President Trump is on Parler and his team is pushing out the videos Pelosi, Pence and McConnell do not want you to see. SHAME ON ALL OF THESE SEDITIOUS TREASONOUS HATERS OF GOD’S PEOPLE AND AMERICA! https://video.parler.com/8t/vE/8tvE9XJjPtzd_small.mp4 THE VIDEO SHOWING THE BREAK IN WAS AN INSIDE D.C. JOB! PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID ON PARLER: CHY-NA AND […]
TEAM TRUMP ON PARLER REVEALS CENSORED TRUTH!
(4 of 7) The second visitor over the night of 13-14th September 1989 was far more challenging than that evening’s first one, when I’d shut the door on hearing about Jesus – this time it is life or death! Mine!!
THE HEAVENLY VISITOR
In a most unusual dream that night I go back in time. A dream so lucid that even thirty years later, it remains vividly etched within me. Therefore, it must be exceptionally significant. Continue reading
(3rd of 7) NOTE: This two-part testimony was posted as one of my first blogs. Originally written over 25 years ago as ‘More Than A Dream’, it’s expanded to elaborate upon my changed life as a committed Christian in my journey into freedom.
THROUGH THE DEVIL’S DOOR!
A very brief recap:
Since my teens I’d wholeheartedly embraced esoteric spiritual doctrines and practices such as the Eastern and Theosophical belief of reincarnation and ascended masters, as well as those of Western occultism plus concepts generally known as deism.
I thought that as all religions are equal there are many paths to a supreme being –but which is not the same as the anthropomorphic deity of the Abrahamic religions. That is, it’s different to and far superior to human beings – a ‘cosmic mind’ with which we can be attuned and attain ‘cosmic consciousness’, as experienced by many and practised in the associations of which I was an active member.
I appreciated the linkage with mystical Islam of Sufism as well as having read its Book. It was only after becoming a born-again Christian that I studied its early history and came to understand its fundamental, doctrinal differences with Judaism and Christianity.
Thus, two decades of an occultic practicum made me disdainful of churches, clergy and laity. They were all so very behind the times – even archaic! Intellectual and spiritual pride made me think their preaching could never compare with the profound philosophy found within ‘New Age’ movements. Such arrogance, of which I’m ashamed!
A DIFFERENT DOOR OPENS!
Sometime in July/August 1989, a young man named Peter knocked at the front door with an invitation to hear the world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham at Earls Court in London. We could be taken in a coach trip from outside our house west of Reading. How much? Nada, entirely free!
Naturally, I rejected the offer outright but my almost-teenage son piped up he’d like to go because a classmate had told him about it. So I said I’d take him.
As can be gathered from my journey into spiritual captivity, personal experiences had made me extremely wary of churchgoers. Never did I suspect my own well-being hung in the balance at that moment after the knock on the door!.
Can you imagine my bewilderment, therefore, upon sitting ‘up in the gods’ at Earls Court and finding myself agreeing with what Billy Graham said as he spoke from the rostrum?
I was flummoxed! Utterly bewildered! Who’s thinking that? Can that be me? Never!… Really?
Afterwards, as a follow-up, those who’d been on the trip were invited to an informal meeting at a local ‘free’ church. The leader explained that similar chats could be held at our own homes, if we so wished. I agreed to be on-hand for my son but I was NOT personally interested. A youth worker, Peter, was assigned to help him but, in practice, he ended up discussing the material with me.
The evening of Wednesday 13th September 1989, is Peter’s third visit to our house to discuss Billy Graham’s follow-up material entitled Life. I have not yet divulged my firmly held – even entrenched – opinions, but this time he goes too far!
WHAT WENT WRONG?
This session is entitled, ‘Yoga, Eastern Religions and The Occult’ – all of which I’d been involved in since before Peter had been born!
Peter shows a diagram of two cliffs facing one another. One represents heaven and the other earth, with a large deep gap separating them. Over this Peter places a large plus sign over the gap. The ends of the horizontal arms touch each object, thereby bridging heaven and earth. He explains the cross of Christ is the bridge between both realms.
He then says the only way to God is through Jesus Christ. This statement implies my own ideas are wrong! Without giving the game away I gently question him on this. But he insists not many paths lead to the same, supreme God – there’s only one way to one almighty God and it’s through his Son Jesus Christ.
What’s to be done with a young man half my age who unwittingly points out the error of my ways?
I’m thinking, “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. How can he, who’s not done any of the things I know far more about…just how can he tell me it’s wrong? He’s wasting my time!”
Peter’s ideas are not only mistaken but also intolerant. Before the end of the evening I’ve had enough!
I SHUT THAT NEW DOOR
So I bring our discussion to an early end, show him to the door and, excusing myself from future meetings, bid him farewell. Peter is most gracious – he smiles politely and goes his way
But little did I know I may not make it through that night! My life was at risk!
To read testimony in full click: to read from beginning – to read part 2 – for Appendix.
A week ago tonight Messianic rabbi Jonathan Cahn was the guest speaker at a specially convened service at Church of His Presence. The guest for last Sunday’s service was his friend Bill Salus, author on Bible End-times prophecies.
I recommend both archived services to readers of this blog. First, however, you may like a brief outline:
Jonathan Cahn
Renowned for his ‘factio
nal’ novel The Harbinger, which is based upon Isaiah 9:10, Jonathan updated everyone on events since its publication and my report of last year, all of which strengthens the validity of his theories. Anyone unfamiliar with his thesis will find his recent message a helpful summary, and learn its inception as well as dissemination was of the Lord.
Regarding the Shemitah, Jonathan gives a caveat about being dogmatic on what may or may not happen because, “When you put God in a box He has a habit of getting out!” God doesn’t have to do anything we think or want, but He could bring about what may be expected at the end of the Shemitah year 5775 on Ehud 29, the last day in the Jewish civil year and eve of Rosh Hashanah (13th September).
Although the most dramatic effects would be at and around the close of this Shemitah year there were fore-shadowings at the beginning of the year. So Jonathan recounted significant events of September/October 2014 and noted the news about plague and an earthquake in the USA on this year’s opening day, as well as an economic shaking and loss of America’s crown to Russia – plus two Biblical signs relating to famine!
“The Shemitah causes the worldly realm to fall and to lift up the sovereignty of God in all things…the changing of world history…
“You want to live in Biblical times – you’ve got it! Welcome to the End-times…”
His focus then moved to America’s double desecration of God’s covenants in Genesis – those of matrimony and of the rainbow. Thus, he declares, “The writing is on the wall” in respect of national defiance against God and rejecting His grace and mercy. In addition to quoting from Daniel, Jonathan refers to the vision in Ezekiel 8 of the abominations in the Temple and relates those desecrations – and the timing of the nuclear deal with Iran (as blogged herein) – to Biblical events on the current Jewish calendar.
Therefore, he is of the opinion a great economic shaking is coming to America and to the world – and it may involve other realms too.
Jonathan covers a lot of exceptionally informative material in 96 minutes. He inspires us with the fact that the potential for national revival is greatest in the midst of judgmental shakings. Thus, we’re encouraged to become consecrated vessels as well as radical disciples. He closes with the very powerful Aaronic blessing in Hebrew.
TO WATCH > Click accompanying image for video of Thursday 31 July service and then click progress bar at 1:23:20 for pastor Kilpatrick’s introduction. NB: open after reading this post because video does not open in a new window.
Jonathan’s website: Hope of the World.
Bill Salus
Bill spoke on preparing for the coming fulfillment of prophecies and opened by pointing out,
“The number one sign of the End-times is: they’re all converging!”
