This past week the United States Supreme Court decided that same sex marriages are legal and appropriate for all states. It should be noted that the Supreme Court's role is not to deliver truth. Its role is to examine the facts and circumstances and determine who, as between the competing forces, should prevail. Its decision often is based in part on popular opinion, and sometimes on what is fair, just and equitable in the context of any humane society. Nonetheless, one should never assume that because the Supreme Court has ruled that an action or activity is legal, or is a Constitutional right, God necessarily has placed his stamp of approval on that action or activity.
For example, getting drunk in your living room at home, or engaging in adult group sexual activity at home may be legal by Supreme Court standards. However, according to God's truth, the first activity will negatively affect your liver and brain, and the second activity will negatively affect your spinal column. From the perspective of long term sustainability, we should seek and pursue God's truth.
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The Catholic Pope's release of his encyclical Laudato Si has reignited the debate over climate change, to the extent that any aspect of it had begun to fade. There are two separate threads to this debate that must be kept separate in order to maintain the integrity of the discussion. First is the acknowledgement of a personal moral imperative to care for the environment in any way possible. As citizens of the world, we each have that obligation to do our part. The second is acknowledgement of the inevitability of some degree of global warming. The Bible states that summer and winter will always exist as long as the earth endures (Genesis 8:22). However, snow is a curse connected to unfaithfulness and disobedience to God. Deuteronomy 28:15-45 states numerous curses that accompany disobedience (many of which we are now experiencing) among them that "The Lord will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed" (Deuteronomy 28:24). So while we should expect a continuing ebb and flow of the seasons, such that summers and winters will continue, we also should expect to have less snow and milder temperatures as our world begins to move closer to God's ideal. In fact, Isaiah 35 promises abundant rains and blooming deserts as the Lord Messiah's return draws near. To some extent, therefore, gradual global warming is perhaps a sign that nature is beginning to prepare for Messiah's return and it should give us reason to celebrate as we await the Messiah.
One of the most alarming prophecies being fulfilled in our lifetime is discussed in today's post titled Weapons of Mass Destruction which can be read at www.RebekahIsaac.info. Like it on your Facebook page, Tweet it, or tell a friend. Keeping secrets is not an option at this time.
This Blog post is designed to alert you to a post titled, Daniel's Vision Of The Antichrist, published at www.RebekahIsaac.info. Prophecy, once sealed and unavailable to our understanding, is now being unsealed so that we can begin to prepare as one always is required to do when change is imminent. There are those who say that we need not become consumed with discussions of end times, the return of Jesus, or other issues of Judeo-Christian eschatology, and need only continue to do what we are doing. Over the centuries, the Old Testament details the evil that befell the Jews when they chose to continue the status quo instead of heeding the urgent warnings and listening to the advisors God had sent to warn them. In contrast, Noah listened to the voice of God and over the course of 120 years prepared in the manner in which God directed that he should prepare-he built an ark. Esther prepared for her anticipated wedding, as directed by God, and became queen (Esther 2:12). Others heeded the advice and meticulously rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. We also are called to heed the warnings and the advice and begin to prepare, to literally rebuild the spiritual walls of protection destroyed by decades of sin and rebellion.
To continue the status quo at such a time as this, is to lay the foundation for continued evil and devastation. Seeds produce a harvest in keeping with their kind. We cannot continue to sow the same seeds of debauchery, greed, immorality, hatred and idolatry, yet expect that miraculously they will begin to produce different results. Two visions in Daniel 2 and Daniel 8 detail the anticipated kingdoms of the world prior to the return of Jesus. Both visions reveal that we are now in the time of the final kingdom during the reign of the Antichrist, and it is during his reign, as he seeks to slaughter one third of the world's population, that Jesus returns (Daniel 8:24-25; 2:44-45). Several other prophecies limit the Antichrist's time of control over God's people to less than four years (e.g. Daniel 12:11-12). What does that timing tell us in regard to Jesus' return? Will you heed the warnings and begin to obliterate the status quo that has enabled the beast to gain power and control over God's people? If you question the existence of God, or desire to know the identity of the Antichrist, see The Sons Of Zion versus The Sons Of Greece: The Antichrist Revealed, by Rebekah Isaac (available at www.RebekahIsaac.us). The transfiguration of Jesus is known as the time when, on a mountain top, he became a glorified, blazing ball of light (Luke 9:28-29). Transfiguration occurs when a person's spiritual energy is extremely high because of their level of purity and righteousness, and the intensity of the energy cannot be contained. Not unlike a storm surge that accompanies a flood, during a heightened spiritual experience such as prayer, the spiritual energy breaches the boundaries of the solar plexus and literally floods every cell of the body with light and energy. It also can be compared to a spiritual tornado that catapults out of every cell of the body anything and everything that could possibly block the reflection of God's light. Transfiguration is not a miracle that can be performed by the person. It is a miracle performed by the Holy Spirit of God. At the Second Coming of Jesus, the raptured disciples will all experience a permanent transfiguration (Revelation 7:13-14).
