Light is sown like seed for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Psalm 97:11
Monday, January 30, 2017
The Rapture According to Jesus Christ
Reposted from omegaletter.com
Prophecy - Signs
Monday, January 30, 2017
Pete Garcia
Not many years ago, famed Reformist and Partial-Preterist theologian R.C. Sproul authored a book entitled “The Last Days According to Jesus Christ”. In it he states that “I am convinced that the substance of the Olivet Discourse was fulfilled in AD 70 and that the bulk of Revelation was likewise fulfilled in that time period” (page 158). Unfortunately, his view is not unique within Christendom.
From the fourth century onward, the dominant eschatological view within Christendom had been built upon Augustine’s teachings that the Kingdom was a spiritual one which was already in effect. By the time Augustine had come to some renown, Israel had not existed as a nation for the better part of 300 years. Much of Augustine’s teachings were used as the foundation stones for the budding amalgamation between pagan Rome and Roman Christianity…which later came to be formally known as the Roman Catholic Church (RCC).
With the decline of the Roman Empire, the RCC became the prevailing force dominating Europe and parts of the Middle East for the next thousand years. It wouldn’t be until the 14th century that an awakening began to take hold for those who wanted out from underneath the oppressive Roman Catholic regime. Men like Jan Hus, Peter Waldo, John Wycliffe, and later Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Huldrych Zwingli did much too course-correct Roman Catholicism’s abusive and errant stray from true, biblical Christianity.
But one of the leftover doctrines that did not get reformed was that of Christian Eschatology. The Reformers all but kept the same teachings that were first propagated by Augustine that the Kingdom was now. Unfortunately, Augustine’s influence continued to have a significant impact on Martin Luther and John Calvin who were the fathers of the newly flourishing Protestant movement.
The only major difference between the Reformers and the RCC Papists was who actually was running ‘the Kingdom’. Obviously, the RCC thought they were since the Pope himself was supposed to be the ‘Vicar of Christ’ on earth. The Reformers later began to view that if anything, the Pope was not the ‘Vicar of Christ’, but rather the ‘Antichrist’. What they did agree on was that the Kingdom was already in effect, the Jewish people were no longer God’s chosen, and that most of prophecy had already been fulfilled.
Given their time-frame (circa 14th-17th centuries), who could blame them? Christendom had just emerged out of the Dark Ages. Israel hadn’t existed as a nation for over a 1,000 years. Life moved at the speed of horse. Technological advancements had just given the world the printing press. The Ottoman Turks were the rising power in the Middle East. Roman Catholic domination over the politics in Europe was fracturing, and a whole new world was being discovered and exploited.
The early Protestant Reformers may have had cause to think the way they did eschatologically speaking…but what excuse does the R.C. Sproul types have today?
The world went through two great wars and a Nazi Holocaust causing six million Jewish deaths. Israel became a nation again miraculously after almost 1,900 years. The world has progressed faster technologically and educationally speaking, than the previous twenty centuries combined. Pestilences, earthquakes, wars, national and ethnic strife, violence, and starvation are increasingly amplifying. The world population has reached over seven billion, while at the same time the world is teetering on economic collapse…but somehow the first century was worse than the twentieth? (Matt. 24:21-22)
Assessment
Christian theology is chock full of doctrines, teachings, insights, and various other topics that have seemingly become more and more controversial over the past two millennia. It doesn't matter if you're talking about spiritual gifts, eternal security, the Trinity, Sabbath day worship, baptism, Communion, tithing, etc...If there is a topic-Christians of every stripe and flavor have found a way to argue and divide over it. But perhaps none have been as controversial as the doctrine of the Rapture of the Church.
The Apostle Paul didn’t invent the doctrine, (Gal. 1:11-12) rather he simply expounded upon what the Lord had already said concerning it. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep (1 Thess. 4:15). So regardless of denominational history, church dogma, creeds, early church father views, etc.…Jesus has a theological position on both the Rapture and the Second Coming, and I promise you it’s not Augustinian.
The Rapture of the Church vs. the Second Coming
The first thing we have to realize is that Christ’s Second Coming is broken up into two parts…the Rapture (Harpazo-catching up) of His bride the Church (1 Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18, 1 Cor. 15:51-56)…and His return to earth with His bride the Church…at the Triumphal Return as chronicled in Zech. 14:3-5, Matt. 24:29-31; 26:64, Jude 1:14-15, Rev. 1:7; 19:11-14. These cannot be the same event because of the numerous and glaring distinctions juxtaposed against each other. (Differences chart)
Critics of my aforementioned statement (Second Coming in two parts) fail to recognize that the Jews of Jesus’s day had that exact same problem concerning Christ’s First Coming as these critics now have with His Second Coming. They (first century Jews) thought the Messiah would come kick the Romans out and usher in the Kingdom right then and there. What they failed to see in the Old Testament (but what we Christians now clearly see with Scriptural hindsight) is the two separate comings of the Messiah…first as the sacrificial Lamb who takes away the sins of the world, and later as the conquering King. (Isaiah 53, Dan. 9:24-26, John 1:29, Psalm 2, Zech. 10, 14) Critics of the Pre-Tribulation view, fail to see that Christ’s Second Coming is also in two parts.
We (proponents of the Pre-Tribulation view) recognize that Jesus does talk extensively about the events leading up to and including His Triumphal Return, but that does not diminish nor deny that He also talks about His return for the Church first.
Days of Noah vs. the Olivet Discourse
The first mention of the concept of the Rapture in the Gospels is found in Luke 17:26-30. In it Jesus likened the time of His return to that of the days of Noah and Lot-a world which was largely carrying on as if it didn’t have a care in the world. In fact, He went out of His way to emphasize the sense of normalcy surrounding these events despite their OT pinning’s. Were they in massive tribulation prior to the flood, or prior to Sodom and Gomorrah’s fiery hailstorm? No…life was normal. Incessantly wicked and violent yes, but normal in the sense that a frog cooking in a pot doesn’t realize the water it’s in is being boiled until it’s too late. (Gen 6, 19)
People were going about their normal lives…and then calamity struck. Jesus could not be possibly referring to the events inside the 70th Week of Daniel primarily because after 21 divine judgments are unleashed, the world is forever changed. Those judgments cause half the world’s population to die, large percentages of the ocean and fresh water to turn to blood, the sun has a ‘nova’ like event, then goes dark, people are struck with sores, and the Two Witness’s perform unbelievable signs and wonders, etc., so there leaves little possibility for ‘normal’ inside the seven-year Tribulation.
The Olivet Discourse on the other hand is what most people automatically default to when they want to get Jesus’s view on the last days. The Synoptic Gospels-Matthew, Mark, and Luke all carry a variant of the Olivet Discourse. What often gets overlooked, is that each of the Gospels, provide a different perspective on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus because they were geared toward different audiences.
Matthew: portrays Christ as the rightful Heir of ‘David’s Throne’ and has very Jewish overtones throughout the book…and it contains the Olivet Discourse. (Written circa 50AD)
Mark: portrays the servanthood of Christ and is written with a Gentile audience in mind…and has the Olivet Discourse. (Circa 68AD)
Luke: portrays the humanity of Christ and is written with a Greek audience in mind…has the Olivet Discourse. (Circa 60AD)
John: portrays the deity of Christ…is the last gospel written well into the Church era and does not have any version of the Olivet Discourse. (Circa 85AD)
Wait…did John forget to put his version of the Olivet Discourse in there? He was one of the attendees after all (Mark 13:3). Maybe he knew he was going to write the book of Revelation later in life (95AD) and decided to save it till then…oh wait…he didn’t know that either. (Did he know he was going to get banished to the Isle of Patmos under Domitian?) Hmmm…I wonder why John didn’t record a variant of the Olivet Discourse? Why would John leave out one of his Lord’s longest and most prolific discussions? Perhaps it is because the Holy Spirit instructed him not to. Instead, he records the Upper Room Discourse (John 14-16)…which was taught exclusively to the eleven disciples the night before His crucifixion. Instead of recording wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, pestilences, etc.…John records the comforting words that Christians of every generation could take solace in.
Conclusion
Now R.C. Sproul and many other subscribers to the Amillennial, Post-Tribulation Rapture, and Preterist views consider the Olivet Discourse to be the be-all, end-all description of the last days, but they do so neglecting many other passages that fill in the gaps of Jesus’s macro-view of the last days. While they might disagree on when those last days actually occur (Post-Trib sees future while Amillennialist and Preterist look to past fulfillment circa 70AD), what they miss are the clear distinctions between the two future comings.