In asking where are we on God’s timeline, Bill gave a good introduction to prophecies applicable today, especially Ezekiel 38, Psalm 83 and Jeremiah 49.
Bill’s analysis of events in the Middle-East included many helpful illustrations, especially with regards to Syria, Isil and Iran which, he says, is in double jeopardy because God is furious over their activity. In expanding upon this, he spoke knowledgeably about the rapidly rising number of Christians in Iran.
I was particularly interested in his explanation of the USA’s connection with events through Ezekiel 38:13 – the merchants of Tarsish and its young lions, as meaning Britain and our colonial lands. In all my reading I haven’t read anything else on this in 30 years other than in the very first ‘non-Christian’ book I read on Bible prophecy – The Invisible Hand! (See Welcome and ‘Personal Connection’ in Prophetic, Historic Days Part 1.)
TO WATCH > Click accompanying image for video of Sunday 2 August service and then click progress bar at 1:12:00 for pastor’s introduction of a mystery guest, Bill Salus, who speaks for about 65 minutes. NB: open after reading this post because video does not open in a new window.
Bill’s website: Prophecy Depot Ministries – Blog: Prophecy News-Stand
REQUEST:
“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:40-42 NKJV courtesy BlueLetterBible.com)
So, if we give more than a cold drink to a prophetic disciple of the Lord we may expect to receive some of their reward too. Then let’s give a lot more than the cost of a drink!
Therefore, may I ask you to consider sowing into those ministries by contributing towards CHP’s broadcasting costs as well as their donations to the speakers. If you wish to do so click donations and, after inputting your details, select the Designation ‘Special Offering”.
(I’m going to share the unusual circumstances behind my learning the significance of sowing financially into the Kingdom – and in doing so here find we’ve gone full circle!)
NOTE: This was previously posted as one of my first blogs. Originally written 22 years ago as ‘More Than A Dream’, it’s now republished with slight changes for elaborating upon my life as a committed non-Christian in my journey Into freedom.
Two decades of in-depth occult study and self-development turned my attitude toward Christianity into one of disdain, as told here. By the 1980’s I’d become intellectually and spiritually very arrogant, even contemptuous of church, clergy and believers. They were all so behind the times – even archaic! I thought their preaching could not compare with the more profound philosophy found within New Age movements.
A door is opened!
Sometime in July/August 1989, a young man named Peter knocked at the front door with an invitation to hear the world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham at Earls Court in London. We could be taken in a coach trip from outside our house west of Reading. How much? Nada, entirely free!
Naturally, I rejected the offer outright but my almost-teenage son piped up he’d like to go because a classmate had told him about it. So I said I’d take him.
As can be gathered from the story of my journey thus far into spiritual captivity, personal experiences had made me extremely wary of churchgoers. Never did I suspect my own well-being hung on that moment.
Can you imagine my bewilderment, therefore, upon sitting ‘up in the gods’ at Earls Court and finding myself agreeing with what Billy Graham said as he spoke from the rostrum? I was flummoxed! Utterly bewildered! Who’s thinking that? Can that be me? Never!… Really?
Afterwards, as a follow-up, those who’d been on the trip were invited to an informal meeting at a local ‘free’ church. The leader explained that similar chats could be held at our own homes, should we so wish. I agreed to be on-hand for my son, but I was NOT personally interested. A youth worker, Peter, was assigned to help him but, in practice, he ended up discussing the material with me.
The evening of Wednesday 13th September 1989, is Peter’s third visit to our house to discuss Billy Graham’s follow-up material entitled Life. I have not yet divulged my firmly held and entrenched opinions, but this time he goes too far!
What went wrong?
This session is entitled, ‘Yoga, Eastern Religions and The Occult’ – all of which I’d been involved in since before Peter had been born!
Peter shows a diagram of two cliff-like objects facing one another. One represents heaven and the other, earth, with a large deep gap separating them from one another. Over this Peter then places an overlay depicting a large plus sign over the gap. The ends of the horizontal arms touch each object, thereby bridging heaven and earth. He explains that the cross of Christ is the bridge between both realms.
He then says the only way to God is through Jesus Christ. This statement implies my ideas are incorrect. Without giving the game away I gently question him on this. But he insists not many paths lead to the same, supreme God – there’s only one way to one almighty God and it’s through his Son Jesus Christ.
What’s to be done with a young man half my age who unwittingly points out the error of my ways?
I’m thinking, “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. How can he, who’s not done anything I know far more about…just how can he tell me it’s wrong? He’s wasting my time!” Peter’s ideas are not only mistaken but also intolerant. Before the end of the evening I’ve had enough!
So I bring our discussion to an early close, politely bid him farewell and excuse myself from any future meeting. Peter is most gracious about it – as ever, he smiles politely and goes on his way.
Little did I know that I may not make it through the night!
That night’s second visitor was far more challenging – this time it is life or death!
In a most unusual dream that night I go back in time. A dream so lucid that well over twenty years later, it remains vividly etched within me. So it must be exceptionally significant. Come back with me (dream content in blue typeface, comments black).:
I am in my childhood home and standing in front of the large casement window in one corner of the lounge (opposite corner to the doorway). I look up into the inky, dark night sky outside.
A small flotilla of large, wingless aircraft drifts slowly across from left to right at high altitude and I groan, “Oh…not that flying saucer nonsense. I must be dreaming!”
I’m sceptical about the existence of UFO’s, but now another ‘fleet’ of some sort appears from the right and heads towards the first.
(The dream now changes gear by going up a level from the usual mix of mental material to that of absolutely convincing lucidity…)
The ‘light goes on’! In my ‘knower’, I realise the first fleet is demonic and the second is masses of angels under the command of Jesus Christ. (I did not believe in them, and regarded Jesus as one of many world teachers. Here, I see no individuals but inwardly know the situation)
I think I’m about to watch an amazing heavenly battle…but…OH NO! Somehow, I now know Jesus has espied me far down below and is coming down directly towards me!
All I see is a distant bright light very rapidly getting brighter and larger as it drops down to my location, just like an airliner approaching a runway to land at night.
Instantly, I realise my life has been one of sin that contrasts starkly against Jesus’ own holiness. Right away I realise what’s claimed about the Judgement is true – but mine is about to happen right now!
Beyond any doubt whatsoever I suddenly realise my involvement in the occult was most definitely wrong. Consequently, I deserve the undesirable abode!
Groaning “My number’s up!” I inwardly tremble in fearful knowledge I’m about to die at any moment. An invisible trapdoor I’m standing on will drop me straight into hell.
Utmost mortal terror strikes! I dive under the drop-leaf table by the wall to the left of the window so I can hide from Jesus. But he knows I’m hiding there and swoops down straight through the wall on the other side of the corner window. He’s standing in the room and right beside the table!
Cowering below the table with my back turned towards him, I glance over my shoulder and see him from the knees down, his body and face out of sight above the table.
Most unexpectedly, somehow I have the courage to reach my hand out backwards to grab at the hem of Jesus’ robe…
As I tug, the event goes into yet another level of revelation regarding my childhood…Then I awake! Thoroughly alert, further sleep eludes me!
The dream reminds me of an evocative small picture that impressed me as a child – the return of Jesus Christ:
Later I understand that my terror had been ‘the fear of God’ brought through the Holy Spirit in convicting me of my personal sinfulness (ie. wrongdoing) and, thus, preparing me to receive God’s grace (ie. undeserved favour).
