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Comparing Spiritual Things With Spiritual (1 Corinthians 2:13)
How do you read the Bible?
Do you read the Bible as simply a recording of certain historical events? For example, how can we explain what appears as evidence of life being millions and billions of years old? The Bible tells of a great flood. And such an amount of water pressure can turn things from a mere few thousands of years old into millions and billions.
Do you read the Bible as simply giving evidence of people who existed long ago so that as we refer to them today you know who they are? When people talk of how great a task it was for Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, one can turn to the Bible and read of it in great detail. If you want to know what Jesus went through, again, you can read up on it.
Do you read the Bible as simply a lesson book where evil that was conducted and punished ought not be repeated and good shown should be exercised? We can learn not to get caught up in adultery because every secret can all unravel without notice. We know this because of David. We know that pride is the beginning of destruction thanks to Nebuchadnezzar.
Yes it is all these things but there is also a much deeper meaning. And there are many other good ways to understand the Bible and glean information from it. The Bible says, "[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter" (Proverbs 25:2).
So could there even be a hidden message? Could there be a hidden message for those that live at the end of the world? The Bible says, "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come" (1 Corinthians 10:11).
What hidden message?
Are we encouraging the reading of the hidden gospels, like one supposedly found written by Judas? Are we encouraging the reading of The Da Vinci Code?
The answer is no. All we are stating is that the contents of the Bible are written especially for those living at the end of time so as to discern the events of the times as stated in 1 Corinthians 10:11. And we are not talking about the end time prophecies to be fulfilled. We are talking about the purposeful hand of God that directed what was recorded and what was not recorded specifically with those at the end of time in mind. And when we look through the eyes of comparing the spiritual things with spiritual, as directed by 1 Corinthians 2:13, we are not simply saying to compare verse to verse.
The Bible says, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:12-16).
These verses go far beyond being able to explain Colossians 2:16. "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]." We know that it does not refer to the fourth commandment but to the sabbath reference in the feast days recorded in Leviticus 23. The spiritual reference in 1 Corinthians 2:12-16 goes far beyond rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), which is important in order to provide proper doctrines.
If we have the mind of Christ, we ought to be able to discern the spiritual “hidden message” referring to activities happening inside and outside of the church in the last days, even in a form of judging, and then applying it to the spiritual expression of the Bible rather than just surface reading.
For example
Let us begin with an easy parable that hopefully all of us will understand properly.
"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that [would come] from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." (Luke 16:19-31)
How many times have you heard from non- believers of immediate life after death in either heaven, hell, or purgatory, referring to these verses as doctrine taught by Jesus? It comes up in almost every discussion of the state of the dead with non-believers.
However we as a people understand that this does not prove immediate life after death, for Lazarus did not go to heaven but to Abraham’s bosom, and if the rich man had a physical tongue needing quenched, what happened to the tongue in the grave? Besides, to base doctrine on a parable is shaky ground. You know this to be a parable because Matthew 13:34 says that Jesus did not speak to the public without parables.
But what do you get out of the message? The rich are going to hell and the poor are going to heaven? That would be a stretch. The haughty and prideful are going to hell and the humble are going to heaven? That is a bit warmer.
Look closer. What is the rich man rich in? Money? More than that. Where does Lazarus go? Abraham’s bosom. What is spiritual about that? Abraham was highly regarded as the father of the Jews. Many of the Pharisees, teachers, scribes, lawyers, and other religious groups replied to Jesus at another time with, "We be Abraham's seed" (John 8:33). Therefore, they concluded, they will go to heaven before some poor non-educated, non-believing person who as "dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table" (Matthew 15:27).
The rich man was rich in the knowledge of God, so much so that he was able to use the knowledge to benefit his greedy ways and yet would not share this knowledge. Even those that were physically poor believed that being a descendant of Abraham was sufficient to be guaranteed heaven. But Jesus turned their theory upside down. An outcast who barely knew God but lived up to all the light they had would be counted as one of Abraham’s descendents. Even a physical gentile would enter the kingdom leaving a physical Jew out. And to put the icing on the cake, as they say, Jesus indeed raised a person by the name of Lazarus from the dead and they still did not believe.
