Think of the kindest, most considerate person you know. This person has a smile on their face all the time and it seems, no matter what you do wrong, even if you spill your milk on the table cloth, they smile at you even bigger. They know you didn't do it on purpose. They even feel sorry for you that you feel so bad about spilling it, so they make excuses about how it's only an old table cloth that they don't even like.
Multiply that person's kindness and forgiving attitude by a thousand. There's nothing you can do wrong in their eyes. They have a mysterious, uncanny love for you that you know you don't deserve. Nothing can shake it. Nothing diminishes it. Not in the least. In fact, the love grows every second, every minute.
If you've never known anyone like that, try to imagine that person. Multiply their love by a thousand.
That wonderful person's personality doesn't even come near to God's personality.
God's love for us is indescribable, incomprehensible, unfathomable and beyond all we could ever ask or think. He loves us individually and uniquely as only He can. His love is as bountiful as the snow that has continued to fall all around us here in Barrie for the past several days. There seems to be no end to it.
You can shovel it into neat piles but, minutes later, more snow has accumulated so thickly that nobody would know how much snow you just moved off the walk! That's God's Love.
The biggest lie Satan likes to convince us of is that God is mean and law-enforcing, unmerciful and holding to unbearably high standards to which we will never attain. He wants us to think that it's God who lets little children starve and brings wars, famines and floods on us.
Even insurance companies call earth-quakes, tornadoes and tsunamis "acts of God" but they are not. God isn't going around judging us with weather, war and starvation. That's the Devil.
I don't like to talk about Satan because, really, it's hard to imagine a thing so wicked, so destructive, and so deceitful. But, let's just say that Satan likes to take the credit for God's goodness and blame his wickedness on God. He's very skillful at it and has duped a lot of people over the centuries.
Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."
He was telling the Pharisees that God made the law for our good and to protect and care for us. We were not made for the sake of the law. It's the other way around.
Knowing us as He does, God knew we would never be able to keep the law. He knew we were flawed and didn't expect perfection from us. How could He? He is the Only One Who is perfect. Not us. Not humans. We are deeply flawed.
And though, you may think, "Not our fault. That was Eve's fault." Well, actually, the fault was Satan's. Wasn't it?
Did God stop loving Adam and Eve after they disobeyed Him?
Well, did He?
No, He did not. In fact, He felt sorry for them. He was sorry that Satan hurt Adam and Eve with his poisonous deceit causing them untold suffering. That's why He arranged (from the beginning of time) to rescue the world by sending His most precious Offspring to the earth in human form.
Did God know Satan would succeed in having Jesus killed? Of course, He knew. God tricked Satan. He let him kill His Son in the flesh. How short-sighted was Satan? He thought he had won. He even had a heavy stone rolled in front of the tomb where Jesus's lifeless body was lain, thinking it would stop the miracle of the resurrection. (Seriously? That rock was a featherweight to God's angel. Just a joke.)
Satan is such a loser. The world's biggest loser. The biggest loser in the universe.
Everything he touches turns to destruction. Except not Jesus. He could not destroy Jesus.
Don't allow Satan to destroy your perception of God's personality, either. God is Satan's opposite.
Everything God touches turns to sweetness, success, health, beauty, wealth and joy. Everlasting joy!
God is loving, merciful, happy, kind, jolly, humourous, clever, artistic, creative, wonderful, romantic, generous, . . . He's past finding out. But, some day, we'll find out and we'll be amazed. Most of us have the wrong perception of Him. Where is our faith? What kind of God do we worship?
He is WORTHY. He's NOT a puny god. Yet, as great as He is, He loves puny old us.
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Thursday, December 15, 2016
What I Don't Like About Christmas
Christmas is the one day of the year when there seem to be no rules. Anything is possible. People can even love each other and be kind to one another.
We buy gifts for each other and discover the joy of giving. That one time of year, we try hard to please a few other people by buying or making them the gift they have always wanted.
It's also the one time of year when we hear songs and carols in public about the birth and worship of our Saviour. So, hearing those familiar songs lifts our hearts. It's Christmas cheer.
Remember the "Spirit of Christmas Present" that comes to visit Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens? He held a horn of some kind full of Christmas cheer and when he waved his horn at people, they would suddenly forget to be mean to each other. Scrooge asked him what was in his horn and he said,
"It's a spirit, five times distilled, the spirit of Christmas cheer, of love, of all that's good and all that makes this time of year different from any other time."
Scrooge asks, "Is there a peculiar flavour in what you sprinkle?"
"An excellent flavour."
"Would it apply to any kind of dinner?" Scrooge asks.
"To a poor one most." the Spirit answers.
"Why to a poor one most?"