Also, what happened after reaching for Jesus proves he’s closely acquainted with the private details of my thoughts as a little boy. The dream’s conclusion shows he is going to topple my childish concepts of him and replace them with a sure knowledge of his true identity.
“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love” (Psalm 111). Mercifully, he plucked me from the domain of darkness to bring me into his own and receive its blessings. I deserved none of that. Truly, Amazing Grace – how awesome and wonderful..!
As a result of the most remarkable dream I’d ever had, I carefully reconsidered all my New Age and occultic notions. Meditational and mystical exercises had resulted in my having some unusual, ‘psychic’ dreams, but none whatsoever like this one.
The only remotely similar dream was that of an ‘altered’ state of consciousness known as ‘nirvana’, or bliss, where I’d been taken behind its alluring golden light. However, ecstasy then turned to abject terror at the sight of an approaching hideous, devouring beast of blackness far worse than any nightmare! (I wasn’t into drugs.) But in this new dream fear had been overcome by Jesus himself and his wonderful mercy and love.
Incredible timing of fresh confirmation
Later we will consider how that dream-vision was validated as being real. But for now I want to draw your attention to a remarkable revelatory word given two days before I’m due to give a brief account of my journey into freedom at a breakfast.
Before having that dream I don’t think I’d heard of Jesus being in charge of angels for I was completely unfamiliar with the Bible. In later years I’d learn that the pre-incarnate Christ appeared to Joshua outside Jericho as ‘Commander of the LORD’s army’, (‘Chief of the host of Yahweh’ in original Hebrew at Joshua 5:14-15).
And, in countless sessions of solid Biblical instruction received since then I don’t recall hearing anything in-depth on Jesus’ role as the captain of the angelic hosts. That is, until last Sunday!
The timing of this fresh confirmation was the second of three clear references on three successive days to the content of a brief outline of my testimony, which had already been prepared for delivery on the 4th day!
Revd John Kilpatrick changed his sermon to bring a word the Lord had given him in the early hours of Saturday at 2hrs 22. We were listening live as part of the regular online congregation and the timing impacted my spirit because 22 is not only the date of my birthday but also and particularly because there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. (I’ve previously had occasion to note the personal relevance of two in 2.12.2012.)
Far more importantly in this word, the Lord of Hosts draws attention to the angelic hosts and their present and imminent activity. It reminded me of the above visitation – AND it is notable that John focussed upon the same scripture that’s precisely relevant to my dream, as will be explained in forthcoming instalments of my journey.
For now, however, this mighty revelatory word deserves due, reverent consideration and reflection before proceeding further. Thus, you may wish to see the next post >>
Alternatively, for the next stage of my journey into freedom click on 5 below.
Instalments
Bible quotations are by courtesy of BibleGateway.com – thank you for this facility.
The coffee-time conversation with Steve continues. Nina and Simone catch up with us on our way to the cafe’s bar for fresh, full mugs and hear Steve exclaim,
“What! What on earth’s good for believers about the ssm Bill?” The startled looks our wives dart at each other convey; “What on earth have our men been talking about?”
Back in our secluded corner, Steve summarises our conversation and he’s ‘champing at the bit’ to take charge. I want to steer it another way but Simone beats us to ‘the off’. As a solicitor she brings a fresh view.:
Legal eagles’ views
“How the Bill was rushed through and given royal assent clearly smacks of censorship in a totalitarian state. A barrister and senior lecturer at the University of London wrote a splendid professional paper quite relevant to this issue. David McIlroy explains why a democracy’s legal system can’t have a morally neutral playing field. I noted his opinion that,
A public square from which religious influences are excluded is not a neutral public square. It is a public square in which all influences bar the secularist ones have been censored. That is not a public square in which everyone’s voice is heard and everyone’s views are respected, it is a public square in which religious voices are silenced and anti-religious views are imposed. This is not a tolerant society, it is a tyrannous society.
“What he also says about the double-importance in a Christian society of how the Last Judgement affects the law is especially interesting…I recall bits like:
…It means today’s rulers are understood, and (should) understand themselves, to be answerable to a higher authority in their actions. They know they will be judged for how they exercised their power and this accountability is the foundation of accountability to the people.
…citizens know the ultimate judge isn’t the government but almighty God, and this contributes hugely to human freedom.
“It’s an exciting summary of how Christianity has provided a sound basis for secular law..”
“I know, Simone, I’ve got a copy thanks to a fellow blogger – an excellent document! And I wrote about examples of creeping tyranny back in 2009!” [See 1 & 14 below]
“Also Richard, contrary to what you said about Archbishop Welby and bishops being overwhelmed in the House of Lords, the barrister who founded Christian Legal Centre issued them a written challenge over his version of events and concluded:
I am surprised that the Church of England appears to be vacating the public square when it comes to the issue of marriage. Given the rich teaching of Scripture and strong tradition of marriage, this is something that the CofE should be able to comment on clearly, intelligently and winsomely. Marriage is something to be celebrated, promoted and, at this time, preserved. At a time when the nation needs to hear a prophetic voice on marriage, the CofE’s message is sadly mixed and, as a result, unclear.
“The account of her corresponding with him and CoE’s response laments their inability to copy the politicians’ action in ensuring full attendance for voting.” [2]
Raising my finger, “I like her bit on ‘prophetic voice’ as I was struck by the sharp contrast between the Telegraph’s report on Welby’s ‘cop-out’ and what Sharon Stone taught and did [3] – the first started my morning and the second closed it in a much Godlier way!
“Also, in one of many debates on that other blog I pointed out that wise leaders would wait and watch what happens to other countries before foisting it on the British public. It’s opening Pandora’s Box – next will come legal recognition of bigamy, bestiality and paedophilia, as in the customs that defiled ancient Canaan which God spoke against when Hebrews took it over as the land ‘vomited out its inhabitants’.”
“I’ve read John McTernan’s excellent teaching on those socially sanctioned practices,” . adds Simone. “I said to Stan to read too” nodding at her husband. [4]
Nina expresses her deep concern over Her Majesty giving assent to the Bill in view of her Coronation oath “to maintain the laws of God and profession of the Gospel”.
My long spoon lances a hole in the cappuccino’s thick froth as I respond, “Being a constitutional monarch, there was absolutely nothing she could have done about its passing into Law as the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act.
“But from my perspective as lookout on the walls – as it were – our national leader became much more motivated to introduce the Act – come hell or high water – by President Obama during his state visit. So it’s possibly a result of that influence…”
“I’ve read,” reports Simone, “Obama is a long-standing ‘gay pride evangelist’, as can be seen in his recent call to African nations to be ‘converted’. Their righteous leaders have repudiated his overtures…on fact they’re sparked a real backlash!” [5]
“That’s so,” I add. “I’ve followed it all closely through Bill Koenig, a Christian White House journalist. Cameron’s now copying Obama as an ‘evangelist’, which His Grace Cranmer scathingly lampoons [6]. He notes Cameron’s clearly stated intention [7]:
Only other thing I wanted to say is that I know that the job isn’t yet fully done. It is something to celebrate that Britain is now – and it’s official – the best place to be gay, lesbian or transgender anywhere in Europe. That is a great achievement. That’s not my measure; that is an inter-nationally recognised measure. But there’s still a lot more work to be done.
“God is not and will not be mocked and these national leaders are treating Him with the utmost of contempt. Unless they humble themselves, repent deeply and renounce their ways there is very little hope for their future – but God may have mercy.”
“But at least they’ve not committed the unpardonable sin,” interjects Nina, to which Steve asks, “What’s that?”
