Dig Deeper

Saturday, May 5, 2018

Pauline Epistles Background SERIES: 1 Thessalonians

Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ:
1 Thessalonians 1:1

"The Apostle Paul identified himself twice as the author of this letter (1:1; 2:18). Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy (3:2, 6), Paul’s traveling companions on the second missionary journey when the church was founded (Acts 17:1-9), were also mentioned in Paul’s greeting (1:1).

Though Paul was the single inspired author, most of the first person plural pronouns (we, us, our), refer to all 3. However, during Timothy’s visit back to Thessalonica, they refer only to Paul and Silvanus (3:1-2, 6). Paul commonly used such editorial plurals because the letters came with the full support of his companions.

The first of Paul’s two letters written from Corinth to the church at Thessalonica is dated (ca. A.D. 51). This date has been archeologically verified by an inscription in the temple of Apollos at Delphi (near Corinth), which dates Gallio’s service as proconsul in Achaia to (A.D. 51-52; Acts 18:12-17).

“Time of Writing”: Since this epistle was certainly written during Paul’s long stay at Corinth (Acts 18:5; 1 Thess. 3:6), the date can easily be fixed. An inscription discovered at Delphi (dated from the summer of A.D. 52), refers to the proconsulate of Gallio, a position held for only two years. Paul arrived at Corinth before Gallio assumed this position, perhaps a year earlier. Thus, the time of the writing of 1 Thessalonians must have been the (summer or fall of A.D. 51).

Paul had originally traveled 100 miles from Philippi via Amphipolis and Apollonia to Thessalonica on his second missionary journey (A.D. 50). As his custom was upon arrival, he sought out the synagogue in which to teach the local Jews the gospel (Acts 17:1-2). On that occasion, he dialogued with them from the Old Testament concerning Christ’s death and resurrection in order to prove that Jesus of Nazareth was truly the promised Messiah (Acts 17:2-3). Some Jews believed and soon after, Hellenistic proselytes and some wealthy women of the community also were converted (Acts 17:4). Mentioned among these new believers were Jason (Acts 17:5), Gaius (Acts 19:29), Aristarchus (Acts 20:4), and Segundus (Acts 20:4)."

BooksOfTheBible

SDA Issues - U.S. State Department report highlights job challenges for Saturday churchgoers

"Seventh-day Adventists are sometimes finding it difficult to get and keep work because of their observance of the Sabbath from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday.
That's according to the latest International Religious Freedom Report published by the State Department of the United States.

The flexi-work law passed by Parliament in 2014 has helped to alleviate some of these difficulties but has not solved the problem as some businesses remained reluctant to hire employees who could not work Saturdays, the report has further stated.
One Spanish Town-based worshipper who recently graduated from university opined that the report was accurate but pointed out that there were other structural barriers in the workplace for Adventists like herself.
"That is true. It is something we talk about all the time, and nobody seems to be paying it any attention. If you cannot work on Saturdays, they do not want to hire you," the woman, who has had three job changes because of clashes with the requirements of her faith, told The Gleaner yesterday."
Gleaner
Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day,
which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.
Exodus 16:26

Creation Moment 5/5/2018 - Dinosaur Tracks Lead to Creation

"Based on a survey of Italian dinosaur tracks and fossils, a team of European scientists claims that dinosaurs evolved around 245 million years ago but remained rare until a “dinosaur diversification event” some 13 million years later, about 232 million years ago.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Massimo Bernardi of the University of Bristol, says, “We had been studying the footprints in the Dolomites [rock sequences in northern Italy] for some time, and it’s amazing how clear cut the change from ‘no dinosaurs’ to ‘all dinosaurs’ was.”

