The Late Night Ramblings of NiteOwlDave

2011-11-25T19:55:00.014-05:00

THE RAPTURE!

When Christ returns for His people

We’re outta here!

By Tim Johnson

Many are unaware that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming again - and likely very soon - to take all who have put their total trust in Him to be forever in Heaven.

We learn of this exciting event, known as the Rapture, from the only authoritative source of information about the future - God's Word, the Bible.

We also learn from this Book that certain conditions will exist in the world just prior to and following the Rapture.

Because we see these signs of the "last days" (2 Timothy 3:1-8; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3) so prevalent in our current society, as well as prophesied political developments in the Middle East, Europe and elsewhere, we can say with all assurance that Jesus is coming soon.

All is in readiness for the Rapture (Revelation 22:7,12,20).

The Rapture and the Believer

The greatest day of the believer's existence will be realized when he sees Jesus face to face at the Rapture (Revelation 22:4). Those who accept Christ as our Savior and Lord will be changed to be like Christ (1 John 3:1-3), forever free from sin and all its effects (Revelation 21:4).

The purpose of the Rapture is to transport to Heaven every one who has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior since the first man, Adam.

Adam sinned and as a result all of mankind is subject to the wages of sin which is eternal death and judgment. God in love provided a Savior for man in His Son.

Jesus paid for our sins - ALL OF THEM - at Calvary's cross. All who trust this blessed Savior, believing He died for their sins and rose again, are cleansed by His blood from every sin, and have eternal life (1 John 1:7; John 3:15,16).

The Bible tells us these are the ones who Christ will Rapture to Himself. 1 Thessalonians tell us, "The Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord"

There are many other Scriptures telling of this wondrous prospect for believers, such as John 14:1-3 and 1Corinthians 15:51-56.

The Rapture and the Unbeliever

Immediately following the Rapture, the unbeliever's life here on earth may not be dramatically affected, except for missing those believers of his acquaintance who were taken to Heaven, and by the tormenting knowledge that he can never be saved - that he is left on earth for judgment, and his eternal doom is sealed.

Many will then seek salvation through Jesus, but the door to Heaven will be shut (Matthew 25:1-13). According to Bible prophecy, in the seven years following the Rapture, terrible times of trouble will be brought upon the earth by the Lord, with multitudes suffering physical torment and death.

Though it is true that many people who have never heard the gospel before will be saved during the tribulation (Revelation 7:9-14), God says that all who have rejected Christ now before the Rapture (including us, if we reject this message) will be sent "strong delusion, that they should believe a lie" of a charismatic but false messiah.

Ultimately, all unbelievers will face Christ as their Judge at the Great White Throne, and will then experience eternal, spiritual death as they are cast into the Lake Of Fire (Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8).

The Rapture and You

Will the Rapture be the greatest day of your existence, or will it be the beginning of unspeakable horror and suffering for all eternity?

It all depends on whether or not you believe on God's Son (John 3:36).

The most important and immediate matter you need to take care of is not to make out a will, or buy insurance, but prepare to meet God by taking His salvation freely offered to you (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9).

You are not ready for the coming of Christ unless you have seen your need as a lost sinner and trusted Him alone as your personal Savior.

If I am an unbeliever now and continue to reject or neglect this great salvation, I will never hear the shout at the Rapture, I will never be able to go to Heaven (Hebrews 2:3; Luke 13:23-28).

It will be too late to repent at the Rapture, which will take place with no further advance warning in a split-second of time (1 Corinthians 15:52).

Jesus emphasized, "Today is the day of salvation." The Bible states bodily, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." Then you will be ready when Jesus comes, perhaps today.

What do we need to pray to God to get saved and be Rapture-ready? Something like this:

Dear God:
I am a sinner. Others have sinned greater than I have. Nevertheless, I stand before you now as a lost sinner, deserving of Hell.

I choose to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became a man. I choose to believe He allowed Himself to be put to death, arose again on the third day, and is alive today.

The Bible says that our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ, and I believe that. Father I want to be cleansed of all my sins right now. I know I am not right with God, and I want to be. I want to go to Heaven when I die.

Right now at (date and time)______________,
I bow at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ, and I am dumping all of my sin there. ALL of them. I ask that the blood of Jesus Christ wash away all my sins - past, present and future.

I am sorry for my sin, and I accept your forgiveness. Right now I declare that I am a Christian. I ask, Father, that you will make me aware of when I want to sin and give me the courage to say no.

I ask, too, that you will help me understand the Bible and to make the rest of my days on earth count for eternity. I pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ - my new Lord and Savior. Amen.

2011-11-14T14:06:00.002-05:00

ARE THERE CHILDREN IN HELL?

Question: Are there children in hell?
Answer: No. Ponder these passages.

(1.) Jesus said, “Suffer (allow) little children to come to me for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt. 19:14; Mark 10:14; Luke 18:16.)

(2.) When David’s newborn son died, he said, “…I shall go to him but he shall not return to me” (11 Sam. 12:23). Since we know King David went to Heaven, we conclude his infant son is there as well.

(3.) In the book of Numbers, 20 years old was the age when males were considered mature enough to serve in the army and be counted independently in the census.

Numbers 14:29 and 32:11 says, “In the wilderness your bodies will fall…everyone of you 20 years old or more…surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swear to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because they have not wholly followed me.”

IS 20 THE AGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY?

While those 20 or above when the Jews left Egypt, died in the wilderness for their sin of unbelief and never entered the land of Canaan, those below 20 were, apparently, considered too immature to be held accountable for not believing the account of Joshua and Caleb concerning the Promised Land and were given a pass to enter the land on that basis.

Since God is merciful and the same, “yesterday, today and forever,” I conclude that the same holds true today and that the age of accountability is 20. In that case, all those who die before their 20th birthday go to Heaven.

That also seems logical since both children and teens are still getting it together, physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually.

Regardless of your age, however, “Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your heart” (Ps. 95:7,8). “Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation” (11 Cor. 6:2).

2011-11-14T13:53:00.004-05:00

Questions and Answers

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. YA, SURE!

Q. If Jesus preached love and all, why is that that some Christians are intolerant of Muslims, Hindu, Jews, Pagans, etc.? I've had enough.

A. All who profess Christianity are not necessarily true Christians. True believers in Christ will hate the false religion that leads people to Hell while loving the person enough to warn them of their religious error.

Q. Either Jesus is some kind of power-hungry corrupt prophet or Christians have got it all wrong, right?

A. Would you still call Jesus "power hungry" if you knew His claims were true? Read the Gospel of John with an open mind.

Q. I'm sick of it. I'm tired of all the pain and suffering people have put me through.

A. God will eventually judge all those who have caused you "pain and suffering" (11 Peter 2:9). What other religion offers this kind of equality and justice?

Q. You know what? These hell claims are just fear tactics. I was watching a documentary on Hell and these people dramatized it back 1,000 something years ago to scare people into their beliefs.

A. Would you call it "scare tactics" if some screaming maniac awakened you out of sleep to tell you your house was on fire? Is he a hero or a villain? The Bible says, "Flee from the wrath to come!" (Luke 3:7).

Q. If Christianity is the only way, why is it that Christianity came after Paganism, Hinduism, the ancient religions of Greece and Egypt and Judaism.

A. God predated ALL religions (Gen. 1:1). When Adam and Eve sinned, God killed animals to cover their nakedness, symbolic of the fact that covering sin required a blood sacrifice.

The human race became sinful thereafter. By the time of the flood, corruption flourished (Genesis 6:5). Paganism and its many false religious faces developed after the flood through Nimrod in Mesopotamia around the time of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9).

God chose Abraham and the Jews around 2,000 BC as His mediators of truth and salvation to mankind (Genesis 12:1,2; 17:6-8. etc.)

New Testament Christianity flows right out of Old Testament Judaism in which God promised to send a Redeemer who would die as the blood sacrifice for the sins of the world (Isaiah 53).

Christ's substitutionary death around 30 AD means that the repetitious blood sacrifices of the Old Testament are no longer necessary. Forgiveness of sin, past, present, and future is available to all who receive Christ as their Savior.

How great is that?! God has devised a plan that satisfies his judgment against sin and offers salvation as a free gift to all who receive it. All other religions are Satan's lies designed to deceive and confuse the unwary (Luke 8:44).

Q. I want proof that the Bible is the only valid source of truth. Can you give that?

A. There is far too much proof of the divine origin of Scripture to cover in this forum. I have previously suggested that you read the book, "Evidence that Demands a Verdict," by Josh McDowell. The prophetic evidence alone for the divine source of the Bible is overwhelming.

Q. There are just as many prophecies and science in the Torah and Quran as there are in the Bible

A. The Torah IS the first five books of the Bible. Every prophecy and scientific statement therein is accurate. There are NO fulfilled prophecies in the Quran except those Mohammed copied from the Bible. Thanks for your great questions.

2011-10-28T00:36:00.007-04:00

WHO ARE THE 144,000 OF REVELATION?

By Grace Kemp
gracekemp@aol.com

Question: Please help me understand the role of the 144,000 in the book of Revelation.

I've been told that their mission is to evangelize the post-Rapture world and proclaim the gospel during the Tribulation period. As a result of their ministry, "a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language” will come to faith in Christ, according to Revelation 7:9.

Does Scripture state that the 144,000 will evangelize the post-rapture world? I don't see it. Please tell me the Scripture, that states as a result of the 144,000's ministry, the great multitude will come to Christ?

I see that the great multitude are before the throne of God and serve him day and night, but I don't see where it says they are doing so as a result of the evangelizing work of the 144,000. Are these two things expressly stated in Scripture, or implied from Scripture? I appreciate your help.

Answer: Congratulations on being such a careful student of Scripture. Details of the ministry of the 144,000 are sparse and most of our conclusions are inferred rather than taught. Following are my thoughts.

What is the Rapture?

1) Although the word Rapture is not mentioned in the Bible, it is the private removal of all born again believers before the Tribulations.

Thessalonians 4:16-18 says,
“For the Lord himself will come down from Heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

"After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

2) The Two Witnesses They are prophets who arrive from Heaven on the day of the Rapture. We know this because they are martyred at the midpoint, 1,260 days after they arrive, and a conclusion inferred by the overall timeline of Tribulation events.

They prophesy to the Jewish worshipers in the newly built Temple in Jerusalem, according to Revelation 11:1,2. Their first converts are the 144,000, the "first fruits" of the two witnesses, says Revelation 14:4. We know this because immediately after the Rapture, the two witnesses are the ONLY witnesses for God on earth.

While the 144,000 are miraculously preserved during the first half of the Tribulation, countless Jewish converts are martyred, says Matthew 24:9. Their souls are protected under Heaven's altar as they await the arrival of "their fellow servants", according to Revelation 6:9-11.

3) The 144,000, I conclude, preach during the second half or Great Tribulation after the surviving Jewish converts have successfully escaped, "into the wilderness where she hath a place prepared of God...for 1,260 days," says Rev.12: 6.

Since Zechariah 13:8 implies that the converted Jews hiding in the wilderness represent one-third of their total number and that the remaining two-thirds have been killed, the 144,000 Jewish men will preach the "Gospel of the Kingdom" to the Gentiles who have never previously heard the Gospel.

See Matthew 24:14-11 and Thessalonians 2:10-12. They are the only preachers on earth at the time, surviving because they have been "sealed" in their forehead. Therefore, the "great multitude" of Gentiles described in Revelation 7:9-17 are their converts.

This forehead seal is not to be confused with the evil Mark of the Beast that Christ rejecters will accept during the same seven-year Tribulation period. This is not the last word on the topic but these are my conclusions to date. Thank you for such a great question. There are thrilling days ahead for all believers in Christ.

2011-10-24T18:43:00.010-04:00

Is Mormonism Christian?

The question above can be phrased in several ways:

1. Is the Mormon church a Christian denomination? No. Mormonism is not Christian because it denies some of the essential doctrines of Christianity, including:

a. The deity of Christ; b. salvation by grace; and c. the bodily resurrection of Christ. Furthermore, Mormon doctrine contradicts the Christian teaching of monotheism and undermines the authority and reliability of the Bible. The evidence for these statements is documented in section 3 below.

2. Are Mormons Christians? LIKELY NOT, if they believe the major doctrines of their church.

3. Can a Mormon be a Christian?. POSSIBLY. Only God knows what each person believes (and why) regarding His Son, Jesus Christ. But as a person stays in the Mormon church, absorbs and accepts Mormon teaching, doctrine and 'latter-day revelation', the chances of answering the question in the affirmative approach zero. The key question Mormons must answer is 'WHO is the Jesus they believe in'?

In the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul warns of "another Jesus whom we have not preached... a different spirit which you have not received... a different gospel which you have not accepted" (2 Cor. 11:4).

In the New Testament book of Galatians, Paul again warns: "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!" (Gal. 1:8). Ironically, this latter warning is a nearly exact description of how the Mormon church was founded:

In 1820, Joseph Smith Jr., age 14, went into the woods near Palmyra, New York, to pray concerning the different denominations of Christianity. Allegedly, God the Father and Jesus appeared to him and told him not to join any of those churches.

Three years later an angel named Moroni, the son of the leader of a people called the Nephites who had lived in the Americas around 400 AD, appeared to Smith and told him that Smith had been chosen to translate a book written on golden plates by Moroni's father. Smith claimed to receive the plates along with instructions to begin the translation, which was published in 1830 as the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon is supposedly the account of an ancient people who came from the Middle-East to the Americas. Smith claimed that during the translation process, John the Baptist appeared to him and ordained him to accomplish the divine work of restoring the true church by preaching the true gospel that, allegedly, had been lost from the earth.

From 1833-1835, a collection of additional 'revelations from God' to Joseph Smith were published by the LDS church as the 'Doctrine and Covenants'. In 1880 another work, the 'Pearl of Great Price', was also added to the Mormon body of 'scripture'.

The Mormon view of the Bible is summed up in a statement by the most famous Mormon apologist: "The Bible of the Old World has come to us from the manuscripts of antiquity - manuscripts which passed through the hands of uninspired men who changed many parts to suit their own doctrinal ideas."

"Deletions were common, and, as it now stands, many plain and precious portions and many covenants of the Lord have been lost. As a consequence, those who rely upon it alone [the Bible] stumble and are confused" (Bruce McConkie, in The Ensign, December 1985, p 55)."

In the material below, lets examine the major doctrines of the Mormon church and compare them to those taught by orthodox Christianity. The reader can judge whether or not Mormon teachings describe a "different Jesus" and a "different gospel".

1. A Word to Mormons. If you are a Mormon, please read the material in section 1 before you proceed.

2. Claims Made by the Mormon Church. Section 2 gives background information on the LDS (Mormon) church, their statements regarding other churches, and their claims about what constitutes 'scripture'.

*claims to be Christian
*claims to be the only true Church
*the truth of the Mormon church should be confirmed by an inner feeling
*only Mormon scriptures are considered reliable, not the Bible
*claims to receive modern-day revelation that supersedes Biblical teaching

3. Mormon Doctrine Compared to Biblical Doctrine. Section 3 is the largest section of the material (>50 pages). It is intended to focus on Mormon teaching about 4 essential subjects. The approach taken throughout is to simply quote original sources, both Biblical and Mormon, with minimal commentary. The reader can decide if there is a conflict between the two and is encouraged to look up the original materials. Each of the four sections is indexed to a summary table comparing Mormon with Biblical beliefs.

*Mormon teachings about God
*Mormon teachings about Jesus
*Mormon teachings about salvation
*Mormon teachings about man

4.Mormon Literature and Leaders. This reference section gives more information on source materials plus brief descriptions of the people and books quoted in sections 2 and 3. It is important to know the background because many of the Mormon authors spoke in an official capacity or claimed to have direct revelation from God. If Mormons argue that their prophets weren't speaking authoritatively, they haven't read the original quotations of their leaders.

5. Unique Mormon Definitions. Mormons, especially LDS missionaries, use many of the same Biblical terms familiar to Christians. Yet most of these terms carry different meanings, making it critically important to define those terms.

6. Other Serious Problems with Mormonism. Major doctrinal issues are covered above, but there are many other difficulties and inconsistencies with Mormonism. In this section, I've made a partial list of these and given some useful starting points for further investigation. The serious truth-seeker should examine each of these topics.

2011-10-24T18:12:00.012-04:00

EVIL MAGIC:
SNAKES ALIVE IN EGYPT

By Harold Smith
inchrist@ca.inter.net

QUESTION: How could the magicians of Egypt do the same miracles that Moses did? (Exodus 7:22)

They did not do the same miracles. They only did two out of the ten.

A curious question many of us have is how could Egypt’s pharaoh and his evil magic men replicate some of God’s miracles displayed by Moses when he battled for the freedom of the Israelite slaves.

Exodus 7:22 tells us, “But again the magicians of Egypt used their magic, and they, too, turned water into blood. So Pharaoh's heart remained hard. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had predicted.”

The demonic magicians turned the Nile River to blood and, with pharaoh and Moses watching, were also able to copy the miracle of snakes eating snakes in the palace.