She replies, “That’s saying a work of the Holy Spirit is of Satan. In my opinion, many believers have unwittingly done that when attributing God’s presence and His work to the demonic! Some think so about a Canadian whom we know. Whilst at a church in Bath, he sensed God wanted to heal and that evening I was able to walk and dance again – I went from permanent disability to normal ability in an instant! As we all love Jesus, then that could not have been of the devil.” [8]
“Now,” I ask, “Do you want the good or the not-so-good news first? Let’s keep the best for last – after some opinions encountered in fellow believers.”
Not-so-good points
“I’ll try to be brief on what’s very unsettling to my spirit. As I don’t want to have a closed mind on this issue I’d monitored Gillan Scott’s several well-balanced posts on the topic, to which some readers gave a window upon the state of their souls.
“Whatever gay folk say and do they’re no different to any believer for we’ve fallen short of the glory of God and are deeply loved by Him, otherwise Jesus wouldn’t have died for them too. So we love them too as individuals but, as with all sin, we don’t like their sin but hate it for what it is and does in preventing their accessing the fullness of life in Christ.
“Some who claimed to be Christians, however, were not only very supportive of this anti-Biblical Bill but also muddled and confused about what scripture says – even twisting its meaning – as well as being ignorant of sin! One pastor to the gay community even tried to explain why I’m mistaken!
“One regular pundit couldn’t understand what’s wrong with redefining marriage! We got the measure of one another when I commented: if that were correct there was no need for me to have repented of having been in the occult.”
“Just an aside and reminder,” whispered Simone, “I’d like to check the dangers of yoga as its spirit may be messing around with me.”
I continued, “My remark met a haughty, incredulous retort, ‘Upon what basis do you equate same-sex relationships with occultism, Richard? Your logic is seriously skewed, to put it mildly…!’ It was both sad and amusing because the answer was simple…so very simple.
“I parried it by alluding to the oft-quoted legal totem of ‘equality’, as well as its proper mathematical meaning, and took precise aim: ‘Your own logic has missed the point, to put it bluntly…The basis of my equation is straightforward, namely ‘equality of sin’ (ie. ‘missing the mark’).’ We ended up agreeing to disagree.
“But there were lamentable tales of some dear folk engaged in unions they think the Lord has ok’d and then wonder why things went wrong. For example, the miscarriage of a child being carried by one of a female partnership – a terribly sad state brought about by sin to their detriment. It reminded me of sin crouching ‘by the door’ to take Cain and make him murder his brother Abel. (Genesis 4:6-7)
“The accounts and opinions come with a sense of despoiling. I recalled Nathan Morris’ strong preaching on Jesus’ admonition to the early churches infected by sexual sin of their needing to be cleansed from wearing defiled robes. No wonder many wise and anointed preachers sound the alarm bells.” [9] & [10]
THE GOOD POINTS
“From a Christian standpoint, the good things of this Act are not so much the adverse ones but more the scriptural ones. We can, for instance, be most positive about these facts.:
“How do you make that out?” thrusts Steve with one of his bespectacled glares that reminds me of a hen pecking seed. I hear ‘tap-tap-tap’ and turn to see a solitary man at the next table tapping on his tablet. His face and sound mirrors my friend’s and I gently smile. But then I grin in self-deprecation over my natural tonsure as I reply:
“Off the top of my head…a couple of Jesus’ sayings spring to mind.:
“First of all, His teaching about persistent prayer (Luke 18:8) refers to a time like today; one lacking in not only personal but also corporate faith – as widely shown in ditching Christian values for purely hedonistic aims. This is what Jesus foresaw:
Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
“Secondly, He instructed His disciples about the coming of the Kingdom of God and to expect exceptional consequences for socially sanctioned wickedness (Matt 24):
But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
“Dr Luke’s carefully collected account of Jesus’ life from witnesses adds (Luke 17):
Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
“Also, His apostle Paul confirmed that Jesus told him the same about a future ‘Last Days’ great apostasy or falling away from faith in God. One of his letters to the early Greek church in Salonika (2 Thessalonians 2) refers to it this way:
Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. [Emphasis RB]
“Paul carries on with extra details to the gospels, which you can check yourself.
“Moreover, rabbinical teaching is said to confirm the connection between Noah’s time and today’s. Five years ago two separate people on a radio show spoke about the ancient Babylonian Talmud’s interpretation of Genesis and the cause of the Flood. ‘America’s Rabbi’, Aryeh Spero, said the Talmud’s writings show, “before the Flood people started to write marriage contracts between men…which is more than homo-sexual activity…in other words, giving an official state stamp of approval, a sanctifica-tion of homosexual partnership.”
“Rabbi Spero went on to say, “Even in ancient Greece they did not write marriage contracts between men. There was homosexuality, and it was wrong, but there was not an official ‘blessed’ policy. … Marriage is ‘sanctification’ (not simply a partnership).” He said to confer the title of sanctification and holiness upon this behaviour is “probably one of the greatest sins of all that one does against God’s plan for this world.”
“Another source quotes from the Midrash Rabbah Genesis, a specific commentary upon the Torah, and from the Second Book of Enoch, both of which support the claim about the real events of the ‘days of Noah’, from which we may infer they’re the festivities of which Jesus knew and was referring to. I’ve not yet completely cross-checked those sources, but I can let you have them for checking. [12&13]
“Also the widespread persecution of Christians in Africa and Middle East connects into the Daniel 7 end-times prophecy!” [14] On top of that, the status of Jerusalem is being discussed in Washington. With three major aspects of prophecy now at the fore we’re definitely entering the End-Times, as stated at the outset of my writing four years ago – The End-Time Is Now In Play – maybe you’d like to check it out?” [15]
Nina adds, “What’s going on proves the Bible is absolutely true and correct!”
“We’re definitely entering into times foreseen by the Lord Jesus and His first apostles as well as Old Testament prophets. What’s happening across the world has been written about and we know the outcome – the return of King Jesus for His Bride. It can’t be much longer now…As Jesus said when teaching about signs of the end of the Age.:”
“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” (Luke 21:28)
Thank you to my friend Revd Bill of Blandford for emailing me with news of Steve Hill’s message published in Charisma Magazine and its News Blog. I first heard him deliver it in March at the Revival Reunion of worship leaders, preachers and leaders who were in the Brownsville/Pensacola and Bay of The Holy Spirit revivals. So, it’s good to see it in print.
As with all Steve’s calls for repentance, it is deeply moving and the fact of his personal ‘resurrection’ brings a poignant emphasis to the urgency of this vitally important matter. It is essential for each of us to make sure we’re in right standing with the Almighty.
Steve refers to a raft of deceptive doctrine and errors severely affecting believers’ lives, especially in the United States, namely:
The full content of this message may be read here. It is directly connected with Steve’s warning given from a dread vision of a spiritual avalanche, covered earlier here.
Bill makes these observations:
Having spent a couple of weeks among believers of diverse backgrounds, it is easy to see whole areas of misunderstanding of the truths of scripture. How vital that we encourage all to focus on Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth.
[I’m grateful our church minister, Lindi Masters, is firmly against easy grace and taught in depth on grace and ensured familiarity with foundational teachings listed in Hebrews 6:1-3; The Peril of Not Progressing is NKJV’s very apt heading for these verses!]
To listen to Steve deliver his profoundly moving message click here and scroll forward to 2hr 16min. This commences with an introduction by Revd John Kilpatrick and Steve begins in acknowledging his spiritual heritage from mentors David Wilkerson and the English evangelist Leonard Ravenhill, whose mentors were A.W. Tozer and Smith-Wigglesworth.
