Sunday, March 27, 2011
The Hard Boiled Scripture and the End of the World: Japan's Earthquake and Other Signs of Time's End
OK, so something crazy did happen between posts. I had a car accident. God thankfully preserved me and the other driver from super serious harm. I had/have some pain in my back but that wasn't too serious. Praise be to God! It could have been a ton, ton worse, yet He was there with me. I am still out of alignment in my back I think. The Chiroprator helped a bit, but.... And today I just had my pastor pray over me with an elder and annoint me with oil, to put my faith into action, and so I can allow the Lord to work in my life. {Jam 5:13 NLT} - "Are any among you suffering? They should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should continually sing praises to the Lord." {Jam 5:14 NLT} - "Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord." {Jam 5:15 NLT} - "And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven." Did it heal me? I did feel pain leave, and another ailment I was having seemed to go away as did my headache. My muscles also seemed to relax quite a bit more as well. I guess that should be a yes, but I don't know 100% how I feel, but in a way I just like to "feel things out" like doubting Thomas did. Part of me believes I was healed, but part of me doesn't want to jump to conclusions until I am 100% sure. I guess I'll give more updates on this just to see how the Lord works. Back to the study. See the previous post if you wonder what the heck I am jibba-jabba-ing about. So last time I pointed out that a number of prophecies in Luke 13, Matthew 24 and Mark 13 appeared to be well on their way to having been fulfilled, and that the birth pangs - warning signs of Christ's return - were all over the place. I believe we are seeing the signs Christ warned us about. Even though we are seeing them, this is no cause to panic. I believe that this stuff will get so much worse, and then it's time to worry, as the Great Tribulation will be at hand. The Great Tribulation maybe isn't at our door just yet, but it's on the sidewalk in front of the house! To put it this way, we were told in the Bible that when we see these signs, like seeing vultures in the sky indicate a dead/dying animal around, so too are these signs an indication that Christ's return is close and that the old world and way of doing things is about to die off. By my guess, I'd say there's more than a few vultures circling around, but there's more on the way. In other words, we have some time, but how much? Are we ready for His return? {Mat 24:15 NLT} - "The time will come when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about: the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place"--reader, pay attention! {Mar 13:14 NLT} - "The time will come when you will see the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing where it should not be"--reader, pay attention! "Then those in Judea must flee to the hills." Both go on to say about how bad it will be, and not to go into the house to get anything, etc. I don't need to duplicate it here. Not that it's not important, just now what we're looking at right now. Well, in one sense, this could be considered fulfilled from the oft quoted 70 AD event of Antiochus sacrificing a pig on the altar of the Temple and that whole event. Alot of the other Matthew 24 (etc.) stuff has been fulfilled in one sense with the whole 70 AD scenario, but as I said last time, this (as with other parts, if not all of Bible prophecy has a near future fulfillment, and a far reaching fulfillment. Obviously we're not in the Millenial kingdom with Christ as king yet, so we can assume that this has fulfillment coming in the end times. From an end times perspective, this has yet to happen, and requires a temple in Jerusalem. We don't even have that yet, but just google third temple coming to Jerusalem, and you'll find alot of conspiracies, and a lot of false info, but I'm sure you'll also find something legitimate that says Israel wants to rebuild the temple. A parallel passage to the above, yet with a different angle. {Luk 21:20 NLT} - "And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived. That is probably well on its way, but hasn't happened exactly yet. Israel is surrounded by hostile people, but it's not quite yet to this point. So this too has yet to occur before the end. {Mat 24:21 NLT} - For that will be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again. {Mat 24:22 NLT} - In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, the entire human race will be destroyed. But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones. {Luk 21:22 NLT} - For those will be days of God's vengeance, and the prophetic words of the Scriptures will be fulfilled. {Mar 13:19 NLT} - For those will be days of greater horror than at any time since God created the world. And it will never happen again. {Mar 13:20 NLT} - In fact, unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity, the entire human race will be destroyed. But for the sake of his chosen ones he has shortened those days. Again, this has not yet happened either. But when it does, it's probably going to be too late. Good ol' Dr. Luke deviates a bit from the other two. {Luk 21:23 NLT} - How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for mothers nursing their babies. For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. {Luk 21:24 NLT} - They will be brutally killed by the sword or sent away as captives to all the nations of the world. And Jerusalem will be conquered and trampled down by the Gentiles until the age of the Gentiles comes to an end. I may be wrong, but this one seems to dip back into the past fulfillment of the passages, at least at verse 24. This has happened, more or less. Since 70 AD, the Jews have been outside of Israel, basically in many of the nations of the world. They were also trampled down. Pograms in Russia, the Inquisition and other discrimination in the middle ages, and lastly the Holocaust. Then, Israel became a nation. In my opinion, they are not really being trampled by gentiles any more. So this tells me, that more or less the time of the gentiles has been slowly fading since then. It may not be finished just yet, but again, it's pretty close I'd say. Judge for yourselves on that one. {Mat 24:23 NLT} - "Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah,' or 'There he is,' don't pay any attention. {Mat 24:24 NLT} - For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones. {Mat 24:25 NLT} - See, I have warned you. {Mat 24:26 NLT} - "So if someone tells you, 'Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,' don't bother to go and look. Or, 'Look, he is hiding here,' don't believe it! {Mar 13:21 NLT} - "And then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah,' or, 'There he is,' don't pay any attention. {Mar 13:22 NLT} - For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones. {Mar 13:23 NLT} - Watch out! I have warned you! Pretty self explanatory. Last week's post details more about false messiahs. Those are always around, and every few years some nutter comes around and proclaims himself as Jesus or the Messiah. Obviously, if any one does, THEY ARE NOT REALLY HIM! There will be a time soon I think where someone will be portrayed as a messiah figure, and when he/she is, don't believe it! And also if any one is able to perform miracles, you'd better check those out to make sure they are really of God. Not every miracle is from God. Unless a miracle honors God and points people to His Son, Jesus Christ, then it's not of God. Really great advice: From "The Dark Side of the Supernatural" by Bill Myers and David Wimbish. Page 28 (unbulleted, sorry!) "When an angel seeks to draw attention to himself and not to God, he is no angel. When an angel gladly accepts the adoration of men and women, you can be sure that he didn't come to us from Heaven. When an angel tells us that he will answer our prayers and give us what we desire, he is attempting to usurp God's authority, and he is not to be trusted. When an angel tells us that we can be equal to God, he is no angel." Page 128 "Author Phil Phillips gives us five practical scriptural methods to "test the spirits." He writes that an authentic messenger from God 1) always proclaims-and never denies-that Jesus is God's Son and He came to earth in fleshly form; 2) always exalts Jesus Christ and points toward His atonement for sin, which He made when He died on the cross; 3) never encourages divination or occult practices; 4) never contradicts Scripture or dismisses its importance; 5) never undermines the majesty, glory, or holiness of almighty God, King of the Universe." {Luk 21:25 NLT} - "And there will be strange events in the skies--signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And down here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. {Luk 21:26 NLT} - The courage of many people will falter because of the fearful fate they see coming upon the earth, because the stability of the very heavens will be broken up. This is sort of happening, but I believe it will get worse, and more specific/widespread. There are rumors of weird signs in the sun, moon and stars. Derek Gilbert has mentioned Inuit Natives saying the sun came up in the wrong place. Still, others claim there are earth sized UFOs around the sun. I would even just throw general UFO sightings in as a low-key sign. Obviously right now, the nations (many of them) are in turmoil, which will be worse in the Tribulation. Roaring seas, maybe are tsunamis from the earthquakes. (Thanks Gilberts!) Look at verse 26 though, I don't think we're quite there just yet, but we've merely had a foretaste which already has some people freaked out. {Mat 24:27 NLT} - For as the lightning lights up the entire