The Cowboy Church Every Sunday 6 pm, Bring a covered dish to share on the last Sunday of each month.
Live Music, Country, Gospel and bluegrass style Good friends Relaxed atmosphere Teaching the true word of God Youth Group 6pm Saturdays Campfire unplugged after the service, (lots of great music) NO RELIGION allowed, (Religion Definition) a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices. The method in which a person worships their deity.
Come just as you are, clean, dirty, strong or broken, (we don't care if you smell like a horse we just want you there), We have no set methods or expectations for you, simply hear the word of God and worship him as the holy spirit guides you.
The Church as a whole has made a great mistake in pointing fingers and making sin a black and white issue. Paul writes in Romans 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. Paul is clearly stating here that God may indeed allow some things we perceive as sin in some believers lives while disallowing them in our own, and how can we possibly be the judge as we do not know what God has asked of that other soul. God clearly has different missions for his children and some need to appear more upright and righteous than others but where the church has failed is in the finger pointing and holding all to the same expectations. The Ten commandments were the bedrock of Human morality, While the Grace of Jesus Christ protects us from all transgressions, God does have expectations for everyone as to those ten, any more than that is on a case by case basis and Jesus Christ is the case worker who sets the standards for each individual and I can assure you from scripture those standards differ from believer to believer. Jesus said I give you a new commandment (Love the lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as your self) and if you do this I tell you, you have fulfilled all of the commandments. Basically God knew the human condition was hopeless, humans would always have sin in there lives in one form or another; but if there is love, which only comes from the father, there is a way for salvation, Love conquers and covers all and Christ's love is free for the taking and in great abundance.
SERMONS FROM THE COWBOY CHURCH
No Place in church for Religion! August 4th 2012
Church and religion
Why do we go to church?
God and Adam communion in the garden, closeness. That was church.
Davids closeness to God (a man after his own heart) That is church.
God delights in his creation and desires to draw you near to him.
What is Church
God loves Church
Gods creation fell from grace, no longer able to communion with God. (Story of Adams failure)
Spirit originates in heaven, desires to reunite with the creator. (Story of the spiritual origins)
What is Religion, God hates it.
After the fall of man God had to make some rules, basic rules to attempt to keep men holy. A last resort to avoid death.
Religion is a physical way of controlling people.
Religion tells me what to wear, how to act, who to like and dislike, and in the case of some religion, who to kill and why.
Religion killed Christ.
Religion put things in me. (my story about religion)
Pharisees refused to allow their power base to be destroyed.
Religion would be a place holder until a perfect sacrifice could be made.
The perfect sacrifice.
Religion is a disease, when allowed to exist, is grows, it festers, it causes problems. God gave 10 commandments and the Jews expanded those 10 to 613.
Christ came and reduced them to two: That can’t be done by the flesh only the spirit,,,,(love your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.)
HE SAID FORGET THE RULES, fill your heart with love and the battle for holiness is one.
Cowboy church
Come as you are
A place where you can be yourself, good bad or indifferent.
There is no religion here, only a spiritual desire to seek the God of Heaven is all that is required.
God is your only judge
How can I judge another mans servant (romans 14:4) Who are you that judge another man's servant? to his own master he stands or falls. Yea, he shall be held up: for God is able to make him stand. American King...
Gods expectations of you
Acknowledge him as your creator
Acknowledge the sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ as the perfect sacrifice for your sins.
Listen and draw near to your God.
Get up in the morning and do the very best that you can.
If and when you fail that day, get up the next morning and do the very best that you can.
For how can I judge another mans servant.
Conclusion
Life is temporary
The real you is the spirit man inside that will soon be released from this carnal prison.
Know your God, let him Know you
He is the realest most down to earth father anyone could ever have.
Don’t ever let religion interfere with your personal relationship with your God.
If there is anyone here who feels the need to enter into a personal relationship with the father it as simple as asking.
Spirit, Soul And the Flesh August 11th 2012
Origin of Man
Adam dust of the earth Genesis 2:7 (And God formed man out of the dust of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life and he became a living soul.)
Your spirit comes from God!
John 3:13 (and no man ascended up to heaven except he who first came down from heaven.)
Jeremiah 1:5 (before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee.)
The spirit is joined with the body and a living soul is formed.
I Thessalonians 5:23 (And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless)
The word soul and spirit are not interchangeable, learn the difference because when your reading, it will change the meaning of the passages.
The soul possesses LIFE, the ultimate gift from God. To taste, to feel, to breath in all of the sweet aroma of life. The spirit has closeness with God, equally if not more desirable.
The soul is a possession of the spirit.
Even the angels were envious of this gift of life given to man.
Genesis 6:2 (The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they choose.
The Soul is the ultimate gift, Whither we get to keep it or not is the question?
Mans Decent From Grace
Adam in the garden we know the story.
No longer holy
No communion with God
SPIRIT desires (NEEDS) closeness with the creator
Comes from God
You leave your heavenly home to be born into a body
Children are so innocent, they arrive with all of the love of the father.
Flesh is now corrupted and desires evil
The flesh begins to eat away at the innocence of the child’s spirit immediately.
Ever had to teach a child to lie?
Ever had to teach a child to steal?
No one taught Cain to murder able either, it came natural.
Your put into this corrupted flesh for one purpose,, A Choice!
The choice between good and evil, God and Satan
When the angels rebelled and lusted for life God was angry.
Jude 1:6 (And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath preserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgement of the great day)
God decided to test all of the spirits in heaven.
He would give them a soul LIFE, the ultimate gift that even the angels fell for.
But that life would be in a corrupted flesh body.
The SOUL of man would have to choose good or bad / light or darkness.
The soul with a heavenly spirit directing its path and a corrupted flesh pulling and dragging it down would have to choose.
After an unbelievable war in heaven God gathered forth the remnant of his elect that were spoiled, one third of his elite angles had chosen a path contrary to his will. Instead of destroying them he would allow them to follow their misguided leader, Lucifer, the most perfect and beautiful angle God had ever created. Follow him into an epic battle of good verses evil, while the end is quite foretold and the battles predestined, none the less God had his reasons to prolong the inevitable end to this conflict.
A choice, all of creation must make a choice, God reasoned, if my elect could turn against me and attempt to overthrow me, all of creation must choose once and for all. I will test all of the souls I have created; I will end this insurrection with absolute certainty, insuring the seeds of discontent are forever abolished in heaven. I have predestined all for my glory, now lets see how many will choose their creator over the deceiver. I will purchase their sin with the blood of my Son, I will send my Holy Spirit to comfort them, and the very power of heaven will be available at their beckoning call. They will be subjected to Satan’s lies and deceit, they will be subjected to the demons within, those voices and passions that attempt to direct our lives. They will be subjected to the imperfect doctrines of men, now, how will they choose?
A little heavenly assistance
God didn’t leave us to this battle alone.
He made a way, an easy way to defeat the flesh and bring the spirit back into communion with God.
When Jesus Christ came to this world (the very son of God)
Lived in a flesh body
Lived a sinless life (perfect in all aspects)
Was made a spotless sacrifice for the sins of all mankind.
When he died for your sins, my sins everyones sins.
Then the battle was over!!!!
The battle was won.
This choice, we were sent here for, was made so simple a child could make it.
Accept Jesus as Lord of your life
Ask him to come into your heart and cover your sins with his blood that was spilt for all of mankind.
Then and only then the choice of all of creation is made
Then and only then will your spirit commune with the creator once more.
And the reward for this choice.
Everlasting life, the soul that the spirit so desires will be given to you forever. In perfect form, no corrupted flesh, no tendency for darkness. Just absolute LIFE in it’s most beautiful form.
Anyone here who doesn't know Christ.
Gods Brand never fades 1 Sept 2012
Samson
Judges 13: 1-5
Samson was predestined by God Samson belonged to God
Ephesians 1: 1-6
The child was born Judges 14: 24-25
The child was filled with the spirit of God
ROMANS 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
RULES OF A NAZARITE
TOUCH NO DEAD THING
DRINK NO FERMENTED DRINK
TOUCH NOT YOUR HAIR TO A RAZOR
THESE RULES ARE THE BASES FOR THE CHURCHES FANATICAL STANCE DRINKING, BUT THIS WAS FOR A VERY SPECIAL GROUP OF PEOPLE.
Basically if you followed the rules God would accept your efforts as a personal sacrifice and bless your life.
As he did with Samson, blessed with supernatural strength.
Samsons faults
Judges 14:2
Wanted a worldly woman
Philistines fell upon him, still has the power of God
Carcass of the Lion
Philistines again fell upon him, still powerful
Fell into the Harlots arms, Delilah
Confessed the secrets of God to the enemy, final straw, she cut his hair while he slept
Stay vigilant church, never sleep with or near the enemy.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
When they came this time he was powerless
His spirit was weak and he had compromised his principles to the point that God no longer worked miracles in his life.
They took him, bound him, gouged out his eyes, placed him at hard labor pushing a grinding mill.
Heres the beautiful part of this story
Samsons at his lowest, he’s in the gutter, he’s broken and he remembers that brand on his thigh.
Through the dirt and grime he could still feel it, because it never leaves.
Once you belong to God its a permanent situation.
To sum it up, they bring him into the temple of their god “Dagon” to display this broken man of God. They tie him to the main supporting pillar of the temple.
And again he feels that brand of the living God burned into his flesh. And he looks up and says one more time Lord let me feel your power one more time. As he wrenched the support beams out of their place everyone there knew there was a god and it wasn’t “Dagon”
I am the Good shepherd, I know my sheep and my sheep know me, and I will never forsake those who wear my brand.
Saul, Israel first king
Saul was anointed I samuel 10:1
Saul was filled with the holy spirit 10:6,,,,,10:11
No doubt Saul belonged to God
He began to rule Israel
Saul’s problems began immediately
He would do as God asked him, but he wouldn’t follow the instructions to the letter, HIS WILL WOULD GET IN THE WAY.
Story of the slaughter I samuel 15:3
Didn’t destroy I Samuel 15:8-9
This behavior was common with Saul
God dealt with his disobedience and self will for awhile.
God decided to Give the kingdom to another
Process takes several years
Saul knows God is taking the kingdom from him
God doesn't talk to saul anymore
saul is smitten with paranoia, evil spirits, torment
When your disobedient church you open yourselves up to all of the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Above all take up the shield of faith so that you may quench the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Near the end of his life saul
Would try to murder the soon to be King “David” numerous times.
Would kill the prophets of God because they didn’t say the things he wanted to hear.
Fight against God at every possible venue.
Saul went from being the anointed King of Israel to being a paranoid angry and bitter man.
Saul’s end,,,,I Samuel 3-6
So where do you think Saul is today Heaven or Hell?
Let me tell you the beautiful part of this story
The day before his death saul visits a witch
I Samuel Chapter 28:7,,,,,,,,28:11-19
You can’t remove the brand
If its real its there forever
Does that give us a license to sin, God forbid
A Good father will chastise as he did with saul, unfortunately Saul didn’t take the correction.
So his life ended but his relationship with the almighty was forever.
Alter call.
What is Heaven? Where is Heaven? Sermon 15 Sept 2012
Kingdom of God is a vast domain.
Revelation 21:1-7
New Heaven and New Earth
New Holy City “Jerusalem” descending to the earth
Heaven is not actually what most people think.
We will live on a new earth, and Gods holy city will be the center seat of Government.
When will Gods Kingdom descend
Apacolapse: 7 final years of this earth
Millennial reign of Christ (1000) Revelation 20:4
Jesus Must subdue all evil that remains on this earth I Corinthians 15:22-28
Revelation 11:18
Supporting Point
Types of Belivers and their rewards?
Seven Churches Of Revelation 2 and 3
These were seven of the first regional churches established in Jesus Christ’s new Covenant
Each of the Churches is examined By Christ in John’s vision.
Christ calls out each good quality as well as each failure.
These were churches but like most things in this book there is a dual meaning.
The word “church in prophecy” means “believer or person”
Therefore CHrist has given us in Revelation 2 and 3 a glimpse of the seven types of “believers or persons” he will be dealing with.
Additionally you can almost find yourself amongst the seven if you are real honest and forthcoming.
Along with strengths and failures of the different “churches or believers” Christ Identifies the rewards he will bestow OR NOT.
Have you all heard preachers claim that we will all Rule and reign with Christ,,,,well maybe not all of us, can’t all chiefs and no indians. Lets examine the seven churches.
Church of Ephesus Rev:2:1-11 Religious People,,,,Live in the New earth,,,,no access to the heavenly city! Must drink from the river of living water that flows from the thrown of God.