What an outrageously provocative title!
It’s not mine but belongs to one of your fellow readers, T.E. Hanna, a theology graduate whose blog Of Dust And Kings publishes interesting discussions about God, His Kingdom and what it means to be human.
I like the way his theology ticks.
So I’d like to introduce T.E. to you through the following ‘guest post’, which was one of the first I read. His first two points and the last one match my own perceptions 100%.:
In 1989, Depeche Mode released their 23rd single in the UK, a hit song that quickly climbed the charts and would eventually be covered by such notable musicians as Johnny Cash, Jerry Williams, Nina Hagen, and Marilyn Manson. The song was entitled “Personal Jesus” and the steady rhythm of the chorus drummed out the following lines:
Your own personal Jesus, Someone to hear your prayers, Someone who cares. Your own personal Jesus, Someone to hear your prayers, Someone who’s there …reach out and touch Faith.
While Depeche Mode used the “personal Jesus” idea as a metaphor for codependent human relationships, the concept has nevertheless permeated western Christian culture. Testimonies typically hail back to the moment when one has “finally accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and savior” and the standard evangelism question points to the same idea: “Have you accepted Jesus as your personal savior?”
Yet Scripture knows nothing of a personalized faith.
Bear with me here, and let me clarify what I am NOT saying. I am NOT saying that we should not be impacted on a personal level by the Christian faith – we absolutely should. I am NOT saying that we do not come to Christ on a personal basis – we absolutely must.
However, the idea of a personal savior has taken on a life of its own, replacing the locus of the Christian life with our personal agendas and pushing Jesus to the margins. We customize, privatize, and minimize the Christian story, relegating Jesus to little more than “someone to hear your prayers, someone who cares.” This corrodes the very heart of the Christian faith, eating away at its life transforming power, and ripping Jesus away from His divinity in order to wedge Him into an idol fashioned after a hyper-individualistic culture. This simply won’t do.
Christians need to reject the idea of the personal Jesus, and we need to do it for 5 reasons:
The central cry of Jesus was never “accept me.” In fact, it was quite the opposite. Jesus walked a path which called Him to be despised and rejected, betrayed and belittled, criticized and crucified. The call of Jesus to His disciples and to us is to follow. Following requires leaving things behind and forging forward, laying down your life that you might find it, dying to yourself that your might discover the life abundant in the purposes of God. Acceptance is passive. Following is inherently active.
At the heart of spiritual formation is the move to become “Christ-like”. Often, this challenges our preconceptions and wars against our desires. Good. It is supposed to. The Jesus Way is a way of transformation, of exposing our darker side to the Light of the World that the shadows may be cast away and we may become luminaries of incandescent glory, reflecting the blinding rays of the Son. We must never customize Jesus, reducing Him to an eternal moral teacher that can give us a hand when things get rough. We must allow ourselves to be confronted by Him, restored through Him, and conformed to Him.
John Wesley once wrote that “Scripture knows nothing of solitary religion.” From Genesis to Revelation, we see the story of a God who is creating a people, not just persons. In the instances where we see individuals emphasized, they are emphasized for the purpose of the people. Abraham was called individually to carry the covenant for what would become the people of God. Moses was called individually to free the Israelite people. David was called individually to lead a nation of God’s people. The prophets were called individually to be the mouthpiece of God to His people. The disciples were called individually only to then be sent forth to gather a global people. The popular notion that Christianity is a personal affair, making the community of faith unnecessary, finds no basis in the pages of Scripture. It is only in community that we find accountability, corporate prayer, unified worship, and the edification of the saints. It is only in community that we become the Body of Christ.
So much of Christian rhetoric emphasizes the blessing of God and de-emphasizes the way of the cross. Much of popular Christianity is about seeking these blessings, about conforming God to our will, about how God somehow is charged with serving us. I am not diminishing the reality of the blessedness of God, but blessing is hardly the entire picture. Jesus completely inverts the concept of privilege, calling His followers away from notions of entitlement and into a life of servanthood. The reality of this is that, as we serve one another, we will be served in the process; but the notion that service is somehow owed to us is completely overturned. We, who claim ourselves as children of the greatest King who ever existed, express this most dutifully as servants.
The Christian concept of salvation does more than just look over its shoulder at a sinful past now washed clean. It does more than look at the present as we are engaged in a process of spiritual renewal. It looks to the future, at the outworking of our salvation expressed as a transformed people transforming the world. In other words, Christians are not just saved from sin, they are saved to God. We become active participants in the breaking forth of God’s Kingdom as the redemptive order confronts and exposes the manifestation of sin in society. To limit the concept of salvation to a personal experience (or worse, a personal event) truncates the fullness of what it means to be Christian. We are not just saved from a life of sin; we are saved for a world where sin still manifests.
The popular evangelistic rhetoric calling for people to “accept Jesus as your personal savior” needs to be overturned. It is only in the call to “come and follow” and to “take up your cross” that we begin to regain the deeper things which have historically defined God’s people. It is here, in the deep water, where Christianity comes alive.
So… reach out and touch faith.
What do you think?
How does the personalization of Jesus impact the Christian faith?
Read, and contribute to, several commendable comments from readers and T.E. by scrolling to the foot of this link to ‘Personal Jesus’. I trust you’ll be as blessed as me.
I read it after attending our church home group where we’d worked through Romans 6 in some depth. Thank you T.E for your five points which, together with that scripture, confirmed my objections posted in a discussion elsewhere, as mentioned in my post covering Steve Chalke’s apostasy (here).
On 11th Dec 2012 Steve Hill wrote.:
This is coming to you from a man who has just passed through the valley of the shadow of death. Since my close call with eternity just a short while ago … everything has become clearer. I can hear His whisper. Unabated obedience has become my mandate. That is why I’m writing this word from the Lord..:
THE SPIRITUAL AVALANCHE THAT COULD KILL MILLIONS
A few days ago, after enjoying quality time with Jesus, I was surprised by an alarming vision. I saw a massive, majestic mountain covered in glistening snow. It reminded me of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps. Its peaks were sparkling white and I was amazed by God’s attention to detail. It was so realistic I wanted to go skiing! But I sensed that there was more that the Holy Spirit was about to reveal. As I closed my eyes, I was in a winter wonderland bustling with thousands of vacationers. The ski lodge, condos, hotels and cabins were at full capacity at this popular resort.
Day quickly turned to night as the skiers, snowboarders and sports enthusiasts were settling in. Anticipation grew as the snow began to fall. Everyone headed to bed believing tomorrow would be a day of sheer enjoyment on freshly covered slopes. For an avid skier, the exhilaration of being the first one to race down a new blanket of snow is a dream come true.
Throughout the night, winter storms dropped several feet of new snow on the slopes. The night ski patrol was put on full alert. Their mission was clear. With the potential of killer avalanches they took to their posts.
I began to weep as the vision continued to unfold along with its spiritual application.
The ski patrol operated like a well-trained platoon. Some boarded helicopters manned with small bombs, others jumped on snowmobiles loaded with hand-held explosive devices. What seemed to be a strategic group of sharpshooters were stationed at the base maneuvering anti-tank weapons aimed at the snow-covered peaks. They fired their weapons at strategic points in the “avalanche zone” to force avalanches before the snow accumulated to a life-threatening depth. Left unchecked, the accumulation of heavy, dense snow packed on top of lighter snow could easily slide down with incredible speed and force, resulting in enormous damage and loss of life.
