THE INTERESTING
INFORMATION CHRISTIAN MINISTRY
CONFIRMING
BIBLICAL TRUTH
September 15, 2021
SECTION 1 – INTERESTTING
INFORMATION WEEKLY ARTILCLES
SECTION 2 – SUMMARIES/BOOK
REVIEWS/SPECIAL ARTICLES/CHRISTIAN LINKS
INTERESTING
INFORMATION MINISTRY 9/15/2021
The following material is provided for
information purposes only. Any conclusions or opinions formed should
be based on the principles as outlined in Acts 17:11. The material is intended
for use as a witnessing tool and to keep you informed so you will not be
unaware (Luke 21:34) of what is happening according to Scripture’s
https://www.charismanews.com/video/86717-watch-god-is-our-refuge-billy-graham-s-9-11-message
CHRISTIAN MUSIC VIDEO
THOUGHT
FOR THE WEEK – “God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He
wants you to be just like Jesus.” -
Max Lucado
INTERESTING ARTICLES SUMMARY
·
What
happens when you stop believing in God?
·
Stunning
statistics about professing Christians
·
New
Bible translation embraces Native American storytelling
·
Why
stiving to serve God won’t work through our own efforts
·
The
World of dust
·
MADE
TO BE LIKE HIM
INTERESTING ARTICLES
WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN YOU STOP BELIEVING IN GOD?
"In those days there was no king in
Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes."–
Judges 21:25
WND – Sep. 11,2021-- Maybe the world is
just slouching back to Sodom and Gomorrah – or worse yet to a cataclysm akin to
the Flood. Or maybe Jesus will be returning imminently
.
History shows us the practice of
infanticide is not unusual. It was the rule, not the exception, in the empires
of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. It was an abomination even
found in ancient Israel, when people – including King Solomon himself –
ritually sacrificed their children to the fiery furnace idols of Baal, Chemosh, Molech, Dagon and Ashtoreth.
In Jeremiah 32:35, God expresses a kind
of divine exasperation over this monstrous betrayal of His holiness and His own
imagination: "And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the
valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass
through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into
my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin."
Infanticide remained prevalent
throughout the pagan world until the dawn of Christianity. But today we're
living amongst a generation that knows not Jesus – and things are getting
worse.
The great British journalist-theologian
G.K. Chesterton had it just about right when he explained what happens when
people stop believing in God.
It's true. They don't just believe in
nothing. They believe in anything and everything – every absurd notion, every
myth and the perpetration of every unspeakable horror.
Chesterton was merely echoing biblical
truths:
Genesis 6:5: "And God saw that the
wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the
thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
Jeremiah 7:24: "But they hearkened
not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination
of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward."
Romans 1:21: "Because that, when
they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became
vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."
Yet, I think I've discovered a corollary
to what Chesterton eloquently put into such memorable words. It's not just what
man does when he stops believing in God. It's also what he does when he stops
believing in the antithesis of God – namely the behavior God calls sin, or the
transgression of His law.
Likewise, it is true that when people
stop believing in sin, there is no abomination they will not commit – even
celebrate.
The prophet Jeremiah explains what it
looks like when people turn away from God or from belief in what God defines as
transgressions of His law. He wrote in Jeremiah 18:12: "And they said,
There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one
do the imagination of his evil heart."
The Apostle Paul warned in 2 Timothy
3:13 that we should expect things to get much worse in these latter days:
"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being
deceived."
Let's face it, we live in an age of
deception unparalleled since the Tower of Babel. The Tower of Google may indeed
be worse. It's not just fake news, it's false prophets and phony gods. It's
idol worship and fake religions. It's a return to Baal.
But here is scriptural truth as written
in 1 John 1:5-10: "This then is the message which we have heard of him,
and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If
we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do
not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his
word is not in us."
·
Do
you believe in God?
·
Are
you a child of light or a child of darkness?
·
Do
you follow God and turn away from sin?
·
Or
would you prefer to live in a godless world, a lawless world, a world in which
man does what seems right in his own eyes?
·
Christians and non-Christians alike are
today running from the law of God, from the commandments of Jesus.
The great evangelist and preacher
Charles Spurgeon once said: "Lower the Law and you dim the light by which
man perceives his guilt; this is a very serious loss to the sinner rather than
a gain; for it lessens the likelihood of his conviction and conversion. I say
you have deprived the gospel of its ablest auxiliary [its most powerful weapon]
when you have set aside the Law. You have taken away from it the schoolmaster
that is to bring men to Christ. … They will never accept grace till they
tremble before a just and holy Law. Therefore, the Law serves a most necessary
purpose, and it must not be removed from its place."
When we stop believing in God and sin,
that's what happens.
Man does not stop believing in anything.
He starts believing in anything – and everything. They do what's right in their
own eyes.
STUNNING STATISTICS ABOUT PROFESSING CHRISTIANS
Charisma News – Sept. 13, 2021 -- In a
somewhat shocking revelation, a study published by the Cultural Research
Center of Arizona Christian University showed that 58% of people who
identify as Christians believe that the Holy Spirit is not a real living being
but merely a symbol of God's power, presence or purity.
In another surprising statistic, while
176 million American adults identify as Christian, only 15 million, or 6%,
actually hold a biblical worldview.
George Barna,
the lead researcher at the Cultural Research Center, says that the term
Christian has become "somewhat generic" rather than a name that
reflects a deep commitment to passionately pursuing and being like Jesus
Christ."
"Too often, it seems, people who
are simply religious, or regular churchgoers, or perhaps people who want a
certain reputation or image embrace the label 'Christian,' regardless of their
spiritual life and intentions," Barna says.
"The survey results clearly
demonstrate how careful you have to be when interpreting data associated with a
particular segment of people who are labeled as Christians," he says.
"Political polling, in particular, may mislead people regarding the views
and preferences of genuine Christ-followers simply based on how those surveys
measure the Christian population."
While nearly 7 in 10 adults (69%) have
adopted the label "Christian" to identify their faith, this large
group entertains a wide range of perspectives that are not in harmony with
biblical teachings. One that is particularly disturbing says that 58% believe
that if a person is good enough or does good things, they can earn their way
into heaven.
The Bible clearly states in Ephesians 2
that "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of
yourselves. It is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8a).
Among the errant perspectives most
widely embraced are:
·
72%
argue that people are basically good.
·
71% consider feelings, experience or the input
of friends and family as their most trusted sources of moral guidance.
·
66%
say that having faith matters more than which faith you pursue.
·
64% say that all religious faiths are of equal
value.
·
58% believe that if a person is good enough,
or does enough good things, they can earn their way into heaven.
·
58%
contend that the Holy Spirit is not a real, living being but is merely a symbol
of God's power, presence or purity.
·
57%
believe in karma.
·
52%
claim that determining moral truth is up to each individual; there are no moral
absolutes that apply to everyone, all the time.
Self-identified Christians are also
likely to reject a number of biblical teachings and principles. For example,
slightly less than half (46%) believe that the marriage of one man to one woman
is God's plan for humanity, across all cultures; just 40% believe that when
they die they will go to heaven, but only because they have confessed their
sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior; only one-third (34%) believe
that people are born into sin and can only be saved of the consequences by
Jesus Christ; just one-third (32%) believe premarital sex is morally
unacceptable; and about 1 out of every 4 (28%) believe that the best indicator
of a successful life is consistent obedience to God.
NEW BIBLE
TRANSLATION EMBRACES NATIVE AMERICAN STORYTELLING FOR INDIGENOUS BELIEVERS
The Christian Post – Sep. 1, 2021 -- The
English translation sought to balance common cultural patterns of Native
Americans while also staying accurate to Christian theological concepts stated
within the New Testament.
One example is John 3:16, rendered in
the commonly used New International Version as “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.”
In the FNV, it is rendered, “The Great
Spirit loves this world of human beings so deeply he gave us his Son ―
the only Son who fully represents him. All who trust in him and his way will
not come to a bad end, but will have the life of the world to come that never
fades ― full of beauty and harmony.”
IVP Senior Editor Al Hsu told The
Christian Post that the project had extensive input from Native Americans
representing a diverse array of tribes in North America.