There is even greater spiritual application "hidden message" yet to unfold with this parable, but that is not the purpose here. The purpose is to reveal that we need to see things more spiritually than they seem to appear on the surface.
A more challenging example
"Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find [it]?" (Luke 15:8)
Some see this as a parable teaching that we ought to keep things neat and tidy for cleanliness is next to godliness, right? And obviously we are responsible for our own carelessness. That may be good for elementary education, but we need to be advanced students.
What does a woman represent? God’s people, which we call church (Jeremiah 6:2, Isaiah 51:16).
What does a piece of silver or coin represent? Malachi 3:17 calls us His jewels. Jewels include coins according Genesis 24:53. So people is the answer.
To lose the coin is to lose a soul. That is not death, nor did they have to leave the church. They can attend the church and still be lost.
What does the light represent? "Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalms 119:105).
So the soul was lost when the light was not shining. Therefore, preachers must have strayed from the Word of God and supplied worldly means to draw people to church, but not to God. This is like using worldly worship styles and preaching stories to entertain.
So how is the coin or soul found? The Word of God is opened.
What does the sweeping of the house represent? Luke 11:24-26 tells of sweeping out evil spirits, of whom promote sin. So sin is swept out of the church.
And it is required to do all that is necessary to save the soul including admitting being wrong for trying the drums to attract the younger folk; being wrong for conducting ecumenical activities with other denominations; being wrong for watering down the Three Angels’ messages; being wrong for letting the head elder in charge despite the known adulterous relationship that he refused to cut off; and so on and so on. Then the coin will be found.
Now for a non-parable example
So far we can understand that there are spiritual applications to parables, especially after it is explained. But what of the rest of the Bible? This is where many struggle greatly. Just about every story in the Bible is to be a spiritual application for the last days and not just a generic reference.
Let us begin with Noah. What do you get from that story spiritually? You know Jesus said, "For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (Matthew 24:38-39).
Yes, Jesus brings out the physical, but there is a spiritual message here as well.
From this we can see that very few people will accept the truth and be ready for the second coming. But let us go deeper.
However, be careful. Some point out that there was one boat, therefore there is one church! In a sense that is true, but if we believe that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is represented by the boat, we are going to be greatly surprised, even deceived. There is coming a day, after Sunday law, when we will not have people signing the church books. It will not even be safe to publicly announce the denominational name.
Further, what do you do with all those that believe the Seventh-day Adventist doctrine but refuse to join the church because they can see all the works inside the church speaking differently than the belief? Will they lose salvation? Before you jump to a "yes", remember the rich man and Lazarus.
Could the boat represent one truth? The apostles went forth in the first century and had people simply become Christians. That is similar to the last days. We will be going from house to house with open Bibles. There will not be a structure in place, for the authorities would simply wait for Sabbath mornings to lock everyone up if they dared to step in a church. And you will not be calling up the pastor or head elder. Who do you think the authorities are going to get first?
Too many times we equate church to mean the Seventh-day Adventist Church. If the last church of Revelation 3, called Laodicea, refers to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and yet the church period began in 1844, then what do we do about the first twenty years when we did not carry the name Seventh-day Adventist Church? The solution is that Laodicea represents the church time period of a movement proclaiming the last day truth despite having or not having a denominational name. That is the boat.
Now, look at the events of Moses. Persecution in Egypt, God’s people present for the plagues, and deliverance after the plagues. The spiritual application for today is that Egypt is the world, which is getting more and more intense with its ways. The seven last plagues will occur with us still here, breaking the theory of the pre-tribulation rapture. And then we shall be delivered into the heavenly promised land afterwards. And as Moses, the prophet handed the people over to Joshua’s leadership, so Ellen White has through her writings directed us to Jesus’ leadership. And please note that even the Bible makes reference to Jesus and Joshua as equal names. [Compare Hebrews 4:8 with other translations.]
Consider this...
The 3½ years of drought in the time of Elijah has so many parallels to the antichrist power during the 3½ prophetic years or one thousand two hundred and sixty years.
