We are dealing with an oppressive spirit.

Posted on 04/13/2012 by remso

The pieces of the puzzle are coming together.

It is almost frightening how quickly I see things moving, but I am not scared for me, I am concerned for the 50% that are not anxiously awaiting his return, and those who don’t know him (Read Matthew 25). I also have friends that are so deeply entrenched in cults, that is only God’s grace that will pull them out. Even at that, though we “Christians” love to scream, “you are going to hell,” I see a loving, merciful God that continues to pull them into the kingdom. Think about that. John saw the martyred for Christ. These came out of the Great Tribulation, grew a backbone, and declared that they would serve the living God, not Allah, and for that will have their heads lopped off.

No, I am not concerned for myself for I have a hope solidly fixed in my Jesus coming to snatch many of us out of here, much like Lot (pay attention to that piece of history), because it tells you that trouble was pounding on his door that evening.

2 Peter 2:6-9 MKJV And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, He condemned them with an overthrow, setting an example to men intending to live ungodly. (7) And He delivered righteous Lot, oppressed with the lustful behavior of the lawless. (8) For that righteous one living among them, in seeing and hearing, his righteous soul was tormented from day to day with their unlawful deeds. (9) The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust for a day of judgment, to be punished,

 Genesis 19:18-24 MKJV And Lot said to them, Oh no, Lord, (19) please now, Your servant has found grace in Your sight, and You have magnified Your mercy, which You have shown to me in saving my life. And I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me and I die. (20) Behold now, this city is near to flee to, and it is a little one. Oh let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. (21) And He said to him, See, I have accepted you concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. (22) Hurry and escape there! For I cannot do anything till you have come there. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. (23) The sun had risen upon the earth, and Lot entered into Zoar. (24) Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire, from Jehovah out of the heavens.

 The following is a comment I made to a post on another site. I have modified it somewhat.

I recently inserted some comments about Jonah into one or my posts, and then talked about those comments with some guys that I was doing bible study with. The leader refused to hear anything outside of what he had learned of Jonah from church school. I pointed out that Jonah hated the Ninevites, and was willing to kill himself rather than bring them a message of mercy.

God was merciful to them upon seeing their repentance, but how does that explain Jonah’s hatred. I had never heard anyone talk about that aspect, and suddenly, over the last couple of months, through several paths, it takes on a new meaning to at least me. Oppression, as you said, was the Hitler/Nazi regime, and history is clear in that this was the theme of the Ninevite regime as well. Take this oppression one step further, and you will find terrorism at its base.

Terrorism changes the way you think, act, and talk. If I terrorize you, convincing you that you are in grave danger if you move against me, then you will begin to believe that the situation is hopeless, and you will be frozen, afraid to act, and become compliant with the most ridiculous of demands. Wrong will become right because the oppressor says so.

Nineveh was the Assyrians. They were destroyed because God carried out his destruction upon them, but not all, and the bottom line, it is a spirit. You might even say, it is a spirit of anti-Christ. Nineveh was based near the city of Mosul in Iraq. Mosul, it turns out, was one of the worst battlegrounds we fought in, while in Iraq, and it is entirely possible that some of those we fought against were descendants of the surviving Assyrians. Archeologists have dug up the remains from two large mounds, almost hills. Everyone around Mosul was aware of them.

The Assyrians were the Persian empire, plain and simple.

Who are the Persians? Today’s Iran, but not just Iran, remember we are dealing with an oppressive spirit of terrorism. That spirit lives on under the guise of Islam. The beast of scripture will come out of Islam, and be called the Mahdi. The false prophet that Islam awaits will be a Jewish priest converted to Islam. This man that Islam expects goes by the name Jesus as well; technically Isa bin Maryiam, the son of Mary, not God. This Jewish / Muslim priest will do all of the outstanding signs and wonders that not only Jesus performed, but the prophets as well. He will deceive many and cause them to convert. Why? Oppression.

Webster’s dictionary: OPPRESS’, v.t. [L. appressus, from opprimo; ob and premo, to press.]

1. To load or burden with unreasonable impositions; to treat with unjust severity, rigor or hardship; as, to oppress a nation with taxes or contributions; to oppress one by compelling him to perform unreasonable service.

Does this sound like someone flying planes into your twin towers? Not necessarily, but the effects of this act do!

Again I go to Webster’s dictionary: TERROR,

1. Extreme fear; violent dread; fright; fear that agitates the body and mind.
2. That which may excite dread; the cause of extreme fear.

Webster was apparently a God-fearing man, for he included as part of his definition a scripture passage from Deuteronomy 32. This passage speaks volumes to those who are willing to listen.

The sword outside and the terror inside shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of grey hairs.

I feel impressed to add a few more.

For they are a nation without wisdom, neither is there any understanding in them. If they were wise, they would understand this; they would consider their latter end! Vengeance and retribution belong to Me. Their foot shall slide in time, for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come on them make haste.

Get yourself a copy of “The Harbinger, by Jonathon Cahn. It’s a good read, based on history, prophecy, and he lays this information out in a captivating manner.

The call has gone forth. I am heeding the call, and attempting to act as a watchman upon the wall, and blowing the warning trumpet as loudly as I can. I will not have America’s blood on my hands.

I believe that I am doing what God has called me to do, act in the realm of a prophet, decreeing what I hear and see in my spirit, and attempting to awaken the dead and sleeping. If this is not you, then I suggest that you arouse someone else, for we all know many. If I blow the trumpet, seeing the enemy approach, and you do nothing, then the blood is upon your head.

One of the things I think about as I write these things is Jeremiah. Religious leadership slugged him in the face, imprisoned him on more than one occasion, and left him to die. He was asked to do embarrassing things, and he was mocked for doing them. He cried out to God to leave him alone, just as I have. And I refused for a time to bring God’s word.

At the time of this writing, I did not go to a prophecy friendly church, and the religious leaders there would escort me out if I spoke out publicly. While I have changed churches several times, the same attitude has permeated most churches, in that freedom found in the Holy Spirit is no longer welcome. We might chalk this up to broadcasting schedules, but I think it has gone far beyond that and reaches into personal control.

I had a friend ask me, “are you sure you want this role of a prophet?”

Seeing as I am a bit of an introvert, basically shy, and do not like drawing attention to myself, NO. But things have changed me somewhat, and though others might see me as being angry and mean, I will defend those who are being downtrodden, apparently unable to protect themselves, and I will do it with a vengeance.

I am compelled to tell you one more thing.

This prophetic word is not a call to shrivel in fear, it is a call to grow a backbone, and walk this earth like the prophets of old. Begin to declare those things that be not as though they were. Those that listen will come running to you because you know your God and demonstrate no fear. I have decided that as long as my feet are standing upon the soil of this nation, it is not going down with me in it. Why? Because I have Jesus word on it, and I am just that antagonistic. I will decree it, by my word, just as Elijah did.

Don’t you dare try to blast me over this for it is the lack of people like me that have allowed this country to murder babies (just as Israel did with their worship of Baal and Molech), and turn our lives and religion over to fools. David repented for his “attack” on King Saul saying, “touch not my anointed.” You do not know who I am. I am not a nut, but I am sick of spineless people because I have seen it in myself for far too long. They walk by me in the break room and ask, “is that a bible?” Continuing on they say, “Oh, I go to church at so and so,” but they have no interest in talking about the things of God. They all run away. What they do talk about is their idolatries. Yes, I said it. The things that we replace God with, even if it is a lousy phone.

Stand up, and be willing to die for what you believe. There are Christians in Islamic controlled nations, as we speak, that are doing just that, dying for what they believe.