We shouldn’t be alarmed to read of Satan’s very real power. Satan had almost as much matching power as God back then when Moses was allowed to herd the children of Israel to freedom from 400 years of slavery in Egypt. Satan still has the same evil abilities today.

Satan’s power is especially vivid to those who are into Satan worship or occult practices. Avoid Satanic stuff like a deadly snake. Satan and his demons devour. Jesus and His angels are also very real. They assist us if we ask Jesus to help.

Pharaoh and the Egyptians were very wicked and set against the Lord God. They had their own demonic gods and goddesses; Hathor, Isis, Osiris, and Ra to name a few.

The one and only true God of the universe, Jehovah God, rained 10 plagues upon pharaoh until he freed His enslaved people, the Israelites.

God prevented Satan’s magicians from copying eight of the 10 plagues. The evildoers realized, “this is the finger of God.” They no longer had God’s permission to do more.

These 10 plagues are one of the greatest displays of God’s sovereignty over the entire universe. He even uses the demons for His purposes.1 Samuel 16:14, “But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.”

The verse means that God allowed that spirit to trouble Saul. This is similar to what we read in Job 1:12, where God allowed Satan to afflict Job.

The same sovereign power was displayed when He had ravens feed a prophet twice a day. 1 Kings 17:4 says, “And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.”

God used a donkey to speak to a prophet when there was nobody else available. Numbers 22:28 says, “And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, ‘What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times’?”

So, when God wanted to judge Egypt and deliver Israel He used Moses and the 10 plagues and allowed the magicians to use a little bit of their power to show that He was the all-powerful God. Jeremiah 32:27 says, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: Is there any thing too hard for me?”

There are some things God cannot do. He gave man a free will and when it comes to salvation, He cannot save a sinner that will not repent and trust His Son who died on the cross to provide salvation for Him.

Would we rather repent or perish? The issue is whether we want to live forever in Heaven or in Hell. There is no decision in life more important than this.

Deut. 30:19 says, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: Therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”

God gives us the choice. The onus in not on Him, but on us. We can never blame God if we end up in Hell. He has place the Cross of Christ between Hell and us. It is time we all accept Him.

2011-10-20T13:57:00.018-04:00

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST?

By Grace Kemp
gracekemp@aol.com

The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for our sins and rose again from the dead.

When we admit that we are a sinner and humbly turn to Him for forgiveness and receive Him as our Savior, He forgives us for every sin we have ever committed and makes us a member of His family.

Without a doubt, the gospel is the best news of all time. Because of the gospel, we can spend eternity in Heaven. Without the Gospel, we remain in our sins. No unforgiven sinner will ever enter Heaven.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, " I declare unto you the gospel..which..ye have received….by which..ye are saved..how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE “SAVED”?

The word “saved” is used 53 times in the New Testament and means to be delivered. Imagine a person in peril. Someone sees his plight, assesses the situation, then perhaps risking his own life, executes a successful rescue. We call that person a hero.

WHY DO I NEED TO BE SAVED?

God is absolutely holy. Man was born with a sinful nature, and chooses to sin. While some sin more than others, we all sin. It takes only one sin to separate us from God. Because of sin, we are in danger of eternal separation from God. We need to be saved!

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF I DIE UNSAVED?

Consider the following chilling words:

* Romans. 3:23 - “All have sinned”

* Romans. 6:23 - “The wages of sin is death”

* John 8:21 - “If you die in your sins, where I go ye cannot come”

* Hebrews. 9:27 - “After (death), the judgment”

* Matthew. 3:7 - “Flee from the wrath to come”

* Luke 16:23 - “In hell he lifted up his eyes being in torments”

* Revelation. 20:15 - “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire"

WOULD A LOVING GOD ACTUALLY SEND PEOPLE TO HELL?

God sacrificed his beloved Son to save us from going to Hell. If we ignore or reject Christ who is our one and only means of salvation, we will send ourselves to Hell. But we will have stepped over Christ’s dead body to get there.

WHAT ABOUT PURGATORY?

Purgatory does not exist. Not only does the Bible never mention it once, but teaches that Hell is a never-ending place of eternal torment from which lost souls never escape.

HOW CAN I GET SAVED?

The Bible says we must be saved to get into Heaven. To get saved, we must pray what is commonly referred to as the Sinner’s Prayer Here are the essentials.

1. We must acknowledge that we are sinners and can do nothing to save ourselves.

2. Confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

3. In simple faith, accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. Invite Him into our life.

4. The Bible says we are to tell somebody what we have done. See Romans 10:9.

SINNER’S PRAYER

Dear God,

I am a sinner and I need forgiveness.

There is nothing I can do to cover my sins, past, present, or future.

The Bible says, "Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness."

I want my sins forgiven right now so I can have a relationship with You and go to Heaven when I die.

I am willing to turn away from my sin.

I believe that:

Jesus Christ, Your Son, is the promised Messiah and Savior.

Jesus Christ died on the cross, not for His sin but to sacrifice Himself for my sin.

Jesus Christ is the only blood sacrifice for sin that You will accept.

Jesus Christ's resurrection proves that You accepted his sacrifice for me.

Because I believe all these things, I am now acting on them.

Lord Jesus Christ,

I repent of my sins.

I renounce all other gods.

I believe You are the Son of God and the only Savior.

I willingly and wholeheartedly accept You, Lord Jesus Christ, as my Savior and Lord.

I invite You to make your home in my heart.

Because you have promised to receive all who come to You in faith, I declare that:

I belong to You.

You are the Lord of my life.

I am now a member of the family of God.

I am in an eternal, covenant relationship with You.

This covenant is sealed by the Holy Spirit who now lives in me.

My name is written in your Book of Life.

Heaven is my future home.

My intention is to love and obey you with my whole heart.

Thank you, God, for your amazing love and priceless gift of salvation.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Your name_________________________________

Date ______________________________________

(Keep this with your valuable documents.)

2011-10-04T16:42:00.015-04:00

Questions and Answers

By Grace Kemp

gracekemp@aol.com
http://www.youtube.com/scriptureseries

Q. If Jesus preached love and all, why is that that some Christians are hateful and intolerant of Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Pagans, etc. I've had enough.

A. All who profess Christianity are not necessarily true Christians. True believers in Christ will hate the false religion that leads people to Hell while loving the person enough to warn them of their religious error.

Q. Either Jesus is some kind of power-hungry corrupt prophet or Christians have got it all wrong.

A. Would you still call Jesus "power hungry" if you knew His claims were true? Read the Gospel of John with an open mind.

Q. I'm sick of it. I'm tired of all the pain and suffering people have put me through.

A. God will eventually judge all those who have caused you "pain and suffering" (11 Peter 2:9). What other religion offers this kind of equality and justice?

Q. You know what? These Hell claims are FEAR tactics. I was watching a documentary on Hell and these people dramatized it back 1,000 something years ago to scare people into their beliefs.

A. Would you call it "fear tactics" if some screaming maniac awakened you out of sleep to tell you your house was on fire? Is he a hero or a villain? The Bible says, "Flee from the wrath to come!" (Luke 3:7).

Q. If Christianity is the only way, why is it that Christianity came after Paganism, Hinduism, the ancient religions of Greece and Egypt and Judaism. Why is that?

A. God predated ALL religions (Gen. 1:1). When Adam and Eve sinned, God killed animals to cover their nakedness, symbolic of the fact that covering sin required a blood sacrifice. The human race became sinful thereafter. By the time of the flood, corruption flourished (Genesis 6:5). Paganism and its many false religious faces developed after the flood through Nimrod in Mesopotamia around the time of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9).

God chose Abraham and the Jews around 2,000 BC as His mediators of truth and salvation to mankind (Genesis 12:1,2; 17:6-8. etc.) New Testament Christianity flows right out of Old Testament Judaism in which God promised to send a Redeemer who would die as the blood sacrifice for the sins of the world (Isaiah 53). Christ's substitutionary death around 30 AD means that the repetitious blood sacrifices of the Old Testament are no longer necessary.

Forgiveness of sin, past, present, and future is available to all who receive Christ as their Savior! How great is that?! God has devised a plan that satisfies his judgment against sin and offers salvation as a free gift to all who receive it. All other religions are Satan's lies designed to deceive and confuse the unwary (Luke 8:44).

Q. I want proof that the Bible is the only valid source of God's truth. Can you give that?

A. There is far too much proof of the divine origin of Scripture to cover in this forum. I have previously suggested that you read the book, "Evidence that Demands a Verdict," by Josh McDowell. The prophetic evidence alone for the divine source of the Bible is overwhelming.

Q. There are just as many prophecies and as much science in the Torah and Quran as there are in the Bible.

A. The Torah IS the first 5 books of the Bible. Every prophecy and scientific statement therein is accurate. There are NO fulfilled prophecies in the Quran except those Mohammed copied from the Bible.

Satanic Ritual Abuse, Dissociative Identity Disorder

2011-09-29T04:04:00.007-04:00

Things that TRIGGER

By NiteOwlDave
niteowldave@gmail.com

Those who deal with Multiple Personality Disorder/ Dissociative Identity Disorder can trigger - which means they switch personalities and are tossed into a flashback - six different ways -

1. Words
2. Smells
3. Sounds
4. Visual images
5. Unwanted touch
6. Taste

It often takes time, practice, and focus to learn the triggers. If you’re a friend of someone with DID (also called Multiple Personality Disorder), it would be wise to create a trigger list as you learn them.

WORDS

It is a given that most graphic sexual words will trigger a survivor of sexual abuse.
In the same ballpark are words like “babe” and such. Words of that type are used by abusers in their sick efforts to attract, turn-on or “comfort” their targets of hurt.

Whispering to a survivor is often VERY triggery. Most survivors have heard ugly whispers during abuse.

If an abuse survivor has been through the horrors of Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA), it should be presumed that ALL God words are triggers that will prompt terrifying flashbacks.

We must presume that all religious words will trigger a survivor of abuse and programming at a Satanic coven. Avoid using these and similar words –

1. Master
2. Christ
3. Blood
4. Lord
5. Savior
6. The word alter may be a trigger as Satanists use upside down crosses they sometimes call altars during their sacrificial practices. If so, use the word insider, friend or other when referring to their alter personalities.
7. Crucify
8. Cross
9. Slave
10. Basement or attic
11. Christmas and Christian music
12. Words spoken in anger plus loud noises like crowds can trigger.

I’ve found a good way around trigger words is using initials such as the b of the real JC to stand for the blood of Jesus Christ. The Lord hears our hearts, so it matters little if we use clearly pronounced words.

When a survivor of SRA gets saved and exposes him or herself to Christian music, Christian counseling and Christian friends, these trigger words will slowly be lifted, usually one word at a time. It usually takes time, focus, and prayer.

Do not use striking words that refer to hurting such as:

1. Hit
2. Strike
3. Slap
4. Smack
5. Hurt, etc.

It is better to say “the bad things that were said and done to you at the bad place.”

SMELLS AND SOUNDS

The triggers prompted by smells and sounds are different with each survivor. We can assume the smell of aftershave, beer, cigarettes, cigars, and blood related to Satanic sacrifices would be triggers.

VISUALS

A favorite sick trick of the Coven Satanist is with dress wear.

Satanists will dress like cops, priests, pastors, and postmen. They tell their young victims they are God, Jesus Christ, teachers, therapists, etc. This makes the victim think EVERYONE is linked to them and to never divulge their past. It’s ultimate brain washing.

Survivors will trigger from anything they see that reminds them of their Satanic past. That can happen if they see someone who walks, talks or is wearing something that was worn by a Satanist at “the bad place.”

Another visual flashback source is television and movies. Many survivors will not watch TV or go to movies because of horror, blood, and love scenes.

TOUCH

It is wise to never touch or hug a survivor without permission. A soft touch to the elbow can be even difficult to take.

TASTE

Any taste with a devilish link will trigger.

Usually, the slightest taste of blood – such as in an undercooked hamburger - can be a monstrous trigger. The sick Satanists force held kids to dabble with blood in rituals and to drink it.

Other taste triggers often have different unique sources. One survivor told me she can not eat bacon because her Satanist father forced it down her throat as a child. She says seeing bacon in a store tosses her back into that memory and makes her switch personalities.

She said she also detests miniature hot dogs although she can eat regular-sized hot dogs. “I don’t know why,” she said. “There must be memory link there that I’m unaware of.”

OTHER TRIGGERS

Some survivors have triggers unique only to them.

I was once told by a survivor to never use the word clock. (She spelled out the word.) I didn’t pursue why it was a trigger but accepted it.

Another survivor told me she triggers if she hears jangling keys. She said her abusive father always did that when he arrived home.

Anyone who is going to befriend or try to help an abuse survivor must be alert to uncommon triggers and avoid them. Don’t hesitate to ask a survivor friend what to avoid saying or talking about.

CANDLES AND FIRES

Staring at burning candles or small fires can cause someone with an SRA background to space out or trance.

Satanists use fires for rituals where they sacrifice cats, dogs, babies and young children to Lucifer, whom they worship.

Even if a survivor escapes the Satanist, he or she will still be linked to demons that have ground or the right to be part of them through blood rituals. Candles are used by most survivors to trance. Trancing allows Demons to take control of the body.

ONE FINAL THING…

We must keep in mind that survivors of brief or prolonged sexual abuse who have other personalities or alters are not freaks. Their life is a mountainous journey.

You might find this article I wrote of interest. The ABCs of SRA and DID

http://www.scribd.com/doc/10125792/The-ABCs-of-SRA-and-DID-PDF-File

2011-07-20T14:58:00.010-04:00

WHAT ARE THE RAPTURE AND TRIBULATION?

By Grace Kemp
gracekemp@aol.com

The Rapture is the pre-tribulation removal of the church to Heaven and marks the end of the church age, a period of time in which God brings believing Jews and Gentiles together in one body called the church.

Since no true believers, living or dead, are left behind, there is no need for a second Rapture. (1 Thess. 4:15-17).

The Tribulation begins after John's call to Heaven that may symbolize the Rapture (Rev. 4:1).

The seven years of Tribulation is all about the Jews. It is not only "the time of Jacob's trouble," (Jer, 30:7), but salvation is, once again, "of the Jews" (John 4:22). Believing Jews are the evangelists in the Tribulation.

Following the Rapture, God's two Jewish witnesses station themselves on either side of the golden menorah in the newly built temple in Jerusalem (Zech. 4:2,3,).

There, they prophesy to Jewish worshipers (Rev, 11:1). Their first converts are the 144,000 Jews (Rev.14:4). There is no record of any Gentile converts (Matt. 24:9).

Note the rejoicing of Gentiles when the two witnesses are killed. (Rev. 11:9,10).

At the midpoint of the Tribulation, one third of all Jews on earth believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, likely as a result of God's spectacular deliverance of the Jews from the invading, northern army (Ezek. 38, 39; Zech. 13:8).

These converts, the remnant of Israel, hide out in the Judean wilderness during the final 3 1/2 years of the Great Tribulation (Rev. 12:6, 13-16). The unbelieving 2/3's of Jews who are not in hiding are killed (Zech. 13:8).

The departure of the two witnesses marks the end of God's outreach to Israel as a whole. Hereafter, He deals with the believing remnant of Israel.

The millions of Gentiles converted through the preaching of the 144,000 Jews during the Great Tribulation, become proselytes of Israel just as they did in the Old Testament (Rev. 7:9, 13-17). The remnant of Israel rules the world under Christ, their King, during the Kingdom age.

----------------

* To summarize, the Rapture marks the end of God's outreach to the church. The removal of the two witnesses marks the end of God's outreach to national Israel.

* I see no Biblical basis for believing in a second Rapture.

2011-07-20T13:33:00.012-04:00

IS JESUS THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN?

Interesting observation here.

One can be into Confucianism without knowing Confucius.
One can be a Mohammedan without knowing Mohammed.
One can be a Buddhist without knowing Buddha.
But, one cannot be a Christian without knowing Christ.

Confused? Check this out : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTHpd-1gPLw

Surveys show that the majority today reject the Bible as being true. Perhaps people don't like the idea of being accountable to God. Perhaps they see a Jesus believer as being too pushy the way he shares his faith.

Acclaimed Christian author Charles Colson suggests in his book, The Body, that evangelicals may want to rethink how we spread the message of salvation through Christ.

WE MUST BE MORE CLEAR

"Expressions Christians have used for decades, like 'God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life' no longer necessarily connect," writes Colson.

"Christians understand them, but few others can relate.

"For example, proclaiming that 'The Bible says' commanded respect in the 1930s, 1940s, and even into the 1960s - when 65 percent of all Americans believed the Bible to be literally true. Today, only 32 percent believe the Bible to be true."

MOST REJECT THE BIBLE

Citing data from the PRRC Emerging Trends (January, 1992), Colson reported, "The majority find the Bible an interesting collection of ancient legends and stories, but they don't believe it. "So," says Colson, "if you say 'the Bible says,' only one of three Americans is even ready to listen.

