Could Matthew have been among them?

Could Matthew, the publican, been among them
who came to be baptized by John the Baptist?

Then came also publicans to be baptized,
and said unto him,
Master, what shall we do?
Luke 3:12

And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him......and Matthew the publican;
Matthew 9:9 / 10:3

Papal Notes - "Wondering" after Pope Francis

"ROME — For generations, homosexuality has largely been a taboo topic for the Vatican, ignored altogether or treated as “an intrinsic moral evil,” in the words of the previous pope.
In that context, brief remarks by Pope Francis suggesting that he would not judge priests for their

sexual orientation, made aboard the papal airplane on the way back from his first foreign trip, to Brazil, resonated through the church. Never veering from church doctrine opposing homosexuality, Francis did strike a more compassionate tone than that of his predecessors, some of whom had largely avoided even saying the more colloquial “gay.”
“If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” (I thought he was supposed to be Christ's representative on earth? BTW...What would Peter say about "gay" pastors? Seriously think about that....) Francis told reporters, speaking in Italian but using the English word “gay.”
Francis’s words could not have been more different from those of Benedict XVI, who in 2005 wrote that homosexuality was “a strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil,” and an “objective disorder.” The church document said men with “deep-seated homosexual tendencies” should not become priests.
Vatican experts were quick to point out that Francis was not suggesting that the priests or anyone else should act on their homosexual tendencies, which the church considers a sin. But the fact that he made such comments — and used the word “gay” — was nevertheless revolutionary, and likely to generate significant discussion in local dioceses, where bishops are divided over whether to accept priests who are gay but celibate. (Sounds like someone is trying to be popular with the secular world right now and their obsession with the gay issue).
“We can see the figure of Peter so near to us,” said Milena Rocha, 20, a Brazilian student who slept on the beach Saturday night along with thousands of others in a vigil before the pope’s final Mass on Sunday, comparing Francis to St. Peter.  (...all the world wondered after the beast.  Revelation 13:3)     

She said that the vigil, in which many camped on the sands on pieces of cardboard, showed the energy that Francis was bringing to the church in Brazil, which has more Catholics than any other country, an estimated 123 million." NYT

 

WAIT!!!!

There's MORE "wondering" below, this time from CNN....

 

"(CNN) - At times last week, I was dumbstruck and even in tears as I followed the coverage of Pope Francis' visit to Brazil for World Youth Day.
Few things have filled me with more hope about my church than the pope's past few days. For what Francis did in Rio de Janeiro, and continues to do, represents some very positive change.
Monday’s surprising interview aboard his plane back to Rome, during which, in response to a question about gays and gay priests, he said, in part, “Who am I to judge?” likewise shows an openness that borders on revolutionary.


Hey..Protestants...Remember WHY your Protestant?

At the same time, Francis called for greater mercy for divorced and remarried Catholics, and asked for a "deeper theology" of women in the church.
But make no mistake: Francis is doing is something new. And he has
the potential to change the church, and in the process the world.His moving address in the favela was, outside the Gospels, the most succinct summary of social justice I’ve ever heard.
In an unscripted remark in Rio, delivered in his native Spanish, he said, “What is it that I expect as a consequence of World Youth Day? I want a mess. We knew that in Rio there would be great disorder, but I want trouble in the dioceses!"
There’s a word you don’t see in many papal encyclicals: fun.
But Jesus had fun. (What is traditionally considered his first miracle was at a wedding party, after all.)
And the Pope looked like he was having a blast at World Youth Day." CNN

And some "Wondering" on Fox News Latino......

 

"The pontiff, who has gained a reputation for being “the people’s Pope” and received rock star treatment in Brazil, broke from the traditional in his rhetoric by announcing that he will not judge priests based on their sexual orientation and for criticizing clergy for losing touch with their parishioners. But with the number of followers plunging in the world’s largest Catholic country, religion experts said the pope’s visit could be the springboard that helps revive Catholicism in Brazil.
The pope’s divergence from Catholic rigidity, plus the massive crowds he drew, suggests that the pope’s visit could succeed in reversing the downward trend of Catholicism in Brazil.

According to Strozenberg, last week’s visit by Pope Francis will leave two lasting legacies on Catholicism in Brazil.

“First, there will be more churches in poor areas. This is one of the messages he gave.

“Second, it will renew the visibility of participation of Catholic movements.”"

FoxNewLatino

 

 

O.K....Enough "wondering" for one day....