Posted in antichrist, Apostasy, bible study, End times, false teaching, God's character, Hope, hypocrisy, In Christ, Jesus, Jonah, Jonah, Mercy, Prophetic, strongholds, Things I have never noticed before, Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The fallen bricks of ancient Israel comprised a warning.

Posted on 04/12/2012 by remso

I just got my book I ordered in the mail today. That took forever, but it was worth the wait.

The Harbinger, by Jonathon Cahn is a captivating read. A fiction novel based in scripture and truth, depicts the parallels between Israel and the United States, and the judgment that is already upon us. I strongly suggest you get this book and read it, especially if you have any interest in the prophetic, end times events, and the course of this nation.

God bless

Ozzie

Posted in Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

It was Jesus that said it, so don’t blame me.

Posted on 04/10/2012 by remso

Don’t blame it on me; it was Jesus that said it – the man who came to set us free – “everyone that sins, is a slave to sin.”

John 8:31-36 NIrV Jesus spoke to the Jews who had believed him. “If you obey my teaching,” he said, “you are really my disciples. (32) Then you will know the truth. And the truth will set you free.” (33) They answered him, “We are Abraham’s children. We have never been slaves of anyone. So how can you say that we will be set free?” (34) Jesus replied, “What I’m about to tell you is true. Everyone who sins is a slave of sin. (35) A slave has no lasting place in the family. But a son belongs to the family forever. (36) So if the Son of Man sets you free, you will really be free.

That statement, in and of itself is extraordinarily defeating. Why?

Because we all sin on a daily basis, therefore by default we are all slaves to that sin. And yet my arrogance wants to tell you that I know this not to be entirely true.

Are there some things that do not have mastery over me?

I am certainly better at fending off some aspects of my sinful nature more effectively that others. Let me honest with you, I have a hard time with anger; I exhibited some just the other day. While I allow it to get the best of me at times, and I choose to use my mouth, on occasion to express it, I have not killed anyone (If I found you injuring my loved ones I cannot guarantee you that I would restrain myself.) Spare me your judgment, you foul, lying demon, for you have your horrid issues as well, but you have managed to keep them hidden from view, as you dabble in the darkness.

Allow me to give you give you an example of a secret sin. The mother that cannot and will not allow her children, or anyone around her to grow up, hence she talks baby talk to them, disrespecting them, and ultimately attempting to control them by her words.

What is that called? Witchcraft. If you are trying to control others, though the means may vary, you are operating under the authority of a demonic spirit, and performing witchcraft.

Revelation 22:15 NIrV “Outside the city are the dogs and those who practice witchcraft. Outside are also those who commit sexual sins and murder. Those who worship statues of gods, and everyone who loves and does what is false, are outside too.

Without having a relationship with Jesus Christ, you will be excluded from entering the city of God, the New Jerusalem. But I have accepted him, and know it. Could my relationship be better? Absolutely. Even within my own relationships with loved ones I could definitely work at strengthening them.

We, those who are in Christ because of our acceptance of his death and life for us, are in hi

m. We have a promise of hope; a promise of his return for us; a promise of his gathering us, as a family, back to the Father, therefore I anxiously await his return, and I know that he is coming back to retrieve me and those he loves to spend eternity with him. So I do not have to carry a fear of this exclusion that Revelation 22:15 alludes to. Certainly someone does, but that is for another time.

Does the ability to not give into some aspect of sin have anything to do with human effort?

I suppose the answer to that is couched in the fact that God is the creator and giver of knowledge. Get real – Sin is the result of partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Then I can make the statement, everyman knows good. Ah, but can he perform it?

I brought up the subject of Cain and Abel to someone recently.

I pointed out that Cain killed Abel, not the other way around. The listeners response was immediate, and went something like this, “Cain murdered because he was guilt stricken over not bringing his best before God, there in contrast to Abel he was unacceptable.” Psycho babble!

Born with a sin nature Cain and Abel had to fight off their broken spirits nature to sin, just

List of works by Titian

List of works by Titian (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

as we do.

Genesis 4:3-7 NIrV After some time, Cain gathered some of the things he had grown. He brought them as an offering to the LORD. (4) But Abel brought the fattest parts of some of the lambs from his flock. They were the male animals that were born first to their mothers. The LORD was pleased with Abel and his offering. (5) But he wasn’t pleased with Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry. His face was sad. (6) Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why are you looking so sad? (7) Do what is right. Then you will be accepted. If you don’t do what is right, sin is waiting at your door to grab you. It longs to have you. But you must rule over it.“

 Cain, knowing to do right, stood there for several seconds as he weighed his options, just as I do. Foolishly, he thought that God would not figure this out. Assuming there is no one else to pass judgment against Cain, how about the people that birthed him. The lack of response from Adam and Eve is something I never really thought about before. This intrigues me, but again, for another time.

The real question I was asking is: What prevented Abel from killing Cain? Abel could have passed judgment upon Cain, killing him for not doing the sacrifice correctly. Not that Abel had anymore right to pass judgment than we do, but what is clear is that one was more inclined to think this process through to a tragic end, carrying out the act. Lawyers tend to call this malice of forethought, or premeditated murder. We Christians just call it sin. Was Abel capable of murder, or at the least sinning? Certainly.

Was this all just a matter of bringing your best before God? I do not think so. Why, because in the passage I gave (see Genesis 4: 3-7) God says to Cain, prior to the murder, “Do what is right, then you will be accepted.” What was right? Offering a sacrifice of a lamb. Yeah, I know, you are struggling with this too. Was not Abel’s sacrifice accepted? Yes! How did Abel know to make a sacrifice? If you are serious you have to admit, we do not have a specific answer to that question. True, we don’t, but we do have a logical path, and we have brains, so let’s use them.

  • Man sins, and dies. Does his body change immediately and drastically? No, but physical deterioration does begin. What man had to have noticed immediately was as Obi Wan might have said, he felt a disturbance in the force. Man had to notice a change; something felt different in his spirit. Man suddenly is aware that he is naked and he is ashamed. Something that he had never experienced before. Instead of the close relationship man has had with the Father, he is now hiding from God (something that has followed man ever since the fall.) Oh, everything changed that day.
  • Man tries to make clothing because suddenly he knows he’s naked and he is ashamed.
  • Man tries to hide from God, but God has no trouble finding the man. God does do something amazing, and that is to show respect, instead of barging in the room screaming, with the direct intent of humiliation.

How does any of this answer the question about where Abel learned to make a sacrifice?

God made clothes for Adam and Eve. Did he just create animal skins, as my ex-girlfriend conjectures? No, God had to kill an animal. And for Abel to know how this was done, and the why of it, only points to one thing; Adam was taught by God, with clear instructions, and Adam then taught Cain and Abel. God would have had no right to make a statement of that nature to Cain, if Adam had not laid the course of action out. (There is the implication that the entire plan of salvation may have been defined in this process. I know, you don’t buy into that either. Why then does the entire eleventh chapter of Hebrews talk about these people as having a hope, a reward, and a home in a city that was to come.)

