The Rise of Women

The women are coming. The world is changing. In America, a woman narrowly missed becoming President. Other nations have women at the helm already. Business, entrepreneurship have long been on the rise in terms of female participation. Women have dominated education for decades. It is hard to imagine a vocation in which women are not more of a factor today than they were just a few years ago. Women have entered the military in huge numbers. Women can now die for us in combat.

Is this a problem? Before their current ascent, women were equal to men in importance if not in role. What task is more unique and awesome than the bringing into the world of a new human being? Who is more important to the ongoing progress of a civilization than those who train young people in the home, one life at a time, one day at a time? Who is more important to a man than his best friend and support?

But these tasks have now been viewed as inferior, part of the servant class. Women generally want to be freed from this notion of servitude, and are hungry for power of a different sort, though their power ruled the world in just as significant a way as any man. Now women want to do the work traditionally assigned to males. They want to leave the home. They want to be somebody. And in that home, there is no one to take their place.

Children are raised by inferior parents. Grandmas were not meant to raise little ones. They do their best, but something is missing. Worse, many children are being left to raise themselves. And no child was meant to do that either. The product of chaos is in the society in which we now move.

And with women in the workplace, where do all the men find jobs? Let us give our due to women who absolutely positively must work outside the home. Our hearts go out to you. But let us be quick to add that this group is greatly inflated by situations that ought not to be. For example:

• The woman who becomes pregnant before marriage, before a man has truly committed himself to her, is setting herself up for a life outside the home.
• The couple whose material appetites are such that the desired income is too great will be causing Mom to leave her family soon.
• The restless housewife who feeds on television's fantasies of love and romance, grows tired of her husband and will eventually be out taking men's jobs .

I say all this as an observing citizen of a society which has gone into chaos. Unfortunately, however, the phenomenon of women in wrong roles has reached the church. Much of the church seems to follow all the trends of society instead of leading society to God's paths. Women teach men. Women rule men. Women are pastors.

Hear this. I know well that our Lord changed forever the status of women when He was raised from the dead and appeared to women. All the first appearings, whether by angels or Jesus Himself, were to women. The women were the ones looking for Jesus on that first day of the week. Where were the men? All the first messengers of the resurrection were women. And all the unbelief of that day was expressed by men. How God loves women. Their searching, their caring, their needing.

But nothing I have said changes the roles of women. And those roles are myriad. But they do not include leadership of men, or teaching of men in any official public way. Our women need to sit down. Those who continue ruling are encouraging others. As the world's culture changes, Heaven's is to remain the same, as a signal of an unchanging God.

I have written elsewhere on this site about the role of women. Many internet references could be offered, too. But the greatest reference I can suggest is the Spirit of God Himself as he spoke through the Apostle Paul, in reference to this very subject (I Corinthians 14:37-38):

"If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant." One other possible rendition of verse 38 is even more specific: "If anyone does not recognize this [Paul's authority], he is not recognized."

Look for Bob Faulkner's home page on http://sermonaudio.com - There you will find a combination of love for the Scriptures and a desire for North Korean believers to have their needs met. There are nearly 300 blogs, over 200 Bible teaching MP3's, lists of resources, NK picture albums, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

The Romanticizing of Pain

They say that a word that means too much means nothing at all. So it seems to be with the word romantic . It can mean one who belongs to the Romantic Movement which thrived in the 18th and 19th centuries in the arts. Wagner in music, Browning in poetry, etc. Emotional architecture.

Or, more to our purposes here, it can be a more generalized term applicable in any generation. It can have to do with amorous romance or just idealism and idealism's cousin, unreality. It is this branch of the word's description to which I refer.

We love our movies. Most of them are filled with fantasies that grab our attention because they offer ways to escape. Recently they have become a bit too real, and cause us a different set of problems than the old "romantic" movies that brought us into the middle of a romantic relationship or a heroic deed in just 90 minutes or so.

We have all known people that will sit and bawl over these heart-warming stories. Something stirs in the soul. Then we take a deep breath and walk away. We know it wasn't really ours, except for the moment.

This romantic pain may have its place but I fear it may have affected us all too much. Someone said that such pain could be cured by a good toothache, a dose of the real thing.

Which is where my thoughts are finally headed. (You knew I was going somewhere with all of this, I hope.)

I am deeply concerned today about the gut-wrenching stories that have been coming out of places like North Korea for these many years. I am glad that someone found a way to get the truth to us, but I wonder how easy this pain is to forget. It feels a little like one of those musicals, albeit with an unhappy ending. We watch, we cry, we go away. It's not really ours after all. It's something we can take or leave.

For us, it's a good show.

My plea to readers and hearers today is to listen with ears of the Spirit to these messages. Our God would not allow His people's pain to be exposed to us so that we can have a good cry. These brothers and sisters, our family just as surely as the ones who bear our name, are truly hurting, truly in need, and the Spirit is screaming to us of the agony in Christ's Body.

