Get Behind Me Satan, Part 1

 

Republished from gracethrufaith.com

  Saturday, July 9th, 2016

 

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.  He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (Mark 8:31-33)

In Matthew’s version of this exchange we can read what Peter said to cause such a strong response. His reaction to the Lord’s prophecy had been, “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” (Matt. 16:22). It was an emotional statement, made on the spur of the moment out of a desire to protect the Lord from harm, and spoken with pure motives. You or I might have said something like, “Over my dead body!”

Although the Lord’s response was strong in the extreme it wasn’t off the top of His head like Peter’s had been. Remember, Jesus could not say anything on His own. Instead, He explained, “Whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say” (John 12:50).
Was Jesus saying that no matter how well intended or pure of motive, if what we say doesn’t conform to the will of God, but instead reflects the desires of men, then it’s really from Satan? Let’s find out.
The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14).

During their time with the Lord, the disciples often seemed like they just didn’t get it. More than once, He appeared to have exhausted His patience with them. Matt. 15:1-20 is a good example. Some Pharisees had criticized Jesus because the disciples didn’t perform the traditional ceremonial hand washing before eating. Jesus responded by pointing out instances where their traditions contradicted God’s Law. He called them hypocrites and said it’s not what goes into a man’s mouth that makes him unclean, but what comes out of it. When the disciples told Him the Pharisees were offended by His comments, Jesus told them a parable about the blind leading the blind.

Peter didn’t understand and asked Jesus to explain the parable. “Are you still so dull?” Jesus exclaimed, and then told them how things that go into our mouth go to our stomach and then out of our body, but things that come out of our mouth come from our heart, and include evil thoughts of all kinds. These are what make us unclean, He said, not eating food with unwashed hands.

And in the very next chapter of Matthew, they completely misunderstood His reference to the “yeast” of the Pharisees. Although He had recently created enough bread out of thin air to feed multitudes of people, they thought He was saying they didn’t bring any bread.
Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”  Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matt. 16:8-12)

Even after the resurrection, some did not understand. On the road to Emmaus after listening to two disciples sorrowfully recounting the events that culminated in His crucifixion, Jesus said, “How foolish you are and slow to comprehend all the prophets have spoken.” While they walked along together He explained all the Old Testament prophecies concerning His death and resurrection (Luke 24:13-27).

Then we learn that the disciples didn’t receive the Holy Spirit until the evening that followed the Lord’s resurrection (John 20:22). Even three years of daily teaching by the Lord Himself couldn’t substitute for this gift. Peter’s sermons in Acts 2:14-41 and Acts 3:11-26 show the remarkable difference the Holy Spirit can make in a person.

From this we can see that it shouldn’t surprise us when unbelievers can’t understand God’s word. After all we couldn’t understand it before we became believers either. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the person with the Holy Spirit will immediately understand all the things of God, and automatically yield his or her will to the will of God like the disciples did. It means that unlike non-believers we have been given the potential to understand the things of God and follow his will for us. But to realize this potential we have to allow the Spirit of God to retrain our minds.
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephes. 4:22-24)

Paul made it clear that this is something we have to decide to do. We have to put off our old self, that’s been steeped in the ways of the world, and put on our new self, the new creation we became when we accepted the Lord’s death as payment for our sins (2 Cor. 5:17). We have to be made new in the attitude of our mind.

An attitude is simply a habit of thought. As non-believers we all developed habits in the way we think. We acquired them from exposure to the world around us, and since the whole world is under the control of the evil one (1 John 5:19), many of the attitudes we formed are in opposition to the things of God, and they didn’t go away just because we became believers.

We have to make a choice to exchange our old worldly attitudes for new Godly ones. And even with the indwelling Holy Spirit, this takes time and it takes practice. Remember, He’s only here to guide us into all truth (John 16:13), not to control us. That’s why He’s called the counselor instead of the commander. We still have to make the choice to allow Him to change the way we think. The reason so many believers today still live the same way and want the same things as they did before they were saved is they haven’t made this choice, and therefore the Holy Spirit can’t change them (Matt. 13:22).
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2-4)

Offering our body as a living sacrifice means choosing to live in a manner pleasing to God in gratitude for the priceless gift of salvation. Renewing our mind means rejecting any worldly attitudes that aren’t consistent with God’s word and replacing them with those that are.
In 1 Cor. 6:19-20 Paul reminded us that we are no longer our own, but have been bought at a price. According to 1 Peter 1:18-19, that price was not silver or gold but the precious blood of Christ, and when we agreed with God to let it constitute payment in full for our sins, He put His seal of ownership on us and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Cor. 1:22). We belong to Him now, and nothing can change that.

