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

Saturday, April 29, 2017

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES: Audio & Pull Quotes- Chapter 31

The Message Heeded

Audio:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/yNxChptcegk?list=PL4ByrircmXL5Jwtb3O68grD2OEFRUo-L3

The conversion of sinners and their sanctification through the truth is the strongest proof a minister can have that God has called him to the ministry. The evidence of his apostleship is written upon the hearts of those converted, and is witnessed to by their renewed lives.

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. 1 John 4:10; 3:1
In every true disciple this love, like sacred fire, burns on the altar of the heart.

J N Loughborough's 2 Points on the Image to the Beast

"Verse 15. “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” From this text we may draw two conclusions:

1. The image of the beast is to be made in the same territory where the two-horned beast rules; for the two-horned beast can exercise that authority in no territory but its own.

2. That it already has it in its “power to give life to the image of the beast,” or cause the decree to be made and executed. Is it not in the power of the United States to pass such laws? They declare by their constitution, “all men shall be protected in worshiping God according to the dictates of their own consciences.” We see the mass hold the first day of the week as a holy day.

Were the United States as a body to pass a law that Sunday should be kept holy, or not profaned by labor, there would be, I conceive, an image to Papacy; for the law would then be in the hand of the church, and she could inflict penalties on those who did not obey the Sunday institution.
Matters are moving here similar to the way they moved in the formation of the Papal beast. In A. D., 321, laws were passed prohibiting labor in cities and towns; but in 538, when the Pope was made supreme head of all the churches, this law was made universal. We claim that then commenced the union of church and State."

J.N. Loughborough

How to Study the Bible Sermon SERIES by Dwayne Lemon

How to Study the Bible Sermon SERIES
(by Dwayne Lemon)
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
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9

Beauty in the Symmetry of the Simplicity of His Word #3

To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
Acts 1:3

"It is interesting how often the Scriptures refer to a 40-day period. There are nine different 40-day
periods noted in Scripture, and it may be noteworthy that 40 days is 1/9 of the original (and prophetic) lunar/solar year of 360 days.

Thus, the total of the nine 40-day periods equals the ideal year.

 
The periods are as follows:
the intense rainfall at the Flood (Genesis 7:12, 17);
the first giving of the law (Exodus 24:18; Deuteronomy 9:9, 11);
the second giving of the law (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:18, 25);
the searching of Canaan by the fearful spies (Numbers 13:25; 14:34);
the defiance of Israel by Goliath (1 Samuel 17:16);
Elijah’s journey to Horeb (1 Kings 19:8);
Jonah’s reluctant preaching in Nineveh (Jonah 3:4);
Christ’s temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2; Mark 1:13; Luke 4:2);
Christ’s post-resurrection ministry (Acts 1:3).

Each of these periods was a time of intense testing for one or more of God’s people, except the last. The final 40-day period, encompassing Christ’s ministry to His disciples after His resurrection, was a time of triumph and great blessing. He had come victoriously through the most intense time of testing that anyone could ever experience, and now He could show Himself alive eternally to His disciples and promise them the same victory. Forty days of testing, then 40 days of triumph! Even a lifetime of testing is more than balanced by an eternity of blessing. “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18)." HMM

See #1
http://master1844-dc.blogspot.com/2012/04/beauty-in-symmetry-of-simplicity-of-his.html
See #2
http://master1844-dc.blogspot.com/2012/04/beauty-in-simplicity-of-symmetry-of-his.html

Balaam of Today

"We see all through Biblical history that one of the key elements in weaning a loyal people away from their loyalties to the true God is by infiltration. Sun worship first infiltrated Israel, it became mixed with their true worship, until finally they were carried away into midst of Babylon itself.
 
Look at the story of Balaam:
The devil knows that as long as God's people are in harmony with God he cannot touch them.