Oh, let us hear the cry. Then to our knees for instructions as to what to do. Surely if the situation were ours we would be so humiliated to know that others only watched and cried and walked away.

Remember the prisoners as though chained with them-those who are mistreated-since you yourselves are in the body also. (Hebrews 13:3)

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed , lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, in the Company of the Biblical Prophets

Perhaps no other American is as controversial as Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Mormon Church and a self-proclaimed prophet. Such claims as he made, to have been visited by God, the Father, and Jesus Christ; to have been called to be a prophet to preach the Gospel to a world in apostasy are at least shocking and incredible and at most outrageous. Joseph Smith, his life and his legacy deserve close attention, then, for if true, his claims are the most important message since the discovery of the empty garden tomb.

To understand the issue, however, one must first understand what a prophet is and only then can Joseph Smith be measured against this rubric. To dismiss Joseph Smith as a prophet because he does not fit ones own definition of prophet is a circular argument since that wholly depends upon the persons preconceived image of what a prophet is. We must, therefore, look to the Bible, the record of Gods prophets to begin to understand what a prophet is. In the popular imagination the role of a prophet is to tell the future. This is, however, only one aspect of a prophets calling and likely not a major one. So, what does the Bible tell us a prophet will be like?

There are two words in the Bible that are translated as prophet. One is the Hebrew word Nabi (or Navi), and the other is the Greek Prophetes. Both have the basic meaning of spokesman or one who proclaims something. A prophet of God, therefore, speaks in the name of, and hence with the authority of, God. A prophet says, Thus saith the Lord. Joseph Smith was such a spokesman. He spoke in Gods name. To him, the Lord said, I give unto you my servant Joseph to be a presiding elder over all my church, to be a translator, a revelator, a seer, and prophet (Doctrine and Covenants 124:125).

This mouthpiece of God speaks Gods word. The Lord said to Moses concerning Aarons role as Moses spokesman: Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet [hence, his spokesman] (Exodus 7:1). In a latter revelation to Moses the Lord said:

I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him (Deuteronomy 18:18).

Peter thus said in his epistle that prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Peter 1:21). The Doctrine and Covenants (hereafter D&C), which is a compilation of revelations given to modern prophets of the Mormon Church, echoes this statement saying that, whatsoever they [the prophets] shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation (D&C 68:4).

The Bible is a collection of the inspired words and deeds of prophets. Thus, the words of prophets become scripture. Isaiah was a man who saw great visions. Paul was a prophet whose inspirational teachings form the bulk of the New Testament. The revelations given to the Prophet Joseph Smith including the Book of Mormon and the visions and revelations recorded in the Doctrine & Covenants testify that Joseph Smith was a prophet. He spoke the words he received of God in visions and revelations. These words became scripture, just as in biblical times.

The message for which prophets are spokesmen is of the mission of Jesus Christ and the importance of obeying Gods commandments. In Revelation 19:10, an angel tells John that, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. A prophet, who must by definition have the spirit of prophecy, must also therefore have a testimony of Jesus. Jesus commanded His disciples to read the scriptures, comprising essentially the Old Testament, explaining that, in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me (John 5:39). He later testified that every prophet wrote about Him:

These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me (Luke 24:44).

John the Baptist, of whom Jesus said, there is not a greater prophet, had as his primary mission to prepare the way for Jesus Christ. Of him, no record details miracles or great prophesies of the future. Instead, he taught the people to prepare themselves for Jesus coming and when that came he willingly stepped aside (see Luke 7:28 ff). Joseph Smith likewise testified of Jesus Christ. In a vision he received on February 16, 1832, he and an associate Sidney Rigdon saw Jesus Christ much as Paul had centuries earlier. They declared:

And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the FatherThat by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God (D&C 76:22-24).

For Joseph Smith, Jesus Christ was the central figure in every doctrine and deed. Joseph Smith taught that Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of all mankind and provides salvation to all those who love and serve him. Prophets also denounce sin and call people to repentances. In 2 Kings 17:13, we read:

blockquote>The LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.

It is the duty of prophets to call people to repent and return to God. This can be seen in many instances. In 2 Kings 12, we read that Nathan, the prophet, was sent to call David to repentance because of his sins with Bathsheba. Nehemiah was sent to call the people of his day to repent and rebuild the temple. Jonah was sent to preach against the wickedness of Nineveh. Joseph Smith said, This we believe to be our duty-to teach to all mankind the doctrine of repentance (History of the Church 2:255). It is the duty of a prophet to denounce sin, call people to repentance and to worship the God of Israel. This last duty, namely calling to worship the God of Israel is essential, for Moses warned that false prophets could accurately predict the future, but if they used these miracles to lead people away from the God of Israel, then they would be false prophets (Deuteronomy 13:1-10).

The Lord says further, If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream (Numbers 12:6). Prophets, then, have dreams and visions in which the Lord is made known unto them. Peter also mentions this as what may be termed the prophetic pattern. In Acts 10:39-44, Peter teaches that God reveals Jesus Christ to chosen witnesses, the prophets, who then teach the world about God. Every prophet is chosen by God, taught by angels or through dreams and visions and finally commissioned to teach others. Isaiah fits this pattern. In a vision recorded in Isaiah chapter 6, this great poet-prophet saw the Lord on His throne surrounded by angels. He is forgiven of his sins, and charged with a mission.