 

 

SDA News - Pakistani Blasphemy charge

"A court in Pakistan this month sentenced a Seventh-day Adventist man to life in prison for allegedly defaming the Prophet Muhammad in a case that falls under the country’s controversial blasphemy laws.

Sajjad Masih, 29, was convicted of sending blasphemous text messages to a member of a religious extremist group in 2011, despite his accuser’s subsequent retraction and prosecutors’ failure to produce any evidence of his involvement. Javed Sahotra, Masih’s defense attorney and fellow Adventist Church member, said the judge buckled under pressure from extremists who dominate the local religious and political landscape.
At world church headquarters in the U.S. state of Maryland, Graz and other members of the newly-formed Defense of Members Persecuted for Religious Reasons Committee are monitoring Masih’s case." ANN

 

If the world hate you,

ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

John 15:18

IN the NEWS - It's Starting; gay marriage laws used to harass religion

In England.....
"Sikh temples have been advised to halt all civil marriage ceremonies on their premises to protect them from possible legal challenges for refusing to conduct same-sex weddings.

It is the first example of a religious group altering its marriage practices to avoid potential litigation based on equalities or human rights law.

Other groups, including the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church and the orthodox Jewish organisation United Synagogue, also resisted the legislation, but they have not indicated that they will go as far as to surrender their marriage licences." TheTelegraph.UK

Where is the FREEDOM?

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV

Creation Moment 7/31/2013 - Punctuated Equilibrium & Neo-Darwinian evolution

"....we had ample evidence of biological change in both plants and animals
but there always

seemed to be a limit.

Only so much protein content in corn or sugar content in beets, or so many types of roses and dogs, or people three feet tall and some even eight feet tall but no-two foot dwarves or ten-foot giants.
Darwinian evolutionary solution was new variation added through the process of mutation. Neo-Darwinism had reigned supreme for over fifty years but there was a new kid on the block, what

Stephen Gould and Niles Eldredge termed "punctuated equilibrium."
From the beginning, punctuated equilibrium was primarily an observation from paleontology that most species seemed to stay the same over millions of years (stasis or equilibrium) and suddenly a new species appeared with no smooth transition (punctuation) from the previous species. Gould, Eldredge, and Stephen Stanley wrote numerous articles and books over twenty years summarizing and applying their ideas to different types of organisms in numerous geological time frames. This was all fine and good as a paleontological observation, but how was this rapid punctuation supposed to happen biologically? Gould, in particular, was careful to point out that punctuated equilibrium was a descriptive theory of large-scale patterns over geological time, not a theory of genetic process. But if genetic process could not accomplish large-scale patterns, the observation becomes mute." ENV

...but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God

into an image made like to corruptible man,

and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Romans 1:21-23

 

Outline of Haggai

1. Divine Announcement: The Command to Rebuild the Temple ( 1.1-15 ) Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. Haggai 1:8
2. Introduction: Reluctant Rebuilders ( 1.1-2 ) ..saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD'S house should be built. Haggai 1:2
3. Consider your ways: fruitless prosperity ( 1.3-12 ) Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Haggai 1:9
4. Promise and Progress ( 1.13-15 ) And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the ....governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua .... the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, Haggai 1:14
5. Divine Announcement: The Coming Glory of the Temple ( 2.1-2.9 ) The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: Haggai 2:9 
6. God will fulfill his promise ( 2:1-5 ) According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not. Haggai 2:5
7. Future Splendor of the temple ( 2:6-9 ) The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: Haggai 2:9
8. Divine Announcement: Blessings for a Defiled People ( 2.10-19 ) Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you. Haggai 2:19
9. Former Misery ( 2.10-17 ) I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD. Haggai 2:17
10. Future Blessing ( 2.18-19 ) ...from this day will I bless you. Haggai 2:19
11. Divine Announcement: Zerubbabel Chosen as a Signet ( 2.20-23 )In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, ....saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts. Haggai 2:23

And I will shake all nations,

and the desire of all nations shall come:

Haggai 2:7

 

"God will not suffer one of His truehearted workers to be left alone to struggle against great odds and be overcome. He preserves as a precious jewel everyone whose life is hid with Christ in God. Of every such an one He says I ........will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee. Haggai 2:23"

Testimonies for the Church vol.7, p.67 E.G.W.