The opposite of transfiguration is demonization--a process by which the person is flooded with darkness. It is not as dramatic an occurrence as transfiguration because the effects generally are not as visible in the spiritual realm. It occurs primarily when someone takes a giant leap from being relatively righteous, and delves into sin, rebellion and transgression. In demonization, if the person has a visible aura, it suddenly begins to grow dark as Satan's demons and/or evil spirits surge into the body, blocking the cells from reflecting the light of God's glory. Human beings were designed to be "plugged in" to God and to have an aura that glows with the reflection of God's light (see reference in Malachi 4:2 to the sun of righteousness). They are supposed to be the light of the world. Spiritual light from God connotes spiritual life. Darkness, or a dark aura, connotes spiritual death. Spiritual life is available to anyone who genuinely desires it, and is essential to generating spiritual power, the only weapon that can overcome the darkness and evil of today's world. A growing number of individuals from all levels of society seem to believe that the source of power is alignment with Satan and with darkness. Their human spirits proudly proclaim to the world that they are demons, or are training to become demons. There is no training necessary to the life of a demon other than how to relinquish one's God-given life, spirit and creativity and become a slave to Satan. Instead, their goal should be to have a personal experience of transfiguration. They should be striving to become the brightest star on the earth, visible from the highest heavens. That is God's will for his human creation-life to the full (John 10:10). The concept of fearing God is one area in which the Bible's translators may have done us an injustice. Instead of fearing sin and the consequences of unrighteousness, we fear appearing to be too righteous. Instead of running "helter skelter" from anything of the devil, we are of the dangerously mistaken belief that he was a beautiful angel who succumbed to sin and is now being punished by God. So we align and empathize with Satan instead of aligning with God. God is viewed as angry and vengeful, the cause of all of our ills and all of the world's ills.
Our fear also is misplaced in regard to the things of God or the gifts of God. When we think of the Holy Spirit, for example, our understanding is fueled by television shows portraying loud, excited and unintelligible utterances, uninhibited dancing and frenzied movements in the aisles of the church, wearing white uniforms at every service, and/or having a somewhat performance oriented form of worship. For the average conservative congregation, this vision of chaos is frightening. But it is a caricature designed to keep us from desiring close contact with the Holy Spirit. We speak of him tentatively, but hope and expect that he will maintain a comfortable distance. The biblical description of the reality and role of the Holy Spirit is far removed from the popular perception. The Holy Spirit has unsurpassed creative power. When God infused the light of his Spirit into the dead waters that comprised the earth on Day 1 of creation (Genesis 1:1-3), he called forth land and water that was energized and capable of sustaining all life. It is that life-giving land (dust) and water that he then used as the building blocks for everything on the earth, including humans and animals (Genesis 1). When this same Holy Spirit whose power was used to create the earth indwells us, the possibilities are boundless. He purifies us because a cleansed vessel (not unlike a clean engine) is significantly more powerful. He also teaches and instructs us in the ways of God, and enables us to speak intelligible and translatable foreign languages so that communication with God's people is never inhibited. There are many other roles of the Holy Spirit as described in Scripture, but perhaps the most important role is that he marks us as people belonging to God. In the same way that your DNA identifies your parents, the indwelling Holy Spirit marks and identifies you as a child of God. Many people spend an entire lifetime working in a religious or ministry capacity. Nonetheless, when Jesus returns to establish his kingdom, he likely will say to them, "I don't know you." His sacrifice on the cross was for the purpose of cleansing and restoring us so that we can become children of God, reborn through the water of spiritual cleansing (immersion baptism), and filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 3:1-5). Irrespective of your religion, denomination, or spiritual discipline, if you wish to be identified spiritually as a child of God, your most important quest is to be cleansed and to receive his indwelling Holy Spirit. A healthy fear of God is one in which, like the sons of Issachar described in 1 Chronicles 12:32, we understand the signs of the times and, like Noah, who undoubtedly sensed the urgency to complete his ark as the time of the flood approached, we too sense the urgency to prepare our hearts and minds for Messiah's return. A healthy fear of God is also one in which we humbly acknowledge our human limitations, recognize that our world is in its current condition because individually and collectively, we are powerless against Satan, and only by the power of God's Holy Spirit can we expect any form of victory (Zechariah 4:6). Finally, a healthy fear of God is one in which we are willing to surrender to his love and say, "Jesus, our Messiah and savior who, by his sacrifice, enables us to have God's indwelling Holy Spirit, is Lord." The trend seems to have always existed that God's people suffer major hardships. Hebrews 11