Also, the first coming is a parallel to the second coming. How much of the leadership of God’s church then were on the side of Jesus? What of the second coming and our church? "Those who have rendered supreme homage to 'science falsely so called' will not be the leaders then. Those who have trusted to intellect, genius, or talent will not then stand at the head of rank and file." {Testimonies for the Church, volume five, page 80}
Let us not be so concerned about the leadership as we are the souls in the church. During the first advent, the vast majority of non-leadership Jews were on Jesus' side, right? "And they cried out again, Crucify him" (Mark 15:13). Evidently not.
We have been kind in the past quoting, "It is a solemn statement that I make to the church, that not one in twenty whose names are registered upon the church books are prepared to close their earthly history, and would be as verily without God and without hope in the world as the common sinner" {Last Day Events, p 172}. We were giving hope to at least five percent of the church.
What of the members on the books today? Are the vast majority ready for the second coming? "Not one in a hundred among us is doing anything beyond engaging in common, worldly enterprises. We are not half awake to the worth of the souls for whom Christ died." - {Testimonies, vol. 8, p. 148}. "There is not one in one hundred who understands for himself the Bible truth on this subject that is so necessary to our present and eternal welfare." {Selected Messages Book 1, page 359}. "But not one in a hundred knows the value of eating the bread of life." {Manuscript Releases, volume 21, page 44}.
In reality, less than one percent of our members are ready. That is scary and sad. Having the spiritual eye salve in regards to the Bible is part of being that one percent. It may not guarantee being part of the one percent, but without, the likelihood is grim. And one percent of seventeen million is about one hundred and seventy thousand. But Ellen White said that not even one percent were ready. Knock off another mere twenty six thousand and we have a literal one hundred and forty four thousand. That is food for thought, but a discussion of its own.
Overall, it is time to get serious in our studies. Get beyond the quarterly being your daily time with God. All of us need more than that. It is time to be serious with Jesus.
An international monthly periodical by a personal ministry team inside the church, preparing saints for translation.
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The "Thus Saith the Lord..." Newsletter is published monthly by "Thus Saith the Lord..." Ministries
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As a Christian ministry, we encourage active church attendance. We are here to strengthen the faith in God's Word by enabling you to have a "Thus Saith the Lord..." for all that you believe.
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ANSWERS FOUND IN THE SCRIPTURE OF TRUTH (Daniel 10:21)
QUESTION: Is Ellen White’s writings beneath the Bible? Do they not carry the same authority?
ANSWER: With the first advent of Christ there was ushered in an era of greater light and glory; but it would indeed be sinful ingratitude to despise and ridicule the lesser light because a fuller and more glorious light had dawned. Those who despise the blessings and glory of the Jewish age are not prepared to be benefited by the preaching of the gospel. The brightness of the Father's glory, and the excellence and perfection of his sacred law, are only understood through the atonement made upon Calvary by his dear Son; but even the atonement loses its significance when the law of God is rejected. {The Signs of the Times, August 25, 1887 par. 9}
The religion of the Jews, in consequence of their departure from God, consisted mostly in ceremony. John was the lesser light, which was to be followed by a greater light. He was to shake the confidence of the people in their traditions, and call their sins to their remembrance, and lead them to repentance; that they might be prepared to appreciate the work of Christ. God communicated to John by inspiration, illuminating the prophet that he might remove the superstition and darkness from the minds of the honest Jews, which had been, through false teachings for generations, gathering upon them. {The Review and Herald, April 8, 1873 par. 15}
The prophet John was the connecting link between the two dispensations. As God's representative he stood forth to show the relation of the law and the prophets to the Christian dispensation. He was the lesser light, which was to be followed by a greater. The mind of John was illuminated by the Holy Spirit, that he might shed light upon his people; but no other light ever has shone or ever will shine so clearly upon fallen man as that which emanated from the teaching and example of Jesus. Christ and His mission had been but dimly understood as typified in the shadowy sacrifices. Even John had not fully comprehended the future, immortal life through the Saviour. {The Desire of Ages, p. 220}
Matthew 4:16-17 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
As you see, the greater light is Jesus Christ. The Bible is not the greater light. That means the Bible and Ellen White are both lesser lights pointing to Jesus Christ the greater light making the Bible and Ellen White's writings to be on equal ground.
