And the Spirit & the bride say, come.... Reveaaltion 22:17

And the Spirit & the bride say, come.... Reveaaltion 22:17
And the Spirit & the bride say, come...Revelation 22:17 - May We One Day Bow Down In The DUST At HIS FEET ...... {click on blog TITLE at top to refresh page}---QUESTION: ...when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? LUKE 18:8

Monday, January 30, 2017

Puritan Corner: The Sweetest

Those blessings are sweetest that are won with prayers and won with thanks.
by Thomas Goodwin (1600-1680)

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
Colossians 4:2

On the Streets of Babylon: "New" Spirituality

Babylon is fallen, is fallen,...  Come out of her, my people,
Revelation 14:8/18:4
There's a "new" spirituality running rampant on the Streets of Babylon...stay out of the Streets!!!

"This emergent progressive church (which they tried to make us believe was a thing of the past) is the new “Christianity” for millions of young people.
*Under the disguise of helping the poor,
*taking care of the environment,
*and loving everyone (except their critics),
is a growing body of people with a New Age/New Spirituality mindset that embraces all spiritual views and believes God exists in everyone. The Cross doesn’t mean the place where Jesus Christ took our place and died for our sins but rather means ...(that is, we are all one and connected together with a “God” energy that flows through all things and all people).
This at-one-ment rejects the idea that God would actually send His Son to a violent death to pay for OUR sins; rather this emergent view of atonement means that Jesus was a good example of someone who laid down His life and we should follow that example. That’s as far as this “new church” will go with the Cross. To say He paid the penalty for our sins is to say that man is sinful and is not God. The new social justice, emergent, progressive “Christianity” cannot do that because it doesn’t believe that." LighthouseTrails

MINISTRY OF HEALING: Audio & Pull Quotes- Chapter 37

The False and the True in Education  

Audio:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/ELxS4s5VF1k?list=PL4ByrircmXL5k2JRIamVNFkvW1Y3wIfiG

Philosophical speculation and scientific research in which God is not acknowledged are making skeptics of thousands.

Skepticism is attractive to the human mind. The youth see in it an independence that captivates the imagination, and they are deceived. It is because the human heart is inclined to evil that it is so dangerous to sow the seeds of skepticism in young minds. And, to a great degree, theology, as studied and taught, is but a record of human speculation, serving only to "darken counsel by words without knowledge."

In order to obtain an education, many think it essential to study the writings of infidel authors, because these works contain many bright gems of thought. But who was the originator of these gems of thought? It was God, and God only. He is the source of all light. Why then should we wade through the mass of error contained in the works of infidels for the sake of a few intellectual truths, when all truth is at our command.

Works of romance, frivolous, exciting tales, are, in hardly less degree, a curse to the reader. The author may profess to teach a moral lesson, throughout his work he may interweave religious sentiments; but often these serve only to veil the folly and worthlessness beneath. As the mind dwells upon the scenes of impurity portrayed, passion is aroused, and the end is sin. The widespread use of such books at this time is one of the cunning devices of Satan. He is seeking to divert the minds of old and young from the great work of character building. He means that our children and youth shall be swept away by the soul-destroying deceptions with which he is filling the world.

In the colleges and universities thousands of youth devote a large part of the best years of life to the study of Greek and Latin. And while they are engaged in these studies, mind and character are molded by the evil sentiments of pagan literature,....Those who are conversant with the classics declare that "the Greek tragedies are full of incest, murder, and human sacrifices to lustful and revengeful gods." Far better would it be for the world were the education gained from such sources to be dispensed with. Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? Proverbs 6:28

WITHOUT GOD

"The importance of the Word of God simply cannot be overstated. Without it, we do not have the truth, faith, or salvation of God. And without the truth, faith, and salvation of God, we do not have God. Scripture is replete with teachings and warnings that make this perfectly clear. One example of many is 2 John 1:9:

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
 Too many people in today’s shifting Christianity are seeking to set the truth of God free from the “box” of God’s Word rather than seeking to be set free themselves by God’s Word of truth.
They feel “boxed” in by the narrow way, and the broad way gives them the freedom outside the “box” to “rethink” and “reimagine” God and His narrow way into a broader “truth.” TamaraHartzell

4 Books used by Mormons

* ....but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
But though we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you,
 let him be accursed.
Galatians 1:7,8
"Mormons believe that there are four sources of divinely inspired words, not just one:

1) The Bibleas far as it is translated correctly.” Which verses are considered incorrectly translated is not always made clear.
2) The *Book of Mormon, which was “translated” by Smith and published in 1830. Smith claimed it is the “most correct book” on earth and that a person can get closer to God by following its precepts “than by any other book.”
3) The *Doctrine and Covenants, containing a collection of modern revelations regarding the “Church of Jesus Christ as it has been restored.”
4) The *Pearl of the Great Price, which is considered by Mormons to “clarify” doctrines and teachings that were lost from the Bible and adds its own information about the earth’s creation." BR