Church of Smyrna Rev 2:8-11 Myrters,,,, Given the crown of life. Rev: 22: 1-2 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. These don’t require the living water as the crown of eternal life has been bestowed upon them.
Church of Pergamos Rev: 2:12-17 Confused Doctrine comprimise and pagen ideas, Story of Balak and baalam, balak wanted baalam to curse the armies of israel. Beautiful wemon. Doctrin of slavery (Nicolaitans) also,,,,,,This one is the hardest to understand.
Rev:2-17 A white stone, new name that no man knows, Somehow a second chance.
Book of rememberance: Malachi 3: 16-17 Some kind of spiritual rememberance,,, not salvation that Jesus Christ came to offer. But God has a plan and he is a just God.
Rev: 11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Christ came for the best of the best, Gods people, the Jews were destined to rule all others in this heavenly kingdom.
When they failed to recognize their messiah, thats when the rest of us were allowed to be the “best of the best”
Church of Thyatira Very Sound Doctrine Christ is extremely happy with you but your doctrin is mixed with tolerance. “Reward Rule and Rein with Christ”
There is the one the Church focused on but as you can see it’s not for everyone.
Church of Sardis Tribulation Saints,,,, we may all fall into this category very soon.
State of the church at the tribulation time: II Thessalonians 2:1-4
Rewards for the Sardis Church or person,,, Eternal Life and access to Gods holy city,, a most difficult time to be alive!
Church of Philadelphia “The one I could only hope to be a part of” Ultimate faith, absolute obediance, perfect doctrin “which equals absolute love in your heart”
Reward for the Philadelphia soul, A place in the holy city in the presence of God, never to leave his presence.
Church of Laodica Undecided Souls, happy with the world they live in,,, There is no reward only Christ’s wonderful invitation.
I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and sup with him and he with me.
If there is any here today who finds themselves apart of the Church of Laodica.
Not knowing the savior of all, please come forward and find a better place for your soul to rest.
WHAT IS SALVATION Sermon 22 Sept 2012
John Dixon worked in his local church as an usher. He had a lovely wife and two children who also attended church on Sundays. Every week John would work for God to insure his place among the saints in heaven, on day when the end would finally came. On Sundays, Wednesdays and Sunday nights he would man his post at the front door of the church passing out bulletins and directing folks to their seats, every other Saturday he would pass out food at the church “pantry for the poor” and even assisted in the cleaning of the church one day per month. The last few years he even stood guard outside the sanctuary on Sundays instead of going inside and hearing the message, you know with the terrorists threats the church needed some security. (John didn’t mind the sacrifice at all) WHAT A GOOD MAN.
Mr. Dixon had attended the same church for almost thirty years, first coming as a child with his parents and finding the routine acceptable. Later he would marry a young woman whom had likewise grown up in the church and together they would start a family and continue their weekly pilgrimage and soul saving routine that had so long become a custom.
When asked, John would enthusiastically tell you that “I love my church” and he would invite anyone with whom he spoke to attend, as was his duty while working for God. “A TRULY GOOD MAN”
John home life was quite normal if not slightly dull, surrounding itself with a 9-5 job and several popular sitcoms after work in the evenings, which “like church” couldn’t be missed. John was amazing, he could recite almost any skit from any seinfeld episode he had ever seen, and several other programs also. He had no noticeable vises within his life that are so often relevant in other mens lives. “WHAT A TRULY EXCEPTIONAL MAN”
Mr. Dixon’s night would end normally falling asleep on the couch and finding his way to his bed sometime during the night. And then up at dawn to get ready to manage the local grocery store once more. WHAT A GOOD MAN!
John took good care of his children and his wife. He seen to their financial welfare, made sure they were fed and housed and took them to a place to learn about God three times a week. SURELY he had earned his place in heaven when his time would come.
After all John knew the story of Jesus by heart, how he came as a child, lived a good life, turned water into wine, healed the sick, made the lame to walk again, and died for the sinful people. There were many sinful people, even in John’s little town and he had noticed their ways and invited some of them to church so that they also could also learn how to be saved. “A VERY GOOD MAN”
John Dixon died a peaceful death one night while he slept. He was 72 years old, a fairly long life. His passing went unnoticed by most but they did throw him a nice funeral at his church. Lots of flowers, pictures of John on duty while working in the church. And lots of testimonials by various church members on “HOW GOOD A MAN JOHN WAS”
Little did the congregation realize that while they were praising John Dixon’s life and life’s work, he was standing in front of a risen Savior who without hesitation spoke these words, (DEPART FROM ME FOR I KNOW YOU NOT)
Being “saved” is not a Baptist thing/Pentecostal thing, Lutheran thing… its not a term we’ve made up…it’s a Bible term!
No other Name given under heaven among men whereby we must be _________ (saved!)
Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be _______
Have you been saved? How do you know? Put it into words…what’s the answer (predominantly I or God?)
Salvation is of the Lord…too many people are trying to save themselves/trying to earn it/be good enough/save/work for it themselves! It’s not about us…it’s about God!
2 of the most precious words in scripture, v. 4: “but God”
Ps 49:15 -
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.
Mark 2:7 - … who can forgive sins but God only?
Lu 16:15 -
And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
Ro 5:8 -
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1Co 3:6 -
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
Eph 2:4 -
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us…
It doesn’t say “but you”, it says, “but God!”
Ill.—garden of Eden/adam and eve sinned…lost innocency, realized they were naked/tried to cover it w/ fig leaves (a picture of man trying to cover his own sinfulness)/but God came along and shed the blood of an innocent animal and clothed them w/ the skin of it (first demonstration of blood being shed for sin/innocent dying for guilty)
Are you trying to cover yourself? You cannot do it. Our righteousness is as filthy rags.
Are you wearing fig leaves?
Baptism/confirmation/church attendance/offerings/good works/keeping 10 commandments/mommy told me I’m saved/asked Him in my heart??
“but I’m a good person”… “no, but God”
Not but baptism (etc.)
Salvation is of the Lord…you cannot save yourself
(may as well try to blow back a hurricane w/ an electric fan/dam up Niagara falls w/ toothpicks)
1. Who Saves? God alone!
Why does God save us?
4 love and mercy!
Hard to understand the depths of His love!
(easy to love someone who’s lovable/loving/lovely, beautiful…but God loved us while we were yet sinners!, filthy, retched an abomination to his holy person)
May not understand it, but let’s thank God for it!
1. Have you asked Jesus Christ into your heart?
Are you truly saved?
Mr. Dixon surrounded himself with what he perceived to be God his whole life,,,,,,BUT MISSED THE BOAT.
Let me explain what it means to Ask Jesus into your heart.
Have you ever loved someone?
Do you remember the feelings when your heart was filled with that person.
It a similar experience, unquenchable love, devotion.
When you have truly received, an essence of peace and security will reside within your heart.
And then you will know it is a gift of God and nothing that you can possibly purchase with your meager actions.
Alter call:REV 3:16
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
HE CAME - AND THEY RECEIVED HIM NOT Sermon 29 Sept 2012
Text: John 1:1-12.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 The same was in the beginning with God.3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Purpose of todays study: To show who Jesus Christ really is, the greatness of His invitation, and the urgency of receiving Him and living by faith and the folly of allowing his wonderful gift to pass you by.
Introduction
Some of the most horrible words in the Gospel are these in todays text. "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not,,,,,,,,,,
Can you imagine the hurt of coming after many years to your family and them not accepting you.
Let us see who "He" is, how He "came," how His own people "received Him not," and then see the blessing waiting "as many as receive(d) Him.
Body
HE came to His own. Who is this "He"?
He is Jesus Christ, the very begotten Son of God.
He is the eternal God (verse 1). He is called the Logos, in the original Greek By John, the meaning of Logos being, unifier, the Word, one who created the cosmos and gives it form and meaning, all of this made into flesh.
The Logos, which is the eternal God, who took flesh and became man. The Logos John spoke about is Jesus Christ.
When all things began, He was already there, beside God, and He was Himself divine.
In Genesis God says “Let US make man in our image” not let ME make man, he is speaking to his Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
He is the great Creator (verse 3). God's agent in creation, the Word brought into being all that exists. It was His "own" world to which He came, for He had Himself created it.
Colossians 1:15-17
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
He is Life for sinful man (verse 4). Because of sin, we live under the curse of death . Only Jesus can give life, for only He has lived a perfect, responsible human life without sin. He is the source of our life.
Romans 5:12
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
He is Light in a world of darkness (verses 4,5). This is a favorite theme for John.
John 1: 7-9
7 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.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
John 3:19-21
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (he came for his own and they knew him not”
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. (he came for his own and they knew him not”
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 8:12
12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 12:35
35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. 36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.
John 12:46
46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
We see the diety of Jesus Christ, one with God, creator of all, Son of God, Light unto a sinful and Lost World, John spells it out so often how Christ is the “LIGHT UNTO THIS WORLD”
He came unto his own, and his own received him not,,,,,WHO exactly,,,,, “Where his own”?
The Jews were Gods established people of promise.
They were the purest race of humans on the planet.
God had destroyed the world with a flood because a hybrid race of humans who had mated with Fallen Angels had threatened to to devour all of his wonderful creation.
Genesis 6
1And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
God’s creation had been corrupted.
THE FATHER looked down on his creation one day and found one man who’s seed had not been polluted with the demon seed of the fallen Angels.
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.
6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
DO YOU WONDER WHY HE ALSO DESTROYED THE ANIMAL FLESH???
The book of Enoch, which was a part of this bible for over twelve hundred years, until a pope in Rome decided it should be removed, gives a vivid account of the times before the flood. According to Enoch not only did the Fallen Angels corrupt the seed of man but also that of the animal kingdom as well.
I challenge you all to read Enoch and decide for yourselves.
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
The bible says that Noah was “perfect in his generations” that means he did not carry this demon seed.
Genetically he was still pure from the lineage of Adam but there were seven other souls aboard the Arc with Noah during the flood. Noah, his wife their three sons and their wives were all saved aboard the Arc.
Needless to say the seed of the fallen angels did survive the flood in one or more of the wives of Noah’s sons.
Ham, Shem and Jepeth were all sired by Noah and we see thru Biblical accounts.
Shem would be the father of the Jewish nation, Gods chosen “pure” ones.
Jepeth would father the Gentile nations of which we belong.
And Ham would be connected to those other peoples of whom during the Exodus from Egypt God would destroy many of them and again some of those were races of Giants.
So we see that the demon seed survived Gods destruction of the world in Noah’s flood. Survived within the flesh of mankind with exception of the Jew.
So there are three types of people in this world now: Jews, Gentiles, and others. The Jews and the Gentiles are our focus for this study. The others are a completely different sermon that will scare the socks off you.
The Jews were his perfect blood lines, and God chose them to inherit the earth and to rule the other nations. All they had to do was to keep their eyes on God and do his will and all would be theirs one day. Seems so simple!!!!
The Gentiles on the other hand were a corrupted race, the seed of Adam intermixed with the seed of the fallen Angels. Remember anything not perfect is not of God. Outcasts, the bible reefer's to the Gentile race as dogs.
So we have the Jews HIS PEOPLE, HIS OWN, “ He came unto his own, and his own received him not. he came to redeem the Jews and to give them their inheritance.
But,,,,, though they were awaiting his arrival for thousands of years they knew him not when he came.
Religion had covered their eyes and blinded them from the truth that is God. Though Jesus Christ fulfilled over 300 old testament prophecies about the coming messiah, the coming redeemer of Israel,,,,, They knew him not!!!!
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Yet this sad note is followed by one of great comfort and joy: "but as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God...." We now know who he is” and we likewise know “who his own are” and how His own people "received Him not," and now lets see “how he came” and the blessing waiting for the others who “ as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
II. He CAME to His own. How did He "come"?
A. He came with prior announcement, both ancient and immediate.
1. The prophets had long spoken of His coming, from God's promise in the Garden of Eden to the closing chapter of Malachi.
a. The Seed of woman (Genesis 3:15). And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
b. The Blessing of Abraham (Genesis 12:3). And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
c. The Shiloh of Jacob and Judah (Genesis 49:10). The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. “Shiloh meaning sanctuary for Israel”
d. The Star and Sceptre of Balaam (Numbers 24:17). I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel
e. The Prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15). The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
f. The ruling Son of David (11 Samuel 7:12, 13). And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
The Suffering Servant of Isaiah (Isaiah 53).
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
i. The Good Shepherd of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 34:23). And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
j. The Son of Man of Daniel (Daniel 7:13,14). I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
k 2. Heavenly messengers announced His enfleshment as Mary's baby.
a. An angel came to Mary (Luke 1:26-38). And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
b. An angel appeared to Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25). But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
c. Angels announced it to the shepherds (Luke 2:1-20).
d. A star led the wise men (Matthew 2:1-20).
