For some
reason, this just does not sound like a nice topic, to say the
least. Hopefully, a few will ultimately understand the biblical difference between internal
and external horrors.
Jesus said, "Watch out for doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities, claiming, "I am Christ, the Messiah.' They will deceive a lot of people. When reports come in of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don't panic. This is routine history; this is no sign of the end. Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Famines and earthquakes will occur in various places. This is nothing compared to what is coming.
"They are going to throw you to the wolves and kill you, everyone hating you because you carry my name. And then, going from bad to worse, it will be dog-eat-dog, everyone at each other's throat, everyone hating each other.
"In the confusion, lying preachers will come forward and deceive a lot of people. For many others, the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in--nothing left of their love but a mound of ashes.
"Staying with it--that's what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won't be sorry, and you'll be saved.
All during this time, the good news--the Message of the kingdom--will be preached all over the world, a witness staked out in every country. And then the end will come."
(Matthew 24:4-14 TM)
Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains."
(Mark 13:5-8 NIV)
Then he gave them this illustration:
"Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. Just so, when you see the events I've described taking place, you can be sure that the Kingdom of God is near. I assure you, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these events have taken place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever.
"Watch out! Don't let me find you living in careless ease and drunkenness, and filled with the worries of this life. Don't let that day catch you unaware,
as in a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep a constant watch. And pray that, if possible, you may escape these horrors and stand before the Son of Man."
Every day Jesus went to the Temple to teach, and each evening he returned to spend the night on the Mount of Olives. The crowds gathered early each morning to hear him.
(Luke 21:29-38 TLB)
Wow,
sounds like some traumatic stuff, doesn't it? But please bear with
us, in that there are some very telling words, in the preceding
scriptures. Maybe the most disguised is the comment about
"birth pains" are about to begin, or have begun.
Wonder
what the leader of the minority party (summer
05), in the House of Representatives,
would say about that one, considering that birth pains have been
experienced, by women, ever since the world began. Surely she would
have something to say to Jesus, about being in denial, and maybe even he
too is dangerous.
Lets cut
to the chase. Remember when Jesus says that Nicodemas must be
reborn, and that he must be born of water and Spirit? The truth is
that God's MEN are going to have the pleasure of giving birth to the
Spirit; The Son of Man. Sure do wish that this birth took only nine months, but mine
has been going on for close to twenty four years, thus far; without any
pay for the privilege.
Please click this link,
should you like to read the entire seventeenth chapter of the gospel of
John, which is the favorite prayer of our Lord. These scriptures are
possibly the most needed, in the times mentioned in the above informative
scriptures, because it contains a request to keep us safe, from the evil
one. But the scriptures need to be voiced into the ether, in
pure faith, for them to be operative. In this chapter of the gospel of John, the beginning of the
sixth verse also states the following truth:
"I have told these men about you."
Wonder
why Jesus said that he would teach us to be the fishers of men? One
of the reasons is that the order of things, from God's perspective is that
only he presides over the Christ. And of course Christ is the leader,
and presides over the Church. In the church are both men and women.
But Christ is over man - the husband, not the woman. Christ protects the
husband, as the husband is supposed to protect the wife. And several
web pages, on this web site, quote the scripture that tells of Christ as
being the last Adam. That is the
natural order of things, whether any of us like or agree with it, or
not. Rest assured, it will never change. God is changeless.
The
preceding paragraph begs the question, "Are we ready for our eternal
soul mate, by being the perfect help mates?" Let us give a clue
to that concept, in that there will no longer be hindrance mates allowed.
Just as
men must accept their role, in God's order of things, so also must women,
should they desire to participate, in the new Jerusalem, the Bride of
Christ.
Pertaining
to the comment about hating each other, in the scriptures above, where better can we look than at
the current political scene in Washington, D. C, here in America, at the
beginning of the twenty first century? If you do not see anger,
hatred, disrespect, falsehoods, misrepresentations, distortions, and
deception, you are one of them too. As a matter of fact, several
fist fights have been observed, in a variety of houses of government, in
foreign countries. Reckon that there are selfish politics in play?
Don't
have a clue about the foreign countries, but had I been in power for many
decades, and had been booted out of control, like the Democrats have been,
am sure that I would be at my wits end too.
But if
you would like to see who is going to perish, check
this noahhite web page out,
toward the bottom of the page, in the second chapter of 2
Thessalonians. Would not be surprised at all, if these scriptures
refer to all terrorists, and their leaders, of this world. But all
are warned, should they have, and practice, destructive habits. They will
be included in the "put to death" deal, too.
For over
forty years, there was a political party that was called the "loyal
opposition." Of course, they were the party of the
minority. Now, the party of the minority is called the
obstructionist's party, by many. Many say that is the reason that the
leader of the minority party, in the Senate, was defeated, in the last
election cycle; 2004.
Someone
in the news today - summer 05, commented on their attitude - the
obstructionist's party, about an
investigation into the hurricane disaster, in three southern states, as
being "the party of dysfunction and abuse," because the minority
party, at the moment, not only does not desire to participate in a possible government inquiry,
but refuses to even consider said investigation in Congress, which have always been bipartisan, heretofore,
as relates to the timelines and responsibilities
of various people and agencies, looking into anything with national
importance.
For
some reason, I can not get out of my mind that many of the leaders of the
minority party are acting like little two years olds - the terrible twos,
throwing temper tantrums at every thing that comes down the pike. In
defense of the sane members of that party, the extreme left are the
culprits, in my mind. The moderates are just like the rest of us,
wanting what is best for "we the people."
The first
quote though, above, about staying with it, because that is what God requires,
gives us a clue about how difficult it is to be made complete, which is
the summation of being saved. WHAT A PROCESS. Wonder if we
ever get through trudging the road of happy destiny?
And when
I think back to the eighties, of the last century, and remember hearing
many evangelists boasting about the large numbers of the people that came
to the altar, during their call to sinners, it makes me smile when they
said how many people were saved, like that was all they had to do,
was to accept Christ as their savior.
When the
scriptures were written in Aramaic, to be saved meant to be made complete.
Dear brothers and
sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for
great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your
endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your
endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing
nothing. (James 1:2-4)
The
horrors await those that are willing to stay with it, until the end.
I call it perfect torture, and horrors, to the human eGo, and the human psyche, learning how to
love God with all of our mind, strength, might, and heart. Friends,
God does
not have any loop holes at all. God is perfect. And since God
has perfect spiritual eyes, the only way he sees his redeemed of the earth
is the perfect image of what was created, when he just thought of us, back
in antiquity.
Faith fulfilled, in his mansions, that his son's
spirit creates, in the third day.
The truth
though is that we need that state of consciousness - wholehearted love of
God, that allows us to
put everything into proper perspective, which will never let
anything override the will of God - because of our on board guidance
system, and in turn, we always love our neighbor as
ourselves, for those of us that are of this world, but not in it.
Our only hope, by grace, is mentioned in the gospel of
John, in the fourteenth
chapter, at the end of the nineteenth verse:
"I
will live again, and so will you." (TLB)
Then he said to me, “This is what the LORD says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD Almighty.
Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will flatten out before him! Then Zerubbabel will set the final stone of the Temple in place, and the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’”
Then another message came to me from the LORD: “Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me.
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand. For these seven lamps represent the eyes of the LORD that search all around the world.”
(Zechariah 4:6-10 NLT)
scribe's
note: the bigbook states, at the beginning of step ten, after the promises
are fulfilled, that we enter the realm of Spirit. The
Living Bible states, relative to the preceeding scriptures, "...but
by my Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts - you will succeed because of my
Spirit though you are few and weak."