The lead translator, Terry Wildman,
himself of Native American origin, worked with a 12-member council of Native
Americans from different tribes and locations, including men, women, pastors,
elders and young adults.
“The team has engaged with indigenous
churches, sharing samples and garnering feedback about potential use throughout
the process. Additional reviewers and cultural consultants from over 25
different tribal heritages were also in partnership with the team throughout
the process,” explained Hsu.
“The feedback received from Native
churches, leaders and Bible scholars after over 1,300 received draft versions
of the translation of the book of Luke was overwhelmingly positive and many
suggestions were also incorporated.”
Additionally, noted Hsu, there was
“close collaboration” on the project with groups including Wycliffe Associates
of Orlando and OneBook, a Canadian organization that
focuses on helping translation projects for indigenous peoples all across the
planet.
“There just haven't been many Bible
translations specifically for Native Americans, and certainly not translations
done by Natives for Natives. Most Bible translation and Christian publishing
has been done by predominantly white communities,” continued Hsu.
“While this has, of course, produced
many excellent English language Bible translations for our study and
edification, we may have missed some things in Scripture.”
According to an online description,
the First Nations Version recounts Christian Scriptures "following the
tradition of Native storytellers' oral cultures."
"This way of speaking, with its
simple yet profound beauty and rich cultural idioms, still resonates in the
hearts of First Nations people," the description reads.
InterVarsity acquired the publishing
rights for the FNV Bible in response to its usage by their campus ministry
wing, specifically its outreach to First Nations peoples, Native InterVarsity.
“We reviewed the FNV Gospels and some of
the Epistles, and we were impressed with its fresh, vivid rendering of
Scripture in ways that harkened back to its original biblical context,”
recalled Hsu.
“InterVarsity and IVP have from the beginning
been committed to helping readers understand,
experience, and live out the truth of Scripture, and so we picked up the
publishing rights for the FNV New Testament as one way of helping readers
discover God's Word anew.”
In recent years, there have been
multiple efforts by Christian churches and ministries to improve outreach to
Native American populations through reconciliation projects and translations of
religious works.
INT. INFO NOTE: The Internet states that
the Bible has been translated into 3,324 Languages. So, here comes along
another version. Unfortunately, this translation as well as many others, seem
to be updated based on Man’s interpretation/opinion and current social norms,
which to me, waters down the original Gospel meanings to the point that the
name of Jesus is literally being taken out of the Bible and the truth of God’s
Word is being diminished. In this article, Since when does the term “The great
spirit” translate into the name of “Jesus”? Where does that represent the truth
of God’s Word? The term “The great spirit” has historically been known and used
by the Native American population throughout the Centuries. To them, it’s the
same old god that they have always worshiped.
Here is how Wikipedia defines the Term: The Great
Spirit is the concept of a life force, a Supreme Being or god known more
specifically as Wakan Tanka in Lakota, Gitche Manitou
in Algonquian, and by other, specific names in a number Native American and
First Nations cultures.
WHY STRIVING TO SERVE GOD WON'T WORK THROUGH OUR OWN
EFFORTS
Charisma News – Feb. 4, 2021 -- Starting
the new year strong is one thing; ending strong is entirely another. Now that
we are into February 2021, many have already given up on their New Year's
resolutions and others are on the verge.
As humans, not only as believers, we all
have an innate desire to better ourselves. Smokers want to quit; we all want to
get in shape and eat healthy. We want to spend more time with family and less
time on frivolous things, and many of us want to focus more on our financial
goals that we haven't been disciplined enough to obtain over the years.
Regardless of what it may be, as humans, we all have desires to grow, mature
and succeed, but often we lack the wherewithal to achieve them.
The apostle Paul says in Philippians
2:13 (NLT), "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the
power to do what pleases him." Here, the great apostle tells us God is the
one planting desires in our hearts, and He doesn't stop there. He doesn't
merely give us a longing for righteousness and leave us trying to muster up our
own strength and will power to get it done.
No way! He infuses a holy desire deep
within us, and He also supplies the power and fortitude we need to accomplish
it. The key to walking out our God-given dreams is to fully yield our hearts to
Jesus in surrender and trust.
We must acknowledge that we are bankrupt
on our own, and in Him we live, move and have our being. He is the source of
all strength, self-control, endurance, discipline and so forth. Jesus even said
to His disciples that, apart from Him, we can do nothing (see John 15:5).
People of the world look within
themselves for the motivation and ability to accomplish their goals. But as
children of God, we are in the world but not of it, and we aren't supposed to
be living like those who don't know God.
Not only does the Lord implant His
purposes within us, He supplies the power and resources we need to accomplish
those purposes as we surrender to Him and rely completely on His bounty.
Unfortunately, even believers are striving and live by the arm of flesh. We
came to Christ by no merit of our own, but we're trying to serve the Lord and
work His will by our own power and might ... and it simply won't work!
A WORLD OF DUST
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.”
Creation Moments – Sep. 9, 2021 -- It’s
behind your refrigerator and under your bed. It’s part of the air you breathe.
While dust is common, it’s not commonplace at all.
Much of the dust in our everyday lives
is nothing more than tiny particles of skin, clothing, carpeting – just pieces
of everyday life floating in the air. Studies of dust particles reveal that
most dust is soil. However, a second common dust – even a thousand miles from
the sea – is salt, driven into the wind by the waves. This salt helps form the
clouds that bring us rain. The next most common forms of natural dust are
volcanic eruptions and forest fires. Transatlantic winds pick up the dust of
the Sahara and sweep it across the ocean where enough of it lands in Miami to
sometimes give the rain a light pink color.
Not only does your home have dust from
all over the world, there’s probably also some from outer space. Ten thousand
tons of disintegrating meteorites and comets rain down on the Earth every year.
You can even identify some of this dust by running a magnet through the dust in
a rain gutter. Most of the magnetic particles that stick to the magnet are
probably from space. In addition, some dust is alive, made up of pollen, fungus
spores and even dormant bacteria, hoping to land on a good place to grow.
Dust reminds us that the world is smaller than we think and that
it won’t last forever. Are you ready for the next world? All your preparations
have been made by Jesus Christ. Find out in the Bible what He has done for you
today.
MADE TO BE LIKE
HIM
The
Lord makes known His love for mankind in so many ways. Consider, for example,
His providential care and kindness to all humanity, our beautiful planet filled
with creation’s wonders, and the gift of eternal life to all who trust Christ
as Savior. But have you ever recognized that God also shows love by
transforming believers into the image of His Son?
Genesis
1:26 tells us that in the beginning,
God created mankind in His likeness. Though that image was marred when Adam and
Eve sinned, God’s purposes were not thwarted. Before He had created anything,
the plan for mankind’s restoration was already in place (1
Peter 1:18-21).
God
provided salvation through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. Everyone who
trusts in Jesus is forgiven, spiritually reborn, and adopted into the heavenly
Father’s family. The Holy Spirit enters each new believer’s life and begins the
process of molding the renewed heart and mind into Christlikeness. And
ultimately the transformation will be completed when we are bodily resurrected
and stand before our Father in our glorified state.
But
even before we reach that perfected state, God is glorified through His
followers—when the likeness of His Son is revealed in our character,
conversation, and conduct to those around us.
In
Touch Ministry
PRIOR
ISSUE
INTERESTING
INFORMATION MINISTRY 9/8/2021
URL -
3,200-YEAR-OLD WALL SURROUNDING JOSHUA'S ALTAR DESTROYED IN PALESTINIAN
CONSTRUCTION
SODOM &
GOMORRAH, MOUNT SODOM, LOT'S WIFE, AND AMAZING NEW DISCOVERIES!
CHRISTIAN MUSIC VIDEO
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK – “A Christian...is a mind
through which Christ thinks, is a heart through which Christ lives, is a voice through
which Christ speaks, is a hand through which Christ helps.” -
Our Daily Bread
INTERESTING ARTICLES SUMMARY
·
How
shall we live in the season of His return?
·
Most
Americans think they have a “Biblical World” view
·
The
inconvenient truth about LGBTQ+ Activism
·
Women
created before Man?