reminds us of the faith of men and women of the Old Testament, but one wonders why their faith seemed insufficient or inadequate to prevent the horrors they experienced. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, speaks of being shipwrecked, bitten by snakes, escaping murder plots, and being in constant danger. Others suffered similar or worse fates. So, where is God when these horrors take place? He does not sleep for eight hours each day, nor depart for vacation in a far-off galaxy, so we suspect that he sees all of it. The Bible states that the trials test our faith and the testing produces perseverance that in turn matures and completes us. If we are indeed headed toward Nirvana, or an idyllic heavenly existence, do we need such extreme testing, perseverance, and faith? And why does it appear that evil doers and worshipers of Satan are flourishing, while God seems incapable of providing basic necessities for his people. Many writers. prophets and persons in the Old Testament have had the same or similar questions. There was a time when I might have tried to convince myself and others that there usually is an evil or negative thought, word or deed in someone that causes evil circumstances to manifest in their life. But having recently experienced my personal avalanche of unimaginable evil that continues even today, I now view that perspective as simplistic. Having bankrolled for several years this entire effort on behalf of God's people in response to a specific call from God, I am stunned when I mention that I no longer have a six-figure income or six-figure savings, or even basic living expenses, and the response of some of the wealthiest churches in the nation is nonchalant at best. They are witness to the church burnings and bombings and the torture and murders of priests and parishioners throughout the world. They feel relatively powerless to effect change. Yet, not one of them has made an offer to assist me in bringing this renewed message of hope to God's people. I know the many days and nights that I pleaded with God to reveal any sin or evil in me that would cause a visitation of the current evil circumstances in my life. I grew angry at his "refusal" to tell me what I had done wrong so that I could fix it and stem the tide of evil. I recall Moses asking a similar question in Numbers 11:11 ("What have I done to displease you that you would treat me this way?") Isaiah challenged Israel and demanded an acknowledgement of God, perhaps fully expecting that God would reciprocate by protecting him. Instead, he became a fugitive, desperately trying to save his life. More recently in the New Testament, the apostles preached a Gospel of peace, love and forgiveness, yet they were rewarded by being murdered and crucified. God did not engineer or freely allow these circumstances into their life or mine. God probably sent numerous messages to the individuals and to others, warning them, guiding them, and encouraging their friends, colleagues and acquaintances who are disciples to take action. As I look back, I can see the several instances when God probably witnessed the potential trajectory of my circumstances and literally put incredible real estate deals in my path that would have made me a multi-millionaire. In each instance, I knew they were deals that should not be missed but I allowed fear to stop me. Had I known what I now know, nothing would have stopped me from embracing those deals. But it sometimes can be difficult to hear God's voice and his guidance when your brain is in overdrive and you cannot see the future. Today, God is sending warning signals to others telling them the direction that would be best, and they also are prone to over-analyze the circumstances and maintain the status quo. But today's mistakes can be deadly. In focusing on the travails of God's people, we tend to ignore the fact that Jesus also experienced hardships on the earth. When Adam and Eve chose to obey Satan instead of God, in that moment they relinquished their authority over the earth and gave Satan authority and control. Thus., each person born on earth is born subject to Satan. Jesus willingly made himself subject to Satan in order to pay the penalty for sin so that we can be redeemed. At times, he had no place to sleep and no money to pay his taxes, his townsfolk tried to throw him off a cliff, he sometimes was forced to travel incognito because of the danger, and of course he eventually was crucified How is it possible that an all powerful, sinless God was not able to obliterate these circumstances before they occurred? Because Satan is the god of this world, by being born into the world, even Jesus became subject to him. Only when God establishes his kingdom for one thousand years (Revelation 20) will the earth be under God's authority and control. This is the reason that for the past two thousand years most churches have prayed each Sunday for God's kingdom to be established so that his will is accomplished on the earth (Matthew 6:9-15). With Satan in control, not only are his emissaries actively seeking to establish his evil plans and goals, but a majority of God's people also pay homage to Satan in a pattern of lukewarmness that is nauseating to God (Revelation 3:14-19). Nonetheless, if you are committed to God and his purposes, you may be subject to evil, but no one can have authority or control over your life other than the authority or control that you or God gives to them. You give them authority when you transgress God's laws. Until his kingdom is established, God relies on his people to dull the enemy's power, control and impact on fellow disciples. He understands the trials we will encounter until his return. For this reason, his most fervent prayer is seen in John 17 when he prayed for unity among his followers. In the days of Noah, they were one family. He taught the Jews to bond in ways that empower them in excess of what their numbers would suggest. The first century disciples also understood that unity and oneness was key to their survival (Acts 2:42-47). It is my fervent hope that the sealed men and women of God will become one family, similar to the new church in Acts 2 and will commit to ensuring that their brothers and sisters in Christ who are filled with and sealed by the Holy Spirit, irrespective of their original religion, faith or language, experience only the heaven on earth that is God's will for them. If you are sealed with God's Spirit, God will expect that he can call on you to respond when another sealed man or woman of God prays to him for healing, peace, companionship for the journey, or assistance of any kind. We are expected to manifest his presence on the earth for each other. How will you respond when he calls on you? |
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