III. His own RECEIVED HIM NOT. How was He rejected by His own people?
A. In the inn there was no room (Luke 2:7).
B. When the wise men told Herod of a new born King,There was no place for Him in Herod's jealous heart, Herod conspired to have him murdered, in fact he killed every child from 2 yrs old downward in the entire region. (Matthew 2:3ff).
C. He was rejected in His home synagogue, he tried to teach and they all said “we all know you who are you to teach us” (Luke 4:28,29).
D. He was forsaken by many after feeding the 5000, because of His "hard" words (John 6:66).
E. His fleshly brothers did not receive Him during His personal ministry, “he’s our brother, how can he be anything special. (John 7:1-5).
F. He was rejected by Pilate, who found no fault in Him but feared the people; He was rejected by His own people who demanded that He be crucified by the Romans (Matthew 27:15-23).
IV. But AS MANY AS received Him ...
The rejection of many is a sign, not of Jesus' desire, but of man's sin. Christ wants all to be saved. Not just the best of the best.
Coming for the best was the legal thing to do, only the perfect ones deserved redemption, because he had promised them centuries ago.
Thank God the perfect ones rejected his perfect gift and opened the door to all the rest.
There is a story in the bible that Jesus Tells, how a king thru a wedding party and invited all of the finest people in the nation to come. The day of the party none of his guests showed up. He then instructed his servant's to go into the streets and get the poor, the dirty, the sick and the wretched, and bring them to his great party.
"As many as received Him" - then or now - He gives power to become sons of God through faith in His name.
Power to be counted amongst the pure.
Inclusion in the club of perfection by his sacrifice.
To be amongst the Sons of God, what more is there to say. Glory of Glory, riches beyond imagination, peace that passes all understanding.
Conclusion
When you think who He is, does not your pride melt,
Does your will fade away and you feel drawn to receive Him and find life?
HE wants you to know God and God's love each day.
Receive your Creator as your Savior - receive Jesus Christ and take hold of Him now in the obedience of faith, and in HIM find eternal life!
Don’t be like the chosen ones and not recognize his deity and the free gift of salvation that he offers.
Please don’t pass from this life as one who he came for “that received him not”
There is a prophecy in the Bible,,, the book of revelation called the eight Kings of Revelation and here is how it reads.
Revelation 17:1-18
"And there came one of the seven angels... saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of . . . Jesus Christ]: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. 8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. 9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. 12 . Revelation 17:1-11.
No one has ever been able to satisfactorily explain this prophecy,,,,,untill now. I do believe we have the answers,,, the bible says “let he who has wisdom understand what is spoken” so therefore it is possible to have understanding,,,,it simply must be in line with Gods word.
The passage I just read describes a woman,,, not just a woman a whore or one of no moral value.
A woman in prophecy generally eludes to a church.
Thus we have a church with no moral value, or one who lays “like a whore” with any other religion,,, unable to stay pure.
This whore or church is dressed in fine clothing with jewelry and gold ornaments,,,, this signifying great wealth and prosperity.
The whore is described as sitting on seven mountains (v. 9). Rome has frequently been identified as the City of Seven Hills, from classical times down to contemporary time. This part of the passage has always been universally understood to describe the church of rome.
The roman catholic church was once a great world power in its self. Exercising control over the monarchies of Europe thru fear of God’s wrath.
But as powerful as she was,, The vatican was still a part of the Nation of Italy. And still ruled over as a subject to another king.
1929 is the year we will examine today?
It was incomprehensible in the proceeding centuries that the Roman Pontiff to be the head of Catholics the world over, yet in his own country be subject to another head of state. The Catholic Church believed that by virtue of his calling, the pope had an inalienable right to a temporal sovereignty. Only then could he conduct fully and freely his duties as head of the universal Catholic Church. But this demand conflicted with the natural desire of the Italians for a united nation with Rome as its capital.
Both sides of the conflict were eager for an end to this lingering problem of church or state and who has authority. In 1922, Benito Mussolini, the Duke, and Pope Pius XI came to power. And by 1929 they had at last found a solution to the thorny Roman Question that had lasted so many years. On February 11, 1929, three sets of documents, known collectively as the Lateran Accords, were signed in Rome at the Lateran Palace by Cardinal Gasparri, representing Pope Pius XI, and Mussolini, representing King Victor Emanuel III.
8. I give you a summary of the highlights of the 1929 Lateran Treaty between Italy and the Catholic Church of Rome.
The Italian State recognized the sovereignty of the Catholic Church, and regarded the Church as an independent member of the international community. By this agreement the Church obtained an independent state in Rome with an area of about 105 acres.
The Italian State recognized the Roman Catholic Church as the official state religion, and the Catholic church recognized the independent Kingdom of Italy.
The pope pledged to perpetual neutrality in international relations, and abstention from mediation in any controversy except when specifically requested by all concerned parties.
What is the significance of the Lateran Treaty of 1929 to prophecy and the eight kings of Revelation?
What the Roman Catholic Church got in 1929 was its independence and sovereignty. The political independence means that now they had a monarchy, where the pope was the absolute ruler. The pope now was not only the supreme head of the Catholic Church universally, but also the indisputable temporal king over the State of Vatican City. He was no longer a subject of the nation of Italy.
The Vatican now issues passports as a sovereign nation.
The Vatican now signs treaties with independent nations worldwide.
The Vatican now has embassies and diplomatic relations with 167 countries.
The Vatican now has over 1.2 billion followers world wide and is judged the wealthiest organization in the world.
By virtue of the Lateran Treaty, the popes were now universally recognized as sovereign kings, the Lateran Treaty however stipulated that the popes must pledge to perpetual neutrality in international affairs. This restricting condition could not have been imagined to be agreed upon by any pope prior to 1798. The Catholic Church long believed that Christ is the Lord of the whole world, and that at His departure He left His dominion to His representative, Peter, and to Peter's successors, the popes. Therefore, it is the stated position of the Catholic Church that true and genuine temporal power and dominion lie exclusively in the hands of the pope. Thus Rome dictated european affairs for hundreds of years, provoked wars and persecuted millions worldwide, all in the name of religion.
The church has now by this treaty has denounced it’s centuries old policies of being in control in exchange for sovereignty.
Knowing now that as of 1929 the Pope is considered a monarchy lets look at the eight kings of Revelation.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
God has prophesied that there will be only seven kings: "And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space." Revelation 17:10. From this verse the following facts can be gleaned:
Seven kings in total. (7 kings)
John was taken in vision to the time of the sixth king: "five are fallen, and one is."He comes after the first five have fallen. Again, it is not coincidental that when taken in vision, John was taken to the time of the sixth king. It is a divine hint by which God is guiding us to focus our attention on this particular king, as he will play a very important role in the end-time events.
The seventh king "must continue a short space."
11. So who are the seven kings/popes?
Pius XI was the first Roman Catholic pope (from February 6, 1922) who became king as well on February 11, 1929. He along with Mussolini, engineered the Lateran Treaty.
If we average of the the reigns of these kings or popes we find a median of about 13 years, so one would derive a “short space” as the bible explains the 7th Kings reign to maybe be 8-12 years.
Pope King Benedict the 16th is entering his eight year next spring.
12. What is destined to take place after the prophesied short monarchy of Benedict XVI?
"And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition."Revelation 17:11. Here, we learn the following:
The Roman Catholic Church was once a powerful beast ruling the lives of men in Europe, but now is not , the roman pontiff for hundreds of years ruled the dukes, princes and monarchs of Europe. The crusades of the middle ages were all engineered by Rome; Men lived and died by the word of the pope
She once had power like a great beast to drive the lives of men and countries, That all ended shortly after the last crusade when the dark ages fell upon europe and men were tired of dying for religion, followed by martin Luther’s reformation which greatly lessened the power of Rome also,,,,,,however, she will regain the beast status and once again guide the worldly affairs of men as seen in John’s vision,,,,,,, after the fall of the seventh king, Benedict XVI.
The next one to come after Benedict XVI will be one of the other seven kings. But he will no longer be considered a mere king, but will be a beast as well; for with him the Roman Catholic Church will regain her former power to persecute her enemies.
The eighth, when he comes, will be the last; for he "goeth into perdition." he will go into everlasting destruction at he end of days.
13. Who is the eighth who will restore the beast status to the Roman Catholic Church anew?
To answer this question we need first to note the origin of the eighth: "The beast that thou sawest was [the Catholic Church was once powerful, and is not “the church has no international power as of now”, and shall ascend,105 [after the fall of the seventh king, the eighth will restore her beast status] out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition." Revelation 17:8.
From this verse we can conclude the following:
Only one more king will come after Benedict XVI, and he will be the eighth. And this king will restore the beast status to the Roman Catholic Church – for during his reign persecution of God's people will resume again, just as it was in the Middle Ages during the inquisition when countless millions of confessing christians were put to death in the name of God by a corrupt papacy.
That the eighth king will ascend from the "bottomless pit", and in due course will "go into perdition."
14. What is the bottomless pit from which the eighth will ascend?
Once again, we go only to the Bible to answer this valid question. The Greek word translated ‘bottomless pit’ is abussos which has the English counterpart, ‘an abyss’. The following verses will unfold what is the abussos.
"...a certain man, which had devils long time…30 And . . . Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. 31 And they besought Him that He would not command them to go out into the deep (abyss… 33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine..."Luke 8:27, 30, 31, 33.
The bottomless pit is certain location that serves as a confined habita-tion for some of the fallen angels (devils.)
From the above Bible passage we learn that the Greek abyss (in the Bible translated ‘deep’ or ‘bottomless pit’) is a certain location (not known to man) where some of the fallen evil angels are confined. Not all the evil angels are permitted to leave the abussos, which is not a very pleasant place to be in. One can imagine the pandemonium and the constant jostling that goes on at the abyss among the rebellious evil angels. The legion of devils, who were tormenting a certain man in the above story, dreaded that Christ would command them to go to the abyss. And they begged Him not to command them to go to the deep (abyss). They find much happiness in tormenting people and animals than to be in the company of others of their kind.
To summarize, the bottomless pit is a certain location that serves as a confined habitation for some of the fallen angels (devils).
15. This does not make sense! How can the eighth king come from the abussos? How can the eighth king be a devil?
The eighth will be a devil from the abussos impersonating one of the 7 kings.
What we have been learning thus far will make more sense when we focus on the following verse: "And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." Revelation 17:11. God is clarifying that the eighth is really one of the seven kings. Combining this important key with the fact that the eighth will be an fallen angel (devil) from the bottomless pit, we can begin to comprehend what will soon sway the whole world into unprecedented deception.
The eighth king will be a devil from the abyss impersonating one of the 7 kings. When the eighth king will appear on the scene, he will rapidly spearhead the coming of the Roman Catholic Church out of her weakened state and into a full-fledged powerful beast once again.
It is not difficult at all to visualize this prophesied dramatic transformation of the Roman Catholic Church (out of her wilderness status and into a full beast status) once we identify the king (out of the seven) who will be impersonated by a devil who ascends from the bottomless pit.
16. Which of the seven popes will be impersonated by a devil from the abyss?
If you take a moment to study the seven pope kings we can easily conclude only one who constitutes the best personality for achieving Satan's end-time agenda: it is John Paul II the Great. Below are the reasons:
Out of the seven kings, he is the only one that fulfills the prophesied statement: "And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast." Revelation 13:3. John Paul II is the only king of the seven who experienced a deadly wound in 1981, when he was nearly assassinated. Thereafter, the whole world, as prophesied, wondered after him.
Remember the divine hint: "five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come." Revelation 17:10. When Apostle John was taken in a vision to the future, he was taken to the time of the reign of the sixth king (John Paul II).
Now the most important reason: Which of the 7 kings is most known, loved and respected in today's generation? If Satan would want to lead the world into imposing universal laws for exalting his false Sabbath (Sunday), who would be the most effective personality other than John Paul II? Who would be more effective than him who called on Christians to "ensure that civil legislation respects their duty to keep Sunday holy…refraining from work and activities which are incompatible with the sanctification of the Lord's Day." Again, no one is better suited for carrying the agenda of Satan than John Paul II. Hence, impersonating him makes the most sense for Satan, who is intent on deceiving the whole world.
During his life John Paul made inroads to every religion on the planet, every other pope was Catholic only, John was a universalists. If you remember Time magizine once placed Jon on the cover and announced him to be “Man of the Century”
17. How will a devil impersonate John Paul II?
The impersonation of John Paul II by a devil will be followed by other impersonations of known personalities climaxing with the impersonation of Jesus Christ by Satan.