Things to consider:

  1. Abel, without apparent instruction, is making a sacrifice to God, of a lamb.
  2. The sacrifice is not spelled out for many years to come.
  3. God’s response to Cain over his anger and frustration. “if you do right.” What was right? Apparently Abel’s method of sacrifice.
  4. We make assumptions that this was the first time either of them made sacrifice to God. Now that I have opened that can of worms, consider that Cain may have clearly known what to do, done it before, and merely chose not to this time. Beside all that, Lambs cost.
  5. Keep in mind that all sin is based in selfishness, and this may exactly what we see happening with Cain.
  6. Adam and Eve were suddenly aware that they were naked and tried to cover themselves. God’s response is to make them clothes of animal skins. Animals have an aversion to giving up their skins and we have that to consider.
  7. We do see God making clothing out of animal hides for them. This does just happen overnight, and involves a process called tanning. Tanning makes the leather usable, especially against your skin. Man was going to do this on his own after this, and so Adam had to pay attention.
  8. If Abel, and most likely Cain, were not there when these instructions were given, then they had to have learned it from someone else, but we do not see anyone else, therefore the only logical choice is Adam. We can make a logical connection between God’s instructions, laid out for Adam and Abel’s future actions, as he sacrificed the lamb that day.

I opened with, “everyone that sins, is a slave to sin.”

Cain was born into sin, and he did not have Paul to tell him that. Like I said, faced with the potential responses to anger, embarrassment, self-pity, humiliation, and anger with God, because after all, God made these lousy rules making it necessary to cover ourselves with the blood of some animal; Cain was a slave before this day began, and clearly he was now captive to it. His anger owned him. He tells God that he is now a marked man; people will try to kill me. (This is whole other path that we won’t cover here.)

What does it mean to be a slave? You do not have the right to decide the course of your day and actions. Are you serious? Yes. But that is so hopeless. Exactly, and there was not a thing we could do about it. There was only one way out, and that was for a relative to redeem us, buy us back from slavery. This is where Jesus Christ comes in. The price owed was our blood, and our souls. No one could give his own life for himself, and there was certainly no one down here, unselfish enough to pay the price for us.

Thank God, there was someone, his name was Jesus. The son of the living God himself.

He voluntarily came down, and poured out his blood that we might live. That day on the cross he forgave the sins of the world, and all they had to do was to accept the fact that he did it.

Paul wrote to the Romans, that Christ died for our sins, and he did. That act took away the penalty of the sin. I no longer have to pay for the sin, in God’s eyes, and He is the last, and moral authority, regardless of what you think. Do I have to pay for my sins while on this earth? Yes. If you are uncontrolled enough to act out your evil, then you should be taken out-of-the-way.

I read Romans several times over; even prepared bible studies so I could teach from the book, but I struggled with the book because there is that want to be free from this sin nature. It seems unnatural to hear about freedom and not want it. I can remember thinking, “if Christ paid for my sin, and took them away, then I can be separated from the sin; right?” Wrong, and that is one of the aspects that Paul talks about. I know what is right, I press hard toward it, but I keep doing things that I no longer want to do. I can understand this. I feel the same way. I do not want to give into the anger, but I am a slave to it.

Sounds pretty hopeless doesn’t it, but it’s not.

Check this out. You are going to have to read this over several times.

Romans 6:1-7 KJV What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? (2) God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (3) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? (4) Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: (6) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (7) For he that is dead is freed from sin.

We are dead to sin; get that through your mind.

You have to change your thinking!

I know, you go to church, and all they can tell you is that you’re a sinner. I know of one radio pastor that cannot get through a sermon without taking a scriptural ball bat to the listeners. Even if he is talking about the general world, he is not right in beating people up. You’re a sinner, because the knowledge of evil is in as well, you already know that, you struggle with it on a daily basis. What you need to know is that your life is now wrapped up in the one that brought you life. Focus on that.

We are told to meditate on God. What does that mean?

Find things like this passage above and find out what it means to you. Make it your focus until you change the way you think. Doing this establishes the character and nature of the Father in you.

Will you still sin? Absolutely; the trick is we correct our path when we find ourselves going off the correct way. King David said, “your word is light unto my path.” So know that this word that you are going to focus on, and meditate on, is going to make your way clear. Look, in this world you will have tribulations. Those may come in all forms.

An example: I know that I have trained myself to give in easily to anger. It became my defense weapon when I did not learn to use words, or speak correctly. It became my defense against being bullied around by stupid kids that do not have the sense to act right. And I use it to keep up a safety zone around me.

Why? Fear – Fear based in selfishness. Knowing this about myself, I now know that I have to walk away from some people, they are simply not safe to be around, more so because I will react poorly.

We had ten minutes left before the store closed Easter evening, and I am on the last ten minutes of door duty. I am supposed to be a greeter and ask incoming people “what project are you working on?” Many times the response is, “a light bulb!” In the last ten minutes a man and I suppose his mother, come my direction with about a thousand dollars worth of stuff. For all I know they are headed out the door with it. Why might that be a problem? Because the exit is at the other end of the store, where the registers are. Could I have asked the question in a different manner? Yes, but I did not. I said, “did you pay for that stuff?” The man, who looked like a white trash, hillbilly, biker, cussed me out, pushes the cart to the returns desk (you can pay for your stuff there) and says, “what does it look like I am doing?” To be honest, I am starting to shake from the adrenalin now pumping through me. I said, “looks like your going through the returns desk!” He cussed at me some more, telling me where I could go. May I be honest with you. At this point, if it was my store, I would not only beat you down, but make sure you never speak to me like that again. Ah, but it is not, and I know my limit. I had to choose to walk away, beside a friend of mine just happened to walk up and say, “you are off this door duty, let’s get out of here.” This diffused my anger, a little bit. I told him quickly what the guy had done, but also told hm that if I had stayed there a few more seconds I would be out of a job. I do not need that kind of help.

Having had some time to ponder what happened yesterday. I have decided it was demonic. Do not be foolish. Satan knows your weakness, that may not be entirely true, but he certainly knows the ones that you blabbed off about. I have told many people that I struggle with anger, every male in my family does, therefore I am a target. And I am convinced that, though I have several days where I have been keenly aware of God’s presence, this was brought in to bring me down. Much like an alcoholic, I had to make a conscience decision to not react in anger. Yes, I gave into just a bit; I am also pretty good with sarcasm as well.

Have I got this imagery of being a dead man, in Christ, solidly in my head? NO!, but I am working at it. And that is all we can do. We will continue to struggle with this until the day of his return. On that day we will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and this pain we deal with on a daily basis will be gone.

But until then you and I must choose to be a righteous, God driven person.

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Posted in Deception, Freedom from sin, Hope, In Christ, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

What are you talking about?

Posted on 04/06/2012 by remso

Apostrophe (')

Apostrophe (') (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

OK, I admit it, I was almost a hippie. I lived through the Vietnamese war coverage, Timothy Leary, the Chicago riots during the convention, Abbie Hoffman, the Weatherman underground, and Frank Zappa. So when someone puts up a Facebook post the other day with a quote from Frank Zappa, I was intrigued.

The quote:
“The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it is profitable to continue the illusion. At the point that the illusion becomes to expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater.” Frank Zappa

I re-posted it and added a simple comment. Several clicked on like , I suspect because they were almost hippies too.

This engendered a response from a Facebook acquaintance. I believe this response is typical of the world in general; that includes the 50% of religiosity that Matthew 25 points out will miss the first bus, then having to endure the horrors of God’s wrath intended for the Godless. If and when you find yourself there, know this, you put yourself in it due to your lethargy.

The interaction went like this:
Me – “Guess what is happening now? Who would have thought, so long ago, that Frank Zappa would have seen this coming.

(Vague, but intentionally so. I pay attention to what is going on in the world and this nation. Our President is working very hard at throwing out the constitution and the bill of rights. If you are not aware of this then you have lived in a hole.)

Response – “Are you talking about something specific, or just in general?”

(Just in general. It would not have mattered what I said, I have interacted with this social religionist on previous occasions, and it is the same thing. They are right and I am wrong. Oops, did I just say ‘I am wrong’, especially when they are really challenging God. You think that was a stretch in the logical argument? If God says it is so, and you don’t like it, but you can’t throw a rock at him; what do you do, throw the rock at me?)