The Lord began to speak. I trembled. The fresh, new snow represented the false teaching that is steadily falling on the ears of the body of Christ. It has been, and is, a heavy snowfall. The skiers represented believers and non-believers, trusting the resort for a safe and memorable experience. As Christians, we have been warned to be sober and vigilant (1 Peter 5:8). However, the present, awe-inspiring teachings have lulled many into a deeper sleep.
The layers upon layers of snow have been steadily covering the solid traditional truth of Christ. The truth is that foolish teaching in these days will become so fashionable even the most dedicated believer could become deceived (Matt. 24:24). It’s happening before our eyes. One (of our) spiritual leaders said the other day: “You guys are old-fashioned ‘holiness,’ we are modern-day ‘grace.’ You live in bondage while we can do anything we want.
Pastors and teachers worldwide have succumbed to heretical teachings including universal reconciliation, deification of man, challenging the validity of the Word of God including His judgements, and even lifting any boundaries, claiming His amazing grace is actually “amazing freedom.” You are free to live according to your own desires. Sound familiar? “They had no king and did what was right in their own eyes” (Judges 17:6). These popular self-proclaimed ministers of the gospel are covering the “slopes” and will be held accountable for the spiritual death of millions.
Just as the ski patrol did in this vision, those who are aware of what’s happening must take swift and accurate action. Their weapons of warfare must be aimed at the peaks and the ‘avalanche terrain’ to dispel the lies. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers must be willing to drop spiritual bombs, fire anti-heresy missiles, and even drive into the danger zones armed with explosive truth to confront this potential avalanche. The generals of this generation must leave the war room and put their years of experience on the front lines.
Friend, I humbly encourage you to heed this vision and take it before the Lord. I’ve written it just as it was given. My responsibility is to share with the body of Christ His words to me. The ears that hear and the hands that obey are out of my control. This is not just Steve Hill telling a story. Most of what the Lord shares with me is personal and remains in my heart. But I sincerely believe that this is a warning for this hour.
Satan is “snowing the saints” but it can be stopped. In the vision I heard explosions. I saw dedicated Christian soldiers scrambling to do anything it took to bring down this avalanche before devastation occurred. One of the most powerful weapons we possess to combat this onslaught is the tongue. Let God set yours ablaze by preaching ALL the words in RED. If we take action now the result will be a tearing down of false teaching and a remaining layer of solid, God-given, Biblical instruction that will save the lost, heal the sick and strengthen Christians to do the true work of the ministry.
Footnote by RB
Underlining and emboldened text are added. My post of 12th December, Does David Cameron’s decision line up with the Bible?, closes with reference to Steve’s article. His stirring message at The Revival Reunion was about the implications of living in or near Sodom in Lot’s day, as it applies today. In passing, Steve mentioned a vow he’d made to the Lord as he was about to die. He vowed that, should he be restored back to life, he’d continue evangelising for the sake of millions of Muslim souls!
In the circumstances, therefore, it behoves every reader to take the preceding message extremely seriously, as though issued with the holy ‘imprimatur’ of Jesus Christ Himself.
Gillan, a commendable commentary in view of the controversial circumstances.
In all this, three facts point to the ignored core issue and to the truth of scripture. These are: 1. people deny their sin, thereby making God a liar and repudiating what Jesus did for them on the Cross (1John 1:8-10) 2. many believers are unclear, confused and even deceived (2Tim 3, Matt 24) 3. the underlying role of the EU in this confirms its link with the ‘end of days’ messianic vision in Daniel 7 (see Cranmer).
Behind those facts (not to mention hatred of righteous expression and twisting of many definitions!) one can discern the source and strategy outlined in Revelation 13. Oh by the way, the technology for implementing the Mark of the Beast (666) is ready and waiting! (John McTernan 666 Surveillance System, updated with more items including Britain’s superdrone.)
It was hard going following the debate and developments on Twitter and in Parliament yesterday. It was like the final push before election day as everyone gives it their final shot to make their point and influence those who somehow have yet to make their minds up on the issue. Then following the result we had the aftermath of blame games as well as celebrations depending on what outcome people had hoped for. The difference this time was that I didn’t see anyone who said they hadn’t made their mind up over same-sex marriage yet. This has to be the most polarising political issue I can remember, but it’s not surprising when the stakes are so high.
One thing I’ve struggled to get my head around is why so much fuss has been made leading up to the vote about the Conservative party split compared to talk of why so few Lib…
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A few paragraphs to update the last posts and temporarily ‘close the lid’ on the matter.: [PS. inserted below on Wed 19 Dec]
1. David Cameron
‘This will be no small furore’, I observed here over his decision to introduce legislation to change the millenia-old understanding of marriage and, therefore, mentioned political aspects. Clerics had been dealing with this for some time and on Friday the political blogger Cranmer was scathing of the contemptuous way in which a Prime Minister had treated the Anglican Church. I note he links his final paragraph to an informative article I’d also read by the editor of The Spectator (Fraser Nelson) and thereby concluded:
His Grace prophesied earlier this year that gay marriage would turn out to be Cameron’s Poll Tax. He was wrong: it is the Poll Tax, hunting ban, Clause IV and the Iraq War all rolled into one. It is a disaster for both the country and the Conservative Party: Cameron has pitched the State against the Church and started a culture war of which there will be no end, there will be no end, there will be no end.
In an op-ed in Saturday’s Telegraph Charles Moore eloquently outlined some legal complications of Cameron’s decision:
Because he gave too little thought to the depth of the issue, he did not bargain for the trouble he is starting to get. And because no proper preparatory official work is ever done nowadays, there is confusion and embarrassment over what the new law will actually say. This week, poor Maria Miller, the minister on whose desk this has landed, was unable to tell MPs how gay adultery will be defined in law. There will be lots more questions like that. One I like is, Will the heir to the throne be allowed to have a gay marriage? If he is male, will his husband be King too? If, by surrogacy, their union is blessed with a child, will that child, though of the blood royal, be excluded from the succession? If so, how, in the name of equality, can that be right?
In his sanguine manner, Moore then asks about some collateral effects of the new Act of Parliament and considers political nuances behind Cameron’s decision (he’s not the first to connect it with mimicking Barack Obama). Moore then drives his argument to the irrefutable impossibility of same-sex weddings bringing the principal and tangible benefit of matrimony (as originally conceived and designed, I’d add!)…
Children exist because of men and women. Homosexuals may love one another just as much as anyone loves anyone else – and all disinterested love is a social good – but their domestic arrangements make no difference to the human future. Marriage is all about the human future (emphasis mine). It is mankind’s main investment in it.
He consequently concludes:
If you are conservative, you respect the past in order to secure the future. It is not easy to see how a policy which puts homosexual rights at the apex of public morality can possibly do that. Strange that the head of a party which calls itself Conservative is leading us down a cul-de-sac in the history of mankind.
Today’s (Monday) Daily Telegraph’s front page refers to ‘a cross-party rebellion’ and the centre page displays a letter signed by over 50 Parliamentarians written “in support for the institution of marriage as defined in law as a union between a man and a woman”. Furthermore, they state:
At the last election, none of the three main parties stood on a platform to redefine marriage. It was not contained in any of their manifestos, nor did it feature in the Coalition’s Programme for Government. These facts alone should have led to extreme caution on the part of those calling for this change to be made(emphasis mine).
[PS: 19 Dec – see objections from the Muslim Council of Britain and Cranmer’s take on this and the related sickening hypocrisy and inequality from liberal brigade’s claptrap.]