How else could Ellen write the following:
"It is Satan's plan to weaken the faith of God's people in the Testimonies." "Satan knows how to make his attacks. He works upon minds to excite jealousy and dissatisfaction toward those at the head of the work. The gifts are next questioned; then, of course, they have but little weight, and instruction given through vision is disregarded." "Next follows skepticism in regard to the vital points of our faith, the pillars of our position, then doubt as to the Holy Scriptures, and then the downward march to perdition. When the Testimonies, which were once believed, are doubted and given up, Satan knows the deceived ones will not stop at this; and he redoubles his efforts till he launches them into open rebellion, which becomes incurable and ends in destruction." [VOL. 4, P. 211; VOL. 1, P. 236] "By giving place to doubts and unbelief in regard to the work of God, and by cherishing feelings of distrust and cruel jealousies, they are preparing themselves for complete deception. They rise up with bitter feelings against the ones who dare to speak of their errors and reprove their sins." [VOL. 3, P. 328.]
Debt Reduction Progress
Over our 10 year history, $80,000 accumulated in ministry debt both from short periods of time of not being able to cover all of the expenses and the over 4 year period (Jan. 2004 - May 2007) when we personally could not sustain this ministry.
Jerry had lost his employment due to refusing to work on Friday afternoons during the winter, which would have infringed upon the Sabbath hours. Without that income we were not able to sustain this ministry and so the debt accumulated.
Financial blessings are occurring in his work, but to recover financially it requires him to work very long hours. Can you help eliminate this ministry debt faster?
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OVERALL STATS |
FEB. STATS |
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$80,000
- 13,035 - 45,758 $21,207 |
Starting Balance
Readership O'Donnell's Current Balance |
$22,873
- 390 - 560 $21,207 |
Starting Balance
Readership O'Donnell's Current Balance |
We are over TWO-THIRDS of the way there! We praise the Lord for your help!
WALK, EVEN AS HE WALKED (1 John 2:6)
Perfected by Following God's Pattern.
"God expects us to build characters in accordance with the pattern set before us. We are to lay brick by brick, adding grace to grace, finding our weak points and correcting them in accordance with the directions given. When a crack is seen in the walls of a mansion, we know that something about the building is wrong. In our character building, cracks are often seen. Unless these defects are remedied, the house will fall when the tempest of trial beats upon it."
"God gives us strength, reasoning power, and time, in order that we may build characters on which He can place His stamp of approval. He desires each child of His to build a noble character, by the doing of pure, noble deeds, that in the end he may present a symmetrical structure, a fair temple, honored by man and God."
"In our character building we must build on Christ. He is the sure foundation--a foundation which can never be moved. The tempest of temptation and trial cannot move the building which is riveted to the Eternal Rock."
"He who would grow into a beautiful building for the Lord must cultivate every power of the being. It is only by the right use of the talents that the character can develop harmoniously. Thus we bring to the foundation that which is represented in the Word as gold, silver, precious stones--material that will stand the test of God's purifying fires. In our character building Christ is our example." {Child Guidance, pages 165-166}
Do you know the address of a MINISTER outside of our faith?
IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THE LAST DAYS (Acts 2:17)
The work of the people of God is to prepare for the events of the future, which will soon come upon them with blinding force. In the world gigantic monopolies will be formed. Men will bind themselves together in unions that will wrap them in the folds of the enemy. A few men will combine to grasp all the means to be obtained in certain lines of business. Trades unions will be formed, and those who refuse to join these unions will be marked men.--Letter 26, 1903. {Country Living, p.10}
In preparing for future events, we are not to be stocking up food and supplies to last us years. Having a plot of land and canning a bit is sufficient for providing some physical relief during a short-term crisis. But once the final crisis begins, or should we say continue, it will just snowball until the very end. "In the last great conflict of the controversy with Satan those who are loyal to God will see every earthly support cut off" {The Desire of Ages, page 121}.