sky, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. {Mat 24:28 NLT} - Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near. {Mat 24:29 NLT} - "Immediately after those horrible days end, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. {Mar 13:24 NLT} - "At that time, after those horrible days end, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give light, {Mar 13:25 NLT} - the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. See the book of Revelation for more on that. No specific verse comes to mind. This obviously hasn't happened yet. {Mat 24:30 NLT} - And then at last, the sign of the coming of the Son of Man will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the nations of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. {Mat 24:31 NLT} - And he will send forth his angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. {Luk 21:27 NLT} - Then everyone will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds with power and great glory. {Luk 21:28 NLT} - So when all these things begin to happen, stand straight and look up, for your salvation is near!" {Mar 13:26 NLT} - Then everyone will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds with great power and glory. {Mar 13:27 NLT} - And he will send forth his angels to gather together his chosen ones from all over the world--from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. Again, the above have yet to happen. {Mat 24:32 NLT} - "Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its buds become tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know without being told that summer is near. {Mat 24:33 NLT} - Just so, when you see the events I've described beginning to happen, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. {Mat 24:34 NLT} - I assure you, this generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place. {Luk 21:29 NLT} - Then he gave them this illustration: "Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. {Luk 21:30 NLT} - When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. {Luk 21:31 NLT} - Just so, when you see the events I've described taking place, you can be sure that the Kingdom of God is near. {Luk 21:32 NLT} - I assure you, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these events have taken place. {Mar 13:28 NLT} - "Now, learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its buds become tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know without being told that summer is near. {Mar 13:29 NLT} - Just so, when you see the events I've described beginning to happen, you can be sure that his return is very near, right at the door. {Mar 13:30 NLT} - I assure you, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these events have taken place. So these points here are more or less the reason I wrote about all of this. The signs are just starting to kick off, in my opinion. The tiniest of buds are appearing on the trees, so what are we going to do about it? More on that in a minute... { Mat 24:35 NLT} - Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever. {Mat 24:36 NLT} - "However, no one knows the day or the hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. {Mat 24:37 NLT} - "When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day. {Mat 24:38 NLT} - In those days before the Flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. {Mat 24:39 NLT} - People didn't realize what was going to happen until the Flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. {Mat 24:40 NLT} - "Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. {Mat 24:41 NLT} - Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. {Mat 24:42 NLT} - So be prepared, because you don't know what day your Lord is coming. {Mat 24:43 NLT} - "Know this: A homeowner who knew exactly when a burglar was coming would stay alert and not permit the house to be broken into. {Mat 24:44 NLT} - You also must be ready all the time. For the Son of Man will come when least expected. {Luk 21:33 NLT} - Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever. {Luk 21:34 NLT} - "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, {Luk 21:35 NLT} - as in a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. {Luk 21:36 NLT} - Keep a constant watch. And pray that, if possible, you may escape these horrors and stand before the Son of Man." {Mar 13:31 NLT} - Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever. {Mar 13:32 NLT} - "However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. {Mar 13:33 NLT} - And since you don't know when they will happen, stay alert and keep watch. {Mar 13:34 NLT} - "The coming of the Son of Man can be compared with that of a man who left home to go on a trip. He gave each of his employees instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. {Mar 13:35 NLT} - So keep a sharp lookout! For you do not know when the homeowner will return--at evening, midnight, early dawn, or late daybreak. {Mar 13:36 NLT} - Don't let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. {Mar 13:37 NLT} - What I say to you I say to everyone: Watch for his return!" In short, I'm writing this so that you know that Jesus Christ's return is soon. Yes, that's been said and believed for around 2000 years, but for most of this time, many of these events weren't being fulfilled, or at least not in such a way that everyone could see them. Now, we see (at least the early warning signs) that Jesus warned us about. With that in mind, this should be proof positive that His return is not too far away. What does this mean? Should we panic, or run around crazy? Absolutely not! Should we keep sinning until the last possible moment? God forbid! No, the reason I am writing all of this is because with His return so close (as evidenced by the appearence of these signs) we need to get right with God. If you are a Christian, get on your knees and pray. Read your Bible. Confess your sins to God and turn away from them! We don't have much time left. If you are not a believer, then what is preventing you from accepting Jesus Christ into your life? What's keeping you from confessing your sin, and accepting Him as Lord into your life? What's keeping you from believe in the message of the Gospel, His perfect conception, birth, life, death and resurrection? You see the signs beginning to appear in the news. It's not too late yet. And for us believers, we need to be especially careful: {Mat 24:46 NLT} - If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. {Mat 24:47 NLT} - I assure you, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. {Mat 24:48 NLT} - But if the servant is evil and thinks, 'My master won't be back for a while,' {Mat 24:49 NLT} - and begins oppressing the other servants, partying, and getting drunk-- {Mat 24:50 NLT} - well, the master will return unannounced and unexpected. {Mat 24:51 NLT} - He will tear the servant apart and banish him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Guys, we need watch for His return. We also need to get our lives in order, and share with those who want to know from us. Use your God given gifts and abilities to do what you can to share Jesus with those who need Him and want Him. I myself am horrible in this area when it comes to face to face evangelizing. But God has blessed me with a love (and hopefully a gift) for writing, that's something I can do. Can I do more? Absolutely! But this is a good start.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Apocalypse Now?
I love doing puns for the title, but I think this matter may be too much to laugh about.
First, sorry for the late post. My wife and I went on a trap. She went through the Xray scanner, I opted out. The TSA lady told me it wasn't xrays, despite the many articles I could dig up proving her wrong. I got felt up, the guy that did it didn't buy me dinner, but I got a foot massage (pat down rather) and my wife got zapped. She claimed that it made her feel dizzy. I digest.
Ok, for the record I am not just jumping on the bandwagon here...Yeah Derek Gilbert did a VFTB about it (and much better than I could) and LA Marzulli has brought it up, and I'm sure the Christian blogosphere is ablaze with this. Chris White and Tom Bionic have done an awesome study on this as well in their verse by verse series. I highly recommend it.
But for the record, I wrote an article about this topic last year (I think) and it was published in a local Christian paper. I admit that I had to pull a few punches when I wrote it, but the end result was what I had looked for. I wanted it to serve as a warning to believers to get right with Christ. Things weren't quite as extreme then, so I was OK with it. But with the earthquake in Japan things are different.
So when I undertook that article, I really thought we were entering the birth pangs and that Christ was returning soon. No, I didn't set a date, and no I had no special revelation from God, other than what is written clearly in the Bible. Now I feel that His return is closer than ever. No, He will not be returning on May 21.
Now let me qualify this, the Bible said, over 2000 years ago, that His return was soon. So when I say soon, I don't mean like next week, but rather that He can pretty much come back any time He wants, once the Father allows it. What causes me to feel this way is that I see things in the news lining up more and more to be in line with scripture. In other words, parts of Bible prophecy are beginning to play out in real time.
Where am I getting this from? Matthew 24, and Luke 21. Now, prophecy I believe (as do other great teachers like Chuck Missler) is cyclical, in that there is a near future fulfilment. Now, I just want to get into the meat here, so let's go. I believe that this partially had some fulfillment when Jerusalem was destroyed, but many prophecy scholars agree that there is some future fulfillment to occur. Those should be obvious.
