."
The Platters - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Can’t make sense of crazy
A man goes to a psychologist with a problem. “Doctor,” he says, “I’m suffering terribly. I feel like a woman trapped inside the body of a man. I want to become a woman.”
The psychologist responds: “No problem. We can discuss this idea for a couple of years, and if you’re still sure you want to be a woman, we can have a surgeon remove your penis, give you hormones for breast enlargement and make other changes to your body. Problem solved.”
Gratified, the first patient leaves, followed by a second. “Doctor,” he says, “I feel terrible. I’m a man but I feel attracted to other men. I want to change my sexual preference. I want to become heterosexual.”The psychologist responds: “Oh no, absolutely not! That would be unethical. Sexual orientation is an immutable characteristic!”
Family therapist Adam Jessel offered a similar observation: “In today’s climate, if Bill tells me that he is attracted to his neighbor Fred’s young child and he wants to reduce these attractions, I, as a therapist, can try to help him. If Bill has an unwanted attraction to Fred’s wife, this too is something I am permitted to help him with. But if Bill has an unwanted attraction to Fred himself, then it’s regarded as unethical for me to help.”
If this new bill becomes law, it would not only be considered unethical to help Bill deal with his same-sex attractions, it would be illegal.–Journalist Matthew Cullinan Hoffman, 2009 (Source)
My mind is becoming numb. There is a
divide in our world now that can’t be breached. We watch as the portion
of humanity that has rejected God, moves deeper into delusion, and we
are stunned by what we witness. It seems impossible to those who accept
Truth, that those who reject it can become so blind and utterly
confounded and confused. We struggle with the mandate to continue to
offer the gospel when it is like trying to communicate with Helen Keller
before the breakthrough.
We speak, but it feels as if there is a
tempered glass wall between us that stops the words from reaching them.
We are shocked by the animosity that sometimes comes our way just for
living our convictions.
I have had dealings with people who are
missing some component of the human psyche. You probably have too. Some
are missing a conscience, for instance. I have had dealings with
people who, as hard as it is to believe, have no capacity for empathy.
Sometimes it is addiction that clouds the mind and strips them of this
basic human characteristic. Sometimes it may be a mental illness or
some anomaly of birth. It is true. The number of serial killers on
record bears this out.
But more and more, it seems humanity as a
whole is getting cold and heartless. The Bible said it would happen,
but still, it is not easy to face.
People with a healthy and normal
compassion and sense of concern for others, can be utterly stymied when
they come up against someone who is devoid of those traits. We
automatically try to make some sort of sense of it. We often will
assume it must be an error in our own perceptions. Or that because they
are so easily angered or offended, we must be doing something wrong in
our efforts to communicate. We have always been aware that evil exists
in this world, but we are seeing it grow and multiply at such an
alarming rate now, like something out of science fiction. Funny thing
about that, as science fiction once seemed so far-fetched, and now, it
is becoming reality.
But the truth is, we aren’t doing anything
wrong in our effort to communicate. Words still mean what they used to
mean, but it’s just that a majority of people now reject the
definition, because they reject anything not of their
own self-determination.
In attempting to reach them, we are merely
trying to do what may very well in fact have become impossible. When
someone is so far gone that they no longer believe the established laws
of nature, the spiritual laws, and no longer accept that civil
laws applies to them, they are, quite simply, beyond reach. Trying to
make them “see” what they essentially poked their own eyes out in order
not to see, is futile, and will only make another person crazy, who
tries to make sense of it all. You either have to enter into their
place of depravity and lawlessness, (their alternate “reality) or you
have to somehow reconcile it with the Truth that you know. And that is
impossible. Truth is singular.
We are living in a world where
increasingly more of the world’s population seems to actually believe
that truth is relative, that everyone can have their own “truth”. They
did not change the definition of truth, they merely misapply it. On
purpose.
It is like placing a sane person in the
midst of an asylum, and leaving them there. You don’t think they are
going to be insane along with everyone else by the end of a week or a
month?
This is why God has to remove us in the
Rapture. This message is for the ones like myself who are just about at
wits end with the course and trajectory of this world, and oh-so-ready
to get off this merry-go-round of lunacy.
Sometimes a person has to admit that there
is nothing more that they can do. We want to rescue others. It is
natural for most people to want to do that. Christians have a mandate
to throw out that lifeline to others. Noah got on the ark, as commanded
by God, seven days before the rain actually came. He had warned for a
long time of the destruction that was coming. Then he got on the ark.
For seven more days, the ark door was open, for animals continued to
come aboard, and therefore humans could also have come, but none did.