·
The
Orchid that captures workers
·
MORE
THAN A SAVIOR
INTERESTING ARTICLES
HOW SHALL WE LIVE IN THE SEASON OF HIS RETURN?
Charisma News – Aug. 29, 2021 -- Wake
up, for the King is coming! It's hard not to recognize that His time has come.
In Matthew 24:32-34, Jesus says,
"The fig tree, its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves,
you know that summer is near. So, you also, when you see all these things, know
that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by
no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass
away, but My words will by no means pass away."
The King gave you all the signs to know
when His season would start. How can you not be ready? Have you not prepared
for His return?
Israel was born in a day. Jerusalem is
no longer trampled by the Gentiles. The global signs of His return are told
across the world news and internet on a daily basis. He has sent one sign after
another. You should know that His summer has come.
Thus, Jesus introduces His five parables
to teach us how to be about our Father's business in this special moment in
time. We are to be active and ready, busy preparing the way so we will not be
like the Gentiles caught unaware that the King has come.
This opens the door to the parable as in
the days of Noah, where Jesus tells us to get our house in order, so we will be
ready for when He comes in the clouds of glory with His angels.
We are not to be like the Noah
generation; so consumed with the things of this world,
they were not about the purposes of God and refused to believe that judgment
was coming.
Far too many, at least half of the
Gentiles and Jews, will have their lives fixed on the temporary pleasures of
this world. They will be unprepared for the next age to come.
We are to watch and be ready lest the
thief break into our houses. Who is the thief that comes to steal, rob and
destroy, but Satan and his demons. They are entering
our households through the internet, books, television, movies, music by false
prophets and false teachers indoctrinating us into secular humanism and the
philosophies and false religions of men and demons.
We need to be engaged in spiritual
warfare, doing battle daily for the souls of our family and friends. We need to
know the ways of God in His Word and revelation knowledge of the Spirit to
combat the deception of this age that Jesus warned of earlier in the chapter.
Matthew 24:44 says, "Therefore you
also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."
Are you ready? Are you actively watching and prepared, or are you passively
asleep at the mercy of Satan and his host of wicked ones?
The season of His coming is upon us.
Your eternal destiny and those of your loved ones depends on getting into the
game and giving Jesus all you have to give in the war
for the salvation of souls.
The third parable teaches who is
faithful and wise, who is living an obedient life that is always ready for the
return of the Master as opposed to the evil servant who is in the house of God
but not prepared for his Master to come.
Noah's time concerned the Gentiles. Now
Jesus focuses on the religious saved and unsaved living in the Master's house.
The wheat and the tares as we know in His other parable in Matthew 13:24-30.
The faithful and wise servants are
feeding their Master's household with food, spiritual food, that will make His
servants ready for the arrival of their Master. While the evil servant lives a
selfish life, has no regard for the lives of his fellow servants but is
consumed with the wicked ways of this world.
He will suffer the judgment of his
Master and will be banished from the eternal reward that the faithful servant
received. We are to know our Master's heart and commands, so we can faithfully
fulfill His vision for our day.
Jesus will give us the Holy Spirit with
dreams and visions for how we should be about the Master's business. I do not
want my dreams and vision for living. I want Jesus and His vision and dreams
for my life to build His kingdom. My dreams are built on sand, but His rest on
the rock of salvation and will endure the storms of life.
Jesus teaches in these three parables
how we should live in this season: know, act and obey. Know His time of His
return. Actively watch and be ready as we fight the good fight of faith by
making disciples and building His kingdom. Out of love for our Master, obey His
commands with the wisdom of revelation knowledge that He has given us by His
Spirit. Put aside our selfish desires to deny ourselves, take up our cross and
follow Jesus. You will be ready!
The Presence of God lives in us. The
Word tells us the Holy Spirit comes into our lives the moment we are born again
[from Above]. We also know that the Father and Son abide in us as they have
made Their home in us. This life we have in Jesus is a glorious one. We are
being changed from one degree of glory to another to be like Jesus. We hunger
for less of us and more of God to fill us completely. There are also moments
when God's presence fills the atmosphere where we worship as our Lord did when
Solomon dedicated the temple or when Isaiah saw Jesus, the Lord of Hosts, in
the temple, or when the Holy Spirit was poured out in Cornelius' house in the
book of Acts. When God acts in His glory, lives are transformed to live for His
purposes and plans to redeem the world.
MOST AMERICANS THINK THEY HAVE A
BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW. BUT DO THEY? (Excerpt)
The Christian Post – Aug. 28, 2021 -- A recent nationwide
survey conducted by Family Research Council’s Center for Biblical
Worldview asked respondents to determine what the term “biblical worldview”
meant to them and whether they fit the definition they embraced. The survey
revealed that 51% of American adults believe they have a biblical worldview.
To
make sense of that statistic, context comes from the annual American Worldview
Inventory conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian
University. That national assessment, which is based on more than 50 questions
used to track the worldview of American adults, reveals that only 6% actually
have a biblical worldview, regardless of whether or not they think they have
such a foundation.
So,
should we be pleased that most Americans think they have a biblical worldview
when they clearly do not?
My
viewpoint is that the 51% figure is more problematic than encouraging. Here’s
why.
At
the simplest level, the fact that most people think they have a biblical
worldview indicates that a large share of those adults probably do not know
what the biblical worldview is.
Experience
— and common sense — suggests that if someone believes they already have a
biblical worldview, they are unlikely to examine and seek to improve their
worldview. After all, the widely embraced axiom instructs us: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Between the half of all adults
who believe they have a biblical worldview and the minority who either don’t
care or don’t want one, a large majority of Americans argue that they do not
have a worldview problem to solve.
Roughly
70% of U.S. adults claim to be Christian. Of those, 84% claim to have a
biblical worldview. However, the American Worldview Inventory reports that only
9% of self-professed Christians actually hold a biblical worldview. That is a
remarkable level of self-deception and represents a huge educational challenge
for those responsible for biblical worldview development — i.e., Christian
churches, schools, and families.
We
may narrow our scope of concern to those who are more deeply committed to the
Christian faith. Based on beliefs about sin, repentance, and salvation (rather
than mere self-identification), we can determine that approximately 30% of
adults are likely born-again Christians. Once again relying upon data from the
two independent studies, the Center for Biblical Worldview research shows that
47% of born-again adults claim to have a biblical worldview. Yet, the American
Worldview Inventory reveals that just 19% of born-again Christians actually do.
That’s a substantially smaller self-deception gap than among all
self-identified Christians, but it is perhaps even more significant in its
implications for the church and the spiritual trajectory of the nation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
George Barna, founder of The
Barna Group, a market research firm specializing in
studying the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans defines Biblical World
View as follows:
THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH ABOUT LGBTQ+ ACTIVISM
Charisma News – Jun. 5, 2021 -- It was
about 20 years ago that a conservative commentator stated that, because the
homosexual movement could not grow by reproduction, it had to grow by
seduction. Understandably, this incurred the ire of gay activists, as if their
main agenda were the sexual seduction of others, including children.
What this conservative commentator
should had said was this: "The homosexual movement cannot grow by
biological replication, so instead, it puts its emphasis on ideological
indoctrination." That would remain true to this day.
To be sure, this is not a subject I would
prefer to address right now, nor is it a subject that I ever cared to address.
But what are we to do when the so-called
Equality Act is staring us in the face, with the potential of gutting religious
freedoms in favor of radical LGBTQ+ goals?
Or when the description to a recent Matt Walsh broadcast reads, "Today on the Matt
Walsh Show, PBS has teamed up with the New York City Department of
Education to bring drag queens and children together. We will discuss the
never-ending efforts to groom and sexualize children today." What are we
to do?
Or when female Olympic athletes
are upset about the prospect of competing against biological men? (In
the words of the Belgian weightlifter Anna Vanbellinghen,
"I understand that for sports authorities nothing is as simple as
following your common sense, and that there are a lot of impracticalities when
studying such a rare phenomenon, but for athletes the whole thing feels like a
bad joke.")