This is what I am seeing in the news, and I think that this is a wake up call to us in the Body of Christ to get our act together. If you are not a believer, please consider the news headlines the last few years, and that they have been getting worse, and not better. Also note, that Jesus Christ foretold this 2000 years ago, and we are seeing it today. I hope and pray that this will lead you to Jesus Christ.
I believe that we are entering the birthpangs that Christ warned us about.
First:
Matthew 24:4 – 5
Jesus told them, "Don't let anyone mislead you.” For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah.' They will lead many astray.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Mat&c=24&v=1&t=NLT#top
Keep that handy, and why not grab Mark 13 and Luke 21 while you're at it. Read through them all on your own, then come back and pick up here.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Mar&c=13&v=1&t=NLT#top
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Luk&c=21&v=1&t=NLT#top
{Mat 24:3 NLT} - Later, Jesus sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and asked, "When will all this take place? And will there be any sign ahead of time to signal your return and the end of the world ?"
Now picking up with what I, and some other prophecy folks think are signs that Christ will return soon. I'll paste the scripture, then tell where it has or is being fulfilled. If applicable, I'll post from each section where they overlap. The above is similar all across.
{Mat 24:5 NLT} - For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah.' They will lead many astray.
{Luk 21:8 NLT} - He replied, "Don't let anyone mislead you. For many will come in my name, claiming to be the Messiah and saying, 'The time has come!' But don't believe them.
{Mar 13:5 NLT} - Jesus replied, "Don't let anyone mislead you,
{Mar 13:6 NLT} - because many will come in my name, claiming to be the Messiah. They will lead many astray.
There are many folks even in more recent years that have claimed to be the Messiah. Here's a list of those who claimed themselves to be the Messiah, or were said to be so by their followers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_messiah_claimants
That's a big ol' check in my book.
Next, we have wars and rumors of wars
{Mat 24:6 NLT} - And wars will break out near and far, but don't panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won't follow immediately.
{Luk 21:9 NLT} - And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don't panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won't follow immediately."
{Mar 13:7 NLT} - And wars will break out near and far, but don't panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won't follow immediately.
There have been numerous wars since Christ's time. Some might argue that the 20th century have has been the bloodiest of all. World War I & II obviously would qualify as partiall fulfilling this in my line of thought, as they were wars that broke out. Wikipedia has a list of current conflicts, some are now in a state of cold war, some are not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ongoing_military_conflicts
And of course there is alot of unrest in the Muslim world. Libya is having a civil war, the UN today just authorized military action, then nothing happened. The present unrest will likely fester into something really bad before long. Then there's the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that have been ongoing for close to 10 years.
{Mat 24:7 NLT} - The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.
{Luk 21:10 NLT} - Then he added, "Nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other.
{Luk 21:11 NLT} - There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and epidemics in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs in the heavens.
{Mar 13:8 NLT} - Nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, and famines. But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come.
Ah, here we go...more nations procalaiming war, we see that like I mentioned with this Libya thing. Then, Matthew 24:7 mentions famine. Luke 21:11 does too, but with epidemics as does Mark 13:8. Here is a bit on famines: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famines. worldhunger.org gives an estimate of 925 million hungry (starving?) people.
I don'thave figures on epidemic deaths, but AIDs we all know is a large problem and killing many. We also get an occasional bird/swine flu that kills some. AIDs alone is a big enough problem.
Then we get to what has been the foremost in my mind, that is Earthquakes. Earthquakes in many parts of the world. Diverse places if you will. This kind of got me started on this whole fixation to start with. Many experts say that there has not been an increase in Earthquakes. This is a half truth. Here is a list of the total number of earthquakes since 1990.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/year/eqstats.php
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/year/info_1990s.php
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/year/graphs.php
The half truth comes in that there are not necessarily more quakes, BUT there are more of higher magnitude quakes AND there is an overall upward trend of earthquakes. You'll have to go check it out if you don't believe me.
From 1990 - 1999 there were 1492 EQ 6.0 or higher. From 2000 until right now, there are 1778 6.0 or higher. 8.0 and higher have definitely seen an increase. Also compare as a general trend, in 1990 there were a total of 16590 EQ, which hit the 19K's and 20K's throughout the 1990's. Compare this to the 2000's where we had 22256 EQ with totals in the high 20K's and low 30K's for much of the first decade. 2008 we hit 31777, and 2010 was in the 20K's again. It really is worth checking out and putting into Excel.
Luke 21:11 Christ mentions "there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs in the heavens."
What does He mean by this?
I don't have links, but you should recall the Norway spiral. I don't believe that was a rocket. I don't know what it was, but it likely wasn't a rocket. The magnetic north pole is also moving, so much so that a number of airports had to rename their runways. Then there's the UFO over the Temple Mount, yes at least one video may have been a hoax, but as far as I know, there is at least one video that hasn't been satisfactorily been debunked. Then of course there is the whole UFO phenomena to start with. I think in regards to this signs in the heavens, we've just been getting started.
{Mat 24:8 NLT} - But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come.
{Mat 24:9 NLT} - "Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because of your allegiance to me.
{Mat 24:10 NLT} - And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.
{Luk 21:12 NLT} - "But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will be accused before kings and governors of being my followers.
{Luk 21:13 NLT} - This will be your opportunity to tell them about me.
{Mar 13:9 NLT} - But when these things begin to happen, watch out! You will be handed over to the courts and beaten in the synagogues. You will be accused before governors and kings of being my followers. This will be your opportunity to tell them about me.
{Mar 13:10 NLT} - And the Good News must first be preached to every nation.
{Mar 13:11 NLT} - But when you are arrested and stand trial, don't worry about what to say in your defense. Just say what God tells you to. Then it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
{Mar 13:12 NLT} - "Brother will betray brother to death, fathers will betray their own children, and children will rise against their parents and cause them to be killed.
{Mar 13:13 NLT} - And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me. But those who endure to the end will be saved.
So this, i think there was definitely alot of persecution over the centuries of Christians, especially early on. But it hasn't stopped, and I think it will get worse. http://www.persecution.com/public/newsroom.aspx?clickfrom=bWFpbl9tZW51
Not to mention that I think many will think they are serving God and will betray true believers to churches. There is a sharp divide in many denominations where they basically abandon God's word to allow sinful things to go on. There are gay clergy, false prophets like in the dominionist movement, many Christians don't even believe in demons or the supernatural and others who are inclined to see us "fundamentalists" as a threat to them because we hold to the true Gospel. It's not happening yet in America, but I can tell there is definitely some anti-Christian leanings. Just look around. I would say it's not too far of a stretch to see persecution happening in America and "free" countries. When, not if, we are delivered up, do not fear:
{Mat 24:13 NLT} - But those who endure to the end will be saved.
{Luk 21:14 NLT} - So don't worry about how to answer the charges against you,
{Luk 21:15 NLT} - for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply!
{Luk 21:16 NLT} - Even those closest to you--your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends--will betray you. And some of you will be killed.
{Luk 21:17 NLT} - And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me.
{Luk 21:18 NLT} - But not a hair of your head will perish!
{Luk 21:19 NLT} - By standing firm, you will win your souls.
{Mar 13:11 NLT} - But when you are arrested and stand trial, don't worry about what to say in your defense. Just say what God tells you to. Then it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
Next we have
{Mat 24:11 NLT} - And many false prophets will appear and will lead many people astray.
There are many of these. Channelers and New Agers are everywhere. Blossom Goodchild (if you're reading, God love's you, seek His Son Jesus!) who predicted (Prophesied) that a UFO would appear, it didn't. Others, I don't want to name names, but there's alot in the New Apostolic Reformation, and certain "purpose driven" ministries. If you really need proof on this one, let me know.
{Mat 24:12 NLT} - Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.