Such a clear-cut change is only “amazing” if one expects the fossils to provide evidence for gradual dinosaur evolution. On the other hand, this abrupt appearance of dinosaur kinds is exactly what creation scientists expect. Since God created dinosaurs to reproduce after their kind on Day 6 of the Creation Week, dinosaurs did not evolve from simpler forms of life, nor did any other creature. Hence, their fossil remains will not show evidence for evolution. Instead, these fossils, which are found in water-deposited sedimentary rocks all over the world, are the remains of creatures that perished during the Genesis Flood." ICR
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind,... Genesis 1:24

Friday, May 4, 2018

DESIRE OF AGES: Audio & Pull Quotes- Chapter 63

Thy Kingdom Cometh

Audio:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/8i2DUxntNiE?list=PL4ByrircmXL6qt2QplU6IudoOYVgzBS3C

.... this one triumphant scene of His earthly life, the Savior might have appeared escorted by heavenly angels, and heralded by the trump of God; but such a demonstration would have been contrary to the purpose of His mission, ... The burden of humanity He must bear until His life was given for the life of the world.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. Zechariah 9:9
Christ was following the Jewish custom for a royal entry. The animal on which He rode was that ridden by the kings of Israel, and prophecy had foretold that thus the Messiah should come to His kingdom.

Pauline Epistles Background SERIES: GALATIANS

And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:
Galatians 1:2

"The letter to the Galatians claims the apostle Paul as its writer (1:1, 5:2), and this is attested by the brief autobiography in 1:12-24, as well as by the epistle’s language, style, vocabulary, and theology.

Galatians derives its title (pros Galatas), from the region in Asia Minor (modern Turkey), where the churches addressed were located. It is the only one of Paul’s epistles specifically addressed to

churches in more than one city.

The course of Paul’s life took a sudden and startling turn when, on his way to Damascus from Jerusalem to persecute Christians, he was confronted by the risen, glorified Christ. That dramatic encounter turned Paul from Christianity’s chief persecutor to its greatest missionary. His 3 missionary journeys and trip to Rome turned Christianity from a faith that included only a small group of Palestinian Jewish believers into an Empire wide phenomenon. Galatians is one of 13 inspired letters he addressed to Gentile congregations or his fellow workers.

In chapter 2, Paul described his visit to the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 so he must have written Galatians after that event. Since most scholars date the Jerusalem Council about A.D. 49, the most likely date for Galatians is shortly thereafter.

Paul and his missionary team planted the Galatian churches during his second missionary journey. So the epistle was written to them from either Ephesus (A.D. 54), or Macedonia (A.D. 55), while on his third missionary journey." BooksOfTheBible

Creation Moment 5/4/2018 - Thinking it Through

"Why should anything go right; even observation and deduction?

Why should not good logic be as misleading as bad logic? They are both movements in the brain of a bewildered ape?' The young sceptic says, 'I have a right to think for myself.' But the older sceptic, the complete sceptic, says, 'I have no right to think for myself; I have no right to think at all."
G. K. Chesterton, from Dembski (2014), p81 n9
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
1 Peter 3:15

Thursday, May 3, 2018

DESIRE OF AGES: Audio & Pull Quotes- Chapter 62

The Feast at Simon's

Audio:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/hYWIEV2RfsY?list=PL4ByrircmXL6qt2QplU6IudoOYVgzBS3C

The fragrant gift which Mary had thought to lavish upon the dead body of the Savior she poured upon His living form. The women who bore spices to the tomb found their errand in vain, for He had risen. But Mary, pouring out her love upon the Savior while He was conscious of her devotion, was anointing Him for the burial.
Christ told Mary the meaning of her act, and in this He gave her more than He had received. In that she hath poured this ointment on My body, He said, she did it for My burial. Matthew 26:12
Many there are who bring their precious gifts for the dead. As they stand about the cold, silent form, words of love are freely spoken. Tenderness, appreciation, devotion, all are lavished upon one who sees not nor hears. Had these words been spoken when the weary spirit needed them so much, when the ear could hear and the heart could feel, how precious would have been their fragrance!