What are we do to when a Jewish temple
in Chicago announces a June lecture by a rabbi titled, "Is God
Transgender?" (For my response to this same rabbi back in 2016, see here.)
Or when Marvel comics celebrates the
8oth anniversary of Captain America by introducing a
brand-new superhero, Aaron Fischer, who is gay? (Yes, this was timed for gay
pride month as well, Fischer making his appearance on June 2. Also, for the
record, there are already websites devoted to subjects like this:
"Twenty-Five of my favorite lesbians and bisexual women in superhero
comics. The characters cover the full range of heroes, anti-heroes, villains,
and supporting cast." And should I point out that lots of kids read comic
books?)
What are we do to when someone you know
goes from being a married heterosexual woman (and mother) to identifying as a
lesbian to then getting into a relationship with another man, with each of them
switching genders?
Or when, in one night, answering LGBTQ+
questions at a conservative Baptist church, a father asks how to maintain a
good relationship with an adult son, who suddenly came out as gay, then just as
suddenly started to dress like a woman? And a couple asks for wisdom in dealing
with their 19-year-old granddaughter, who just came out as lesbian and
announced that she's "marrying" her partner? And a middle schooler
asks what to do when her teachers promote gay activism but will not allow her
Christian views in the class? And two high school teachers ask what they should
do if they're required to use transgender pronouns for their students? And
another woman asks about whether she should attend a same-sex wedding? What are
we to do? (For the record, we were only able to answer a small number of the
questions submitted. And this in just one night at one local church.)
On June 2, I received an email from Tim Wildmon of the American Family Association. He wanted all of
us to know that Amazon Prime refused to carry the importance, well-researched,
compassionately presented documentary In His Image: Delighting in God's
Plan for Gender and Sexuality.
I know this documentary well, since I
hosted it for AFA, and I can attest to what a fine production it is. As Wildmon wrote, "I am disgusted at the hypocrisy and
callousness. Amazon Prime offers every kind of degrading material
imaginable—including hardcore pornography and an entire LGBTQ movie
collection—but refuses a fair-minded film that is well-researched, has
world-class production values, and whose touchstones are truth and compassion
for hurting people." And Amazon allowed no appeal for the matter. Case
closed!
For additional reading, go to: https://www.charismanews.com/culture/85644-the-inconvenient-truth-about-lgbtq-activism
WOMAN CREATED
BEFORE MAN? NEW CHILDREN'S BIBLE TO INCLUDE 'GENDER PERSPECTIVE'
Bishop developing new translation
confuses story of creation
WND – Dec. 9, 2020 -- A bishop for the
Church of Sweden is developing a new Bible for children, translating from
ancient Greek and Hebrew texts, because the old ones didn't have a sufficient
"gender and diversity perspective."
For one thing, the new translation will
suggest that man perhaps did not come before woman in the creation story in
Genesis.
According to the Swedish-language
publication SVT Nyheter, Bishop Sören Dalevi of the Church of
Sweden said "a diversity and gender perspective" was missing from
children’s Bibles released in the 1960s and 1990s, which portrayed biblical
characters as "white."
Breitbart News noted it is the
first new translation in 25 years.
The report pointed out that Genesis
2:21-24 is "reasonably clear" that man did precede woman in the
creation story.
The Church of Sweden has a reputation
for being progressive and long has advocated for LGBT causes.
A controversy erupted a year ago when
one of its churches was criticized for having an LGBT altar painting depicting
homosexual duos in Genesis.
The painting was removed later after
officials noticed transgender characters were "associated with the snake
in the Garden of Eden."
In 2015, a lesbian bishop wanted the church
to remove cross images and mark the direction of Mecca, to accommodate Muslims.
The Breitbart report noted that the
church is forecast to decline by over a million members in just the next few
years.
THE ORCHID THAT
CAPTURES WORKERS
Job 9:10 “He does great things past finding out, yes, wonders
without number.”
Creation Moments – Jan. 4, 2021 -- The
relatively rare bucket orchid, Coryanthes,
behaves almost like an animal at pollination time. This remarkable ability is
essential to its survival.
Coryanthes has a steep-sided flower. Two glands extend over the
center of the “bucket” and secrete a clear fluid into the flower after it
opens. Just above the pool of fluid inside the bucket, a tunnel opens to the
outside of the bucket. At the end of the tunnel are the flower’s pollen and
stigma.
When it opens, the flower sends out a
strong, sweet odor that can attract male bees from over five miles away. The
male bees collect a waxy material on the flower’s surface that they later use
in mating rituals. As the number of bees collecting this substance off the
flower’s surface increases, so does the likelihood that in the excitement one
of them will fall into the pool below. When this happens, the sticky fluid
makes it impossible for the bee to make its out of the “top” of the
bucket-shaped flower. However, the tunnel provides an easy exit. But as the bee
nears the tunnel’s end, the flower drops down a projection from the tunnel’s
ceiling, holding the bee for about ten minutes before freeing him. While the
bee is held, the flower glues two packets of pollen to the bee. If it should
happen that the bee already has pollen packets, this activity delivers the
pollen to the stigma, and pollination is complete.
The Coryanthes orchid
not only shows us the Creator, but it shows us how unlimited His creativity and
imagination are.
MORE THAN A
SAVIOR
Who
is this Jesus? It’s a question that has been asked by countless individuals for
more than two millennia. And, to be sure, it is the most important question
that can ever be asked and answered. After all, it’s how we begin our journey
toward salvation.
So,
it’s essential to answer that question by saying Jesus is indeed our Savior.
But He is also more—Scripture refers to Him as “the image of the invisible God”
(Col.
1:15). No one has ever looked upon the face
of the Almighty. In the Old Testament, some people found themselves in His
presence, but they were never able to look fully upon His glory. However, when
the Son came down from heaven, veiled in human flesh, He bridged the gap
between the Father’s perfect holiness and mankind’s sinful condition. That’s
why Jesus could say, “The one who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John
14:9).
The
way we come to know the Father is by knowing the Son, who is the only full
expression and explanation of God. Everyone who through faith trusts Jesus as
Savior receives forgiveness of sins and Christ’s imputed righteousness. What’s
more, believers are given divine insight into God the Father as well.
In
Touch Ministry
THE GRACE THAT WE STAND IN IS MORE THAN WE DESERVE
SECTION II - SPECIAL ARTICLES/ BOOK
REVIEWS
IN THIS
SECTION:
· WHAT HAPPENS
AFTER WE DIE? (WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS)
· WHAT’S IN A
NAME?
· "BOB
PIERCE - THIS ONE THING I DO" - A BOOKREVIEW/SUMMARY
· "THE
HIDDEN CODES OF THE BIBLE" - A BOOK REVIEW/SUMMARY
· "SIGNS
OF THE TIME” - A BOOK REVIEW/SUMMARY
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER WE DIE?
By D.E. Davis
For Christians, we are told in Scripture in 2Cr 5:8 that to be
absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. For those who turn away
from God, we are told that they are eternally separated from God and go to a
place called Hell. Rev 14:11 says that
the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and
ever.
The question that everyone ponders is: What really happens after we
die? Do we just lay dormant until the Lord takes us to be with him or until
judgement is handed out at the Great White Throne as called out in Rev. 20:11?
Are we conscience? Do we feel, touch, think, recognize loved ones, know what is
happening around us? All questions that we have ask ourselves, no doubt, at
some time in our life.
My own personal review of the Scriptures has led me to believe that
after we die, even though our body may be dead and buried, our Spirit is alive
and fully conscience. Chuck Missler likens this state
of conscienceness to the software that runs the
Computer; once the hardware goes, the software remains intact and available for
further applications.
There are two illustrations in the Bible that makes it clear as to
what happens after death, when we're in the spirit.
The first one is illustrated in the Luke account of Lazarus and the
rich man in Chapter 16. After death, Lazarus, a man of God, is escorted into
Abraham’s Bosom, a holding compartment in Hell for the Believers prior to the
Cross. The non-believing rich man was "buried" and went into a
separate compartment in Hell (Hades), apart from Abraham’s Bosom, where he was
in Torment according to Scripture. Both were in a Spirit state; yet by the
account, they could see each other and speak to each other.