This vision and the charge given to the prophet is the Sowd, the sacred and oftentimes secret intimacy that prophets obtain with God. Sowd in Hebrew translates as counsel, assembly, secret, or divine intimacy. At its root it refers to private correspondence or counseling. The Prophet Amos said, Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret [Sowd] unto his servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). That is, the Lord will not act until He has revealed His counsel, His plans, and His secrets to the Prophets. Thus another role of a prophet is to be a diviner, through revelation, of Gods deed present and future. This can refer to prophesying the future, or to determining what work is of God right now and what His will is regarding human actions.

Joseph Smith and his mission fit this ancient pattern perfectly. As a young man, confused but full of faith, he prayed to God. According to href="http://scriptures.lds.org/js_h/1">Joseph Smiths own account, he saw in vision, just as Moses, Isaiah, and Stephen had, the God of Israel. Just as was the case with Isaiah his sins were forgiven and like Moses he learned the true nature of God. In subsequent visions he was taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ by angels and through multiple revelations which are recorded as sacred scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants. He was commissioned by God to translate the Book of Mormon as testimony to Jesus Christ and to Joseph Smiths own divine commission. He was shown Gods counsel and href="http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/FQ_prophecies.shtml">prophesied many things that have since occurred.

In connection with this divining of counsel, it is interesting to note that the Samaritan women whom Jesus met at the well in Sychar said, I perceive that thou art a prophet (John 4:19), when He told her about her life previous to meeting Him. Prophets, then, are given such spiritual insights as necessary to fulfill their missions. In this capacity a Prophet may rightly be called a Seer. When Saul sought out a man of God who could give him advice on what course he could take, the record states, Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer (1 Samuel 9:9). A Seer, then, is one who sees what is ahead, who understand the operations of God in the world. He sees accurately not only the future, but also the present and the past. Through this divine insight he can perceive Gods workings in the world.

In a revelation given to Joseph Smith in November of 1831, the Lord said of Joseph Smiths mission:

Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments (D&C 1:17)

The reasons given were:

1. That every man might speak in the name of God the Lord (v. 20)
2. that faith also might increase (v. 21)
3. That mine everlasting covenant might be established (v. 22)
4. That the fullness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple (v. 23)

Joseph Smith was commissioned to be an instrument in the hands of God, but only one of many, who would lay the foundation of Gods Kingdom here in these days. As a Seer and Revelator he taught truth and revealed many things to come, as a Prophet he preached repentance in Gods name and taught the testimony of Jesus Christ, and as translator he translated and published the Book of Mormon. Finally, as a prophet he was a leader. In Hosea we read:

And by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved (Hosea 12:13).

A prophet is set to lead the covenant people of the Lord. Paul said that the household of God is built upon a foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone (Ephesians 2:19-20). Apostles, as can be easily shown, are prophets also, since they have the spirit of prophecy which is the testimony of Jesus Christ, but as apostles they have a special mission to go forth and proclaim Jesus Christs resurrection (see Acts 1:22). Prophets and Apostles lead the people of God. In this capacity, Joseph Smith was the leader of the Mormon Church, called of God, and ordained an apostle of Jesus Christ, to be the first elder of this church (D&C 20:2). Until his death in 1844, he led the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a Prophet and Apostle of god. Joseph Smith guided the Mormon Church through persecution and trials.

It must be remembered, however, that prophet are human agents working for God and are thus fallible. James said of Elias (i.e. Elijah), that he, was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months (James 5:17). Commenting on this passage Joseph Smith said:

I was this morning introduced to a man from the east. After hearing my name, he remarked that I was nothing but a man, indicating by this expression, that he had supposed that a person to whom the Lord should see fit to reveal His will, must be something more than a man. He seemed to have forgotten the saying that fell from the lips of St. James, that Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, yet he had such power with God, that He, in answer to his prayers, shut the heavens that they gave no rain for the space of three years and six months; and again, in answer to his prayer, the heavens gave forth rain, and the earth gave forth fruit. Indeed, such is the darkness and ignorance of this generation, that they look upon it as incredible that a man should have any intercourse with his Maker. (Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 Vols. 2:302)

Of himself he later said, I never told you I was perfect; but there is no error in the revelations which I have taught (Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 Vols. 6:366). The Prophets and Apostles of God are human and hence fallible, but the inspired words they reveal, as Peter said, come from the Holy Ghost who is a revelator to mankind. Like Isaiah, Samuel, Moses, Noah, Paul, and Peter before him, Joseph Smith had his faults, which makes his miracles and teachings all the more amazing and inspiring, for God works always through weak and erring servants to accomplish His great purposes.