The world tells us we’re free to choose what ever lifestyle, vocation, and world view we want. But Paul said to experience the full benefit of God’s will for us, we should not blindly conform to the world’s patterns, but instead should yield our lives to Him, and allow Him to give us the abundant life He desires for us (John 10:10). There’s no real sacrifice involved here, because when we delight ourself in the Lord, He will give us the desire of our heart (Psalm 37:4). Most people never realize their heart’s true desire, but sooner or later settle for much less. It’s only those who delight in Him who can look forward with assurance to getting it all.
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;  for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16)

So ultimately everything that’s not from God really is from Satan. Even the things of this world that we think we’ve freely chosen are really only an illusion, because if they’re not drawing us toward God they’re drawing us toward His enemy. There is no independent position. For example, do we really believe that by excluding God from our society we’ve gained more freedom for ourselves? Or does the evidence around us point to the conclusion that we’ve only acquired a different master, one who does not have our best interests at heart. Having abandoned God are we not conforming to the evil desires men had when they lived in ignorance of Him?

Look around you. Are we healthier? Are we happier? Are we more secure? Are our children better off? Can they look forward to a life of opportunity and promise? Can we trust our elected officials not to betray us? Have the prospects for the future improved? Is there any evidence at all that life is better in a society that’s breaking free of God? People ask me if I think it’s too late for the US, but I think a better question would be, “Is it too late for the world?”

King David had our day in view when he prophesied,
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.
“Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.”
The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.” (Psalm 2:1-6)

While this prophecy will see its ultimate fulfillment in the Battle of Armageddon, it’s reasonable to conclude that the world is already in open rebellion against God. Can His wrath be far behind?

1 Peter 1:13-16 contains good advice for us upon whom the end of the age has come. We’re to prepare our minds for action, be self-controlled, and set our hope fully on the grace to be given us when Jesus Christ is revealed. To me this means get ready to leave, don’t panic, and trust in the Lord’s promise to rescue us before His wrath comes crashing down (1 Thes. 1:10).

We’re to turn away from the evil desires of this world and be holy, as the One who called us is holy, not depending on the world to somehow right itself without God, but staying focused on His plan for our future instead.

Remember, holiness is not a function of behavior, it’s a function of purpose. To be holy is to be set apart for God, and the clear message of the Bible is that God’s people are to be set apart from the world. We’re not to conform to its ways (Romans 12:2) or be deceived by its promises (Matt. 13:22) or store up its treasures (Matt. 6:19). We’ve been redeemed from the world and set apart for Him. Although for a little while we’re still in the world, we’re not of the world (John 18:36). Our citizenship is in Heaven (Phil. 3:20) and our destiny is to dwell there. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Cor. 4:18). Anything less is not having in mind the things of God but the things of men. Selah 07-26-12

Stoking the Embers of Racial Division in America: Who Profits?

Republished  from KingsJester´s blog

by kingsjester

As, once again, under the presidency of Barack Hussein Obama, the chasm of Racial Division in our nation continues to be methodically and purposefully widened, Americans are asking a single question:

Why is this happening?

Foxnews.com reports that

President Obama renewed his push for gun control measures Friday as he condemned the “senseless murders” of five Dallas police officers in a coordinated sniper attack overnight.

Late Friday, the White House announced Obama would cut short his current European trip by a day and visit Dallas early next week.

The attack, which also injured at least seven, was carried out during an anti-police brutality protest. It was the nation's deadliest day for law enforcement since 9/11.

Obama, speaking at the start of a NATO summit in Poland, decried the “vicious, calculated and despicable attack.”

He vowed “justice will be done” and voiced support for the “extraordinarily difficult job” of America’s law enforcement officers.

“Today is a wrenching reminder of the sacrifices that they make for us,” Obama said.

But before wrapping his remarks, the president once again returned to the issue of gun laws.

“We also know that when people are armed with powerful weapons, unfortunately it makes attacks like these more deadly and more tragic, and in the days ahead we’re going to have to consider those realities as well,” Obama said.

Dallas Police Chief David Brown said it appears multiple rifle-toting suspects were working together, "triangulating at different positions" as protesters marched through the streets of Dallas. Three people were in custody and one suspect dead.

The attack comes on the heels of a string of failed votes in Congress to tighten gun regulations, particularly for those on terror-related watch lists. The latest surge of votes followed the deadly terror massacre at an Orlando nightclub last month.

Lawmakers, though, still have not been able to come together on a piece of compromise legislation. Democrats have objected strongly to the stalemate, even staging a protracted House floor sit-in.

House Democrats are likely to ramp up their calls for gun restrictions following the Dallas murders as well. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, at a previously scheduled press conference Friday morning, continued to urge legislation on the issue. 

"We need legislative action now," CBC Chairman G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., said, while mourning the victims of both the Dallas tragedy and two recent deadly shootings by police. 