The second account is in Revelation, where John is taken (in the
Spirit) to Heaven to see those things that shall come to pass prior to the
return of Jesus Christ to the Earth, or Second Coming (not the Rapture).
I had to conclude from the study, based on the following Scripture,
that all of the senses we have here on earth will be with us throughout
eternity, even unto death.
·
THE
ABILITY TO LOOK/SEE - Luke 16:23;Rev. 1:12;4:1,4; 5:1,2; 6:1,2,8,9; 7:1,2; 8:2;
9:1,17; 10:1,5; 13:1,2,3;14:1,6; 15:1,2; 16:13; 17:3,6; 18:1; 19:11,17,19;
20:1,4,11,12; 21:1,2,22; 22:8
·
THE
ABILITY TO HEAR - Rev. 1:10; 4:1; 5:11; 6:1,3,5,6,7; 7:4; 9:13,16; 10:4,8;
12:10; 14:2,13; 16:1,5,7; 18:4; 19:1,6; 21: 3; 22:8
·
THE
ABILITY TO BEHOLD ( to obtain knowledge of: understand: perceive) - Rev.
5:6,11; 6:5,8,12; 7:9; 8:13; 13:11
·
THE
ABILITY TO REASON - Luke 16:30
·
THE
ABILITY TO CRY (even though there will be no more crying in Heaven) - Rev.
5:4,5; Luke 16:24
·
THE
ABILITY TO SPEAK - Rev. 5:13; 10:9; 21:6,15; Luke 16:24, 29,30,31
·
THE
ABILITY TO FEEL/TOUCH - Luke 16:23, 24,25
·
THE
ABILITY TO REMEMBER - Luke 16:25
·
THE
ABILITY TO WONDER - Rev. 17:6
·
THE
ABILITY TO WRITE - Rev. 1:11; 10:4; 19:9
·
THE
ABILITY TO QUESTION - Rev. 7:13
·
THE
ABILITY TO TAKE (THE BOOK/ROD) - Rev. 10:8,9,10
·
THE
ABILITY TO FALL (ON KNEES) - Rev. 19:10; 22:8
·
THE
ABILITY TO STAND - Rev. 13:1
·
THE
ABILITY TO WORSHIP - Rev. 19:10; 22:8
·
THE
ABILITY TO PERFORM TASKS - Rev. 11:1
God has promised in 1 Thess 4:16 and 1
Cor. 15:52,53 that one day, we shall be reunited with Him in body and will be
transformed and conformed to Him - in the twinkling of an eye. We are also told
in Scripture that we shall see Him face to face- see the Lamb that was slain
for you and me. We know by His Word, that we will Praise Him, Worship Him and
Rule with Him.
One thing in the study that I found extremely fascinating was the
difference in treatment between Lazarus and the non-believing rich man.
Scripture says that Lazarus was escorted to Heaven by an Angel, but there is no
indication in Scripture about how the rich man arrived at Hell. Could it be
that God had a specific purpose why He chose not to tell us in Scripture?
Finally, knowing that others may have varying interpretations of
these Scriptures, I strongly urge you to review the Scriptures yourselves to
determine what you find as the truth according to God’s Word.
WHAT’S IN
A NAME?
For those who
wish you had some other name because you don't like the name you were given,
you had better think twice. It is most
likely that the name your parents picked out for you was not their choice but
God's choice. Let’ s face it, the word
of the Lord is true. That's why in Eph.
1:4, God proclaimed that He had chosen us from before the very beginning of the
world.
If you follow
the Genealogy of Adam in Genesis, Chapter 5 (*) you will receive an insight
into what importance God put in names - It's an exciting message:
Genealogy Meaning
Adam Man
Seth Appointed
Enosh Mortal
Kenan Sorrow
Mahalalel The
blessed God
Jared Shall
come down
Enoch Teaching
Methuselah His
Death shall bring
Lamech The
Despairing
Noah Rest,
Comfort
Now let us look
at God’s Plan for Redemption:
"Man (is)
appointed mortal sorrow; (but) the Blessed God shall come down teaching (that)
His death shall bring (the) despairing rest."
Let us now look
at the Genealogy of Abraham (*):
Genealogy Meaning
Abraham Predestination
Isaac Called
Jacob Justified
Joseph Glorified
(*) Source:
Chuck Missler’s Briefing package: “A Walk Thru the
Bible”
WELL YOU
SAY! BUT THAT WAS ALL OLD TESTAMENT AND WOULDN'T BE APPLICABLE FOR TODAY -
WOULD IT?
Well, let us see.................. As a Christian, did God not choose you by name at the same time he chose Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph - before the very foundation of the world? If God had a purpose for their name, would you expect anything less for your name since He chose you at the same time?
As a Christian,
You ought to thank God daily that you, by your given name, was written in the
Lamb's book of life before the very foundation of the world and that you will
be a partaker in all the promises of Rev
21:27.
Within the last
couple of years, researchers have found many startling discoveries through the
use of super computers, specifically, hidden codes that God supernaturally
placed within the Hebrew text of the Bible.
Over 2000 years ago, the names of historical and current leader’s names
were placed in the Bible. Such names as Adolph Hitler, Eichmann, Arafat, Peres,
Rabin, Rabin's murderer Amir, Ben-Zion Netanyahu, Saddan
Hussein, George Bush, Schwarzkoph, Peter Arnet (CNN), Timithy McVeigh,
Bill Clinton.
Do you think
that God would limit His calling out to just those who had a highly visible
historical impact on this world? There
is no doubt that He had a purpose in doing this, if nothing else, just to get
your attention that He is the Creator; that He alone knows the beginning from
the end.
It is my firm
belief that as we advance further with our computer technology and peel back
the layers of the Hebrew text of the scriptures, we will make many more
startling and exciting discoveries. One
being that God has written each and every one of our names in His Word.
HERE IS WHAT GOD
SAID: Isaiah 66:22 "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will
make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name
remain."
BOOK REVIEW by D. E. Davis (September 1997)
BOB
PIERCE -"THIS ONE THING I DO"
By Franklin Graham with Jeanette Lockerbie
It is amazing the worlds that open up to an individual, once the
Power of the Holy Spirit comes upon him. Just three years ago, where once I was
blind to Missions, to all the inspired men and women God has called to service
and the multitude of people all over the world who have been saved, new worlds
are ever opening to me to see how awesome the power of God is in our Christian
lives.
Such was the power and strength of faith Bob Pierce had in our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is
difficult for me to even attempt to
assess where God has put Bob along with other past great men of the faith, but
from what I read about his life with Christ, he certainly had his eyes focused
on Jesus! I personally feel inadequate
and humbled to even put in words, my thoughts about this man. Bob was a man Blessed by God. I feel sad that I never had an opportunity to
know him, but look forward to meeting him one day in heaven.
If ever there was a verse of scripture that represented Bob Pierce,
it had to be the title of this book as taken from Philippians 3:13,14
".......this one thing I do,....I press toward the mark for the prize of
the high calling of God in Jesus Christ."
Bob was raised in Los Angeles and at the age of 12, gave his life
to Christ and was baptized in the Nazarene Church. "God simply called me
to give my heart to Jesus, and I followed Him." He died in 1978 of leukemia but lived his
life for Christ in between in between those dates as if Christ was coming
tomorrow and he still had to witness to the whole world before dawn broke. Throughout his career, he dedicated his life
mainly to Missions and over the years was responsible for founding such World
re-noun programs as "World Vision", an organization dedicated to
meeting the emergency needs in crisis areas such as Korea after the Korean
war. During that time of need, he
established a Korean Orphanage, serving
over 30 thousand Korean war orphans. Bob
was also responsible for starting the World re-noun Korean Orphan's Choir. As an outgrowth of "World Vision"
he founded "World Medical Mission" which covered all emergency
medical needs in countries all over the world which had no medical
facilities. He was also founder of
"Samaritan's Purse" and organization dedicated to funding World
emergency need, no matter where they were.
These organizations are still meeting the needs of those in crisis
today.