So just like in the days of Israel, when they stood on the banks of the Jordan when
Balaam came to try and curse them, he could but bless them, for he was powerless to do evil unto them while they were in God's protection. Balaam knew why he couldn't curse them:
Numbers 23.21 "God has not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither has he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD God is with them... there is no enchantment that will work against them."


However, a plan was then devised. If the Israelites could be induced to rebel against God's laws, they would lose God's protection and would be destroyed. Crafty false prophet Balaam who once was a true prophet initiated the plan.(Numbers 31:16) Sending heathen women to infiltrate the camp. Friendly, non threatening, they infiltrated, bringing with them their sensual arts and luring them away into idolatry. Numbers 25:2,3 "They called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel." Thousands died, and had not Israel repented they would not have entered Canaan at all. The craft of the false prophet -- is to get people to disregard God's laws!  The craft of the false teachers is to get people to believe that God's law is no longer important so that they cannot discern sin. Then they will be easy to catch in the net of disobedience and bond with the chains of sin as they push aside the voice of the Holy Spirit calling them to repentance. For they think they need no repentance. Thus they are lead into the pit of rejecting the Holy spirit -- a bit from which there is no escape. The craft of the false teachers is to go out to deceive the whole world and gather them together to fight against God's government. They can't reach God so they fight against those who walk in harmony with God's laws. Ridiculing and belittling, mocking and intimidating. . For Revelation already tells us that all who will not bow to the false religion will be slated for death. These are the false teachers and the false prophets. Note well where disregard to God's commandments leads. It leads to the worship of other gods. Revelation 13:3,4 I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?" ABT

IN the NEWS - To Mutilate or Not to Mutilate, that is the Question

HERE WE GO....now attempting to FORCE "Christian" hospitals to perform transgender operations....see...they can't just go find a place to mutilate their bodies, they have to FORCE people to participate in their depraved ways of destroying their bodies.
And now you can't tell these people they need professional (mental) or spiritual help either.
The 1st amendment freedom of religion aspect of the Constitution has been shredded by the gay marriage-mania wave that swept across the once fruited plains of America. ---And read how the doctor blames the "Doctrines"....But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying,
We will not have this man to reign over us. Luke 19:14


"The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit against a Dignity Health hospital in California after
they cancelled an elective hysterectomy for a transgender patient who is transitioning from female to male. 
35-year-old Evan Michael Minton, a former California legislative aide, came out as transgender six years ago and has already undergone a double mastectomy and a phalloplasty. The hysterectomy was scheduled for last Summer at Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, but the hospital cancelled the surgery the day before.
Mercy San Juan Medical Center is part of the Dignity Health system, which includes over 400 “care sites” in 22 states. Before 2012, Dignity Health was known as Catholic Healthcare West. Among its care sites are 39 hospitals, 15 of which are non-Catholic.
After Mercy San Juan Medical Center canceled the surgery, Dignity Health helped Minton’s surgeon, Dr. Lindsey Dawson, gain emergency privileges at Methodist Hospital in Sacremento. She performed Minton’s surgery there in September.
Minton said the surgery’s initial cancelation “devastated me, and I don’t want it to affect my transgender brothers and sisters the way it affected me. No one should have to go through that.”
Dr. Dawson was angry about the cancelation as well, but didn’t aim her displeasure at the hospital. “I don’t blame the staff. I don’t blame the administrators. I blame the doctrines.”
The lawsuit seeks $4,000 in damages in accordance with California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination against individuals based on their sex, race, religion, age, disability, marital status or sexual orientation. It contains no protections for objections based on religion or conscience."
ChristianNews

Papal Notes - “It’s a trip of unity, of fraternity,”

"Pope Francis came to Egypt on Friday for a historic visit to the Arab and Muslim-majority nation
aimed at presenting a united Christian-Muslim front to repudiate violence committed in God’s name.
The Pontiff is holding a series of deeply symbolic meetings in Cairo with Egypt’s religious and political leaders; he is also to participate in an international peace conference organised by Al-Azhar, the world’s primary seat of Sunni Islamic learning.