Protesters also held a police shooting rally by the U.S. Capitol Thursday night. At the same time, Fox News is told House Democrats are mindful of further stoking the embers of an already volatile situation. 

Obama’s swift turn to gun control riled some Republicans.

Former 2016 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said the “common denominator” is “not the weapon” – but the “anarchy in the heart of the person who’s … committing the crime.”

Meanwhile, lawmakers across the country voiced solidarity with the people of Dallas and law enforcement community.

“Tonight I join the people of Dallas, Texas, in praying for the safety of the Dallas Police Officers and all who are in the downtown are this evening,” Texas Republican Rep. Pete Sessions said in a statement. "Our police officers selflessly put their lives on the line every single day to vigilantly protect our families and communities and it is devastating to think that someone deliberately targeted our law enforcement.”

"Stoking the embers". That is a curious turn of a phrase.

Who would benefit by intentionally "stoking the embers" of racial animus?

Of course, as fround in the article, Professional Politicians, like President Obama, will use this as an excuse to attempt to further subjugate the "unwashed masses" for their own political gain.

However, it is the "Secret Power Brokers" who are even more dangerous.

A few months ago, I happened upon a website, by the name of DemocracySpring.org, where I read the following…

Sit in with thousands. Save democracy for millions.

MARCH: APRIL 2-11. SIT IN: APRIL 11-18.

It’s time to take mass nonviolent action on a historic scale to save our democracy. This April, in Washington, D.C., we will demand a Congress that will take immediate action to end the corruption of big money in our politics and ensure free and fair elections in which every American has an equal voice.

The campaign will begin on April 2nd with a march from the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. where thousands will gather to reclaim the US Capitol in a powerful, peaceful, and massive sit-in that no one can ignore. Over 2,000 people have already pledged to risk arrest between April 11th-18th in what will be one of the largest civil disobedience actions in a generation. Together we  can open the door to reforms previously considered impossible and reclaim our democracy. Join us!

…Every American deserves an equal voice in government. That is our birthright of freedom, won through generations of struggle. But today our democracy is in crisis. American elections are dominated by billionaires and big money interests who can spend unlimited sums of money on political campaigns to protect their special interests at the general expense. Meanwhile, as the super-rich dominate the “money primary” that decides who can run for office, almost half of the states in the union have passed new laws that disenfranchise everyday voters, especially people of color and the poor. 

This corruption violates the core principle of American democracy — “one person, one vote” citizen equality. And it is blocking reform on virtually every critical issue facing our country: from addressing historic economic inequality, to tackling climate change and ending mass incarceration. We simply cannot solve the urgent crises that face our nation if we don’t save democracy first.

But if the status quo goes unchallenged, the 2016 election — already set to be the most billionaire-dominated, secret money-drenched, voter suppression-marred contest in modern American history — will likely yield a President and a Congress more bound to the masters of big money than ever before. And our planet and people just can’t afford that. But there is another possibility.

What if we can intervene in a way that no one can ignore to make this election a turning point toward reform? The moment is ripe. Poll after poll shows transpartisan public frustration with the corrupt status quo reaching new, nearly unanimous highs. Voters in Maine and Seattle just passed bold new anti-corruption laws to enact citizen funded elections. A growing democracy movement has lifted this issue into the public debate. Yet Congress refuses to act.

The stage is set for a bold intervention to turn the tinder of passive public frustration into a fire that transforms the political climate in America, that sparks a popular movement that can’t be stopped. How? From Selma to Occupy Wall Street, the Tar Sands Action to Black Lives Matter, everyday people have proven the power of mass, escalating nonviolent action to rapidly shift the political weather and open the door to reforms previously considered impossible.

Now it’s our turn.

On, a different website, you will find these words…

Where is this art of ruling, to say nothing of the art of leadership? It is only the unscrupulousness for robbery. And when this same man then says: “We have a fine instinct for idealism and material values.” Yes indeed they have. They have destroyed idealism everywhere, and they have grabbed and taken possession of material worth and always grabbed and taken possession of it, too, by brutal force only. For in 300 years that nation has oppressed and yoked and subjected nation after nation, people after people, race after race.

If they were really such brilliant rulers, then they should now be able to leave after the Indian people have expressed their explicit desire that they do, and then to wait and see whether the Indians call them back again. They have been careful not to leave, although they know how to rule so wonderfully, and in this they are completely of one mind, these plunderers, whether they run around in a Marxist cap (Translator’s note: This refers to the typical workman’s visored cap used in post-war Germany as a symbol of communism) or in a capitalistic one.

No, my friends, they don’t know how to rule. They can only subjugate peoples and then pauperize them for their own benefit. A handful of people-very rich ones, to be sure-of both Jewish and non-Jewish origin are determining the fate of the world. And we can say with calmness that Germany itself has had an example of the ability of these people to rule. For when in the year 1918 the Reich collapsed, the blinded German people turned then in its blind faith to these people, in the hope that they might be shown a path by them which would lead them back out of-their misery, the democratic Germany, not the National-Socialist Germany.