The conundrum is this; if it’s already all happened, why the instruction to watch and be ready? Or, if I’m destined to go into the worst period of human history and I can’t change anything about it…why am to take comfort in that? Some reason that we need purification…so why aren’t they missionaries in North Korea at this very moment boldly proclaiming the Gospel? My response is that there is plenty of purification going on there these days...so why wait?
Watching and waiting in and of itself has a very purifying effect not only on our lives, but on our theology as well. It keeps us grounded by not becoming so focused on building our own little kingdoms in the here and now. Being earth-focused is what led us to the Dark Ages in the first place. If Christ didn’t want us to understand and learn Bible prophecy, He wouldn’t have given John the Revelation to give to us. Furthermore, when Jesus revealed Himself glorified to John on Patmos, He had some choice words to say for the early church…and by extension us-he who has an ear, let him hear.
Speaking to the Church with her Vicar, her political machinations, and her “Kingdom” He says-
Prophecy - Signs
Monday, January 30, 2017
Pete Garcia
Not many years ago, famed Reformist and Partial-Preterist theologian R.C. Sproul authored a book entitled “The Last Days According to Jesus Christ”. In it he states that “I am convinced that the substance of the Olivet Discourse was fulfilled in AD 70 and that the bulk of Revelation was likewise fulfilled in that time period” (page 158). Unfortunately, his view is not unique within Christendom.
From the fourth century onward, the dominant eschatological view within Christendom had been built upon Augustine’s teachings that the Kingdom was a spiritual one which was already in effect. By the time Augustine had come to some renown, Israel had not existed as a nation for the better part of 300 years. Much of Augustine’s teachings were used as the foundation stones for the budding amalgamation between pagan Rome and Roman Christianity…which later came to be formally known as the Roman Catholic Church (RCC).
With the decline of the Roman Empire, the RCC became the prevailing force dominating Europe and parts of the Middle East for the next thousand years. It wouldn’t be until the 14th century that an awakening began to take hold for those who wanted out from underneath the oppressive Roman Catholic regime. Men like Jan Hus, Peter Waldo, John Wycliffe, and later Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Huldrych Zwingli did much too course-correct Roman Catholicism’s abusive and errant stray from true, biblical Christianity.
But one of the leftover doctrines that did not get reformed was that of Christian Eschatology. The Reformers all but kept the same teachings that were first propagated by Augustine that the Kingdom was now. Unfortunately, Augustine’s influence continued to have a significant impact on Martin Luther and John Calvin who were the fathers of the newly flourishing Protestant movement.
The only major difference between the Reformers and the RCC Papists was who actually was running ‘the Kingdom’. Obviously, the RCC thought they were since the Pope himself was supposed to be the ‘Vicar of Christ’ on earth. The Reformers later began to view that if anything, the Pope was not the ‘Vicar of Christ’, but rather the ‘Antichrist’. What they did agree on was that the Kingdom was already in effect, the Jewish people were no longer God’s chosen, and that most of prophecy had already been fulfilled.
Given their time-frame (circa 14th-17th centuries), who could blame them? Christendom had just emerged out of the Dark Ages. Israel hadn’t existed as a nation for over a 1,000 years. Life moved at the speed of horse. Technological advancements had just given the world the printing press. The Ottoman Turks were the rising power in the Middle East. Roman Catholic domination over the politics in Europe was fracturing, and a whole new world was being discovered and exploited.
The early Protestant Reformers may have had cause to think the way they did eschatologically speaking…but what excuse does the R.C. Sproul types have today?
The world went through two great wars and a Nazi Holocaust causing six million Jewish deaths. Israel became a nation again miraculously after almost 1,900 years. The world has progressed faster technologically and educationally speaking, than the previous twenty centuries combined. Pestilences, earthquakes, wars, national and ethnic strife, violence, and starvation are increasingly amplifying. The world population has reached over seven billion, while at the same time the world is teetering on economic collapse…but somehow the first century was worse than the twentieth? (Matt. 24:21-22)
Assessment
Christian theology is chock full of doctrines, teachings, insights, and various other topics that have seemingly become more and more controversial over the past two millennia. It doesn't matter if you're talking about spiritual gifts, eternal security, the Trinity, Sabbath day worship, baptism, Communion, tithing, etc...If there is a topic-Christians of every stripe and flavor have found a way to argue and divide over it. But perhaps none have been as controversial as the doctrine of the Rapture of the Church.
The Apostle Paul didn’t invent the doctrine, (Gal. 1:11-12) rather he simply expounded upon what the Lord had already said concerning it. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep (1 Thess. 4:15). So regardless of denominational history, church dogma, creeds, early church father views, etc.…Jesus has a theological position on both the Rapture and the Second Coming, and I promise you it’s not Augustinian.
The Rapture of the Church vs. the Second Coming
The first thing we have to realize is that Christ’s Second Coming is broken up into two parts…the Rapture (Harpazo-catching up) of His bride the Church (1 Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18, 1 Cor. 15:51-56)…and His return to earth with His bride the Church…at the Triumphal Return as chronicled in Zech. 14:3-5, Matt. 24:29-31; 26:64, Jude 1:14-15, Rev. 1:7; 19:11-14. These cannot be the same event because of the numerous and glaring distinctions juxtaposed against each other. (Differences chart)
Critics of my aforementioned statement (Second Coming in two parts) fail to recognize that the Jews of Jesus’s day had that exact same problem concerning Christ’s First Coming as these critics now have with His Second Coming. They (first century Jews) thought the Messiah would come kick the Romans out and usher in the Kingdom right then and there. What they failed to see in the Old Testament (but what we Christians now clearly see with Scriptural hindsight) is the two separate comings of the Messiah…first as the sacrificial Lamb who takes away the sins of the world, and later as the conquering King. (Isaiah 53, Dan. 9:24-26, John 1:29, Psalm 2, Zech. 10, 14) Critics of the Pre-Tribulation view, fail to see that Christ’s Second Coming is also in two parts.
We (proponents of the Pre-Tribulation view) recognize that Jesus does talk extensively about the events leading up to and including His Triumphal Return, but that does not diminish nor deny that He also talks about His return for the Church first.
Days of Noah vs. the Olivet Discourse
The first mention of the concept of the Rapture in the Gospels is found in Luke 17:26-30. In it Jesus likened the time of His return to that of the days of Noah and Lot-a world which was largely carrying on as if it didn’t have a care in the world. In fact, He went out of His way to emphasize the sense of normalcy surrounding these events despite their OT pinning’s. Were they in massive tribulation prior to the flood, or prior to Sodom and Gomorrah’s fiery hailstorm? No…life was normal. Incessantly wicked and violent yes, but normal in the sense that a frog cooking in a pot doesn’t realize the water it’s in is being boiled until it’s too late. (Gen 6, 19)
People were going about their normal lives…and then calamity struck. Jesus could not be possibly referring to the events inside the 70th Week of Daniel primarily because after 21 divine judgments are unleashed, the world is forever changed. Those judgments cause half the world’s population to die, large percentages of the ocean and fresh water to turn to blood, the sun has a ‘nova’ like event, then goes dark, people are struck with sores, and the Two Witness’s perform unbelievable signs and wonders, etc., so there leaves little possibility for ‘normal’ inside the seven-year Tribulation.
The Olivet Discourse on the other hand is what most people automatically default to when they want to get Jesus’s view on the last days. The Synoptic Gospels-Matthew, Mark, and Luke all carry a variant of the Olivet Discourse. What often gets overlooked, is that each of the Gospels, provide a different perspective on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus because they were geared toward different audiences.
Matthew: portrays Christ as the rightful Heir of ‘David’s Throne’ and has very Jewish overtones throughout the book…and it contains the Olivet Discourse. (Written circa 50AD)
Mark: portrays the servanthood of Christ and is written with a Gentile audience in mind…and has the Olivet Discourse. (Circa 68AD)
Luke: portrays the humanity of Christ and is written with a Greek audience in mind…has the Olivet Discourse. (Circa 60AD)
John: portrays the deity of Christ…is the last gospel written well into the Church era and does not have any version of the Olivet Discourse. (Circa 85AD)
Wait…did John forget to put his version of the Olivet Discourse in there? He was one of the attendees after all (Mark 13:3). Maybe he knew he was going to write the book of Revelation later in life (95AD) and decided to save it till then…oh wait…he didn’t know that either. (Did he know he was going to get banished to the Isle of Patmos under Domitian?) Hmmm…I wonder why John didn’t record a variant of the Olivet Discourse? Why would John leave out one of his Lord’s longest and most prolific discussions? Perhaps it is because the Holy Spirit instructed him not to. Instead, he records the Upper Room Discourse (John 14-16)…which was taught exclusively to the eleven disciples the night before His crucifixion. Instead of recording wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, pestilences, etc.…John records the comforting words that Christians of every generation could take solace in.
