Monthly Viewer Update {October 2020}

  Monthly Viewer Update: October 2020 {40,114}

Where YOU are Viewing From

Top 10 Nations

#1 U.S.A. (81.6%)

#2 Germany (4.7%)

#3 France (1.3%) 

#4 Canada (0.9%) 

 #5 Britain (0.7%)

#6 Australia (0.6%) 

#7 Portugal (0.4%) 

#8 Philippines (0.4%) 

#9 Japan (0.2%)

 

 #10 Russia (0.2%)

ALL OTHER's of the remaining 185 NATIONS (9.2%)

Leading among "Others" were Columbia, India, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Singapore

The eternal God is thy refuge,

 and underneath are the everlasting arms:
Deuteronomy 33:27

 

 

 

 

 

   

Top 3 Viewed Posts of Month

1- IN the NEWS - Biden thinks you are the Dregs of Society

2-  IN the NEWS - 1984: You have only 36 Years Left (what will you do with them?) 

  3-Health Note- Nature (even on the Tube)

Puritan Corner - On Being Sanctified

"There is nothing destroyed by sanctification but that which would

destroy us."

by William Jenkyn (1616-1685)

I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness. Isaiah 13:3

SDA Issues: Halloween

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you... 2 Corinthians 6:17

"AdventHealth in Tampa is ready for Halloween this October 31,

2020. They recently had a contest to see who can design the best jack-o-lantern, which are the famous pumpkin faces that are typically made for Halloween. As Christians, we should be concerned about the observance of Halloween.

 

 “I saw that our holidays should not be spent in patterning after the world, yet they should not be passed by unnoticed, for this will bring dissatisfaction to our children. On these days when there is danger that our children will be exposed to evil influences, and become corrupted by the pleasures and excitement of the world, let the parents study to get up something to take the place of more dangerous amusements. Give your children to understand that you have their good and happiness in view” (Testimonies, vol. 1, p. 514).

 

  I doubt that Mrs. White was even considering Halloween when she wrote the above statement. The word “Halloween” does not even appear in any of her writings. But she advises us not to act like the world and I’m sure this involves dressing our kids in hideous

costumes. This cannot be representative of our Savior.

 

 Seventh-day Adventists should instead commemorate Reformation Day every October 31. It was on October 31, 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses on the Wittenberg Church door, which is considered by Protestants as the start of the Reformation. Let’s commemorate the spiritual liberation that followed Reformation Day. 

 Let us commemorate the spiritual heritage of Reformation Day, instead of the pagan superstitions of Halloween:

“It was the work of the Reformation to restore to men the Word of God” (Great Controversy, p. 388)." AdventMessenger

Wessel Gansfort "A Reformer Before the Reformation"

And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by
the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Daniel 11:33

"Wessel Harmensz Gansfort (1419 – October 4, 1489) Called “a reformer before the Reformation,” Gansfort was a Dutch theologian and early humanist whose works would inspire Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli.

Gansfort has been called one of the reformers before the Reformation. 

 

He protested against 

---paganizing of the papacy, 

---superstitious and magical uses of the sacraments, 

---the authority of ecclesiastical tradition, 

---and the tendency in later scholastic theology to lay greater stress, in a doctrine of justification, upon the instrumentality of the human will than on the work of Christ for man's salvation.

 

Thomas à Kempis encouraged Wessel on several occasions to turn to Mary for assistance. Wessel reacted by saying: “Why do you not lead me to Christ.."

wiki/SC

Calvin's Excellent Breakdown of Joshua 24:2

 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. Joshua 24:2

"Your fathers dwelt on the other side, etc He begins his address by

referring to their gratuitous adoption by which God had anticipated any application on their part, so that they could not boast of any peculiar excellence or merit. For God had bound them to himself by a closer tie, having, while they were no better than others, gathered them together to be his peculiar people, from no respect to anything but his mere good pleasure. ..... he leads them back to their origin, and reminds them how their fathers had dwelt in Chaldea, 

--worshiping idols in common with others, 

--and differing in nothing from the great body of their countrymen. Hence it is inferred that Abraham, when he was plunged in idolatry, was raised up, as it were, from the lowest deep.