"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."2 Corinthians 11:14. God has not shed light through His written Word as to how the impersonation will take place. Nonetheless, Apostle Paul has warned us that the coming back of the beast in the last days will be "after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,and with all deceivableness" 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10. The elements which Satan will use to deceive the whole world and hold it captive to his instrument, the Roman Catholic Church, are: (1) all power, (2) signs, (3) lying wonders, and (4) all deceivableness.
It will make it appear to the whole world that God is distinctly honoring and blessing the Roman Catholic Church with unprecedented divine manifestations and miracles. Satan will make it appear that heaven has favored earth when it brought "back to life" the world's most beloved personality, and that he has come back with a divine agenda which should become the primary occupation of world leaders. And it certainly will become,,, as it is said he will arrive in the midst of a world wide economic disasteain.r and some how make the economy to work once again.
The world is on the verge of the greatest deception in the history of Man kind.
The bible says this world leader will come on the scene and the entire world will rush to him, all nations, religions, tribes and peoples, and be completely deceived.
Here is how he will do it,,,,
For the first time in history the Catholic church has placed a Popes burial casket in open view to the public with a live web cam viewing the 6th king 24 hours a day.
Can you imagine the world wide frenzy that will take place should a brilliant light begin to emanate from inside that casket.
Every news media and every person who owns a television will be viewing the event.
That means that the entire world will see his resurrection,,,,, there you have the great deception,,,,,
The Bible says the deception is so complete that even the elect are in danger of being deceived.
The very elect,, the chosen sons of God, lovers of the word,,, followers of Jesus Christ,,,, even they are in danger of being deceived,,,,,, It’s that good.
Don’t be deceived my brothers and sisters,,,, if this is truly the way it will play out,,,, I believe it is from what I have studied,,,, but thats only a very plausible theory at this time,,,, only God knows for sure.
The thing I want to express to you most of all is that if we are truly living in the time of the seventh King,,, and his reign by the word of God is “a short space” we have to be ready.
Time is truly short.
Free yourselves of the useless things of Life and focus on the one true meaning of this thing called life,,,,, Pursuit of eternal life thru A relationship with Jesus Christ.
Blessed is he who heeds the words of eternal life. Guided by "the Spirit of truth", he will be led into all truth. Though he will not be loved, honored, and praised by the world, yet he will be precious in the sight of heaven: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not."I John 3:1.
Time is short,,,, know your father,,, know your savior and the sacrifice that he made for you on the cross,,,,, he died to save us from all sin and asks only that you believe and accept his generous gift.
Alter call
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Sermon20 Oct 12
In 70 AD several roman legions marched into Jerusalem in response to years of Jewish unrest and social disobedience. Rome had years earlier subjected Israel and The empire did not tolerate disobedience or civil unrest.
The orders were to eradicate the Jewish problem and destroy their symbol of religion “the Temple”. The ensuing slaughter would see the deaths of 1,100,000.00 jews and the enslavement of another 97,000. The temple was, as prophesied years earlier, utterly destroyed. The jewish nation was scattered to the four winds as God had intended, as a direct result of their rejection of his son Jesus.
If you were a Jew and you remained in the nation of Israel you would be persecuted and or killed. The promised land no longer held promise for the Jewish people.
Jesus Prophesied shortly before his crucifixion in Luke 21:24 ,,,,And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
The nation of Israel, Gods people, the promised land is now a desolate valley, devoid of life, full of dry bones of those slaughtered by the Roman centurions.
But God promised his people, they would live in the promised land, and God does not lie. 1
Turn with me to Ezekiel and see the prophecy come to pass.
Ezekiel 37 starting with verse 1
37 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.
4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
5 Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord. 2
Shortly after World War Two
And in response to the genocide by Nazi Germany against the Jewish people, Great Britain and The United States sponsored a plan to once again establish the Jewish nation in it’s ancestral Homeland.
In 1948 God breathed into those dry bones laying in that desolate valley and flesh began to grow.
God is very specific in describing all of the tissues that begin to grow on these bones as if it takes time. Because those tissues are the jewish peoples returning to their promised land. Slowly over the next 6 decades Jews from around the world have come home (from the four winds as ezekiel said). An exceeding great army as God said it would be. So Great an army that in 1967 they defeated the armies of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan combined in a mere 6 days. A nineteen year old nation,,,, obviously a supernatural event.
The dry bones now stand and breath.
Jesus made a powerful prophecy in Matthew 24 concerning the establishment of the nation of Israel in the end times.
The Parable of the fig tree
First he tells his disciples of the coming destruction of the temple and the nation of israel, the persecution to come and the coming together of the nation once again.
The amazing point in the parable of the fig tree is Jesus says that the Generation which sees Israel reborn,,, the dry bones come together, shall not pass until Christ’s return takes place.
We are in the sixty fourth year of that generation born in 1948.
3
Turn with me to Revelation 6 verses 1-8
6 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him:and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
This spirit rider sent forth from God has been riding for at least 25 years. His mission,,,, to over come boundaries and borders, to conquer religions, to bring about a global community. Obviously this task takes time,,, we always thought these riders rode during the tribulation,, but now we understand that they usher in the tribulation period.
George Bush Senior in 1990 first coined the phrase “New World Order” in a speech,,, I paraphrase,,Out of these troubled times, our…objective - a New World Order - can emerge… Today, that new world is struggling to be born, a world quite different from the one we have known… The words of - Former President George Bush September 11, 1990
Since that time the phrase rings across the airways daily. The World is ripe to be united.
Our economies are intermingled.
Global trade reaches the every nation
Our armies are joined in coalitions and treaties.
Grain grown in south america feeds children in china
and oil from the middle east feeds the industry of the world
The White rider has ridden and his task all but accomplished.,,,,We are one,,, we just haven’t announced it yet
3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
The red rider rode out shortly after the White, The mission of this spirit rider was to take peace from the earth. Since 1990 we have seen 3 Major middle eastern wars and 60 smaller region conflicts. Many of which still rage,,, there is a great armada of war ships gathering in the Persian Gulf as I speak, ships from 8 different nations, two American carrier groups, French, British, Russian, Syrian, Iranian, Chinese and Israeli.
The red rider has done his job and his ride is all but through. The World is at War and the final phase of his work could begin at any time.
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
A days wages to purchase one meal. (Thats the translation of that verse)
4
The black rider is a spirit with an ominous task, you will all shortly witness his handy work. The black rider will cause a global collapse of the worlds economies.
He is saddled and has begun his ride, watch your news broadcast everyday the little men of the world fight to keep their stock markets from collapse daily,,, over the last year we have seen so many governments intervening and propping up their economies,,, including our own. It’s just a matter of time the rider has done his job and If the little men only knew the power of the spirit rider in which they fight they would know it is a futile effort.
The Black riders work will be accomplished within a short time. Watch and see for yourself.
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
The most feared rider of all the Pale rider,, this spirit riders duty is to kill. He will use the fruits of the Black rider in his task, With economic collapse comes hunger, death and disease. Nations fighting for resources. Complete civil collapse.
This rider is saddled up
This rider ushers in the time of the Apocalypse 5
This rider creates the human condition ripe for the deception of mankind.
In the midst of the agony, hunger, death and destruction, brought forth by the riders,,,,antichrist will rise and deceive the world.
Be prepared my friends, store up the things needed to protect your families. God will be there for you if you believe,,,77 but he also gave you a mind and understanding to prepare. The black rider is riding,,, take head
Above all understand God is there, he will never leave you nor forsake you.
It is in fact God who sends forth these riders.,,,, and why would God do such a horrible thing, death, starvation, economic collapse?
Because it is time to intervene.
Because it is time to end this age old conflict between good and evil
Because it is time Jesus Christ wrenches control of this world away from the adversary Satan.
Its not to late to get on the winning side of this coming apocalypse.
Jesus wants all to come into his family and enjoy his protection and Love.
Don’t wait to long three of the riders are riding, you may not survive the forth,,,, be prepared,, know the Joys of Christ and the peace he brings
Alter call
Whats wrong with America Sermon 27 Oct 2012
Liberal Agenda unfolding in our great land
This country is rushing head long into extreme socialism. Why,,,, Americans aren’t like this.
We talked last week about the White rider of Revelation 6, and how his mission is to prepare the world for the Antichrist’s assention to the world throne.
How he is to tear down national boundaries, religious dividing walls, create the precise enviorment needed to unite this world into a one world nation,,, A NEW WORLD ORDER if you will.
Exactly how would this work if Americans were still acting like Americans.
Americans were always:
Fiercely Independent,, to the point of war,, twice with England once with Spain and France,,,(No Body tells Americans what to do) OR DO THEY
Did you know United Nations (INTERNATIONAL LAW) has infiltrated our local, state and federal regulations. Go to the county code enforcement office and read their bulletin board. (AS OF June 2004 Colleton County has adopted the United Nations International building code) all citizens will abide by these regulations.
It gets better,,,, Did you know,, Our Judges are looking to International Law to give opinions in legal cases,,,, in blatant disregard for the Constitution of the United States. We are the only country on earth that resonably made things work,,,, why would we look to the world for guidance.
Did you know the United Nations has a plan to place United Nations Troops in our cities in the event of civil unrest.
Did you know there is a treaty our wonderful president plans to sign with the United Nations, outlawing personal Gun ownership, and calling for a national ID card and drivers license,,,, Again in blatant disregard for our sovereign constitution and the 10th amendment granting states rights..
Did you know America could be energy independent,,,, we have sufficient oil and coal supplies for the next 100 years,,, but the liberal agenda in this country wont allow it.
ARE WE ACTING LIKE AMERICANS?
ARE THE MEN AND WEMON WE ELECTED TO REPRESENT US ACTING LIKE AMERICANS?
Americans were always extremely Nationalistic,, love of God, Country, Family,,, our flag our homeland,,, our Military,,let no one dare desecrate them.
twice we rescued the entire world from tyranny and evil with the blood of our fathers. Dozens of other times we have bleed and died on foreign shores to insure freedom for strangers.
Do you remember the (occupy movement) That began last year in our big cities? Watching the human debris trashing our cities,,, watching the American flags burn on our shores and in our living rooms,,, and our wonderful president sympathizing with that hideous mob of ingrates.
Do you remember Michele Obama and her two daughters at the Olympic opening day ceremonies just this year walking the competitors path wrapped in South African flags. Our American First Family????
Do you remember our current president refusing to wear an American flag lapel button,,, because he didn’t feel it was appropriate.
How about the apology tour Mr. Obama embarked on,, apologizing to the world for American aggression and bulling,,, that won him the Nobel Peace Prize,, believe it or not?
And did you know The president and congress plan to Gut our military beginning January first 2013,,, (Austerity) is what they are calling it,,,, in lam ins terms they couldn’t agree to cut any wasteful social programs so the entire cuts needed to sustain the budget and allow the Government to remain functioning will come from the military,,,, at a time when this world is more dangerous than ever.
Can you see the work of the White rider here in our country my friends.
How can he possibly achieve his mission as long as America remains the last best hope for mankind,,,, that shining city on a hill that gives hope to all peoples, bring me your tired, your poor, your starving masses that urn to be free, for 250 years those words rang out across this globe,,,, how could the spirit rider tasked with uniting this globe possibly achieve his mission while America remains strong and morally solvent,,,, HE CANNOT
Therefore Are Americans acting like Americans,,, the born again ones are,, the rest are being manipulated spiritually into dissolving this country, her moral character and her great institutions.
I believe this current president intends to oversee the destruction of America.
Did you know he has written 965 executive orders,, many of which deal with stripping Americans of their rights (during times of adversity)
Did you know FEMA,, Federal Emergency Management Agency,, now has police powers if ordered by our president,,, all thanks to the homeland security bill.
Did you know FEMA has acquired millions of plastic coffins, capable of fitting up to four bodies and has placed them in storage at countless facilities around this country.
Did you know FEMA has purchased 450 million rounds of Ammunition over the past three years.
And did you know FEMA has set up concentration style camps complete with razor wire all across this country.
I do believe our Government sees the writing on the walls, they know they have overstepped,,, but they don’t intend to yield to the rule of law.
Did you know that Microchiping is included in the Obama Healthcare Bill page 1000-1004
The Obama Health care bill page 1000 (Paragraph 1, Section B) specifically includes and calls for ‘‘(ii) a class II device that is implantable.” Then on page 1004 it describes what types of “data” the chip will manage.