Perhaps it is the faults of the prophets that make some people reject them. Jesus Christ once remarked that, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house (Matthew 13:57). To neighbors, Jesus was merely a carpenter, the son of Joseph, but to those with faith He was the Messiah, the Son of God. Similarly with the prophets who, unlike Jesus, were not sinless, they are often rejected for trivial reasons. Some rejected Joseph Smith as a prophet because a business venture he participated in failed, or because he enjoyed playing sports. Others were offended by his denunciation of their actions. Finally, on June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith was murdered by a mob with faces painted black while he sat in jail awaiting trial on false charges. Like Paul before him, Joseph Smith was jailed, persecuted, and finally killed. Many prophets and apostles have been killed because of their teachings and deeds and Joseph Smith was no different.

In every possible test Joseph Smith compares favorably with the prophets of the Bible. Like them, he spoke in Gods name and the revelations given to him have become scripture just as Paul or Moses did. He had the testimony of Jesus Christ, the spirit of prophecy, and so devoted his ministry to testifying of the divine mission of Jesus Christ. He was commissioned by God through visions and the visitations of angels to do Gods work here on earth and so received authority to act and speak in Gods name. He was a prophet, a seer, a revelator, a translator, a missionary, an apostle, and a martyr for he was hunted and murdered by angry mobs because he dared to speak against their traditions and because his teachings and deeds stirred up controversy.

Ultimately, one must look at the fruits of Joseph Smiths mission. To know if Joseph Smith truly was a prophet of God, one must study his teachings and his deeds. These can be found first and foremost in the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. If the Book of Mormon is truly the word of God, then Joseph Smith truly was a prophet of God and while argument and evidence may be compiled for pages upon pages, only the Spirit of God will ultimately reveal to a person whether or not Joseph Smith was a prophet. Why this matters, even and perhaps especially for Christians, is that if Joseph Smith was a prophet, then Jesus Christ has a message for the whole world and especially for those who claim to believe in Him. This message is that His Church has been established by prophets and is now being led by them through inspiration of God. For non-Christians, the message is one of faith and hope, that Jesus Christ lives again and through His power all may be resurrected and saved.

Jonathan F. Barney was born and raised in Mapleton, Utah and graduated from Springville High School. He attended Utah State University on full scholarship and graduated in 2004 with a degree in History and Linguistics. He is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Near Eastern Studies, emphasizing the Arab World at Princeton University. From 1999 to 2001, he served as a volunteery missionary for the Mormon Church in Ohio. In 2003 he studied for one semester at the American University of Cairo in Egypt. In his spare time he enjoys reading, hiking, calligraphy (both Latin and Arabic scripts), and writing

To learn more about Joseph Smiths life and teachings visit these excellent sites:

Joseph Smith.net With pictures, writings, and biographical information about Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith.com with Joseph Smith's writings about his life

Learning Meditation Or Watching

In North Korea - Two Fathers And Two Sons

The Billy Graham family has quite a legacy in North Korea. According to Thomas Belke's Juche Billy visited the nation in 1992 and 1994, the year Kim Il Sung passed on. He was permitted to preach at state "churches", and at the Kim Il Sung University. He gave his personal testimony to Mr. Kim, though with no positive results.

Belke theorizes that Graham was allowed such liberty because his wife had attended a Christian school in Pyongyang in the 30's. Others impute a more sinister motive to the Great One. Perhaps he was trying to tell a watching world that he was really open to religion, and how could they ever have thought otherwise?All of this drama while thousands of believers suffered in his prisons.

Belke says that the facade goes on today. Tourists to Pyongyang tell of visiting both Catholic and Protestant churches, and seeing some of the same North Korean faces! They see unused Bibles and "members" who don't know how to find songs in their hymnals. All actors. But actors whose job is of limited tenure. Repeat performances are never allowed by those who have genuine tears in their eyes after a performance...

And now, son Franklin Graham has visited son Kim Jong Il. Though far from praising the dictator, he urges that we keep communication lines open. I'm not necessarily in agreement with either of the Grahams' philosophy, but I feel it is important that we see what is going on as the door may be opening ever so slightly. We will not be of those who sit in judgment in "the seat of the scornful" though we offer our warnings regarding compromise and selling out the suffering.

The Gospel will get in to North Korea. It is circulating even now. It is for this that we continue to long and pray. Let us rejoice for any Light that penetrates. And let's keep praying.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

Is King Solomon Going To Heaven

Supper with Jesus

The marriage supper of the Lamb of God. Ever think of what this means? Reservations are needed, but the meal and the eternity that follows with Christ Jesus have been totally paid for. What will it be like to sit and eat with the King of Kings? There'll be no bickering about places at the table. The apostles and other Bible-mentioned chiefs of the faith will sit at His right and left. And anyway, the honor on that day will be all His.

What will the food be like? Yes, we'll be able to eat in our new bodies. Jesus showed us that after He rose from the dead. And attire, well that's one area covered by the Revelation of John, chapter 19. Let's go there.