Read the news any time. Again, if you need examples, go read any 3-4 mainstream news websites. If you're still not catching it, let me know.
And here is our hop in this time:
{Mat 24:13 NLT} - But those who endure to the end will be saved.
{Mat 24:14 NLT} - And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will come.
{Mar 13:10 NLT} - And the Good News must first be preached to every nation.
This one is well under way, and it seems that Jesus Himself is doing this in some way. There are many stories of Muslims dreaming about Jesus. I have heard this not only in many podcasts, but from missionaries in my home church as well. And they don't even listen to these podcasts.
OK, this has gone on quite longer than I had thought. I was going to just do Matthew 24, that's it, but then I really felt the urge to go through them all. I will drop off here, as there are still some major chunks to go. I hope that so far you can see that some of this has already started. I wouldn't say we are well into the birthpangs, but I think we are just entering them. I thought a few years ago that we were in them, but this feeling is more sure to me. But, then don't believe me. Pray to God, look through the word and see what He tells you. In any event, it's better to repent now while you still have a chance. Even if Christ tarries for a while, each one of us has no clue how long we will be here.
So, i leave you with this for now, in the event that something crazy happens in the coming days.
{Mat 24:23 NLT} - "Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah,' or 'There he is,' don't pay any attention.
{Mat 24:24 NLT} - For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones.
{Mat 24:25 NLT} - See, I have warned you.
{Mat 24:26 NLT} - "So if someone tells you, 'Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,' don't bother to go and look. Or, 'Look, he is hiding here,' don't believe it!
First, sorry for the late post. My wife and I went on a trap. She went through the Xray scanner, I opted out. The TSA lady told me it wasn't xrays, despite the many articles I could dig up proving her wrong. I got felt up, the guy that did it didn't buy me dinner, but I got a foot massage (pat down rather) and my wife got zapped. She claimed that it made her feel dizzy. I digest.
Ok, for the record I am not just jumping on the bandwagon here...Yeah Derek Gilbert did a VFTB about it (and much better than I could) and LA Marzulli has brought it up, and I'm sure the Christian blogosphere is ablaze with this. Chris White and Tom Bionic have done an awesome study on this as well in their verse by verse series. I highly recommend it.
But for the record, I wrote an article about this topic last year (I think) and it was published in a local Christian paper. I admit that I had to pull a few punches when I wrote it, but the end result was what I had looked for. I wanted it to serve as a warning to believers to get right with Christ. Things weren't quite as extreme then, so I was OK with it. But with the earthquake in Japan things are different.
So when I undertook that article, I really thought we were entering the birth pangs and that Christ was returning soon. No, I didn't set a date, and no I had no special revelation from God, other than what is written clearly in the Bible. Now I feel that His return is closer than ever. No, He will not be returning on May 21.
Now let me qualify this, the Bible said, over 2000 years ago, that His return was soon. So when I say soon, I don't mean like next week, but rather that He can pretty much come back any time He wants, once the Father allows it. What causes me to feel this way is that I see things in the news lining up more and more to be in line with scripture. In other words, parts of Bible prophecy are beginning to play out in real time.
Where am I getting this from? Matthew 24, and Luke 21. Now, prophecy I believe (as do other great teachers like Chuck Missler) is cyclical, in that there is a near future fulfilment. Now, I just want to get into the meat here, so let's go. I believe that this partially had some fulfillment when Jerusalem was destroyed, but many prophecy scholars agree that there is some future fulfillment to occur. Those should be obvious.
This is what I am seeing in the news, and I think that this is a wake up call to us in the Body of Christ to get our act together. If you are not a believer, please consider the news headlines the last few years, and that they have been getting worse, and not better. Also note, that Jesus Christ foretold this 2000 years ago, and we are seeing it today. I hope and pray that this will lead you to Jesus Christ.
I believe that we are entering the birthpangs that Christ warned us about.
First:
Matthew 24:4 – 5
Jesus told them, "Don't let anyone mislead you.” For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah.' They will lead many astray.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Mat&c=24&v=1&t=NLT#top
Keep that handy, and why not grab Mark 13 and Luke 21 while you're at it. Read through them all on your own, then come back and pick up here.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Mar&c=13&v=1&t=NLT#top
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Luk&c=21&v=1&t=NLT#top
{Mat 24:3 NLT} - Later, Jesus sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and asked, "When will all this take place? And will there be any sign ahead of time to signal your return and the end of the world ?"
Now picking up with what I, and some other prophecy folks think are signs that Christ will return soon. I'll paste the scripture, then tell where it has or is being fulfilled. If applicable, I'll post from each section where they overlap. The above is similar all across.
{Mat 24:5 NLT} - For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah.' They will lead many astray.
{Luk 21:8 NLT} - He replied, "Don't let anyone mislead you. For many will come in my name, claiming to be the Messiah and saying, 'The time has come!' But don't believe them.
{Mar 13:5 NLT} - Jesus replied, "Don't let anyone mislead you,
{Mar 13:6 NLT} - because many will come in my name, claiming to be the Messiah. They will lead many astray.
There are many folks even in more recent years that have claimed to be the Messiah. Here's a list of those who claimed themselves to be the Messiah, or were said to be so by their followers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_messiah_claimants
That's a big ol' check in my book.
Next, we have wars and rumors of wars
{Mat 24:6 NLT} - And wars will break out near and far, but don't panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won't follow immediately.
{Luk 21:9 NLT} - And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don't panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won't follow immediately."
{Mar 13:7 NLT} - And wars will break out near and far, but don't panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won't follow immediately.
There have been numerous wars since Christ's time. Some might argue that the 20th century have has been the bloodiest of all. World War I & II obviously would qualify as partiall fulfilling this in my line of thought, as they were wars that broke out. Wikipedia has a list of current conflicts, some are now in a state of cold war, some are not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ongoing_military_conflicts
And of course there is alot of unrest in the Muslim world. Libya is having a civil war, the UN today just authorized military action, then nothing happened. The present unrest will likely fester into something really bad before long. Then there's the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that have been ongoing for close to 10 years.
{Mat 24:7 NLT} - The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.
{Luk 21:10 NLT} - Then he added, "Nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other.
{Luk 21:11 NLT} - There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and epidemics in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs in the heavens.
{Mar 13:8 NLT} - Nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, and famines. But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come.
Ah, here we go...more nations procalaiming war, we see that like I mentioned with this Libya thing. Then, Matthew 24:7 mentions famine. Luke 21:11 does too, but with epidemics as does Mark 13:8. Here is a bit on famines: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famines. worldhunger.org gives an estimate of 925 million hungry (starving?) people.
I don'thave figures on epidemic deaths, but AIDs we all know is a large problem and killing many. We also get an occasional bird/swine flu that kills some. AIDs alone is a big enough problem.
Then we get to what has been the foremost in my mind, that is Earthquakes. Earthquakes in many parts of the world. Diverse places if you will. This kind of got me started on this whole fixation to start with. Many experts say that there has not been an increase in Earthquakes. This is a half truth. Here is a list of the total number of earthquakes since 1990.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/year/eqstats.php
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/year/info_1990s.php
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/year/graphs.php
The half truth comes in that there are not necessarily more quakes, BUT there are more of higher magnitude quakes AND there is an overall upward trend of earthquakes. You'll have to go check it out if you don't believe me.
From 1990 - 1999 there were 1492 EQ 6.0 or higher. From 2000 until right now, there are 1778 6.0 or higher. 8.0 and higher have definitely seen an increase. Also compare as a general trend, in 1990 there were a total of 16590 EQ, which hit the 19K's and 20K's throughout the 1990's. Compare this to the 2000's where we had 22256 EQ with totals in the high 20K's and low 30K's for much of the first decade. 2008 we hit 31777, and 2010 was in the 20K's again. It really is worth checking out and putting into Excel.