The first block of quotes, is from Democracy Spring, a Far Left Activist Group, which receives its funding from moveon.org, which in turn, receives its funding from Hedge Fund Billionaire and Political Puppet Master, George Soros.

The second block of quotes comes from the Jewish Virtual Library. It is taken from a speech, delivered in 1942, given on the 19th Anniversary of the “Beer Hall Putsch”, by German Chancellor Adolph Hitler.

The Beer Hall Putsch was an incident that took place on November 8, 1923, when Nazi troops under the direction of Hermann Göring surrounded the a beer hall in Munich, Germany. At 8:30 p.m., Hitler and his storm troopers burst into the beer hall causing instant panic. Hitler announced to the crowd that the Revolution had begun, and went to the back room of the hall to try to persuade the local officials to capitulate to him. They wouldn’t. Hitler’s attempt to seize power that night failed. But, thanks to word of mouth, and Hitler’s use of propaganda, a seed was planted, that would eventually lead to World War II.

By now, you are probably asking:

Okay. So what does one thing have to do the other?

Hitler eventually rose to power by praying upon the economic despair, hopelessness, and avarice of the German people, whose country was savaged by the Great Depression of 1929.

Hitler chose his nations Jewish Population as his scapegoat, blaming them for Germany’s plight. He soon attracted legions of young men, swayed by his propaganda, who began to march the streets of Germany, intimidating anyone who dared to disagree with them.

Hitler formed a political party, naming it The National Socialist Party, which led to he and his thugs being called “Nazis”.

The era became known as the “Rise of Fascism”.

It should be noted that, according to various sources, during the Nazi Occupation of Hungary in the 1940s, the before-mentioned Funder of moveon.org and Democracy Spring, George Soros , reported his own countrymen to the Nazis, facilitating their removal via “the long train ride from which very few ever returned”.

So, where is the “Black Lives Matter Movement” getting all the money to spread out across the nation?

Who is "stoking the embers"? The "Money Man" behind Black Lives matters is the Puppetmaster, himself, George Soros, as The Washington Times reports…

With the backing of national civil rights organizations and Mr. Soros‘ funding, “Black Lives Matter” grew from a hashtag into a social media phenomenon, including a #BlackLivesMatter bus tour and march in September.

“More than 500 of us have traveled from Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Nashville, Portland, Tucson, Washington, D.C., Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and other cities to support the people of Ferguson and help turn a local moment into a national movement,” wrote Akiba Solomon, a journalist at Colorlines, describing the event.

Colorlines is an online news site that focuses on race issues and is published by Race Forward, a group that received $200,000 from Mr. Soros’s foundation in 2011. Colorlines has published tirelessly on the activities in Ferguson and heavily promoted the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag and activities.

At the end of the #BlackLivesMatter march, organizers met with civil rights groups like the Organization for Black Struggle and Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment to strategize their operations moving forward, Ms. Solomon wrote. OBS and MORE are also funded by Mr. Soros.

Mr. Soros gave $5.4 million to Ferguson and Staten Island grass-roots efforts last year to help “further police reform, accountability and public transparency,” the Open Society Foundations said in a blog post in December. About half of those funds were earmarked to Ferguson, with the money primarily going to OBS and MORE, the foundation said.

OBS and MORE, along with the Dream Defenders, established the “Hands Up Coalition” — another so-called “grass-roots” organization in Missouri, whose name was based on now-known-to-be-false claims that Brown had his hands up before being shot. The Defenders were built to rally support and awareness for the Trayvon Martin case and were funded by the Tides Foundation, another recipient of Soros cash.

Hands Up Coalition has made it its mission to recruit and organize youth nationwide to start local events in their communities — trying to take Ferguson nationwide.

Democracy Spring, like moveon.org, who supports self-described Socialist and Democrat Presidential Nominee Candidate, Bernie Sanders, is, like the rest of the Modern American Far Left, unwittingly championing the same political philosophy that Adolph Hitler did, when he took over that Munich Beer Hall in 1923.

In this present situation, what we are seeing is the result of anti-establishment rhetoric, spewed forth by those who are now actually “the Establishment”, taking hold, and spreading Class Envy and Racial Animus in such a way as to inspire violent retaliation for perceived “grievances”, by a fictional “White Establishment”, which is actually no longer in power, and the Police, who are seen as the emissaries of “The Man”.

They, following the teaching of Saul Alinsky and Adolph Hitler, are picking a target, in this case, the “Man”, or "the White Establishment", as an excuse for their “Revolution”, in an attempt to “get what’s coming to them”.