ARCHAEOLOGY: Largest Child Sacrifice

"In an exclusive report by National Geographic, archaeologists claim to have uncovered the largest ritualistic child sacrifice in the history of the world on the northern coast of Peru. The report states:

More than 140 children and 200 young llamas appear to have been ritually sacrificed in an event that took place

some 550 years ago on a wind-swept bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, in the shadow of what was then the sprawling capital of the Chimú Empire.... The 140 sacrificed children ranged in age from about five to 14, with the majority between the ages of eight and 12; most were buried facing west, out to the sea. The llamas were less

than 18 months old and generally interred facing east, toward the high peaks of the Andes.....While incidents of human sacrifice among the Aztec, Maya, and Inca have been recorded in colonial-era Spanish chronicles and documented in modern scientific excavations, the discovery of a large-scale child sacrifice event in the little-known pre-Columbian Chimú civilization is unprecedented in the Americas—if not in the entire world.

God is not pleased.

You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. –Deuteronomy 12:31." P&P/NatGeo

Pauline Epistles Background SERIES: COLOSSIANS

To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse:
Colossians 1:2

"This letter was written by Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ (1:1).

Though he did not personally know the recipients, Paul was

acquainted with them through Epaphras.
Epaphras probably planted the church in Colossae, judging from the fact that the believers there first learned the gospel from him (1:7).
Afterwards he served as their minister and informed the apostle of their conversion (1:7-8).

The testimony of the early church, including such key figures as Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, and Eusebius, confirms that the opening claim is genuine.

Additional evidence for Paul’s authorship comes from the book’s close parallels with Philemon, which is universally accepted as having been written by Paul. Both were written (ca. A.D. 60-62), when Paul was a prisoner in Rome (4:3, 10, 18; Philemon 9, 10, 13, 23); plus the names of the same people (e.g., Timothy, Aristarchus, Archippus, Mark, Epaphras, Luke, Onesimus, and Demas), appear in both epistles, showing that both were written by the same author at about the same time.

Colossians was likely penned, as were Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon, during Paul’s first imprisonment at Rome (1:24; 4:18). The numerous parallels of vocabulary and matters discussed in Ephesians and Colossians link these epistles together. Also, there are many personal references common to Philemon and Colossians." BooksOfTheBible

Dissecting the Psalm about Absalom SERIES PAGE

Dissecting the Psalm about Absalom SERIES PAGE

[[A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.]]
LORD, how are they increased that trouble me!
Psalm 3:1

Creation Moment 5/3/2018 - Kepler-78b shouldn't be

"..... exoplanet Kepler-78b, about 20% larger than Earth and weighing twice as much, recently

discovered² in the constellation Cygnus. Its discovery is so confronting to planetary formation theories that a media release by the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) proclaimed, “Kepler-78b is a planet that shouldn’t exist.”

The evolutionary astronomers are primarily fretting about the closeness of “this scorching lava world”to its star, circling it in only eight and a half hours—one of the tightest known orbits in the universe. This makes it “an abomination” to current planet formation theories, because Kepler-78b’s present orbit would have been inside its own star early in the mooted evolutionary origins of this planetary system, when the star is said to have been much larger. That is of course impossible, as CfA astronomer Dimitar Sasselov explained:

It couldn’t have formed in place because you can’t form a planet inside a star.

It couldn’t have formed further out and migrated inward,

because it would have migrated all the way into the star. This planet is an enigma.

Fellow CfA astronomer David Latham echoed, “This planet is a complete mystery. We don’t know how it formed or how it got to where it is today.” CMI
The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Psalm 19:1

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

DESIRE OF AGES: Audio & Pull Quotes- Chapter 61

Zacchaeus

Audio:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ee6NMZmc2aw?list=PL4ByrircmXL6qt2QplU6IudoOYVgzBS3C

In the presence of the multitude, Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house,... Luke 19:8,9
No repentance is genuine that does not work reformation. The righteousness of Christ is not a cloak to cover unconfessed and unforsaken sin;...It is when Christ is received as a personal Savior that salvation comes to the soul. Zacchaeus had received Jesus, not merely as a passing guest in his home, but as One to abide in the soul temple.