SDA Issues- Doug Batchelor on Women Ordination

Doug Batchelor Sermon on why Women Ordination is un-Biblical
www.youtube.com/embed/0irueCn3hHc

Doug Batchelor website on women ordination
http://www.womenministrytruth.com/

Letter from Doug Batchelor to his critics
http://www.womenministrytruth.com/portals/7/documents/An-Open-Letter-From-Pastor-Doug-Batchelor.pdf

1) Doug Batchelor is 100% Correct on this subject.
2) Doug Batchelor was criticized by his California Conference leaders.
3) Doug Batchelor simply holds the OFFICIAL CHURCH position. Maybe those in leadership in the California conference who attacked Mr. Batchelor for holding the official Church position should resign or find another Church.

Official SDA position

55th General Conference Session, Indianapolis, IN — July 11, 1990, 9:15 a.m.
Voted: To accept the following report and recommendations of the Role of Women Commission as recommended by the 1989 Annual Council:

  * Further, in view of the widespread lack of support for the ordination of women to the gospel ministry in the world church and in view of the possible risk of disunity, dissension, and diversion from the mission of the church, we do not approve ordination of women to the gospel ministry"

In favor of the recommendation: 1,173
In opposition to the recommendation: 377

Therefore an overseer must be above reproach,

the husband of one wife,

sober-minded,

self-controlled,

respectable,

hospitable,

able to teach..

1 Timothy 3:2

 

SDA News - Duo Defrauds Seventh Day Adventist Church of U.S.$170 000

Zimbabwe:
Duo Defrauds Seventh Day Adventist Church of
U.S.$170 000
"TWO Harare men who connived to defraud the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Malawi of more than US$170 000 in a botched sugar beans supply deal have appeared in court. Alphius Chikazhe (34) and Martha Munotyaani (29) pleaded not guilty to fraud charges when they appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Anita Tshuma who remanded them to October 15 on US$200 each.
As part of their bail conditions they were ordered to surrender travel documents and report once every week to the police.

Zimbabwe

Prosecutor Mr Tungamirai Chakurira alleged that the complainant was SDA Malawi Blantyre circuit represented by Mr Cannan Bova.
It is alleged that sometime in June this year the duo, together with Harold Chunga and Stanley Chirwa who are still at large hatched a plan to defraud the church.
Chikazhe informed Bova's business partner Tendai Chawasema that he had an order from Allied Agricultural Commodities (AAC) (Pvt) Ltd which is situated in Arundel Park to supply them with sugar beans, the court heard.
On June 9, it is alleged, Chikazhe and Munotyaani proceeded to Malawi together with Bova before presenting a purported order of AAC letterhead to Chawasema.
They further indicated that AAC was prepared to pay US$210 000 for 150 tonnes of sugar beans.
On July 2, SDA gave Chawasema US$170 000 to source the beans in Malawi and managed to get 120 tonnes, the court was told.
SDA transported the beans from Malawi in four 30-tonne trucks and on July 22 they delivered the consignment at a warehouse in the Workington industrial area.
The pair misrepresented that the warehouse was theirs and gave the SDA the goods received voucher acknowledging receipt of the beans.
Bova then issued an invoice with a value of US$205 424 for the beans to Chikazhe and Munotyaani.
Munotyaani, the court heard, told Bova payment was to be made from South Africa in a week before they were given import papers for the sugar beans.
On July 31, Chikazhe and Munotyaani told Bova they had tried to transfer the money via internet and failed.
Bova failed to contact the pair for sometime which led to him filing a police report." allAfrica.com

Neither shalt thou steal.

Deuteronomy 5:19

IN the NEWS - San Antonio to assault freedom of religion & speech

"The San Antonio City Council is about to adopt an ordinance that could get any Christian arrested for preaching the Bible or sharing their faith.  They are looking at passing some nondiscrimination ordinances that would make it a crime to exhibit or express any form of bias that could offend someone.  The proposed ordinance says:

“No person shall be appointed to a position if the city council finds that such person has, prior to such proposed appointment, engaged in discrimination or demonstrated a bias, by word or deed, against any person, group or organization on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, age, or disability.”

 

Maybe San Antonio should remove that American flag...
wait.. that might be next....ya never know

Anyone found guilty of violating the new ordinance would be given a lifetime ban from being able to hold a city job, being involved with city government or even doing business with the city.