Luke 21:11 Christ mentions "there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs in the heavens."
What does He mean by this?
I don't have links, but you should recall the Norway spiral. I don't believe that was a rocket. I don't know what it was, but it likely wasn't a rocket. The magnetic north pole is also moving, so much so that a number of airports had to rename their runways. Then there's the UFO over the Temple Mount, yes at least one video may have been a hoax, but as far as I know, there is at least one video that hasn't been satisfactorily been debunked. Then of course there is the whole UFO phenomena to start with. I think in regards to this signs in the heavens, we've just been getting started.
{Mat 24:8 NLT} - But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come.
{Mat 24:9 NLT} - "Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because of your allegiance to me.
{Mat 24:10 NLT} - And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.
{Luk 21:12 NLT} - "But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will be accused before kings and governors of being my followers.
{Luk 21:13 NLT} - This will be your opportunity to tell them about me.
{Mar 13:9 NLT} - But when these things begin to happen, watch out! You will be handed over to the courts and beaten in the synagogues. You will be accused before governors and kings of being my followers. This will be your opportunity to tell them about me.
{Mar 13:10 NLT} - And the Good News must first be preached to every nation.
{Mar 13:11 NLT} - But when you are arrested and stand trial, don't worry about what to say in your defense. Just say what God tells you to. Then it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
{Mar 13:12 NLT} - "Brother will betray brother to death, fathers will betray their own children, and children will rise against their parents and cause them to be killed.
{Mar 13:13 NLT} - And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me. But those who endure to the end will be saved.
So this, i think there was definitely alot of persecution over the centuries of Christians, especially early on. But it hasn't stopped, and I think it will get worse. http://www.persecution.com/public/newsroom.aspx?clickfrom=bWFpbl9tZW51
Not to mention that I think many will think they are serving God and will betray true believers to churches. There is a sharp divide in many denominations where they basically abandon God's word to allow sinful things to go on. There are gay clergy, false prophets like in the dominionist movement, many Christians don't even believe in demons or the supernatural and others who are inclined to see us "fundamentalists" as a threat to them because we hold to the true Gospel. It's not happening yet in America, but I can tell there is definitely some anti-Christian leanings. Just look around. I would say it's not too far of a stretch to see persecution happening in America and "free" countries. When, not if, we are delivered up, do not fear:
{Mat 24:13 NLT} - But those who endure to the end will be saved.
{Luk 21:14 NLT} - So don't worry about how to answer the charges against you,
{Luk 21:15 NLT} - for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply!
{Luk 21:16 NLT} - Even those closest to you--your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends--will betray you. And some of you will be killed.
{Luk 21:17 NLT} - And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me.
{Luk 21:18 NLT} - But not a hair of your head will perish!
{Luk 21:19 NLT} - By standing firm, you will win your souls.
{Mar 13:11 NLT} - But when you are arrested and stand trial, don't worry about what to say in your defense. Just say what God tells you to. Then it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
Next we have
{Mat 24:11 NLT} - And many false prophets will appear and will lead many people astray.
There are many of these. Channelers and New Agers are everywhere. Blossom Goodchild (if you're reading, God love's you, seek His Son Jesus!) who predicted (Prophesied) that a UFO would appear, it didn't. Others, I don't want to name names, but there's alot in the New Apostolic Reformation, and certain "purpose driven" ministries. If you really need proof on this one, let me know.
{Mat 24:12 NLT} - Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.
Read the news any time. Again, if you need examples, go read any 3-4 mainstream news websites. If you're still not catching it, let me know.
And here is our hop in this time:
{Mat 24:13 NLT} - But those who endure to the end will be saved.
{Mat 24:14 NLT} - And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will come.
{Mar 13:10 NLT} - And the Good News must first be preached to every nation.
This one is well under way, and it seems that Jesus Himself is doing this in some way. There are many stories of Muslims dreaming about Jesus. I have heard this not only in many podcasts, but from missionaries in my home church as well. And they don't even listen to these podcasts.
OK, this has gone on quite longer than I had thought. I was going to just do Matthew 24, that's it, but then I really felt the urge to go through them all. I will drop off here, as there are still some major chunks to go. I hope that so far you can see that some of this has already started. I wouldn't say we are well into the birthpangs, but I think we are just entering them. I thought a few years ago that we were in them, but this feeling is more sure to me. But, then don't believe me. Pray to God, look through the word and see what He tells you. In any event, it's better to repent now while you still have a chance. Even if Christ tarries for a while, each one of us has no clue how long we will be here.
So, i leave you with this for now, in the event that something crazy happens in the coming days.
{Mat 24:23 NLT} - "Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah,' or 'There he is,' don't pay any attention.
{Mat 24:24 NLT} - For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones.
{Mat 24:25 NLT} - See, I have warned you.
{Mat 24:26 NLT} - "So if someone tells you, 'Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,' don't bother to go and look. Or, 'Look, he is hiding here,' don't believe it!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Queen of Heaven: The Virgin Mary, Marian Apparitions and Medjugorje
This is territory that is somewhat dangerous, and I hope that I tread properly. Coming from a sort of Catholic background, and also as someone who doesn't want to offend God, this topic had me floundering for a while. Last year or so, when LA Marzulli was posting about apparitions appearing in Egypt, some of us on the boards debated this for a while, and I think I finally realized the truth.
Throughout various points in history, the Virgin Mary has appeared as an apparition sometimes to crowds of people, and sometimes to fewer. Check out here for a list of apparitions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_apparition. Many of them are famous, the Fatima apparition is one of the more famous ones. In this appearence, three children were given "prophetic" information. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Secrets_of_F%C3%A1tima. Probably the most fascinating aspect of this appearence was the "Miracle of the Sun." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miracle_of_the_Sun. The miracle of the sun was witnessed by many thousands of people, and more or less seems like a massive UFO sighting. Other Marian apparitions have supposedly reported similar "sun miracles" as well. See previous posts (the Betty Andreasson series), Joe Jordan CE4 Research, or LA Marzulli's blog for more on UFOs and how they may relate to Christianity.
Moving forward to more present times, for a large number of years, there have been many appearances at Medjugorje in Croatia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me%C4%91ugorje. Every month, on the 2nd, and 25th, two women reportedly receive messages from the Virgin Mary. I have looked at many of the messages, and at first, I thought that perhaps this was the Virgin Mary. You can see the messages yourself here http://www.medjugorje.org/. (http://www.medjugorje.org/msg11.htm, http://www.medjugorje.org/msg10.htm) I would recommend praying that God show you the truth before you read too deeply, and that He would protect you spiriutally from any false teaching.
Now, let's get this out of the way. The Mary of the Bible played a very important role in bearing and birthing our Savior, Jesus Christ. She was a virgin when she became pregnant, but I believe (base on the Bible) that she later had other children. The Gospels clearly talk about Jesus' brothers and sisters, in what seems to me, a very literal sense of the word. James, who I believe wrote the Book of James in the New Testament was also the brother of Jesus. No one else claimed that as far as I know. At this point, I think it should be clear that we should admire Mary for her role in God's plan. She will probably be very greatly rewarded in Heaven. But this is where we should draw the line, Mary is not to be venerated, prayed to, or worshipped.
Now, after reading some of the Medjugorje messages, it is possible to discern that it very likely is not the Mary of the Bible. It is very tricky though, as this Medjugorje spirit is very crafty and uses words and phrases that sound very close to in line with Biblical doctrine. Here are a few. I will bold things that flew red flags, and I will comment in parentheses next to it.