Francis says he wants to bring a message of peace to a country that has for years endured an increasingly emboldened insurgency led by a local affiliate of the extremist Islamic State group.
It’s a trip of unity, of fraternity,” Francis told journalists travelling with him aboard the papal plane.
The Friday-Saturday visit is also meant to lift the spirits of Egypt’s large Christian community after three suicide bombings since December — including deadly twin Palm Sunday church attacks — killed at least 75 people. IS claimed responsibility for the attacks.

After talks with el-Sissi, Francis headed to Al-Azhar — the revered 1,000-year-old seat of Sunni Islam teachings — where he was to meet privately with Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, Al-Azhar’s grand imam, and participate in an international peace conference.
In the meetings, Francis will likely seek to strike a delicate balance as Egypt’s top imam has been the target of mounting criticism by the pro-el-Sissi media for his perceived failure to modernise Islam’s religious discourse and purge canonical books from outdated teachings and hatred for non-Muslims.

Francis and Tawadros will preside over an ecumenical prayer service in St Peter’s church, the central Cairo church hit by a suicide bomber in December. Together they will pray for the victims of
the attacks — most of the 30 killed were women.
Francis has frequently spoken out about the present day’s Christian martyrs and the “ecumenism of blood” that has united Catholic, Orthodox and other Christians targeted for their faith by Islamic militants." CatholicHerald
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Revelation 13:3

Creation Moment 4/30/2017 - Evolution is a Religion

They were sons of fools,..
Job 30:8

"Scientific inquiry properly involves the investigation of processes that are
observable,
testable,
and repeatable.

The origin and development of life on earth cannot be observed, tested, or repeated because it happened in the past.

So is evolution observable science? No, evolution falls under the realm of historical science; it is a belief system about the past. How can an evolutionist believe these things without rigorous
scientific proof? The answer is that he wants to. Evolutionists are quite sincere in their beliefs, but ultimately these beliefs are based on their view that the world originated by itself through totally naturalistic processes. There is a term for this type of belief system—that term is religion.
 It should be pointed out that religion does not necessarily involve the concept of God.

Dr. Michael Ruse, from the Department of Philosophy at the University of Guelph in Ontario, is a philosopher of science, particularly of the evolutionary sciences. He is the author of several books on Darwinism and evolutionary theory, and, in an article in the National Post, he wrote:
Evolution is promoted by its practitioners as more than mere science. Evolution is promulgated as an ideology, a secular religion—a full-fledged alternative to Christianity, with meaning and morality. . . . Evolution is a religion. This was true of evolution in the beginning, and it is true of evolution still today.
This is an incredible admission: the study of the origin and development of life-forms on earth is not “mere science,” but “a secular religion.” AIG

Friday, April 28, 2017

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES: Audio & Pull Quotes- Chapter 30

Called to Reach a Higher Standard  

Audio:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/e-h11n_0HwA?list=PL4ByrircmXL5Jwtb3O68grD2OEFRUo-L3

How much more important that the Christian, whose eternal interests are at stake, bring appetite and passion under subjection to reason and the will of God! Never must he allow his attention to be diverted by amusements, luxuries, or ease. All his habits and passions must be brought under the strictest discipline.

One sin cherished is sufficient to work degradation of character and to mislead others.

Paul set forth the importance of that love which should be cherished by the followers of Christ: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
No matter how high the profession, he whose heart is not filled with love for God and his fellow men is not a true disciple of Christ. In his zeal he might even meet a martyr's death, yet if not actuated by love, he would be regarded by God as a deluded enthusiast or an ambitious hypocrite.

Reminder of OUR Numbing to SIN

"Let none deceive themselves. The wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23. The law of God can no more be transgressed with impunity now than when sentence was pronounced upon the father of mankind.
As they witnessed in drooping flower and falling leaf the first signs of decay,
Adam and his companion mourned more deeply than men now mourn over their dead."
Patriarchs & Prophets p.62 E.G.W.