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:1-3Jesus (being God in the Flesh) knew before He ever came the first time that His second coming would not be a singular event. Rather it would be two events, both of which bestow a special place of honor for His bride the Church. It is not that we the Church are deserving of any such honor, but only because Christ shed His own divine blood for us and that we are the Church He built (Matt. 16:18-19). We are the pearl of great price in the parable in which the merchant sold all He had to purchase it (Matt. 13:45-46).
Conclusion
Now R.C. Sproul and many other subscribers to the Amillennial, Post-Tribulation Rapture, and Preterist views consider the Olivet Discourse to be the be-all, end-all description of the last days, but they do so neglecting many other passages that fill in the gaps of Jesus’s macro-view of the last days. While they might disagree on when those last days actually occur (Post-Trib sees future while Amillennialist and Preterist look to past fulfillment circa 70AD), what they miss are the clear distinctions between the two future comings.
The conundrum is this; if it’s already all happened, why the instruction to watch and be ready? Or, if I’m destined to go into the worst period of human history and I can’t change anything about it…why am to take comfort in that? Some reason that we need purification…so why aren’t they missionaries in North Korea at this very moment boldly proclaiming the Gospel? My response is that there is plenty of purification going on there these days...so why wait?
Watching and waiting in and of itself has a very purifying effect not only on our lives, but on our theology as well. It keeps us grounded by not becoming so focused on building our own little kingdoms in the here and now. Being earth-focused is what led us to the Dark Ages in the first place. If Christ didn’t want us to understand and learn Bible prophecy, He wouldn’t have given John the Revelation to give to us. Furthermore, when Jesus revealed Himself glorified to John on Patmos, He had some choice words to say for the early church…and by extension us-he who has an ear, let him hear.
Speaking to the Church with her Vicar, her political machinations, and her “Kingdom” He says-
And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. Rev. 2:21-22Speaking to the Christian Church who does not watch and understand prophecy-
Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. Rev. 3:3Speaking to the Christian Church who does-
Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. Rev. 3:10-11He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Revelation 22:20-21a
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Jesus or Barabbas
Reposted from www.raystedman.org
Read the Scripture: Mark 15:1-20
Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them (Mark 15:15a)All the gospel writers tell us of Barabbas. He was a bloodthirsty revolutionary, hardnosed and bloody-handed; he was a murderer. The interesting thing about him is his name, which means
son of the father.And in a most dramatic historic coincidence, according to some old manuscripts, there is some evidence that his name probably was Jesus Barabbas: Jesus, the son of the father. I do not see how we could read and understand that without knowing that this is again God silently guiding events behind the scene, bringing things to light that otherwise would never be known. For this crowd is confronted with choosing between Jesus, the son of the father, who rules by force and makes his living by his wits; and Jesus, the Son of the Father, who rules by love and is ready to sacrifice Himself.
Why did they choose Barabbas? The answer seems to be that they were disappointed with Jesus. This was the crowd that, just a few days before, had welcomed Him into Jerusalem. The city was filled with people Jesus had healed. The eyes of the blind had been opened, the deaf made to hear, and the lame to walk. He had awakened within the people the hope, the flaming desire, that this was indeed the Messiah, come to deliver them from the yoke of Rome. All their ideas of messiahship centered around the thought that He would be the one who would set them free from the hated bondage of Rome. Now, when they saw Him standing helpless before the Roman governor, saw His apparent unwillingness or inability to make any defense or to do anything against the Romans, all their loyalty to Him collapsed. In anger and disappointment, they turned and chose Jesus, the son of the father, who lived by force—Barabbas the murderer. Continue reading
Friday, January 27, 2017
Sometimes, it is indeed personal. Sometimes, it ought to be!
Reposted from servehiminthewaiting.com
When you serve the Lord, expect opposition. Sometimes it is not in the form of conflict or disruption in your life, but rather more personal than that. Satan attacks where we are most vulnerable. Even with the armor on, God doesn’t guarantee that we will win every skirmish. Sometimes we will get some bruises. An oft-overlooked and rarely focused-upon portion of the Ephesians 6 “Whole Armor” passage is that relatively passive instruction that says “that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand“.
Sensitivity to and awareness of evil around us, is an ability that God gives in varying proportions to different believers. A profound sensitivity is a gift that few of us would choose if given our “druthers”. As humans living in this period of human history, there is an awful lot happening in our world which is terribly grievous to our spirits. We are not unaffected by the rising noxiousness of evil. God equips the called, but He also requires us to bear, within His yoke, things we could not bear on our own.
It is often said among Christians “If anyone has reason to smile, it’s Christians, so don’t go around looking glum”. While I can understand and appreciate the point being made, I usually find the person who makes that sort of proclamation one of those people who does not pay much attention to, nor involve himself in the opposition of, the evil taking place around us. Though some people do prefer a head-in-the-sand approach, that statement is not necessarily an indictment of negligence or lack of compassion on the part of the speaker who says those things. It simply may not be their calling. I get that. I just wish that the person who says those things understood that if there were not those “assigned” to concern themselves with those less pleasant things, who would be the caring voice of God to the ones who suffer under that evil? Who would be the hand that pulled them out? If you or I don’t take it personal, who will?
Did you ever wonder why it was that Jesus wept over Lazarus’ death ( John 11:35)? It was not because He was going to miss the man, He knew He was about to raise Lazarus back up. Verse 33 says Jesus “groaned in his spirit and was troubled”. Jesus is a High Priest that is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (Hebrews 4:15). This event took place only days before Jesus Himself would lay down His own life as a ransom to pay the sin-debt of man, and I imagine He grieved over the tragedy of sin, the curse of it which leads to death, for the unnecessary suffering which sin created and continues always to create, and for the horrible cost of it all.
I read an article today which, on top of the harsh and secret realities recently exposed behind the very people leading our government, and on top of the awareness of evil in general, really made me physically sick. It is a story about one of the leaders, one Donna Hylton, of the recent marches of angry women in all their “pro-choice, anti-Trump and anti-hate” rage. It is about this one woman’s criminal record, one heinous crime that flies totally in the face of the supposed “oppression” she and her “sisters” claim to loathe and speak out against and want to see come to an end. A woman who, along with 2 other women, bound, tortured, sodomized, and killed a man. I thought the article was surely some sick attempt at satire. But I checked the sources. It’s not fictional. This is what those “millions” of women worldwide who marched the day after Inauguration, uphold as their mentor. Along with the likes of Madonna, and Ashley “I am a naaaasty woman” Judd.
When the Bible talks about homosexuality as an abomination and a curse, when it addresses the fact that women partake in this sin, it uses an interesting adverb. It says “even” their women exchanged the natural use into that which is against nature.
This seems to indicate that there is something particularly awry when women have started to do something that men already have been known to do. After all, women are mothers, nurturers, they have special intuition and a capacity for compassion which men can more easily suppress in themselves because of their role as warriors and as hunters/gatherers. The women who marched in those “protests”, have rejected these God-ordained qualities and differences between male and female, as God designed them.
Christians know what is sin. The unsaved are not enlightened to the things of God, but everyone has a God-given conscience and knowledge of good and evil, right and wrong. Those who have seared their own consciences are the ones who can participate in horrific things without the slightest qualms, and not only that, but come to love it, to have an insatiable appetite for it. Those who “take pleasure in” their evil deeds are as guilty in God’s eyes, as the perpetrators, and there were all those women cheering this reprobate woman.
If that is not an example of calling evil good and good evil, putting darkness for light and light for darkness, (Isaiah :20) I can’t imagine what is.