Calvinism as "Another Gospel"

I marvel that ye are so soon removed
from him that called you into the grace of Christ
unto another gospel:
Galatians 1:6

Many Calvinists take their Bible very serious - more than most Christians today--YET Predestination, the main doctrine of Calvinism, is counter to the Gospel....here's how....

"....And nothing can be more serious than a deviation from the Gospel itself. Calvinism does present “another gospel.”

John Calvin taught that God will be glorified by bringing billions of people into this world for no other purpose than having them burn

in Hell for eternity.

This alone depicts a view of God found nowhere in Scripture; in essence, this misrepresents God but also creates a platform upon which “another gospel” has been built that is both fatalistic and makes the sacrifice of Christ no longer freely available to “whosoever may come.”
Salvation is no longer a matter of choice.

Furthermore, the Calvinist can never actually know if he or she is one of “the elect” thereby placing the Calvinist “Gospel” on a foundation of doubt rather than true biblical belief in the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ at Calvary." LighthouseTrails

The Debate with satan

"Debate with Satan (Matthew 4:1-11)

Satan posed three arguments, urging Christ to act on the basis of his erroneous reasoning. Notice carefully the sequence of the disputation between the two, with special attention to Christ’s superior (i.e., accurate) use of logic to defeat His opponent:

Argument #1:
Satan: “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
Jesus: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

Christ offered authoritative Scripture (Deuteronomy 8:3) as evidence to contradict Satan’s conclusion. In other words, satisfying the legitimate need of hunger must never take precedence over the need to obey God and tend to spiritual needs first. Further, miracles did not have as their divine purpose to satisfy physical needs (Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:3-4). Jesus’ logical reply was sufficiently decisive that Satan attempted no rebuttal, but moved to a second argument in an effort to convince Jesus to succumb to his faulty reasoning from atop the temple.

Argument #2:
Satan: “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus: “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

Observe that this time, Satan offered Scripture (Psalm 91:11-12) as supporting evidence to justify his proposal. Yet, this clever ploy, intended to create the illusion of legitimacy, was in fact a mishandling of the evidence—a twisting of Scripture (2 Peter 3:16). Jesus countered with additional Scripture

(Deuteronomy 6:16) that demonstrated Satan’s misapplication of Psalm 91 to the situation at hand. In other words, Psalm 91, though intended to convey the care and protection that God extends to the faithful, was not intended to provide sanction for what Satan proposed: deliberately placing oneself in peril in order to force God to come to one’s rescue. God’s offer of assistance does not extend to purposely walking in front of an oncoming car just to see if He will miraculously prevent an individual from being struck.
The context of Deuteronomy 6:16, the verse that Jesus quoted, refers to the kind of testing and tempting displayed by the Israelites when they murmured, grumbled, and challenged Moses to produce water—as if God was unable or unwilling to aid them. For Jesus to have complied with Satan’s challenge would have placed Him in the same posture as the spiritually weak, unbelieving Israelites who “tempted” God (“tempted” is from nah-sah—to prove/test Him due to doubting His aid/power [Gesenius, 1847, p. 552]; cf. Exodus 17:2, re-ev—to chide, strive, contend). The only logical response to such a challenge was the very one that Jesus, in fact, mustered: “Do not tempt God! Do not put Him to the test since such indicates your own lack of faith!” This rebuttal, too, was sufficiently potent to discourage Satan from pressing his ploy any further. Instead, he shifted his verbal barrage to a third challenge, by dangling before Jesus the glory of the kingdoms of the Earth.

Argument #3:
Satan: “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
Jesus: “For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord Your God, and Him only You shall serve.’”

Jesus, for the third time, marshaled scriptural proof to show the error of Satan’s position, while reaffirming the truth. Based on Deuteronomy 6:13, it would be sinful to worship Satan or anyone but Deity. God alone is worthy of worship. With this third display of devastating logic, Satan ceased his verbal assaults and fled the scene.

This marvelous demonstration of Christ’s mastery of debate and logical disputation is not an isolated instance. Jesus wielded logic and reason throughout His earthly sojourn."
DaveMiller/AP

Dissecting the Psalm about Absalom SERIES: 8

"A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his Son.