Christendom has grown numb to SIN...
With all this open rebellion within Christendom (including the self ordained "progressives" in our 
REMINDER
church) who are embracing & welcoming the LGBT movement, the rebellion against Scripture on women ordination (remember rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft according to Scripture), the replacing of the Biblical Gospel with the green gospel, (subtly placing the Creation above the Creator), setting aside of the 7th Day Sabbath of the 4th Commandment in place of Sunday sacredness (the only Commandment that begins with the word "Remember"), preaching the myth of the immortality of the soul (a repetition of the 1st lie ever told-by the serpent to Eve), slithering in evolutionary long age chronology (thereby undermining the very first chapter of the Bible), veneration of dead saints (just old fashioned idolatry on display)...lax morals (heavily influenced by imbibing on the world-TV, Movies, Music, etc.), those who ignorantly embrace the gibberish tongues & "signs & wonders" of the charismatic movement (blasphemously attributing the work of Lucifer to the Holy Spirit), withholding of Tithe (robbing God), self centeredness (making of self your own god), Love of the World & it's ways, etc.....


"Sin is a hateful thing.
*It marred the moral beauty of a large number of the angels.
*It entered our world and well-nigh obliterated the moral image of God in man."
E.G.W. 

Cheap Grace Equation vs. Paul's Equation

---Result of the equation for today's cheap grace crowd within Christendom---
GRACE - LAW = No need for a Savior
 
---Paul's Equation---
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace?
God forbid.
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey,
his servants ye are to whom ye obey;
whether of sin = unto death,
or of obedience = unto righteousness?
What shall we say then?
Is the law sin?
God forbid.
Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law:
for I had not known lust, + except the law had said,  = Thou shalt not covet.
Romans 6:15,16/7:7

SDA Issues - Like the Knocks on Lot's Door

"LGBT movement in Seventh-day Adventism is gaining momentum and the voices in support are becoming louder and louder as the knocks on Lot’s door became....

LGBT-pandering—but a response to the most recent incident of a SDA “pastor,” Alicia Johnston coming out as bi-sexual,  which was followed by her resignation.  However, the response was not what it should have been in the sight of God, according to His Words; it was one of conciliation, support and commendation for Ms. Johnston.

 
The Arizona Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists issued a statement, addressed to Arizona pastors, executive committee members and staff.  A portion of the letter reads as follows: “Alicia Johnston, pastor of the Foothills Church in Chandler, Arizona, has made public her decision to come out in support of the LGBTQ community with her own personal announcement that she is bi-sexual. During our dialogue with Alicia, we greatly appreciate her honesty and sincerity in sharing her views. Alicia is a gifted theologian and pastor-and we appreciate and respect her many talents.  Because of her personal convictions, and after conversation with conference leadership, Alicia has chosen to leave her church pastorate and the umbrella of the Arizona Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.” The letter closes thus, “It is our sincere hope and prayer that Alicia will continue to seek God’s will in her personal life and ministry.
 
Along with the great appreciation expressed in the letter, it was also stated that Alicia Johnston is a gifted pastor and theologian.  Interestingly, Ms. Johnston in said “coming out” video stated that her theology has changed in order for her to reconcile her lifestyle with her beliefs and subsequently arrive at the conclusions that she has regarding the LGBT community and her
own bi-sexuality.  Commending Ms. Johnston as a gifted theologian is an acknowledgment of the same perverted theology that has led that Ms. Johnston down the path that she is on, which commences with an utter renunciation of the Biblical teaching that homosexuality is a sin and also fosters the belief that it is not possible through Christ for men and women to receive complete victory over every sin—both heredity and cultivated tendencies to evil that lead to transgression of God’s laws. 
 
Additionally it was stated  in the letter that “Alicia has chosen to leave her church pastorate and the umbrella of the Arizona Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.” This raises the important question as to whether or not she would have been retained as a “pastor” and employee of the Arizona Conference had she not chosen to resign, especially considering their view of Ms. Johnston as a “gifted pastor and theologian.”  
 