And this is what was written for those that panic and start stockpiling. "For two years past, the Lord has shown me in vision, repeatedly, that it is contrary to the Bible to make any provision for our temporal wants in the time of trouble. I saw that if the saints have food laid up by them, or in the fields, in the time of trouble when sword, famine, and pestilence are in the land, it will be taken from them by violent hands and strangers would reap their fields. Then will be the time for us to trust wholly in God, and he will sustain us. I saw that our bread and water would be sure at that time, and we should not lack, or suffer hunger.--The Lord has shown me that some of his children would fear when they see the price of food rising, and they would buy food and lay it by for the time of trouble. Then in a time of need, I saw them go to their food and look at it, and it had bred worms, and was full of living creatures, and not fit for use. About one week since, the Lord showed me in vision, that houses and lands would be of no use in the time of trouble, and in that time they could not be disposed of." {Broadside2, Jan. 31, 1849 par. 9}
Any preparation includes the popular belief of gathering gold coins or silver or whatever other item it happens to be. Preparing to survive physically is not what she is calling for.
Spiritually we need to be ready. Spiritually we need to come to the point where humans cannot break our spirit no matter what they do. There is only one thing that should get to us – the lack of salvation in another. As they torture, and ridicule, and do all kinds of unthinkable things, we should be sad for them.
Jesus is the example. They took away His freedom by jailing Him. They falsely tried Him. They tortured Him. And still He cooperated and laid His hand on the cross to be nailed. The only thing that affected Him was the lack of accepting His salvation. Only one gave Jesus hope – the thief. Sure, Jesus was also affected by being cut off from the Father and we will similarly sense our unworthiness and fear, if not now, definitely at the second coming.
Now let us look at the gigantic monopolies that will be formed. The thought of one company beating out another and forcing all others into closure seemed to be fulfilling during the late 1990’s. Many feared Walmart would be the lone superstore and that Microsoft would own the computer industry. When looking at some of the industries you find very little competition can get in. But that seems to pale compared to what is before us.
Part of the solution to get us out of the current world financial crisis is to have global solutions, as in a regulation of industry. It is being well popularized that capitalism does not work. Well, if one does not allow competition in the market place, which is capitalism, then the other choice is industries without competition and regulated by the government. This is a form of socialism on a global basis. A collection of monopolies from each industry is what you will have.
And then there are the unions. It may not be the unions we are used to, but there are various programs in existence that if you do not participate in, it is near impossible to find a job. Further, if you do bind yourself, you are committed to the continuance of such while others get rich. The latest “union” is called certification. It is found throughout the various industries. As an example, in the computer field, to be certified in all the areas of expertise, is costly and very time consuming. You have to invest a lot of time to prepare for the numerous test and you have to pay for each test. This of course greatly limits what would be available for God. All for what? A certification that lasts for a few years and needs a recertification performed in a certain amount of time or you forfeit the original certification?
The last part of the prophesy appears to be on the verge of fulfilling before our very eyes. Today, businesses allow employees to have a secret ballot vote to bring in a union or not. No one knows how anyone votes, but that all can change soon. Being discussed in Washington D.C. is what is called "Card Check" where the union will be able to work the system to be able to identify people who are against the union entering into a work environment. In other words, they will become marked men. As suggested by those against “Card Check”, union representatives would be able to track down those that vote against the union and coerce them. Reality or not, the topic of refusing to join unions has hit the headlines as being marked men.
And the "few men to grasp the means" is also in the fulfilling process. Over seven hundred billion was used to bail out the banks in the first stimulus bill, yet many wonder where the money went. Further, how many failed businesses have seen CEO’s walk away with huge bonuses? Even the fired CEO’s have their retirement packages. More and more of this will continue to happen.
Do you know an SDA that is not on our mailing list?
ART THOU IN HEALTH (2 Samuel 20:9)
Peace
"And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: [then] came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace [be] unto you" (John 20:26).
Being at peace is a great positive to good health.