Salvation belongeth unto the LORD:
thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
Psalm 3:8

Verse 8. "Salvation belongeth unto the Lord."

In the last sentence the peculiarity and speciality of salvation are plainly stated: "Thy blessing is upon thy people." Neither upon Egypt, nor upon Tyre, nor upon Ninevah; thy blessing is upon thy chosen, thy blood-bought, thine everlastingly-beloved people. "Selah:" lift up your hearts, and pause, and meditate upon this doctrine.

Pause, my soul, at this Selah."
Charles Spurgeon

IN the NEWS - Once Again.... Disney...

....inventors of evil things,... Romans 1:30

In case you still don't believe that the LGBT agenda is to target your children..or that Disney isn't part of it...once again here is evidence that they are...

"In time for the official gay "Pride" month of June, all Disney parks will begin selling specially designed rainbow Mickey Mouse ears. The child's hat features the iconic ears in rainbow strips, and the front is embroidered with Mickey's gloves forming the shape of a rainbow heart."
Lifesite

Creation Moment 5/2/2018 - The Wolf

...and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them,... Jeremiah 5:6

"Darwin’s branching “tree of life” diagram made for a nice, simple, easy-to-understand, convenient myth. It has sent scientists on a wild tree chase ever since.

New Genetic Research Shows Extent of Cross-Breeding between Wild Wolves and Domestic Dogs across Europe and Asia (University of Lincoln). Did dogs ‘evolve’ from wolves? Could the history of the dog family be used as evidence for Darwinian evolution? This study from the University of Lincoln (UK) shows tangled branches in the phylogenetic tree between wolves and domestic dogs.

The results suggest that wolf-dog hybridisation has been geographically widespread in Europe and Asia and has been occurring for centuries. The phenomenon is seen less frequently in wild wolf populations of North America.

That wolves can interbreed with dogs is well-documented, and yet wolves retain their outward

identity. Is there such a thing as a ‘pure’ wolf? Dr Malgorzata Pilot, from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Lincoln, said:

“Our research highlighted that some individual wolves which had been identified as ‘pure wolves’ according to their physical characteristics were actually shown to be of mixed ancestry. On the other hand, two Italian wolves with an unusual, black coat colour did not show any genetic signatures of hybridisation, except for carrying a dog-derived variant of a gene linked to dark colouration. This suggests that the definition of genetically ‘pure’ wolves can be ambiguous and identifying admixed individuals can be difficult, implying that management strategies based on removal of suspected hybrids from wolf populations may be inefficient.”

The situation appears analogous to Neanderthals interbreeding with “modern humans.” Wolves are classified as a different species." CEH

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

DESIRE OF AGES: Audio & Pull Quotes- Chapter 60

The Law of the New Kingdom

Audio:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/QVB2WAmZ9f4?list=PL4ByrircmXL6qt2QplU6IudoOYVgzBS3C

Christ was establishing a kingdom on different principles. He called men, not to authority, but to service, the strong to bear the infirmities of the weak. Power, position, talent, education, placed their possessor under the greater obligation to serve his fellows. To even the lowliest of Christ's disciples it is said, All things are for your sakes. 2 Corinthians 4:15
In matters of conscience the soul must be left untrammeled. No one is to control another's mind.... God gives to every soul freedom to think, and to follow his own convictions.

Toltec Flood / Babel Story

"In the ancient land we now refer to as Mexico, one tribe of Indians, known as the Toltecs, told of a great flood.

In their legend,
--a deluge destroyed the “first world” 1,716 years after it was created.
--Only a few people escaped this worldwide flood,
--and did so in a “toptlipetlocali” (a word that means “closed chest”).
--After these few people exited the closed chest, they wandered about the Earth, and found a place where they built a “zacuali” (a high tower) in case another flood came upon the Earth.
--At the time of the “zacuali,” the Toltecs’ languages were confused and they separated to different parts of the Earth.