I read about the thirteen year old girl last week who live-streamed her suicide on Facebook, and I wondered yet again how long the Lord will continue to restrain the coming judgment. That little girl’s blood is on someone’s hands. She was no saint, I heard her foul mouth on other of her posts, however, she stated she was being molested by her mother’s boyfriend. Where was the mother? Where was her actual father? Who will and does care about these neglected children and the dying babies, and the women and children, both male and female children, who are captives in the sex trade industry? God cares. And I won’t apologize for caring. I pray, and yes, I grieve.
Rapture-Ready had two posts today that particularly resonated. One was an expose on the role Obama may have played in the change of Popes, and the role both he and the Pope have in the goal of a New World Order. I believe the Pope is the False Prophet, and the developments will ultimately be all in God’s plan, however, we know that the way the world responded to Obama was at the very least, proof of the world’s readiness to embrace one man as their leader. Obama was literally worshiped. The other post was a submission by Gene Lawley entitled “Making Sense Out of the Swirling Scenario” which was featured on several other prominent end-times websites as well. Lawley repeated a phrase several times in this piece. It was “sometimes things are not as they appear to be”. And I think that is the word for this hour. Deception, mind-games, sleight-of-hand, bait-and-switch, you name it, we are in the thick of it.
Wearing the armor is crucial, but remember, in the end, sometimes all God expects is for us to stand our ground as Christians, remain standing, and “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day”. There are 279 different accounts of the Lord delivering His own from the hand of the enemy in the Bible that use those very words. That is not to say we are idle. It’s not to say we don’t continue to fight the good fight, but Hope deferred makes the heart sick (Proverbs 13:12a).
We want Him to wait a little longer, as Lawley mentions the words to an old song, “for our loved ones to come in”, but our hearts long to leave the pain and sorrow, the sin and filth, of this world. It feels hard to breathe this air. We stand. We are weak but He is strong. No one is more grieved by these things than Jesus. To Him, you better believe it’s personal.
When you serve the Lord, expect opposition. Sometimes it is not in the form of conflict or disruption in your life, but rather more personal than that. Satan attacks where we are most vulnerable. Even with the armor on, God doesn’t guarantee that we will win every skirmish. Sometimes we will get some bruises. An oft-overlooked and rarely focused-upon portion of the Ephesians 6 “Whole Armor” passage is that relatively passive instruction that says “that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand“.
Sensitivity to and awareness of evil around us, is an ability that God gives in varying proportions to different believers. A profound sensitivity is a gift that few of us would choose if given our “druthers”. As humans living in this period of human history, there is an awful lot happening in our world which is terribly grievous to our spirits. We are not unaffected by the rising noxiousness of evil. God equips the called, but He also requires us to bear, within His yoke, things we could not bear on our own.
It is often said among Christians “If anyone has reason to smile, it’s Christians, so don’t go around looking glum”. While I can understand and appreciate the point being made, I usually find the person who makes that sort of proclamation one of those people who does not pay much attention to, nor involve himself in the opposition of, the evil taking place around us. Though some people do prefer a head-in-the-sand approach, that statement is not necessarily an indictment of negligence or lack of compassion on the part of the speaker who says those things. It simply may not be their calling. I get that. I just wish that the person who says those things understood that if there were not those “assigned” to concern themselves with those less pleasant things, who would be the caring voice of God to the ones who suffer under that evil? Who would be the hand that pulled them out? If you or I don’t take it personal, who will?
Did you ever wonder why it was that Jesus wept over Lazarus’ death ( John 11:35)? It was not because He was going to miss the man, He knew He was about to raise Lazarus back up. Verse 33 says Jesus “groaned in his spirit and was troubled”. Jesus is a High Priest that is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (Hebrews 4:15). This event took place only days before Jesus Himself would lay down His own life as a ransom to pay the sin-debt of man, and I imagine He grieved over the tragedy of sin, the curse of it which leads to death, for the unnecessary suffering which sin created and continues always to create, and for the horrible cost of it all.
I read an article today which, on top of the harsh and secret realities recently exposed behind the very people leading our government, and on top of the awareness of evil in general, really made me physically sick. It is a story about one of the leaders, one Donna Hylton, of the recent marches of angry women in all their “pro-choice, anti-Trump and anti-hate” rage. It is about this one woman’s criminal record, one heinous crime that flies totally in the face of the supposed “oppression” she and her “sisters” claim to loathe and speak out against and want to see come to an end. A woman who, along with 2 other women, bound, tortured, sodomized, and killed a man. I thought the article was surely some sick attempt at satire. But I checked the sources. It’s not fictional. This is what those “millions” of women worldwide who marched the day after Inauguration, uphold as their mentor. Along with the likes of Madonna, and Ashley “I am a naaaasty woman” Judd.
When the Bible talks about homosexuality as an abomination and a curse, when it addresses the fact that women partake in this sin, it uses an interesting adverb. It says “even” their women exchanged the natural use into that which is against nature.
This seems to indicate that there is something particularly awry when women have started to do something that men already have been known to do. After all, women are mothers, nurturers, they have special intuition and a capacity for compassion which men can more easily suppress in themselves because of their role as warriors and as hunters/gatherers. The women who marched in those “protests”, have rejected these God-ordained qualities and differences between male and female, as God designed them.
Christians know what is sin. The unsaved are not enlightened to the things of God, but everyone has a God-given conscience and knowledge of good and evil, right and wrong. Those who have seared their own consciences are the ones who can participate in horrific things without the slightest qualms, and not only that, but come to love it, to have an insatiable appetite for it. Those who “take pleasure in” their evil deeds are as guilty in God’s eyes, as the perpetrators, and there were all those women cheering this reprobate woman.
If that is not an example of calling evil good and good evil, putting darkness for light and light for darkness, (Isaiah :20) I can’t imagine what is.
I read about the thirteen year old girl last week who live-streamed her suicide on Facebook, and I wondered yet again how long the Lord will continue to restrain the coming judgment. That little girl’s blood is on someone’s hands. She was no saint, I heard her foul mouth on other of her posts, however, she stated she was being molested by her mother’s boyfriend. Where was the mother? Where was her actual father? Who will and does care about these neglected children and the dying babies, and the women and children, both male and female children, who are captives in the sex trade industry? God cares. And I won’t apologize for caring. I pray, and yes, I grieve.
Rapture-Ready had two posts today that particularly resonated. One was an expose on the role Obama may have played in the change of Popes, and the role both he and the Pope have in the goal of a New World Order. I believe the Pope is the False Prophet, and the developments will ultimately be all in God’s plan, however, we know that the way the world responded to Obama was at the very least, proof of the world’s readiness to embrace one man as their leader. Obama was literally worshiped. The other post was a submission by Gene Lawley entitled “Making Sense Out of the Swirling Scenario” which was featured on several other prominent end-times websites as well. Lawley repeated a phrase several times in this piece. It was “sometimes things are not as they appear to be”. And I think that is the word for this hour. Deception, mind-games, sleight-of-hand, bait-and-switch, you name it, we are in the thick of it.
Wearing the armor is crucial, but remember, in the end, sometimes all God expects is for us to stand our ground as Christians, remain standing, and “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day”. There are 279 different accounts of the Lord delivering His own from the hand of the enemy in the Bible that use those very words. That is not to say we are idle. It’s not to say we don’t continue to fight the good fight, but Hope deferred makes the heart sick (Proverbs 13:12a).
We want Him to wait a little longer, as Lawley mentions the words to an old song, “for our loved ones to come in”, but our hearts long to leave the pain and sorrow, the sin and filth, of this world. It feels hard to breathe this air. We stand. We are weak but He is strong. No one is more grieved by these things than Jesus. To Him, you better believe it’s personal.
Saturday, January 21, 2017
What does it mean that Jesus fulfilled the law, but did not abolish it?
What does it mean that Jesus fulfilled the law, but did not abolish it?: What does it mean that Jesus fulfilled the law, but did not abolish it? Are followers of Jesus today under the authority of the Law, or free from the Law?
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Romans: The Gospel According To Paul … Part 3
Romans: The Gospel According To Paul … Part 3
Romans 3:21-4:25
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26)Having shown conclusively that all of us, Jew and Gentile alike, are unable to earn a level of righteousness sufficient to escape God’s wrath, Paul now introduces the notion of a righteousness apart from the Law. This righteousness was spoken of through out the Old Testament. Rather than being earned by obedience, it’s imputed to us by faith in the Lord’s atoning sacrifice. His sacrifice, though performed only once, would apply all along the human time line, from the first sinner to the last. God even set aside the punishment due to those who lived before its time, but died in faith of its eventuality, so His death could atone for them as well.