Me – I am only showing you a partial quote, as it was about three paragraphs. “You, of course, are aware of recent news about our president. Here is an excerpt. ‘The president said it could be considered judicial activism if the high court strikes down his health care law.’ …”

(What would that mean in the long run? There are already clear cut definitions of activism that the current administration is, and will be looking for, and these activities, such as post on blog sites, will get you arrested under martial law. If they can deem justices to be activists, they will do away with constitutional rights, and due process (already a done deal), and they will round you up, for little to no reason. The day will come when killing you, the religious, will be deemed a good thing in this nation.)

Response – “Well, his comment was correct … it would be an unprecedented step of overturning a law passed by a majority of congress. The normal way of overturning that would have been for congress to do it. Congress elected by the people … not judges appointed by Presidents past and present. That’s a bit scary when judges can do that, and they’re appointed for life. Just think of all the scary things they could do. Little dictators appointed for life.”

(This same person has said similar things against our president when responding to someone they liked, that does not tell them that Jesus died for their sins, that Jesus loves them, and wants them to have a personal relationship with them. This also means that I do not know they don’t have kind of relationship, but reality demonstrates that the fruit does not fall far from the tree, and, in this case, the fruit is bad.

Jesus told the disciples, in Matthew 24, therefore telling us, NOT to be deceived.
Webster’s dictionary defines deceit as: “a catching or ensnaring . Hence, the misleading of a person; the leading of another person to believe what is false, or not to believe what is true, and thus to ensnare him; fraud; fallacy; cheat; any declaration, artifice or practice, which misleads another, or causes him to believe what is false.”

This is exactly what Hitler did. The transition of Hitler into a dictator was planned and progressive. Clearly, in my mind, another of Satan’s anti-Christ’s. Whether it is true or not, I do not know, but the idea of putting the Lobster into the pot of comfortable water, and then turning up the heat until it is too late holds true here. Folks, open your eyes; we are in the pot, and the heat has been turned on for a while now.)

Response – [They immediately added another response after the above, attempting to excoriate me.] “The last time the federal government applied martial law was in Hawaii during WW2 after the Pearl Harbor attack. The National Guard is always prepared for enacting martial law during crisis and many said it should have been used after Katrina to stop the looting and injuries. It’s not meant for getting rid of activists … unless activists are shooting, killing, or otherwise acting in a dangerous way.”

(While I believe that the path this nation is on was well on its way toward today when WW2 broke out, the martial law of that time period would make a tremendous amount of sense. During a time of declared war on this nation! We cannot have rioting in the streets like they did after the Rodney King decision. We cannot expend resources in multiple directions effectively. Wow, that is a tough pill to swallow considering the path this nation has taken since President Obama came into power. We were fighting wars in two nations, hunting a national terrorist, and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, by aiding in the death of Libya’s dictator.

If you are not aware, the internet group called ‘anonymous’ has openly declared war on the United States through their internet site. Glen Beck played the clip on his internet driven show. What makes ‘anonymous’ any sort of legitimate threat? The fact that as a collective of activists they have hacked secure governmental sites, stolen information, planted information, pointed out the damage they are capable of, and are actively being hunted by the cyber crimes task forces of this nation. In light of declared war, what prevents the President from declaring a state of martial law at any moment? Little to nothing, but this is like a chess game, and God controls the board. More on this later.)

I have not responded back, and most likely will not.

Do you not understand that we are not to get involved in vain and foolish arguments.
Webster’s dictionary, once again. Vain: 1. Empty; worthless; having no substance, value or importance.

With the above dictionary definition you have make an assessment, in light of God’s word, does this interaction have the potential of producing fruit? If so, then is it worthless? I certainly am not worthless; that type of thinking is demonic and conflicts with what God has said about me, and you. Before the world began, I knew you, and had a plan for you.

But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned. (Titus 3:9-11 NIV)

You need to understand something. I am going to say this in a strong way. It is time that we get a backbone and stand up for something, and God is that something. We have a hope! Certainly not in our government saving our hides, but in the promise of life with Christ and the Father. Here I am posting this on advent weekend, on the ‘day’ that they put our savior on the cross. He died there on that cross, and three days later he rose again. For what????????? That we might live with him. That promise, proofed by his rising from the grave, and later seen alive by over 400+ people, is real. He is coming, and it is very soon. All you need to do is call upon Jesus as your own. Sure, turn from the horrid things you were doing, and run to him, but don’t hesitate.

The world talks about the process of forgiveness, declaring that it takes time for people to process what has happened to them, and access whether that person deserves their relinquishing the payment that the offended feels the offender owes. Seriously! They can never pay you back for the damage they did. Even if you kill them you will never gain the relief you hoped for. You will go to your grave in agony, despondent over hurts you feel. Why? Because you chose not to forgive.

What is it to forgive?
1. Something that the world cannot understand. If they did, then they would understand God’s heart and actions toward us, a world that did nothing to gain forgiveness. Born into sin, we could do nothing to alleviate that burden, until that day. What day? That day on the cross.

2. To forgive is quick and extraordinarily freeing. You merely make the conscience decision to release them from the debt you feel they owe you. As I said, they can and never will be able to pay. And even if they did, your memories will never let them up. You will try to oppress them as long as you live.

3. One of my brothers has lived this process, as well as I. He has a daughter that, though she talks, at one moment like she is a prophet of God, the next minute she is telling the Facebook world which nightclub to find her at, and acts like she hates her dad, and has nothing to do with him.
Does God condemn us for that? We have been forgiven, once, for all time. You will not be judged for sin on that day, and if you are anxiously awaiting his return you will be caught up to be with him in the air, to forever be with him. Get serious about this, and don’t go fighting with me because you cannot agree with God. If we have received Him, then we are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. I understand this, but I am stuck down here on this earth, fighting with this flesh until the day I die, or leave this place. Even the rocks cry for their day of redemption.

For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to son-ship, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:19-23 NIV)

4. The process of forgiveness is only embroiled in you choosing to give up control, and stop trying to play god; you are not, and we are not to judge, you don’t know how. If there is a process, it lies in the amount of time that you take finally realizing the God’s word is true, and that you must give him back his control (like you could ever take that from him). He did put us upon this earth, and give us the right to dominate it. Sin, I am sure corrupted that dominion concept, and now we use it to keep people in their place.

Once you have decided to do the right thing, and release this person from your mental death grip, you have another process you get to practice – the art of clearly remembering that you forgave that person, and that they do not owe you anymore.

Does this act of forgiving make some of these people safe? Not at all. If you have been assaulted, CALL THE POLICE. We have clarity and common sense on so many things. God is not asking you to be stupid, he is asking you to let him and the courts take care of the judicial aspect.

I will give you Jonah as an example of forgiveness: God sent him to Nineveh with a message: Repent within forty days, –

(something significant here, for Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness; Israel spent forty years wandering; Moses spent forty years before he heard the call of God, and Israel has been a nation, an direct prophecy, in excess of forty years (ok, that was a stretch)

or be destroyed. Jonah, (read the story) was all in favor of God wiping these blood thirsty people off the map, and had no intention of forgiving them; I am not sure he knew how. Sadly for Jonah, that was not in the immediate plan; God’s mercy, which happens to be beyond our comprehension, was.