Creation Moment 1/31/2017 - Trinity within Trinities at Creation



In the beginning
TIME
(consists of past, present & future)
God created the heaven
SPACE
(consists of length, width, height)
and the earth.
MATTER
(consists of solid, liquid, gas)
Genesis 1:1

Sunday, January 29, 2017

On the Streets of Babylon - False "Cyrus" Prophecy


Babylon is fallen, is fallen,..
 Come out of her, my people,
Revelation 14:8/18:4
False "Cyrus" Prophecy hits the Streets of Babylon...

"In early 2016, false teacher and hurler of New Apostolic Reformation seven-mountains
dominionism, Lance Wallnau got an “impression,” from the Holy Spirit.  It was about Donald Trump, specifically about Donald Trump becoming the 45th President of The United States.  It was about Donald Trump being raised up by God just as He raised up Cyrus for His purposes.

By October 2016, Wallnau’s “impression” became a full-blown “prophecy.”  Of course, keep in mind that when a prophecy has a coin-flip toss of being right, it’s “fore-telling” impact is more than slightly diminished, even if revelatory prophecy were still occuring today.

According to Charisma Newswhich, believe it or don’t, isn’t a parody site; people actually believe it – Wallnau was reinforced in his Trump prophecy by way of a couple of curious “divine” insights.  Here’s what the Charisma News writer said:
Wallnau told me he had an impression when he first met Donald Trump early this year that there was an anointing on him. He didn’t understand the impression since he preferred Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Carly Fiorina. Then he saw a meme on Facebook showing Trump as the nation’s 45th president. About the same time, he felt the Lord tell him to read Isaiah 45, which says King Cyrus who is called the Lord’s “anointed” and later in the chapter says, “I have even called you by your name … though you have not known Me.”  
But wait.  Like a bad Sham-wow infomercial, there’s more!
Wallnau then told me he felt he heard the Lord tell him “common grace,” and he found the term in a Charles Colson book. It was a term the Reformers used to contrast “saving grace,” when there was a basic understanding of God that influenced governments and societies even though the people who had this common grace might not have experienced “saving grace.”  
(Guess what?  There’s a term I found in a book too.  “False teacher.”  Found it in the Bible.)

But, for Wallnau, it adds up, huh?  Wallnau didn’t support Trump early on.  Then he saw a meme.  Then he “felt the Lord tell him to read Isaiah 45.”   Then the Lord said the words “common grace” to him.  And, wah-la Wallnau!  A prophecy.
The tipping point of authentication?  Not the voice of God.  (If Wallnau heard anything, it wasn’t God.)  The adjudicating validation for his prophetic claim was … SCRIPTURE.  But, not Scripture rightly handled.  (2 Timothy 2:15)  It was Scripture thoroughly “mis-handled” that was the prophetic key.

Wallnau explains:
With 15 candidates running, many who were clear conservative evangelicals, why would God be talking about Cyrus? I quickly looked up the number of the next president. I confirmed that Barack Obama is number 44. The next president will indeed be number 45. I kept reading Isaiah 45.”  

If only we could insert mood lighting and drama-building sound effects when we write, you might apprehend how absolutely incredible this revelation is.  It’s big.  It’s huge.  Wallnau predicted, with the accuracy of a coin toss, the outcome of the election … based on Scripture.
Trump is the 45th President.  The “Cyrus” effect is found in … Isaiah 45.  

There’s just one problem with this.  Though we have them now, the original Holy Spirit-inspired, Hebrew Scriptures didn’t have chapter divisions. There was no Isaiah 45.  It seems like the Lord might’ve used some method other than Bible-chapter bingo to confirm his prophecy to Wallnau.
What if Wallnau accidentally misunderstood?  What if it wasn’t Isaiah 45 he was to read, but Jeremiah 45?  I mean, it’s just one book after Isaiah.  If it was actually Jeremiah that Wallnau should’ve read, America could be in for quite a shock.  Instead of “Wah-la Wallnau,” it could easily be “Woe, Wallnau.
Thus says the Lord: Behold, what I have built I am breaking down, and what I have planted I am plucking up—that is, the whole land.  And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 45:4-5
Now, I’m not making any prophecies or anything, but Jeremiah 45 sure seems close to what Americans are seeking via Trump … “do you seek great things for yourself?”  What, again, was Trump’s campaign motto?  Make America Great Again.  Hmm.