"The same is true of England, where belief in a personal God has declined to 31 percent. Concludes Colson, "We must examine and perhaps drastically overhaul our tracts and techniques to engage the modern mind."

GOD WHISPERS

2011-07-16T21:00:00.007-04:00

Question: If a person in a remote area of the world is seeking the true God, will God use some supernatural means (such as an angel or voice from heaven) to reach him with the gospel?

Some suggest God does not use methods other than humans preaching the gospel to spread the salvation message.

But God has and does use supernatural methods such as angels and visions to convict and convert. Call them God whispers.

There are many accounts of people who have accepted Christ after a dream, vision, or revelation without human assistance.

Revelation 14: 5-7 says that in the Tribulation, a desperate time that might compare to some cases today, an ANGEL shouts the "everlasting Gospel" from the heavens "to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nations and kindred and tongue and people saying Fear God and give glory to him etc."

However, we must keep in mind that today the written Word, the Bible, the living Word, and Christians are the major tools used by the Spirit.

2011-07-04T21:07:00.009-04:00

999 BIBLICAL REASONS I CANNOT BECOME A ROMAN CATHOLIC

By NiteOwlDave
niteowldave@gmail.com

The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) puts as much stock in its “sacred traditions” and the papacy as it does the Word of God, the Bible. Strangely, they conflict with the Bible.

TRADITIONS

Where is it declared that the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) has more than one source of truth?

The church’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Chap. 2, 9, p. 682 asserts, "Thus it comes about that the Church does not draw her certainty about all revealed truths from the Holy Scriptures alone. Hence, both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal feelings of devotion and reverence"

What traditions does the RCC embrace?

With no biblical linkage are Roman Catholic doctrines and practices such as the literal bread and wine mass, Purgatory, the priesthood, transubstantiation, prayers for the dead, indulgences, penance, the worship of Mary, the use of images in worship, holy water, rosary beads, the celibacy of priests and nuns, the papacy, and many others.

Does the Bible condemn “traditions”? Yes and no.

The Bible does state in Mark 7:7 and 8:13, “You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions. . .In this way you make God's word null and void for the sake of your tradition which you have handed down."

In 2 Thessalonians 2:15, the Bible endorses traditions that supports the teachings of the apostles, and is consistent with biblical revelation.

In Matthew 15:3, the Bible says it is against tradition when it "transgresses the commands of God." By Jesus' own words, tradition is not to contradict the commands of the Bible. In other words, tradition should be in harmony with biblical teaching and not opposed it in any way.

Are there other sources the RCC point to for its truth? Yes.

The Church of Rome embraces teachings from the 15 books of the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha is never quoted by Christ or by His apostles. However, the Old Testament is quoted in the New Testament more than 250 times. The term Apocrypha means hidden and of questionable authenticity that makes it not Canon-worthy. The papacy gets no mention in the Bible.

NEW TESTAMENT

Were the 27 books of the New Testament approved by the Catholic Church? Yes.

The New Testament canon is the result of a lengthy and complicated process involving numerous councils conducted by the Roman Catholic Church.

It is crucial to remember that the church did not determine the canon. It was God, and God alone, who determined which books belonged in the Bible. It was simply a matter of God imparting to His followers what He had already decided.

The Council of Hippo, meeting in Hippo, North Africa, in 393 AD, and the Council of Carthage, in 397, both affirmed the 27 books as authoritative. It follows that the Holy Spirit rode shotgun over the selection.

The Roman Catholic Council of Laodicea stated that only the Old Testament books and the 27 books of the New Testament, were to be read in the churches.

The criteria for which books were selected were -

1. Was the author an apostle or have a close connection with an apostle?
2. Was the book being accepted by the body of Christ at large?
3. Did the book contain consistency of doctrine and orthodox teaching?
4. Did the book bear evidence of high moral and spiritual values that would reflect a work of the Holy Spirit?

We must accept that the end result is the conclusive Word of God. Would the Creator of the universe give us a flawed manual? Hardly.

OLD TESTAMENT

When was the Old Testament closed?

The Old Testament canon was closed and accepted by the Jews from the time of the Septuagint in 275 BC, when the Jewish Scriptures were translated from Hebrew into Greek.

CHURCH LAUNCH

Was the Christian church launched the day of Pentecost? Yes

Fifty days after the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles gathered in an “upper room” in Jerusalem.

Acts 2: 1-11 says, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability… And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.

“Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?

Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power.’" The Bible records that 3,000 believed that Jesus Christ was the Messiah that day.”

PETER THE ROCK

Is Peter the Rock and does he hold the keys to Heaven? No.

Roman Catholicism endeavors to defend the papacy by claiming that Peter was the first pope and was personally appointed by Christ.

They base this claim upon their interpretation of Matthew 16:13-19 in which Jesus responds to Peter's confession that He is the Christ by declaring that upon this rock He will build His church and will give the keys of the kingdom to Peter to bind and loose upon the earth.

The papacy claims that Peter is the rock, and the keys represent the pope's absolute authority and infallibility over the church. However, Jesus was not saying He would build His church upon Peter, but upon the simple foundational confession of faith. Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ. Christ is the rock, not Peter.

Ephesians 2:20-21 says, “Together, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus Himself. We are carefully joined together in Him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.”

The "keys" symbolize the authority to open the way of salvation through the preaching of the gospel to all those who are bound in darkness and sin. Peter was first entrusted with the keys because he was the first to give this confession of faith in Jesus and was instrumental in initially opening the door of salvation to the Jews at Pentecost, as stated in Acts 2, as well as the gentiles at Cornelius' house, as stated in Acts 10.

Matthew 18:18 points out that all true disciples possess the keys when proclaiming the way of salvation to unbelievers and offering them spiritual liberty through Christ.

The Scriptures disprove Catholic claims concerning Peter. Peter never claimed to be a pope, head over the church, or in a superior position over the other apostles. In 1 Peter 5:1, he simply referred to himself as an elder among many.

In 1 Peter 5:3, Peter challenged the dictatorial nature of the papacy by warning ministers not to lord over the flock.

In Acts 10: 25-26, Peter refused to receive homage from men.

PRE-NEW TESTAMENT

Did God provide a way for the early church to learn the truth of Messiah Jesus before the New Testament canon was approved in 393 AD at the Council of Hippo in North Africa? Yes.

The early church slowly transitioned from the verbal story and the traditions that accompanied it to the written record as it became available to them. The RCC wrongly states that the details of Jesus, the apostles and the writing of Paul were not made available to the common man until after the Council of Hippo in 393.

The New Testament message was circulated widely even before the canon was recognized.

MARTIN LUTHER

Was Martin Luther right to challenge his church? Yes

Martin Luther, born in 1483, was a German Roman Catholic priest, who had the guts to challenge his church for selling get-out-of-purgatory indulgences if a Catholic contributed to pope Leo’s construction fund to build St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Luther discovered and taught that salvation is not earned by good deeds but received only as a free gift of God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ as Redeemer from sin. This led to the launch of the Protestant Reformation.

DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS

Aren’t we to be part of one Body and not splintered? Yes.

There are said to be over 20,000 Christian denominations today. Roman Catholicism is ONE of them.

The Bible is void of church tags. Neither the words Protestant nor Catholic are in the Bible.
As believers, we should be of one mind on the essentials of the faith, but beyond that there is a great deal of latitude in how Christians should worship in a corporate setting.

This latitude is what causes so many different “flavors” of Christianity. A Presbyterian church in Uganda will have a style of worship much different from a Presbyterian church in Colorado, but their doctrinal stand will be, for the most part, the same.

BIRTH OF THE RCC

When was the RCC launched?

The Vatican claims its church was birthed by Christ is 33 AD. More correctly, the distinctive features of Catholicism originated several hundred years after the early church was launched by the apostles at Pentecost.

Roman Catholic dogma has gradually evolved over the centuries. None of its major traditions and doctrines we see today were taught, defended, practiced, or embraced by the apostolic church.

ABOUT MARY

Does Mary get much mention in the Bible? No.

Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus, is mentioned 21 times in the Bible. The Apostle Paul is mentioned 153 times. There is no mention of Mary beyond the fifth book of the New Testament, in Acts. 1:14.

Is Jesus portrayed by the RCC in paintings and sculptures as a lesser light than Mary? Yes.

Jesus is presented primarily as -

1. A babe in the arms of Mary (even in Heaven!)
2. Hanging on the cross
3. Lifeless, lying on Mary’s lap.

Did Mary ever sin? It appears so.

Mary essentially declared that she was a sinner when she is quoted as saying in Luke 1:47, "And my spirit rejoiced in God my Savior." Only a sinner needs a Savior. A sinless person does not need saving.

Did Jesus call His earthly mother Mary “blessed?” No.

In Luke 11:27-28, it is noted, “As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” Jesus replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Is Mary ever called blessed? Yes.

Luke 1:42 record’s Mary’s sister-in-law Elizabeth saying, “And she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb’. ”

Note that Mary is called blessed among woman, not above woman. We are to honor the earthly birth mother of the Lord Jesus Christ as a chosen earthly vessel of God. Are we to worship her as the "Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix," as the Vatican insists? No.

Did Mary experience a painful childbirth, a sign of a sinner? Yes.

The Bible declares in Genesis that because Adam and Eve chose to sin, many curses were pronounced by God upon the entire human race. They included pain in childbirth upon all women.

Did Mary experience a painful childbirth and therefore bear evidence that she had a sinful nature too? Yes. Revelations 12:2 points out, "And she [Mary] being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered."

Did Mary have other children? It appears so.

Altogether she had five sons and two daughters. Mark 6:3 says, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph, and of Judas, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” He was not referring to His apostles or followers.

ONE MEDIATOR

Is Jesus Christ the lone Mediator in Heaven? Yes.

I Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” He – and He alone – has the ear of the Father. Mary, the apostles, a priest, a pastor do not. We can ask others who are alive to pray for us, but they must petition the Father through the Son.

Is there any mention of the pope or advocates other than Jesus in Revelation? No.

Mary and the pope are suspiciously absent in the apostle John's book of Revelation, a visionary tour of Heaven in which John saw differently ranked angels and Christ standing at the throne and at the prayer altar. Christ is seen as the only candidate worthy to open the seals of the title deed to earth.

NO “AHA” MOMENTS FOR MARY AND PETER

Did Jesus give us farewell advice about Mary or Peter? No.

The Lord Jesus Christ made no celebrated reference to Mary or (pope) Peter prior to His returning to Heaven? If they were to be elevated above others for special honor, wouldn't He have clearly reminded His followers to take heed? Of course He would have.

But he didn't. His silence speaks volumes, and again points out that Jesus is the one and only way to Heaven, with no others between or alongside, and that all His creation is fallen and is composed of equal sinners.

Has Mary always been held in lofty esteem by the Church of Rome? No.

It may surprise some that Mary hasn't always been held with such celebrated esteem The Church of Rome has given Mary a recent elevator ride, and her upturn of adoration is, for some unknown reason, gathering momentum.

Here, without biblical support, are Mary dates of note instituted by the Vatican:

-Worship of Mary is approved in 431 AD
-Prayers to Mary are approved in 600 AD
-The Ave Maria (Hail to Mary) is approved in 1508 AD
-Immaculate conception of Mary is announced and approved in 1854 AD
-Mary is proclaimed Mother of the Church in 1965 AD. Breaking news, so recent!

ABOUT THE POPES

Who has been the biggest cheerleader for mother Mary?

Pope John Paul became Mary's greatest promoter by dedicating his papacy to her and taking as his episcopal motto the Latin words, "Totus Tuus," meaning "Totally Yours," and had these words of devotion to Mary embroidered on his papal robes - "John Paul II's Devotion to Mary.” One would think a proclaimed follower of Christ would promote the Savior ahead of the Savior’s mother.

Did Pope John Paul overstate Mary any further? Yes.

The late pope promoted Mary through the roof with such proclamations as "Mary's mediation continues in the history of the Church and the world...and the Church expresses her faith in this truth by invoking Mary under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix." (Pope John Paul II Encyclical, "Redemptoris Mater," page 87.)

The pope further said, "She [the Virgin Mary] is the shrine of the Holy Spirit. This gift of outstanding grace makes her outstrip by far all other creatures in excellence, whether they are in Heaven or on Earth. All Christ's faithful must issue urgent pleas to the Mother of God and Mother of men" (Vatican II; Dogmatic Constitution on the Church).

Are these statements by the pope blasphemous? Yes.

Mary is not our advocate; Jesus Christ is. He died on the cross and rose again for our sins. Mary was an observer and has no role as "mediator."

Did the apostles honor Peter or Mary? No.

So why does anyone today make such a fuss over the blessed earthly mother of our Lord? It makes no sense.

Were Peter and Mary heralded when the Christian church was established the day of Pentecost? No.

Neither of them are mentioned when the Holy Spirit descended upon the 120 of His followers and empowered them to spread the gospel of eternal salvation through the finished sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Peter and Mary were praying with the others. There is no mention that they were being prayed to.

CONFESSION

Are we to confess our sins to a priest? No.

Mathew 18:15-18 says, “No man, by his own power and authority, could possibly forgive sins…”

Luke 7:48-50 reports a woman “who was a sinner” who came and annointed Jesus’ feet. “And He said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ “Then those who were at the table with Him began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this, who even forgives sins?’ “And He said to the woman,” ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace’."

The RCC Baltimore Catechism defines confession as "the telling of our sins to an authorized priest for the purpose of obtaining forgiveness." Catholicism stresses that priests have the power and authority to forgive sins without even asking God.

To be forgiven and cleansed of sin, a Roman Catholic Priest may assign penance, punishments in the form of good works, a certain number of prayers, fasting, or abstinence from certain pleasures as a token of repentance.

The Vatican says priests have the power to forgive mortal sins, but the penalty must be paid through penance and/or the performance of good works that the priest will chose to prescribe.
This flies in the face of Holy Scripture. The Bible says we are saved by the blood of the risen Jesus Christ.

IMAGES

Are we to bow to Christian images? No.

Exodus 20:4-5 says, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in Heaven above or on the Earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me.”

BIBLE

Has the Roman Catholic Church ever forbidden its members from reading the Word of God, the Bible? Yes.

It was first officially forbidden to the people and placed on the index of Forbidden Books List by the Council of Valencia in 1229 A.D. The Council of Trent (1545-63 A.D.) also prohibited private Bible reading use and pronounced a curse upon anyone who would dare oppose this decree. Today, Catholics are encouraged to read the Bible. However, the bishops of Rome interpret their truth.

WORKS

Are good works necessary for salvation? No.

Catholicism teaches salvation, but substitutes a system of grace plus works in which human works are a necessary element for one's salvation. The Bible says that good works are evidence of our salvation, not the means of our salvation.

VATICAN

Is the Vatican the final authority with Biblical issues? Yes, and wrongly so.

The Church of Roman teaches that Christ established the Church but exalts a man (the pope) as its head. It invests absolute, infallible authority in him and his official decrees. The bishops of Rome have final interpretation when there are questions about Bible interpretation. RC church leaders tell us the interpretations have never changed. That is not true.

SAINTS

Are ALL saved Christians called saints? Yes.

The Bible uses several different labels to refer to those who are saved: Christians, saints, priests, children of God. In 2 Corinthians 1:1, the Apostle Paul called the believers at the church at Corinth “saints.”

Paul's remarks are directed to all the saints - meaning believers - in the city. The RCC has its own hall of fame of selected saints with no biblical foundation.

SAINT FRAUD

Did the RCC ever goof with its saint selection? Yes.

Remember awhile back, when that popular salt-shaker-sized Saint Christopher icon was affixed to the dashboards of many of the faithful? Roman Catholics were urged to pray to him for travel safety.

He was the Patron Saint of Travel. Where did he go? Catholic Online, a useful website, reports: "In 1969, the Church took a long look at all the saints on its calendar to see if there was historical evidence that each saint existed and lived a life of holiness.

“In taking that long look, the Church discovered that there was little proof that many ‘saints’, including some very popular ones, ever lived. Christopher was one of the names that was determined to have a basis mostly in legend. Therefore, Christopher (and others) were dropped from the universal calendar."

That means that the many millions who prayed and thanked "Saint Christopher" for traveling mercies prayed to someone who never existed or at best was based on a legend. Another lurch in the ever-shifting truth of the Roman Catholic Church! Where was the outrage?

PURGATORY

At death, are we purged of our unforgiven sins in Purgatory? No.

The Bible mentions no such place. 1 Peter 3:18 says, "Christ Himself. . .had died once for sins." In Matthew 8:12; 22:13; and 25:30, Jesus decreed for rebels eternal banishment from His presence into "outer darkness (where) there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
The Bible says in Hebrews 1:33 that Christ "by himself purged our sins." If we could be purged of sin in any other way, then why did Christ die on the cross? Hebrews 9:27-28 says, "and as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment."

Is Purgatory primarily a church moneymaker? Yes.

Rome collects millions of dollars – billions?-each year from grieving individuals who willingly pay to alleviate the agonies of those in Purgatory.