"Because it needs it most," he replies. They say that Charles Dickens was the man who invented Christmas. That's because, in his day, people were moving to the cities in droves and their employees did not like to give their workers a day off. Bob Cratchet's working conditions were similar to many others and many others were much worse off.
In the 17th Century, English Puritan Christians actually tried to outlaw Christmas but without much success. At the turn of the 19th Century, however, Christmas had almost vanished from the scene. It was thanks to Dickens' popular novel that Christmas was revived.
Many of us grew up on the story of Scrooge, revisited in movie and book form every Yule Tide.
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| A Manger Scene in front of a house in Calgary, Alberta |
Scrooge's nephew puts it in a nutshell:
"But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round --apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that-- as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”
The part I don't like is where he says, "... in the long calendar of the year..."
That Christmas lasts for one day of the year and then, it's over is what I DON'T like about Christmas.
🎍 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Are the Fires in Jerusalem Fulfilling Prophecy?
Don't hate me for this. I understand Christians' sympathy and love for Israel and for Jerusalem. I also love the city of our Lord and what it represents to mankind, especially at this time of year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
Sometimes love hurts and it definitely hurt God to give His begotten Son. That was total love.
God loves Israel so much, the children of Abraham and the children of the promised Isaac. But, we have to remember that the children of Israel broke God's heart many times. Not only that but she martyred God's servants and the followers of Jesus. This is fact. I'm not making this up. It's in the Bible.
The ONLY nation God has ever referred to as a "whore" and a "harlot" and "mother of harlots" is who?
If you don't know the answer to that question, you really haven't been reading the Bible. So, no point in finishing this article until you go back and read the old testament as well as the words of Jesus. If you read Matthew 23, you'll see that Jesus used the word "woe" 8 times to describe the leaders of the Sanhedrin.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. (That word 'desolate' is used to describe the Holy Place after the Antichrist is finished with it. He places the Abomination of what? Right. Desolation.)
For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (They sure weren't saying that to Jesus when they had him crucified. But, they WILL.) - Matthew 23:37-39
Like I was saying, Israel (NOT the SAVED ISRAELITES) broke God's heart.
So, because of his enormous LOVE for his beloved who went awhoring after other gods, he is going to allow her enemies to compass her, burn her with fire and bring her to desolation in one hour.
Don't stone the messenger. It's all in the Word. If you don't happen to agree, please do dig into the Word for yourself and come up with one verse to contradict this interpretation of prophecy.
I believe the "Mother of Harlots" or "Babylon the Whore" has to be Jerusalem and can be no other.
Do you mean to say that God actually called Israel by the name of her enemies? Yep! In Revelation 11:8 for one. He called her Sodom and Egypt. We can't mistake this for being anyone else but Jerusalem because in the same verse it says "where also our Lord was crucified". He was crucified in Jerusalem. We all know that much.
It may be difficult to read this for those who don't have a good grip on Bible prophecy. It's really not easy for anyone if we look at it in the flesh, which is why the Bible is full of analogies and parables. We have to look at things in the Spirit, the way God sees things.
It's sort of like a romantic fairy tale where God falls in love with his precious bride, Israel but she gets drawn away from Him by the devil and starts to go awhoring after other loves. (Granted, that part is not so romantic.) But, then, Satan turns on Israel and she begins to see the true colours of the imposter that drew her away from her First Love.
It seems as though it's too late. All is lost. She is attacked by Satan's forces (Islam) and burned with fire and totally destroyed. But, just as it looks like there's no hope, Jesus returns in the sky to rescue His bride! He utterly destroys Israel's enemies and forgives her for all of her backslidings.
She is overcome with remorse and repents, calling on the name of her God. ("Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.") All is forgiven. In fact, God has created a NEW JERUSALEM to take the place of the earthly ruins whose ashes are still smoking.
And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
That's the happy ending!
But, before all that, the Bible says there will be TEN HORNS who will HATE the whore.
Revelation 17:16 - And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
What's happening now in Israel is a terrible holocaust. We need to pray for Israel!
This may be a precursor of things to come or it could be a partial fulfillment of this verse. In other words, dearly beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, things are going to get MUCH worse in Israel before the end.
Matthew 24:15 - When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes...
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Note: Looking for scriptural evidence to PROVE that born-again, on-fire Christians WILL be going through the Great Tribulation? Take a look at 22. Just read it.
I'm not twisting scriptures here to prove a theory. If you just read the Bible word-for-word and ask the Holy Spirit to help you to understand it, it's a piece of cake. It's so clear.
As we get closer to the end, scripture is becoming clearer to me. How about you? One thing I started to realize a few years back is to just READ EXACTLY what it says. That's all.
If you don't get it the first time, go over each individual word until it RINGS YOUR BELL. God won't fail you. He won't give you misinterpretations. Anyone else might.