When things do not go as planned, usually the stress level rises. When people are unkind, usually people will argue in their mind what they should have said or should have said differently to really dig into that other person.
But peace with Jesus relieves all that. When someone is unkind over a secular matter, your response ought to be inside, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
When things do not go as planned, your response ought to be, "Not my will but Thy will be done."
Some refer to it as managing stress, but this goes beyond stress. Avoiding stress is not the same as having peace.
Do you know someone from the GENERAL PUBLIC that is not on our mailing list?
WHO HATH BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM IS THE ARM OF THE LORD REVEALED? (Isaiah 53:1)
WOWK CBS 13, March 13, 2009 - Children Are Now Sexually Abusing Children
Child-On-Child Sex Abuse Is The Latest Challenge Facing Law Enforcement and Prosecutors.
COMMENT: What shall we expect. Notice the step-by-step process, which leaves only the conclusion left. Hosea 4:1-3 "Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because [there is] no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away." Schools and governments are removing and have removed traces of God. Gone are the days of Mr. and Mrs. addressed to adults. Now it is "swearing" and "lying". Then younger and younger street gangs killing one another. Some were only twelve. All for what? To steal what the other person had. Now a form of child adultery. What is left? Total riot that government will not be able to prevent. The second coming, which cause this earth to lie in waste affecting those that dwell here, the beasts, the fowls, and the fish. Life will cease on earth for a millennium (Jeremiah 4:23-27, Revelation 20:5) while the saved are in heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:17, Revelation 20:4). That is what Hosea saw. There is no hope for humans to get us out of this mess. Lord Jesus come soon.
The Christian Post, March 10, 2009 - Less Than 1 Percent of Young Adults Hold Biblical Worldview
The Mosaic generation, those between the ages of 18 and 23, "rarely" have a biblical worldview as defined by The Barna Group. The research data found that less than one-half of one percent of Mosaics have a biblical worldview. A biblical worldview, as defined by the Barna study, is believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is completely accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today. The research shows that only nine percent of all American adults have a biblical worldview, which although significantly higher than that of the Mosaic generation is still a small proportion of the total population.
COMMENT: But the masses of the people turn away their ears from hearing the truth, and are turned unto fables. The apostle Paul declared, looking down to the last days, "The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine." [2 TIM. 4:3.] That time has fully come. The multitudes do not want Bible truth, because it interferes with the desires of the sinful, world-loving heart; and Satan supplies the deceptions which they love. {GC88 594.2}
CNS, March 4, 2009 - Economists say Catholic ethics could benefit global economic policy
Economists from Catholic institutions worldwide may differ in their approach to solutions for the economic crisis, but all agree a global strategy is required. The same economic scholars from U.S., Canadian and Australian Catholic universities also said while the Catholic Church may not be able to direct economic policy it can contribute most effectively by leading the charge in philanthropic endeavors that will ease the suffering of the most vulnerable caught up in the international crisis. "The key concern of the Catholic Church should be, as always, to look out for the poor and vulnerable, both at home and in poor countries," said Linda Nielsen, an economics professor at St. Mary's University College in Calgary, Alberta. "The church has lobbied local, provincial and federal governments effectively in the past, has been a kind of 'social conscience,' and hopefully this will continue," she said.
COMMENT: Revelation 17:13 "These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast." Congressmen in our own nation along with these minds are thinking global solution. And if the world is turning to Catholic Ethics, then it is possible that these are the initial steps of turning to the ethics surrounding Sunday as a day of rest in the near future.
MSNBC, Feb. 18, 2009 - Indian boy marries dog to ward off tiger attacks
An infant boy was married off to his neighbors' dog in eastern India by villagers who said it will stop the groom from being killed by wild animals, officials and witnesses said Wednesday. The tribal god will bless the child and ward off evil spirits after the marriage.
COMMENT: Ephesians 4:4-6 "[There is] one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who [is] above all, and through all, and in you all." Do you still think we all serve the same God? One faith surely does not permit such actions. That is pure paganism, which the true God wants us to set people from. And if the marriage is for real, then eventually another activity shall take place also condemned of God. Leviticus 20:15 "And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast." John 8:32 "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Cease from this one world religion concept and preach the saving gospel!