2. Maria Miller
Also on Saturday the same paper quoted Sir Alistair Graham, the ex-chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, as stating that the minister who announced the new matrimonial law would be “vulnerable to having to stand down as a minister” if she is disciplined by an inquiry into her claims for a second house where her parents lived.
This is only the latest in the Telegraph’s deep investigation into the outrageous scandal of widespread theft from the public purse by MPs. So Sir Alastair is reported as saying,
“My view is that ministers are in a key leadership position and if they are found to have broken the rules they can no longer continue to be part of the Government. We really can’t have a situation where the taxpayer is putting MPs parents in special position of being subsidised by public funds.”
3. Census 2011
The results of last year’s Census for England and Wales brought to light details of the massive immigration that has occurred as a result of the previous Labour government’s bad management and poor policies. Also, atheists have crowed over its findings upon religious belief. This aspect is capably covered by Gillan Scott in Census 2011: Atheist vs Christians and what the numbers don’t tell us.
Perhaps, in view of my dealings earlier this year with the lady behind the HOTS vs ASA issue, a humanist and two men with closed attitudes towards verifiable healings, you may care to dip into that post with its several informative contributions?
Have you ever missed a bus, or a boat? Can you imagine how annoyed people were at not getting on board Noah’s huge boat when mighty prolonged rains brought sweeping, widespread flooding? But he’d been warning them a long time. All they wanted to do was their own thing and not change because ‘all the people had corrupted their ways’. In fact, ‘the earth was filled with violence because of them’ (Genesis 6).
The only ones to survive were Noah and his family because he had time for God and walking with him. Many moons later a number of his descendants were to again corrupt their ways and, again, only a righteous family escaped the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot and his daughters got away but what was wrong with the lot Lot left behind?
In renouncing the abominable sins of Jerusalem the visionary prophet Ezekiel, or rather the Living Lord God, explained what was disagreeable about those ‘losers’:
Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit. (Ezekiel 16:49-50 NKJV – emphases RB)
My previous post referred to Jesus’ prophecy that the attitudes of people everywhere will again be as in ‘the days of Lot’ – and then He will return in all His glory and power in the company of the heavenly host of angels and all saved souls.
PRIDE
The unsavoury aspect of this attitude within government has now been reported by my friend Gillan Scott. His blog publishes and comments upon an email from the previous Equalities Minister : ‘Lynne Featherstone proudly takes credit for railroading gay marriage legislation’.
On the face of it her remarks rightly convey a sense of relief in an objective achieved. But this post, which deserves to be read in its entirety, reveals how spiritually dead at worst, or clueless at best, our national leaders really are – and many commentaries lack an appreciation of the gravity of the situation. Our politicians urgently need to be raised to fullness of life in all its abundance because this email shows how this deathly attitude has sought to prevail throughout national life.
Therefore, I added the following to the debate on God and Politics in the UK:
‘The minister’s email conveys the woeful ignorance of the implications and price to be paid. I believe Rev Billy Graham’s late wife said something along the lines that if LGBT agenda becomes legally ‘right’ then God would need Sodom & Gomorrah’s forgiveness!
‘But Jesus said their inhabitants would have repented and lived had they witnessed His miraculous works, whereas His fellow Jews refused. Therefore, He decreed “…it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgement than for you” (Matt 11:20-24). So, if not just pockets of ‘God’s Presence’ but the wider church starts doing ‘the greater works’ Jesus spoke of, then there will be hope for modern disbelievers awakening to spiritual – NOT religious – realities. (Bless them Lord out of their ignorance of the difference.)
‘The core of the issue is ‘LGBT Pride’, and this arrogant attitude is proudly displayed in the email. Those in Christ know God’s attitude to the proud. Pride was found in the king of Tyre and likened to that of Satan (Ezekiel 28) and is ruled by the Spirit of Leviathan.
‘What the Lord told Job about Leviathan is instructive in implying a link with ‘equality’ : “..Nothing on earth is his equal – a creature without fear. He looks down on all that are haughty; he is king over all that are proud”. (NKJV has ‘king over all the children of pride’) Job 41.34 NIV.’
Joel provides a useful analysis of the US election results with interesting observations. No 6 doesn’t surprise me but is nevertheless shameful regarding non-existent Biblical convictions in voters. Regretfully, it’s confirmed by comments about the elections from some UK believers who seem somewhat clueless about the spiritual dynamics.
Last Sunday, Maryland’s Rev Harry Jackson stressed, “Vote Vertical Values!” But USA now continues with a man who professed that his decision on gay-marriage was based upon his family’s discussion, NOT upon prayer and submission to his Saviour. Hence, my reservations about his personal faith – we can but pray for a Damascene revelation and obedience to the Living Lord God Almighty. Amen
[CORRECTED VERSION: In the first version of this column, I incorrectly reported a figure of 25 million evangelicals voting for Obama in 2012. The actual number, as now noted below, is about 6.4 million. Please forgive my error.]
As the smoke clears from the wreckage of the Romney defeat on Tuesday, some intriguing yet disturbing facts are coming to light.
* Fewer people overall voted in 2012 (about 117 million) compared to 2008 (about 125 million).
* President Obama received some 6.6 million fewer votes in 2012 than he did in 2008 (60,217,329 in 2012 votes compared to 66,882,230 votes in 2008).
* One would think that such a dynamic would have helped Romney win — clearly it did not.
* Incredibly, Governor Romney received nearly 1 million fewer votes in 2012 than Sen. John McCain received in 2008. (In 2008, McCain won 58,343,671 votes. In 2012, Romney…
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Taken in case of need, this holiday photo is now serving its purpose – to remind me what wall-to-wall, cloud-less sky is like! And it’s not hard, but not easy, to recall what lies beneath this azure zenith! But 8.30am today I walked in warm sunshine, yet a bank of cloud soon rolled over like a gray blanket – but at least it’s not raining and occasionally getting a bit brighter as cloud thins now and then.
Regarded as the wettest April to June (see report and video) since full detailed records for temperatures and rainfall across the UK began in 1910 – they’re forecasting over a month’s rain in 24hrs! (In the night we heard it like never ever before – it fell so heavily and quickly it sounded like one long roar!) Even now in July it’s unwise to stow away one’s winter wear! There have been ‘exceptional’ torrential rains, stormforce winds, at least one small tornado and widespread flooding, sadly with loss of life – all as was anticipated in my dream reported in What’s prophetical about weather? )
But there’s a blessing, nationally and personally – although much earlier than usual, our holiday took place during a fine fortnight with cool winds, and only one wet day. Two winters of abnormally low rainfall left reservoirs and underground aquifers very dry but they’ve been replenished. Also, plans to ban the use hose-pipes have been scrapped. So thank you Lord – let the river of Your Holy Spirit flow…
Over the ‘pond’
On this side of the Atlantic we’ve got away with things very lightly! Over in the States it’s been a very bad month indeed, as I’ve noted from a couple of blogs. My older cousin south of Tucson, Arizona, is hoping for the ‘monsoon’ as it’s hot and dry (temperatures over 100 degrees F daily) with only a trace of rain this year. The extreme heat then headed eastwards, to affect 25 states and 45 million people, for example:
Now, it’s an interesting and pertinent fact that President Obama had declared June as being devoted to ‘gay pride’, as well as having declared shortly beforehand his personal interest in changing the laws to allow ‘marriage’ for such folk. Many black pastors have challenged and registered strong objections to his actions.