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. (Romans 3:27-31)
No one can take credit for this righteousness, or look down on others like the Pharisees of old. Whether from Jewish or Gentile backgrounds, all who believe are justified by their faith alone, undeserving recipients of God’s grace. And contrary to abolishing the Law, this righteousness fulfills it, just like Jesus promised. “Don’t think that I’ve come to abolish the Law and Prophets. I haven’t come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matt. 5:17)
Romans 4
Abraham Justified by Faith
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Gen. 15:6)As soon as we inject something of our own into the equation, we render it ineffective. Grace plus work equals work. Faith is the only participation we’re allowed that isn’t counted as work.
Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” (Psalm 37:1-2) (Romans 4:1-8)
Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. (Romans 4:9-12)In the context of time, Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness over 400 years before the Law was given, and even before he had been circumcised.
It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.As Paul said earlier, the Law was not given as a path to righteousness but to make us conscious of sin. Certain behavior may not be right, but if there’s no law against it, then it isn’t illegal. And as we’ll see, this righteousness lets God see those who are not as if they are.
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” (Genesis 15:5) He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. (Romans 4:13-18)
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” (Gen. 15:5) Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Romans 4:19-25)This chapter closes with a remarkable example of God’s grace. No mention at all is made of the incident with Hagar and Ishmael, which some would characterize as a lapse of faith. Having only Paul’s account we could surmise that Abraham and Sarah had waited patiently throughout the span of time between the Lord’s promise and the birth of Isaac, going well past the age of childbearing without wavering in the slightest.
But that’s not the way Scripture records it. Sarah did grow tired of waiting and gave her handmaiden to Abraham, saying, “Perhaps I can build a family through her.” (Gen. 16:2) Ishmael was born, and Abraham did view him as the fulfillment of God’s promise. (Genesis 17:18)
But God ignored all that. When He told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, God called him “Your only son.” (Gen.22:2) And Paul, inspired of the Holy Spirit, failed to even mention it. When speaking of Abraham’s righteousness it’s as if none of that ever happened.
So it is with you. When you became a believer, God did more than forgive your sins. He re-created you and no longer remembers your past. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Cor. 5:17) And from that time forward, He has chosen to see you not as you are, but as He’s made you, as righteous as He is. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:21) All your failings and shortcomings have ceased to exist in His mind. Now, any time you sin, you need only confess to be both forgiven and restored to righteousness, (1 John 1:9) your sin immediately forgotten.
This is what a righteousness by faith is. God cannot abide in the presence of sin, and yet He desires our presence with Him in eternity. We can never become sin-free on our own, so in order to keep us around, He had to find another way to make us righteous. The way He found was to send His Son to pay the penalty for our sins. All of them. The moment we believe that He really did that for us, the righteousness of God is imputed to us by faith. Now we can dwell in His presence, and He in ours.
I’ve spent some time among the Jews on their own turf. I’ve seen the lengths they go to in keeping the Law. The Church’s most ardent legalists can’t hold a candle to them. And yet Jesus told us that unless our righteousness exceeded that of the Pharisees we would certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matt. 5:20) Then He said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48) Haven’t you always wondered what He meant by that? Well now you know. He was talking about a righteousness by faith. It’s the righteousness of God, the only one good enough to get you into His presence. Our time here’s almost up. Better make sure you have it. 01-20-07
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Merry Christmas from Muhammad and Devotees
Reposted from omegaletter.com
Israel - Middle East
Friday, December 30, 2016
Alf Cengia
The Prophet Muhammad's legacy of terror has reached out from the past and wished many western Christians another merry Christmas. It's an upward trend.
This was why Gatestone Institute was able to send out an accurate early warning to Europeans for 2016.
So far, Australians may consider themselves as extremely lucky to have been spared Muhammad's wrath. One monumental Christmas attack was foiled. But there have near misses. How long before a planned attack find its target? Why plan attacks on a welcoming multi-cultural nation such as Australia? What's going on here?
For various reasons, the media and authorities are typically reticent to ascribe terror attacks to an organization (or even Islam). When someone shouts Allahu Akbar as he stabs or shoots infidels, they'd rather refer to it as a "lone wolf" incident.
However, Howard Bloom notes that even the lone wolf phenomenon can be attributed to Muhammad's legacy. After a disastrous battle, Muhammad had to ensure that his troops wouldn't leave the battlefield. So, aside from the "spoils of war", he introduced some further incentives. One was the idea that dying for the sake of Islam was a certain ticket to paradise.
And then he added sexual gratification as another incentive: "The Muslim paradise was not like the dull and boring Christian heaven where you sat at the feet of God singing his praises day after day." There would also be "large eyed" and "full breasted maidens" who would remain "eternally young." Well, you get the drift.
Bloom observes that millions of Muslims today model their lives on Muhammad's example during the years of peace:
But others model themselves on the period of the Prophet’s life in which he became addicted to the systematic use of what he called “slaughter” and “terror.”
Muhammad was a genius. His followers down through the centuries have successfully retained these teachings for profit and fun. Whether it's an organization such as ISIS or a "lone wolf" enabled by a radical preacher, the source is the same - Muhammad.
It wasn't too long ago that the world recognized the problem of Islam and wasn't afraid to say so. Jefferson didn't keep a Qur'an in his library for devotional use, as some Islamic devotees like to think. He wanted to understand the dynamics of the Barbary Pirates and how Islam fitted into all this.
Tripoli Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdrahaman provided the context for those who paid attention:
A German school in Turkey just banned Christmas celebrations: the school, Istanbul Lisesi, funded by the German government, decided that Christmas traditions and carol-singing would no longer be allowed. A Woolworth's store in Germany scrapped Christmas decorations telling customers that the shop "is now Muslim".
Giulio Meotti writes that Christianophobia is the Trojan Horse of Islam. He notes that:
Everywhere in Europe, a weary, secularist absence of purpose and confused values damns Christianity in favor of Islam.
Christmas and Hanukkah are observed at roughly the same time. That may be the reason why Mr. Obama was determined not to leave Israel out the "Christmas celebrations" by abstaining from the UN resolution against Israel. Barack Obama may not be an observing Muslim, but he sure as heck acts like a devotee.
And make no mistake; the UN is fundamentally driven by Islamic sympathies. This is why they're obsessed with Israel's alleged misdemeanors while largely ignoring human rights abuses in places such as Iran, Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
President Obama's "Christmas surprise" was always expected. He was predictable before he became president. One only had to do their homework. I've used the example of the story of the scorpion and the frog in Aesop's Fable. The scorpion can't help itself - it's in his nature.
Obama is exhibiting all the finesse of an Eighties Rock Star trashing his hotel room before he leaves the premises. He quickly set his people to work against Israel - John Kerry and Samantha Power. There may be more to come before he leaves.
Despite Power's eloquent excuses to abstain from the UN vote, the peace problem has never been about "settlements." This is an overly abused Red Herring. The real issue is that Israel's existence in the region offends Islam.
John Kerry claims Israel can't be a Democratic, Jewish State; that it has to be one or the other. Yet Israel has successfully integrated diversity. People are simply offended at the idea of a Jewish State.
Samantha Power has a history of anti-Israel rhetoric. She once raised the specter of genocide in context to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and called for radical measures:
Israel shouldn't have been taken by surprise by Obama. I've said this before and it bears repeating: it cannot place its trust in any man or group of nations. It will eventually learn this lesson in the hardest of ways.
As for Islam, when will the world understand Aesop's lesson?
This week, I providentially came across the following thoughts by Charles Spurgeon. It seems appropriate to let him speak here:
We anticipate the happy day when every knee will bow before Christ; when the gods of the heathen shall be cast to the moles and the bats; when empty religion will be exploded, and the crescent of Mohammed will topple, never again to cast harmful rays upon the nations; when kings shall worship before the Prince of Peace, and all nations shall call the Redeemer blessed.
Amen! Lord, Come Quickly!
About Alf Cengia
Israel - Middle East
Friday, December 30, 2016
Alf Cengia
The Prophet Muhammad's legacy of terror has reached out from the past and wished many western Christians another merry Christmas. It's an upward trend.
This was why Gatestone Institute was able to send out an accurate early warning to Europeans for 2016.
So far, Australians may consider themselves as extremely lucky to have been spared Muhammad's wrath. One monumental Christmas attack was foiled. But there have near misses. How long before a planned attack find its target? Why plan attacks on a welcoming multi-cultural nation such as Australia? What's going on here?