--The Toltec legend goes on to say that the Toltec began a family of seven friends and their wives who all spoke the same language. They crossed great waters (the ocean?) and lived in caves for a time and they wandered about for 104 years until they came to Huc Huc Tlapallan (southern Mexico/Central America) 520 years after the deluge. "
EricLyons/Peron

Jonah Lesson for Us

Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it;

for their wickedness is come up before me.

Jonah 1:2

"But are we sharing our faith?
A. "God" – He loves the world and sends us to them. The love of God is available to the wicked and vile as well as the civil and self-righteous.
B. "Nineveh" – The Assyrians represent the unconverted that desperately need to know both God's love and their impending judgment.
C. "Jonah" – The prophet represents the one sent to share God's love. He was glad to speak for God to the good people – but refused to speak to those that appeared to need the gospel the most."
JerryGifford

Dissecting the Psalm about Absalom SERIES: 7

"A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his Son.

Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God:

for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone;

thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.

Psalm 3:7

Verse 7. His only hope is in his God.

It is enough for the Lord to stand up, and all is well.

He compares his enemies to wild beasts, and he declares that God hath broken their jaws, so that they could not injure him; "Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly."

God hath broken their teeth, and let them say what they will, their toothless jaws shall not be able to devour him. Rejoice, O believer, thou hast to do with a dragon whose head is broken, and with enemies whose teeth are dashed from their jaws!"
Charles Spurgeon

Creation Moment 5/1/2018 - DNA can Hold Music

"To help solve the world’s information storage problem, scientists turned to DNA. They wanted to prove that no other medium could match its capacity or durability.

Recently, two musical performances were chosen to become DNA files. Their binary code, the digital language consisting of 1s and 0s, was converted into the genetic bases (A, C, G, and T).
In turn, the bases were synthetically created and arranged to match the binary sequences of the music. The songs covered 140 MB on a hard drive. But after becoming DNA, they barely made a speck. The files were retrieved by reversing the process, and no segment was corrupted.
The universal nature of DNA means that more than just music can be stored in this manner. Other information that researchers turned genetic included a movie, a computer virus, and an entire computer operating system.
The density of the system could one day hold all Earth’s data in a single room. Under the right conditions, the genetic files could last for millennia."
Listverse
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
Psalm 139:14

Monthly Viewer Update {April 2018}

Monthly Viewer Update: April 2018 {41,880}

Where YOU are Viewing From

Top 10 Nations

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ALL OTHER of the remaining 185 NATIONS (11.3%)

Leading among "Others" were Ukraine, Russia, Brazil, China & India

The eternal God is thy refuge,

and underneath are the everlasting arms:

Deuteronomy 33:27

Top 3 Viewed Posts of Month

1- Forgotten Glimpse in Gethsemane
2- Maid of Orleans & the GREAT CONTROVERSY
3- ALPHA & OMEGA of the SANCTUARY

Sunday, April 29, 2018

IN the NEWS - Beyoncé Mass an SJW Front

Turns out the Beyoncé Mass is really a front for SJW's (so-called "social justice warriors") which is nothing more than a new name for divisive cultural Marxism...

"The pastor of a San Francisco progressive Episcopal church is defending his support for holding the first-ever “Beyoncé Mass.”

“I know there are people who will say using Beyoncé is just a cheap way of trying to get people in the church,” said Jude Harmon, the founding pastor of the Vine, a ministry of Grace Cathedral Church. “But Jesus used very provocative images in the stories he would tell to incite people to ask hard questions about their own religious assumptions. He regularly provoked. We’re following in the way of Jesus.”
The event was part of a series the church called “Speaking Truth: The Power of Story in Community,” which it said would tell stories of those traditionally marginalized in Christianity, such as women and people of color. You know, women like Beyoncé.
The series began with a program on Mary Magdalene called “The Original Nasty Woman.” The ministry equated Mary Magdalene to Hillary Clinton saying “strong, smart women being insulted and marginalized by agents of patriarchy is as old as time.” The church claims that if Mary Magdalene were here today, she would be “wearing a pink hat and marching with all who wear that epithet, ‘nasty woman,’ as a badge of honor.”