Now, it’s been noted that Obama signed off his official declaration as follows,
“IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Indepen-dence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.” (emphasis added)
Now, is it not an extraordinarily contrary thing to mix this matter with a reference to the life of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour? Can we not sense where His heart is in this matter and what His response is? This president has surely put himself in an invidious position and I would not like to be in his shoes. After all, isn’t it written that Sodom and Gomorrah suffered from intense fire? (Genesis 19:23) Jesus indicated that those cities would, however, have repented had they witnessed His mighty works. Furthermore, His statement implies that there is hope for all who do not reject Him (Matthew 11).
Could this be why the United States has been suffering such stupendously atrocious storms, and continues to reap the whirlwind of darker days? (For fuller discussion see Dr John MrTernan’s Insights blog with journal of events: Defend & Proclaim the Faith.)
I criticised the content of President Obama’s speech in Cairo Speech and expressed reservations about the nature of his faith. After recent ‘clarifications’ on that issue and his address during the National Prayer Breakfast, I have reviewed my reservations – especially the claim that he may be ‘born again’. However, I’ve yet to be convinced.
The fact remains, that whomsoever President Obama is acountable to as his spiritual mentor or pastor seems to have ignored Jesus’ instruction to His Apostles, and hence to all those in spiritual authority, about how to make disciples of believers:
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
This is New King James text, but New International Version renders verse 20 as,
“…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded…”
So just what did Jesus command?
=========================
Back to the blue sky…aaahhh. And what was beneath it? A favourite beach….
COPY of pre-blog email (as in ‘About’).:
Dear Friends & Readers,
Awoke this morning to recall something Jesus said about the weather, and that this scripture is relevant to the global warming issue .
I see, however, that it also applies to this morning’s headlines: World In Crisis: Markets Dive, Mobs burn London (Debka), Rule of the mob – Markets dive as panic spreads (Telegraph, main & business parts). Leaders and populace, believers and non-believers alike are deeply disturbed about these events. Are they conse-quences of taking ourselves from underneath God’s hand of blessing, thereby opening ourselves to all sorts of woes/curses?
Back to the particular scripture. Two secret disciples took Jesus’ tortured frame down from the cross to the tomb in a garden close by Golgotha. As members of the council of Jewish leaders, the Sanhedrin, Joseph and Nicodemus had previously been obliged to be circumspect (John 20:38-42).
We know from John chapter 3 about Jesus’ provocative response to Nicodemus’ recognition that God had sent Him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”.
Bewildered, the seeker sought explanation, which Jesus gave and He went on to say (verse 8), “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
“How can these thing be?” asked the Pharisee ruler of the Jews.
“Are you not a teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?…If I have told you of earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
Oh, the wealth of wisdom in all Jesus taught in chapter 3 of John’s special selection of Gospel accounts. Today, world leaders, ‘experts’ and media are blindly thrashing around simply because they’ve chosen to ignore the One our Almighty Father sent. Pretending to lead nations and opinion, they’ve turned atheistic, humanist ideologies into idolatrous doctrine.
The Living Lord warns in His Word of the divinely declared consequence of cursing the descendants of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, and of dividing the land which He promised them as an everlasting Covenant, as well as of their intention to divide the only city God has chosen as His own, over which all nations will badly injure themselves.
Also, in recent years various watchers and prophetical folk have repeatedly brought His admonition and, for example from Bath, foreseen these destructive riots breaking out in our cities. [In particular, see two words I’ve previously mentioned that were received 2010 & 2011, which are clearly not false prophecies, at http://lancelambert.org/prophetic.php.
Also, I know of three authors who’ve monitored the calamities that happen as a result of meddling with Israel – there’s almost a scientific accuracy in this!]
And we’ve yet to get to September! Plans are afoot for UN General Assembly to declare a state of Palestine with old, original Jerusalam its capital – is the Holy God of Israel going to allow a Meccan moon god to overthrow His Holy Word and usurp the place where He put His Name forever? Get ready to pray and keep looking up to the Lord. How utterly majestic is He.
Let’s pray that all leaders emulate Nicodemus, in not only recognising who Jesus truly is but also by becoming a teachable disciple. On their behalf, Lord, we repent of wrongdoing and ask for Your forgiveness, grace and mercy.
Amen.
Further to the word recv’d by Lance Lambert on 18th April, do you know some of the prophesied events are already unfolding as though to prove it true?
COPY of pre-blog email (as in ‘About’). The main points covered therein are.:
> warnings from Zecharia 12 and Ezekiel 38 and about ‘the Ezekiel Alliance’.
> Arabs and Europeans against Israel; US presidents support terrorism within Israel
> Obama seeks cash from Arabs and courts Iranian terrorist masterminds!
> possible fulfillment of 1Tim4:3 prophecy in the UK: a Hebrews 12:23-27 ‘shaking’!
Buried beneath the daily dross of parliamentary piracy and ‘privilege-to-pilfer’ are momentous events concerning the Holy Land. I’ve kept close tabs with those who monitor Middle-Eastern machinations and watched a maelstrom gather momentum over the months.
Altho’ our gaze as believers is toward heavenly Jerusalem, it’s right not to overlook our God of Israel’s heart for actual Jerusalem and His covenant people. His intention and warning to the nations given through Zechariah (ch 12) still apply – and Ezekiel 38 opposition is moving into alliances. Hence, the world’s continual concern with Jerusalem and Israel.
Today, that storm comes to a climax as Prime Minister Netanyahu meets President Obama to discuss the latter’s 2-state solution for the Middle-East.
You may know that this involved attempts to turn the Arab world and Europe against Israel, and to appease Iran – even to ‘blackmailing’ Israel over its nuclear defence! (It’s reported Obama wanted to be able to use Iran’s territory for supplying US troops in Afghanistan and Pakistan.)
Also, there’s been dismay in Cairo and Riyadh over his courting the terrorist mentors in Teheran. No wonder Egypt and S.Arabia – both kept militarily informed by Israel – and five Gulf emirates turned a deaf ear to Pres. Obama’s secret (and 3rd) delegation seeking hundreds of billions dollars investment in US and global economic stimulus plans! It’s reported, however, that over the weekend a political furore gripped Washington and frayed Obama’s key policies.
The Bush and Obama administrations’ misguided intentions are to establish a terrorist-run nation within the ancient home-land of Judea/Israel. The consequences for USA in betraying its ally Israel could be severe, as when Bush wanted to trade land for peace (as collated by the accredited White House correspondent Wm Koenig). The Lord gave detailed warnings of judgement in Nov ’99 which included not only last year’s collapse of stocks but also the betrayal of Israel by Western allies!
Last week’s papal visit to the Holy Land may result in UN military units (ie. ‘armies of the nations’) in and around Jerusalem. Koenig has also noted that papal pronouncements contrary to God’s purposes for His Land have soon been followed by revelations of sexual scandal within the Roman hierarchy – so wait and watch.
United Kingdom
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter days…terrible times will come…” wrote Paul to disciple Timothy. The second letter gave many explicit details, all of which are now common-place – ie. the prophecy is fulfilled in its entirety today!
Could Paul’s reference to the prevention of marriage (at 1Tim4:3) be construed as also meaning any kind of alteration to this God-ordained covenant?
Hence, how entirely appropriate that those who’ve deliberately spurned His requirements and commands in making our laws are themselves now being turned upside down. And, as indicated in Hebrews 12:23-27 could we not expect lots more shaking? Could that visionary map I saw being ripped apart be the political map of England? I wonder…
Let’s remember Psalm 122 instruction, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, may they prosper who love you…”, that we may earnestly seek its welfare.
Richard's Watch 