News Not Found In The Paper Version:
The Oklahoma Daily, March 2, 2009 - Sex in the stacks
The library's twists and turns have made it one of the preferred campus rendezvous points for men seeking casual sex. Frequent posts on the classifieds Web site Craigslist.org, have been asking for participants to satisfy their after-school sexual desires on campus. One post stated the author had endured a long day and was looking for another man to help him...
COMMENT: Jude 1:7 "Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." Public forms of sexual activity is getting more and more bold. Pretty soon it may be the norm for any place any time as when the angels visited Lot before the destruction.
World Net Daily, February 22, 2009 - Obama ripped on 'sex agenda'
A renowned expert on the life and work of sex scientist Alfred Kinsey, widely known as the "father of the sexual revolution," is raising alarms over President Obama's pursuit of sex "education" for kindergartners and his plans to install a pornography advocate in a top Justice Department position.
COMMENT: A glimpse of heaven according to Isaiah 65:20 is, "For the child shall die an hundred years old". This simply refers to the innocence of a child shall last as long as a hundred years old. That is because there shall be no evil to influence the child to give up the innocence as there is today. If we could only let our children be children as long as they can be.
AP, February 19, 2009 - Pa. filmmaker, ACLU raise 'hell' in court
The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania has sued on behalf of a man whose company name -- "I Choose Hell Productions" -- was rejected by the state. The lawsuit filed Wednesday against Pennsylvania's Department of State contends the statute is unconstitutional because it relies on religious standards and violates Kalman's freedom of speech rights.
COMMENT: Hosea 4:1-2 "Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because [there is] no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood." Another attempt by the ACLU to remove right principles from our laws, which is a removal of the knowledge of God from the land. No wonder we have so many problems in our land as compared to decades ago.
BBC, March 14, 2009 - Atheists call for debaptism
Now Mr Hunt has become the pioneer in a rejuvenated campaign for a way of cancelling baptisms given to children too young to decide for themselves whether they wanted this formal initiation into Christianity.
COMMENT: John Hunt has nothing to worry about. He was never baptized. He was sprinkled. To be truly atheist, you must reject the true practice. Baptism is full immersion into the water and at an age John says -- when a child can decide. John 3:23 says much water is involved. ("And John also was baptizing in AEnon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.") Sure! For immersion. Mark 16:16 says you have to believe. ("He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.") A baby cannot.
Catholic News Service, March 4, 2009 - Irish from all walks of life turn to church for help during recession
Irish people are turning to the Catholic Church and each other for support as the country is hit hard by the global economic recession. "We are definitely seeing the impact of the economic downturn," said Father John Gilligan, administrator of St. Andrew's Church in Dublin. "Because we are situated beside the train station, we get thousands passing our door every day, and more and more are calling in and asking to speak to one of the priests about their difficulties. "We have become counselors to people from all walks of life who have lost their jobs or are threatened with job losses -- a lot of them are young professionals, architects and solicitors. We have well-dressed people asking for food vouchers or asking how do they contact the St. Vincent de Paul for help," he told Catholic News Service. John Monaghan, vice president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, one of the largest charitable organizations in Ireland, said calls for aid are up 30 percent over this time last year.
COMMENT: Revelation 13:3 "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." Could the global economic crisis help turn more and more people to be dependent upon the Catholic Church? Could deeper financial situations cause others to seek after the Catholic Church? Does it seem that the economy is almost purposely pushing into a worse situation? Maybe it is not so political after all.
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A "Thus Saith the Lord..."
We take a "Thus saith the Lord." Here we stand. A doctrine that has not a "Thus saith the Lord" may be accepted by the whole world, but that does not make it truth. . . . If we want to know the way to heaven we must study the Bible, not man-made theories or man's suppositions. . . . We are not at all ashamed of our faith, Seventh-day Adventism, for it is the very best specification we can have.
{That I May Know Him, page 357}
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Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.