Message of March 02, 2010 "Dear children, In this special time of your effort to be all the closer to my Son, to His suffering, but also to the love with which He bore it, I desire to tell you that I am with you. I will help you to triumph over errors and temptations with my grace. I will teach you love, love which wipes away all sins and makes you perfect, (alot of emphasis on what "I" will do. Also, love does not wipe away sin, only the blood of Christ Jesus can do that. One could argue that is love, and it is, but if this spirit were of God, it would hopefully mention that.) love which gives you the peace of my Son now and forever. Peace with you and in you, because I am the Queen of Peace. (Very similar to "Queen of Heaven, which made God quite angry when His people worshipped her. http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/translationResults.cfm?Criteria=Queen+of+heaven&t=NLT) Thank you." 03/02/2010
Message of April 2, 2010 to Mirjana "Dear children; Today I bless you in a special way and I pray for you to return to the right way, to my Son - your Savior, your Redeemer – to Him who gave you eternal life. (Interesting that she would mention that. Notice though, it does not give veneration to the Lord Jesus Christ, but just "my son." This sounds very Biblical, and is VERY VERY close to the truth, but for me, crucial details are omitted. Also, the Bible refers to Christ as God's Son. http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=1Jo&c=5&t=NLT#1 "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.") Reflect on everything human, on everything that does not permit you to set out after my Son – on transience, imperfection and limitation - and then think of my Son, of His Divine infiniteness. By your surrender and prayer ennoble your body and perfect your soul. Be ready, my children. Thank you."
Message of March 25, 2010 "Dear children! Also today I desire to call you all to be strong in prayer and in the moments when trials attack you. Live your Christian vocation in joy and humility and witness to everyone. I am with you and I carry you all before my Son Jesus, (We all as Christians have a personal and direct relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, why would Mary need to carry us to Jesus? Remember no one comes to the Father bu through the Son, but why would we need to go to His earthly mother to get to the Son? Notice also, it's "my Son Jesus, not the Lord Jesus Christ. ) and He will be your strength and support. Thank you for having responded to my call." 03/2010
Message of 25, April 2010 "Dear children! At this time, when in a special way you are praying and seeking my intercession, (again, direct relationship with Jesus and through Him, God, why does Mary need to make intercession?) I call you, little children, to pray so that through your prayers I can help you to have all the more hearts be opened to my messages. (Note, the spirit wants people's hearts opened to its messages, and not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.) Pray for my intentions. I am with you and I intercede before my Son for each of you. (Again, why is Mary interceding?) Thank you for having responded to my call." 04/2010
Message of 02, June 2010 "Dear Children, Today I call you with prayer and fasting to clear the path in which my Son (Again, a very Biblical sounding reference) will enter into your hearts. Accept me as a mother (Why? Where is this in the Bible that we are to accept Mary as Mother?) and a messenger of God's love and His desire for your salvation. Free yourself of everything from the past which burdens you, that gives you a sense of guilt, that which previously led you astray in error and darkness. Accept the light. (New Age anyone?) Be born anew in the righteousness of my Son. Thank you." 06/02/2010
Message of 25, June 2010 "Dear children! With joy, I call you all to live my messages (We are to live out our salvation to demonstrate our faith in Christ Jesus, not the messages of "Mary") with joy; only in this way, little children, will you be able to be closer to my Son. (Oh, really? Reading the Bible, and praying is the way to be closer to Jesus. Not listening to "Mary's" messages.) I desire to lead you all only to Him, and in Him you will find true peace and the joy of your heart. I bless you all and love you with immeasurable love. Thank you for having responded to my call." 06/2010
Message of 25, July 2010 "Dear children! Anew I call you to follow me with joy. (Again, a call to follow this spirit, and not the Lord Jesus.) I desire to lead all of you to my Son, your Savior. You are not aware that without Him you do not have joy and peace, nor a future or eternal life. Therefore, little children, make good use of this time of joyful prayer and surrender. Thank you for having responded to my call." 07/2010
Message of March 25, 2008 "Dear children! I call you to work on your personal conversion. You are still far from meeting with God in your heart. Therefore, spend all the more time in prayer and Adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, (Taking the Blessed Sacrement will not necessarily bring me closer to God. Following ritual has never been what God is looking for, but rather a right heart. I apologize I don't have the right scripture handy. Remember, the Bible said that if you have something against someone, go make peace with them before offering your sacrifice with God.) for Him to change you and to put into your hearts a living faith and a desire for eternal life. Everything is passing, little children, only God is not passing. I am with you and I encourage you with love. Thank you for having responded to my call." 03/2008
Message of June 25, 2008 "Dear children! Also today, with great joy in my heart, I call you to follow me and to listen to my messages. (Again, "follow my messages") Be joyful carriers of peace and love in this peaceless world. I am with you and I bless you all with my Son Jesus, the King of Peace. (Not a Biblical title per se, but it sounds really good.) Thank you for having responded to my call." 06/2008
Message of April 25, 2006 "Dear children! Also today I call you to have more trust in me and my Son. He has conquered by His death and resurrection (I would almost buy this, except it says "my Son," and not "the Lord Jesus Christ") and, through me, (Here we go again.) calls you to be a part of His joy. You do not see God, little children, but if you pray you will feel His nearness. I am with you and intercede before God for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call." 04/2006
Message of May 25, 2006 "Dear children! Also today I call you to put into practice and to live my messages that I am giving you. Decide for holiness, little children, and think of heaven. Only in this way, will you have peace in your heart that no one will be able to destroy. Peace is a gift, which God gives you in prayer. Little children, seek and work with all your strength for peace to win in your hearts and in the world. Thank you for having responded to my call." 05/2006
OK, so you should see by now what I am talking about. First, the spirit puts alot of emphasis on how it will intercede or will carry us to Jesus. It also calls for us to accept its messages. It calls itself the queen of peace, which is not a Biblical depiction of Mary at all. Nowhere in the Bible was Mary given a royal title.
Maybe this is stretching a bit, but I was reminded of the "Queen of Heaven in Jeremiah. Has Medjugorje been referred to as such? Yep, http://www.medjugorje.org/rosary.htm.
Also, why would we need to do anything through Mary? She died, long ago. I believe she is, or will be in Heaven, but she is basically at this point dead, like Paul, Christ's disciples and the later Apostles. None of them have come back to give messages, and they did the most to send forth the Gospel. All this to say, these people are getting messages from someone who is dead at the moment. Let's take a look at a few Bible passages:
Isaiah 8:19 - 20 http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Isa&c=8&v=1&t=NLT#top
So why are you trying to find out the future by consulting mediums and psychics? Do not listen to their whisperings and mutterings. Can the living find out the future from the dead? Why not ask your God?
"Check their predictions against my testimony," says the LORD. "If their predictions are different from mine, it is because there is no light or truth in them.
2 Corinthians 11:14-15 http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=2Cr&c=11&t=NLT#14
But I am not surprised! Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light.
So it is no wonder his servants can also do it by pretending to be godly ministers. In the end they will get every bit of punishment their wicked deeds deserve.
and of course, a favorite of many in this realm, and good advice too. Ask the spirits:
1 John 4:1 - 3 http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=1Jo&c=4&v=1&t=NLT#top
Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.
This is the way to find out if they have the Spirit of God: If a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ became a human being, that person has the Spirit of God.
If a prophet does not acknowledge Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist. You have heard that he is going to come into the world, and he is already here.