No explanation was offered as to why the devoted follower of Jesus was seen in such a light."

WND

uhmmmm.....

1- How is Beyoncé a representative of "marginalized" women? She is a successful multi-millionaire...

2- Comparing Hillary Clinton to Mary Magdalene is over the top.

3- What "patriarchy" marginalized Hillary? She was a First Lady, U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of State and Presidential candidate of a major party...How does she represent someone "marginalized"? Also,as for being "insulted" everyone in the public political arena gets insulted. Just ask the most maligned female politician in American history-Sarah Palin. Why should Hillary be treated any different?

4- And NO, Mary Magdalene, who became a follower of Christ, would Definitely NOT be in an angry mob of militant feminists wearing a "pink hat". She would have nothing to do with that spirit that drives that sort of bitter politics.

Soooooooo...it appears that the Beyoncé Mass is nothing more than a pastor using his church to promote his own bitter, nasty secular political worldview...

For he flattereth himself in his own eyes,

until his iniquity be found to be hateful.

Psalm 36:2

Puritan Corner - Show God...

“One way to get comfort is to plead the promise of God in prayer, show Him His handwriting; God is tender of His Word.”
by Thomas Manton (1620-1677)
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Hebrews 6:12

What We BELIEVE

* And now abideth faith, hope, LOVE, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE. 1 Corinthians 13:13

* Genesis 1-11 is actual HISTORY

* The 10 Commandments WAS - IS - & WILL BE the LAW of GOD

* REVELATION is written in symbols for actual end time events

* The SANCTUARY lays out the Plan of Salvation (Justification / Outer Court + Sanctification / Inner Court = preparation for your Judgment / Most Holy Place)

* The solemnity of the 7th day SABBATH (Saturday) was NEVER transferred to the 1st day of the week (Sunday) by God

* The modern charismatic movement is a counterfeit Latter Rain

* The Mark-of-the-beast will involve some sort of counterfeit Sabbath

* "Soul Sleep" for the State of the Dead (dead until the resurrection)

* The Godhead (Trinity) are 3 separate beings who work together in unity

* The GODHEAD's Existence is ETERNAL (in other words-The arrow of time stretching for Infinity in both directions)

* The GREEN RELIGION (modern environmental movement) is a cleverly cloaked spiritualism for the "sophisticated" modern world

* The Little Horn of Daniel & the Beast of Revelation (a.k.a. the anti-christ to some) is one & the same institution - the same institution the Reformers declared it to be during the Reformation

* Marriage is between ONE man & ONE woman

* The Emerging Church movement -- & spiritual formation are modern day GNOSTICISM & have NO place within Christendom

* Women Ordination is an ASSAULT on the foundation of the Godhead (as God is the head of Christ in an ecclesiastical setting - so too was the man placed as the head of the woman in an ecclesiastical setting -- outside this setting they are equal as Christ is with the Father)

* Baptism is by Immersion at an age of consent

* Justification + Sanctification = TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH....(Justification) Neither do I condemn thee: (Sanctification) go, and sin no more. John 8:11

* God is NOT homophobic -- rather He is sexual immorality phobic (HE places adultery, fornication, rape, bestiality, cross dressing AND homosexuality ALL in the same category)

* "HELL" is NOT an eternally burning place -- rather it is the Lake of Fire where the wicked will be destroyed together once & for all when this Great Controversy between God & His opponent comes to an end....God does NOT torment people for eternity

* The "Great Controversy" theme is the prism to make sense of this universal conflict between God & His opponent, of which we play a part on this space fabric of time as a "spectacle" (as Paul calls it) before all watching

* Biblical "speaking in tongues" was a GIFT of known foreign languages for Evangelization (not the gibberish "tongues" uttered in churches today)

* Historicism is the way to interpret eschatology from the view of the prophetic porch (NOT preterism, futurism or idealisim)

* The 3 Angel's Message (of Rev.14) is the central Mission of the SDA Church & the Sanctuary Doctrine (& it's sub-doctrine of the Investigative Judgment) is the Cornerstone Doctrine of the Denomination

* The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is a SYMBOLIC Remembrance

* The 2nd Advent of Christ will be a literal, visible, physical return where EVERY EYE SHALL SEE HIM & that is when the dead will rise & the living be caught up-- Not at some sort of a "secret rapture" before His return...