Noah worked until God told him to take his
family into the ark. At that point his work was done. I am sure that
Noah and his family were confounded and shocked by the fact not one
other human chose to get on board. Not one of the rest of
humanity believed the destruction was really going to come.
You and I who believe upon the Lord Jesus
Christ, are still warning the world, regardless of whether they are
receptive to our message or not, we keep clanging the bell. But soon
God is going to shut that door. “Rain” is going to fall for seven
days. Judgment is going to fall for seven years. People who become
believers during the tribulation, will still have an ark, but the door
that was closed supernaturally by God before the flood waters came, was
opened manually by Noah when the flood waters receded. That means they
could have opened it and gone out any time. Noah and his family
remained in the ark not because they could not get out, but because they
believed God. Everyone else perished outside the ark because they did
not believe God. Judgment is coming. Everyone is free to believe or
not believe this. In the tribulation, he who endures to the end shall
be saved.
To us who love Truth, is given the ability
to know Truth. To those who love not Truth, it is given to believe
lies. Does truth really have to be “defended”? Have we been given the
task of convincing people? Nope. Just telling them. Just speaking the
Word. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing cometh by the Word.
Jesus is coming soon. This world can’t be
“fixed”. It is destined to be destroyed by fire, and a new one will be
created. Man is not going to achieve singularity, godhood, nor immortality. The worlds religions
will unite, and that global religion will facilitate the rise of a
global government, out of which a single world leader will emerge,
Damascus will be obliterated, Israel will be attacked, all sort of
catastrophic events will bombard the Earth and its inhabitants for a
seven year period. The world’s elite will join Satan himself in waging
war against the Most High at Megiddo, and the Most High will defeat them
with the Words of His mouth alone.
This is truth. Let all the other craziness
fall by the wayside. It is not going to make sense to people who have
no familiarity with Scripture, and a lot of people for whom scripture
has been twisted, are going to embrace lunacy to whatever degree they
have already embraced false teachings. Reconciling all of the different
“versions” of the outcome that have been dreamed up by the imaginations
of men, is a lost cause and waste of energy. Constant armchair
speculation and analysis of blow-by-blow events as they happen, while
not necessarily a waste of time, will neither hasten nor delay the
timing of events. We have no more control over these events by staying
informed in real time, than if we paid no attention at all. If knowing
serves any purpose at all, it is, and should be, to motivate us to
continue to offer the gospel.
Since Christ ascended to heaven
after His resurrection, the church has been building an ark and warning
the world of judgment to come. I have been actively warning people
since 2009, and through this particular blog since 2012. God knows
when He will shut the door and when the rain will start. I don’t know
that Noah was preaching for the 100 (or 120) years while he built the
ark. I know that the fact he was building the ark was a testimony in
and of itself. A witness to a lost world. God doesn’t beg. He doesn’t
twist arms. He doesn’t force anyone. He told the disciples that in
towns where they were not received, they were to simply shake off the
dust of that place from their sandals, and move on. To those who
peddled any other gospel, they, and we, are not even to wish them “God
speed” because it is to be a partaker of their apostasy.
I am not sure that the Great Commission is
actually what some folks say it is. God told the church to go into the
world and preach the gospel to everyone. That’s not down to one
person, it is the obligation of the entire body. The question for us is
have we done our own part? Only you can answer that.
There are people who go out to meet the
fight, and there are people who sit quietly where they are, minding
their own affairs until the fight comes to them. We all have different
callings and assignments. Fighting the good fight doesn’t always mean
doing the same things. Sometimes the task changes. And sometimes, it’s
a matter of “having done all, stand” (wearing the armor) and see the
deliverance the Lord provides, the victory (for His own) and devastation
(of His enemies) which He brings about. Sometimes we are to simply “be
still and know that He is God”.
You’ll know which it is, and when, as long
as you remain attuned to Him. But please, don’t waste time caught up
in trying to make sense of “crazy”. It is a Satanic diversion designed
to rob you of peace. Let others argue and doubt, let them pursue every
theory and flit here and there behind every claim. That’s their
prerogative. It is foolish, but it is still their prerogative.
Monday, May 9, 2016
Tommy Ice: The Pri-Trib Rapture Part II
It may be the most controversial subject in Christendom today—the rapture of the Church. It’s a critical Bible doctrine that has its share of skeptics and bashers. Will be whisked up to heaven by Jesus “in the twinkling of an eye,” or will we be left behind to face the Antichrist, endure a 7-year Tribulation, and face a certain death? We’ve brought in the A-Team for this fascinating subject—Gary Stearman and prophecy legend Thomas Ice, the Executive Director of the Pre-Trib Research Center. And what a conversation they had! Better put on your deep thinking cap. These guys address the issues with logic and Scripture and defend the Blessed Hope!
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