I wrote about this saga of Jonah and handed a copy to the leader of a bible study that I used to attend. While the Jonah aspect was a minor aspect of the paper, he made it a major concern, and stated that God forgave Nineveh, and did not bring judgment against them. WRONG! God merely relinquished for the moment, because Nineveh’s actions were quick and evident. They repented, put on the horrid clothing representing their acknowledgment of wrong done, and covered themselves in ashes, apparently in an act of humbling and submission. There has to be more to this, but God, who sees the heart saw theirs and decided this was real.
History proves that within 22 to 45 years Nineveh went right back to serial acts of torture and blood shed. Nineveh, by the way, was considered: Assyrian; Persian, and in the northern regions of Iraq, near Mosul. Why is Mosul somewhat significant?
Eventually becoming a part of the Ottoman empire, and then the Roman empire. After Alexander the great passes away, Seleucid gained control of this region. This area is also describe as the region from which the beast comes. During the second Iraq war that America plunged into, we had an acquaintance, a young lady, that ended up in Mosul. While, we in America heard of high impact towns like Falujah with consistency, Mosul was a shocking surprise. Mosul seemed quiet and then overnight became on of the most violent cities to operate in. Every vehicle became a potential bomb hurtling at you, and pedestrians on the street could not be trusted. Stress levels were extremely high.

Back to the quote.
“The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it is profitable to continue the illusion. At the point that the illusion becomes to expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater.” Frank Zappa

Far deeper than I thought possible for a drugged up musician, (see there, I am judging too), and 40+ plus years ahead of his time, in terms of where this government was going to go, he is speaking about an aspect that most will not tie together with the end times. Oh sure, we tend to love the conspiracy theories of life, but sadly they are probably all based in some form of truth.
Watch this.

Revelation 17:1-6 NIV One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. (2) With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.” (3) Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. (4) The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. (5) The name written on her forehead was a mystery: BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (6) I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.

We should have a ball park idea of who the beast is. The clues are scattered all though out the bible.
The beast is identified as: The anti-Christ; the man of perdition; the Assyrian; the rider on the white horse; the man of lawlessness, and so many more.

Here is an aspect that hangs up so many people.

1 John 2:18 NIV Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.

How many years ago was this written? A couple of thousand? Does the time frame make the message any less valid? NO! It merely means that those that fight against Christ, trying to defeat him, will always be with us until that day. The word anti-Christ, in Greek means: an opponent of the messiah.

Here is the huge difference. Satan empowers this man, and because of, I suspect several things, people then worship Satan because he empowers this guy. Something to contrast this idea with. Jesus told us that in this world we will have tribulation. The car breaking down, no money in the bank, lay offs at work, you get the picture, but Jesus made it clear the tribulation of the last days would be hugely significant. It is called the Great Tribulation, and we are told that were it not for God shortening time, no one would survive.

But there is something that is keeping all this at bay, and yes, that includes the United States.

2 Thessalonians 2:6-12 ASV (6) And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season. (7) For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way. (8) And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his coming; (9) even he, whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, (10) and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (11) And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie: (12) that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Something is keeping the anti-Christ, the man of perdition, this government of ours from falling apart, martial law from being declared, rioting off the streets, and the flood of wrath attributed with the Great tribulation.

In these passages is another aspect that brings about much confusion. Something is holding back the dam. Let’s look at the words the ASV used to describe that entity:

  • “that” – Not very clear, and open ended.
  • “one” – Now we might be able to narrow this down, but who is the one? More on this in a moment.
  • “until he be taken out of the way” – A “he”, don’t get all down about this ladies. These are just clues leading somewhere.

    Based upon these clues, what can we learn? Many would tell us that it is the Holy Spirit that leaves with us, the believers. I disagree, for even after the rapture people continue to be drawn to Christ, and this is an action of the Holy Spirit. A second reason I disagree is partly based in a message that Peter gave on the day of Pentecost. Preaching, spontaneously, to the crowd of mockers, he quotes Joel the second chapter.
    Joel, prophetically speaks of the last days, and although we are there, these are days that are yet to come. Joel tells us that the Holy Spirit would be poured out on our sons and daughters in these last days. Again, something hugely significant seeing as the Holy Spirit empowers.

    When we came into relationship with Christ we were adopted into him.

  • Ephesians 5:30 KJV For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
  • To make a long story short. I believe that we the Church, infused into Christ, are caught away with him on that day when we are caught up to be with him forever, are the personage that is holding back the onslaught of evil that is coming.

    How do we do that? By prayer, strong prayer, faith, speaking out prophetically, in faith, that as long as your feet are standing upon the soil of this nation, it is not crumbling underneath me.

    Father I ask now, as people across this globe read these words that their spirits resonate in agreement with the Spirit of God, and that they see that they have the right and authority to speak out in declarations of dominance that the soil under their feet does not fall into the hands of the evil one while they stand upon it. In the name of Jesus I declare boldness upon you like you have never known before. I declare upon a you an insatiable desire for God’s word. I declare upon you a peace that passes your understanding. I declare upon you the spirit of prophecy that speaks and acts in boldness.

    Live a life on the edge; bring healing and health to people by laying your hands upon them. Give people hope, and show them the merciful loving God, Jesus Christ, the risen one.

Posted in Apostasy, Deception, End times, Hope, Our being caught up, Thoughts, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Easter: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told… – Glenn Beck

Posted on 04/06/2012 by remso

Easter: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told… – Glenn Beck.

Posted in Freedom from sin, Hope, In Christ, Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Posted on 04/05/2012 by remso

Another voice, whom I have come to respect, speaking out clearly. Time is short and we need to listen.

Ancient Paths's avatarAncient Paths

1-     A Time is Coming
2-     Disaster comes upon Nations who turn from the Lordin order for them to come back to him “For you have not returned to me” saith the Lord. When the Nations and the people continue to ignore the Lords call and His signs, disaster is decreed, and it is written the disaster will be 7x worse “21 ‘Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins. ‘And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.  Leviticus 26 
3- Stop doing what  “seems right in our own eyes” : There is a path before each person…

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What is my true motivation? – A short blog.

Posted on 03/31/2012 by remso

Am I trying to put the fear of God into lazy Christians? Perhaps. Jonah hated the Ninevites; wanted them dead. What do you suppose his motivation was as he walked through their town declaring God’s judgment upon the people? Fear, perhaps.

Slightly off topic.
Went to dinner last night, by myself; took my bible and read as I ate. Had a great time doing that. The overly drunk, romantic couple did not even bother me. Started to leave and I hear someone calling my name. Before I could turn around I have a hand on my shoulder. It is one of the guys from Friday morning bible study. This man is very knowledgeable, and knows his Greek, beside that he is really funny.
He asks me if I am going in the morning. I said if you are, I will, and I told him that I am really beginning to struggle with going there, due to the “leader”.

Now back on topic. I wish I could put the fear of God in this “leader”, for he preaches opinion, asks questions but does not want any answers, refuses to see anything other than what his “mentor” tells him, and brings confusion to everyone sitting there. Aside from the fact that he won’t shut up.
Yep, I think the fear of God would do the trick; NOT.

The man at the restaurant was the only one there this A.M. when I showed. Immediately he asked me what I had been reading, so I told him Ezekiel 37 and 38.

You want to know what he said? Of course you do. Do we really have to read and talk about that confusing book. I try to stay out of the old testament, besides, it’s old, and is it really relevant to the book of Revelation.
Are you kidding me!
I cannot believe he even said that.
Why am I still here?

Are these guys a mission field?

Here is what goes through my mind, and trust me on this, I AM NOT Full of myself. “Blessed are your eyes, for prophets and kings have longed to see what you see.”

Am I the only one that sees this stuff?

Am I the only one listening?

Why does God insist on me being nice?