In other words, if a Christian works for the city as a garbage collector or street repair and they tell someone that the Bible says homosexuality is a sin, they could lose their job for expressing their bias.  Or, if you contracted with the city to provide a service, say computer maintenance or repair and you quoted what the Bible says about homosexuality, you could lose your contract with the city.

Any pastor who stands in the pulpit and reads from Leviticus 18, 20 or Romans 1, could be found guilty of violating the nondiscriminatory ordinance and face the consequences.

Clearly the ordinance violates the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and religion." GP

If the world hate you,
ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
John 15:8


Creation Moment 7/30/2013 - Evolutions dirty little secrets

Professing themselves to be wise,

they became fools,

Romans 1:22

Darwinian:
The basic concept that natural selection leads to evolution. In other words, that micro-evolution (better known today as genetic variation within a kind---how we get different shapes, sizes & colors, could lead over time) to macro-evolution, (like from a dinosaur to a chicken-which is the type what people think of when you speak of "evolution"). This view of Darwin has been all but rejected since the mid 20th century. So in other words, micro-evolution (genetic variation  within a kind does NOT lead to evolution as evolutionists taught for a century). So in other words, Darwin was WRONG...

Neo-Darwinian:
Championed today by the likes of Richard Dawkins. Began around the mid 20th century with the rise of genetics. Once it was realized that Darwin was really wrong, to save face, evolutionists shifted to this idea....that tiny genetic changes over eons of time led to macro-evolution.

Punctuated Equilibrium:
Championed by the likes of the late Stephen Gould. It is the idea that there were bigger leaps in evolution. 'Why?', you ask. Because the fossil record does NOT support evolution. So at least Gould was being intellectually honest. The real reason why the Dawkins crowd (but not only reason) that they hate the Gould crowd in evolution-is that they expose the dirty little secret of evolution about the fossil record. If the Dawkins crowd are forced to concede about the fossil record-then why believe in evolution at all?

.................3 Strikes & your OUT....................

Righteousness By FAITH

SANCTUARY

(The Plan of Redemption/True Righteousness By FAITH)

Outer Court/Grace/Justification
And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven,
and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
But the father said to his servants,
Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him;
Luke 15:21

 *******

*Neither do I condemn thee:

John 8:11

*...baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Matthew 28:19

*and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still:

Revelation 22:11

Inner Court/The Inner Heart/Sanctification
For this is the love of God,
that we keep his commandments:
and his commandments are not grievous.
1 John 5:3

*******

*...go, and sin no more.

John 8:11

*Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:

Matthew 28:20

*and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

Revelation 22:11

SCAM ALERT - Joseph Prince / Prince of "Cheap Grace"

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness,

Jude 1:4

"Prince, 47, attributes his sudden popularity to neither charisma nor marketing savvy. He says it’s a testament to his signature message, which he calls “the gospel of grace.” (Or really "Cheap Grace", although to be fair, Mr. Prince denies that label).
Under his stewardship, the congregation has spiked to more than 20,000 members from roughly 2,000 in 1997, when he began preaching about what he describes as “radical grace.” (For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 2 Timothy 4:3 )

That message, he says, doesn’t attempt to balance grace with the law. (To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20)  He says God told him in 1997: “The moment you balance grace, you neutralize it. You cannot put grace and law together,” Prince wrote in his book Destined to Reign. 
Linda Lee Bingham of New Jersey said understanding grace has enabled her to better trust and rest in God. The work is finished on the cross, and I’m just enjoying the ride.”
Says Prince: “Hearing testimonies like these, I feel that it is all worth it—all the investment in the broadcasts, the money and the time. God is touching lives through the broadcasts.”
Prince’s messages on the grace of God have influenced worship leaders too. Grammy-winning musician Israel Houghton says the song “I Receive” from his latest album, The Power of One, was conceived after he heard Prince teach on God’s grace. Houghton wrote it with Peter Wilson, worship pastor of Hillsong Church London, and the two men still affectionately call it the “Joseph Prince song.”" CharismaMagazine

Mr. Prince, as most TV evangelists today, mixes truth with error. We are saved by grace (the outer court of the sanctuary, -"Neither do I condemn you"). But grace does not negate the law as Mr. Prince seems to think (inner court of the sanctuary-"Go & sin no more").
I have never heard a Joseph Prince sermon where he didn't bash the Law of God....
"No error accepted by the Christian world strikes more boldly against the authority of Heaven, none is more directly opposed to the dictates of reason, none is more pernicious in its results, than the modern doctrine, so rapidly gaining ground, that God's law is no longer binding upon men. Every nation has its laws, which command respect and obedience; no government could exist without them; and can it be conceived that the Creator of the heavens and the earth has no law to govern the beings He has made?"
The Great Controversy p.584 E.G.W.
 