This frightening doctrine cannot find a single verse in the entire Bible to support it. Rome has had to rely on ingenious twistings of the Scriptures to defend this terrifying teaching. Its only support is an isolated passage from the apocryphal book of II Maccabees (12:39-45).

BISHOPS

Aren’t bishops in a church supposed to be married? Yes.

In 1 Timothy 3:2-5 says, "A bishop then, must be blameless, married but once, reserved, prudent, of good conduct, hospitable, a teacher...He should rule well his own household, keeping his children under control and perfectly respectful. For if a man cannot rule his own household, how is he to take care of the church of God?"

PRIESTS

Are all true Christians priests in the eyes of God? Yes.

1 Peter 2:5 says, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

BAPTISM

Are we to be baptized by immersion instead of sprinkling? Yes.

Colossians 2:12 says, ”For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.”

CLERGY APPEARANCE

Is a member of the clergy to stand out from others? No.

Matthew 23:5-6 says, “But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues.”

DO NOT USE THE WORD “FATHER”

Does the Bible forbid us to address a religious leader as “father”? Yes.

Matthew 23: 9 says, “And call no man your father upon the earth: for One is your Father, which is in Heaven.”

THE MASS

At the Roman Catholic mass, does the bread and wine turn into the literal flesh and blood of Jesus? No.

When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper – or the Passover meal – Jesus was alive. He used literal bread and wine and, as it says in 1 Corinthians 11:24, when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you: do this in remembrance of Me.” Jesus did not pass out pieces of His literal flesh but, instead, a symbol of it.

THE ROSARY

Are rosary-type prayers condemned in the Bible? Yes.

Matthew 6: 7-8 says, "In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them.”

The rosary is a device consisting of a chain of beads used in the ritualistic counting of repetitious prayers such as Hail Mary’s and The Lord's Prayer. It was first introduced by a monk named Peter the Hermit (1090 AD) but was not officially sanctioned by the Vatican until the 16th century.

RCC EVOLVES

Is Vatican “truth,” its interpretation of the Bible, ever-changing? Yes.

Biblical truth is replaced by the church's man-made traditions and ever-expanding “new truth” handed down by the Vatican.

Here is a list of RCC added “truths” that have no biblical foundation.

1. Prayers for the dead (AD 300)

2. Making the sign of the cross (AD 300)

3. Veneration of angels and dead saints, and use of images (AD 375)

4.The beginning of mass as a daily celebration. (AD 394)

5. The worship and exaltation of Mary and use of term "Mother of God"(AD 431)

6. Priests begin to dress differently from laity (AD 500)

7. Extreme unction (last rites) (AD 526)

8. The doctrine of Purgatory, instituted by Pope Gregory I. (593)

9. The Latin language used in worship and prayer, instituted by Pope Gregory I. (AD 600)

10. Prayers directed to Mary, dead saints, and angels (AD 600)

11. Title of "pope" or "universal bishop" first given to Pope Boniface III (AD 607)

12. Kissing the pope's foot, began with Pope Constantine (AD 709)

13.Worship of the cross, image, and relics (AD 786)

14. Holy water, mixed with a pinch of salt and blessed by a priest (AD 850)

15. Worship of St. Joseph (AD 890)

16. College of Cardinals established (AD 927)

17. Canonization of dead saints, first by Pope John XV (AD 995)

18. Fasting on Fridays and during Lent (AD 998)

19. The mass developed as a sacrifice and attendance made mandatory (AD 11th century)

20. Celibacy of the priesthood, decreed by Pope Gregory VII (AD1079)

21. The rosary, used in prayer (AD 1090)

22. The Inquisition, instituted by the Council of Verona (AD 1184)

23. Sale of Indulgences (AD 1190)

24.Transubstantiation, proclaimed by Pope Innocent III (AD 1215)

25. Auricular (private) confession of sins to a priest, instituted by Pope Innocent III in Lateran Council (AD 1215)

26. Adoration of wafer (“host”), decreed by Pope Honorius III (AD 1220)

27. Bible forbidden to laymen and placed on Index of Forbidden Books by Council of Valencia (AD 1229)

28. The scapular garment, invented by Simon Stock, an English monk (AD 1251)

29. Cup forbidden to the people at communion by Council of Constance (AD 1414)

30. Purgatory proclaimed as a dogma by Council of Florence (AD 1439)

31. The doctrine of seven sacraments affirmed (AD 1439)

32. The Ave Maria (Hail Mary) invented and completed 50 years later (AD 1508)

33. Jesuit order founded by Loyola (AD 1534)

34. Tradition declared to be of equal authority with the Bible by Council of Trent (AD 1545)

35. The Apocryphal books added to the Bible by the Council of Trent (AD 1546)

36. Syllabus of Errors, proclaimed by Pope Pius IX and ratified by the Vatican Council, condemned freedom of religion, conscience, speech, press, and scientific discoveries which are disapproved by the Roman Church and reasserted the pope's temporal authority over all civil rulers (AD 1864)

37. Infallibility of the pope in matters of faith and morals, proclaimed by the Vatican Council (AD 1870)

38. Public schools condemned by Pope Pius XI (AD 1930)

39. Assumption of the Virgin Mary (bodily ascension into Heaven shortly after her death) (AD 1950)

40. Mary proclaimed mother of the Church by Pope Paul VI (AD 1965)

ROMAN CATHOLIC CURSES

Do the curses (anathemas) entrap Roman Catholics? Yes.

Here are a few of the church curses established at the Council of Trent in northern Italy between 1545 and 1563. They are still enforced by the Vatican today. The Council was held to respond to the alarm bells set off by Martin Luther whose insight led to the birth of Protestantism.

If anyone denies that by...baptism, the guilt of original sin is remitted (or) denies that...[the] justice, sanctification and redemption...of Jesus Christ is applied both to adults and to infants by the sacrament of baptism...let him be anathema..... (Rome's emphasis)

If anyone says that the sacraments of the New Law (i.e., the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church) are not necessary for salvation...and that without them...men obtain from God through faith alone the grace of justification...let him be anathema....

If anyone says that baptism is...not necessary for salvation, let him be anathema....

If anyone says that after the reception of the grace of justification the guilt is so remitted and the debt of eternal punishment so blotted out...that no debt of temporal punishment remains to be discharged, either in this world or in Purgatory before the gates of Heaven can be opened, let him be anathema....

If anyone says that the sacrifice of the mass...wherein that life-giving victim by which we are reconciled to the Father is daily immolated on the altar by priests...is a mere commemoration of the sacrifice consummated on the cross but not a propitiatory one...offered for the living and the dead, for sins, punishments, satisfactions, and other necessities, let him be anathema.

If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone, meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification, and that it is not in any way necessary that he be prepared and disposed by the action of his own will, let him be anathema.

Do anathemas and the Bible conflict? Yes.

No bolder or clearer rejection of the Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ could be declared than by Catholic curses.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT RCC CURSES?

John 3:16-18 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; He who does not believe is judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

Romans 10:9 says, "If you confess with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

Romans 10:13 says, "It shall be whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved."

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no man can boast."

1 Peter 2:24 says, "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His stripes we are healed."

John 5:24 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my Word, and believes…Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

GULP

Today, a billion people are linked to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY WE MUST DO TO GET TO HEAVEN?

Forgiveness of sins and eternal life is a gift that was purchased by Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, and He offers us that gift today. A gift must be received. Because it is free does not make it cheap.

Salvation is not something we have to try to earn. As sinners, we cannot do enough to earn God's favor. It is not something that any church can earn for us. It is not something that can be obtained through a church ritual, such as baptism or confirmation.

Salvation is the free eternal mercy of God through Jesus Christ, and the Bible says He stands ready and able to receive every sinner that will come to Him by repentance and faith.

THE BIBLE SAYS WE CAN KNOW RIGHT NOW THAT WE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE

1. "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" (1 John 5:12-13).

2. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).

3. "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work" (Romans 11:6).

4. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

Eternal salvation is a simple but honest prayer away. What do we pray? Well, something like this:

Dear God,

I am a sinner.

Others have sinned greater than I have, but, nevertheless, I stand before you now as a lost sinner, deserving of Hell.

I choose to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became a Man.

I choose to believe He allowed Himself to be put to death, arose again on the third day and is alive today.

The Bible says our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ, and I believe that.

Father, I want to be cleansed of all my sins right now. I know I am not right with God, and I want to be forgiven. I want to go to Heaven when I die.

Right now, at (Time and Date)__________________________, I bow at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ, and I am dumping all of my sin there. ALL of it!

I ask that the blood of Jesus Christ wash away all my sins - past, present and future.

I am sorry for my sin, and I accept your forgiveness.

Right now I declare that I am a saved Christian.

I ask, Father, that you will make me aware of when I want to sin, and give me the courage to say no.

I ask, too, that you will help me understand the Bible, and to make the rest of my days on Earth count for eternity.

I pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ - my new Lord and Savior - amen.

ANYTHING ELSE? YES

(1.) We are to tell someone in person that we have invited Jesus into our life as Lord and Savior.

(2.) Read the Bible, starting with the books of John and Romans in the New Testament.

(3.) Start attending a church were salvation through Christ is clearly preached.

(4.) Start, or continue, doing good stuff to demonstrate that Christ is within you.

(5.) Check out getting baptized by immersion.

2011-06-23T16:50:00.011-04:00

YES, CHRISTIANS CAN HAVE DEMONS

By NiteOwlDave
niteowldave@gmail.com

Can a born again Christian be possessed by a demon?

It is likely that most Bible-believers who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will say absolutely not.

They will say no way will the Holy Spirit share quarters with a demon or demons. They advise that demons are blocked from entering a Christian by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

That seems to make sense. I’m sure 99 per cent of us raised in a Bible church have always believed this to be rock solid truth.

It may be an eye opener to learn that nowhere in the Bible does it state that a Christian cannot be indwelt by a demon. It is assumed that Christians are demon-proofed.

The idea that a demon can attach to a Christian falls in place if we accept that all of us are triune beings, consisting of body, soul, and spirit.

I suggest one or more demons can inhabit the realm of the body (flesh) and the realm of the soul (mind, emotions, and will), but not the realm of the spirit where the Holy Spirit resides.

I will address the “how” part of the question further down. I use the demon “attach” word to try to sidestep the word debate of being demonized and demonic oppression.

There is no such thing as demon possession of a Christian. The correct wording is, Christians and a non-Christians can be demonized.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The Bible does not say much about being demonized.

However, there are passages that, I suggest, seem to indicate that God does allow demons to quietly attach to a follower of Jesus Christ.

This will happen only if a demon has “grounds” which gives it the authority or right to be there. Case in point: Horrors, but was not a demon attached to the world’s greatest evangelist, the apostle Paul? It seems so.

In 2 Corinthians 12:7, it states that the Lord used a demon to prevent Paul from becoming proud of his accomplishments in establishing churches and winning the lost for Christ. Paul was helped from becoming proud of the revelations he received when he was taken to Heaven.

“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” – KJV

God did not use an angel here, but a messenger of Satan – a demon. This demon inhabited the flesh of Christian Paul. Paul apparently had to deal with vision problems. In Galations 6:11, he writes, "See what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand."

Demons can be sent by God if a Christian needs chastening when he does not respond properly to less severe measures by Him.

As I see it, God will allow demons to deliver physical infirmities to Christians and non-Christians. Often times, the malady cannot be diagnosed by medical doctors because it is spiritual rather than physical.

Christians who work in demon deliverance ministries tell us that most of these demons can readily be cast out unless, as in Paul's case, the demon is sent by the Lord to buffet that person to keep him from being proud or for some other reason.

Isaiah 61:1 sheds broad light on the subject: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek: he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captive, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.”

Grace Kemp, a seasoned Bible teacher, notes that the Bible says demons have access to Heaven “so why not we Christians?”

She asks, “If a demon cannot indwell a believer because of the presence of the Holy Spirit, how is it that Satan and his demons continue to have their place in Heaven until the middle of the Tribulation?”

She points to Revelation 12:7-12,“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.”

Kemp notes, “While Satan and his angels maintain their place in Heaven where he accuses the saints before God ‘day and night’, according to Revelation 12:10, ‘he is also ’the prince of the power of the air’ and ‘the god of this world.’

"In Eden, he tricked Eve and Adam into giving him the deed to earth. Consequently, Satan and his hordes of fallen angels work on earth while maintaining their place in Heaven."

“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. And the LORD said to Satan, ‘From where do you come?’ So Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it’.”

Grace's website is http://www.scriptureseries.com

WHAT OPENINGS DO WE PROVIDE FOR DEMONIC ATTACHMENT?

One area that Christians and non-Christians are particularly vulnerable to demon attachment is involvement in the occult. This would include consulting horoscopes, Ouija boards, fortune-tellers, séances and so forth.

Haven of Hope founder Shirley (last name withheld) states, “There was a time when I believed Christians could not have demons - that's what I was taught - but then my experiences showed me the truth and THERE WAS NO CONTRADICTION WITH THE WORD OF GOD.

“People who deny the possibility of Christians having demons are missing the knowledge of much of the spiritual world.

“Any kind of severe trauma, such as sexual abuse, gives ground to demons. Demons are forced to reveal what right they have to be with the person - any curses, vows or programming connected to them and any ground. The person then renounces and breaks the curses, vows and programming and renounces the ground the demon has 'in the name and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ'.”

Shirley’s website is http://www.haven-of-hope.org/

FAILURE OF BIBLE TEACHERS

Many Bible teachers, inexperienced in spiritual warfare and deliverance ministry, usually don't want to talk about the reality of demons linked to Christians.

As radical as this may sound, may I suggest that the fear of demons comes from demons themselves. Says 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

The key is for our church leaders to be trained how to lead people to take back the demon’s ground (legal right to stay) and then to expel demons in a calm, orderly, step-by-step way and NOT by screaming, “out, out, out in the name of Jesus.”

It is the power of the shed blood of the risen Lord Jesus Christ that IS the control and removal power, yes. But like a surgeon, we must know the specific right and power a demon has to remain attached to a person. Without knowing a demon’s ground, we will be blocked and wind up frustrated.

Much of Jesus' earthly ministry included casting out demons that resulted in healing the victims of physical and mental afflictions. And before He commissioned the 11 disciples at the end of His ministry, when He sent out the Twelve, part of their charge was to cast out demons, according to Matthew 10:1-8.

Not all who have demons are maniacal like the Gadarene demoniac who wore no clothes and lived in tombs. Jesus delivered a "daughter of Abraham" whom Satan had bound for 18 years. She had "a spirit of infirmity" that had her bent over and she could not straighten up, says Luke: 13:11-16.

Children can have demons. The Syrophenician mother had a "young daughter who had an unclean spirit" and besought Jesus "that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter"

Mark 7:25-26 speaks of a man whose son had a demon. "And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father".

Take note: Rebuking does NOTHING to get rid of demons. For some reason, Christians today have not been given the same demon “rebuking and deliverance” power the Apostles possessed. The power the apostles had was given to prove that Jesus Christ was sent by God and was, indeed, the Son of God.

Jesus rebuked the demons because He is God. Not only did the Disciples and the Seventy cast out demons during Jesus' ministry, but later, as recorded in the Book of Acts, the apostles' ministry included deliverance:

Act 5:8 says, "There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one."

Again, the healing and deliverance was to prove that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, sent by God. Philip, who was once a deacon and later became an evangelist, ministered to the people in the city of Samaria. He said in Acts 8:7, “For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them...." Unclean spirits can speak through God's people, often unknown to the believer.

Matthew 16: 22-23 says, "Then Peter took him (Jesus), and began to rebuke him....But he (Jesus) turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan" Many times we hear Christians quote James 4:7 saying, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." But that is the last half of the verse. The first half says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God."

Every area of our lives must be in subjection to God. If we do not totally submit to Him, then we give ground to the enemy to influence and defeat us in those areas. And often the work of demons is manifested as a result.

In these perilous last days we must realize that our real enemy is Satan.

Paul said in Ephesians 6:12, "...we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world...."

2011-06-23T16:26:00.010-04:00

WHY NATURAL DISASTERS, GOD?

By NiteOwlDave
niteowldave@gmail.com

I remember hearing evangelist Billy Graham tell Larry King on his CNN 9 p.m. interview program that man’s sin is why we see such weather turmoil on earth.

“How simplistic,” I thought. However, the more I think about Dr. Graham’s observation, the more sense it makes.

God created the winds and the tides, and for our good. He created in each of us the ability to choose right from wrong. Our choices have good and bad consequences, weather wise and otherwise.

Adam and Eve opened the floodgates on mankind when they chose to sin in the Garden of Eden. Satan grabbed the controls. He laughs as he spins out earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis, typhoons, cyclones, mudslides, and other disasters.

Sadly, tragedies such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the 2008 cyclone in Myanmar, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and the 2011 earthquake/tsunami in Japan cause many people to question God’s goodness.

We can’t blame disaster survivors for that. Who wouldn’t question God’s fairness as they watched their smashed stuff float away?