The chapter opens with great rejoicing for the annihilation, finally, of wicked Babylon. The smoke rising up will be a constant scene for eternity, a perpetual reminder that God avenges His people.

Then comes the announcement. It is not the feast itself, mind you, only the proclamation that we have now come to the point of the Jesus story called Wedding Day. The saints are given their clean bright linen wedding clothes, symbolic of the righteousness imputed to them all by Jesus, His wedding gift. Forgiveness. Clean slate. Holiness. Purity. And all by grace.

Then it's time to depart. Take care of some business. And eat.

One of the downsides of the so-called pre-tribulation coming of Jesus is that the passage before us is whisked away to a time seven years prior to the Babylon events. In the mind of the pre-trib theologian, any day now we'll be spirited away, while on earth will break out chaos. But it won't bother us, because after all, we overcame. The saints left behind, backslidden and unworthy, will have to deal with antichrist on their own, while we sit at the table spread by Jesus Himself.

It will be a happy day when this man-made theory dries up totally, loses its sway over Western believers, and joins the ranks of the hundreds and thousands of strange notions that have plagued God's people through the years.

You can see that the passage before us is clearly at the end of earth's suffering. You can see that the words are a mere announcement. No one sits and eats. Heaven is going out to dine. Out to a quaint little place called Earth, on the top of a hill there called Mt. Zion.

Why not eat in Heaven? First, it makes more sense for your Bride to be taken away to joy after a wedding ceremony, not to battle, as is the next thing in the text. Though the saints are dressed to dine, they must get to their dining place through a mine field readied by the Devil himself. Jesus will be coming with His saints to judge the earth's wickedness. Then we can sit and eat and rest.

But the main reason I know the Wedding Supper is on terra firma is that Jesus said so. The promise is in Luke 22, twice. I paraphrase verses 15-18:

I have really been looking forward to this Passover meal . I tell you the truth, we will not enjoy a Passover together until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. Then He took the cup, prayed, and said, Drink this, and remember, I will not be drinking wine with you until the Kingdom of God comes.

And the Kingdom of God comes, per Daniel, Jesus, Paul, and John, from Heaven to Earth when Jesus comes to judge sin, and establish His Throne in Jerusalem. The whole series of Kingdom events begins around the great Table.

Don't miss it! And join me in prayer that the closed nations of Earth, such as our dear friends in North Korea, will be able to receive their personal invitation to the Dinner, without which entry will not be gained.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed , lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond .

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Change Our Thoughts to Change Our Lives

We learned in science that objects and our bodies are comprised of atoms which are in constant motion. Matter vibrates. If the motion increases, the state of the object changes. Ice is heated to water. Water is heated to steam. Light, heat, and electricity vibrate. Colors form a spectrum from red to violet. As the pulsation increases, the colors shift from red to orange to yellow to green to blue to violet. All energies move and shift. We energy; we are vibrations.

What is true of our physical bodies is also true of our mental states. Just as physical objects modify their state, such as water to steam and lights from red to orange, our thoughts adjust. Thoughts are vibrations. We can stimulate our ideas and move them to a higher state, or we can lower them and become caught in negative emotions. We change. How we do that is our choice.

A practical spirituality teaches us that we can't cling to old ideas or patterns that are no longer useful or positive. We can think better thoughts. We can think higher thoughts. Our emotions are influenced by people around us. While we may not sense, observe or describe the differences as vibrations, we are aware that some people are more uplifting. Others bring us down.

We choose those who surround us. We choose which thoughts and emotions dominate our lives. Each mental or emotional state has its own rate of vibration. We can transform that rate at will and maintain a mental calm, unaffected by the opinions around us. Negative beliefs do not have to alter our positive state. We manage our thoughts. We do not have to get caught in the up and down drama of family, friends and associates.

Our challenge is to rise above the normal, material thoughts and be more positive, more evolved, and more spiritual.

Cheryl A. Chatfield, Ph.D. is a writer, teacher and inspirational speaker. This article is an excerpt from her recent Do It Yourself Guide To Spirituality: Seven Simple Steps . Visit http://NottInstitute.org to download and read this 40-page booklet, or to receive a free monthly Practical Spirituality Newsletter. The Nottingham Institute is a nonprofit organization that promotes material for an everyday, practical spirituality for people who don't find answers in traditional religions.

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My Walk With Farrakhan - The Reality of the Million Man March

"Call to the way of thy Lord

with wisdom and goodly exhortation,

and argue with them in the best manner."

Continuing on in the series, My walk with Farrakhan, we will examine the Million Man March on October 16th, 1995 called by God through The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.

It is amazing to think that 12 years have passed since that beautiful day on the Washington mall with nearly 2 million black men congregating in love. From that day until this day many have not understood the purpose for the march nor its goal by the author. Who was the ultimate author of the Million Man March and for what cause?

Minister Farrakhan while speaking to the gathered men reminded them,

"You came not at the call of Louis Farrakhan, but you have gathered here at the call of God. For it is only the call of Almighty God, no matter through whom that call came, that could generate this kind of outpouring. God called us here to this place. At this time. For a very specific reason."