Furthermore, it was, perhaps conveniently, omitted what would happen with Alicia Johnston’s membership as a Seventh-day Adventist.  Would not her coming out as a bi-sexual warrant her being disfellowship? If yes, why was not this stated to the other pastors, executive committee members and staff of the Arizona Conference to whom this letter was addressed?  If not, that means that LGBT-identifying persons who are yet to “come out” or have  already done so, can remain in that immoral, abominable lifestyle and still have their names retained on the church membership list. And if they can be members, the next step is to have them as leaders.  There is currently a “transgender” person serving as an elder in a Seventh-day Adventist Church.
 
The letter closes by offering blessings and well-wishes for Ms. Johnston’s continuance in ministry as she seeks God’s will.  Can God bless that which He has condemned in His Word? God forbid! God’s will is plainly stated in 1 Thessalonians 4:3 and 4, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor.”
 
If Ms. Johnston persists in her “new theology” and her lifestyle, she will minister the same unto others, a perverted gospel." SavedToServe

Authorship of 1 & 2 Chronicles

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth,
to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.
2 Chronicles 16:9

"Jewish tradition names Ezra as author of Chronicles, or sepher dibre hayyamim, “book of events of the days,” which originally appeared as one book until Greek translators divided it into two. Some scholars believe Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah were all originally one work. Ezra likely wrote
Chronicles in the mid - to late 5th century B.C.

The books outline the genealogy of God’s people from Adam down to the Persian Empire, emphasizing David and his descendants in Judah and the building of the temple. They occasionally include short biographical sketches of kings or historical events, usually with more detail than in 1 and 2 Kings, and exclude almost completely the kings of Israel. In this history of Judah, spiritual lessons supersede political, military and personal details in importance.

Chronicles covers the same time period as Samuel and Kings. In contrast to their political history, Chronicles presents a religious history.

Today, though reading all of the “begats” in Chronicles may bore us at times, the lists of names remind us that God knows each individual personally." BibleUniverse

Creation Moment 4/29/2017 - Big Bang Sputtering

"When you see the words “challenging” and “requires substantial revision” in the abstract, you know trouble is coming.
Eleven astronomers from five continents are unanimous: this galaxy doesn’t fit current theory. Here’s what they found, as announced in Nature. (Note: z  is a designation of redshift, interpreted to be a function of remoteness in distance and time. The higher the number, the closer to the big bang in current thinking.)
Finding massive galaxies that stopped forming stars in the early Universe presents an
observational challenge because their rest-frame ultraviolet emission is negligible and they can only be reliably identified by extremely deep near-infrared surveys. These surveys have revealed the presence of massive, quiescent early-type galaxies appearing as early as redshift z ≈ 2, an epoch three billion years after the Big Bang. Their age and formation processes have now been explained by an improved generation of galaxy-formation models, in which they form rapidly at z ≈ 3–4, consistent with the typical masses and ages derived from their observations. Deeper surveys have reported evidence for populations of massive, quiescent galaxies at even higher redshifts and earlier times, using coarsely sampled photometry. However, these early, massive, quiescent galaxies are not predicted by the latest generation of theoretical models. Here we report the spectroscopic confirmation of one such galaxy at redshift z = 3.717, with a stellar mass of 1.7 × 10exp11 solar masses. We derive its age to be nearly half the age of the Universe at this redshift and the absorption line spectrum shows no current star formation. These observations demonstrate that the galaxy must have formed the majority of its stars quickly, within the first billion years of cosmic history in a short, extreme starburst. This ancestral starburst appears similar to those being found by submillimetre-wavelength surveys. The early formation of such massive systems implies that our picture of early galaxy assembly requires substantial revision.
The Editor’s Summary of the paper tries to tamp down the crisis. “Deep astronomical surveys have provided evidence for groups of massive, quiescent galaxies at high redshifts, but this poses a problem: theoretical models do not account for galaxies that stopped forming stars so early in the history of the Universe,” the editors say. “The authors suggest that the galaxy formed its stars in an extreme and short starburst within the first billion years of cosmic history, implying that our picture of galaxy formation may need an update.
It ‘may’ need an ‘update’. OK, when is that scheduled? Who is responsible? Who is leading that project?
 