Before you go, let me ask you a question: If there's no such thing as the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, are you prepared to go through the Great Tribulation as a shining example and testimony to the power of God?
Oh, I do have another question: WHY do you believe in the Pre-Trib Rap if you do?
I think we all know the answer to that one.
I'd really love to hear any comments from friend or foe! Please feel free to let out all your frustrations on me. I've heard it all or at least some of people's frustrations, Catholics, Muslims and Christians. Hey, let's hear from some of you Buddhists, ha. I love you all! No kidding!
Sometimes love hurts and it definitely hurt God to give His begotten Son. That was total love.
God loves Israel so much, the children of Abraham and the children of the promised Isaac. But, we have to remember that the children of Israel broke God's heart many times. Not only that but she martyred God's servants and the followers of Jesus. This is fact. I'm not making this up. It's in the Bible.
The ONLY nation God has ever referred to as a "whore" and a "harlot" and "mother of harlots" is who?
If you don't know the answer to that question, you really haven't been reading the Bible. So, no point in finishing this article until you go back and read the old testament as well as the words of Jesus. If you read Matthew 23, you'll see that Jesus used the word "woe" 8 times to describe the leaders of the Sanhedrin.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. (That word 'desolate' is used to describe the Holy Place after the Antichrist is finished with it. He places the Abomination of what? Right. Desolation.)
For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (They sure weren't saying that to Jesus when they had him crucified. But, they WILL.) - Matthew 23:37-39
Like I was saying, Israel (NOT the SAVED ISRAELITES) broke God's heart.
So, because of his enormous LOVE for his beloved who went awhoring after other gods, he is going to allow her enemies to compass her, burn her with fire and bring her to desolation in one hour.
Don't stone the messenger. It's all in the Word. If you don't happen to agree, please do dig into the Word for yourself and come up with one verse to contradict this interpretation of prophecy.
I believe the "Mother of Harlots" or "Babylon the Whore" has to be Jerusalem and can be no other.
Do you mean to say that God actually called Israel by the name of her enemies? Yep! In Revelation 11:8 for one. He called her Sodom and Egypt. We can't mistake this for being anyone else but Jerusalem because in the same verse it says "where also our Lord was crucified". He was crucified in Jerusalem. We all know that much.
It may be difficult to read this for those who don't have a good grip on Bible prophecy. It's really not easy for anyone if we look at it in the flesh, which is why the Bible is full of analogies and parables. We have to look at things in the Spirit, the way God sees things.
It's sort of like a romantic fairy tale where God falls in love with his precious bride, Israel but she gets drawn away from Him by the devil and starts to go awhoring after other loves. (Granted, that part is not so romantic.) But, then, Satan turns on Israel and she begins to see the true colours of the imposter that drew her away from her First Love.
It seems as though it's too late. All is lost. She is attacked by Satan's forces (Islam) and burned with fire and totally destroyed. But, just as it looks like there's no hope, Jesus returns in the sky to rescue His bride! He utterly destroys Israel's enemies and forgives her for all of her backslidings.
She is overcome with remorse and repents, calling on the name of her God. ("Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.") All is forgiven. In fact, God has created a NEW JERUSALEM to take the place of the earthly ruins whose ashes are still smoking.
And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
That's the happy ending!
But, before all that, the Bible says there will be TEN HORNS who will HATE the whore.
Revelation 17:16 - And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
What's happening now in Israel is a terrible holocaust. We need to pray for Israel!
This may be a precursor of things to come or it could be a partial fulfillment of this verse. In other words, dearly beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, things are going to get MUCH worse in Israel before the end.
Matthew 24:15 - When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes...
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Note: Looking for scriptural evidence to PROVE that born-again, on-fire Christians WILL be going through the Great Tribulation? Take a look at 22. Just read it.
I'm not twisting scriptures here to prove a theory. If you just read the Bible word-for-word and ask the Holy Spirit to help you to understand it, it's a piece of cake. It's so clear.
As we get closer to the end, scripture is becoming clearer to me. How about you? One thing I started to realize a few years back is to just READ EXACTLY what it says. That's all.
If you don't get it the first time, go over each individual word until it RINGS YOUR BELL. God won't fail you. He won't give you misinterpretations. Anyone else might.
Before you go, let me ask you a question: If there's no such thing as the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, are you prepared to go through the Great Tribulation as a shining example and testimony to the power of God?
Oh, I do have another question: WHY do you believe in the Pre-Trib Rap if you do?
I think we all know the answer to that one.
I'd really love to hear any comments from friend or foe! Please feel free to let out all your frustrations on me. I've heard it all or at least some of people's frustrations, Catholics, Muslims and Christians. Hey, let's hear from some of you Buddhists, ha. I love you all! No kidding!
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