If his work through these organizations was not enough, he became a
United Nations War Correspondent during World War II; was Co-founder for
"Youth for Christ"; and became a Motion Picture producer/Radio
program host, author and a lecturer, but first and last, he always considered
himself an evangelist! Even though Bob knew that he was "extraordinarily
gifted by God, he was never impressed with himself - he considered himself just
an earthly vessel, available at all times for the exclusive use of the
Lord".
In his own words, he had "many flaws, failings but had
abundant faith in God who lives and cares about people."
If I had to pick four areas of the Christian life that I feel truly
represented Bob Pierce, they would be 1) Unwavering Faith, 2) Compassion for
others, 3) Obedience to God and 4) Commitment to accomplish the Will of God in
his life.
From the Beginning, Bob knew his calling was for Missions to the
Asian Countries. His first mission led
him through Hawaii to Hong Kong and eventually to China. Getting to China was his first big test of
faith - he had no money, even for the first leg to Hawaii. Bob held the opinion that God knows ones
needs already and if He has called you to a task, He will provide and enable
you - just move out! He did just that and went to the L.A. airport that day
without any money in his pocket. His
faith paid off as God provided the funding for each leg of his trip just at the
moment he needed it. This was the norm
rather than the exception throughout his
career as an evangelist. What ever it was, where ever
it was, if God called, Bob would act no matter what the circumstance......he
knew that God would always provide.....and He did!
Bob had a compassion for the spiritually and physically suffering
of the world. "He was the friend of
the little people, the forgotten, the hurting, the maimed, the unheard and the
unsung". Bob's theme was "Let
my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God". It was
Bob's personal belief that "wherever you find men and women who really
love Jesus Christ, you find the compassion of Christ spilling out of them to
meet human need." Over the years World Vision, Samaritan's Purse and other
organizations like them; one in particular, Mission Aviation Fellowship Pilots
(MAF), who flew Missionaries around the world in crisis situations, helped so
many helpless and needy men, women and children. They knew first
hand the healing power of God.
Bob dared it all to be obedient to the Lord's call. Once he had in focus the mission that God
wanted him to accomplish, he followed in Faith to bring the unsaved to
Christ. It was his opinion that "
If you are an ambassador, act like one!"- no matter where you are. Bob
would bring to memory how other great men of Faith were obedient even in the
face of death. During World War II, a
young South Korean Pastor, Mr. Im was mistaken for a
North Korean Communist and imprisoned.
During his internment, he would go around camp singing "Jesus Loves
Me" and other Christian songs. He
not only uplifted and inspired other fellow Christian prisoners to come
together, he brought many more to Christ.
Together he and another prisoner, Chaplain Voelkel,
established a Bible Study where over 6,000 prisoners finished a six month Bible Study.
Six Hundred (600) of those finishing the Bible Study became pastors and came back to Korea to
preach the Gospel. In another instance,
he related how a Korean school teacher was put to death in front of his
students because of his faith and obedience to the Lord.
To be an ambassador for the Lord "is one of the greatest
things that could ever have happened to anyone - to let God put a fish hook
into you so deep that there is no way of ever getting off the hook."
"Bob did one thing all
of his life, and that was to lead people to the foot of the Cross where they
would put their faith in a risen Lord Jesus Christ. He lived every minute completely amazed that
God could use him. No matter how much he
was able to do in how many places, it was never enough." This was the kind of commitment Bob made to
Jesus; "to commit yourself, give yourself away
to God irrevocably, forever. Say to Him,
go ahead and burn me up. Spend me. Eat me up.
Use me for you Glory." And that's exactly what he did.
Being a man of God was not always easy for Bob and he paid a high
price. In one measure or another he had
to forsake his wife, his family, his Mother and Father, his brothers and
sisters and other worldly possessions to follow Jesus. He not only lost his health, he lost his
Daughter, Sharon, to death.
Committing your life to Christ in a Godless society is never easy;
many times you feel like you may be the only one
putting your life, your self image, your social
acceptance on the line. As Bob came to
realize, ". Someone has to go and
pay that humiliating price of literally letting your ego be stomped on- not
just pushed in and suppressed, but laid out there for people to stomp on. We need to do this by the grace of God with
love and patience: sow the seed on rocky soil, nurture it, and maybe never be
applauded."
Committing your life to Christ really comes down to this; What
really matters
to you in Life?
On his death bed in the City of Hope, Bob left us this one message
- "I don't care what you have attempted. What you have succeeded at, or
what has been your work in Christ's name while you are here on earth - only one
thing matters when you have reached the last step before you go to stand before
Christ:
- Did you tell men and women who Jesus is?
- Did you bring them to some comprehension of His redeeming love?
- Did you make it plain to them that He alone can pay their way to
heaven throughout His atoning death on the cross?"
Such was the life of a man of God, Bob Pierce.
HIDDEN CODES OF THE BIBLE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACT 17:11 - Exhorts you to daily review the scriptures
to see if what is being said is true
References: Grant
R. Jeffrey - "The Signature of God"- RECOMMENDED READING
Other reading: "The Hebrew Factor" by Yacov
Rambsel
Prepared
by D. E. Davis
Daniel 12: 4 - "But thou, O Daniel, shut
up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to
and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."
Here is undeniable proof, the third in the
series, that every word, every letter and every punctuation in Bible text was
put their by the inspiration
of God. It gives new meaning to the
words "increase knowledge".
It's just one of the many signs, and without a doubt, the most exciting
revelation that God said he would reveal to man in the "end
time". As you will see, God has
put his signature throughout the Bible, has revealed History before it ever
happened, all through hidden codes that were supernaturally placed into text
which was written over 2,000 years ago; which could only be found with today's
computer technological advances. The
codes are found in what scholars call
"Equidistant Letter Sequences" or ESL. That is, each sequential letter in an encoded
word or phrase was found the same distance apart numerically; The exact
interval designed by God.
Actually, the discovery of hidden codes in
scripture dates back to before WWI and it was not until 1988 that the use of
computers were able to detect a significant amount of
coding in scripture. Since then, the
research that Grant Jeffrey and others have done has just exploded and new
discoveries are happening every day.
Here is a summary of what has been found and
outlined in Grant's book, referenced above.
It is my understanding that he is in the process of writing another book
to tell what he has found subsequent to "The Signature of God".
Luke 21:15 - " For I will give you a
mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay
(refute) nor resist."
Proverbs 25:2 - "It is the glory of God
to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter."
What follows is what most of the human race
would find hard to believe. It
unfathomable to think that the Hebrew Bible, containing 304,805 Hebrew letters,
written by 40 individuals could contain hidden messages that if one letter was
taken out of the text, one word was removed, the hidden message could not be
revealed......yet the message has been sustained for over 2,000 years and has
been revealed to man just as Jesus said it would be. Jesus has actually placed His name and other
messages about Himself into text which proves he is the creator of all; King of
Kings and Lord of Lords.
GOD'S
SIGNATURE
God has personally signed scriptures
throughout the Old and New Testaments in various ways. For example in the
Old Testament, he has encoded his name, Jesus, in the following scripture:
God has also encoded unbelievable detail
about many of the things we read about and which touch our lives daily. For example, he outlines:
PLACES
AND THINGS
·
Gen. 2: 4-10 -
The key word "Eden" was spelled out sixteen (16) times in the span of
379 Hebrew letters. The letters were all
equidistant from each other.
·
Gen. 2 - In this
chapter which deals with the garden of Eden, scientists found encoded in the
Hebrew text, Twenty-five (25) names of trees that were in the
Garden of Eden.
·
Gen. 1:1 - Starting with the first appearance of the
Hebrew letter "Tav", the word
"Torah" was found every 50th letter.
·
Ex. 1: 1 - Again, starting with the first appearance of
the letter "Tav" and counting every 50th
letter, the word "Torah" was spelled. Num./Deut. - In the book of Numbers the word "Torah" was found spelled
backwards every 50th letter. In the book
of Deuteronomy, "Torah" was found again spelled backwards, but this
time every forty-ninth (49) letter.