Scripture itself is evidence that God is not seeking to hide Himself or His Truth from the world.  We need not (and SHOULD NOT) play games with it to rationalize our desires or to justify presumed (and false) prophetic claims.  
Beware the false prophets of the NAR who abuse God’s Word.  Skip the spurious Cyrus prophecies.  But, if you’re looking for a genuine revelation, pick up that Word and start reading.  
And God … He doesn’t play bingo with His Word.  Don’t tolerate, then, those who do." Pen&Pulpit

MINISTRY OF HEALING: Audio & Pull Quotes- Chapter 36

Danger in Speculative Knowledge  

Audio:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/HOXdG4-Ac4g?list=PL4ByrircmXL5k2JRIamVNFkvW1Y3wIfiG

Both in divine revelation and in nature, God has given mysteries to command our faith. This must be so. We may be *ever searching, *ever inquiring, *ever learning, and yet there is an infinity beyond.
In the sanctuary of the wilderness tabernacle and of the temple that were the earthly symbols of God's
dwelling place, one apartment was sacred to His presence. The veil inwrought with cherubim at its entrance was not to be lifted by any hand save one. To lift that veil, and intrude unbidden into the sacred mystery of the most holy place, was death.
Let none seek with presumptuous hand to lift the veil that conceals His glory.
 
One of the greatest evils that attends the quest for knowledge, the investigations of science, is the disposition to exalt human reasoning above its true value and its proper sphere. Our first parents were led into sin through indulging a desire for knowledge that God had withheld from them. The lesson is for us. The field into which Satan led our first parents is the same to which he is alluring men today. He is flooding the world with pleasing fables. By every device at his command he tempts men to speculate in regard to God.
 
 The theory that God is an essence pervading all nature is received by many who profess to believe the Scriptures; but, however beautifully clothed, this theory is a most dangerous deception. Darkness is its element, sensuality its sphere. The result of accepting it is separation from God. And to fallen human nature this means ruin. The spiritualistic theories concerning God make His grace of no effect. If God is an essence pervading all nature, then He dwells in all men; and in order to attain holiness, man has only to develop the power within him.
These theories, followed to their logical conclusion, sweep away the whole Christian economy.
 
Only that which He sees fit to reveal can we comprehend of Him. Reason must acknowledge an authority superior to itself. Heart and intellect must bow to the great I AM.

 Unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out. Romans 11:33

Papal Notes - Francis' "DESIRE"

"The Pope’s first-ever video message.....
Many think differently, feel differently, seeking God or meeting God in different ways. In this crowd, in this range of religions, there is only one certainty that we have for all: we are all children of God,” Pope Francis said in his message, released Jan. 6, the feast of the Epiphany.
At the beginning of the video, a minute-and-a-half long, the Pope cites the fact that the majority of the earth’s inhabitants profess some sort of religious belief. This, he said, “should lead to a dialogue among religions. We should not stop praying for it and collaborating with those who think differently.” The video goes on to feature representatives of Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism, who proclaim their respective beliefs in God, Jesus Christ, Allah and Buddha."
LighthouseTrails

"An initiative of the Jesuit-run global prayer network Apostleship of Prayer, the video was filmed in collaboration with the Vatican Television Center (CTV) and marks the first time the Pope’s monthly prayer intentions have been featured on video.
The Apostleship of Prayer was founded by Jesuit seminarians in France in 1884 to encourage Christians to serve God and others through prayer, particularly for the needs of the Church. Since the late 1800s the organization has also received a monthly intention from the Pope. In 1929 an
additional, missionary intention was added by the Holy Father, aimed at the faithful in particular.
Referred to on the organizations’ website as the Pope’suniversal” and “evangelization” intentions, this month’s prayer requests focus on Francis’ desire for Interreligious Dialogue and Christian Unity."
CatholicNewsAgency
..... and all the world wondered after the beast.
Revelation 13:3