Minister Farrakhan said that he called for the "march" in response to the pitiful global image of black men as portrayed in film, music and the some media. He further stated that he wanted to show an example to the world that black men can and must unite together in love and harmony to affect positive change in our communities.

The call of the Million Man March is rooted in biblical tradition of Jesus calling Lazarus from the grave. However, today a modern day man of God is calling a people, not from a physical grave of death, but from a spiritual-mental grave of death and ignorance.

Let us review John 11: 43-44 for clarity

"And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, loose him, and let him go."

The Holy Qur'an bears witness in similar words

"We have revealed to thee that

thou mayest bring forth men, by their

Lord's permission, from darkness

into light, to the way of the Mighty, the Praised One,"

When you look at the black community then as well as now it becomes clear that we are in need of a healing and resurrection of our minds.

My condition at the time of the Million Man March

At the time of the call of the Million Man March my life was similar to the life you see many young black men participating in. I walked with my pants hanging of my behind(sagging). I didn't attend school much and didn't take authority serious. I spent my nights getting drunk and/or high with drugs. I thought I was living the good life in my downgraded life of sin. I didn't know at the time, but Almighty God was preparing me for bigger and better things.

I was told by my mother, who was fed up with my behavior, she was requiring me to stay home and watch the Million Man March. She told me that since I can't do anything with you maybe Farrakhan can put some sense in your head.

I sat at home watching the many men and speakers on that blessed day on October16th, 1995 and was being transformed on the inside by Almighty God's spirit. However, when I heard Minister Farrakhan speak I received a message, not so much in words, but I felt him speaking directly from his spirit to my spirit. I took the pledge of the Million Man March and decided to begin the journey towards elevation.

The pledge of The Million Man March asked(by Minister Farrakhan) encouraged us to do the following things,

"Take this pledge with me. Say with me please, I, say your name, pledge that from this day forward I will strive to love my brother as I love myself.

I, say your name, from this day forward will strive to improve myself spiritually, morally, mentally, socially, politically, and economically for the benefit of myself, my family, and my people.

I, say your name, pledge that I will strive to build business, build houses, build hospitals, build factories, and then to enter international trade for the good of myself, my family, and my people.

I, say your name, pledge that from this day forward I will never raise my hand with a knife or a gun to beat, cut, or shoot any member of my family or any human being, except in self-defense.

I, say your name, pledge from this day forward I will never abuse my wife by striking here, disrespecting her for she is the mother of my children and the producer of my future.

I, say your name, pledge that from this day forward I will never engage in the abuse of children, little boys, or little girls for sexual gratification. But I will let them grow in peace to be strong men and women for the future of our people.

I, say your name, will never again use the B word to describe my female, but particularly my own Black sister.

I, say your name, pledge from this day forward that I will not poison my body with drugs or that which is destructive to my health and my well being.

I, say your name, pledge from this day forward, I will support Black newspapers, Black radio, Black television. I will support Black artists, who clean up their acts to show respect for themselves and respect for their people, and respect for the ears of the human family.

I, say your name, will do all of this so help me God."

I know where I came from and where I was inspired to go as a direct result of the call of the Million Man March. I will never let anyone disrespect that day by saying it didn't achieve anything. I was a man that was lost, but was inspired to be a better person by the truth and presence of Minister Farrakhan at the Million Man March.

I like to use the example of a patient going to a doctor as an example of the Million Man March. You can't blame a doctor if you are sick and you go to a doctor to heal you and the doctor prescribes you a prescription, however you never go home and take the prescription, so you die. Such a doctor cannot be charged with malpractice. It is the responsibility of both the doctor to prescribe and the patient to take the medicine to affect healing.

In conclusion what medicine did "doctor" Farrakhan give to black men at the Million Man March?

In the following words he gave the ultimate medicine and purpose for our presence at the "march",

"Well, some of us are here because it's history making. Some of us are here because it's a march through which we can express anger and rage with America for what she has and is doing to us. So, we're here for many reasons but the basic reason while this was called was for atonement and reconciliation. So, it is necessary for me in as short of time as possible to give as full an explanation of atonement as possible."

He gave us the following summation of 8 steps of atonement

1) Point out the wrong

2)Acknowledge the wrong

3)Confess fault

4)Repentance

5)Atonement

6)Forgiveness

7)Reconciliation and restoration

8)Perfect union with God

Long live the spirit of the Million Man March!

Mustafaa Muhammad is an "African American" who is a follower of the Islamic faith. Through independent religious studies developed an ecumenical view of the world's religions and the people of God. And while he is devoted to Islam as his faith he is at home in the Church(or other religious institutions) as he is in the Mosque.

He has been featured on the Radio, Newspapers, public speaking events and at Mosques/Churches telling his story and offering his understanding of Almighty God's plan for salvation.