Breathe deeply, straighten up your back, get determined, educate yourself even better, solidify your answers firmly in the word, AND stand your ground. I have called you to be a watchman upon the wall, and I the Lord will strengthen you and give you the words to say. I have not called you to argue foolishly with pharisees, but to bring light and life to those who will hear it. Be diligent and prepared with an answer, for the time is short. Do the work of an evangelist, and preach the good news. Be proactive with your faith. Stretch out your hands and I will put them to work.

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Until then, I choose to be a man of God.

Posted on 03/27/2012 by remso

I was born broken, and so were you. There is nothing I can do to fix it, but thankfully I serve the God that is in the process of fixing all things.

On that day, in the twinkling of an eye, I will be changed.
No longer ruled by the cravings of this body I fight against.
No longer struggling with the damage of abuse.
No longer a tool for anger.
No longer subject to rejection.

Do you crave that moment too?
It is not far off. I hear the sound of his coming in the distance, I have been hearing it for months now.

Why then do we sleep?
Awaken my beloved. It is for you I am coming. Throw off your slumber and awaken.

Do I know with precision when that day will come?
No, but I have seen the tree bud out – summer is upon us, and the time to pick the ripe fruit is almost here.

I have not left you in the darkness so that you would not know when my time would come. I am calling forth those that are watchers to cry out, for there is a terror approaching.
Hearing the cry, how will you respond? I am calling you forth to decree my name upon this land and people. As you move out in faith I will follow you with signs and wonders.

With Gideon’s troops as an example, the fearful are welcome to go back to sleep.
Sleep and your pains will come upon you suddenly. Then what will you do?

Ozzie

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The word of the Lord came to me saying. 3/25/12

Posted on 03/25/2012 by remso

First off I was able to make to church last night. Pastor told us that he fights off some degree of guilt because, as he said, “I know that the church has been called to pray, and Jesus himself said that my house will be called a house of prayer.” He opened with this passage:

Isaiah 61:1-2 KJV  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;  (2)  To poroclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

This is recorded in Luke’s gospel:

Luke 4:18-19 KJV  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,  (19)  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

After reading the passage he called the elders to the front, and then opened the service for anyone to come forward and receive prayer.

This is so out of the ordinary, as services are so oriented to video schedules.

My heart has been crying out for revival. Think about this concept, revival. What does that mean to the victim of a crash or some injury. For some it may mean being brought back to life. If the air got knocked out of you, it means being able to breath once again. To Lazarus, it meant life once again.

So what does revival mean to us, the church. It means: it needs to be global; everybody needs to get on board; you have to get proactive and participate; it means that this is the last call. It means that God wants to breathe life into a dead church.

But in light of the passage that Jesus used it means change.

  • the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor
  • to bind up the brokenhearted
  • to proclaim freedom for the captives
  • release from darkness for the prisoners,
  • to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor

I am trying to be rather specific in this post and need to get to my point. An obvious factor here is that God may be pouring out revival upon the earth even as we speak, but what use is it if you refuse to participate or allow it to change you, or motivate you.

Israel heard words like this, and still turned their backs on God. That sounds simple enough but there is more to it. They not only rejected God, but substituted the Holy God with some of the sickest forms of idol worship. Stephen gives us some insight into this when he is brought before the Sanhedrin, prior to his stoning. Stephen, in his speech, tells us that this was not just some cute calf statue that “came out of the fire”, but an image of the god Molech and Rephim. Molech was a mixture of sights, with a calf’s head and the arms of a man. It was hollow and would be heated with a fire burning inside. Children were then laid upon the heated arms in sacrifice. What made this worse was that Aaron may well have been blowing the trumpet that had a secondary purpose of drowning out the screams of the dying child. Consider that Joshua, who had been upon the mountain, away from the people thought there was war in the camp.

I had two options for church service this AM. I could go to a mens’ life group. An acquaintance of mine had invited me to this group a couple of weeks ago. Having tried it, and only having a rare Sunday morning off, I now debated internally about whether I should go to this life group, and suffer through the discomfort and lack of enthusiasm, or go to a church where worship always rends my heart.

I chose the other church. I must tell you it was incredible.

I have come to the place in my life where I like Jacob do not want to let go of God until he blesses me. I understand what God has called me to, and it is now my pursuit. Having read Ezekiel lately, this phrase is constantly on my mind, “they shall know that a prophet has been in their midst.” How would you know, or care that a prophet has been in your midst, unless he did exactly what Isaiah 61 decrees, and brought you a word or showed you a sign. Until that day comes then I just keep pursuing Him.

That being said, I went with and attitude of prayer. I am not an extrovert, but if I have something to say, I will not keep silent. That means that I don’t go there looking for people to mingle with. Although I sometimes wish I knew how. What is important to me is that I respond when God tells me to speak to someone.

Two things God said to me this morning.

  1. The spirit of the living God has been calling forth the prophets,and he has been speaking to many of you about stepping out in faith and doing the unusual. That means moving in the realm of the prophetic. To define that just a little. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, therefore the act of you speaking out in Jesus name: declaring those things that be not as though they were; speaking life into people; reclaiming captives and setting them free, is acting in the role of a prophet. This is not the time for big heads, the world has had its fill of them, and they have disillusioned many, leading them astray. What it is, is time for responsible people to start finally acting like the priest warriors that God called us to be.God has spoken to me over the last couple of weeks, telling me to rend the heavens on behalf of those he places upon my heart. What does that mean? An example would be the man at the restaurant. Watching the futile discussion at our table, he finally got up and left. Who knows, he might be sitting with us if it were not for the arrogance and stupidity of this argument. When I noticed that he had left the building God spoke to me about him, saying, “if you will rend the heavens on his behalf then I will move at your word and turn his life toward me.”

    This morning God began to speak to me about applying this to virtually everything that seems impossible. The spirit said, “I am asking you to rend the Heavens, opening the way for me to cause a tidal wave of change.” Clearly, I could see my own daughters and the prayers I made over them, even before they were born. God is asking me to impact their attitudes, that are currently filled with anger and deception, so that they fill the roles he intended.

    Only days ago I was at a bible study where a comment was made that goes something like this, “Why are people so worried that our economy is going to collapse, they are just living in fear.” Our discussion at that moment had been about what is going on in this nation, and the world. It does not take a genius to pick up on the idea that some are walking around blindly, ignoring the signs of the times, and holding the word of God in contempt. Jesus told us that we are not in the darkness that we should be able to read the signs, and be spiritually prepared.

    In response to this indolent position I opened my mouth and this came out, “This nation will not fall while my feet are planted on its soil.” There was a sudden hush for a moment. Some will flatly challenge you, while others start thinking. Paul encountered people like this, thinkers, they were the Bereans, and they searched the scriptures to see if what Paul was saying was true. I happen to know its true, based upon faith if I had nothing else, but what I have is precedent. Someone, in the name of God has gone before and performed or said things of this nature. You don’t believe me. Elijah told them, “by my word, it will not rain.” and it did not. I might have a hard time with this myself if I had not seen it action on a previous occassion. Someone I knew from childhood, a christian, had asthma attacks with some frequency. I do not remember where we were going but I told him, “as long as you stay with me you have no attacks.” I had forgotten about that, and was recently reminded of it. One of brothers has stayed in touch with this fellow and he told my brother that as long as he was around me he could breathe. Praise God, and thank you Father for honoring my word.

  2. The second thing God kept speaking through me was a word, relentless.RELENTLESS – To be persistent, intently fixed on a goal.

What is the goal? What ever you apply your faith toward in Jesus name. Don’t be foolish about this, this is not about your favorite teams winning some championship that you have a bet on. God will not honor that. This is about you acting out in God’s will. If you must ask the question, “what is God’s will?” Then I recommend you read Isaiah 61:1-2 once again.