Like Hitler, they are promising prosperity to all who follow them.

And, like these type of movements, there seems to be an endless supply of “Useful Idiots”.

Of course, the irony is, they are being funded by at least one of those “Secret Power Brokers”, who is a major player in "the White Establishment".

To summarize…

“Democratic Socialism” is still SOCIALISM.

FASCISM is still FASCISM.

And…George Soros is the common denomination in both “Revolutions”.

Until He Comes,

KJ

Come unto Me - Pr. Charles Lawson

Moral equivalence has become a moral atrocity

Moral equivalence has become a moral atrocity: “Cycle of violence,” means that there is no moral distinction between a murderer and a policeman, between a society geared toward annihilating its victim and its victim’s actions to prevent that from happening.

Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On

Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On
Witnessing Tools
Tuesday, July 05, 2016
Wendy Wippel

In the old days (i.e, 1980s) the prevailing view was that our universe was made up of particles, like protons and electrons.  Particle physics, however, has since been replaced by String Theory, in which the universe is comprised of one-dimensional strings. Funny . Science has brought us right back to where the Bible’s always been, waiting for us to catch up. Again.

String Theory had its origin in the 60s as a possible answer to a more limited issue in particle physics, but researchers quickly realized that it may have wider application.  The concept has now been applied to the physics of black holes, the beginning of the universe, and nuclear physics, with success.  Moreover, because string theory seems to have the potential to solve unresolved problems related to both gravity and particle physics, it is also seen as a possible stepping stone to the Holy Grail of Physics—The Theory of Everything, meaning that one, all-encompassing, final authoritative understanding of our universe and how it works.

Nerd Nirvana, in other words.
So how, exactly, do these one-dimensional strings account for everything we see in the universe?
For the physicists, apparently, the move from Particle Physics to String Theory was, shall we say…universe shattering.  A Huge Step of Scientific Progress.
A Really Big Deal.

For us laymen? Not so much. Particle physics, to put it simply, said that the foundation of our universe was particles. String Theory says that vibrations on the strings create the particles.
That’s the big difference.  (Yawn.)

According to String Theory, however, the frequency of the vibration determines what specific type of particle is created, just like which string plucked on a guitar determines what note is produced.

The String theorists really like the guitar string analogy.  They fall back on that a lot as a way to explain what is a fairly confusing bit of science.   
But there’s String Theory (obviously ubersimplified) in a nutshell.

So why are we talking about this?  Because String Theory, when you start to get into it, sounds amazingly like Scripture when it talks about the foundation of our universe.
Namely the book of Genesis. Chapter 1. Verse 1. Which goes like this:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was^[a] on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
 
 We’ve all read this a thousand times, but let’s unpack it piece by piece.  
‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Translation: The heavens and the earth (all there is) had a beginning. They were not eternal. Despite the fact that human science believed so from Plato until 1992, when science proved otherwise.

So no, the universe was not eternal. It was created.
By God.

Next verse:   
 ² The earth was without form, and void.
What does this verse mean? If you check out the word meanings in a Hebrew lexicon, The Hebrew word used for “without form” (tohu) means unreal, or empty. And the Hebrew word for void (Bohu) means just that—a void, an empty space.
In other words, the earth was not yet in existence.  Duh. As implied in verse one, God created the heavens first.

Next verse:  darkness was^[a] on the face of the deep.
Translation: There wasn’t any light.  Duh. Light—the first thing that was created, isn’t created until verse three. Science, by the way, also says that light—which exists in packets of energy called photons-- was the first thing created.

Next verse: Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 
Which is a really interesting verse because "waters”, in many versions, is translated “the deep”, and the Hebrew root word (huwm) translated as either “deep” or “waters”  means to make noise, to murmur, to be in a stir, to hum.

Which is awfully similar to the scientific description of the plasma, a seething, mass of energy that existed right at the very beginning of the universe’s creation. (Scientific estimates are that this stage of the universe occurred about .00000000000000000000000000000000000000000001 second after the universe began.)  
And that mass of energy murmured. It hummed.  It made noise.  Sounds made by that energy, in fact, have been recently recorded, still emanating from ancient stars.

So apparently the Spirit of God was hovering over the murmuring, humming  mass of energy created -by processes God set in place--at the beginning of time.
But this is where it gets really interesting.  If you look at the Hebrew word for hovering in this passage, it is the word rachaph, which is defined as meaning to flutter, to shake.
To vibrate.

The Holy Spirit fluttered, it vibrated over the deep. That initial mass of seething energy called a plasma, from which all subatomic particles, then atomic particles, then atoms, then matter (according to science) came into being. Vibration on the initial material of the universe created the particles. And the particles (first subatomic) combined to form atoms, and atoms formed matter, and matter is what now makes up every bit of what we see.