One could say it’s odd that natural disasters are often termed “acts of God” while no credit is given to God for years, decades, or even centuries of peaceful weather.

Genesis 1:1 says that God created the whole universe and the laws of nature. Colossians 1: 16-17 says, that Jesus Christ holds all of nature together. I suggest this means that God, at times, does allow Satan to wreck havoc as judgment for our sin.

1 Kings 8:35 says,” When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them.”

Deuteronomy 28:24 says,” The LORD will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed.”

James 5:17 and Numbers 16:30-34 also shows us that God can and does cause natural disasters as a judgment against sin. Revelation 6, 8 and 16 forecast many events that can definitely be described as natural disasters.

As for the Old Testament and Revelation verses where God sends disasters as specific punishment for sin, that is for Israel only. Israel is God's earthly people and God requires much of them.

It doesn’t appear that any of these versus apply to today’s age. See Leviticus 26, and Deuteronomy 28, 29,30 for specific blessings and punishments for Israel.

In much the same way that God allows evil people to commit evil acts, God allows the earth to reflect the consequences sin has had on creation.

Romans 8:19-21 tells us, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.”

The fall of humanity into sin had effects on everything, including the world we inhabit. Everything in creation is subject to “frustration” and “decay.” As Billy Grahm observed, sin is the ultimate cause of natural disasters just as it is the cause of death, disease, and suffering.

Tragic disasters shake our confidence in this life and force us to think about eternity. Churches are usually filled after disasters as people realize how tenuous their lives really are and how life can be taken away in an instant.

What we do know is this: God is good. Many amazing miracles occurr during the course of natural disasters that prevent even greater loss of life.

Disasters cause millions of people to reevaluate their priorities in life. Hundreds of millions of dollars in aid is sent to help the people who are suffering.

Christian ministries have the opportunity to help, minister, counsel, pray, and lead people to saving faith in Christ. God can, and does, bring good out of terrible tragedies.

Did God Create Evil? Seems So.

2011-06-16T20:46:00.006-04:00

By NiteOwlDave

www.niteowldave.com

This old chestnut of a question - Did God create good and evil? - harkens back to the puzzler; which came first, the chicken or the egg? Squawk!

God created good first, but many Bible believers suggest no way did God creat e evil, that He just “allowed” it. I suggest scriptural evidence and solid sense must conclude that God did create good and evil.

How can something be touchy, feely real without being created by the master planner? If God allows something, He’s on the hook for it being there. That’s abrupt perhaps,but it makes bold sense as I see it. In Genesis 2:16-17 we read,

"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

God created everything in the Garden of Eden, the tree of good and evil included. We see another example in Isaiah 45:7. “I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD do all these things.”

God presented the freedom of choice with the creation of Adam and Eve. They chose to sin. In order for choice to work, there must be at least two options, good and evil. It takes the salvation blood of the risen Christ to purify us, if we chose that. Again, our choice.

God allows for angels and humans to choose to do right or wrong. Lucifer, the highest angel, choose to sin by wanting equal power with God. Lucifer and one third of the angelic force that choose to bow to him were booted from Heaven to become Satan and demons.

We live in a world of created opposites - day-night, fat-skinny, happy-sad, hot-cold, saved-unsaved, good-evil. Some suggest that evil has no existence of its own but is the absence of good. If darkness is the absence of light, I counter with the statement that light is the absence of darkness.

Genesis 1:4 states that God created darkness and light. It says God then separated the two. It is talking about literal day and night here, but this is an opener for the thought of created good and evil.

Critics say that God created heat and that cold does not exist by itself. They say cold is the absence of heat. Hmm. Grab a jacket. One brash Christian writer, Rick Deem, proclaims, “The Bible is quite clear that God is not the author of evil and He is incapable of doing so.” Quite clear, you say? God can’t create anything He wants? Oh, my.

If God did not allow for created evil, mankind and angels would be serving God out of obligation, not choice. God did not create programmed robots. God created the option of evil so that we could genuinely have a free will and choose whether or not we wanted to serve Him.

2011-06-11T02:27:00.007-04:00

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE FEAR OF GOD?

By Paul Tatham
tatham47@hotmail.com

Fear is a word that crops up quite often in Scripture.

It usually takes one of two forms — one has a positive connotation and the other a negative connotation. The former can be found in verses such as the following:

• “Fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth” (Joshua 24:14).

• “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).

It usually refers to having a reverential awe toward God. We gaze upward on a cloudless, moonless night, for instance, and marvel at the sheer expanse of the universe and the supremacy of its Creator.

We may even find ourselves humming the chorus, “How Great is our God.” This kind of fear is positive. It’s kinder, gentler.

The other form of fear carries with it the meaning we typically associate with the word — the trembling, knee-knocking, nail-biting variety. Examples abound throughout the Bible:

• “That they may learn to fear Me . . . and that they may teach their children” (Deuteronomy 4:10).

• “That they would fear Me, and keep all commandments always, that it might be well with them and with their children forever” (Deuteronomy 5:29).

• “That thou might fear the Lord thy God, to keep all His statutes” (Deuteronomy 6:2).

• “Fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways” (Deuteronomy 10:12).

• “If you will fear the Lord, and serve Him, and obey His voice” (I Samuel 12:14).

• “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling” (Psalms 2:11).

• “You, even You, are to be feared. Let all those round about Him bring presents to Him that ought to be feared” (Psalms 76:7, 11).

• “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, that walks in His ways. This is how the man who fears the Lord shall be blessed” (Psalms 128:1, 4).

• “The Lord takes pleasure in them who fear Him” (Psalms 147:11).

• “By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil” (Proverbs 16:6).

• “Do you not fear Me, says the Lord? Will you not tremble at My presence” (Jeremiah 5:22)?

We hear a lot about the first kind of fear, but not so much about the second. Somehow, over the last 40 years or so, the latter has become politically incorrect and a topic that seems too harsh for our sensitive ears, even for evangelical churchgoers. Someone might be offended, after all.

This negative version of the word “fear” refers to the dread, the apprehension, that should engulf someone who would reject Christ as Savior or dare violate His commands.

And when it is “working” properly, fear serves to keep many of us from stepping out of line. So a healthy fear of God, and the consequences that await us if we displease Him, is actually — as Martha Stewart would say — a good thing.

Now granted, for a Christian to obey God largely because He carries a big stick might not be the most noble of motives. But I can live with it. Just as I can live with a person who hears a hellfire sermon and, as a result, bows in repentance at the foot of the cross.

Some folks are wired to respond more out of a hand-wringing fear of God’s Hell than of a heart-warming promise of God’s Heaven.

True fear can be a great motivator. It can drive us to Christ in the first place then play a preventative role — keep us from sin once we are saved. Moses said to the Israelites under his command, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin” (Exodus 20:20).

Sadly, in some cases it is only when we are gripped with fear that we respond to God at all. In Romans 3, Paul describes unregenerate man. After several verses describing mankind’s wayward ways, he sums things up by declaring, “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (v. 18). A person who does not fear God is unlikely to ever stop and consider what He has to say.

The fearless person is headed for trouble. The person who does not fear snakes usually gets bitten. The person who does not fear automobile accidents usually has one. The kid who does not fear his parents often ends up in trouble with the law. The teenager who has no fear of his teachers frequently ends up being suspended or expelled. An absence of fear leads to problems.

Because fear — the negative side — can so often be an agent for good, let’s not “fear” to use it. God’s Word certainly doesn’t tiptoe around it, and neither should we.

2011-06-10T02:13:00.002-04:00

JUDGMENT DAY IN HEAVEN WILL ZIP ALONG

By Grace Kemp
gracekemp@aol.com

1. How long will it take for God to judge the billions of people on Judgment Day?

In an earthly setting, such a judgment might take a billion years to process 15 billion (?) people. When God created our cosmos, he created time with a progression from past to present to future.

God, however, lives in the eternal present where, "a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday." (Psalms 90:4) Time stands still in eternity.

2. Will there be a long line in Heaven waiting for their final judgment?

This judgment of all those who died in their sins will take no time at all because time has ceased to exist.

3. Will all sinners be dragged to Hell by the angels? Will we see it? What will be the process?

It is highly likely that angels will drag the condemned souls to Hell based on angels carrying out God's judgments throughout the Tribulation.(See Revelation 7:1; 8:2; 16:1; 18:21; 20:1, etc.)

As for the process, as each one stands alone before God, the Book of Life will be examined, only to discover that the name is missing.

This is followed by an examination of the books of works which record good and bad deeds done on earth, Many references indicate that there are degrees of punishment in Hell and the condemned soul will suffer according to their works on earth (Luke 12:47). If this were not the case, why record their works at all?

4. Will we see it?

I believe so. What is a court without witnesses? Undoubtedly, the sinner will try and change the story but "in the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be established". (11 Corinthians 13:1) We can anticipate being called as witnesses for the prosecution. (Matthew12:42)

To recap, the unsaved dead stand before God. Their bodies, resurrected from their graves, are joined by their spirits, resurrected from Hell. (Revelation 20:13)

Each will stand alone before God, "from whose face the earth and the Heaven fled away." No "mediator" will be present to plead our case and nothing to forgive us of sin.

The names of the unforgiven will be absent from the Book of Life. The books of works will show the record of all our good and bad deeds on earth. Behind the throne will be the "cloud of witnesses," the saints of all ages, ready to testify of their encounters with the condemned person during his/her life.

Sadly, all of the unsaved will be banished to the Lake of Fire where the degree of punishment depends on their record of lifetime works. In view of this,"...what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness," says 11 Peter 3:11.

OPRAH WOULD MAKE AN AWESOME CHRISTIAN

2011-06-06T20:35:00.019-04:00

Did any of you catch the four programs TV talk show host Oprah taped in Australia? We caught them all. Taped before Christmas, they were aired Jan. 18-21, 2011.

When you scrape away the guff, I think we must conclude that from a Christian perspective the Phantom of the Sydney Oprah House is perhaps the most dangerous woman on the planet today.

First and FOREMOST, Oprah rejects Christ as being the only way to Heaven.

OPRAH SAYS:

In these videos, she says:

“There is no sin,”

“Jesus is just one of the paths to God.”

“Jesus Christ did not come to die but to show us how to live.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM5ILOsHLnw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW4LLwkgmqA&feature=related

THE BIBLE SAYS:

Jesus is the only Way to Heaven.

John 14: 6 says, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’.” Jesus came to this earth to die.

John 3:16-18 say, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.”

We have all sinned.

Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Oprah is the poster woman for success and would make an AWESOME Christian. She cares, she gives, and she brightens a room.

But because she rejects the above claims of Christ – that Jesus of Nazareth is the one Lord, the one Savior, the one Way, Oprah disqualifies herself from BEING a Christian.

WAKE UP, OPRAH

The Bible says those who reject this, face eternal Hell.

John 3:36 says, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

Oprah preaches her gospel from an unparallel platform of power and influence. She is lauded to be the most powerful woman in the world.

She recently wound up her 25th and final season of her weekday Oprah Winfrey Show. Seen five times a week, the program had a viewership of “tens, maybe hundreds, of millions”, according to the following website that says her show was popular around the world.

Wikipedia says http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey

In January, 2011, she launched her new OWN cable television network. OWN stands for Oprah Winfrey Network.

Watch for it to feature many “you can fix yourself” New Age programs.

The Bible says we cannot heal ourselves. Only Jesus can erase our guilt and sin and truly fix us. We can fix the squeaks, sure, but Jesus must be our foundation.

KUDOS FOR OPRAH

Caring Oprah told Larry King’s replacement Piers Morgan, in his inaugural CNN program, that she figures she has given away “more than 300 million” to charitable causes.

Her endorsement of then-presidential candidate Barack Obama is seen as a major boost to Obama winning the White House. From 2006 to 2008, her support of Obama, by one estimate, delivered over a million votes in the close 2008 Democratic primary race.

She publishes O. The Oprah Magazine, with a circulation of over 2 ½ million.

She is the Pied Piper of Feel Good, giving her television audiences many freebies that include cars to far-flung trips. In December, 2010, she flew one of her TV audience of 300 to Australia on her dime.

She is an abuse survivor. She was raped at the age of nine and became pregnant at 14. Her son died in infancy. On her TV program, she has brought to light the plight of survivors and aired programs about seldom heard mental-physical-spiritual problems like Dissociate Identity Disorder (DID) that is fallout from repeated abuse to a child under the age of five or so.

In 2007, she established the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls near Johannesburg, South Africa. Inspired by her own humble beginnings and disadvantaged background, Oprah stated that she founded the Leadership Academy to provide educational and leadership opportunities for academically gifted girls. The students come from impoverished backgrounds in South Africa who exhibit leadership qualities for making a difference in the world.

Born into poverty, Oprah has been ranked the richest African American of the 20th century, the greatest black philanthropist in American history. She was once the world's only black billionaire.

Way to go, giveback Oprah. Not bad for a gal born into poverty with mountains to climb. God is so proud of you.

Like you, He is a giver. He gave us His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We must each reach out and receive Him as our personal Savior and Lord.

Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KdvCB_JjnM&feature=related#

Tossing 150 QUESTIONS AT THE BIBLE

2011-05-25T15:05:00.009-04:00

1. Who made us? God made us. (Genesis 1:27: Job 33:4)

2. What else did God make? God made all things. (Genesis 1:1-31; Deuteronomy 10:14; Nehemiah 9:6; John 1:3)

3. Why did God make you and all things? God made me and all things for His own glory. (1 Chronicles 16:28; Romans 11:36; I Corinthians 6:20; 10:31)

4. Who made God? Nobody made God. (Psalm 90:2)

5. Has God ever had a beginning? No. God has always been. (Psalms 90:2; 93:2; Revelation 4:8)

6. Will God ever die? No, God lives forever. (Psalm 90:2)

7. How can you glorify God? I can glorify God by loving Him and doing what He commands. (Micah 6:8; John 15:8; I John 5:3)

8. Why ought you to glorify God? I ought to glorify God because He made me and takes care of me. (Psalms 117:1-2; 146:5-10)

9. Are there more gods than one? No, there is only one God. (Isaiah 45.6, 18, 21-22; 1 Timothy 2:5)

10. In how many persons does this one God exist? God exists in three persons. (Matthew 3:1617; 28:19; 11 Corinthians 13:14)

11. Who are the three persons of God? The three persons of God are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)

12. Who is God? God is a spirit and does not have a body like man. (John 4:24)

13. What is God like? God is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. (Psalms 139:710; 90:2; Malachi 3:6)

14. Where is God? God is everywhere. (II Chronicles 2:6; Psalm 139:7-12; Proverbs 15:3)

15. Can you see God? No, I cannot see God, but He always sees me. (Jeremiah 23:23-24; John 1:18)

16. Does God know all things? Yes, nothing can be hidden from God. (Job 34:21; Ezekiel 11:1)

17. Can God do all things? Yes, God can do all His holy will. (Matthew 19.26)

18. Where do you learn how to love and obey God? I learn how to love and obey God in the Bible alone. (Deuteronomy 30:11-16; Joshua 1:8)

19. Who wrote the Bible? Holy men who were taught by the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible. (IL Peter 1:21)

20. Who were our first parents? Adam and Eve were our first parents. (Genesis 2:7, 18-22; 3:20)

21. Of what were our first parents made? God made the body of Adam out of the dust of the ground and formed Eve from the body of Adam. (Genesis 2:7, 21-22)

22. What did God give Adam and Eve besides bodies? God gave them souls that could never die. (Genesis 2:7)

23. Do you have a soul as well as a body? Yes, I have a soul that can never die. (Ecclesiastes 12:7; Mark 8:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:23)

24. How do you know that you have a soul? God tells me so in Genesis 2:7, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7)

25. In what condition did God make Adam and Eve? God made them holy and happy. (Genesis 1:2731)

26. What is a covenant? A covenant is an agreement between two or more persons. (Genesis 9:11-17; Psalm 105:8-11)

27. What was Adam's part in the covenant in order to stay in the Garden of Eden? Adam was required to obey God perfectly. (Genesis 2:15-17)

28. Did Adam obey God? No, Adam chose to disobey God. (Genesis 3:6)

29. Did Adam's sin affect himself alone? No, Adam's sin made all men lose communion with God, become sinful in nature, and subject to God's wrath. (Romans 5:14; 6:23; Ephesians 2:3)

30. How did God punish Adam's disobedience? Adam's punishment was death and separation from God, (Genesis 3:17-24; Romans 5:12)

31. What is sin? Sin is the transgression of the law of God. (I John 3:4)

32. What is meant by transgression? Transgression is failing to do what God commands and doing what God forbids. (I Chronicles 10:13; Psalm 25:6-7; Matthew 15:3-6)

33. Who is Satan? Satan is an evil spirit who is the enemy of God and all Christians. (Matthew 13:39; Luke 22:3; John 8:44; 1 Peter 5:8)