IN the NEWS - Psychopaths

"Psychologists at the Social Brain Lab in Amsterdam have discovered criminal psychopaths can switch on the ability to empathise with another person at will, which could explain why they can be simultaneously callous but socially devious.
A new brain imaging study shows psychopaths have reduced empathy while witnessing the pains of others but when asked to recognise other peoples' emotions they can activate their empathy.

 Dr Meffert said the human brain is equipped with what scientists call a 'mirror system'.

For example, the motor cortex of the brain normally allows you to move your own body. Your so called somatosensory cortex, when activated, makes you to feel touch on your skin. Your insula, finally, when activated makes you feel emotions like pain or disgust.
Brain scientists have discovered that when people watch other people move their body, or see those people being touched, or have emotions, these same brain regions are activated. In other words, the actions, touch or emotions of others become your own.
It has been suggested that people with psychopathy might somehow suffer from a broken mirror system, resulting in a diminished ability to empathize with their victims." MailOn.UK

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, ..... murders,

Mark 7:21

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.

Revelation 21:5

"You could easily be working in the company of a psychopath,  because psychopaths tend to gravitate towards and thrive in professions that offer power and require cutthroat decision making.
While most people think of psychopaths as serial killers and rapists - because most serial killers ARE psychopaths - not all psychopaths are murderous.
In the workplace, psychopaths are characterised by their attempts to try to undermine and “mentally destroy” their co-workers to feed their need for a sense of power and domination over other human beings.

Top jobs for psychopaths:

1. CEO
2. Lawyer
3. Media (TV/radio)
4. Salesperson
5. Surgeon
6. Journalist
7. Police officer
8. Clergyperson
9. Chef
10. Civil servant"

news.com.au

 



 

Creation Moment 7/29/2013 - Vestigal Organs Myth in evolution

"These popular arguments for evolution from vestigial organs are highly inaccurate. For example, the appendix serves as a storehouse for probiotics and also provides a variety of immune-related functions, helping to produce and train white blood cells, as well as playing an important role during fetal development.
The tonsils: At one time, they were routinely removed. Now it's known they serve a purpose in the lymph system to help fight infection. The coccyx (tailbone): Rather than being vestigial, this is a vital bone required for the human bipedal body plan. It is used for the attachment of muscles, tendons, and ligaments which support the bones in our pelvis. Male nipples: Even under an evolutionary paradigm, male nipples are not an evolutionary holdover. They are a simple consequence of the mammalian body plan and development, and are not considered 'vestigial'." EN&V

So God created man in his own image,

Genesis 1:27

Our Bread & Water

He is both our bread & water

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

John 6:51

 

Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him,

and he would have given thee living water.

John 4:10

When God's People Pray performed by Wayne Watson

When God's People Pray performed by Wayne Watson
www.youtube.com/embed/KuEWnSto1YY

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
James 5:16

Absent From the Body - 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 {Analysis by Joe Crews}

2 Corinthians 5:1-8 Study

"In order to get the picture clearly in mind, let us review the verses point by point.

Vs. 1

Paul introduces an earthly house and a heavenly house, and says:

“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

Vs. 2

He states our condition while in the earthly house.

“In this we groan” and “being burdened.”

Vs. 2,3

He tells us what we desire in that state.

“Earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.”

Vs. 4

Paul repeats these facts once again.

“For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon.”

Vs. 4

He then states the result of being clothed with the house from heaven that he so greatly desired.

“But clothed upon, that MORTALITY might be SWALLOWED UP OF LIFE.”

Vs. 5

The Spirit is a pledge that mortality shall eventually be swallowed up of life.

“Who also hath given unto us the earnest (assurance, pledge) of the Spirit.”

Vs. 6

Paul states the grounds of his confidence.

“Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.”

Vs. 7

A parenthetical comment on successful Christian living.

“(We walk by faith, not by sight.)”

Vs. 8

He repeats a willingness to be absent from the body and to be with the Lord.

“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and present with the Lord.”

What does he mean by the “earthly house” and the “heavenly house”? By being “clothed upon” and “unclothed”? By “mortality” being “swallowed up of life”? By being “absent from the body” and “present with the Lord”?