Science says vibration on whatever constituted the earliest makeup of the universe created particles, and the Bible says the Holy Spirit vibrated over that same material at the earliest stages as well.

God said the Holy Spirit’s role in Creation was to vibrate, and Science said that it’s those vibrations that created everything we see.

You may wonder, as I certainly did, if the what the strings themselves are made of, as they are one dimensional (essentially meaning the tiniest of tiny points in space).
What the heck does that even mean?

So I did some more research. And after several pages of one String Theory expert going back and forth with someone online who had asked the same question, what the experts’ answer ended up being was: “well, really, it is just a mathematical abstraction.”
Meaning that the strings are not something that exist in our material world.
Which kind of makes it all the more likely that it was the Holy Spirit pulling those strings, doesn’t it?

Isn’t Bible study fun?  And again, it just don’t get no better then this!!!.
Until we see Him face to face, anyway.

God hasten that day. 
About Wendy Wippel

Maranatha Double Praise 16.

J.D. Farag Mid-East Prophecy Update July 3 2016

The Parable of the Talents

Republished from gracethrufaith.com

Saturday, July 2nd, 2016

 

• Featured
• Old Testament
• Parables
• Salvation

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

The Lord’s use of parables always gets my interest. A parable is a fictional story meant to illustrate a principle or truth. The word parable comes from the Greek parabollo, which literally means “to throw alongside.” Aesop’s fables demonstrate a secular application of this teaching method.


The Lord Jesus wasn’t the first to use parables in His teaching, (there are many in the Old Testament) but He sure elevated their importance in communicating biblical truths to His listeners. I’ve heard His use of parables described as “putting a heavenly truth into an earthly context.” His parables often angered the religious leaders of His day because they got the point of the story, and it was usually critical of them.

What Does That Mean?

In interpreting a parable, remember that everyone and everything in the story is symbolic of something else. The key that unlocks the symbolism is found either within the context or elsewhere in scripture. One nice thing about the Bible is that things used symbolically in one place are generally used in the same way through out. Leaven (or yeast) always symbolizes sin. Adultery and fornication always symbolize the worship of other gods; a spiritual unfaithfulness. Theologians call this the principle of expositional constancy. Observing these guidelines will help you correctly interpret parables and increase your overall knowledge of scripture at the same time.

Are You Talented?

So we have three guidelines in interpreting parables; context, scripture, and expositional constancy. Failure to follow them causes us to miss the point. For example, look at the way the Parable of the Talents has been interpreted, or should I say miss-interpreted. One problem is that talent is also an English word meaning a skill or ability. But in the Greek language a talent was a unit of measure, often defining an amount of money. Since everything in a parable is symbolic of something else, to think of the talents as symbolizing either skills or money is wrong, and really distorts the message of the parable. Instead, think of the talent as symbolizing something of great value to the Lord; something that belonged to Him, and that He entrusted to His servants while He was away. You can see that neither skills nor money correctly define the symbolic talents.

Context, Context

Now notice the time frame the Lord refers to. The word “again” in Matt 25:15 identifies the time of the story as being the same as in the previous story, the Parable of the 10 Bridesmaids. That parable begins with the phrase “at that time” so you have to keep going back all the way to Matt 24:21 and 29 to discover that the time about which He is teaching occurs after the end of Great Tribulation, when He comes back to establish His kingdom.
What will the situation on Earth be at that time? Follow the parable. He will have been gone for a long time and will have just come back. He will have left some valuable property of His in the care of various servants, and some will have multiplied their share while others will have buried theirs. He is now requiring an accounting of them that will determine their destiny. The context tells us a lot, but what property of His is symbolized by the talents?

Is That Scriptural?

This is where using scripture to interpret scripture comes in. We know from scripture that money is not important to the Lord, and that His achievements are not limited by whatever skill we have and are willing to apply to accomplish His ends. But is there something of His, something extremely valuable to Him, prized even above His name, that he has entrusted to us, and that will be buried and all but lost to many at the end of the age?

So What’s The Answer?

The answer is found in Psalm 138:2, “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name (KJV).” But from Amos 8:11 we discover that “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land– not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.” And in Isaiah 55:10-12 we are told that His word, once invested, will always bring a return. It is His most valued possession, He left it with us, and He expects us to invest it.(Matt 28:16-20)

But the last days will be a time of deception so great that most of those alive on earth will succumb to a system of lies that will literally turn black into white; darkness into light; and therefore life into death. The only reference point for truth will be His Word, and many of those with whom it has been entrusted will have rendered it so meaningless as to be buried.
Acting in the authority of the Lamb, but speaking the words of the Dragon, they’ll try to prevent their flocks from learning the Truth. The fact that those servants will have proven themselves to be impostors from the beginning is shown by their destiny; “outside in the darkness.” The one and only unforgivable sin after all, is unbelief.