The Sanctuary / 3ABN Camp Meeting Sermon SERIES by Various Speakers

The Sanctuary / 3ABN Camp Meeting Sermon SERIES
(by Various Speakers)
....so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
Psalm 63:2
His Way Is In The Sanctuary {David Shin}
https://www.youtube.com/embed/scvFs18cAbY?list=PLeFIDisZ08E21BQFeIA26jA-ZrkgAV7ZS
Justification / Sanctification / Glorification {Ivor Meyers}
https://www.youtube.com/embed/FjTS6na0dkc?list=PLeFIDisZ08E21BQFeIA26jA-ZrkgAV7ZS
The Altar of Burnt Offering {David Shin}
https://www.youtube.com/embed/4n9EIQk_ylU?list=PLeFIDisZ08E21BQFeIA26jA-ZrkgAV7ZS
The Shining Laver {Kameron DeVasher}
https://www.youtube.com/embed/cHGq5D1sO3k?list=PLeFIDisZ08E21BQFeIA26jA-ZrkgAV7ZS
The Golden Altar of Incense {Carlton Byrd}
https://www.youtube.com/embed/A3A0FpkuchA?list=PLeFIDisZ08E21BQFeIA26jA-ZrkgAV7ZS
The Golden Candlestick {John Bradshaw}
https://www.youtube.com/embed/3Y9jj-gosts?list=PLeFIDisZ08E21BQFeIA26jA-ZrkgAV7ZS
The Table of Showbread {Ivor Myers}
https://www.youtube.com/embed/1OJPTkEOED0?list=PLeFIDisZ08E21BQFeIA26jA-ZrkgAV7ZS
The Ark of the Covenant {Carlton Byrd}
https://www.youtube.com/embed/-6SWUfYxA5c?list=PLeFIDisZ08E21BQFeIA26jA-ZrkgAV7ZS
A Royal Priesthood {Mollie Steenson}
https://www.youtube.com/embed/PhyRzTzs8S8?list=PLeFIDisZ08E21BQFeIA26jA-ZrkgAV7ZS
The Garden of Gethsemane {Shelley Quinn}
https://www.youtube.com/embed/y0IKkSb8OGI?list=PLeFIDisZ08E21BQFeIA26jA-ZrkgAV7ZS
The Trial of Trials {Shelley Quinn}
https://www.youtube.com/embed/btemaj4w82g?list=PLeFIDisZ08E21BQFeIA26jA-ZrkgAV7ZS
A Risen Savior {John Lomacang}
https://www.youtube.com/embed/bsTKujOJIFU?list=PLeFIDisZ08E21BQFeIA26jA-ZrkgAV7ZS

Creation Moment 1/30/2017 - Peering into the Mysteries of God's Creation?


And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries,
and all knowledge; ..and have not LOVE, I am nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:2
"Biphen[n]arenes (n = 3, 4) are a new family of macrocyclic molecular containers. They are made up of biphenol or biphenol ether units linked by methylene bridges, and have gained a lot of attention since their discovery in 2015.

Chunju Li, Shanghai University, and colleagues have demonstrated the host‒guest interactions of
hydroxylated biphen[4]arene with a series of cationic molecules. This box-type macrocycle exhibited strong binding affinities with pyridinium-based 1,1’-dibutyl-4,4’-bipyridylium bis(hexafluorophosphate), 2,7-dibutyldiazapyrenium bis(hexafluorophosphate), and an organometallic salt, cobaltocenium hexafluorophosphate.

Due to their novel topological structures and good cavity properties, biphen[n]arenes are expected to be popular molecular containers in supramolecular chemistry, similar to calixarenes and pillararenes." ChemistryViews

"Macrocyclic scaffolds have been hugely influential in supramolecular chemistry and now scientists in China have synthesised a new addition to this pool of chemical building blocks.
Their per-hydroxylated forms are also readily accessible and could be useful in the future for adding further functionality to these structures. Considering the current interest in pillar[n]arene chemistry and the tremendous successes of other macrocyclic arenes, could biphen[n]arenes be the next popular scaffold in supramolecular chemistry?" ChemistryWorld

Saturday, January 28, 2017

On the Streets of Babylon: Andy Stanley

Babylon is fallen, is fallen,...
  Come out of her, my people,
Revelation 14:8/18:4
There are a lot of heretical, weird things being said out there on the Streets of Babylon, for instance-

"Andy Stanley has taught the idea that the Bible can not be defended as Inerrant, Infallible, Inspired, and Sufficient.
He has taken his church and congregation further into heresy and apostasy by claiming that the
particulars of the incarnation and deity of Jesus Christ actually are not important. He has said:
If somebody can predict their own death and resurrection, I’m not all that concerned about how they got into the world,...Christianity doesn’t hinge on the truth or even the stories around the birth of Jesus. It hinges on the resurrection of Jesus.
He is not alone in his heretical views.....mere-orthodoxy; a site that is devoted to distorting true Biblical Christianity recently said:
 There are many things that Christians need to agree upon. But the divinity of Christ is not one of them.” Pulpit&Pen

MINISTRY OF HEALING: Audio & Pull Quotes- Chapter 35

A True Knowledge of God  

Audio:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/p0ilA7D8sAg?list=PL4ByrircmXL5k2JRIamVNFkvW1Y3wIfiG

We are here to become like God in character,...
We need to study the revelations of Himself that God has given.
 