34. Was Satan ever good? Yes, Satan was once one of God's greatest angels. (Isaiah 14:12-15)

35. What was Satan's name when he was one of God's angels? Satan's name was Lucifer. (Isaiah 14:12)

36. Why is Lucifer not one of God's angels today? Lucifer became jealous of God and wanted to be as great as He, so God cast him out of heaven, (Isaiah 14:12-15; Revelation 12:7-9)

37. What is Lucifer now called? Lucifer is now called Satan or the Devil. (Luke 10:18; 1 John 3:8; Revelation 12:9)

38. Who is stronger, God or Satan? God is stronger. (I John 3:8; 4:4)

39. Does Satan want God's will to be done? No, Satan always wants people to do the opposite of what God wants them to do. (I Chronicles 21:1; John 8:44; Ephesians 6:11-12, 16)

40. What was the sin of our first parents? Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the fruit that God told them not to eat. (Genesis 2:17; 3:6)

41. Who tempted Adam and Eve to sin? Satan tempted Eve, and she gave the fruit to Adam. (Genesis 3:1-6)

42. What happened to our first parents when they had sinned? Instead of being holy and happy, they became sinful and miserable. (Genesis 3:8-24)

43. What effect did Adam's sin have on all mankind? Because of Adam's sin, all mankind lost fellowship with God, received a sinful nature, and began to do evil. (Romans 5:12)

44. What is that sinful nature we inherit from Adam called? Our corrupt nature is called original sin. (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12)

45. What does every sin deserve? Every sin deserves the wrath and curse of God. (Genesis 2:17; Psalm 89:30-32; Galatians 3:10)

46. Who can save us? The only Saviour of men is the Lord Jesus Christ, who being the eternal Son of God, became man and so is both God and man in two natures and one person. (John 14:6; Acts 4:12)

47. What does God require of man before he can go to heaven? No one can enter heaven unless his heart is changed. (John 3:3, 16; 5:24; 14:6; Acts 4:12)

48. What is this change of heart called? This change of heart is called regeneration. (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Titus 3:5-6)

49. Who can change a sinner's heart? The Holy Spirit can change a sinner's heart. (Titus 3:5)

50. How is your heart changed? My heart is changed by the Holy Spirit because of the grace of God shown in the work of Christ. (Titus 3:4-7)

51. What is grace? Grace is God's kindness to us when we deserve punishment. (Deuteronomy 7:6-9; Romans 3:22-24; 5:1-8, 19-21; Ephesians 2:8-9)

52. What is the work of Christ? The work of Christ is to keep perfectly the law of God and to suffer the punishment due for our sins. (11 Corinthians 5 21; Philippians 3:10; Hebrews 5:89; 9:11-14; 10:11-22)

53. Can anyone be saved by his own works? No one can be saved by his own works. (Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7)

54. Did Christ ever sin? No, Christ was holy, sinless, and undefiled. (Isaiah 53,9; II Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 7:26; 1 Peter 2:21-23)

55. How could the Son of God suffer? Christ, the Son of God, became man that He might obey and suffer in our nature. (Romans 5:1-21; Philippians 2:7-8; 3:10; Hebrews 2:9; 5:8-9)

56. What is meant by the atonement? The atonement is Christ's satisfying divine justice by His sufferings and death in the place of sinners. (Romans 5:8-1 1)

57. What do we gain from the work of Christ? God regenerates, justifies, and sanctifies those who believe in Christ. (I Corinthians 6:11; Galatians 2:16; Titus 3:5-7; Hebrews 2:9-11)

58. What is justification? Justification is God's forgiving me and treating me just as if I had never sinned. (Romans 3:24-25; 8:1; II Corinthians 5:19, 21)

59. How am I justified? I am justified by faith in the work of Christ and on the grounds of His righteousness. (Acts 13:34; Galatians 2:16; Romans 3:25-28)

60. What is sanctification? Sanctification is God's making me holy in heart and behavior. (I Corinthians 6:11, 19-20; Ephesians 1:3-4,4,22-24; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; II Timothy 2:1921; Hebrews 13:12, 2!)

61. What are the two parts of sanctification? The two parts of sanctification are dying to sin and living to righteousness. (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:5; Romans 8:13)

62. For whom did Christ obey and suffer? Christ obeyed and suffered for sinners. (Romans 5:8)

63. What kind of death did Christ die? Christ died the painful and shameful death of the cross. (Luke 23:33-38; Galatians 3:13; Philippians 2:8)

64. Who will be saved? Whoever repents and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. (Isaiah 55:7; Luke 13:3; 24:47; John 3:16; 6:47)

65. What does it mean to repent? To repent is to be sorry for sin and to hate and forsake it because it is displeasing to God. (II Chronicles 7:14; II Corinthians 7:9)

66. What is faith in Christ? Faith in Christ is trusting in Him alone for salvation. (Romans 3:22-25; Galatians 2:16; Philippians 3:9; Hebrews 12:2)

67. Can you repent and believe in Christ by your own power? No, I cannot repent and believe in Christ without the help of God's Holy Spirit. (John 3:5-6; 16:7-Il; I Corinthians 2:9-12; Titus 3:5)

68. Does Christ care for little children? Yes, for lie says in Mark 10:14, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God." (Mark 10:14)

69. How long has it been since Christ died? Christ died more than 1,900 years ago.

70. How were people saved before the coming of Christ? People were saved by believing in a Saviour to come. (Hebrews 11:13)

71. How did people show their faith before the coming of Christ? People showed their faith by offering sacrifices on God's altar. (Hebrews 11:4)

72. What did the sacrifices represent? The sacrifices represented Christ, the Lamb of God, Who was to die for sinners. (John 1:29, 36; hebrews 9:11-14)

73. How many offices does Christ have? Christ has three offices. (Acts 3:22; Hebrews 5:5-6; Revelation 19:16)

74. What are Christ's offices? Christ's offices are prophet, priest, and king. (lsaiah 9:6-7; Luke 4:18; Acts 3:22; Hebrews 4:14-15; 5:5-6; Revelation 19:16)

75. How is Christ a prophet? Christ teaches us the will of God. (Luke 4: 18; John 15:15)

76. How is Christ a priest? Christ died for our sins and pleads with God for us. (Romans 3:26; Hebrews 7:25-27; 9:14, 28)

77. How is Christ a king? Christ rules over us, defends us, and will establish Ills Kingdom on earth. (Psalm 27:1-5; Isaiah 33:22; 1 Corinthians 15:25)

78. How many commandments did God give on Mount Sinai? God gave ten commandments. (Exodus 20:1-17)

79. What are the Ten Commandments sometimes called? They are called the Decalogue.

80. What do the first four commandments teach? The first four commandments teach our duty to God. (Exodus 20:1-11; Matthew 22:37-38)

81. What do the last six commandments teach? The last six commandments teach our duty to our fellowmen. (Exodus 20:12-17; Matthew 22:39)

82. What is the sum of the Ten Commandments? The sum of the Ten Commandments is to love God with all my heart, and my neighbor as myself. (Matthew 22:37-40)

83. Who is your neighbor? All my fellowmen are my neighbors. (Luke 10:25-37; Galatians 6:10)

84. Is God pleased with those who love and obey Him? Yes, for He says in Proverbs 8:17, "1 love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me." (Proverbs 8:17)

85. Is God displeased with those who do not love and obey Him? Yes, for lie says in Psalm 7:11, "God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day." (Psalm 7:11)

86. What is the first commandment? The first commandment is "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3)

87. What does the first commandment teach us? The first commandment teaches us to worship God alone. (Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 26:17; Matthew 4:10)

88. What is the second commandment? The second commandment is "Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." (Exodus 20:4-6)

89. What does the second commandment teach us? The second commandment teaches us to worship God in a proper manner, and to avoid idolatry. (Exodus 20:23; Deuteronomy 6:13-18; 12:30-32)

90. What is the third commandment? The third commandment is "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." (Exodus 20:7)

91. What does the third commandment teach us? The third commandment teaches us to reverence God's name, Word, and works. (Psalms 29:2; 107:2122; 138:2; Revelation 15:34)

92. What is the fourth commandment? The fourth commandment is "Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy." (Exodus 20:8-11)

93. What does the fourth commandment teach us? The fourth commandment teaches us that one day of the week is God's special day. (Leviticus 19:30; Deuteronomy 5:12)

94. On which day of the week do Christians worship? Christians worship on the first day of (he week, called the Lord's Day. (John 20:19-26; Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 16:1-2)

95. Why is it called the Lord's Day? On that day, Christ rose from the dead. (Matthew 28:1-6; Mark 16:1-6; Luke 24:1-6; John 20:1-9)

96. How should the Lord's Day be spent? The Lord's Day should be spent in prayer and praise, in hearing and reading God's Word, and in doing good to our fellowman, (Leviticus 23:3; Psalm 92:1-2; Isaiah 58:13; Luke 13:10-13; Acts 15:21; 16:13; 17:2)

97. What is the fifth commandment? The fifth commandment is "Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." (Exodus 20:12)

98. What does the fifth commandment teach us? The fifth commandment teaches us to love and obey our parents. (Romans 13:1; Ephesians 6:1-3)

99. What is the sixth commandment? The sixth commandment is "Thou shalt not kill." (Exodus 20:13)

100. What dots the sixth commandment teach us? The sixth commandment teaches us to avoid anger and injury to others. (Genesis 9:6; Matthew 5:22; Galatians 5:15; 1 John 3:15)

101. What is the seventh commandment? The seventh commandment is "Thou shalt not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14)

102. What does the seventh commandment teach us? The seventh commandment teaches us to be pure in heart, language, and conduct. (I Corinthians 7:2; Ephesians 4:29; 5:3-4)

103. What is the eighth commandment? The eighth commandment is "Thou shalt not steal." (Exodus 20:15)

104. What does the eighth commandment teach us? The eighth commandment teaches us to respect the property of others and to be honest and industrious. (Proverbs 20:4; Romans 12:11, 17; Ephesians 4:28; Thessalonians 3:10-12; 1 Timothy 5:8)

105. What is the ninth commandment? The ninth commandment is "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." (Exodus 20:16)

106. What does the ninth commandment teach us? The ninth commandment teaches us to tell the truth. (Proverbs 14:5; Zechariah 8:16; 1 Peter 3:16)

107. What is the tenth commandment? The tenth commandment is "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's." (Exodus 20:17)

108. What does the tenth commandment teach us? The tenth commandment teaches us to be content with what we have. (I Corinthians 13:4; Galatians 5:26; Philippians 4:11; Hebrews 13:5)

109. What use are the Ten Commandments to us? They teach us our duty and show us our need of a Saviour. (Deuteronomy 29:29; Joshua 1:7-8; Galatians 3:21-26; James 2:10)

110. What l pray? Prayer is thanking God for what He has done and asking Him for things which He has promised to give. (Psalm 10:17; John 16:23; Philippians 4:6; 1 John 5:14)

111. In whose name should we pray? We should pray only in the name of Christ, our intercessor. (John 16:23)

112. What guide has Christ given us to teach us how to pray? Christ has given us the Lord's Prayer. (Matthew 6:9-13)

113. Repeat the Lord's Prayer. "Our Father which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." (Matthew 6:9-13)

114. How many petitions are there in the Lord's Prayer? There are six petitions in the Lord's Prayer. (Matthew 6:9-13)

115. What is the first petition? The first petition is "Hallowed be thy name." (Matthew 6:9)

116. What do we pray for in the first petition? We pray that God's name may be honored by us and all men. (Psalms 67:1-3; 145:1-13; Isaiah 64:1-2; Romans 11:36; II Thessalonians 3:1)

117. What is the second petition? The second petition is "Thy kingdom come." (Matthew 6:10)

118. What do we pray for in the second petition? We pray that the gospel may be preached in all the world, and believed and obeyed by us and all men, and that God's Kingdom may be established on earth. (Psalms 67:1-3; 68:1; Romans 10:1; 11 Thessalonians 3:1; Revelation 22:20)

119. What is the third petition? The third petition is "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)

120. What do we pray for in the third petition? We pray that men on earth may serve God as the angels do in heaven. (Psalms 103:20-22; 119:34-36; Acts 21:14)

121. What is the fourth petition? The fourth petition is "Give us this day our daily bread." (Matthew 6:11)

122. What do we pray for in the fourth petition? We pray that God would give us all things needful for our bodies and souls. (Proverbs 10:22; 30:8; I Timothy 4:4-5)

123. What is the fifth petition? The fifth petition is "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." (Matthew 6:12)

124. What do we pray for in the fifth petition? We pray that God would pardon our sins for Christ's sake and enable us to forgive those who have injured us. (Psalm 51:1; Matthew 6:14-15; 18:21-22, 35; Luke 11:4; Romans 3:24-25)

125. What is the sixth petition? The sixth petition is "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." (Matthew 6:13)

126. What do we pray in the sixth petition? We pray that God will keep us from being tempted and will keep us from sin when we are tempted. (Psalms 19:13; 51:10, U; Matthew 26:41; 1 Corinthians 10:13)

127. What is an ordinance? An ordinance is a way of remembering Christ's death and resurrection. (Romans 6:3-10; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

128. How many ordinances are there in the Bible? There are two ordinances in the Bible. (Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

129. What are the two ordinances? The two ordinances are baptism and the Lord's Supper. (Matthew 26:26-28; 28:19)

130. Who appointed these ordinances? The Lord Jesus Christ appointed them. (Matthew 26:28; 28:18-19)

131. Why did Christ appoint these ordinances? Christ appointed these ordinances to distinguish His disciples from the world and to comfort and strengthen them. (Acts 2:38-41; Romans 6:4)

132. What sign is used in Baptism? The sign used in Baptism is water. (Matthew 3:6, 11, 14-17)

133. What does Baptism mean? Baptism is an outward sign of our union with Christ and our decision to follow Him. (Romans 6:3-l1; Galatians 3:27)

134. In whose name are we baptized? We are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)

135. What is the Lord's Supper? The Lord's Supper is a remembrance of Christ's death for us on the cross and a looking forward to His return. (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:17-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

136. Who is to partake or the Lord's Supper? All those who have trusted Christ as their Saviour and are living for Him may partake of the Lord's Supper. (1 Corinthians 11:28, 29)

137. What are the elements used in the Lord's Supper? The elements used in the Lord's Supper are bread and the fruit of the vine. (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-25)

138. What do the bread and the fruit of the vine symbolize? The bread symbolizes Christ's body which was crucified for us, and the cup symbolizes His blood which was shed for us. (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:17-20)

139. Did Christ remain in the tomb after His crucifixion? No, Christ rose bodily from the tomb on the third day alter His death. (Matthew 16:21; 28:1-6; Romans 6:4; I Corinthians 15:3-4)

140. Where is Christ now? Christ is in Heaven, interceding for us. (Acts 1:9; Ephesians 1:1921; Hebrews 4:14-16-,7:25)

141. Will Christ come again? Yes, Christ has promised to return to take us to be with Him. (John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11)

142. When will Christ return? No one knows when Christ will return. (Matthew 24:42, 50; 25:15)

143. What are the two parts of the Second Coming? The Second Coming consists of the Rapture and the glorious appearing. (I Corinthians 15:51-52; Revelation 19:11-16)

144. What will happen at the Rapture? At the Rapture Christ will bring to life all Christians who have died, change those who are living, and give them an incorruptible body. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)

145. What will happen at the glorious appearing? Christ will return to earth, remove all the wicked, and establish His Kingdom. (11 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 19:11-16)

146. What becomes of man at death? The body returns to dust, and the soul goes either to heaven or hell. (Genesis 3:19; Romans 6:23)

147. What will become of the wicked in the Day of Judgment? The wicked shall be cast into the lake of fire. (Psalm 9:17; Revelation 20:11-15)

148. What is Hell? Hell is a place of dreadful and endless torment. (Matthew 25:41, 46; Mark 9:43; Luke 16:19-26; Revelation 20:10, 13-15)

149. What will become of the righteous? The righteous shall be taken to Heaven. (Matthew 5:11-12; 25:46; John 10:28; 14:1-3; Colossians 3:4)

150. What is Heaven? Heaven is a glorious and happy place, where the saved shall be forever with the Lord. (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Revelation 7:15-17; 21:3-4, 22-27; 22:1-5)

GOD'S WISDOM AND ACCURACY

2011-05-25T14:53:00.015-04:00

For example:
-The eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days;
-Those of the canary in 14 days;
-Those of the barnyard hen in 21 days;
-The eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days;

God's wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant. The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made.

God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to live on two legs. For this reason, He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily.

The horse rises from the ground on its two front legs first. A cow rises from the ground with its two hind legs first. How wise the Lord is in all His works of creation!

God's wisdom is revealed in His arrangement of sections and segments, as well as in the number of grains.

-Each watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind.

-Each orange has an even number of segments.

-Each ear of corn has an even number of rows.

-Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains.

-Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next row an odd number.

-The waves of the sea roll in on shore twenty-six to the minute in all kinds of weather.

All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks, and the Lord specified thirty fold, sixty fold, and a hundred fold - all even numbers.

God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day. Linnaeus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed.