The apostle answers all of these questions for us. In verse 6, he defines “our earthly house” as being “at home in the body.” The chief characteristic of this house is that it may be “dissolved.” In other words, it is mortal. This earthly house is, therefore, our mortal body or our present mortal condition.

The house from heaven is “eternal” or immortal and represents the state of immortality that awaits the redeemed beyond the resurrection. Here is where the greatest misunderstanding enters the picture. Some have thought that the “house from heaven” is put on at the moment of death. But the apostle clearly spells out the TIME when he will put on immortality." JoeCrews

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound,

and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1 Corinthians 15:52,53

 

 

To be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord simply means that when one dies-their next conscious thought is at the resurrection to be with the Lord.

Creation Moment 7/28/2013 - Dino Eggs - Creation & the Flood....

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind,

cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind:

Genesis 1:24

And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth;

and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.

Genesis 7:19

"A new record for soft tissue in a dinosaur fossil was reported in Nature: collagen in dinosaur eggs from the early Jurassic.
The Nature paper is all over the news, but not all the science reporters are mentioning the most damaging admission to long ages: the preservation of organic material in fossil sauropod eggs from China,  said to be 190–197 million years old from the early Jurassic – 100 million years older than

the previous record.
National Geographic completely ignored the soft tissue evidence, but did add this detail: the eggshells were found crushed, and the bones were sorted and concentrated. Reisz presumes they were buried in a flood: “It became inundated, the embryos were smothered by sediment and water, and they basically rotted and fell apart,” he said.  The original paper described what the site looked like: “completely disarticulated skeletal elements at various stages of embryonic development… with calcium carbonate nodules often surrounding tightly packed appendicular skeletal elements.” 
It would seem that vulnerable, porous bones buried underwater in silt subject to bioturbation would have difficulty preserving the dinosaurs’ protein parts for 197 million years.  It would also seem that a low-energy local flood by a riverbank would not leave “massive siltstone” filled with bone fragments." CEH
----------OR-----could it be that the finds are NOT 100 million years old, but rather of a recent origin, since we know soft tissue can't last very long? AND could it be, the flood that killed these eggs off was the global flood? Just asking....

IN the NEWS - After 75 years of marriage, couple die one day apart at age 94

"High school sweethearts Les and Helen Brown, who were born on the same day on Dec. 31, 1918, died at age 94, within one day of each other.
Helen died on July 16, and Les died on July 17. The Southern California couple celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary in September.
The couple moved to Long Beach in 1963. He was a photographer for the Navy. She sold real estate. They had seven grandchildren.
The two, who were friends with many of their neighbors, were known to take road trips and worshipped at Kingdom Hall as Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Eventually, Helen was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and Les suffered from Parkinson's disease."
YahooNews
Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh.
What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Matthew 19:6

Chapter & Verse

Since the original Bible wasn't divided into chapters & verses-how did that come about?

Stephen Langton gave us the chapter divisions during the 13th century.
The Old Testament was further divided into verses by the Rabbi Isaac Nathan c. 1440.
The New Testament was divided into verses by Robert Stephanus in the 1550's.
I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.
Psalm 119:16

"TIME" by Ravi Zacharias

"Time isn't just a fleeting thing. It never moves forward without engraving its mark upon the heart—sometimes a stab, sometimes a tender touch, sometimes a vise grip of spikes, sometimes a mortal wound. But always an imprint." Ravi Zacharias

To everything -- a season, and a time to every delight under the heavens:                

A time to bring forth,

And a time to die.

A time to plant,

And a time to eradicate the planted.                

A time to slay,

And a time to heal,

A time to break down,

And a time to build up.                

A time to weep,

And a time to laugh.

A time to mourn,

And a time to skip.            

A time to cast away stones,

And a time to heap up stones.

A time to embrace,

And a time to be far from embracing.                

A time to seek,

And a time to destroy.

A time to keep,

And a time to cast away.                

A time to rend,

And a time to sew.

A time to be silent,

And a time to speak.                

A time to love,

And a time to hate.

A time of war,

And a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 YLT

Deceptions of Pomp & Ceremony

"The religious service of the Roman Church is a most impressive ceremonial. Its gorgeous display and solemn rites fascinate the senses of the people and silence the voice of reason and of conscience.

 

The eye is charmed.