You may have thought only the evolutionary paleontologists had a Cambrian Explosion challenge. No; cosmologists have one, too. Creationists don’t, because they start with the premise that an all-wise, all-powerful Creator purposefully designed a universe and did it quickly. And just as the Cambrian Explosion provides positive evidence for intelligent design, “rapid formation” of mature galaxies does, too. Why? Because a materialist has no cause for rapid formation, sudden and deep quenching, and “extreme star-formation events.” What do you call a scientific explanation without a cause?" CEH

He telleth the number of the stars;
he calleth them all by their names.
Psalm 147:4

Thursday, April 27, 2017

On the Streets of Babylon: Feds Raid the Streets

Babylon is fallen, is fallen,..
 Come out of her, my people,
Revelation 14:8/18:4
 
There seems to have been a "Raid" by the Feds on the Streets of Babylon...

"Benny Hinn might just be asking himself if “this is his day” … that “day” being the one that finds
him federally exposed as the fraud that the Biblically faithful already know him to be.
According to a news report coming from the Dallas NBC affiliate, Channel 5, federal authorities have initiated a raid on Benny Hinn’s Grapevine, Texas ministry headquarters.  United States Postal Inspectors, as well as IRS criminal investigators, are involved in the execution of the search warrant.
Channel 5’s website notes that their “crews saw a large number of agents walking in and out of the offices with boxes” but that “investigators would not say what they are looking for or even confirm that they are investigating Hinn.”
Though the Scripturally-malnourished followers of the charlatan might lack sufficient grounds to assert otherwise, we can be certain that the feds are not on the property searching for a sorely needed emergency healing.
Channel 5 reports that “The IRS criminal investigators who are on scene primarily investigate tax evasion and general fraud against the government.”  The warrant was apparently executed around 9 am C.S.T. Wednesday, April 26, 2017.  According to Hinn’s website, the televangelist is currently in France."
Pulpit&Pen

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES: Audio & Pull Quotes- Chapter 29

 A Message of Warning and Entreaty  

Audio:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/PggcGJ_WC-4?list=PL4ByrircmXL5Jwtb3O68grD2OEFRUo-L3

He had entreated them to make an entire surrender to God; for he knew that when the soul fails to
make this surrender, then sin is not forsaken, the appetites and passions still strive for the mastery, and temptations confuse the conscience.
The surrender must be complete.

Satan is constantly seeking to introduce distrust, alienation, and malice among God's people.
Christians should not appeal to civil tribunals to settle differences that may arise among church members. Such differences should be settled among themselves.

The apostle felt at liberty to mention how and by whom he had been informed of the divisions in the church. It hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
1 Corinthians 1:1

The Narrow Gate

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate,
and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction,
and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Matthew 7:13,14
 

A. The “Broad” way

1. Leading to destruction

a. “Many” go into eternity by this way

B. The “Narrow” way

1. Leading to eternal life

a. “Few” find this way

C. Jesus claims to be the Narrow Gate

1. John 14:6; John 10:7-9: John 11:25-26

D. Narrow Gate Problems

1. We need God’s help to find it

a. John 6:44 – no man comes . . .
b. Acts 26:17-17 – to open their eyes . . .

2. Only Christ’s teachings reveal it

a. John 5:24 – he that heareth my word . .
b. John 8:32 – the Truth shall make you free

3. Human intellect cannot “see” it

a. Proverbs 14:12 – the way that seems right
b. 1 Corinthians 2:14 – the natural man . . .
H3

Vailing the Nations

And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people,
 and the vail that is spread over all nations.
Isaiah 25:7

"Many people feel that every nation should be encouraged simply to practice its own religion.
God’s Word, however, makes it plain that all nations are blinded, cut off from the truth by a deadly
covering. This is true of the Jews, for “even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart” (2 Corinthians 3:15). It is also true of the Gentiles, who have “the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Ephesians 4:18).