The Bible says the lives of each of us is ordered by the Lord in a beautiful way for His glory. If we try to regulate our own life, it may wind up in a mess and a failure.

Only the One who made the brain and the heart can successfully guide us to a truly profitable end.

"BOLOGNA" CHRISTIANITY IS ON THE MARCH

2011-04-24T22:10:00.011-04:00

By NiteOwlDave
niteowldave@gmail.com

Despite what some naysayers suggest, organized Christianity as defined by the masses is not on a worldwide downslide.

According to http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_Christianity_declining#ixzz1BKitWH6o, Christianity is undergoing healthy growth in the Far East, especially in South Korea where Christianity is reportedly mushrooming.

“Of the 11 largest churches in the world, 10 are in South Korea, and some of them exceed 30,000 in membership so that they have to have 7 - 10 services on a Sunday in a large conference arena to fit everyone in,” the site reports.

The site points out that in some countries, including those in Western Europe, organized Christianity has been in decline since the 1960s. It reports that Christianity is growing – and growing rapidly – in other parts of the world.

Christianity has the most followers with 2.1 billion. Islam has 1.8 billion followers in our world population of about six billion people, reports http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_makes_Islam_one_of_the_fastest_growing_religions#ixzz1BLCQpQJ6.

Sadly, the Roman Catholic section of Christianity, which is 90 per cent bunk and is really a major non-Biblical cult, makes up one billion or one half the total, according to http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_Roman_Catholics_are_there.

The idea that 2.1 billion earth-dwellers are true Christians comes under fire from evangelicals who say what is called Christianity in surveys like this flies in the face of real-deal Christianity as defined by the Bible.

Conservative Christians see those who embrace Bible-plus- tradition and salvation-by-works theology as full-blown baloney with no Biblical basis.

Says fundamentalist preacher Harold Smith, “We have churches full of people who have been Christianized, but not born again. Consequently they try to live what they do not have. In order to live a Christian life, one must first have the life. Hence, Jesus said in John 3:7, “Ye must be born again.”

He says the world gets most of their teaching about Christianity from the TV preachers and asks, “What do they see in them?”

“1. They see many different denominations when the Bible says that there is only one body of people called the church. (Eph. 4:4 and Matt 16:18) Jesus speaks of my church, singular.’

“2. They see a group of greedy money lovers who are living in luxury at the expense of the poor donors. This is contrary to the Bible view in James 2:5 which says, ‘Has not God chosen the poor of the world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to them that love him?’ James 5:1 adds, ‘Go to now, ye rich, weep, howling over your miseries that are coming upon you.’

“3. They see many of them who have fallen in sexual scandals that have rocked the nations. Of this, the half has not likely been told. God’s people are exhorted in 1 Peter 1:16, ‘Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.’

“4.They see in the Christians the same as the rest of the world; greed and self gratification like everyone else. Why is all this? It is simply because there has been no real genuine repentance of sin. Repentance means a change of mind toward sinning against God. One cannot be saved without it. Jesus said, “Repent or perish (Luke 13:3,5)

“The reason for the confusion out there is that too few are preaching like Paul. We must first repent toward God, then have a committed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, says Acts 20:21. Repentance does not turn people from God, but it turns them toward God.”

THE IRANIAN PEOPLE CORRECTLY SEE CHRISTIANITY AS PHONY BOLOGNA

There is an interesting reason why Muslims smirk at Christianity and call it phony baloney.

An internet chat room acquaintance, Nader (last name withheld), a Muslim who fled Iran to convert to Christianity and is now a self-supporting translator of Christian books to the official language of Iran, Farsi, has this insightful response,

“In Iran, the US is thought of as a Christian country which I know now it certainly is not,” said the courageous middle-aged man.

“When I was growing up, I saw American TV programs where these ‘Christians’ who used drugs, cheated on their families, were corrupt in business. Like the rest of my Muslim friends, I thought this is what Christians do.”

Preacher Harold Smith sums up: “The problem with Christianity today is not the world, but those who profess to be Christians.”

SAVED IN A “FLASH”

2011-04-24T21:55:00.013-04:00

revives_u@gmail.com

Hi. My name is Helen. I have a daughter, born in 1995. I am a saved Christian. My road to making Jesus my Lord and Savior is winding with many gullies along the way.

I grew up agnostic. My mother had a horrible Catholic upbringing and became an atheist at a young age.

I have to think childhood abuse when she was age five contributed to her hatred of God and organized religion. My brother and I were raised with confused feelings of God and church people.

My mother told us the word God was just to create fear. She said God was a trick word. As a child, she was told by the priests that she was too bad to enter Heaven when she dies, and she would be sent to Hell’s fire for sure.

It makes sense to me that a life of hearing one is not good enough for God’s Heaven wouldn’t bring a person to knowing God’s love for them.

She was adamant that God should not be mentioned in public school. Because of the God word, she made my brother and me sit down when the other students stood for the pledge of allegiance to the flag. I was so embarrassed when I got stared down by my classmates.

‘CHURCHES ARE BAD’

I never went to church during my childhood and teen years. Like my mother, I associated churches with being bad.

My parents got divorced when I was a toddler. I saw my father just a few times a year, mainly during Christmas, Easter, and summer breaks.
Because my father was English and an accomplished actor, I went to England quite a few times during my late teen years, visiting relatives.

I loved England’s old churches. What beautiful ancient stone structures they were. The blown glass, and beautifully tinted colored windowpane designs were mind blowing. It must be magnificent to see the windows from the inside.

I can just imagine the sunlight creating a magnificent light show throughout the whole church.

As expected, I refused to go into the churches. What I wouldn’t give to go into them for a church service now!

SLAMMED WITH JESUS TRUTH

How I came to know Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior is a miraculous story that many may dismiss. I credit my brother for God finding me, although my brother was a bull in a china shop. He was saved at about age 23 after a near fatal drug overdose.

He told our family about his salvation and what we must do to get into Heaven. His approach was not the best. He became argumentative when the family challenged his hallelujah claims.

My salvation shows that God is everywhere.

God does hear every word we say. I had always argued with my brother about God’s existence. It didn’t help that my brother kept getting in my face to try to make me believe.

In the mid 1990s, I became so angry with his pushy approach, I felt I had one of two choices to make: I was going to punch my preachy brother in the face or seek out this God of his.

This may sound weird, but I went for a walk…and WALKED RIGHT INTO THE ARMS OF JESUS. BAM.

Full of anger at my brother one cold, winter night, I ploughed through two feet of snow toward the back of my mother’s large property. I spat out fowl language at this Jesus Christ. I ordered “Jesus” to prove his existence.

Suddenly, a literal beam of light that I could see slammed my heart. The force was so strong it knocked me onto my bottom. I could not get up. I don’t know exactly what God said to my subconscious, but the Lord God Christ put me in my place. I began to cry and I bowed to God. I opened my heart to Jesus and spilled all.

I prayed for about 15 minutes. All the anger toward my brother and God was drained away.Tears streamed down my face.

I told Jesus about my frustrations, my deepest sins. I asked for forgiveness and accepted His forgiveness. I will never forget this born-again experience. I am a child of God. The love Jesus shows for me is like no other love.

Until I go to Heaven one day, I will rejoice with my Savior. You might find this sinner’s prayer useful.

Dear God:

I am a sinner.

Others have sinned greater than I have. Nevertheless, I stand before you now as a lost sinner, deserving of Hell. I choose to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became a man.

I choose to believe that He allowed Himself to be put to death, that He rose again on the third day and is alive today. The Bible says that Jesus Christ shed His blood and died to pay the penalty for our sins, and I believe that.

Father, I want to be cleansed of all my sins right now. I know that Jesus Christ died to make me right with God and that I am forgiven for all my sins and will go to Heaven when I die. Right now at (time and date)___________________, I bow at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ, and I am dumping all of my sins there. And I mean ALL of them!

I ask that the blood of Jesus Christ wash away all my sins - past, present and future. I believe that the blood of Jesus Christ washed away all my sins - past, present and future.

I am sorry for my sin, God, and I accept your forgiveness. Right now, I declare that I am a Christian. I ask, Father, that you will make me aware of when I want to sin, and give me the courage to say No.

I ask, too, that you will help me understand the Bible, and to make the rest of my days on earth count for eternity.

I pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ - my new Lord and Savior. Amen.

IS THERE ONE CORRECT CHURCH?

2011-03-06T17:10:00.005-05:00

By NiteOwlDave
niteowldave@gmail.com

What Christian church is the correct one?

The church of “Jesus Christ” is the one we should attend. It is where the Bible – and the Bible alone – is taught.

We’re not talking about denominations here. The Bible refrains from using our man-made church tags like Roman Catholic, Protestant, Lutheran, Methodist and such.

Neither does the church mean a church building. In the Bible, a church has nothing to do with a building or label.

Paul wrote to the church of God in 1 Corinthians 1:2, “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.”

The church that Christ said “I will build” in Matthew 16:18 consists of people only with no earthly headquarters. The church is a body, a massive grouping of those who have come to realize that they are sinners and have trusted Christ as their Savior.

The Spirit of God rule’s God’s true church. When the Lord Jesus Christ takes His church from this sin-filled earth to Heaven, only saved people will go. Strange as this may sound, church members are not necessarily saved.

It is scriptural that the Biblical church is not a building where Christians gather, but is a gatherings of believers who accept the finished work of Christ.

In Bible days, Christian assemblies were identified by their locations. Thus, we read of the church at Corinth, Ephesus, etc.

Just three times in the Bible is a church said to be in a distinct place, like some home. The true church of God was – and still is - a place where believers meet for worship, prayer, fellowship and teaching.

According to Mark 16:15, the public ministry of the church is to go into all the world to preach the gospel of Christ. The onus is on the individual Christian to share the forgiving message of Christ as much as the one who leads the local “church” grouping.

Our church affiliation is first and foremost with the Lord, then with others where we meet in a building. We are the church.

If you are unsaved, Christ invites you to join his invisible church comprised of every believer in the world. We must realize that joining a local church without personally accepting Christ as our Savior will not get us into Heaven.

It is only when we get to the end of our rope and realize that we are lost, helpless, guilty and hopeless that we will reach out to Jesus for salvation. The moment we do that, we become part of the only church in the Bible.

Do it and be saved today. How? As a sinner, we must trust Christ as the only Savior and confess Him before men.

Romans 10:9 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

Need help? My email is above.

IS GOD BEING FAIR WHEN CHILDREN DIE?

2011-01-10T15:43:00.003-05:00

By Harold Smith

QUESTION: It is being said that God is cruel and wrong in destroying people, especially small children, who have never heard of Jesus and the gospel?

ANSWER: Let us use one Bible illustration.

In the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, there were most certainly children who perished in the fire.

Man looks at this and then at God and concluded that God must be wrong for such a terrible judgment.

The problem man has is he uses the wrong premise for his argument. He should first look at who God is, and then at what God has done.

In the case of Sodom, God could foresee that all innocent children would grow up into that very sin and it would spread like a virus in the world, so He nipped it in the bud and destroyed the cities.

Now as to the innocent children, God saved them from developing in that sinful society, and because of their innocence, they would have died and gone to Heaven.

So actually He did the children a favor in taking them away.

Those not innocent would know from creation that there was a God (Romans 1:20) and by their conscience (Rom 2:14). They were without excuse.

Let us not blame God for His justice because man will not repent of his sins and turn to Him through Christ.

Many have heard about the Savior and still neglect or reject Him.

What can a true and righteous God do but eventually judge them?

GOD IS SELDOM INVITED

2011-01-10T15:33:00.005-05:00

By NiteOwlDave

It is puzzling to me why God allows us to use Him as some kind of a safety value where we control the on-off switch.

God can’t be thrilled about being called upon like an ambulance when tragedy strikes like the bombs blasts in Oklahoma City and the downing of the World Trade Center building.

During times of duress, prayer and reference to Scripture is both welcomed and sought after.

When we are feeling comfortable and have no national hurts, we govern God stuff sternly, always aware of high court rulings and political correctness.

Public prayers in Jesus’ name at Ground Zero Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City is fine. Try that there any other time and the “right’s” people will show up with the cops in toe. It’s a wonder God doesn’t ignore us.

HOW DOES SOMEONE GET SAVED DURING THE TRIBULATION?

2010-11-30T17:50:00.004-05:00

By Grace Kemp

www.scriptureseries.com

How does someone get saved during the Tribulation? That's a great question.

In the Old Testament, salvation was "of the Jews" (John 4:22).

Anyone who wanted to be saved came through the Jews and their animal sacrifice system. Jews were called a "kingdom of priests" (Ex. 19:6), meaning they were the mediators of salvation on earth.

Following the rapture and during the tribulation, salvation will again be "of the Jews."

Two "witnesses" will descend from heaven (Rev. 11:3) and who likely remain in Jerusalem preaching the "Gospel of the Kingdom," at the altar in front of the newly-built Jewish temple on the temple mount (Rev. 11:1,2)

Their "first fruit" converts will be 144,000 Jewish men.

By the midpoint, 1/3 of all the Jews will accept Christ as their coming King and Messiah (Zech. 13:8,9).

During the second half of the tribulation, the 144,000 converts will travel around the world preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom to the Gentiles. Millions will be converted to Christ (Matt. 24:14).

Salvation will consist of rejecting the Beast in Jerusalem who will claim to be God, and believing Christ to be the true and coming King.

If they "endure to the end" (maintain that belief), they will be rescued at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

2010-11-30T17:24:00.004-05:00

HOW TO DEAL WITH BIBLE "DISCREPANCIES."

The following seems to be a handy—and solid—rule of thumb.

In interpreting Scriptures, we must follow a strict rule that no part contradicts any other. We must seek to harmonize apparent discrepancies.

A wise rule to follow is to make the obscure fit into the plain, or take the few and fit them into the many.

The reverse of this has produced divisions and many cults.

Here is an example:

1 Corinthians 15:29 speaks of "baptism for the dead." It is used by others to baptize a living person on behalf of the dead. This is interpreting it at face value and ignoring the many verses that teach only living believers should be baptized.

Beware of what man says! Colossians 2:8-10 states, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

"For in him dwelleth all the FULLNESS of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power."

2010-11-28T20:04:00.019-05:00

RCC: King of the Cults
By NiteOwlDave
niteowldave@gmail.com

Call this outrageous if you like, but I struggle to understand why the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) can be considered a Christian institution, despite its statements, symbols, and size.

That must sound massively bizarre. After all, Roman Catholicism fixes largely on the Lord Jesus Christ, His death, resurrection, and mostly on His atonement.

I am aware that the RCC has a 1,700-year history and boldly claims to be the only true church of Jesus Christ. It claims to have been founded by the Lord Himself who, according to the RCC, crowned the Apostle Peter as His go-to first pope.

Having said that, let me stir the fire by suggesting that the Church of Rome is a false cult of massive proportions. It ranks down there with the Jehovah's Witnesses and The Church of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons).

Like the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons, the RCC solidly fits the true definition of a cult. The commonly held definition of a cult is simply a belief system.

More correctly, a cult is a group led by a dictatorial leader who demands unquestioning adherence to his doctrines, which are generally taken from or based upon the Scripture, but out of context or twisted to fit a styled teaching. A cult also allows for "new revelations of truth."

This is so true of the Roman Catholic Church. The RCC is headed by the Pope who, at times, claims to speak for almighty God. Papal edicts must be obeyed, without question, for its followers to crack Heaven's gate when they die.

RCC leaders say that after Jesus returned to Heaven, the Apostles taught early church doctrines through inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This is true.

They say their added doctrines are God-inspired, too. No. Many of the central gospel planks taught in the Bible have been horribly changed by the Church of Rome under what it bills as holy traditions.

Here's what the RCC proclaims about its position on traditions: "And (Holy) Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit."

The RCC, therefore, declares that both Scripture and tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence. Huge error there. The problem with this theology is that many of the teachings and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church are blatantly in opposition to what the Bible proclaims.

In the event of a suggested contradiction between tradition and Scripture, which wins? The church's traditions do every time. As one wise old Bible teacher used to put it, "This is playing with fire!"

The Bible insists that a doctrine, to be valid, must conform to the Word of God, and it alone. Isaiah 8:20 in the Old Testament says, "To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them." Is that emphatic enough?

This is sadly ironic because the 27 books of the New Testament were approved by the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Hippo in North Africa in 393 AD after much work in previous councils.

Nowhere in the Bible does it suggest God will ship us more inspired writings. We have the complete WORD OF GOD.

It goes without saying that God rode shotgun over which books would be considered Canon-worthy and which writings would be rejected at Hippo. God is not about confusion. He would not give us a faulty manual.

What does the Bible say about bowing to traditions?

Colossians 2:8 says, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."

In other words, if a belief is opposed or not given room for support in the Bible, it must be shunned.

Jesus was no fan of churchy traditions. While on earth, He always dismissed the fake Temple priests and quoted the Old Testament as His source of truth. Here are some other Bible verses which address traditions.

Matthew 15:1-3 states, "Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 'Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat'!"