For various reasons, the media and authorities are typically reticent to ascribe terror attacks to an organization (or even Islam). When someone shouts Allahu Akbar as he stabs or shoots infidels, they'd rather refer to it as a "lone wolf" incident.
However, Howard Bloom notes that even the lone wolf phenomenon can be attributed to Muhammad's legacy. After a disastrous battle, Muhammad had to ensure that his troops wouldn't leave the battlefield. So, aside from the "spoils of war", he introduced some further incentives. One was the idea that dying for the sake of Islam was a certain ticket to paradise.
And then he added sexual gratification as another incentive: "The Muslim paradise was not like the dull and boring Christian heaven where you sat at the feet of God singing his praises day after day." There would also be "large eyed" and "full breasted maidens" who would remain "eternally young." Well, you get the drift.
Bloom observes that millions of Muslims today model their lives on Muhammad's example during the years of peace:
But others model themselves on the period of the Prophet’s life in which he became addicted to the systematic use of what he called “slaughter” and “terror.”
Muhammad was a genius. His followers down through the centuries have successfully retained these teachings for profit and fun. Whether it's an organization such as ISIS or a "lone wolf" enabled by a radical preacher, the source is the same - Muhammad.
It wasn't too long ago that the world recognized the problem of Islam and wasn't afraid to say so. Jefferson didn't keep a Qur'an in his library for devotional use, as some Islamic devotees like to think. He wanted to understand the dynamics of the Barbary Pirates and how Islam fitted into all this.
Tripoli Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdrahaman provided the context for those who paid attention:
...it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have answered their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Mussulman who should be slain in battle was sure to go to Paradise. (See also Thomas Jefferson & the Tripoli Pirates pp 12-15)Muhammad's Modern Devotees can be found in government authorities and even some church organizations. Islamic radicals disrupted Christmas through violence. Yet European leaders employ a different strategy. They systematically remove public references to Christianity in the interest of "multiculturalism" and for fear that it might offend Muslims. For example:
A German school in Turkey just banned Christmas celebrations: the school, Istanbul Lisesi, funded by the German government, decided that Christmas traditions and carol-singing would no longer be allowed. A Woolworth's store in Germany scrapped Christmas decorations telling customers that the shop "is now Muslim".
Giulio Meotti writes that Christianophobia is the Trojan Horse of Islam. He notes that:
Everywhere in Europe, a weary, secularist absence of purpose and confused values damns Christianity in favor of Islam.
Christmas and Hanukkah are observed at roughly the same time. That may be the reason why Mr. Obama was determined not to leave Israel out the "Christmas celebrations" by abstaining from the UN resolution against Israel. Barack Obama may not be an observing Muslim, but he sure as heck acts like a devotee.
And make no mistake; the UN is fundamentally driven by Islamic sympathies. This is why they're obsessed with Israel's alleged misdemeanors while largely ignoring human rights abuses in places such as Iran, Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
President Obama's "Christmas surprise" was always expected. He was predictable before he became president. One only had to do their homework. I've used the example of the story of the scorpion and the frog in Aesop's Fable. The scorpion can't help itself - it's in his nature.
Obama is exhibiting all the finesse of an Eighties Rock Star trashing his hotel room before he leaves the premises. He quickly set his people to work against Israel - John Kerry and Samantha Power. There may be more to come before he leaves.
Despite Power's eloquent excuses to abstain from the UN vote, the peace problem has never been about "settlements." This is an overly abused Red Herring. The real issue is that Israel's existence in the region offends Islam.
John Kerry claims Israel can't be a Democratic, Jewish State; that it has to be one or the other. Yet Israel has successfully integrated diversity. People are simply offended at the idea of a Jewish State.
Samantha Power has a history of anti-Israel rhetoric. She once raised the specter of genocide in context to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and called for radical measures:
It may mean, more crucially, sacrificing, or investing I think more than sacrificing, literally billions of dollars, not in servicing Israel’s military but actually investing in the new state of Palestine; in investing billions of dollars it would probably take also to support I think what will have to be a mammoth a protection force - not of the old Srebrenica kind or of the Rwanda kind, but a meaningful military presence. Because it seems to me at this stage - and this is true of actual genocides as well and not just major human rights abuses which we’re seeing there - that is that you have to go in as if you’re serious, you have to put something on the line. (Emphasis mine)Aside from the "human rights abuses" canard, are these words befitting an ally? Does it concern Power that Palestinian leaderships abuse their people? Does the UN worry over the abuse of Christians under Islam? Nope - they are possessed by a clamoring anti-Israel spirit.
Israel shouldn't have been taken by surprise by Obama. I've said this before and it bears repeating: it cannot place its trust in any man or group of nations. It will eventually learn this lesson in the hardest of ways.
As for Islam, when will the world understand Aesop's lesson?
This week, I providentially came across the following thoughts by Charles Spurgeon. It seems appropriate to let him speak here:
We anticipate the happy day when every knee will bow before Christ; when the gods of the heathen shall be cast to the moles and the bats; when empty religion will be exploded, and the crescent of Mohammed will topple, never again to cast harmful rays upon the nations; when kings shall worship before the Prince of Peace, and all nations shall call the Redeemer blessed.
Amen! Lord, Come Quickly!
About Alf Cengia
2016 YEAR IN REVIEW – PART 3 – TOP 10 ARTICLES BY LIKE-MINDED MINISTRIES
December 31st, 2016
| 
Author: Lighthouse Trails Editors
See also Part 1 Year in Review | See also Part 2 Year in Review
Listed in order of date posted.1/Jesuit Pope Francis, Pastor Rick Warren And The Coming One-World Religion for Peace
By Roger Oakland Understand the Times
Hardly a day goes by without news relating to Bible prophecy and especially the advancing trend towards a global religion for the cause of peace. It seems there are few who understand this is what the Bible predicts will happen on planet earth before the return of Jesus Christ to set up His Kingdom.
2/Terror Against Israel
By Tony Pearce Light For the Last Days Ministries (UK)
Israel is in the grip of a terror offensive as Palestinians have been attacking Israelis with knives and driving their cars at them. Between September 13 and November 30, 2015, 22 Israelis were killed and 215 wounded.
The attacks began after false accusations that Israel was defiling the Al Aqsa Mosque (on the site of the former Jewish Temple in Jerusalem). Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has been telling his people that Israel was planning to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque and “change the Arab and Islamic character and identity” of Jerusalem. He condemned Jews for “defiling the Aqsa Mosque with their filthy feet.” Radical Islamist and terrorist elements are calling on Palestinian youth to murder Jews. Statements by Fatah and Hamas have described the attacks as “heroic actions” and “the natural response to Israel”s crimes.”
3/The Rising Storm and a Clarion Call for Humility, Truth, and Repentance
By Chris Lawson Spiritual Research Network
Filmed between a 45-minute break between down-pouring rain and a storm system approaching from the horizon, this unscripted, impromptu video expresses my heart and desire to see people in the Calvary Chapel movement (and other movements) helped and healed and strengthened in their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in these last days.
I have no desire to divide the Body of Christ or needlessly offend anyone who is in Calvary Chapel movement and beyond. I am simply sharing my heart and God’s truth in light of a number of observations I have seen growing for over 25 years now in the Calvary Chapel movement. Things now have become so blatant in the rising storm of ecumenical apostasy that only sincere prayer and publicly declared clarion calls for humility, truth, and repentance will make any difference at all. My prayer is that God Himself by His Spirit and His Word will raise up clarion voices around the globe in this late hour.
As a Christian missionary and as a former Calvary Chapel pastor for many years, I have been observing a growing trend of too many people remaining silent on far too many major ecumenical compromises. A host of other issues are also of concern.
4/Guideposts: Teaching Little Children to Blaspheme
By Cedric Fisher TruthKeepers
Recently, I was in a hospital waiting room and reluctantly picked up an issue of Guidepost Magazine. I very seldom read Guidepost because the long-time publisher, Norman Vincent Peale, promotes heresy and diabolical religions. He has also denied the virgin birth and the necessity of being born again.
As I perused the magazine, I landed on an article by Anna Gentile, a hospital chaplain. The article was about Guideposts and Gentile’s work with sick children.
5/Andy Stanley’s Dangerous Path – Tells SBC Leaders “Get the spotlight off the Bible.”