The things of nature that we now behold give us but a faint conception of Eden's glory. Sin has marred earth's beauty; on all things may be seen traces of the work of evil. Yet much that is beautiful remains. All the brightness and beauty that adorn the earth and light up the heavens, speak of God.
God's handiwork in nature is not God Himself in nature. The things of nature are an expression of God's character and power; So while nature is an expression of God's thought, it is not nature, but the God of nature, that is to be exalted.
 The work of creation cannot be explained by science. What science can explain the mystery of life?

 Christ, the Light of the world, veiled the dazzling splendor of His divinity and came to live as a man among men, that they might, without being consumed, become acquainted with their Creator. Christ came to teach human beings what God desires them to know.
The revelation of God's love to man centers in the cross. Its full significance tongue cannot utter, pen cannot portray, the mind of man cannot comprehend.
The unity that exists between Christ and His disciples does not destroy the personality of either. They are one in purpose, in mind, in character, but not in person. It is thus that God and Christ are one.

The knowledge of the Holy is understanding. Proverbs 9:10
The invisible things of Him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even His everlasting power and divinity.
Romans 1:20, A.R.V.

Heresy at the Council of Trent

"Perhaps one of the most important events in the history of the Roman Catholic Church is the Council of Trent (1545–1563). This gathering sought to counter and respond to the Protestant Reformation. It was at this ecumenical meeting that Rome ultimately anathematized, or condemned, the biblical doctrine of justification:

Canon 24: If anyone says that the justice received is not preserved and also not increased before God through good works, but that those works are merely the fruits and signs of justification obtained, but not the cause of its increase, let him be anathema." Berean

And by him all that believe are justified from all things,
 from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Acts 13:39
"Let the subject be made distinct and plain that it is not possible to effect anything in our standing before God or in the gift of God to us through creature merit. Should faith and works purchase the gift of salvation for anyone, then the Creator is under obligation to the creature. Here is an opportunity for falsehood to be accepted as
truth. If any man can merit salvation by anything he may do, then he is in the same position as the Catholic to do penance for his sins.
No work of man can merit for him the pardoning love of God, but the love of God pervading the soul will lead him to do those things which were always required of God and that he should do with pleasure. He has done only that which duty ever required of him."
Faith and Works, p. 19,22 E.G.W.

Health Note - Energy Drinks & Hepatitis

Beloved,
I wish above all things that thou mayest ...be in health,..
3 John 1:2
"But take it easy on those Red Bulls, Monsters and 5-Hour Energy bottles — your liver will thank you. Case in point: Doctors at the University of Florida report what they believe to be the second documented case of acute hepatitis brought on by chugging too many energy drinks.
The patient was a 50-year-old, otherwise healthy, man who had been nagged by abdominal pain, vomiting and drowsiness for a few weeks. He brushed it off as flu-like symptoms, but grew
alarmed after he noticed darkened urine and signs of jaundice. After visiting with doctors, he was promptly diagnosed with severe acute hepatitis.
Doctors ruled out drugs, alcohol and sexual behavior as causes, and tests revealed this wasn’t a typical viral hepatitis infection. However, levels of B vitamins — used as “energy blends” in beverages — in his liver were literally off the charts. Sure enough, the patient told doctors he had been consuming four to five energy drinks daily, for three weeks straight, to get through his labor-intensive days as a construction worker.
He was treated and released after spending three days in the hospital. The cure was simple: he stopped downing energy drinks. His doctors published a detailed case report Tuesday in the British Medical Journal.
Energy drinks contain a host of B vitamins, but the patient’s toxicity profile clearly indicated an overdose of Vitamin B3, also known as niacin.
Niacin is used pharmaceutically and in supplements to treat high cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attack by improving circulation. If you don’t get enough niacin, it can cause pellagra, a nasty condition characterized by cracked, scaly skin, dementia and diarrhea.

Like all the B vitamins, niacin helps convert carbohydrates into glucose — the body’s fuel. That’s why energy drinks are loaded with them. But, like all things, too much niacin can be trouble.
Typically, a daily 500-milligram dose of niacin is considered toxic, and doctors recommend routine liver tests if you consume more than 100 mg per day.
In 2011, a 22-year-old woman who was consuming 10 cans of an energy drink daily was the first documented case of acute hepatitis caused by too many energy drinks. Doctors in that case also suspected niacin as the culprit.
Herbal supplements and energy drinks are ubiquitous on store shelves and checkout counters today. The estimated number of dietary supplements available to consumers ballooned from 4,000 in 1994 to some 55,000 by 2012. It’s estimated that 23,000 emergency room visits each year in the U.S. are related to misusing dietary supplements — primarily weight-loss remedies and herbal energy products." Discover
 

Creation Moment 1/29/2017 - How Man Came To be

"What science can explain the mystery of life?
When God had made man in His image, the human form was
perfect in all its arrangements, but it was without life. Then a personal, self-existing God breathed into that form the breath of life, and man became a living, intelligent being. All parts of the human organism were set in action. The heart, the arteries, the veins, the tongue, the hands, the feet, the senses, the faculties of the mind, all began their work, and all were placed under law. Man became a living soul."
Ministry Of Healing p.414,412 E.G.W.