Summary, Please

So the talents represent His Word, the Gospel of our Salvation. Those who sow it liberally into the hearts of their listeners find it multiplies. Where there were five, ten now appear. Where there were two, now there are four. Those who simply study it find their understanding multiplies. Richer and deeper meanings appear from passages they thought were familiar. Over and over they discover that as their understanding grows their faith deepens.

Those who bury it and pay no attention find its value diminishes the longer they ignore it. Not only are their friends and neighbors deprived by their lack of communication, but they themselves lose insight and understanding. Finally even what little they had is taken from them.

And so the old principle “Use it or Lose it” comes back into play at the End of the Age.  Keep in mind we’re talking about a time after the Church has left the Earth.  The doctrine of Eternal Security expires with our departure and those left behind will be responsible for maintaining their faith (Rev. 16:14)

And  that’s the lesson of the Parable of the Talents. (Revised 06-05-04)

The World Won't Love You Back

Republished from omegaletter.com
In Defense of the Faith
Friday, April 27, 2012 Jack Kinsella - Omega Letter Editor
Everybody loves the things of this world, when you get right down to it.  Love your dog?  Your kids?  Your wife?  Love being in your own personal comfort zone at home?

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:2-3)

You can run down the whole list of things you love in your own mind.  You don’t feel ‘dead’ to the people or things that you love – what does that mean to your salvation?
Is this a conditional statement?  Does it mean that unless your affection is set on things above, unless you are dead to the things of this earth, your life isn’t hid with Christ in God?
One of the central themes of Bible Christianity is that the world is this one:

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1^st John 2:15)

This triggers one of those 'cognitive dissonance' moments.
You know how Christians are supposed to feel about the world and all that is in it – but you still love the things you love.  You even throw around quotes like, “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” – but you still love the things you love.
You love the Lord and you love your fellow man.  You love your church family.  You love your OL family.  You love your country.
You know you aren’t supposed to love your life, but you do everything in your power to make it as comfortable as possible.  You know that you love your life.  If you didn’t, you’d be a prime candidate for suicide counseling.
Christians try to parse this until they read it to mean, “love not sinful things” or “don’t love the world too much” but Jesus confronts us with an either-or ultimatum: “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Which presents us with an enormous conundrum.  There are those who scrupulously practice religious asceticism, which is the practice of austere self-discipline in order to achieve a higher spiritual ideal – (think monks in hair shirts).
But the rest of us aspire to live in warm houses with comfortable beds with a loving family and a loyal dog named Droopy. Sometimes, we even criticize our brethren for loving the things of this world – while worrying about our own 401k.
What is it that I am trying to say here?  That we’re all sinners?  Well, . . . yeah.  But you already knew that.  I can find a dozen verses that clearly command us not to love the world or the things that are in it.
But you do anyway -- and you know it.  Then you criticize other Christians for loving some things of this world, usually the things that you don’t.
“If they love that, they can’t really be saved.” Or, “if they were really saved, they wouldn’t love that.”
What does “really saved” mean, in context?  Bible salvation refers to the redemption from sin through the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Gospel (Good News) is that salvation has been secured on our behalf.  The Book of Romans contains what is often called “Roman’s Road” to salvation.
Salvation requires a recognition of one’s personal sinful state (Romans 3:23).  It demands an understanding of the consequences of sin (Romans 6:23) and that “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 5:8 explains that our salvation is a product of the unfathomable love of God, “in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 10:9 tells us that “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:13 summarizes salvation thusly: “whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Jesus described salvation as being “born again”.

“ . . Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:5-6)

This isn’t a figure of speech.  It is an actual rebirth of one’s spirit, which dies at the moment we commit our first sin.  The soul of an unregenerate man only receives input through his five physical senses.
When he is saved, his spirit is “quickened” opening up a new source of input to his soul.

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1^st Corinthians 2:14)

That sense of spiritual discernment comes from the awakening of the spiritual senses.  Now the soul gets input through both the physical and spiritual gateways.  It is this transformation that the Bible refers to as a “new creature”.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2nd Corinthians 5:17)

The purpose of the first part of today’s OL was to illustrate the Bible’s principle that “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” (Matthew 19:30)
I believe that principle illustrates what happens to those that define salvation as something somebody else doesn’t have because they aren’t living according to their understanding of the Bible.
Which is to say, “love not the things I don’t love.  The things I love aren’t sinful,” -- while ignoring the fact that loving them is.
Salvation creates a new creature with a direct spiritual connection with the Holy Spirit.

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:16)

If it is possible for a person to lose one’s salvation, Hebrews 6:6 teaches that it is impossible for such a one to be born again, again.