By Jim Fletcher
Late last month, the Southern Baptist Convention’s “Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission” (ERLC) hosted another self-serving conference in Nashville, titled “Onward” (shockingly, the same title as that of the ERLC chief’s new book; it’s about the marketing, stupid). Stanley was invited to speak. Boy, did he.
While ERLC President Russell Moore looked on grinning, Andy Stanley said the following: “I would ask preachers and pastors and student pastors in their communications to get the spotlight off the Bible and back on the resurrection.”
6/The Hijacking of the Calvary Chapel Movement into the Coming One-World Religion
By Roger Oakland Understand the Times
The commentary you are about to read has been written with much prayer and thought. I have not written it impulsively or with ill motive but rather believe God has compelled me to testify of things that have gone unspoken of and hidden in secret for too long. For the sake of the body of Christ and the furtherance of the Gospel, the secret things in darkness need to be exposed.
There are a number of low-profile Calvary Chapel pastors starting to ask questions. Chuck Smith, the founder of the movement, seemed to be biblically sound and determined to serve the Lord throughout his many years of ministry. Toward the end of his ministry, it appears there were strange bedfellows planted around him who in earlier years he would have avoided. So what happened? The purpose of this commentary will be to answer that question.
Chuck Smith attributed the growth and the strength of the Calvary Chapel movement to the Holy Spirit and not to man-designed gimmicks or human effort. He never wavered from that position until the day he died. He called Calvary Chapel “His Church.” While there were those who had some questions about strange things going on behind the scenes, the Calvary ship sailed pretty well most of the time.
7/Fed Up With False Teaching: Calvary Chapel Church Says “So Long” to the CC Association
By Amy Spreeman Berean Research
Fed up with false teaching: Calvary Chapel church says “So Long” to the CC Association – Berean Research
A Calvary Chapel pastor who warned of false teachings and apostate movements seeping into the Calvary Chapel organization has been removed from his regional leadership position, and is now removing his local congregation out of the Calvary Chapel Association altogether.Pastor Dwight Douville of Calvary Chapel Appleton Wisconsin was informed last month that he was being removed from his position as a regional leader, a position he’s held for many years. Why? He says because personal friendships have been put above doctrinal truth, muddying the waters of what Calvary Chapels are all about. And because he advocated for maintaining and staying the course while calling out wolves and yeast seeping into Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and the organization as a whole since the death of founder Chuck Smith.
8/The Spirit of Antichrist—in the Church
By Mike Oppenheimer
Let Us Reason Ministries
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). Paul warns us that at the end of the age, inside the church, there will be teachings of demons—quite a serious charge. That it will be a time that is extremely dangerous to believers who do not know the Word correctly and do not watch what they are being taught.
The Devil has tailor-made deceptions for every church in every age; he knows the people’s weaknesses and propensities to do wrong in certain areas. He will use whomever he can in whatever capacity he can to bring confusion, falsehoods, and destruction—especially if he can target a church’s pastor. Contrary to popular teaching, the Devil, who is the greatest of angelic creatures, is of the highest intelligence, has power, and is often underestimated in his scheming by those who think they can bind him.
By Ray Yungen
In an article released in January 2016 written by New Age leader Deepak Chopra titled, “Will Pope Francis Become a Holy Man for the World?,” Chopra states,
Pope Francis I is poised to be more than a very popular pontiff . . . He could rise to become a symbol of holiness beyond the Catholic Church. . . . for those of us who aren’t Catholic, there’s a universal message voiced personally by the Pope: “No one can be excluded from God’s mercy. The question, then, is how potent this mission will be.Chopra says that “millions of non-Catholics feel a fresh wind blowing” because of the Pope’s actions and that Pope Francis has “become a spiritual exemplar.”
In the article, Chopra gives some advice to Pope Francis, that he not become another “theological” pope but rather one with a “higher consciousness” and like the “Jesus” who was not theological but rather “enlightened.”
10/Mindfulness Meditation and Yoga Infiltration of Major School Systems
By Lois Putnam
Miami-Dade County Schools Partner with Mindful Kids Miami
Miami-Dade County Schools (Fourth Largest School District in the U.S.A.) is being transformed into a mindfulness-yoga school system through its partnership with Mindful Kids Miami, and its mindfulness lady leader–Valerie York-Zimmerman.
Yes, grades Pre-K through 12, students as well as teachers and administrators will be instructed in mindfulness meditation. Training centers have been set up all over Miami even in the sanctuary of the “most progressive church in the city”–Riviera Presbyterian Church (USA). Recently Riviera adherents proudly held up a banner reading, “We All Are God’s Beloved Children: No Exceptions!”
Monday, December 26, 2016
The Eternal Spring of Joy, Peace and Hope from the Heart of God - A Christmas reflection
Written and Posted by Jean-Louis Mondon.
As people celebrate Christmas
with all its symbols, regardless of what they think the exact time and year of
God's divine condescension among us are, this is what this season
represents to me as a spiritual reality.
As I was reflecting upon the incarnation of our Savior Christ Jesus as the supreme gift of our Heavenly Father to mankind, I could not help but think of the limited perspective that we sometimes have of the infinite measure of all of God’s aattributes and works in the vast universe He created but also in each of our lives.
The first thing I consider when I ponder the miracle of the supernatural birth of Jesus-Christ is that God chose to manifest His presence in the flesh as a seed of the Holy Spirit in the chosen womb of Mary.
Imagine a little! The creator and sustainer of the endless universe becoming a frail human being Himself subject to the natural law of human birth and physical existence.
What is amazing is that as we follow the course of His birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension and His coming back to take His own faithful ones to reign with Him, the same characteristic stages apply to us who have experienced the second spiritual birth and have passed from death to life, from the kingdom of darkness into His marvelous light.
As the mature tree is essentially contained in the seed just waiting to develop through the different stages of growth, so was the life of the Lord Jesus and so is every one of our lives.
An illustration from the sharing of presents on Christmas day comes to mind. Imagine one of the present being a huge box with someone’s name on it. The person feverishly tears off the paper hoping to discover a big present that will provide a level of satisfaction commensurate to his perceived size. But as the box reveals another smaller box hidden under the packing peanuts, he suspects someone is playing a joke on him as he realizes from the sheer weight of the box.
As he keeps on opening another box, then another one, he finally opens the last tiny box and no matter what the value of the present, it leaves him or her with a sense of unfulfilled expectation and diminished satisfaction. Here in brief is how the acquiring and enjoying of material things which are supposed to fulfill our lives from the cradle to the grave end up being a great disappointment and a snare in the end. Not so with the present from our God, the free gift of salvation available to anyone willing to accept and receive it.
Conversely, imagine that you received the gift of God, salvation by grace in a small box. After receiving and opening the gift, once your life is changed by that spiritual tiny seed, you realize that as you grow, the gift keeps on growing as you learn and mature into eternal everlasting life, the box of our life, so to speak, getting bigger and bigger.
Now considering another angle to giving and sharing presents.
Jesus talking about greed said that life doesn’t consist in the abundance of things. Luke 12:15.And He told the people to “not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21.
Jesus is not only talking about treasures, but incorruptible treasures! What is He talking about? He is talking about treasures that have their beginning as an intangible seed beginning here on the earth and continuing in Heaven and/or enjoying all the stages of the growth of the seed in two dimensions simultaneously, in the physical body while at the same time in the invisible realm of the spirit.
He means treasures like the Christian virtues, generosity of spirit, goodness, mercy, humility, faith, wisdom, spiritual knowledge, love, patience, fruits of the Spirit, all intangible, but whose effects are felt when translated into good works and service to our brothers, sisters and fellow man. And of course, included are all the material gifts that he has blessed us with in superabundance to share with those less fortunate than us and to provide the means to advance the Kingdom of God, through preaching of the Gospel through gifts to missions throughout the world. Everything that will become the stones building the foundation of our sphere of influence in the coming Kingdom.
In I Timothy 6: 18, Paul tells Timothy to "Command those who are rich in this present world... to put their hope in God who richly provide us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up for themselves a firm foundation for the coming age so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life". It is obvious that one can build a house or a building only as tall and as large as the dimensions of the foundation supporting it, otherwise the building collapses.
In the Bible we can find several mentions of this manifestation of life as encapsulated in the title of Our Lord who is the Alpha, the beginning and Omega, the end and of course everything in between.
We can find the image of the seed in I Peter 1:23. “For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is through the living and abiding Word of God.” Isaiah 9:6-7 promise of the coming Messiah follows this development: "for a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest upon His shoulders … there will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace."