Know ye that the Lord He is God:
It is He that hath made us, and His we are;
We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
Psalm 100:3

Friday, January 27, 2017

MINISTRY OF HEALING: Audio & Pull Quotes- Chapter 34

True Education a Missionary Training  

Audio:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/lcgZAY3gIbU?list=PL4ByrircmXL5k2JRIamVNFkvW1Y3wIfiG

Next to the angelic beings, the human family, formed in the image of God, are the noblest of His created works.

Life is mysterious and sacred. It is the manifestation of God Himself, the source of all life. Precious are its opportunities, and earnestly should they be improved. Once lost, they are gone forever.

 Every son and daughter of God is called to be a missionary; we are called to the service of God and our fellow men; and to fit us for this service should be the object of our education.

The Child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon Him. Luke 2:40

God's word does not repress activity, but guides it aright.

Book Review: Dinosaur Challenges and Mysteries

(short) Book Review: A book that may be of some interest....
(Review by CMI)


Dinosaur Challenges and Mysteries
by Michael Oard
  175 pages Creation Book Publishers 2011

Dinosaur Challenges covers the basics about dinosaurs, including their setting in biblical history, how they challenge evolution, and it even summarizes scientific and biblical evidence for a young
world. But like no other book on the subject, this one tackles the tough questions raised by paleontologists who see no way to fit the facts into a Flood model.
Each chapter is not only thorough in its presentation of dinosaur fossil-related facts, finds, and trends, but is smooth and even enjoyable to read. Dozens of peer-reviewed references bolster each chapter’s contents, but this book does not read like a dry scientific crust. It keeps the science but adds readability.
One mark of good science is when a few common trends are extracted from many data points. Oard has achieved that in this book, and he and his editors have done it in a very readable and relevant, high-quality volume. Dinosaur Challenges and Mysteries is a must-read for any Christian who is serious about understanding or explaining the dinosaur fossil evidence.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God,
a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15

PROBLEM: "Seeker Friendly" Churches

"Many churches in America, sadly including many mega-churches, pride themselves on being "seeker-friendly," by which they mean they are not judgmental and mean like those angry fundamentalists. Carrie Underwood famously supports same-sex marriage and attends a church whose pastor has so blurred the edges on the issue of homosexuality that his parishioners are likely confused about whether God is concerned about the issue at all. 

Such seeker-friendly churches typically try to appeal to the unchurched by giving short shrift to the
hard sayings in the Scriptures and the firm, fixed, and unalterable moral standards found there. This is because they fear seekers will find them too harsh, too difficult and too out of phase with contemporary culture. Because such controversial truths might run seekers off, it's best to avoid them entirely and talk endlessly and exclusively about how nice, kind and understanding God is. 

It's one thing for a man to be a friend of sinners, but it's another for him to be such a friend of sinners that he becomes an enemy of God by betraying His Word. Such a "friend" of sinners may only be paving their way to a Christless eternity. 
Now seeker-friendly churches assure us they will eventually get around to introducing fresh converts to the edgier truths of Scripture. But my question has always been, "When?" When exactly will you do this?

Jesus was the most seeker-friendly evangelist who ever walked the earth. His whole mission was to "seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10b). And yet there were times when His teaching was so hard for the average seeker to stomach that the crowds began deserting Him in droves. 
When He began urging His followers to eat his flesh and drink his blood and declared that He alone was "the bread which came down from heaven" (John 6:58), they did not respond by saying "Where can I sign up?" "When they heard this, many of His disciples said, 'This is a hard saying. Who can listen to it? ... From that time many of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him" (John 6:6066). 
Things got so bad that Jesus even wondered about the Twelve. "Do you also want to go away?" (John 6:67). Peter's response suggests they were thinking about it, but finally resolved to stay. "To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68). 

When Paul met with the Ephesian elders, he reminded them twice that he had declared to them the full revelation of God, even those parts that were hard for him to preach and hard for them to hear. "I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable ... I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:2027, ESV). 
The word translated "shrink" (Greek hupostello) literally means to "withhold under or out of sight."

But Paul steeled himself to teach not only the pleasant things of God's counsel but its difficult and challenging parts, too. Why? Because the hard parts are "profitable," just like the fun parts.