Mustafaa is involved in community activity. He believes that our faith must inspire us to greater service to humanity or we may be making a mockery of the purpose of faith. Contact him @ http://brothermustafaa.com

Questioning Old Testament Stories From The Bible

Should The Bible Be Edited
Are Christians Really Interested

A Spiritual Check-up

Now is a great time for a self check-up. The new year is here and you have probably renewed your resolutions from last year. Why settle for failed resolutions again when you can have guaranteed results. The results I'm talking about are the ones that will take you to the next level of performance, promise and purpose.

Not another year of disappointment, defeat and disillusionment.

This is not a physical or mental check-up, it is a check of your spiritual man to make sure that you are prospering eternally and externally in accordance to the promises and purpose of God.

Let's begin our spiritual check up by inspecting our fruit, this will be a major indicator of what is going great and where we need to change.

Then we'll look at how we can increase our efforts to get even better results throughout the year. Followed by identifying strategies to increase our fortitude, the inner strength we'll need to complete the journey we have before us.

God has assembled each of us here for his purpose and cause, in this specific time period and particular place. This cause is bigger than just your needs.

We should be sharing/sowing fruit daily, spurring each other towards love and good deeds. Some of our fruit are peace, love and forgiveness. The areas of life that we are responsible for sharing and showing others.

These are the tools that we have at our disposal to build bridges from us to other people so that God can come across.

If you harbor prejudice, hatred or have not forgiven someone then you are unable to bear fruit and you stand where you are today, because you have failed to fulfill your spiritual purpose and you should take a deeper look inside yourself, to determine why you are not progressing in this important area of life.

Having a brilliant career and a great personal life will seem unimportant if they are centered around emotional indulgence instead of spiritual progress.

How can one change their spiritual condition or situation?

First, let me warn you, that you can't reach any level of true spirituality without obeying the first tenet, which requires that you must be born again. Not just a mere spring cleaning but a rebuilding of the whole house.

Then it takes consistent and regular habits of prayer and meditation. I'm not talking about the habit that some have become accustomed too of pronouncing affirmations once or twice as if they were a magical incantation.

Could you practice on the piano occasionally and yet expect to be able to play well on any desired occasion?

To strengthen your spirit you need to build up a faithful daily habit of prayer and begin exercising a true love-consciousness, then the rest of the spiritual development will follow after that.

Some people pray only when they are in trouble or on their Sabbath and then, they find it hard to get any sort of meaningful results. Maybe you have heard the old adage, " little prayer, little power; much prayer, much power."

Sooner or later, through trouble or triumph, you will find the need to put God first in your life, but it must be the first thing. When this happens you will find that you have gotten rid of the mental junk that people try to carry around with them.

You'll spend less time pursuing material possessions and stuff, our artificial needs, things that don't really matter and only waste time and energy. Your life will become simpler and quieter, but spiritually richer and infinitely more worthwhile.

E J Jolivet is a freelance writer working, writing and worshiping in Houston, Tx.

Who Really Wrote The Bible

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Greg Vanden Berge Quotes

Spiritual Education

I have read more information on spirituality, world religions, self-help, motivation and inspirational thinking than you could ever imagine. I probably have about 300 books and about a hundred audios that I could listen to on these subjects. But let's not forget that I have over 200 DVDs and VHS tapes also. Oh I forgot to mention that in October of 2007 my house burned down and along with it was what I would like to refer to it as my lifetime collection on these topics. If I had to value this collection, it would be almost $20,000 in materials.

Now the one thing that the fire provided me with, was a chance to start over and in less than a year of literary accumulation, I'm off to a good start. I have been studying over my lifetime with extreme persistence on how to better my life, which religion to follow and how to make more money.

If someone was to ask me, what I've learned and what books would I recommend, I've got quite a list. I built a website last year to support some of my favorite authors and to help others gather great materials for changing their life. Some of these books have given me what I would like to call a spiritual hernia. So much information and so little time to go through it.

I often ask myself, was this the best use of my time? Could I have done it another way? I really don't know, and I really don't know what will work exactly for you or your friends. I will give you some advice, meditation, contemplation, and meditation, seemed to be the key to a higher spiritual education. Whatever religion you belong to, whether it's Christianity, Hinduism or Islamic thinking, you can spend a little time with your self thinking about your religious choices, on a daily basis.

Simply sit quietly in a comfortable environment for 15 minutes each day. Try to relax, without falling asleep and clear your mind of any thoughts you have during this period. Try to do this every day and soon you will start to see things a little bit clearer. It seems like meditation strips off the layers of crap that are clouding our minds.

Start with 15 minutes and when you feel comfortable, try to extend the time. Some spiritual and inspirational experts, block out at least one hour each day to spend meditating, thinking about the day's events or just trying to get some creative insight for the next day.

I would also like to recommend, one of the best books that I have read on spirituality, laws of attraction and even meditation. The book is by Arnold Patent called "You Can Have It All." This book was also recommended by Oprah Winfrey and other motivational and spiritual authors.