NAMES
AND EVENTS
·
Holocaust
·
Deut. 10: 17-22 - Beginning with the second to last
appearance of the Hebrew letter "bet" in this passage, they found
every Thirteenth (13) letter, the phrase "b'yam marah Auschwitz" which means "in the bitter sea
of Auschwitz." Also encoded in
this passage were the names of the other Nazi Concentration camp,
"Belsen".
·
Deut. 33:21 - Beginning with the letter (resh) that appeared in the Hebrew word "Yisreal," and counting every twenty-second (22) letter
from the left to right they found the phrase "re'tzach
alm" discribing the
Holocaust, which when translated, means "a people cry murder,
slaughter."
·
Adolph Hitler
·
Deut. 10: 17-22 - The word "Hitler" spelled
out in Hebrew was found every twenty-second (22) letter.
·
Deut. 33:16 - Beginning with the first appearance of the
Hebrew letter "mem" and every two hundred and forty-sixth (246)
letter from left to right you find that the coded letters spelled out the
phrase, "Melek Natzim,"
which translates as the "king of the Nazis."
·
Eichmann
·
Deut. 32:52 - Beginning with the appearance of the first
letter (aleph) and counting from left to right every six hundred and seventy
(670) letters, the name "Aik'man" is
spelled, which is the Hebrew form of the name "Eichmann."
·
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat
·
"Sadat occurred together with the name of the
leader of the Moslem Brotherhood
assassinating team that killed him.......it contained the year of his
assassination, 1981, and the words
"president," "gunfire," "shot'" and
'Murder".
·
Desert Storm
·
Beginning in Gen. 1:7 and continuing through the rest of
Genesis, Grant Jeffrey indicated at the Prophesy Conference in Irvine,Ca. on 27 Sept. 1996 that they had recently found
information in hidden code in scripture relating to Desert Storm. I believe more details will be available in
Grant's next book.
·
The French Revolution
·
Gen. 39,41 - "Another passage in the Book of
Genesis revealed a cluster of encoded words that deals with the French
Revolution. The following words are
clustered ogether" "Mapecha
HaSarfatit" which spells "the French
Revolution" in Hebrew, "Louis," the name of the French king, and
the word "Beit (house of Bourbon,") his royal dynasty. In the same cluster were the following words: "Hamarseilles"
(the name of the French anthem) and the word "Bastillia"
(the infamous French prison for political prisoners........"
OTHER
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
·
Word pairs - "In their initial experiment,
.......the scientists arbitrarily chose three hundred (300) Hebrew word-pairs
that were logically related in meaning, such as hammer and anvil, or tree and
leaf, or man and woman." ".....the researchers were astonished to
find that every single word-pair had been located in Genesis in close proximity
to each other."
·
King David's Ancestors
·
Gen. 28 - " Every one of the five Hebrew names of
these ancestor of King
David (Pharez, Zerah, Boaz, Obed, Jesse) were
found encoded at forty-nine (49) letter intervals, hidden within the text of
Genesis 38".
·
Famous Jewish Rabbi -
"The Jewish people celebrate the memory of their famous sages by
commemorating their date of death.
Incredibly, the computer program found every single one of the sixty-six
names of these famous rabbis embedded in the text of Genesis paired at
significantly close proximity with their actual date of birth or their date of
death."
IS
THE HEBREW BIBLE UNIQUE TO GOD' S INSPIRED EMBEDDED CODES?
Grant points out that "The researchers
attempted to reproduce these results by running the computer program on other
religious Hebrew texts outside the Bible, including the Samaritan Pentateuch.
.......the researchers could not detect word pairs in the Samaritan Pentateuch
or any other Hebrew text outside the Bible.
In fact, an exhaustive analysis reveals that no other Hebrew text outside
the Old testament contains these mysterious codes, not even the Hebrew
apocryphal books written during the four hundred years before the birth of
Christ"
A
WORD OF CAUTION
"No one can search the Torah using these
codes to foretell future events. The
reason is that it is impossible to extract the encoded information unless you
already know what the future facts are."
"The prophet Isaiah warned against false prophets and declared that
only God can Prophesy future events
accurately
(Isa. 46: 9,10).
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"Computer tapes are now available so
that anyone with a computer can personally verify the existence of these codes
beneath the text of the Scriptures.
As Christians, we can stand firm in the word and shout for joy. God has given us "the words and the wisdom that none of our adversaries will be able to refute or contradict", no matter how much they try!
PRAISE
THE LORD!
SIGNS OF THE TIME
References: Grant
R. Jeffrey - "The Signature of God"- RECOMMENDED READING
Prepared by D. E. Davis
June 10, 1997
Prelude
How do we know that Jesus is the one true God when there
are so many religions, cultures and cults that claim that they serve the one
true god? How about Buddha, Allah?
Scripture says that God alone knows the beginning from the
end. The way that God establishes His
authority is through Biblical Prophesy. There are over 500 prophesies that were
prophesied over 2,000 years ago that have all come to pass. There are still some Old Testament that have
yet have to be fulfilled (Daniel Ezekiel), but there has never been an event
prophesied that has not come to pass in it’s
time. 100% accuracy tells us that the God of the Bible is the only true
God. No one else in the history of the
world, living or dead, can make this claim.
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In Matthew 24:3, just before Jesus' ascension
into heaven, the disciples of Jesus ask Him what would be the sign of His
second coming. Over the centuries
various groups have attempted to guess when Christ would return to the earth to
claim His inheritance as promised throughout scripture. As we know, no one has been right yet!. God clearly states in Matthew 24:36 that no
man, not even the angels, know the day or the time when Christ will return.
Only God the Father knows.
This summary is
clearly not another attempt to forecast this event. This summary does, however, attempt to
provide an awareness of what is happening around you so that you will not be
caught unaware. (Ref. Luke 21:34 and Matthew. 24:42).
ACT
17:11- Exhorts you to daily review the scriptures to see if what is being said
is true.
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----------------------THE
SIGNS OF THE TIME-------------------
Grant Jeffrey has done a wonderful job of
providing critical information about events that are happening in this
generation that all Christians need to know;
Events that were prophesied over 2,500 years ago. Approximately 90% of the material contained
herein was extracted and summarized from Grant's book. I highly recommend reading this book as it
contains so much more that you will want to know.
THE
REBIRTH OF ISRAEL
The rebirth of Israel was prophesied in
several scriptures throughout the Bible.
Isaiah 66: 8 predicted that Israel would be born again in
"one" day. Ezekiel 4:3-6
and Levitcus
26:18 foretold the exact number of days that it would take Israel to
re-establish themselves as a nation in the last days. ( The exact calculation
can be found in Grant Jeffrey's book referenced above). On May 14, 1948, the
Jews proclaimed their independence of the reborn state of Israel.....The exact
day that was predicted over twenty-five (25) centuries ago.......No other
ancient nation ever ceased to exist for a period of centuries and then returned
to take its place on the stage of world history."
PRESENT
ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT
In Psalms 83:2-8, God inspired King David to
predict that upon Israel's rebirth as a nation it would be immediately
surrounded by their enemies. The modern
names of those nations named in scripture include Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia
and Syria....the nations that have now joined the Palestinians in their attempt
to destroy Israel.
In Gen. 12: 3, God has promised to punish those nations that
come against Israel. "I will bless
them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth
thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
RESTORATION
OF THE HEBREW LANGUAGE
When Israel was captured by Nebuchadnezzar in
approx. 562 B.C., Israel was no longer allowed to speak the Hebrew language,
but had to learn the language of the Chaldeans.
The Lord predicted, however, through Zephaniah 3:9, that he would
restore a pure language to Israel so that they may "serve him with one
consent". It was in the early part
of this Century that the Hebrew language was revived from the dead
language. Today, Hebrew is a living
language to over 5 million Israelis.
THE
FERTILITY OF ISRAEL
In
Isaiah 27:6; 35:7 and Joel 2:23, the Lord prophesied through these
prophets that the deserted, unproductive, barren land of Israel would once
again become productive in the last days and that Israel would experience
tremendous increases of rain. Ever since
Israel has returned to the land, they have flourished in the land and now
supply over 90 percent of the citrus fruit consumed in Europe. Rainfall has increased by more than "10
percent every decade for the last century and Israel has planted in excess of
two hundred (200) million trees and transformed the complete environment of the
Promised Land." According to the
United Nations, Israel is now "the most agriculturally efficient land on
earth."