What exactly is a class II device that is implantable? Lets see…Approved by the FDA, a class II implantable device is a “implantable radio frequency
transponder system for patient identification and health information.” The purpose of a class II device is to collect data in medical patients such as “claims data, patient survey data, standardized analytic files that allow for the pooling and analysis of data from disparate data environments, electronic health records, and any other data deemed appropriate by the Secretary.” This chip will also be linked to your bank account for payment services. Any other Data,,,, Thats an ominous statement
Revelation 13:16-17 ,,,,16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Can you see it coming church???
This health care bill basically grants to the Government management of your life,,,, or in simple terms allegiance.
Remember our Wise and astute (speaker of the House of representatives) Nancy Pelosy,,,, Quote “We have to pass the health care bill before we can find out whats in it”
This sort of device would be implanted in the majority of people who opt to become covered by the public health care option. With the reform of the private insurance companies, who charge outrageous rates, many people will switch their coverage to a more affordable insurance plan. This means the number of people who choose the public option will increase. This also means the number of people chipped will be plentiful as well. The adults who choose to have a chip implanted are the lucky (yes, lucky) ones in this case. Children who are “born in the United States who at the time of birth is not otherwise covered under acceptable coverage” will be qualified and placed into the CHIP or Children’s Health Insurance Program (what a convenient name). With a name like CHIP it would seem consistent to have the chip implanted into a child. Children conceived by parents who are already covered under the public option will more than likely be implanted with a chip by the consent of the parent. Eventually everyone will be implanted with a chip. And with the price and coverage of the public option being so competitive with the private companies, the private company may not survive. The Beast intends to control the world and the activities of all humans on the planet with this tracking data chip.
Our Government is out of control,,, and I do believe it is spiritually supposed to be that way
The White rider had to weaken America to place the world in the proper state to usher in the Antichrist
We as Americans see this destruction and it makes us angry,, it makes me angry.
But we have to focus on the fact we are starring in the face of preordained spiritual influence and we must put our priorities in order.
Priorities:
Spread the gospel: Christ said to go ye into all the nations spreading the good news of the gospel unto every creature.
He didn’t say protest abortion clinics.
He didn’t say protest war
He didn’t say build grand Crystal cathedrals
All of those things took our attention from mission,, spread the gospel.
Now were at the end,, the mission is that much more urgent because soon the door will be closed
Forget the petty stuff, the trivial things that once seemed so important
The things that got our minds off of the real mission or savior placed us on.
We have an advantage in these last days.
The play book.
Sports teams keep their play books secret
We have Satan’s play book, God gave us a play by play analysis of these last days all we have to do is pay attention.
Luke 21: 10
Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life.
20 “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.
He is saying here be prepared.
Be ready to feed your families
Be ready to defend your families
And be ready to confess your faith
He will give you strength in that hour to do what is right.
Can’t you see it coming, my friends
Don’t wait until the last minute
Place your trust in Jesus Christ
Let him be your anchor in these end times.
Alter call
The End cometh Sermon 3 Nov 2012
White rider remedial
Revelation 6 1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
We always thought that these seals and these riders would take place during the tribulation period.
But if you examine the mission of these riders you will see that some of their duties could take years or even decades to preform,,,as in the task of the White rider. Therefore reasoning and common sense would and as God puts it “a mind that has wisdom” would understand that these seals and these riders in fact usher in the tribulation period.
Remember Satan has only a seven year time span for which to inhabit this earth and within 3-1/2 years the entire world according to scripture will become united appear to function and prosper and then the unity will begin to crumble.
If these riders did not prepare the way and create the precise set of circumstances on this earth for this one world unification that is to come, the Anti christ would never accomplish his mission in even 10 years.
The White Rider has been riding for a couple of decades now. At least
1
His job or mission as we talked about last week is to prepare the hearts and minds of the masses for this NEW WORLD ORDER.
He is to break down walls between religions, nationalities, peoples and Governments.
He has succeeded in his task, this world is ripe for unification, even Americans,,, the most independent peoples on the planet are looking to this NEW WORLD ORDER.
We talked last week about how Americans aren’t acting like Americans,,, and we now know why, the White rider,,,if you do not belong to God he will place a strong delusion within your mind,,,, thus the Liberal agenda that is choking the Liberty out of this country.
This same Liberal agenda that screams to be like the rest of the world and will request membership in this new world state that is rising.
We talked about the Red rider of Revelation 6-4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
The Red Rider has likewise been riding for some time now,,, since 1990 there have been 3 major wars and 104 regional conflicts and civil wars raging on the globe.
The red rider is very engaged in his work.
And we also talked about the Black horse and rider ,,,,And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
The red rider is likewise riding and riding hard.
If you listen to and media outlet in the last year you know that this world is on the verge of a massive financial meltdown. Thats the red riders mission, and it’s almost accomplished.
Its here my friends we are looking right in the face of the tribulation period.
We talked about a president of the United States who in his life has made little or no lifetime achievements. Poor Grades (but the best schools) Never held a real Job but has risen to the most powerful position on the globe.
HOW AND WHY,,,, again the work of the White rider,,,, America, the great moral policeman of the world had to be weakened and pulled from her world dominant position,,, and as a result of this man,,,,it is being done.
Now lets add a facet to this list of woes.
Revelation 9-1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
Fast forward a short time, here we have an event that takes place in the first 3-1/2 years of the tribulation period.
We have Satan finally being cast out of Heaven,,,, Remember he presently stands before God daily accusing the brethren of their sins. I guess God finally has enough of his wining and casts him out. Regardless he is cast out but before his fall he is given a key to the bottomless pit.
The ABYESS we talked about this also,,, the current prison of the fallen Angels or Demons as they have become.
This is the facet I wanted to include. Apparently according to Revelation 9 this pit is opened up and these Demons are released upon the earth to torment and cause utter destruction.
2
The Galactic rift,,, I wish to speculate a little here for a moment,, have you ever heard of the Galactic Rift.
To the naked eye, the Great Rift appears as a dark lane that divides the bright band of the Milky Way lengthwise, through about one-third of its extent, and is flanked by lanes of numerous stars.[1]
Let me talk to you about a forgotten people for a moment,, the Myans of Central America.
We think that we are technologically advanced in todays world,,, but these people had a complex and correct understanding of the workings of the galaxy and its heavenly bodies hundreds of years ago,,,as did the Sumarians and the Ancient Egyptians.
A working knowledge that we as an advanced scientific society have just been able to prove in the last few decades.
Point being these people knew something about the heavens and their information was correct, where it came from God only knows but it was real.
Where I’m I going with this, is this.
The planets in our solar system revolve around the sun, likewise our entire galaxy revolves around the center point of the universe,,, one of those things the Myans knew and we have just recently discovered.
There is a place in space called the Galactic rift,, its basically a long black ribbon looking thing that has no light and no stars,,, ominous blackness only.
No one really knows anything about it or why it is there, only that it does exist and its quite erry looking.
The earth will soon enter this area of space.
3
The Myan Long Count calendar has this event beginning on December 21st, 2012 A.D. The alignment occurs when the winter solstice sun conjuncts the crossing point of Milky Way and ecliptic in Sagittarius. This crossing point is where the "dark rift" in the Milky Way is, which was known to the ancient Maya as xibalba be or,,,,, get this,,,,(the Road to the Underworld).
The earth encounters this black rift or road to the underworld only once in 5125 years,,,,,which will occur in December of this year,,,,
Does this really mean anything,,,, I don’t know,,, all I know is God said there will be signs in the heavens, there will be earthquakes in divers places, floods and famines and then the son of man will soon return.
What if this black rift were the bottomless pit that Satan is supposed to open,,,God is a practical God, he plans and correlates things thousands of years into the future. We will be in the rift for the greater part of the next year.
So many things are happening, I am absolutely convinced we are standing at the conclusion of the age of mankind and the book is almost complete.
God says watch and know the signs
Be prepared
when you see these things don’t hesitate have your things prepared,,,, translation,,, have yourself prepeared.
The son of man,,,Jesus,,, will come like a thief in the night.
Please do not get caught sleeping or unprepared
Know your lord
Understand the sacrifice he has made for you
Be ready to answer the call when it comes
Alter call
RULES OF LIFE Sermon 17 Nov 2012
The Law,,,, Rules for Human life
The Law was given to Moses from God Himself
Ten Primary Commandments exodus 20
And God spake all these words, saying,
I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
1.Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2.Thou shalt 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. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3.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.
4.Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
5.Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
6.Thou shalt not kill.
7.Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8.Thou shalt not steal.
9.Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10.Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
Rules to live by,,, if you follow them you will be blessed
If you follow them you will have God’s favor
If you follow them you will not be in trouble.
If you follow them you will be a good person
Second subtopic
All through out the Bible there are accounts of how the Israelites would follow Gods law and be blessed and then they would stop following the law and desperate times would come to their land or worse if they were very far from God’s law they would be concurred and carried away into slavery.
This land America is 250 years old
I would believe that our people and our leaders feared God and trusted in his Name,,, for at least the first 200 years.
And what a run we have had,,,, never in the history of the world has a nation been blessed like the United States of America.
Something strange began happening in the sixties.
Free love and feeling good became the motto of the new generation,,,, IF IT FEELS GOOD DO IT,,, heard that before.
Ohhhh,,, lets get prayer out of school to,,,,, DONE
Ohhhh,,,, lets get God out of Goverment,,,,,, DONE
Ohhhh,,,, lets not dicipline our children, thats barbaric,,, Done “Spare the rod and spoil the child”
Ohhhh,,, Niche’ said God was dead and John Lennon of the beetles claimed they were bigger than Jesus Christ. Well Jesus is still here, unfortunately John is not.
Ohhhh,,, If you achieve a higher plane you yourself will be a God,,,, do what ever you wish, regardless of moral law or even carnal law sometimes.
The point is this generation,,, this lawless generation is now running this country.
Our Esteemed President,,, the Barack Obama himself said right after his inauguration I quote “What ever America is now we are no longer a Christian nation”,,,, How long had he been waiting to say that.
A majority of our countrymen just reelected this creature. I call him that because he has no will of his own,, he is a pawn in the big game of end times politics.
Do we blame our countrymen for their choice.
I want to but then again they have no choice either,,,, again this lawless generation spawned in the sixties,, refused to discipline their children in the seventies and eighties and believe God was a superstitious monster of the past now cast ballots in this beautiful formerly God fearing country.
What did we say earlier,,, when the Israelites stopped fearing God they were destroyed.
I just returned from Germany
Those people follow rules and regulations to the letter.
Train crossing.
Renounce religion
Point of it all is that America is not in Gods will.
Being out of Gods will will lead to disaster.
Fear not and stay true to the mission.
Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel unto all creation,
The days are short and Americas mission as a country has ended but our mission as believers has become that much more urgent.
Jesus says come to me while the door is yet open,,,, soon the door will be closed and judgement will be upon the lost.
How will you feel if there were someone you could have reached if you had just opened your mouth.
Thinking of eternal Hell and damnation is something I could not wish on my worst enemy.
Open your mouths my friends,,,, speak of the Glorious Gospel of Jesus,,,,, speak of his wondrous love and grace and tell the lost of this world how easy it is to find salvation.
Don’t cry for America,,,, she done her job for God,,,, America was a base of operations for the word to go unto all the world and that is done. Now she has been handed over to the lawless ones.
Abraham Lincoln Quotes. “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves”.
How true this God fearing mans words were,,,then the lawless ones of the time shot him. Nothing has changed except the lawless ones are now the majority.
Jesus christ came to give life and free you from the law.
Alter call.
PRAYER YOUR LIFE LINE TO THE FATHER Sermon 27 Nov 2012
BRIEF STORY OF ESTHER.
ESTHER 4:15-5:2 Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house. 2 And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favor in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.
PREPARATION
Brought all that she had with her, her friends fasting, her servants fasting.
Cleansed herself,,, put on her finest apparel
Then humbly stood in the courtyard before the King.
Psalms 100 100 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Come before him with praise and thanksgiving
Enter into his holy court with absolute respect.
Matthew 6:9-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.11 Give us this day our daily bread.12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.13 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.
Our father “hallowed be thy name” praise worship
Your kingdom coming is the most important part of my life.
Your will be done above all else.
Then after the praise and worship
Grant me my daily bread and protect me from evil
Ending with praise and worship once more “for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Fasting is the key to a good prayer life
Fasting allows the spirit man to overcome the flesh
Fasting allows the desires of the spirit “desires of the father” to come before the lusts of the flesh. A continual battle.