You want a synopsis. God is calling you to move out in faith. If you will rend the heavens on behalf of this nation, Israel, and captive people, God will move at your word and rescue them. Decree it so. And then be relentless about this. There is a cute little poem / story that states the devil should say oh no! when you get out of bed in the morning. Make that a reality. As my pastor said the other night, be open to the spirit of God, pay attention to what spirit is saying to you, and change the world for Christ.

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What is my hope based in?

Posted on 03/19/2012 by remso

Why am I confused about this?

He that believes on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him.

John 3:36 KJV

I am struck by something as I read passages like this: I think about how clear this sounds; “He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Wrath removed – everlasting life given.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Is this concept difficult to understand or do we just make it difficult? If I can make a strong statement about Revelation and end times events stating, “I am not confused” then why am I confused about this?

I grew up in church, and most of my concepts of God were presented to me by the church, and mom. As I have chosen to read for myself I found that much of what I learned was wrapped in misconception.

God is bigger and better than what they taught me.

Yes, I struggled with understanding Revelation just like everyone else, but something happened that changed all that. Perhaps my relentless desire to understand is a huge aspect of my understanding. Gaining knowledge about Islam is another part. Putting both facets together, and applying some logical reasoning, while leaning heavily upon the Holy Spirit, I feel I have a clear confidence about where things are going.

An example of this happened in Monday morning bible study. The leader responded to someone’s question about 2 Thessalonians 2.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 KJV (3) Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

The leader said, “we cannot say with any accuracy when this will happened because we do not know who the man of sin is, and he has not been revealed.” The oohs and aahs rose from some. Seconds passed and I said, “I believe we do, what if I can tell you who he is?” Based upon what I understand about Islam, He is the Mahdi, the twelfth Imam, and he comes in the midst of carnage and confusion. President Ahmadinejad of Iran has stood before the UN on three occasions and after declaring that he feels that he has been called to bring about this carnage, has called forth the Mahdi.

The men of the group just sat there staring at me. I am not confused about this. A bold move on my part; aggressive yes. A statement made in faith, absolutely.

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Here is what I struggle with.

How do I know that I have done enough, have enough oil, or that Jesus is really coming for us at all? Paul made a statement to the effect that if we have no hope in being caught up then what we do and how we live our lives makes us most foolish. But there is hope, and that is what I going to pursue.

The saddest aspect of this is, I am sure I am not the only one that thinks like this.

I know from scripture that it takes faith to please God, perhaps this is one of those areas, but it would be foolish, I think, to merely have faith and continue living in any way that you please.

Alright, so I am applying faith to passages like my originating scripture, and others.

  • John 3:36 KJV He that believes on the Son hath everlasting life.

[Believe is the Greek word pisteno meaning: to be persuaded; to place confidence in; an absolute dependence upon; a reliance in the Word of God.]

What if you trying to establish yourself in faith, or perhaps regain some confidence?

  • 1 Thessalonians 5:9 KJV (9) For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

The dictionary definition of appointed is: decreed; ordained; established. Just based upon 1 Thessalonians 5:9, though wrath is coming, it is not meant for those who are in Him; the Son already took the wrath for us. God will not punish the Son again, and because we are hidden in him, he will not punish us with this wrath that is coming.

  • 1 Thessalonians 4:13 KJV (13) But I would not have you tobe ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

What a concept; the lack of ignorance. That to imply that there is some form of it, and it is the ignorance that creates the hole for confusion and doubt to crawl through. Webster’s dictionary has an initial definition of ignorance as: Want, absence or destitution of knowledge. You really need to assess whether I am lacking information, or merely choosing to accept the information given.

Paul wrote this in response to their fears and a lack of confidence that had crept in on one of the church bodies that he had established. Clearly, I am not the only one. Paul, in my mind, seemed greatly disturbed that their confidence had been shaken from its foundation. Paul had delivered this message of hope, for it is the basis and backbone of who we are.

  • 1 Thessalonians 4:14 KJV (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

“if we believe..” And I do, “that Jesus died and rose again,” This very concept is the underlying theme throughout most of the New Testament. He is alive, and because he is alive his word is valid and true. He is coming back just as he said. At the time of this writing I am still breathing therefore physically alive, but there was a time that I was spiritually dead. Accepting him made me alive in Christ, as I became flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone (look it up). Here is the key: “in Jesus will God bring (those) with him.

  • 1 Thessalonians 4:15 KJV (15) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

Two things jump out at me as I read this passage in 1Thessalonians 4:15.

First: Paul is not making this up, this is directive given based in and upon the Word of the Lord. What does that mean? It means that scripture backs this up. Think about it! Paul preached grace and life out of the head knowledge he had in the Torah, and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We also know that Jesus himself spoke with Paul in the vision on the road to Damascus.

Secondly: Paul, and everyone he spoke to understood that they could and should live with a sense of excitement, as they anxiously awaited the return of Lord. Everyone wanted out of here, especially if there is the hope of a better life. Again, think about it. There is not a religion out there that does not have a hope of a better life, and even those that think that you live and then evaporate, at least anchor on an end of grief.

Suppose your life is one of party until you drop; at some point you do drop. If you happen to drop and it does not kill you, but leaves you paralyzed from the neck down; lying in the hospital bed, stewing in your personal hatred and fears, you are attended by Christian nurses who speak loving words of life to you. Pastors visit you, praying over you, all the while your head refuses all help because your thoughts are blinded by your hatred. You lie there unable to scream and curse them, so tears well up in yours eyes, and instead of recognizing your deep disgust and hatred, they think you have a recognition of the love that Jesus paid for you. Eventually you die and instead of vaporizing, as you had hoped, you find your soul is eternal and you get to spend eternity with your adopted father, Satan, burning in torment with him. – Get it, no hope.

  • 1 Thessalonians 4:17 KJV (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

To be caught up – Greek, harpazo means to be grasped hastily, snatched, or seized. Consider that both Jesus and Peter spoke concerning this persuasion as they both gave us the example of Noah. Peter took it one step further by adding in Lot.

Grasping someone suddenly can have so many implications, such as playing a bad joke, but the one that might bring concern would be the example of getting pulled to safety when your demise is imminent. God is not a thrill seeker, he does everything on time, but it is His time. There is clearly the idea of rescue from a potentially life threatening situation, on a grand scale.

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I have not refused, nor rejected Jesus Christ the Son, therefore I have everlasting life.

So, what is at question here?

Asking myself this question I can only bring one thing to mind, Matthew 25 and the 10 virgins.

Matthew 25:1-12 AMP THEN THE kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. (2) Five of them were foolish (thoughtless, without forethought) and five were wise (sensible, intelligent, and prudent). (3) For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take any [extra] oil with them; (4) But the wise took flasks of oil along with them [also] with their lamps. (5) While the bridegroom lingered and was slow in coming, they all began nodding their heads, and they fell asleep. (6) But at midnight there was a shout, Behold, the bridegroom! Go out to meet him! (7) Then all those virgins got up and put their own lamps in order. (8) And the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. (9) But the wise replied, There will not be enough for us and for you; go instead to the dealers and buy for yourselves. (10) But while they were going away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were prepared went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. (11) Later the other virgins also came and said, Lord, Lord, open [the door] to us! (12) But He replied, I solemnly declare to you, I do not know you [I am not acquainted with you].

Of the 5 that did not make it in, did they think that they believed? The parable tells us that they were lethargic and slept, apparently during the period that they could have made preparations.

Does lethargy and sleeping imply non-belief? I am not sure about the answer to this.

They all got the invitation, or was it just understood? If someone, perhaps the family, sends out invitations, why would the Lord not know them?