Salvation, knowledge and wisdom are part of the incorruptible treasures that Christ talks about in Matthew. Talking about Christ, Isaiah 33:6 declares: “He will be a sure foundation for our times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge: The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.”
This passage becomes clearer in the light of Isaiah 11:1-5 where we can find the three aspects of knowledge, salvation and the fear of the Lord exemplified by the Savior himself growing out of the germination stage up to the maturity of the fruit of the Spirit: “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 And He will delight in the fear of the Lord,” There is also the parallel passage which mirrors Isaiah 11 with little difference, the former describing the internal dynamic and influence of the Holy Spirit and the latter in the external application in action at the beginning of Jesus´ earthly ministry when he reads the Isaiah manuscript in the synagogue. The harmony of the Old and the New testament is demonstrated at the announcement of Jesus´ birth and the way the Father willed to accomplish it when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35
As I was reflecting upon the incarnation of our Savior Christ Jesus as the supreme gift of our Heavenly Father to mankind, I could not help but think of the limited perspective that we sometimes have of the infinite measure of all of God’s aattributes and works in the vast universe He created but also in each of our lives.
The first thing I consider when I ponder the miracle of the supernatural birth of Jesus-Christ is that God chose to manifest His presence in the flesh as a seed of the Holy Spirit in the chosen womb of Mary.
Imagine a little! The creator and sustainer of the endless universe becoming a frail human being Himself subject to the natural law of human birth and physical existence.
What is amazing is that as we follow the course of His birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension and His coming back to take His own faithful ones to reign with Him, the same characteristic stages apply to us who have experienced the second spiritual birth and have passed from death to life, from the kingdom of darkness into His marvelous light.
As the mature tree is essentially contained in the seed just waiting to develop through the different stages of growth, so was the life of the Lord Jesus and so is every one of our lives.
An illustration from the sharing of presents on Christmas day comes to mind. Imagine one of the present being a huge box with someone’s name on it. The person feverishly tears off the paper hoping to discover a big present that will provide a level of satisfaction commensurate to his perceived size. But as the box reveals another smaller box hidden under the packing peanuts, he suspects someone is playing a joke on him as he realizes from the sheer weight of the box.
As he keeps on opening another box, then another one, he finally opens the last tiny box and no matter what the value of the present, it leaves him or her with a sense of unfulfilled expectation and diminished satisfaction. Here in brief is how the acquiring and enjoying of material things which are supposed to fulfill our lives from the cradle to the grave end up being a great disappointment and a snare in the end. Not so with the present from our God, the free gift of salvation available to anyone willing to accept and receive it.
Conversely, imagine that you received the gift of God, salvation by grace in a small box. After receiving and opening the gift, once your life is changed by that spiritual tiny seed, you realize that as you grow, the gift keeps on growing as you learn and mature into eternal everlasting life, the box of our life, so to speak, getting bigger and bigger.
Now considering another angle to giving and sharing presents.
Jesus talking about greed said that life doesn’t consist in the abundance of things. Luke 12:15.And He told the people to “not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21.
Jesus is not only talking about treasures, but incorruptible treasures! What is He talking about? He is talking about treasures that have their beginning as an intangible seed beginning here on the earth and continuing in Heaven and/or enjoying all the stages of the growth of the seed in two dimensions simultaneously, in the physical body while at the same time in the invisible realm of the spirit.
He means treasures like the Christian virtues, generosity of spirit, goodness, mercy, humility, faith, wisdom, spiritual knowledge, love, patience, fruits of the Spirit, all intangible, but whose effects are felt when translated into good works and service to our brothers, sisters and fellow man. And of course, included are all the material gifts that he has blessed us with in superabundance to share with those less fortunate than us and to provide the means to advance the Kingdom of God, through preaching of the Gospel through gifts to missions throughout the world. Everything that will become the stones building the foundation of our sphere of influence in the coming Kingdom.
In I Timothy 6: 18, Paul tells Timothy to "Command those who are rich in this present world... to put their hope in God who richly provide us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up for themselves a firm foundation for the coming age so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life". It is obvious that one can build a house or a building only as tall and as large as the dimensions of the foundation supporting it, otherwise the building collapses.
In the Bible we can find several mentions of this manifestation of life as encapsulated in the title of Our Lord who is the Alpha, the beginning and Omega, the end and of course everything in between.
We can find the image of the seed in I Peter 1:23. “For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is through the living and abiding Word of God.” Isaiah 9:6-7 promise of the coming Messiah follows this development: "for a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest upon His shoulders … there will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace."
Salvation, knowledge and wisdom are part of the incorruptible treasures that Christ talks about in Matthew. Talking about Christ, Isaiah 33:6 declares: “He will be a sure foundation for our times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge: The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.”
This passage becomes clearer in the light of Isaiah 11:1-5 where we can find the three aspects of knowledge, salvation and the fear of the Lord exemplified by the Savior himself growing out of the germination stage up to the maturity of the fruit of the Spirit: “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 And He will delight in the fear of the Lord,” There is also the parallel passage which mirrors Isaiah 11 with little difference, the former describing the internal dynamic and influence of the Holy Spirit and the latter in the external application in action at the beginning of Jesus´ earthly ministry when he reads the Isaiah manuscript in the synagogue. The harmony of the Old and the New testament is demonstrated at the announcement of Jesus´ birth and the way the Father willed to accomplish it when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35
This salvation which starts as a
spiritual seed planted by the Holy Spirit Himself in the hearts of men who have
received Him on His terms is ever expanding and revealing the loving
heart of our Heavenly Father at this time of the year and all year long. "And
hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into
our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us". Romans 5:5
Paul prays for the Ephesians in Ephesians 3:14-17 that: "He would grant you according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with power through His spirit in the inner man so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith and that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." This is also my prayer for all of us today and for the coming year.
Contrary to the philosophy of this passing and dying world, the present of eternal life in Christ Jesus started as a tiny seed, first the human seed inherited form our natural father and then the Holy Spirit seed that contained all that is necessary to fulfill the purpose for which our Father and Creator put us on this earth. See I Corinthians 15:45-49: “So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.”
So this Christmas season until the beginning of 2017 and beyond, I invite you to remember with grateful and humble hearts, that the tiniest and most humble manifestation of life, a human seed, a tiny baby in his or her mother's womb is infinitely precious and worthy of protection and nurturing because it was made in God’s image. Psalm 139.
I invite you also to let your hearts and minds expand onto other amazing dimensions of life and consider all the stages of the life of the Savior in His birth, His death, His resurrection, His going back into the glory of Heaven and His coming back to give us glorified bodies, for we have already been resurrected (spiritually) if we have been born again, starting as a tiny seed wrapped up in a small and fragile package that we all are, as pilgrims on this earth.
This season Jesus offers us hope, joy and peace in a world sadly lacking theses blessings.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13.
Lord God, our loving Heavenly Father, we thank you and praise you fo the gift of life present and eternal in Our Lord Jesus-Christ.
Paul prays for the Ephesians in Ephesians 3:14-17 that: "He would grant you according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with power through His spirit in the inner man so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith and that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." This is also my prayer for all of us today and for the coming year.
Contrary to the philosophy of this passing and dying world, the present of eternal life in Christ Jesus started as a tiny seed, first the human seed inherited form our natural father and then the Holy Spirit seed that contained all that is necessary to fulfill the purpose for which our Father and Creator put us on this earth. See I Corinthians 15:45-49: “So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.”
So this Christmas season until the beginning of 2017 and beyond, I invite you to remember with grateful and humble hearts, that the tiniest and most humble manifestation of life, a human seed, a tiny baby in his or her mother's womb is infinitely precious and worthy of protection and nurturing because it was made in God’s image. Psalm 139.
I invite you also to let your hearts and minds expand onto other amazing dimensions of life and consider all the stages of the life of the Savior in His birth, His death, His resurrection, His going back into the glory of Heaven and His coming back to give us glorified bodies, for we have already been resurrected (spiritually) if we have been born again, starting as a tiny seed wrapped up in a small and fragile package that we all are, as pilgrims on this earth.
This season Jesus offers us hope, joy and peace in a world sadly lacking theses blessings.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13.
Lord God, our loving Heavenly Father, we thank you and praise you fo the gift of life present and eternal in Our Lord Jesus-Christ.
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