 

But if we attend to the words of the inspired writer, we shall see that he is no more exempted from the guilt of the popular idolatry than Terah and Nachor. 

For why is it said that the fathers of the people served strange gods, and that Abraham was rescued from the country, but just to show how the free mercy of God was displayed in their very origin? 

*Had Abraham been unlike the rest of his countrymen, his own piety would distinguish him. The opposite, however, is expressly mentioned to show that he had no peculiar excellence of his own which could diminish the grace bestowed upon him, and that therefore his posterity behooved to acknowledge that when he was lost, he was raised up from death unto life.

It seems almost an incredible and monstrous thing, that while Noah was yet alive, idolatry had not only spread everywhere over the world, but even penetrated into the family of Shem, in which at least, a purer religion ought to have flourished. 

How insane and indomitable human infatuation is in this respect, is proved by the fact that the holy Patriarch, on whom the divine blessing had been specially bestowed, was unable to curb his posterity, and prevent them from abandoning the true God, and prostituting themselves to superstition." Calvin

Zwingli Comments on being the Carpenters Tool

 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary... Mark 6:3

"You are God’s tool. 

He wills to wear you out by use, not by idleness."

Zwingli

Luther: From Psalm 22 to Romans 1:17

"Beginning in 1513, while preparing lectures, Luther read the first line
of Psalm 22, which Christ wailed in his cry for mercy on the cross, a cry similar to Luther’s own disillusionment with God and religion. 

Two years later, while preparing a lecture on Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, he read, “The just will live by faith.” (Rom.1:17). He dwelled on this statement for some time.

Finally, he realized the key to spiritual salvation was not to fear God or be enslaved by religious dogma but to believe that faith alone would bring salvation." 

Biography

Anton LaVey on Halloween Costumes

You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly father. (Matthew 5:14-16)

 

"Anton LaVey, the founder of the church of Satan, himself declared

that by dressing up, either by wearing a costume or by coloring oneself in celebration of Halloween, signifies that you allow Satan to own you. 

He further said that when you adopt the pagan practices, you subconsciously dedicate yourself to the devil. He took joy in Christians who take part in the tradition, saying:

I am glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year. Welcome to Halloween.

LaVey’s statement is corroborated by a former Satanist, John

Ramirez, who said that when you dress up even as an angel or a mermaid for Halloween, “you give the devil the legal rights to change your identity.” Ramirez further warned that there’s a much darker reality in Halloween beyond costumes and candy. The former Satanist turned Christian pastor said in an interview on CBS News (October 20, 2018):

I was a general to the kingdom of darkness in witchcraft. I would sit with the devil and talk to him like I’m talking to you today. It was that kind of communication. It was that kind of relationship." WallStreetJournal

Papal Notes - "It's beautiful"?

 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections... Romans 1:26

 "A gay couple favored by a phone call from Pope Francis and featured in the documentary Francesco are not only "married" but also hired a lesbian surrogate to have three children.

Andrea Rubera and Dario De Gregorio, who are credited with convincing the pope that "homosexuals have the right to have a family," were "married" in Canada in 2009 and had three children in Canada through lesbian surrogate mother Kerilyn. 

The homoparental duo applauded Francis for unconditionally welcoming them into the Church as a homosexual couple with children. In 2015, Rubera handed the pontiff a letter at Santa Marta where his parish was having a meeting, pleading:

Both Dario and I are Catholics. We grew up in the parish as

scout leaders. For us it was important our children could also attend parish activities, but we were doubtful if this could be a pitfall for the children and cause them stress and displeasure because of our family.

Two days later, Francis phoned Rubera: "I'm Pope Francis. I called you twice, but you didn't answer. I read your letter. It's beautiful, and I understood your point of view."

ChurchMilitant