Fasting is a necessary part of ones spiritual life and essential component in a close relationship to God. The Flesh desires all that is pleasurable, good or bad pleasure rules the beast. Regardless of the pleasure, food, alcohol, sex, drugs, tobacco, pornography, deviant behavior, the list goes on and on. The flesh if allow to partake in the “pleasure” will desire more and more, eventually with no limits on its appetite. With each and every pleasure enjoyed by the flesh the spirit is placed in mounting domination by the flesh. Likewise with each pleasure the body is denied the spirit becomes in more control of the flesh. For reasons that need not be explained, the pleasure of food and drink rank at the top of the fleshly craving list.
Several good examples of the battle for dominance that rages inside ones flesh and spirit comes from Jesus Christ’s ministry. Each time Jesus raised someone from the dead he would tell the family to immediately give them something to eat. The person’s spirit had just come from paradise and a closer presence to God, therefore it was essential to feed the flesh and allow it to dominate the spirit with a desire to stay within the body. Otherwise with no pleasure to hold onto the spirit would immediately wish to return from where it had just come from.
An even more powerful example was the forty days fast in which Jesus endured before confronting Satan in the flesh. Forty days our lord denied the body its pleasure to insure his spirit had complete dominance of all aspects of his flesh. Had he not fasted in this way Christ would have faced Satan just as Adam had faced Satan, with a spirit partially ruled by its flesh. Remember, Jesus Christ faced the evil one not as the son of God, but as the pure creation of God. Presenting himself in this fashion for the purpose of proving Gods creation could and would resist the temptations of the Anti-god. A remake if you would of the tragic drama played out in the Garden of Eden centuries before. Thankfully the newly cast Adam, would prove to be an exceptional leading man and the ultimate hero of the story.
I tell you with complete conviction and personal knowledge, without regular fasting you will not achieve spiritual greatness. You may climb to reasonable heights but absolute triumph will not come.
I will try to describe the feelings and spiritual control you experience as you begin and continue your fast. The first and second day of the fast are the most difficult. The flesh, your body rebels, hunger pains, headaches, fatigue, and lots of thoughts of “you can’t do this”. About the third day the flesh tends to relax and accept this spiritual authority being placed over it. Your mind and thoughts become very clear, your body feels wonderful, your energy levels are very high and your desire to serve God swells. This feeling and these general desires only increase as you enter your second and third week of Fasting.
Physically one would think that after a week or two of fasting the body would be fatigued and weak. In actuality about the third day the body begins to burn fat reserves for fuel. Your body stores only the finest energy reserves within your fat cells. This fuel is perfect, unlike the foods you consume which may or may not be exactly what your body needs for fuel at the time. When running on fat reserves the body is using perfect fuel as well as having reduced duties such as digestion and fat storage. This combination allows for incredible energy levels and feelings of perfect fitness. It is at this time when the spirit can and will dominate the flesh completely. It is at this time when the spirit is free to desire the one true pleasure of creation, closeness with the creator!
Fasting is difficult to start but extremely rewarding, I challenge all of you to see for yourself and experience this incredible journey. Fasting need not be extreme and last weeks, this you do when the spiritual battles are great. Weekly fasting may amount to skipping certain meals or even days. One should experiment and find the point in which their spirit takes control and try to maintain that fast. This level will be different for each individual, the only similarity between people is that the fast does work and will produce the results I have described.
Esther and her family fasted 3 days in preparation for the battle.
Jesus fasted 40 days in order to do battle with Satan.
The talks of the power of the God of this world and we see our own Lord fasting for 40 days in order to spiritually defeat him.
We wonder why we lose the daily battles with the demons that oppress our lives.
Stand up,,, take up your sword of faith, your helmet of salvation, your breastplate of righteous and your shield of salvation.
And do one more thing Pray and fast daily so that you have the will to put on your armor and have the mind to wear it with dignity and honor.
Playing Christian doesn’t mean a whole lot unless you back it up with prayer.
Likewise Prayer never reaches the level it was designed to reach IE: intimate relationship and conversation with the father,,,,, without fasting.
Try it,,,, start put slow,,,, skip a few meals,,, deny the creature its “needed fix for the day” and then talk to God and see if your eyes aren’t opened to a whole new conversation,,,, a two way conversation,,,, one where the father actually answers back.
God bless you all
Why A Baby Sermon 22 December 2013 Mark 1
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Why a Baby
The good part of Christmas is not always Christian -- it is generally Pagan; that is to say, human, natural.
Christianity did not come with tidings of great joy, but with a message of eternal grief. It came with the threat of everlasting torture on its lips. It meant war on earth and perdition hereafter.
It taught some good things -- the beauty of love and kindness in man. But as a torch-bearer, as a bringer of joy, it has been a failure. It has given infinite consequences to the acts of finite beings, crushing the soul with a responsibility too great for mortals to bear. It has filled the future with fear and flame, and made God the keeper of an eternal penitentiary, destined to be the home of nearly all the sons of men. Not satisfied with that, it has deprived God of the pardoning power.
Religion entered in and corrupted even the simplest of Gods Gifts.
Why did Jesus come as a child when his people expected a conquering hero to come and rule the world.
Had a great conquering king arrived all would have bowed at his feet.
All would have bowed regardless of the essence of their hearts.
All would have recognized his deity and power and followed after him, some thru true love and worship and some thru necessity of being on the winning team.
Satan will come as a false god one day and all will flock to him and be fooled,,, by the false sense of power and deity.
You see life is a probation period,,,,, a great test
The Bible says God is spirit,,,, and so are we
And after the insurrection in Heaven when satan tried to take over,,,, all are being tested.
I seen a movie once called “Brubaker” have you seen it,,,, was about a new prison warden who was hired to clean up and fix a very corrupt prison.
He didn’t just drive up to the gate and announce that he was the new warden.
He came in as a prisoner,,,, he saw first hand how the prison operated,,,, he felt the pain of the prisoners at the hands of the corrupt guards,,,, he made note of the corruption and the prison personnel responsible and only when he was satisified that he had experienced enough of the system to allow him to judge,,,, did he exercise his authority and make his position known.
Jesus come as a King,,,, no it would not work
So Jesus came as a lowly inmate as the rest of us.
He experienced this thing called life
He experienced the pains of the system everyone was living under.
He experienced the corruption of the “Guards” as to say the “religious” leaders of the time.
He was tempted in ways we can not even imagine.
He made notes of all he experienced.
He lived life not as the son of God,,, exercising great powers,,, but like the warden in our story he lived as one of the inmates,, as a normal man.
And when he had enough of the corruption, when he had experienced enough to be able to understand what we are going thru,,, he announced his Deity,,,, he announced his power.
Not only did he announce his deity,,,, he executed a plan to fix the prison.
He would be the sacrifice,,,, to stop the corruption.
He would be the one to pay the debt owed by all.
But the had to come a Baby to accomplish this.
In the movie the Warden after he had mostly fixed the prison and things were better for the inmates the powers to be accused him of wrong and persecuted him until he had to leave.
How easy to see the story of Christ in common everyday things like Hollywood movies.
What the powers to be didn’t bank on was that after they forced him to leave the inmates always remembered him and followed after his ways of doing things.
Like wise when Jesus was crucified and ascended to heaven the powers to be didn’t count on his teachings changing the very world that we live in.
Facts we can clearly see.
Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.
Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher .
Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.
Had no army, yet kings feared Him.
He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.
He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.
He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.
And because he lives we have the promise of salvation and life eternal.
Alter call
Who is God Sermon 29 Dec 2013
To understand God, we start with the question: "What is man?" This is the second most important question that you and I will ever find an answer to. And, if we cannot accept the answer to the second most important question, then the first (who is God?) becomes completely irrelevant.
As human beings we attempt to decide friendly answers to the questions that frighten us the most. We develop all of the supporting evidence that is minimally required to get the outcome we like best. Basically, we are willing to lie to ourselves. We are willing to embrace whatever story we like best at the expense of the Truth. Just to satisfy our minds and fears of the unknown.
I EVOLVED FROM A MONKEY,,,, you know a big bang, matter collided, amino acids formed, then my grandfather chitta was born,,,,thats interesting enough!!!
THERE IS NO HELL,,,, therefore I have nothing to fear,,,,live life as I wish!!! Hey Go for it!!!
THERE IS NO DEVIL,,,, No one influences me,,, I am my own man,,, arrogant thoughts.
And, in the world in which we live, mankind’s greatest blunder is to believe a very dangerous lie, spawned in the pits of Hell: That there is no God. This is the pre-requisite for the struggles you see now, and the darkness that is here and is assuredly yet to come.
Right now, even in the place you sit, there are (at least) two different worlds or relms. One you can see and another you cannot.
First is the Physical world. It is the construct of everything destined to fade (temporal). It is finite and can be measured and calculated by our primitive technologies and limited understandings of physics, biology and mathematics.
The Physical World, from the cells in your skin to the stars in the heavens above, are all very intricate organizations of building blocks; much like computer programs made by man, only trillions of times more complex. For a program to exist, there must be a Programmer. Something simply does not come from nothing. What I am telling you is this, you are living in a very complex material and biological world..... an unimaginably intelligent cradle which holds something even our best and brightest scientist fall far short in their quest to understand.... life. I watched Steven Falken give a lecture on the birth of the universe once,,,, he is considered the greatest physicist of our time,,, at a certain point of his explanation he stopped and said “this is where God comes in because I can’t explain how we crossed the bridge to life”
The unseen realm is the Spiritual world thats what you cannot yet see, touch, taste, hear, feel or smell. It is not something magical though it would seem that way.
It is simply the place from which this place (the Physical) came from. Thus, trying to understand the makeup of spiritual realms, spiritual energy, eternity or God Himself, is like asking us our knowledge of infinity when we really don't understand yesterday.
More than that, it is like a man with a 1950's television antenna attempting to receive satellite cable. The channels are out there, lots of them; more crystal clear, precise, amazing, unending and unimaginable. They are everywhere. In fact, there are layers of them right between your fingers as you reach out into empty space; but, it is the limitations of the equipment, the human body, which stands in the way.
The Human Genome project is a decades old scientific undertaking to map and try to understand the human DNA sequences. There are 25,000 known genes within a human DNA cluster, each with a specific task or duty,,, this study is trying to understand there functions.
I read a report from one of the scientists working on this project that basically said something like this. “It appears that the majority of the Human DNA has been turned off” to me it reads like a very complex and sophisticated computer program capable of unimaginable and complex processes, but it appears that the programmer has turned 98% of the program off and is running a simple routine just to keep the human being functioning.
How close to the truth has this scientists come,,,, I dare say he has found God in the lens of his microscope.
You see when man was once a part of the spiritual realm, God is spirit, the Bible says God and Adam walked and talked in the garden.
Adam communed with the animal kingdom,,,, all aspects of nature were under his control and it took the entire program to preform at that level.
When Adam sinned God out of necessity simply turned his higher functions off, and wrote a simple program to allow man to function at his newly chosen level.
Although we are now severely limited, compared to our original design, there are a few things we do know. We are designed with five recordable sensing devices through which we are able to experience this small world. But, inside of us, inside of these limited, short-term and extremely fragile bodies, is something very special;
something very, very special. It is something that nothing else has. Something that other things you can't see are jealous of. In our weakness we possess a power that we cannot even comprehend.
Something remains of our royalty our birth right in Gods family.
There is an ability that you were born with that, if enacted with sincere perseverance, is much larger than this place, its rules and the horrible things we can't see that are trapped here with us.
Your human body is a wondrous piece of biological hardware through which your currently bound soul can STILL connect with the Maker Himself. What I am saying is this: You were designed to know God.
You were designed to co-author eternity.
You were designed to import the power of your Maker, your Creator, your Father, into this dark place.
But, to understand that, you must first understand this: You are not your flesh. You are not your toes, or your ears, or your eyes, or even your brain.
All of these are just parts that work for a time and are destined to fail. So, when you talk about the human body, you are really talking about the current packaging of a life that will last forever.
If you are connected to the Father, the Creator, the Source, then indeed, when this life ends, not only will you be exactly who you were, but you may also find that you have been upgraded and that complex and sophisticated program which you were destined to run has been rebooted..
Yet, before I make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, let me assure you; there are significant and very powerful forces working to prevent your connection to God.
Believe me when I tell you, there are those who have made grand investments to ensure that when your flesh fails, you will not be going to a good place.
Where those forces, those entities wish to take you is somewhere that you will be afraid.... you will be very, very afraid.
There are reasons why they want to do this to you, There is a great battle being waged between God and satan and the souls of man are the ultimate treasure to be won.
I think one day we will understand that God coming here in the flesh, Jesus, risked much, much more than we have been taught. I really think that one day we will understand that he risked it all for us.
There are many military coup’s that take place in this world, kings, dictators and governments being taken over by hostile elements. Do you really think satan would have tried what he did, if there was no conceivable possibility of being successful in his attempt to overthrow God himself.