The veil that keeps them in such darkness is a Satanic blindfold. “The god of this world [i.e., Satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not” (2 Corinthians 4:4). And how did the devil ever gain such control over human minds? “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. . . . Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator” (Romans 1:21, 25).

So today, men and women almost everywhere—atheists, Communists, humanists, Buddhists, Confucianists, animists, Hindus, Taoists, Shintoists, occultists, “New Agers,” and even the “liberals” in the monotheistic religions (Judaism, Islam, Christianity)—really all believe and practice the same religion, rejecting God as Creator and worshipping instead some man or man-exalting evolutionary philosophy.

Someday, God will destroy this pervasive veil over the nations. In the meantime, we must reach everyone we can with the true and everlasting gospel of Christ, for that “vail is done away in Christ” (2 Corinthians 3:14)." HMM

Paul vs. the Sacred Cow

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 1:23

"THE QUESTION:  What’s the background on Hinduism’s belief in “sacred cows”?

Press reports from India say street vigilantes and the government in Uttar Pradesh state
are campaigning against Muslim slaughterhouses accused of processing cows, which is illegal, instead of buffaloes, which is allowed and constitutes a large industry. In Gujarat state, meanwhile, the maximum punishment for killing a cow has been increased from seven years to life in prison.

India is offically non-sectarian but has a lopsided Hindu majority, and the current national government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is Hindu nationalist in character. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat till 2014. The BJP recently won a lrge victory in Uttar Pradesh elections and installed strong-willed Hindu sage Yogi Adityanath as the chief minister. In BJP-ruled Rajasthan state, the cabinet includes a minister for cows.

Religious historian Bruce Lincoln of the University of Chicago, among other experts, wrote that the roots of cow veneration are “considerably older” than Hinduism’s broad commitment to the principle of ahimsa (non-violence) and corresponding regard for all animals.

In the early second millennium B.C., hymns collected in the Rig Veda upheld cows as “beings not to be killed.” Lincoln considered it likely that cow protection was formulated out of “the symbolic, sentimental, and socio-economic importance of the cow as the source of both milk and new bovine life.” Only later did the cow also emerge as “the foremost example” of observing ahimsa.

A revered ancient sage, Vasishtha, said “cows are the mothers of both the past and the future. Cows have become the refuge of the world. It is for this that cows are said to be highly blessed, sacred, and the foremost of all things” as well as “productive of blessing and destruction of misery of every kind.” He advocated that believers bow with reverence to cows each morning, and bathe in water mixed with cow dung to achieve sanctification.

Centuries ago, cow veneration became a source of Hindus’ ethnic solidarity and identity over against Muslim invaders, laying the basis for 21st Century enmity. Mohandas Gandhi, the inspiration of India’s 20th Century independence, wrote that “cow protection is to me one of the most wonderful phenomena in human evolution. It takes the human being beyond his species. The cow to me means the entire sub-human world. Man through the cow is enjoined to realize his identity with all that lives. . . She is the mother to millions.”

In addition, “The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions” notes that the cow’s five products — milk, curds, ghee (clarified butter), dung, and urine — are all used in various worship rites."
Richard Ostling

Creation Moment 4/28/2017 - Absurdity of Evolutionists

"When evolutionists deny design, but admit that nature looks designed, they often wind up attributing the skills of a designer to inanimate matter. This is absurd, but what else is available in their explanatory toolkit?" EN&V
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers,..
2 Peter 3:3

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES: Audio & Pull Quotes- Chapter 28

Days of Toil and Trial

Audio:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/6pCRAiiqQ0s?list=PL4ByrircmXL5Jwtb3O68grD2OEFRUo-L3

Amidst the constant storm of opposition, the clamor of enemies, and the desertion of friends the intrepid apostle almost lost heart. He was but treading the blood-stained path that Christ had trodden before him. He sought no discharge from the warfare till he should lay off his armor at the feet of his Redeemer.