So even though this Marian apparation says "My son" and "Jesus" never once will you find a message where it says that Jesus Christ became a human being. You will never here it proclaim the full Gospel. If Mary were speaking to us, or God was sending us a message, wouldn't you think it would be to proclaim the exact Gospel as it has conventionally been preached? Why allow Mary's spirit to appear and tell people to follow her, and accept her? That takes away from the Gospel, and so I do not believe this spirit is of God. No matter how close some of the words come to the truth. A truth with a little lie in it is still not the truth.
The Apostle Paul had this to say if someone proclaimed a Gospel that was different than the one he and the other Apostles preached.
Galatians 1:6 - 9 http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Gal&c=1&t=NLT#6
I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who in his love and mercy called you to share the eternal life he gives through Christ. You are already following a different way
that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who twist and change the truth concerning Christ.
Let God's curse fall on anyone, including myself, who preaches any other message than the one we told you about. Even if an angel comes from heaven and preaches any other message, let him be forever cursed.
I will say it again: If anyone preaches any other gospel than the one you welcomed, let God's curse fall upon that person.
* When an angel seeks to draw attention to himself and not to God, he is no angel.
* When an angel gladly accepts the adoration of men and women, you can be sure that he didn't come to us from Heaven.
* When an angel tells us that he will answer our prayers and give us what we desire, he is attempting to usurp God's authority, and he is not to be trusted.
* When an angel tells us that we can be equal to God, he is no angel.
He also says on page 128
Author Phil Phillips gives us five practical scriptural methods to "test the spirits." He writes that an authentic messenger from God
Update 8-27-11
Some good podcasts by russ dizdar on catholicism.
Catholics
http://preemptionbroadcast.podomatic.com/enclosure/2011-08-22T16_35_12-07_00.mp3
http://preemptionbroadcast.podomatic.com/enclosure/2011-08-23T16_14_38-07_00.mp3
http://preemptionbroadcast.podomatic.com/enclosure/2011-08-24T16_15_18-07_00.mp3
http://preemptionbroadcast.podomatic.com/enclosure/2011-08-25T18_00_58-07_00.mp3
http://revelationsradionetwork.com/
Throughout various points in history, the Virgin Mary has appeared as an apparition sometimes to crowds of people, and sometimes to fewer. Check out here for a list of apparitions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_apparition. Many of them are famous, the Fatima apparition is one of the more famous ones. In this appearence, three children were given "prophetic" information. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Secrets_of_F%C3%A1tima. Probably the most fascinating aspect of this appearence was the "Miracle of the Sun." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miracle_of_the_Sun. The miracle of the sun was witnessed by many thousands of people, and more or less seems like a massive UFO sighting. Other Marian apparitions have supposedly reported similar "sun miracles" as well. See previous posts (the Betty Andreasson series), Joe Jordan CE4 Research, or LA Marzulli's blog for more on UFOs and how they may relate to Christianity.
Moving forward to more present times, for a large number of years, there have been many appearances at Medjugorje in Croatia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me%C4%91ugorje. Every month, on the 2nd, and 25th, two women reportedly receive messages from the Virgin Mary. I have looked at many of the messages, and at first, I thought that perhaps this was the Virgin Mary. You can see the messages yourself here http://www.medjugorje.org/. (http://www.medjugorje.org/msg11.htm, http://www.medjugorje.org/msg10.htm) I would recommend praying that God show you the truth before you read too deeply, and that He would protect you spiriutally from any false teaching.
Now, let's get this out of the way. The Mary of the Bible played a very important role in bearing and birthing our Savior, Jesus Christ. She was a virgin when she became pregnant, but I believe (base on the Bible) that she later had other children. The Gospels clearly talk about Jesus' brothers and sisters, in what seems to me, a very literal sense of the word. James, who I believe wrote the Book of James in the New Testament was also the brother of Jesus. No one else claimed that as far as I know. At this point, I think it should be clear that we should admire Mary for her role in God's plan. She will probably be very greatly rewarded in Heaven. But this is where we should draw the line, Mary is not to be venerated, prayed to, or worshipped.
Now, after reading some of the Medjugorje messages, it is possible to discern that it very likely is not the Mary of the Bible. It is very tricky though, as this Medjugorje spirit is very crafty and uses words and phrases that sound very close to in line with Biblical doctrine. Here are a few. I will bold things that flew red flags, and I will comment in parentheses next to it.
Message of March 02, 2010 "Dear children, In this special time of your effort to be all the closer to my Son, to His suffering, but also to the love with which He bore it, I desire to tell you that I am with you. I will help you to triumph over errors and temptations with my grace. I will teach you love, love which wipes away all sins and makes you perfect, (alot of emphasis on what "I" will do. Also, love does not wipe away sin, only the blood of Christ Jesus can do that. One could argue that is love, and it is, but if this spirit were of God, it would hopefully mention that.) love which gives you the peace of my Son now and forever. Peace with you and in you, because I am the Queen of Peace. (Very similar to "Queen of Heaven, which made God quite angry when His people worshipped her. http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/translationResults.cfm?Criteria=Queen+of+heaven&t=NLT) Thank you." 03/02/2010
Message of April 2, 2010 to Mirjana "Dear children; Today I bless you in a special way and I pray for you to return to the right way, to my Son - your Savior, your Redeemer – to Him who gave you eternal life. (Interesting that she would mention that. Notice though, it does not give veneration to the Lord Jesus Christ, but just "my son." This sounds very Biblical, and is VERY VERY close to the truth, but for me, crucial details are omitted. Also, the Bible refers to Christ as God's Son. http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=1Jo&c=5&t=NLT#1 "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.") Reflect on everything human, on everything that does not permit you to set out after my Son – on transience, imperfection and limitation - and then think of my Son, of His Divine infiniteness. By your surrender and prayer ennoble your body and perfect your soul. Be ready, my children. Thank you."