Jesus replied,"And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition'?"

Matthew 15:6 says, "Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition."

Mark 7:8 says, "You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."

Beliefs and Practices

Let's examine a few Roman Catholic beliefs and practices based on tradition and which fly directly in the face of what Holy Scripture teaches. These teachings are heresies to the max degree.

1. The Bible portrays the blessed mother Mary as the earthly mother of The Lord only, not the "Queen of Heaven" as the Roman Catholic Church proclaims. Mary was not sinless, as Rome insists.

She confesses that she was a sinner—who would need the same salvation cleansing that we all do by the atoning blood of Jesus—when she referred to Jesus, in Luke 1:47, as "God my Savior." A sin-less person would not need a savior.

The Bible does not teach Christians to devote themselves to Mary as the Popes demand, especially these days. Nowhere does it suggest we seek her as our advocate or go-between before God.

To the contrary, the Bible points out in 1 Timothy 2:5 that "There is one God, and one mediator (go-between) also between God and men, Christ Jesus." (See this article for more on Mary.) http://home.cogeco.ca/~wwjs/dts45.html

2. Paying to have a priest pray for the soul of someone who is dead is traditional bunk but is a grand cash cow for the Vatican. Reformer Martin Luther thundered loudly against this practice which is still carried on today. Cha-ching!

2 Corinthians 5:8, which applies to the born-again Christian only, mentions no sin-cleansing Purgatory: "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."

3. The Latin language was imposed as the language of prayer and worship in churches by Pope Gregory I, 600 years after Christ. In 1 Corinthians 14:9, God forbids praying and teaching in an unknown tongue.

"Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air."

4. The worship of the cross, images, and relics is given the green light by the RCC. It is severely condemned and called idolatry in the Bible. Exodus 20:4 says, "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below."

5. Canonization of dead saints was first declared by Pope John XV in 995 AD. The Bible says every believer and follower of Jesus Christ is a saint.

Romans 1:7 says, "To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ." Acts 9:32 says, "As Peter travelled about the country, he went to visit the saints in Lydda."

6. The Roman Catholic mass was developed gradually as a sacred sacrifice. Attendance was made obligatory in the 11th century. The Bible teaches that the sacrifice of Christ was offered once and for all, and His death is not to be repeated, but only commemorated in the Lord's Supper.

Hebrews 9:26-28 says, "Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.

"Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.

"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him."

7. Is infant baptism, a RCC ceremony where God through a priest is said to wipe away a child's inherited sin, biblical? No. It's a tradition. It is not supported by the Bible. Interestingly, Jesus was baptized at age 30 and He had no sin.

Mark 1:9 says, "And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan."

8. Does regular church attendance, confession of one's sins to a priest, and participation in a mass, put us on the right road to Heaven? No. The Bible teaches that the church is not something we go to.

Rather, the church is the people of God, the worldwide collective of the Body of Christ.

The Bible teaches that we are to call no man on earth "Father," and that the bread and wine services are in "memory of" rather than the RCC mass practice of literally re-sacrificing Jesus and eating His literal flesh and drinking His literal blood.

Jesus said in Luke 22:19, "This is My body which is given to you; do this in memory of Me."

9. Is praying the rosary mentioned in the Bible or was it made up by the RCC? It's made up. As pointed out above, the Bible does not say that Mary whispers messages into the ears of Jesus.

Rosary prayers don't make it to the ceiling. Jesus teaches us that repeating prayers, like the rosary, over and over again is of no value.

Matthew 6:7 says, "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: For they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."

10. The RCC teaches that the condition of our soul at the moment of death affects our eternal destiny. This teaching is blind tradition.

Jesus said that those who belong to Him would never be condemned to Hell. John 10:28 states, "I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand."

11. The celibacy of the priesthood was decreed by Pope Hildebrand Gregory VII in 1079. Jesus imposed no such rule, nor did any of the apostles. On the contrary, Peter was a married man, and Paul says that bishops were to have wife and children.

Matthew 8:14-15 says, "When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him."

12. The Inquisition of "heretics" and the slaughter of many was instituted by the Council of Verona in 1184. Jesus never taught the use of force to spread or to protect His gospel.

Matthew 10:14-15 say, "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city."

The following is from two historical accounts of unholy aggression. "In the middle of the fifth century, Pope Leo the Great commended the Emperor for torturing and executing heretics on behalf of the Church.

"Anyone in Villaro who declined to go to a Roman Catholic mass was liable to be crucified upside down, but there was some variation in the manner of killing in other towns.

"Some were maimed and left to die of starvation, some had strips of flesh cut off their bodies until they bled to death, some were stoned, some impaled alive upon stakes or hooks. Some were dragged along the ground until their flesh was scraped away.

"One at least was literally minced. Daniel Rambaut had his toes and fingers cut off in sections: One joint being amputated each day in an attempt to make him recant and accept the Roman faith."

13. Confession of sin to a priest at least once a year was instituted by Pope Innocent III, in the Lateran Council in 1215. The Bible does not say anything about our need to pray to or through a priest or pastor.

We are to confess our sins directly to God. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he (God) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

14. The Scapular was invented by Simon Stock, an English monk. It is a piece of brown cloth with the picture of Mary, and it is supposed to contain supernatural virtue to protect from all dangers those who wear it on naked skin. Yeah, that flies! This is fetishism.

15. In 1229, reading the Bible was forbidden to laymen and placed in the Index of forbidden books by the Council of Valencia.

Jesus and His disciples said the Scriptures should be read by all. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

16. The Council of Trent, held in the mid 1500s, declared that tradition is of equal authority with the Bible. Tradition is human teachings. The Pharisees believed the same way, and Jesus bitterly condemned them, for by teaching human tradition they nullified the commandments of God.

Mark 7:7-9 says, "They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."

And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions."

Colossians 2:8 says, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."

Personal Observations:

The majority of murals displayed by the Roman Catholic Church depict the Blessed Mother Mary as the head, mothering the helpless baby Jesus or grieving over the dead Jesus.

Very rarely does one see a rendering of Mary with the grown man, the Lord Jesus Christ. That's backwards.

Protestants, by and large, hold that the Bible is the stated one-and-only Word of God. Most reject man-made traditions. Sadly, many Protestant pastors do not—as the Bible demands—preach a clear salvation message of the atoning blood of Jesus alone. Too many serve up thin soup focused on social betterment.

All this church stuff aside, what does the Bible say we each must do to qualify for Heaven? I think the majority of us will agree that there can only be one truth. God did not create chaos nor many ways to Heaven.

Jesus states flatly in John 14:6: "Jesus saith until him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: No man cometh unto the Father, but by me." It's Jesus' way or the highway.

Salvation is through Him alone. It is not by church affiliation or good works, although church membership and good deeds are noble.

Neither the words "Protestant" nor "Roman Catholic" are mentioned in the Bible. Jesus emphasized, "I am the Way."

Jesus taught that to get into Heaven one must "be saved," "be born again," "receive," "accept," "believe". They all mean the same thing.

Simply put, the Bible says we are all sinners facing an eternity in Hell unless we ask to be saved. How do we get saved? It's quite easy, actually. Jesus made it so simple that even a kid can become a Christian. In a private, honest, one-on-one prayer to God we must:

1. Confess to God that we have sinned.

2. Choose to believe that when Jesus died and rose again He paid for all our sins in full.
If we receive or accept Him and what He did, we will be saved. It's a one-time thing, like taking out citizenship.

We do not gain-lose-gain our salvation. If we honestly believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again for us and we invite Jesus to take command of our life, our salvation is sealed.

What do we pray? Well, something like this:

Dear God: I am a sinner. Others have sinned greater than I have. Nevertheless, I stand before you now as a lost sinner, deserving of Hell. I choose to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became a man. I choose to believe He allowed Himself to be put to death, arose again on the third day, and is alive today.

The Bible says our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ, and I believe that. Father I want to be cleansed of all my sins right now. I know I am not right with God, and I want to be. I want to go to Heaven when I die. Right now at _______ (date and time), I bow at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ, and I am putting all of my sins there. All of them. I ask that the blood of Jesus Christ wash away all my sins—past, present, and future. I am sorry for my sin, and I accept your forgiveness.

Right now I declare that I am a Christian. I ask, Father, that you will make me aware of when I want to sin and give me the courage to say no. I ask, too, that you will help me understand the Bible, and to make the rest of my days on earth count for eternity. I pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, my new Lord and Savior. Amen.

2010-10-09T01:00:00.013-04:00

Do Unborn babies and Children Wind Up in Heaven?

By Grace Kemp
gracekemp@aol.com

1. Where in the Bible does it state that all infants go to Heaven? We are given a huge clue and great hope that babies go to Heaven in 2 Samuel 12:21-23. King David losses a child. He is sorrowful and wonders if it is his fault that the baby died. It is not his fault.

Then he realizes that one day he shall see the baby again. He says, "I shall go to him (when God calls the king home to Heaven), but he shall not return to me."…"

Jesus always had a soft spot for children. In Matthew 19:14, He tells His disciples, "Suffer (allow) little children to come unto me for of such is (present tense) the kingdom of heaven." The "children" referred to here are likely those who are physically and spiritually immaturity.

When we compare every occasion in which the Greek word for "children" is used in the New Testament, it suggests immaturity regarding exposure to truth.

2. What is the age of accountabiliity? An age of accountability is not clearly defined in the Bible. None of the arguments are solidly convincing.

- Some Bible teachers suggest that the biblical age of accountability is 20 because that is when Jewish boys were required to fight in war.

- Other Bible scholars say it is age 13 because of Bar-mitzpa: when a Jewish boy is considered an adult and responsible for his moral and religious duties.

- Some believe that age 12 is significance as that is the age when Jesus first taught in the synagogue. There is nothing written about Him in His childhood before this. At age 12 or so, many children are going through struggles of independence and wanting to make their own decisions, independent of their parents.

- Others are emphatic that only God knows, and that each individual is different. They say the reason there is no definitive verse that pins down the exact age of accountability is because the Lord wants us to leave this up to Him. They say God does not want us to fret ourselves into a huge mess.

It seems reasonable to many that the age of accountability is when a child can make a decision based upon their ability to personalize the gospel and respond to it.

In other words, if a child's parents told their toddler to believe in Santa Claus and they believe simply because their parents tell them to despite all the evidence against it, they are likely not yet accountable.

If a child is capable of making a decision based upon their personal analysis of the situation or facts and they are capable of understanding what they personally believe, then they become accountable. Then they may chose to believe or reject it.

3. What verse suggests that aborted or miscarried kids go anywhere? Logic dictates that the created eternal, human spirit is present from conception. We are told in Luke 1:41 of real human life in an unborn baby.

"When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit."

It appears there will be many children in Heaven whose parents will be not be aware they had produced. This would be due to early miscarriages.

Conclusion: God is fair and loving. He will bring all those babies into Heaven who were cruelly murdered before they were given a chance to be born into this world.

In His mercy, He will spare the aborted babies the pain of growing up in an ungodly home and allow them to enjoy the riches of Heaven.

2010-09-02T19:19:00.003-04:00

YES, JESUS DIED AND AROSE
By NiteOwlDave

Recently, I had a brief Internet chat exchange with a friendly stranger from Toronto, Canada.

I’m not one to argue or debate, but this guy slowly edged me into the ring with his insistence that the Bible does not support the idea that the Lord Jesus Christ died and arose again from the dead to pay for our sins.

Like other Muslims, he insisted that Jesus was a heralded prophet. “I have read a lot of your Bible,” he said. “I have not seen anywhere where it says Jesus died on a cross and came back to life.”

“Oh,” I responded. “You may have surfed over a few passages.” He then posted this website which he said proves that the body of Jesus Christ reposes in the Kan Yar section of Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir, India: http://www.tombofjesus.com/

I wrote him a day later with this website which shows many verses
in the Bible that point out that Jesus did die and come back to life: http://www.jesusemptytomb.com/the-resurrection/jesus-resurrection/scripture-reference-guide-to-jesus-resurrection.html

The photo of the tomb above in Jerusalem is where the body of Jesus is believed to have spent three days following His crucifixion and from where He arose from the dead. It is located next to a hill where most scholars believe is the location of His death.

2010-07-09T17:46:00.006-04:00

SRA and MPD

Things That TRIGGER

By NiteOwlDave
niteowldave@gmail.com

Those who deal with Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) are triggered - which means they switch personalities and are tossed into a flashback - six different ways:

1. Words
2. Smells
3. Sounds
4. Visual images
5. Unwanted touch
6. Taste

It often takes time and much practice to learn them. Take notes.

WORDS

It is wise to presume that most graphic sexual words will trigger a survivor of sexual abuse.

In the same ballpark are words like “babe” and such. Words of that type are used by abusers in their sick efforts to attract, turn-on or “comfort” their targets of sexual hurt.

Whispering to a survivor is often VERY triggery. Survivors have heard lying whispers during abuse.

If an abuse survivor has been through the many hurts of Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA), it should be presumed that ALL God words are triggers which will prompt horrific flashbacks.

They can usually deal with the name Jesus, but not the word Christ. I won’t address the reason here.

Avoid using these words. Of course, there are other words.
1. Master
2. Christ
3. Blood
4. Lord
5. Savior
6. Alter, as Satanist's use evil altars, and crosses for their evil sacrificial practices.
7. Crucify
8. Cross
9. Slave
10. Basement
11. Christmas and Christian music

The Lord Jesus Christ can hear the heart, so it’s no big about not using clearly-pronounced words.

When a survivor gets saved and exposes himselve/herself to Christian music and Christian counseling, these triggers will sometimes be lifted, although, usually one at a time. It usually takes much time, focus and prayer.

Words spoken in anger and loud noises like crowds can trigger.

I’ve discovered a safe way around the God-related triggers is to use initials.

I tell SRA survivors that we are saved by the “b of the real L JC.”

The words these initials represent are used in connection with severe hurt (brainwashing) at Covens by Satanists. All Covens have abusive men and woman who claim they are God, Jesus, cops, priests, pastors, teachers, etc. They are, of course, fakes who hurt the held children.

The Satanists twist every sacred word of the true God and the true Lord Jesus Christ. Their gross actions and lies create severe hurt and confusion in the minds of those held.

Do not use striking words that refer to hurting such as:
1. Hit
2. Strike
3. Slap
4. Smack.
5. Hurt, etc.

It is generally okay to refer to these words as “bad things that were said and done to you.”

Many survivors will not watch TV or movies because of horror blood scenes. Trigger words are often used and there may be love, touch scenes.

SMELLS AND SOUNDS

The triggers prompted by smells and sounds are different with each survivor.

I suspect that the smell of aftershave, beer and blood, for example, may be triggers to all survivors..

I was once advised by a survivor never to use the word clock. I didn’t pursue why it was but accepted it.

Another survivor told me she triggers if she hears jangling keys. She said her abusive father always did that when he arrived home.

Anyone who is going to befriend or try to help an abuse survivor must be alert to these below-the-surface triggers and avoid them. Don’t hesitate to ask a survivor what to avoid saying or even talking about.

VISUALS

Survivors may trigger or will certainly turn away from quickly anything that reminds them of their abusers.

That can be anything from a guy – or gal, as women sexually abuse females too – who walks, talks or has certain mannerisms of an abuser from their past.

The sight of a person wearing a seldom seen baseball hat can trigger. A candle or fire can cause an MPD'er to trance which means Demons – if they are linked to the host body - can take control.

TOUCH

It is wise to never touch or hug a survivor without permission. A soft touch to the elbow can be even difficult to take.

TASTE

One survivor told me she wouldn’t eat bacon because her Satanist father forced it down her throat as a child. She says seeing bacon in a store tosses her back into that memory and makes her switch.

She said she also detests miniature hot dogs, but she can eat regular-sized hot dogs. “I don’t know why,” she says. “There must be memory link there that I’m unaware of.”

The taste of blood can be a monstrous trigger.

ONE FINAL THING…

We must keep in mind that survivors of brief or prolonged sexual abuse who have other personalities - or insiders – are not freaks.

Their life is a mountainous journey.

We must talk and walk tenderly.

(You might find this article I wrote of interest.)

The ABCs of SRA and DID
http://www.scribd.com/doc/10125792/The-ABCs-of-SRA-and-DID-PDF-File

2010-06-10T02:37:00.001-04:00

Being Happy When We Hurt

A cynic asked an elderly believer who had endured great physical pain for 20 years, "What do you think of your God now?

The godly sufferer replied, "I think of Him more than ever." Sorrow can be the means of bringing us heart-to-heart with God.

When repeated strokes of adversity have robbed us of health, friends, money, and favorable circumstances, God then becomes the only thing in life for us.

We come to love Him for whom He is and not merely for what He has to give.

In those times we cry out with the Psalmist, "Whom do I have in Heaven but You! And there is none upon the earth that I desire besides You." (Psalm 73:25)

The path of sorrow leads us to the place where we can say, "My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalm 73:26).

Then, too, we must remember, on ahead lies Heaven, where "God will wipe away ever tear from our eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain." (Revelation 21:4)