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost . . if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.”(Hebrews 6:4-6)

Why would “renewing them again unto repentance put Christ to an open shame?”  During His Agony in the Garden, Jesus prayed,

“While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy Name: those that Thou gavest Me I have kept, and none of them is lost. . . Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:12,24)

The open shame is found in the fact that He was unable to keep such a one by His sacrifice, despite the testimony of Scripture:

“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool. For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:12-14)

The regenerate man whose spiritual eyes have been opened cannot commit spiritual suicide because his spirit is directly indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God.
“Falling away” is defined in the eyes of the beholder, NOT in the eyes of God.  God says you already fell away when you decided to buy a comfortable shirt instead of one made of sackcloth.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in it.”

Doesn’t say a word about loving the things of this world in a righteous way.  Remember the rich man who went away sorrowful because he had many possessions?
Aren’t you glad you weren’t offered that same choice?  Oh, wait.  You were.  And unless you live under a bridge in a cardboard box, you probably made the same choice the rich young man did.
Except that you are saved by grace through faith, not works, lest any man should boast.  Your life is hid with Christ in God.  Your life is ‘hid’ in Christ -- when God looks at you, He sees Christ and judges you accordingly.
You aren’t hid in Christ because you are righteous – nobody is.  You aren’t even hid in Christ because you try to be righteous.  You are hid in Christ because all your works are as filthy rags before the Lord. (Isaiah 64:6)
The sinning Christian loses irreplaceable opportunities to lead others to Christ. (Ephesians 5:14-17) The sinning Christian will suffer loss at the Bema Seat. (1^st Corinthians 3:11-13) The sinning Christian will be chastened by the Father. (Hebrews 12)
And the sinning Christian can render himself so useless to the Lord that the Lord will take him home prematurely.

“. . . There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” (1^st John 5:16)

But what the sinning Christian cannot do is “crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.”  Because “by ONE offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.”
Once is enough.

Gianna Jessen | Abortion Survivor | Nascida durante aborto por envenenamento salino

Jean-Claude Juncker declared he talked with extraterrestrials about Brexit | Katehon think tank. Geopolitics & Tradition

Via  servimhiminthewaiting.com

Note from this blogger who is also a professional translator: Here is an accurate, verbatim translation of the statement made by Jean-Claude Juncker in front of the EU Parliament:

"It is our flight towards the future. The horizons are awaiting us and we fly towards the horizons that are those of Europe and of the entire planet. We must know that those who are observing us are worried. I have seen and heard...listened several leaders from other planets who are very  anxious because they wonder on which the European Union is going to continue. So we must reassure the Europeans and  those who are observing us from farther away." 
Notice that the word "Jean-Claude Juncker "talked""  is absent from the original statement and added by the writer. Further, a sentence segment was added in, again absent in the original,"that we take the best decisions in the consolidation of peace and the world economy" at least in what was presented in the video.   
The mechanism by which Mr. Juncker contacted or was contacted by the alien powers was left to the imagination. Like a lot of world leaders, does he get information through mediumistic or demonic channeling seances? Did these demonic entities manifest physically.?These are valid questions. 
But the whole event was brushed aside and the consensus was that Mr. Juncker´s incoherent ramblings and "lapsus linguae" of his confused mind were due to the trauma  he suffered at the announcement of the Brexit that took everyone by surprise. Or was it? 
In the next few days, It is going to be interesting to hear the buzz in the blogosphere created by this weird piece of news. Probably our attention will be caught with some other piece of the puzzle falling in place. At least, the circus entertainment was free! They really work hard for the money they earn! Let´s hope we don´t run out of bread soon like Venezuela. Hard choice, circus or bread!   

Sources: http://www.lesinrocks.com/inrocks.tv/discours-incoherent-de-jean-claude-juncker-tres-inquiet-brexit/
http://www.agoravox.tv/actualites/europe/article/jean-claude-juncker-j-ai-vu-les-53505
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By STLloyd July 2, 2016 Crazy Extraterrestrials NWO UFO's

Friday, 1 July, 2016 – 00:00 European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, talked in recent days with “several leaders of other planets, who are very worried because they ask questions concerning the way in which the EU will follow”. Such a shocking statement was made during the recent emergency session of the European Parliament Juncker recommends Europeans to be aware of the care that aliens have for Earth. However, the EC president said that he should reassure those who observe us from afar that we take the best decisions in the consolidation of peace and the world economy.”We must be aware that those who observe us from afar are worried. We have seen and heard many leaders of other planets are very worried because they ask questions concerning the way in which the EU will follow. So we must insure Europeans as well as those who observe us from afar, “said Juncker.

MORE with video (in French): Jean-Claude Juncker declared he talked with extraterrestrials about Brexit | Katehon think tank. Geopolitics & Tradition

Alan Franklin on the Sign of The European Union