By some standards he was successful,,, he has ruled this earth since the rebellion, the bible states very clearly that satan is the god of this world,
when satan tempted Christ he offered him all of the kingdoms of the earth, “all has been given over to me he stated, and I will give it to you if you only worship me” instead of calling him a lier, and saying wait one minute these kingdoms aren’t yours, Christ rebuked him and stated “it is written thou shall worship the lord thy God and him alone”.
Because a simple spiritual fact is that right now this world does belong to satan.
If God were the landlord:
Do you think thousands would starve everyday.
Do you think wars 78 wars would be raging at this moment.
Do you think children would be molested.
Do you think children would be gunned down sitting in their kindergarten class.
NO,, because it’s hands off at the moment but he’s coming soon to claim the deed to this low rent subdivision were living in and do a little house cleaning.
Remember when Jesus was tempted he was not functioning as God during this trial, he was standing there being tempted as the pure creation of God, just as Adam when he failed.
Regardless of what God actually risked in this battle we find ourselves as the spoils of war, caught in between two great armies and being asked to join sides, because there are no by standers in this battle.
And the battle field is this place where we live, planet earth,,,,a paradise once when God governed it, a cesspool now with satan as its temporary landlord.
Let me introduce you to the "spiritual ghetto," the dark end of eternity's street. This is simply the world you and I were born into, the "testing ground."
It was at our conception that ADAM made the CHOICE that our Maker has tried to undo with incredible care, patience and self-sacrifice.
You see, it was the first of our kind that invited in the virus that is this present darkness; turning our cradle into this quarantine.
Thus, we live in the place God is not. The world, once perfect, is now infected. It is a hollow shell, dying a piece at a time.
Most things here will never escape. Worse still, there comes an hour on the horizon when this hollow cancer, and everything confined inside of it, will be herded into an even smaller cage.
In that cage, those who were not pulled from this place by trusting in the one true God will be as spiritual infants in the unfriendly claws of ancient things; pleasure puppets for condemned beasts. Make no mistake, you have been born into a very hostile and dangerous battlefield.
The God of this world wishes to ease your mind through the media and science and hollywood that this is a wonderful place and you are an enlightened being able to create your own destiny. While in reality children are slaughtered everyday and the gates of Hell are pressed to contain all of the lost souls.
If you believe the lie,,,, one more soul,,,, one more treasure falls to the wicked one.
There is but one escape from this spiritual ghetto, you must join God’s side. You must declare you allegiance to the real owner of this world.
You must express a desire to know the one who risked it all to bring about an end to the filth that is present here on earth, as a result of mans fall into darkness.
You must simply announce that you
first believe he actually exists
Realize that he only wants the best for you.
And request to have your birthright returned to you.
We were all born the sons of God,,,, unfortunately our greatest grandfather Adam, like essau, sold it for a simple pleasure.
God will return it to you upon request.
Jesus came for that sole purpose, to make the royal family pure again, clean and royal once again. Fit to sit at the Kings table, and only through his grace will we ever realize the fullness and beauty of what we were really designed to be.
And it’s so easy to become a part of this amazing family,,,, the peace that will fill your soul the moment you enter into Gods royal family is indescribable.
Are you afraid to die,,, afraid of the unknown,,, lay it down,
Paul says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord,,,, and the Bible says that in the presence of the Lord there is Joy unspeakable,,,and Glorious warmth and pleasures beyond earthly understanding.
If you don’t already know him Jesus is gently calling right now, don’t wait.
Alter call
Thorn in the flesh Sermon 27 January 2013
2 Cor, 12:7-9
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.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
For many years, preachers have taught that Paul, the greatest of the Apostles, writer of most of the New Testament, super evangelists and Mayrter for Christ,,,, had a thorn in the flesh and that it was a physical sickness, most likely poor eyesight,
God had somehow ordained that he keep this poor eyesight so as not to be lifted up in pride. However, some time back, I realized the truth from scripture about this thorn.
Christians have this thing about wanting their hero’s or in this case most esteemed Apostles to be Holy.
None are Holy!!! “Jesus said there are no good men no not one”
Actually it brought me comfort when I actually realized Paul’s problem that wouldn’t go away, because I had delt with some of the same issues in my life and,,,,It’s a hard one.
Romans 7: 7-8
Paul spells it out very clearly.
7What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.
Definition of concupiscence “powerful desire for all things sexual, lust and deviance”
You see Paul was a real man, not a super human, not a perfect person because we all no there are none. Paul was a man like you and I but
he had a problem that God refused to take away.
Galatians 4:13-15
13 Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.
14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
15 Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.
In many other instances of Scripture, I see Paul, in the authority of Christ, commanding demonic spirits to come out and sick people.
Yet he struggled personally,
It still fascinates me that with all of Paul’s understanding and spiritual power he still failed with lust,,,,, the oldest of satan’s temptations, and obviously the most powerful. And it all starts with the eye for men.
Thank you Lord that your grace is sufficient and though there be a thorn it will not become greater than me.
There is only one sin in this world Sermon 2 Feb 2013
In Matthew 8:16-17,
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
When sick people were brought to Jesus, He healed them all. He did not say to any of them, “It’s not My will for you to be well,” or “I’ve got a purpose for you to be sick.”
I can not think of a single case where Jesus told a sick person that He was unwilling to heal them; except, this one case: Paul’s thorn in the flesh was obviously not a physical ailment as your preachers like to say.
Lust is of the Heart and the soul, a spiritual matter for which grace was obviously designed to cover.
The Reason For It
In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul said it was “lest he should be exalted above measure by the abundance of revelations.” As previously mentioned,
because of his tremendous desire to serve Christ and the powerful zeal in which he evangelized apparently God found it necessary to temper him just a bit.
Like Paul himself said “with out this thing that torments me and doesn't allow me to achieve the perfection I desire I would become arrogant and boastful”
A reminder to Paul that he needed God’s grace daily.
Is there anything within your life that God has left as a reminder that you need him daily.
My list is long!!!!!
The Lords doing???????
Verse 7 says that it was “a messenger of Satan sent to buffet” him. Paul did not say that it was the Lord’s doing, but he said that it was a messenger of Satan. Did God allow it? Yes, because Satan can nothing beyond that which God gives him permission, or we, through ignorance or rebellion, give him permission to do.
We talked about this a week or two ago.
This fits in with choices and conduct within our lives that invite infirmity and problems “THORNS” we all have them
No doubt, the natural mind of Paul first thought, “Lord, I could do a lot more for You if I wasn’t constantly dogged by this persecution,” but just as the church always become stronger in times of persecution, so do individuals; therefore, God allows and uses the disfavor of the enemy, and He “works all these things together for the good of them that love God, and are the called according to His purpose,” (Romans 8:28.)
Paul was persecuted spiritually as well as physically.
SIN WILL PERSECUTE YOU in your mind daily if not hourly.
This thing was so loathsome to him that he began to travel with companions Timothy and Titus.
How much better does a man act when there is an audience around.
Do you think Paul would have acted on his fleshly lust with Timothy standing there.
People do act out in front of others but generally those others are of a character less than desirable.
So pick who you hang out with because it may just end up strengthening your own spirit as well as just physical comfort.
In verse 9, Paul said that he would “glory in his infirmities, that the power of Christ might rest upon him.” If this word “glory” means “boast,” as many of the translations indicate, it doesn’t mean that he will boast that he has them, but rather he will boast in why he has them.
BECAUSE BY GRACE HE IS PERFECT,,,,,no other reason,,,, not of his own doing.
Jesus bore our sins, and He bore our sicknesses, but He did not bear our persecutions. He said that the servant was not greater than his Master, and that the world had hated Him, and the world will hate us. But, God’s grace is sufficient to see us through in times of persecution. In the end, Paul was put to death, because he wouldn’t compromise his faith. The apostles, and Christians down through the years, have suffered great persecutions, and have even gone to their deaths, because they would not be silent about the resurrected Christ. Paul had to keep that thorn, and so do we, if we take our proper stand for Christ. 2 Timothy 3:12 says, “all who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Persecution is part of being like Jesus.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
SIN, what is it?
Such a simple question but I think if we went around the room we would get a variety of different answers.
Everything from opinions to actual human acts such as smoking or drinking, dancing, wearing makeup, short dresses, I found a list on the internet of every sin committed by a person within the pages of the bible,
There were 649 different sins listed,,,,,,15 pages,,,, examples
The Bible seems to indicate that there are degrees to sin—that some are more detestable to God than others (Deuteronomy 25:16;
Proverbs 6:16-19). 16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.,
when it comes to the eternal consequences of sin, they are all the same. Every sin, every act , leads to condemnation and eternal death
(Romans 6:23).
The following verses leave us with no doubt that sin is a serious problem in everyones life.
Isaiah 64:6 All are unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags ...
Romans 3:10-12 ...There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.
How Can We Judge if Something is Sin?
This is a major conflict for denominations.
The Methodists drink, the baptists forbid it, the catholics smoke, the Pentecostals forbid nearly everything outside of breathing clean air.
Who’s right???
The Ten Commandments are the laws that God gave to the people of Israel through Moses after leading them out of Egypt. In essence, they are a summary of the hundreds of laws found in the Old Testament Law and are recorded in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. They offer basic rules of behavior for spiritual and moral living.
The following is a modern-day paraphrase of the Ten Commandments:
Do not worship any other god than the one true God. All other gods are false gods.
Do not make idols or images in the form of God. An idol can be anything (or anyone) you worship by giving it more importance than God. If something (or someone) has your time, attention and affections, it has your worship. It could be an idol in your life.
Do not treat God's name lightly or with disrespect. Because of God's importance, his name is always to be spoken of with honor.
Dedicate or set aside a regular day each week for sabbath rest and worship of the Lord.
Give honor to your father and mother by treating them with respect and obedience.
Do not deliberately kill a fellow human being.
Do not have sexual relations with anyone other than your spouse.
Do not steal or take anything that doesn't belong to you, unless you have been given permission to do so.
Do not tell a lie about someone or bring a false accusation against another person.
Do not desire anything or anyone that does not belong to you. Comparing yourself to others and longing to have what they have leads to jealousy, envy and other sins. Be content by focusing on the blessings God has given you and not what he has not given you.
But how do we decide if something is sin when the Bible is not clear?
What Attitude Should We Have Toward Sin?
The truth is, we all sin. The Bible makes this apparent in Scriptures such as Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
1 John 1:10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
But the Bible also says that God hates sin and encourages us as Christians to stop sinning: "Those who have been born into God's family do not make a practice of sinning, because God's life is in them." (1 John 3:9, NLT) Further complicating the matter are Bible passages that seem to suggest that some sins are debatable and that sin is not always "black and white." What is sin for one Christian, for example, may not be sin for another Christian. So, in light of all of these considerations, what attitude should we have toward sin?
This is the part where people split hairs to say.
What may be a sin for me may not be for you? HOW CAN THAT BE?
Because the father may have a different mission for you than your neighbor, Maybe you are to be a light to the ultra religious people of the community,, therefore by his will you will lead a very strick lifestyle, no drinking, no dancing, very proper behavior, you as to not offend those he is sending you for.
Your neighbor may be a doer of good deeds, an angle to the poor and helpless, his outward appearance may not need to be so worldly perfect.
Each must follow the holy spirits guide within their lives, if he says don’t do it, then it’s a sin if you do, if he doesn't convict you of the act than apparently your father by his will in your life is OK with it.
The church has failed in painting everyone in this life with the same brush.
Because if you break it down there is but one sin in this life,,, and that is disobedience to God,,, Just as Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruit.
Was it a sin to eat the fruit NO,,, only when God said thou shalt not eat of the tree in the midst of the garden, There is the sin they disobeyed.
Is it a sin to be a mean person , only when God said Love one another. So what is the sin being mean,,, NO ,,, disobedience to God.
Is it a sin to lie, Only when God said thou shalt not lie,, there again what is the sin,,,, lying,,, or disobedience to God.
How about alcohol is drinking it a sin,,, no the bible says Jesus drank wine on a regular basis,,, and trust me it was the good stuff because Noah got so drunk on it he ran around naked one night. A sin,,, in moderation NO,,, God said have no idols, as soon as it has a hold on your life you have committed disobedience to one of gods commandments.
DISOBEDIENCE.
Lets try a hard one.
Smoking, is it a sin? If someone could keep it in extreme moderation I really don’t think so. But what did God say about your body “your body is the temple of the Holy spirit, take care of it” So what is the sin Smoking,,NO,,, thats the nature in which you simply disobey your father by not being a good steward of the body he has given you.