There is the plain assertion that the world did not evolve but that God created it in six 24-hour days around 6,000 years ago. The plain truth that homosexual behavior is not OK but deviates from God's design for sexual conduct and brings God's judgment on any society that embraces it. The plain truth that marriage is exclusively the union of a man and a woman and that any other arrangement is counterfeit and should never be embraced in culture or in law.

The plain truth that there are two and only two genders, not 58 as Facebook wants us to believe. The plain truth that men and women are not interchangeable but have distinctly different roles to play in marriage, family and the church. (You want a hard saying? I give you, "I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man" [1 Timothy 2:12a]. How many sermons have you heard on that, unless it's to explain it all away?) 

The cost to American culture from this kind of weakness and timidity is enormous. As Martin Luther King Jr. observed, the church is the conscience of America. Its pulpits are to "flame with righteousness," as a quote attributed to de Tocqueville has it. 
When America's pastors no longer have the courage of their convictions, America begins to drift from its moorings. It loses its moral center. Its conscience becomes dull. The American people, including their politicians, can no longer tell right from wrong..."
BryanFischer

IN the NEWS - World of the app

The whole world is being connected by social media...so when the mark of the beast is implemented...and the debate begins....the whole world will know and take sides...
And he shall set up an ensign for the nations,
and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel,
and gather together the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
Isaiah 11:12
"Using Android data from 187 countries, we were able to determine the most popular messaging app all over the world. In fact, in almost every country in the world, a messaging app is the most used app overall.
Of the 187 countries that SimilarWeb examined, WhatsApp was the world leader claiming 109
countries, or 55.6% of the world. WhatsApp’s countries include Brazil, Mexico, India, Russia, and many other countries in South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
Facebook’s Messenger app came in second overall, claiming 49 countries including Australia, Canada, and the U.S. After Messenger, Viber was the only other messaging app to claim 10 or more countries. The app shows strong popularity in Eastern Europe, and is the top app in  Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, and others. In fact, as of April 2016, Viber was installed on 65% of all Android devices in Ukraine and was used for an average of 16 minutes a day. Viber’s popularity also reaches other parts of the world including countries such as Iraq, Libya, and Sri Lanka. 
Line, WeChat, and Telegram are 3 other messaging apps claiming multiple countries with China, Iran, and Japan representing countries using one of these apps. Japan’s obsession with Line is well documented and in a recent post, we discovered that not only is Line the most popular app in Japan, people who have it use it for an average of 40 minutes a day!
Finally, apps that only claimed one country include KakaoTalk in South Korea, imo in Cuba, Zalo in Vietnam, ChatOn in Eritrea, and BBM in Indonesia.
Yes, you read that right. BlackBerry’s BBM is still used by the masses in at least one country in the world: Indonesia. As of April 2016, the app was installed on 87.5% of all Android devices in the country, far surpassing any other country in terms of BBM use." DigitalVision

The New Missiology: What is it?

But there were false prophets also among the people,
even as there shall be false teachers among you,
who privily shall bring in damnable heresies,
even denying the Lord that bought them,...
2 Peter 2:1
 
"The New Missiology—Keep Your Own Religion, Just Add Jesus
1. You can keep your own religion — Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Mormonism — you just need to add Jesus to the equation. Then you become complete. You become a Buddhist with Jesus, a Hindu with Jesus, a Muslim with Jesus and so on.
2. You can throw out the term Christianity and still be a follower of Jesus.
3. In fact, you can throw out the term Christian too. In some countries you could be persecuted for calling yourself a Christian, and there is no need for that. Just ask Jesus into your heart, you don't have to identify yourself as a Christian.
 
"I must add, though, that I don't believe making disciples must equal making adherents to the Christian religion. It may be advisable in many (not all!) circumstances to help people become followers of Jesus and remain within their Buddhist, Hindu, or Jewish contexts."Brian McLaren (leader of the Emerging Church movement), author of
A Generous Orthodoxy
"I'm not talking about a religion this morning. You may be Catholic or Protestant or Buddhist or Baptist or Muslim or Mormon or Jewish … or you may have no religion at all. I'm not interested in your religious background. Because God did not create the universe for us to have religion."Rick Warren, September 2005, United Nations, Interfaith Prayer Breakfast to 100 World Delegates"
 
LighthouseTrails
* "Missiology is the area of practical theology that investigates the mandate, message, and mission of the Christian church,..." wikipedia

The Night also is Thine

The night also is Thine.
  Psalm 74:16
"Yes, Lord,
Thou dost not abdicate Thy throne when the sun goeth down,
nor dost Thou leave the world all through these long wintry nights to be the prey of evil;
 
Thine eyes watch us as the stars,
and Thine arms surround us as the zodiac belts the sky.
The dews of kindly sleep and all the influences of the moon are in Thy hand,
and the alarms and solemnities of night are equally with Thee.
There are precious fruits put forth by the moon as well as by the sun:
may my Lord make me to be a favored partaker in them.
 