* On the Nature of Christ - He was born with our sinful fallen nature / propensities--yet did NOT sin - hence His ability to be the spotless Lamb of God - the Lamb without blemish to cover ours

* 7th Day Adventism did not rise up at the end of the time-frame of Daniel 8:14 to be just another denomination to hang upon the wall of Christendom...

* The Dispensations around the Cross are 1) Before the Cross the Plan of Redemption laid out in the earthly Sanctuary in Types & Symbols patterned after the Heavenly Sanctuary {from the Altar of Sacrifice to the Mercy Seat} 2) After the Cross shifts to the REALITY of the Heavenly Sanctuary {from the Cross to the Judgment Seat}. ---- We REJECT the Dispensationalism that says "before the cross we were saved by the Law & after the Cross by Grace" ---- (the reason is because on BOTH SIDES OF THE CROSS we were never saved by the Law and always saved by Grace)

* We REJECT the DISGUSTING "Prosperity Gospel" as many see TV (so-called) Evangelists preach today

* Justification & Sanctification Simplified - God draws the BOUNDARIES with His LAW. When we step outside of them it's called SIN. (He offers JUSTIFICATION to remedy it). But afterwards He expects us to step back within those Boundaries (called SANCTIFICATION ).

* EndTime "BABYLON" - Confederacy of the Counterfeit Trinity of the "Dragon", "Beast" & "False Prophet" of Rev.16:13. (Also a term of Reference for the Fallen Condition of Christendom)

*The OLD TESTAMENT is simply the NEW TESTAMENT in Types & Symbols- therefore both are valid for Study & Doctrine.

* "A Minister's words are only of Value as long as his word's are an Echo of the Word's of God." {Dwayne Lemon}

* We REJECT the Church being involved with the ECUMENICAL movement....where do you see in Scripture God's people ever being told to be Ecumenical with neighboring religions?.. Nowhere....

*We believe in "Replacement Theology", that "Israel" in prophetic terms and spiritually is God's people...NOT Literal, Modern Day Israel in the Middle East.

* Tithing is Biblical: MONEY (1/10 to God) TIME (1/7 to God- the 7th day of the week, called the SABBATH)

* Soteriology: We believe in total FREE WILL as a component. - Therefore we Reject Sacramentalism, Predestination, Once-Saved-Always-Saved, Universalism & Pluralism.

* The HEALTH MESSAGE-Live it as best you can. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest....be in health... 3 John 1:2

* And always remember - "If you feel yourself to be the greatest sinner, Christ is just what you need, the greatest Savior. Lift up your head and look away from yourself, away from your sin, to the uplifted Savior; away from the poisonous, venomous bite of the serpent to the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world." Ellen White {JUSTIFICATION}

* "God has given us His commandments, not only to be believed in, but to be obeyed." Ellen White {SANCTIFICATION}

* SUMMARY: "Every chapter and every verse of the Bible is a communication from God to men." Ellen White

* WARNING: "...by beholding we become changed. The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is allowed to dwell. It becomes assimilated to that which it is accustomed to love and reverence." Ellen White

Are Ashes Upon Your Lips?

The love of God still yearns over the one who has chosen to separate from Him, and He sets in operation influences to bring him back to the Father's house.
--Have you, reader, chosen your own way?
--Have you wandered far from God?
--Have you sought to feast upon the fruits of transgression, only to find them turn to ashes upon your lips?
Now that voice which has long been speaking to your heart but to which you would not listen comes to you distinct and clear, Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest; because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction. Micah 2:10. Return to your Father's house. He invites you, saying, Return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee. Isa. 44:22.
E.G.W.

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