THE
UNWALLED CITY
Ezekiel 38:11 speaks of the future invasion
of Gog and Magog (Russia) saying "And thou shalt say, I will go up to the
land of un-walled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell
safely, all of them dwelling without walls and having neither bars nor
gates". Grant explains that "even army bases and Israel's settlements
in the West Bank and Gaza have no walls today.........How could Ezekiel have
known twenty-five centuries ago that the development of modern weapons such as
bombs, airplanes and missiles, would have made walls and gates irrelevant for
defensive purposes in the last days. In
the ancient past even small villages as well as cities depended on walls for
defense against invading armies."
PLANS
FOR REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE
Revelations 11:1, 2 foretells of Israel
rebuilding the Temple in the last days.
There is much controversy between the Israelis and the Muslim's because
the Dome of the Rock (Al-Aqsa Mosque) it is believed, sits on the very spot
where the Temple is suppose to
be built. In recent years, however,
aerial Infra-red photography shows that this may not be the case. Ezekiel 44:14-18, tell
about the sacred vessels and linen robes that must be used in the Temple. "The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has
already prepared over 75 of the objects, vessels, and linen garments required
for future Temple service.......over 500 men from the tribe of Levi have
already been trained to fulfill the duties of Temple worship and
sacrifice."
Update:
Just recently in the Washington Post on May
28, 1997, it was reported that a 10 month old heifer named "Melody" is the first
red heifer to be born in Israel in over 2,000 years. "In ancient times, the ashes of a red
heifer were mixed with spring water to purify high priests before they entered
the Temple."
THE
REBUILDING OF BABYLON
We know that the old city of Babylon (now
called Iraq) will be built again in the end times because Isaiah 13:6, 19
foretells of its destruction. In Isaiah
34:8-10 it is prophesied that the rebuilt City of Babylon will burn for ever.
"As unlikely as it seems, the Iraqi
government of Saddam Hussein has spent over one billion dollars rebuilding the
ancient city of Babylon and intends that it will become the center of their
future renewed Babylonian Empire.
Interestingly, the whole city of Babylon was built over an underground
lake of asphalt and oil."
THE
ANOINTING OIL
The prophet Daniel prophesied in Dan. 9:24
that the when Jesus returns, that the most Holy of Holies will be anointed with
the anointing oil. "One of the five
ingredients, afars' mon,
was thought lost forever, when the Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70 and the only
two groves of afars'mon trees in existence were
burned
to the ground. Incredibly, several years ago, archeologists
in Israel found a clay flask buried near the Dead Sea caves filled with the
ancient oil of anointing. Scientists
confirmed that the oil is two thousand years old and is composed of the precise
ingredients described in Exodus 30:25,26."
PESTILENCE/FAMINES/EARTHQUAKES
Matthew 24:7 prophesied that in the last days
"For nation shall rise against nation and Kingdom against Kingdom: and
there shall be famines, and pestilence, and earthquakes, in divers (various)
places." Grand Jeffrey writes
regarding these matters:
·
Pestilence - In 1991, the Central Intelligence Agency produced
a report which "concluded that up to 75% of the population of Africa
living in the area south of the Sahara Desert may become infected with AIDS
over the next 12 years. This will mean
the death by AIDS of over three hundred million people in Africa alone. In July 1991, the South African Medical
Journal reported that a staggering 47% of black male and female blood donors
tested positive for AIDS during 1989."
In Nov. 1996, the
Associated Press reported that "Sexually transmitted diseases are diagnosed
12 million times a year in the United States - including a staggering 3 million
cases among teen-agers".
·
Famine - The
United Nations today "claim that over thirty million in Africa are now at
risk of dying from the most devastating famine in this century. The UN estimates that one billion people are
in danger of starvation while another billion lack proper nutrition. North American food reserves (grain and corn)
are at the lowest level in sixty years."
·
Major killer earthquakes – “Major Killer earthquakes
(7.2 or greater on the Richter scale) occurred
only once per decade throughout history until our century. However, since A. D. 1900, the growth in
major earthquakes has been relentless. From 1900 to 1949 it averaged three major
quakes per decade. From 1949 the
increase became awesome with 9 killer quakes in the 1950's; 13 in the 1960's;
56 in the 1970's and an amazing 74 major quakes in the 1980's. Finally, in the 1990's, at the present rate,
we will experience 125 major killer quakes in this decade."
WORLD
WIDE COMMUNICATION
In Revelation 11:9,10, it is prophesied that
during the tribulation period, the antichrist will have the two witnesses that
God sent killed and their bodies will lay in the street for three and a half
days while the whole world watches.
Did not the whole world watch Desert Storm on
CNN television? With all the
technological advances in telecommunications, including the recent opening of
the World Wide Net to our computer industry, any event
happening in any part of the world can now be viewed while it is
happening. The prophesy of the two witnesses could literally be fulfilled
today. This could not have happened just
10 or 15 years ago.
INCREASED
KNOWLEDGE AND TRAVEL
Daniel 12:4 prophesies how much knowledge and
travel will increase in the end time. "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the
words, and seal the Book, even to the time of the end: Many shall run to and fro
and knowledge shall be increased."
Today, it is estimated that "Human
knowledge is growing so quickly that it literally doubles every twenty-four
months." With the discovery
through the use of modern "Super" computers by Grant Jeffrey and
other researchers of the hidden codes that God supernaturally designed into the
original Hebrew text of the Torah describing not only the history of the world
in advance, but also verifying his Authority through His personal signature
throughout his scripture, we realize that God chose this generation to reveal
this unique aspect about himself.
It is also amazing that in this century, we
have gone from horses to cars, from cars to supersonic spacecraft; not only can
we now travel the world in a matter of hours, but in the case of the U.S. Space
Shuttle Discovery, we can now travel at speeds in excess of eighteen thousand
miles per hour.
REVIVAL
OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Daniel 2:40-44 predicts that the old Roman
Empire will be revived in the end times into a ten Nation alliance. We currently see the foundation being laid
today through the European Economic Community. "In 1957, six (6) Countries
signed the Treaty of Rome laying the foundation for the future United States of
Europe.............Since then the Maastricht Treaty consolidated the fifteen
(15) Nations of the European Union into the worlds first
superstate." All it will take is
the re-shuffling and/or the consolidation of Nations to bring this prophesy to
a literal fulfillment.
ODDS
THAT THESE PROPHECIES WERE FULFILLED BY CHANCE IN THIS GENERATION
"In the Bible there are several types of
generations. One generation is defined
as the length of life of the average person - seventy or eighty years. However, a generation of governing is usually
defined as forty years,...........During the last two thousand years since the
days of Christ, there were fifty such forty-year generations. Therefore, the odds are one chance in fifty
that any one of these specific prophecies happened by chance in our generation
rather than some other generation."
"The odds that more than one event
happening in our life time are:
"Another way of looking at this is that
the chance that the prophets of the Bible correctly guessed these prophecies is
also one in 97,500 trillion............in other words, it is simply impossible
that men alone could
have written the Bible without the supernatural
assistance and inspiration of God."
Matthew 24:32-35 - "Now learn a parable
of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth
forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise
ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the
doors. Verily I say unto you, This
generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my
words shall not pass away."
Luke 21:28 - "And when these things
begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your
redemption draweth nigh."
ANTI-CHRIST
TO BE REVEALED
As of today, no one knows who the Anti-Christ
is, but we do know what God has told us about him:
Many people try to spiritualize or say the
events prophesied in the Bible are just symbolic. Any doubt about how God handles these
prophetic events should have been erased on May 14,1948. God is literally fulfilling scriptural
prophesy before our very eyes. Can we
expect anything less for those few remaining prophesies for which He has
promised the world; 1) the removal of the one who restrains the man of
lawlessness/Sin (the rapture of the Church), 2) His second coming to take
possession of His inheritance, 3) The millennial kingdom and 4) the new heaven and new earth.
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Ezekiel 33:6 - "But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people
be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is
taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's
hand."
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