If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful:
2 Timothy 2:13

INVITATION

The INVITATION
Come unto me(the Invitee)
all ye (the Invited)
that labor and are heavy laden, (state of Invited)
and I will give you rest. (Promise of Invitee)
Matthew 11:28
The PROMISE
 ..... and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
John 6:37
Come to Him with-
...The Liquor bottle in your hand
...The Cigarette in your mouth
...The Lust in your heart
...The Needle in your arm
...The Gay desires you harbor
...The Racism you express
...The Gossip on your lips
...The Murderer's blood of your past
...The Sin in your life
 Jesus answered and said to them,
It is not those who are well who need a physician,
but those who are sick.
I have not come to call the righteous
but sinners to repentance.
Luke 5:31,32

Book Review: Coming to Grips with Genesis

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

Coming to Grips with Genesis
by  Dr. Terry Mortenson and Dr. Thane Hutcherson Ury
450 pages Publisher: Master Books

Fourteen scholars present rigorous biblical and theological
arguments in favor of a young earth and global Flood and also address a number of contemporary old-earth interpretations of Genesis. This unique, substantial, historical, theological, and exegetical defense of the literal history of Genesis 1–11 is designed for seminary professors and students, pastors, and missionaries, as well as laypeople and students who want to dig deeper into Scripture.

Chapters and authors

  1. Prologue—the editors
  2. The Church Fathers on Genesis, the Flood, and the Age of the Earth—Dr. Jim Mook
  3. A Brief Overview of the Exegesis of Genesis 1–11: Luther to Lyell—Dr. David Hall
  4. Where Did the Idea of Millions of Years Come From?—Dr. Terry Mortenson, Answers in Genesis
  5. Is Nature the 67th Book of the Bible?—Dr. Richard Mayhue
  6. Contemporary Hermeneutical Approaches to Genesis 1–11—Dr. Todd Beall
  7. The Genre of Genesis 1:1–2:3: What Means This Text?—Dr. Steven Boyd
  8. Can Deep Time Be Embedded into Genesis?—Dr. Trevor Craigen
  9. A Critique of the Framework Interpretation of the Creation Week—Dr. Robert McCabe
  10. Noah's Flood and its Geological Implications—Dr. William Barrick
  11. Do the Genesis 5 & 11 Genealogies Contain Gaps?—Dr. T. Richard Freeman
  12. Jesus’ View of the Age of the Earth—Dr. Terry Mortenson, Answers in Genesis
  13. Apostolic Witness to Genesis Creation and the Flood—Dr. Ronald Minton
  14. Whence Cometh Death? A Biblical Theology of Physical Death and Natural Evil—Jim Stambaugh (PhD candidate)
  15. Luther, Calvin, and Wesley on the Genesis of Natural Evil: Recovering Lost Rubrics for Defending a Very Good Creation—Dr. Thane Ury
  16. Epilogue—the editors
  17. Appendices
In the beginning God created...Genesis 1:1
 

Hoist the Sail

The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of birds is come,
and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.
Song of Solomon 2:12

"SWEET is the season of spring:
the long and dreary winter helps us to appreciate its genial warmth,
and its promise of summer enhances its present delights.
After periods of depression of spirit,
it is delightful to behold again the light of the Sun of Righteousness;

 
 
If we do not hoist the sail
when the breeze is favorable,
we shall be blameworthy: 

 Let our wintry state suffice us for coldness and indifference;
when the Lord creates a spring within,
let our branch blossom with high resolve.

O Lord, if it be not spring time in my chilly heart,
I pray Thee make it so,
for I am heartily weary of living at a distance from Thee.
Oh! the long and dreary winter,
when wilt Thou bring it to an end?
Come, Holy Spirit, and renew my soul!"
Charles Spurgeon