Magnificent churches,
imposing processions,
golden altars,
jeweled shrines,
choice paintings,
and exquisite sculpture appeal to the love of beauty.

 

The ear also is captivated.

The music is unsurpassed.
The rich notes of the deep-toned organ,
blending with the melody of many voices as it swells through the lofty domes
and pillared aisles of her grand cathedrals,
cannot fail to impress the mind with awe and reverence.

 

This outward splendor, pomp, and ceremony,

that only mocks the longings of the sin-sick soul,

is an evidence of inward corruption.

The religion of Christ needs not such attractions to recommend it.
In the light shining from the cross,
true Christianity appears so pure and lovely
that no external decorations can enhance its true worth.

High conceptions of art, 

delicate refinement of taste,

often exist in minds that are earthly and sensual.

They are often employed by Satan to lead men to forget the necessities of the soul,
to lose sight of the future,
immortal life,
to turn away from their infinite Helper,
and to live for this world alone.

 

A religion of externals is attractive to the unrenewed heart.

The pomp and ceremony of the Catholic worship has a seductive,
bewitching power,
by which many are deceived; 
and they come to look upon the Roman Church as the very gate of heaven."
The Great Controversy p.566,567 E.G.W.
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2 Thessalonians 2:3,4

Creation Moment 7/27/2013 - The Ω Problem for Atheists

"One of the parameters used to describe the universe is Ω (the Greek letter omega), defined to be the ratio of the total gravitational potential energy to the total kinetic energy.
Since the universe has mass and hence gravity, it must have gravitational potential energy as well. The expansion of the universe represents motion, so the universe must have kinetic energy as well. As the universe expands, the gravitational potential energy will change. At the same time, gravity will slow the rate of expansion so that the amount of kinetic energy will change as well. Generally the

two energies will not change in the same sense or by the same amount so that Ω will change with time. A value of Ω < 1 means that the kinetic energy is greater than the gravitational potential energy. Conversely, a value of Ω > 1 means that the gravitational potential energy exceeds the kinetic energy. If a big-bang universe began with Ω < 1, then Ω will decrease in value. The minimum value is zero. If on the other hand Ω > 1 at the beginning of the universe, then Ω should have increased in value. Therefore, over billions of years the value of Ω should have dramatically changed from its initial value. For several decades all data have suggested that while Ω is indeed less than 1, it is not much less than 1. The sum of all visible matter in the universe produces an Ω equal to about 0.1. The prospect of dark matter pushes the value of Ω closer to 1.
The fact that Ω is very close to 1 today suggests that the universe began with Ω almost, if not exactly, equal to 1. If Ω were only a few percent less than 1 initially, then the evolution of the universe since the big bang should have produced an Ω dramatically less (many orders of magnitude) than 1 today. How close to 1 did the value of Ω have to be at the beginning of the universe to produce the universe that we see today? The value depends upon certain assumptions and the version of the big bang that one uses, but most estimates place the initial value of Ω equal to 1 to within 15 significant figures. That is, the original value of Ω could not have deviated from 1 any more than the 15^th place to the right of the decimal point. Why should the universe have Ω so close to 1? This problem is called the flatness problem. The name comes from the geometry of a universe where Ω is exactly equal to 1. In such a universe space would have no curvature and hence would be flat. There are several possible solutions to the flatness problem.
One possible answer to the flatness problem is that this is just how the world happens to be. While this is not a physical impossibility, it does raise some troubling questions, at least for the atheist. It seems that the initial value of Ω could have been any number, but only a very small range in values could have led to a universe in which we exist.

If Ω were too small, then the universe would have rapidly expanded to the point that the density would have been too low for stars and galaxies to form. Thus there could have been no planets and no life. Ergo, we would not have evolved to observe the universe.

If on the other hand the value of Ω were initially too large, the universe would have ceased expanding long ago and contracted back to a “big crunch.” This would not have allowed enough time for us to evolve. Either way, we should not exist. Therefore the correct conditions that would have allowed our existence were present in the universe from the beginning." UnvierseByDesign

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God,

so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Hebrews 11:3

Story Hour - You

Ye are our epistle written in our hearts,

known and read of all men:

 written not with ink,

but with the Spirit of the living God;

2 Corinthians 3:2,3

 

What do they read in you?

But the fruit of the Spirit is

love,

joy,

peace,

longsuffering,

gentleness,

goodness,

faith,

Meekness,

temperance:

Galatians 5:22,23