Message of March 25, 2010 "Dear children! Also today I desire to call you all to be strong in prayer and in the moments when trials attack you. Live your Christian vocation in joy and humility and witness to everyone. I am with you and I carry you all before my Son Jesus, (We all as Christians have a personal and direct relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, why would Mary need to carry us to Jesus? Remember no one comes to the Father bu through the Son, but why would we need to go to His earthly mother to get to the Son? Notice also, it's "my Son Jesus, not the Lord Jesus Christ. ) and He will be your strength and support. Thank you for having responded to my call." 03/2010
Message of 25, April 2010 "Dear children! At this time, when in a special way you are praying and seeking my intercession, (again, direct relationship with Jesus and through Him, God, why does Mary need to make intercession?) I call you, little children, to pray so that through your prayers I can help you to have all the more hearts be opened to my messages. (Note, the spirit wants people's hearts opened to its messages, and not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.) Pray for my intentions. I am with you and I intercede before my Son for each of you. (Again, why is Mary interceding?) Thank you for having responded to my call." 04/2010
Message of 02, June 2010 "Dear Children, Today I call you with prayer and fasting to clear the path in which my Son (Again, a very Biblical sounding reference) will enter into your hearts. Accept me as a mother (Why? Where is this in the Bible that we are to accept Mary as Mother?) and a messenger of God's love and His desire for your salvation. Free yourself of everything from the past which burdens you, that gives you a sense of guilt, that which previously led you astray in error and darkness. Accept the light. (New Age anyone?) Be born anew in the righteousness of my Son. Thank you." 06/02/2010
Message of 25, June 2010 "Dear children! With joy, I call you all to live my messages (We are to live out our salvation to demonstrate our faith in Christ Jesus, not the messages of "Mary") with joy; only in this way, little children, will you be able to be closer to my Son. (Oh, really? Reading the Bible, and praying is the way to be closer to Jesus. Not listening to "Mary's" messages.) I desire to lead you all only to Him, and in Him you will find true peace and the joy of your heart. I bless you all and love you with immeasurable love. Thank you for having responded to my call." 06/2010
Message of 25, July 2010 "Dear children! Anew I call you to follow me with joy. (Again, a call to follow this spirit, and not the Lord Jesus.) I desire to lead all of you to my Son, your Savior. You are not aware that without Him you do not have joy and peace, nor a future or eternal life. Therefore, little children, make good use of this time of joyful prayer and surrender. Thank you for having responded to my call." 07/2010
Message of March 25, 2008 "Dear children! I call you to work on your personal conversion. You are still far from meeting with God in your heart. Therefore, spend all the more time in prayer and Adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, (Taking the Blessed Sacrement will not necessarily bring me closer to God. Following ritual has never been what God is looking for, but rather a right heart. I apologize I don't have the right scripture handy. Remember, the Bible said that if you have something against someone, go make peace with them before offering your sacrifice with God.) for Him to change you and to put into your hearts a living faith and a desire for eternal life. Everything is passing, little children, only God is not passing. I am with you and I encourage you with love. Thank you for having responded to my call." 03/2008
Message of June 25, 2008 "Dear children! Also today, with great joy in my heart, I call you to follow me and to listen to my messages. (Again, "follow my messages") Be joyful carriers of peace and love in this peaceless world. I am with you and I bless you all with my Son Jesus, the King of Peace. (Not a Biblical title per se, but it sounds really good.) Thank you for having responded to my call." 06/2008
Message of April 25, 2006 "Dear children! Also today I call you to have more trust in me and my Son. He has conquered by His death and resurrection (I would almost buy this, except it says "my Son," and not "the Lord Jesus Christ") and, through me, (Here we go again.) calls you to be a part of His joy. You do not see God, little children, but if you pray you will feel His nearness. I am with you and intercede before God for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call." 04/2006
Message of May 25, 2006 "Dear children! Also today I call you to put into practice and to live my messages that I am giving you. Decide for holiness, little children, and think of heaven. Only in this way, will you have peace in your heart that no one will be able to destroy. Peace is a gift, which God gives you in prayer. Little children, seek and work with all your strength for peace to win in your hearts and in the world. Thank you for having responded to my call." 05/2006
OK, so you should see by now what I am talking about. First, the spirit puts alot of emphasis on how it will intercede or will carry us to Jesus. It also calls for us to accept its messages. It calls itself the queen of peace, which is not a Biblical depiction of Mary at all. Nowhere in the Bible was Mary given a royal title.
Maybe this is stretching a bit, but I was reminded of the "Queen of Heaven in Jeremiah. Has Medjugorje been referred to as such? Yep, http://www.medjugorje.org/rosary.htm.
Also, why would we need to do anything through Mary? She died, long ago. I believe she is, or will be in Heaven, but she is basically at this point dead, like Paul, Christ's disciples and the later Apostles. None of them have come back to give messages, and they did the most to send forth the Gospel. All this to say, these people are getting messages from someone who is dead at the moment. Let's take a look at a few Bible passages:
Isaiah 8:19 - 20 http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Isa&c=8&v=1&t=NLT#top
So why are you trying to find out the future by consulting mediums and psychics? Do not listen to their whisperings and mutterings. Can the living find out the future from the dead? Why not ask your God?
"Check their predictions against my testimony," says the LORD. "If their predictions are different from mine, it is because there is no light or truth in them.
2 Corinthians 11:14-15 http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=2Cr&c=11&t=NLT#14
But I am not surprised! Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light.
So it is no wonder his servants can also do it by pretending to be godly ministers. In the end they will get every bit of punishment their wicked deeds deserve.
and of course, a favorite of many in this realm, and good advice too. Ask the spirits:
1 John 4:1 - 3 http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=1Jo&c=4&v=1&t=NLT#top
Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.
This is the way to find out if they have the Spirit of God: If a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ became a human being, that person has the Spirit of God.
If a prophet does not acknowledge Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist. You have heard that he is going to come into the world, and he is already here.
So even though this Marian apparation says "My son" and "Jesus" never once will you find a message where it says that Jesus Christ became a human being. You will never here it proclaim the full Gospel. If Mary were speaking to us, or God was sending us a message, wouldn't you think it would be to proclaim the exact Gospel as it has conventionally been preached? Why allow Mary's spirit to appear and tell people to follow her, and accept her? That takes away from the Gospel, and so I do not believe this spirit is of God. No matter how close some of the words come to the truth. A truth with a little lie in it is still not the truth.
The Apostle Paul had this to say if someone proclaimed a Gospel that was different than the one he and the other Apostles preached.
Galatians 1:6 - 9 http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Gal&c=1&t=NLT#6
I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who in his love and mercy called you to share the eternal life he gives through Christ. You are already following a different way
that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who twist and change the truth concerning Christ.
Let God's curse fall on anyone, including myself, who preaches any other message than the one we told you about. Even if an angel comes from heaven and preaches any other message, let him be forever cursed.
I will say it again: If anyone preaches any other gospel than the one you welcomed, let God's curse fall upon that person.
As if the Bible wasn't clear enough on the matter, Bill Myers and David Wimbish have more to add. From their book "The Dark Side of the Supernatural." What they have to say pertains more to angels specifically, but could and I think should pertain to any spirit. Not to mention that angels can take many forms.
page 28* When an angel seeks to draw attention to himself and not to God, he is no angel.
* When an angel gladly accepts the adoration of men and women, you can be sure that he didn't come to us from Heaven.
* When an angel tells us that he will answer our prayers and give us what we desire, he is attempting to usurp God's authority, and he is not to be trusted.
* When an angel tells us that we can be equal to God, he is no angel.
He also says on page 128
Author Phil Phillips gives us five practical scriptural methods to "test the spirits." He writes that an authentic messenger from God
1) always proclaims-and never denies-that Jesus is God's Son and He came to earth in fleshly form;
2) always exalts Jesus Christ and points toward His atonement for sin, which He made when He died on the cross;
3) never encourages divination or occult practices;
4) never contradicts Scripture or dismisses its importance;
5) never undermines the majesty, glory, or holiness of almighty God, King of the Universe.
Just a few notes. The bolded items are something that the Medjugorje Apparition always fails. It always asks for people's prayers, and proclaims Jesus as my Son, not God's son. Read enough of the messages and you will see that while it sounds like it's in line with the Bible and these guidelines, it is not always so. We know God is always consistent in His messages and His messengers should be too. If they're not, they aren't His messengers. The key here is to test the spirits, and use discernment in reading those messages.
So, do you, or anyone you know believe these messages are really from the Mary of the Bible? Look through them again. Do they clearly, and proudly proclaim the Gospel? If not, then perhaps it's time to consider that these messages are from someone other than God or the Virgin Mary. Remember, Satan is very clever, and a master of deception. Be wary, cling the Gospel and continue to seek God's truth in your life.
Peace, and God Bless you all!
Update 8-27-11
Some good podcasts by russ dizdar on catholicism.
Catholics
http://preemptionbroadcast.podomatic.com/enclosure/2011-08-22T16_35_12-07_00.mp3
http://preemptionbroadcast.podomatic.com/enclosure/2011-08-23T16_14_38-07_00.mp3
http://preemptionbroadcast.podomatic.com/enclosure/2011-08-24T16_15_18-07_00.mp3
http://preemptionbroadcast.podomatic.com/enclosure/2011-08-25T18_00_58-07_00.mp3
http://revelationsradionetwork.com/
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