Some people have jobs that rack great physical abuse on their bodies,, a sin??? see how easy it is,,, Thank God Jesus fixed the problem.
The bible does speak of an ominous sin that if you commit it you can never be saved.
What is the Unforgivable Sin?
Mark 3:29 says, "But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, This question about the unforgivable sin has challenged and perplexed many Christians over the years.
This sin has had so many preachers telling so many lie’s about what it is that they were sinning just trying to explain it. Iv’e heard everything from joking about the Holy spirit to verbally cursing the holy spirit.
In actuality this sin is no different that the rest.
A person is brought into this life and given a choice. Follow God or follow satan or the world which ever way you want to say it.
God said Commandment number one, I am the lord your God, you shall have no other Gods before me.
Each one of us is given a lifetime to make the choice to follow God, a lifetime to realize the wonderful gift of his son Jesus, a lifetime to reject satan and the world.
A lifetime for some may be a long time, for others maybe just a few short years, regardless of the amount of time,,, that was your lifetime.
Die without accepting Jesus as your Lord, Die without knowing the one true God and you have broken commandment number one, thou shalt have no other Gods before me,,,,even in our silence we can commit sins.
Because we are all born into sin, this flesh is corrupted from birth because of the sin of Adam and Eve, and satan and the world rule as gods within our flesh.
Again what is the Sin????? Disobedience that is the only sin there really is.
Die in your disobedience and commit the unpardonable sin you will.
What causes the greatest separation between you and your children,,, family relationships are constantly torn apart because of disobedient children.
Wake up church,,,, this is a family and God is the father and all he asks of any of us is to be obedient.
because sin which is disobedience separates us from God and condemns us to death.
So to simplify it there is one sin and that is disobedience to God but there is a multitude of ways 66to commit it.
Fortunately, God provided a solution through his Son, Jesus Christ. How many of you here today know the Lord as your savior,,, please don’t leave here today unless you do.
What Happens Five Minutes After You Die?
"FIVE MINUTES AFTER WE DIE" Sermon 10 Feb 2013
You are awake
Are you alive
have you ended
do you feel
so many questions
Luke 16:19-31 A Letter to the Hebrews informs us
"It is appointed unto men once to die"
It is a scientific fact that someday you & I & all who now live will die.
Our hearts will stop beating and pumping blood through our bodies; - Our chests will no longer rise & fall with each breath. - Our brain will stop sending millions of signals to various parts of our body.
Millions of people will die this year in the U.S.A. alone. - Some will be friends of yours & some friends of mine & perhaps by the end of this year some of us will be among those we classify as "dead". I hope not.
Accordingly few subjects interest men more than life after death. - How many of us have repeated the question of the ages found in Job 14:14,
"If a man dies will he live again?".
The Question we must each ask of ourselves today is: "What will happen to me five minutes after I die?" - And the only place we can find an accurate answer to our question is in the Word of God:
The answer is found in Luke 16:19-31.
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: “That means in great elegance”
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Paradise, the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
From this text we learn a lot about the afterlife, & from this text we learn several things that will happen to us moments after we die.
The first thing we learn is that Five Minutes After We Die: 1. WE SHALL BE ALIVE . In vs.22 we see that both Lazarus & the Rich man had died.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Paradise: the rich man also died, and was buried;
We can be assured that when Lazarus died there was no funeral. - They probably took his body out to the Valley of Gehenna where garbage was thrown & burned.
When the rich man died we may rightly assume there was a big funeral. - Many people would have come out to mourn the death of a man so wealthy. - They would have placed his body in a first rate tomb w/all the trimmings.
Humans especially Americans put a lot of pomp and circumstance into sending the dead body on it’s way and preserving it’s beauty thru embalming and elaborate caskets and tombs.
The truth is that whether you're rich or poor, whether you have lots of friends or few, whether you're placed in a rich man's tomb or your body is thrown into the garbage dump;
When death comes knocking at your door you're just as dead as the next guy. - Yet we see in vs. 23 that both Lazarus & the Rich man survived death.
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
You & I will survive death--there is an afterlife. - According to a recent survey in U.S. News & World Report many Americans now believe in an afterlife: - 78% believe there is a heaven - 60% believe there is a hell - Now out of those who believe in an afterlife: - 78% believe they have an excellent chance of going to heaven - 4% believe they have an excellent chance of going to hell.
Those who believe in an afterlife are clearly in agreement w\the biblical record. - The Bible teaches that your final destiny is not the ground you're buried in. - Your soul will not sleep. - We can have confidence from the Word of God that moments after we die we will really be alive.
In Matt. 17:3 we find Moses & Elijah still alive even though they'd died many years before.
In Heb. 12:1 we're told of a "Great Cloud of Witnesses" that surround us & we learn that this "Great Cloud of Witnesses" is made up of all those who have gone before us yet are still alive.
We need to understand that death is not extinction, but separation.
Adam, in the day he ate the forbidden fruit died. - Physically he didn't die until 900 years later. - But the day he ate of the fruit he found he was separated from God. - Mankind has been separated from God by sin. - People w/o Christ are dead while they yet live. Spiritually dead.
Your spirt derived from God yearns to be close to the creator.
Eph. 2:1 (here Paul is speaking to the living) "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins". - Yet people who are in Christ are alive even if they die,
(John. 11:25-26) "I am the resurrection & the life; he who believes in me shall live even if he dies, “physically”& everyone who lives & believes in me shall never die". “Spiritually”
So we see that the state we are in, in this life determines our eternal state in the next life. - If I am dead in my sins in this life I shall die eternally in the next. - But if I am alive in Christ in this life I know that moments after I die I shall live w/Christ for eternity.
The 2nd thing that we learn concerning the questions what happens 5 minutes after I die is that: 2. WE SHALL BE CONSCIOUS. Notice what Abraham said in v.25 after the rich man asked for Lazarus to dip his finger in the water & come to cool off his tongue.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
From this we see that in the afterlife we're still conscious of our PAST. - Remember rich man: - you've received the good things all your life: finest clothes; parties; friends. - best seat at banquets; been societys man; popular w/the people.
Do you remember Lazarus?: - when he was a sore covered beggar sitting at your gate longing to be fed w/the crumbs that fell from your table? - do you remember passing by & seeing the dogs licking the sores that covered his body?
All of this analogy represents regrets,, regrets of a life lived for the wrong reasons.
it's strange you have no memory of inviting Lazarus to join you at your table. - no memory of having his wounds attended to by your doctor. - no memory of ever stopping to ask him about his day.
Again regrets of not doing the right things, not caring for you fellow man, not loving others more than your self.
From this verse we see that we will be conscious of the PRESENT. - In the afterlife the rich man realized that: - Lazarus was now in paradise, yet he was in torments.
He saw the beggar being comforted in Abraham's bosom. - He realized that he now needed what Lazarus possessed. - The roles have now been reversed. - The rich man has become the beggar, craving for just a drop of water.
Lazarus has become the rich man enjoying the eternal blessings of one who has turned his life over to God.
Please understand that the rich man's wealth had nothing to do w/his eternal state - He was not in torment because he had too much, he was in torment because of what he refused to give--his life to Jesus Christ.
This life is temporary, for those who realize this fact and turn the temporary over to the service of the father, the eternal life that is to come is given in reward.
Our conscious survives physical death. - Lazarus' conscience was at peace. - It was at peace because he knew he'd been forgiven. - It was because he knew he'd turned his life over to God before he experienced physical death.
Is your conscience at peace today? - Do you know that 5 min. after you die you will have the peace that passes all understanding?
You can know it today if you'll give your life to Jesus Christ.
The 3rd answer to our question is that if we have given our lives to Christ then moments after we die: 3. WE SHALL BE WITH CHRIST.
Vs. 22 tells us that Lazarus was carried to Paradise by the angels. - Lazarus left this world of hunger and pain, want and need & was taken directly to paradise.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Paradise: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Moments after we die our final destination is confirmed.
Out of the survey mentioned earlier only 83% of church members knew they'd go to heaven after they died.
4% of church members said they knew they'd go to hell.
Now that leaves 14% of the church members surveyed that don't know where they're headed.
That's the same as saying we have 14% of church members who do not understand the biblical teaching on this matter.
The Bible clearly teaches that we can know our eternal status:
1 John 5:12-13 "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."
John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word & believes Him who sent me has eternal life & will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."
Understand that Christianity is not a hope-so,,, but a know-so salvation.
Yes I & all Christians shall be with Christ. one day, without a doubt in my mind - The day is coming when we shall be in the very presence of His glory!
Revelation says, All the saints will gather around Him, you and I, & shout with great joy "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!" - To be w/Christ should be the desire of every Christian;
we can say w/Paul that we "prefer to be away from the body and at home w/the Lord". I like that.
Often we have trouble seeing the better life ahead of us. - We become so stuck in the ruts of this world that we have a hard time visualizing the life that God has prepared for us.
Or are we just as the rich man, content with this life and desire only for it to continue, happy in the day, happy with this world,I dare say there are many in that boat.
Tally up the credits of this world verses the woes and sorrow, and I guarantee you the woes out weigh the good things.
But my friends when we shall be w/Christ the joys & sorrows of this life will fade into the past.
Rev. 21 & 22 teach us that: - God will wipe every tear from our eyes; - There will no longer be any death; - There shall no longer be any mourning or crying or pain. - There will be no need for sun or moon for the glory of God will illuminate the sky.
Yes, to be w/Christ should be the desire of every person. - And if you are a Christian the Bible is clear, You Will Be With Christ moments after you die,
If you do not know Jesus as your savior, you will be in everlasting torment,, moments after you die,, and its an unchangeable situation.
The fourth answer to our question is that 5 min. after we die: 4. OUR EARTHLY OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE GONE FOREVER.
vs. 28 we learn that the rich man had five brothers. - Five brothers that he wanted to be warned of their impending condemnation.
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
It is good that the rich man was concerned for his brothers. - He became concerned because he was presently experiencing the torment he knew that they were soon to face.
So we must commend him for his concern, yet acknowledge that his concern came too late. He was obviously content with his life and desired nothing more.
Moments after we die we will have no more opportunity to win others to our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.
But right now the Lord is giving us plenty of opportunities if we'll just take advantage of them.
You see the rich man's five brothers are still w/us today. - They are my friends and your friends, the campers at the lake your neighbors. They are our co-workers; They are our relatives; They are our acquaintances.
If we would sit down & consider all of those we come in contact with on a regular basis we would realize that we all personally know a lot of people who need Jesus in their lives.
Some will say like the rich man, "if someone from the dead goes to them they will repent."
But you see someone has come back from the dead: His name is Jesus, His title is Christ. King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
He has sent a message to the world--a message of love displayed on a cross where he bore our sins--a message of power displayed by an empty tomb, where he defeated death. And he sent you and I on a mission,,, We must tell the world about Jesus & the time is NOW.
You see five minutes after we die our opportunity will be gone forever.
You & I are responsible for communicating the gospel. It is your duty, and God does not accept your silence on the matter- It is up to us to communicate--but up to them to make a choice.
But if we don't communicate the Gospel, the life changing and saving gospel, we are saying, in a bold statement, that we're not willing to throw a simple life vest to a drowning person.
By our silence we say your not good enough to live, your not special enough to have the free gift that someone once shared with me.
Thank God someone shared the Gospel with me.
a choice that someone obviously made, to share a free gift simply because they loved us.
Lastly we learn that five minutes after we die: 5. OUR DESTINIES WILL BE FIXED FOR ETERNITY .
We determine our destiny in this life. - The rich man chose an eternity separated from God & he made that choice while he was still alive. -
He chose to reject God & God honored that choice.
Lazarus chose paradise while still on this side of life.
He chose to accept God & God honored his choice by welcoming him into His eternal Kingdom.
Whatever we choose in this life cannot be changed after physical death.
We're told in vs.26. “ And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence”.
There is a great chasm fixed. - Once we have passed on there is no longer a choice to make. - Once we have gone we cannot pass over from one side to the other.
There is no purgatory, there is no second chance. There are but two destinies.
Jesus said in John 5:28-29 "Do not marvel at this for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, & shall come forth; those who did the good to a resurrection of life, those who committed evil to a resurrection of judgment"
Five minutes after you die where will you spend eternity? - You must make a choice.
Today by studying the rich man & Lazarus we've learned that momments after we die:
1. We shall be alive.
2. We will be conscious.
3. We shall be w/Christ. or we shall be in the torment of Hell
4. Our earthly opportunities will be gone forever.
5. Our destinies will be fixed for eternity.
I pray that all of your destinies are fixed on the savior.
Do you know Jesus, a simple question,,,, but the answer will ring in your ears for eternity.