Having had a wedding of my own, there were certainly people I did not know. How would I make a determination that someone coming to my wedding should not be allowed in? I would have nothing to base that upon, unless I had some insight into the character and nature of this person I do not recognize.

That morning at “Bible study” I got 15 seconds to speak about this.

I said, “the oil of Matthew 25 could not be the Holy Spirit, as Jesus is talking to a Jewish audience, but the time frame would make his comments directed at the modern church (the Laodicean church) because it affects us.” While the oil may well be drive and desire, the invitation aspect is God’s word.

Suddenly I see something here. .

  1. I believed in him, this one that first loved me. That implies knowledge of him and a recognition of what he has done for me. Time spent with him increases that knowledge, and relationship builds intimacy.
  2. He chose me. Ephesians 1:4 ASV even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. – I cannot begin to define for you how that makes me feel. No one has ever chosen me, and then stayed with me, no matter what, but God has. He, with no effort at all, made a determination that included me, throughout all eternity. I cannot take this in.
  3. A Life with Him is part of our promise. 1 Timothy 4:8 ASV “… but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come.” A promise that started with Abraham , and made toward his future seed, of which I am now one. How would you know that there is this hope unless someone tell you. As I think about the soul winning techniques I have heard, all are based in the concept of fire insurance; in other words, escaping hell. Try and answer me truthfully. Would you have come to Him if I told you I can give you an assurance of a life of peace with Him?

Unprepared or un-equipped they had no oil, or at least not enough. I am not convinced Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit for he was talking to a Jewish audience, and the Holy Spirit had not fallen upon everyone yet, but the reference to the destination implies the modern-day church (The Laodicean Church).

One of my brothers feels the oil is worship. I like this idea so let’s mull this over. Worship, according to Webster’s dictionary means excellence of character, dignity, worth, worthiness; the act of paying divine honors to the Supreme Being. Worship entails all that give that honor unto the one who is worthy. He alone, is God. Calling upon his name would be an act of worth-ship.

What if the oil is desire; drive for knowledge of him; or the ceaseless seeking of his face, because you want to know Him better.

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What if I see nothing that should cause me concerns that I might be one of the 50% that were unprepared?

Then I should have a strong confidence that Jesus is coming back for me, and yet I have concerns and I struggle with the idea of being left behind. On the positive side, scripture seems to be definitive about how Jesus and the Father feel toward those that are his.

Jesus tells us in John 6.

John 6:37-39 ASV All that which the Father giveth me shall come unto me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (38) For I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. (39) And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.

Would it be possible, at all, for the creator of the universe to fail? The short answer is NO!

When you think about the fact that God claimed you for his very own, before the world was made, displays a conspicuous resolution in restoring a broken family back to himself.

John 6:40 ASV For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholds the Son, and believes on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

We have all heard the whining, and contradictions, how do you know God’s will? I suppose you will never know without knowing his character, but again, the short answer is His word. John 6:40 is merely one example. His will is that all who behold and believe should have eternal life, and be raised up at the last day.

Let’s ponder this a moment. The word behold here was translated as see in the KJV. The Greek word is theoreo and carries the meaning:

A spectator of – That is not necessarily a good translation, for I can be a spectator with only a morbid interest. Some people love to chase ambulances, just to see the ugly results. Can they help? No, and more than likely just get in the way.

To discern – Now this makes more sense, because it implies thought and focus. Literally to experience or intensively acknowledge. What are you acknowledging? All that he is, the relationship.

Figuratively to experience – Now we have taken this way beyond merely looking at something with morbid intent. This is an intense knowledge.

Tobelieve – Greek pisteuō ; is to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing).

So it is the will of the Father, that everyone that experiences or intensively acknowledges this relationship with Jesus, and has faith, in respect to the hope, should have eternal life.

Wait a minute, should implies the right or necessity, but not necessarily ownership. Even if I use the KJV there is still a shadow, in that the translators used the phrase “may have” everlasting life.

The Greek word for should, or may have, is echo, and means to have or to hold. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, as well as Vine’s New Testament Words, defines the phrase as: To have, as in to own or possess.

There is no uncertainty in this. We have hope; we have the will of the Father; we have the promise of God; those of us that have received the Son, have this life and promise.

As I compared versions this caught my attention. John 6:40 CEV My Father wants everyone who sees the Son to have faith in him and to have eternal life. Then I will raise them to life on the last day.

Somehow this seems to say it all, and correctly.

The last piece of confusion here is this: “Then I will raise them to life on the last day.”

Martha speaking to Jesus about Lazarus said, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” John 11:24 KJV

She spoke of resurrection of the dead that happens at the end of the thousand-year reign, when all who remain will be judged. Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible agrees with me. As pertaining to Martha’s understanding of “the last day” John Gill wrote in his exposition of the entire Bible:

“The Jews were divided about the doctrine of the resurrection, the Sadducees denied it, the Pharisees asserted it; and on this latter side was Martha; she believed there would be a resurrection of the dead; that this would be at the last day, or at the end of the world; and that her brother would rise at that general resurrection: wherefore, if Christ meant no more than that, this was what she always believed. The Syriac version renders it, “in the consolation at the last day”; and so the time of the resurrection is, by the Jews, called “the days of consolation”. “

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God committed to remove us from the coming wrath.

Titus 1:1-2 KJV ….the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; (2) In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

Dake’s notes point out that the phrase “last day” is used 6 times. 5 times of the day of redemption and once of the last day of judgment.

The word promised used in Titus 1:2 is the Greek word: epaggellō and means: to announce upon (reflexively), that is, (by implication)to engage to do something,

Thayer’s definition of the same word: is to announce that one is about to do or furnish something.

2 Timothy 1:8-9 KJV ….. the gospel according to the power of God; (9) Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

I do not see any confusion here, but straight forward talk, about God’s commitment to pulling us up to heaven, with Him, prior to the time of wrath. (As a side note. I have opted to stop calling the last seven years the tribulation. Clearly it will be a time of great tribulation, but what it is, is a time of great wrath. Tribulation has been with us since time began, and we are destined for it.

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Hebrews 2:3 KJV How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

Perhaps this is one of those passages that cloud my waters. To neglect is to put off or ignore. Is this ignorance before or after the point of salvation. Keeping in mind that salvation or at least redemption came at the cross, the demarcation line is our acceptance.

In talking about this I see the face of a young man I will refer to as my son-in-law. He displayed all the emotions; performed all the rituals (tongue in cheek), and yet the fruit he produces is infidelity, worldliness, and greed.

So my choice to not develop or pursue this “new” relationship is what?

A choice, completely of my own?

Consider some of our techniques in reaching out to people with the gospel. Ray Comfort stands at the beach with a camera man and a microphone, pressuring people to admit and see their in-ward brokenness. Perhaps they accept Christ and he moves on to the next victim.

What did this new convert learn?

That they are, or at least were a broken liar that now has Christ, little more. Perhaps then the problem is in how we have taught the masses.

The son-in-law had the influence of the Catholic church, and then a few minutes of a pastor whose favorite counseling technique was to say, “just stop it!” Try that on an addict, and let me know how it works for them.

Are we teaching new believers or any believer to walk out this conversion process with at least the knowledge that there is a hope and solid foundation for that hope. Are we teaching the foundations of faith that build this confidence, or are we blazing away at the congregation about sin and their brokenness, because our pastors do not have the faith that God is capable of keeping us in His grasp.

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There is more to this thesis, and it shall be explored. The intent is to prove a rightful confidence in the hope and promises of God, about our being gathered to him, and our right to a relationship built on confidence.

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