The night of affliction is as much under the arrangement and control of the Lord of Love as the bright summer days when all is bliss.
Jesus is in the tempest.
His love wraps the night
about itself as a mantle,
but to the eye of faith the sable robe is scarce a disguise. 
 
 Gloomy seasons of religious indifference and social sin are not exempted from the divine purpose. When the altars of truth are defiled, and the ways of God forsaken, the Lord's servants weep with bitter sorrow, but they may not despair, for the darkest eras are governed by the Lord, and shall come to their end at His bidding. What may seem defeat to us may be victory to Him."
Charles Spurgeon

Creation Moment 1/28/2017 - Yana Lin is Getting Close

"Given the trove of lunar samples in hand and the power of modern laboratory analyses, you'd think that by now geochemists should have completely nailed exactly how the Moon formed. But not so — in fact, there's still lots of debate on how Earth formed.

Here's the basic problem:
* about 30 years ago, dynamicists showed that a body roughly the mass of Mars could have struck Earth a glancing blow and ejected enough debris into orbit to collect into a Moon-size object. In virtually all of those simulations, most of what ends up in the Moon came from the impactor rather than from Earth.
* But the Apollo (and Luna) lunar samples, not to mention lunar meteorites, show that the Moon and
Earth have very similar compositions. Apart from their lack of iron and extreme lack of water, Moon rocks match Earth's isotopic ratios for the geochemically diagnostic elements titanium, calcium, silicon, and (especially) oxygen and tungsten. This really pins the dynamicists in a corner — only in rare cases, 1% or 2% of the time, do their simulations yield a Moon with an Earthlike composition. There's also a problem of fine-tuning the impact to yield the angular momentum of the current Earth-Moon system.

* In January 9th's Nature Geoscience, Israeli researchers Raluca Rufu, Oded Aharonson, and Hagai Perets argue that the notion of a single, giant impact is wrong. Instead, they propose that Earth endured dozens of lesser (but still potent) impacts with object ranging from 1% to 10% of its mass, each of which ejected debris into an orbiting disk. The rings quickly coagulated into moonlets, and tidal interactions with the young, mostly molten Earth then drove each of them outward. Over time they accumulated into the Moon. This approach yields a lunar composition that's an amalgam of many compositions, which eases the unyielding isotopic constraints. The most Earth-like contributions came from nearly head-on collisions that drilled deeply into our planet's mantle.

* The piecemeal assembly envisioned by the Israeli team would have taken a long time, perhaps even 100 million years — and that opens up another aspect of the lunar-formation debate. Some planetary scientists have indeed argued, mostly on geochemical grounds, that the Moon might have formed 150 to 200 million years after the beginning of the solar system. Others claim it showed up much sooner, within a few tens of millions of years.

* Another new analysis, published January 11th in Science Advances, maintains that the Moon came together in a hurry and had mostly solidified by 4.51 billion years ago, or 60 million years after the solar system's birth.
The evidence, say Mélanie Barboni (University of California, Los Angeles) and six colleagues, is found in eight tiny grains of the mineral zircon (ZrSiO4), collected by Apollo 14's astronauts, in which they found traces of uranium, lead, and hafnium used for isotopic age-dating.

* But that result had wide uncertainties, owing to the techniques used.

* As if the How and When of the Moon's formation weren't complicated enough, a third new analysis argues that — despite its extreme dryness today — the Moon likely contained a lot of water when it formed. In the same issue of Nature Geoscience, Yana Lin (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) and three others describe their experimental attempts to mimic how the Moon's magma ocean solidified. Lower density minerals would have floated to the top, forming a crust.
They find that the suite of minerals found in the lunar crust today — combined with its thickness — argue that water was part of the mix at a concentration of 270 to 1,650 ppm. This might not seem like much — but if proven true there'd be significant implications.
"A wet start of the Moon, coupled with the strong similarities between the composition of the Moon and the composition of the silicate Earth," Lin's team concludes, "suggests that equally high
concentrations of water were present in the Earth at the time of the Moon-forming event."
Sky&Telescope

RESPONSE: (Yana Lin is Getting Close)
Well, despite the nonsense of long age chronology amongst the bickering astronomers over who is right in how & when the moon formed---the closest to the truth appears to be Yana Lin for stating

..."suggests that equally high concentrations of water were present in the Earth at the time of the Moon-forming event".... And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters....And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night:
Genesis 1:2,16