Meditation can provide you with relaxation and creative insight for solving your problems or can be used, just to clear your mind for a while.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Have It All

Greg is currently working on a motivation help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

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Another Crappy Rule In The Bible

Book Review - Mixed - My Life in Black and White

"I hate covert racism. I always hated guessing whether someone is being mean/rude/nervous because they hate my race or because they are having a bad day. As I got older, I noticed that covert racism is like depression: You know it when you feel it, but it's hard to explain to someone who has never experienced it. It's like a sixth sense that God has given people of color that white people don't believe in. We just know."

In her memoir "Mixed: My Life in Black and White" (2006), Angela Nissel writes of the struggles she faces while growing up biracial. Nissel's name may be familiar to fans of the NBC comedy series "Scrubs." She has been a staff writer for the show for four years and is now consulting producer. As a starving artist (a.k.a. freelance writer), Nissel sold some goods on eBay for extra cash. The winning bidder for one of those items was a television executive who had read her first book "The Broke Diaries" (2001), which was about her days as a broke college student. The eBay winner introduced Nissel to a television literary agent who sent copies of "The Broke Diaries" to shows hiring comedy writers. Nissel had numerous job offers, but chose "Scrubs."

Her knack for sarcastic, quick-witted humor that is a driving force in "Scrubs" is what makes "Mixed" a must read. When Nissel is in the fourth grade, two of her classmates, Jimmy and Michael, call her a zebra. (That isn't the humorous part.) Nissel's father finds out and goes to the boys' houses with Angela. Jimmy's parents scold their son. However, Michael's father slams the door in Angela's father's face. That father's dog has been using the Nissels' yard as a bathroom, so Angela's father concocts a hilarious scheme involving an Ex-Lax pill. Angela asks her father whether the Ex-Lax will hurt the dog. "'No, just Michael's father's carpets,'" her dad replies.

Later, though, Angela discovers that her father has been cheating on her mother, but even this situation is steeped in humor. "I already knew my parents were having problems and she suspected my father of cheating. (Note to parents: Trying to have cryptic conversations by spelling words out no longer works once your child is reading.) Then later, "Ever since the first argument about my father c-h-e-a-t-i-n-g with w-h-o-r-e-s, my mother had started working a lot...."

The thing about this book is that the comedic moments are also sad ones. And this is Nissel's strength: She makes you laugh, but she also makes you think. Comments from people about her looks teach her that there is "good" hair and an "ugly" nose. The features people consider pretty are from her white father.

She went to all-black schools, all-white schools, public, private, schools associated with different religions-yet she never fit in. She was never white enough or black enough, so she was the target of merciless teasing. "Being a mixed child, you get used to people staring at you," she writes. She immediately follows with humor: "I learned that rolling my eyes or sticking out my tongue was the quickest way to get people to avert their gazes." She learns that being biracial is no easier in the dating world. She notices that of six black male coworkers at a production company, "five had white wives and one was dating an Asian girl."

The book is filled with Nissel's struggles, but she doesn't want you to feel sorry for her; she is explaining how her experiences (good or bad) made her who she is. She makes you care about the people in her life, particularly her mother, who let her daughter change schools and religions-almost as often as she changed her clothes-in an attempt to find herself. Nissel doesn't censor herself-or anyone else-which makes for brilliant dialogue and unapologetic honesty.

http://www.whitneybrennan.info

Can Women Speak inside of Church - Christians

Christian Articles
Personal Development

Conversations With My Master About Quantum Physics

CONVERSATIONS WITH I.F. QUANTUM PHYSICS

For 30 years I studied with my spiritual master, I.F. Now that I look back I can see that he understood the Laws of Quantum Physics and he taught it to me in all the occult and mystical examples and sciences he used. Only he used the language of the discipline he was teaching. Runes, Tarot, Astrology, Hermetics, Numerology and Egyptology.

It is only now when I look back in retrospect that I see the seeds of the Laws of Quantum Physics in his words and writings. Years before Quantum Physics became in known to the masses.

Now, part of my dharma is to not only carry on I.F.'s work, but to also, to the best of my ability, show the golden thread of the Laws of Quantum Physics that ran through all of the Ancient Wisdom Teachings.

Here is a very basic description of the Laws of Quantum Physics that I use as my measuring stick.

"There exists an infinite ocean of thinking, intelligent energy called the Quantum Ocean, or the Mind of God. Everything that ever was, is or will be is contained in the quantum ocean. There is no time there, No past, present nor future. Only the Now! There is no space there, only the HERE!. Therefore the Mind of God or the Quantum Ocean is an infinite point in the HERE-NOW!. We all live in two realities. Our physical one and our quantum ocean one.

Inside the quantum ocean are divine blueprints, or energy patterns or energy matrices that when projected onto the physical plane become part of our reality.

Thoughts are things and what we think we attract out of the quantum ocean and into our aura. Our aura is the energy filed that connects us to both our physical reality and our blueprint in the quantum ocean. We become what we think.

Here are some of the ideas presented to me over 30 years ago in the form of Study Letters by I.F. You judge the similarity to the Laws of Quantum Physics.

I.F. said that there is a blueprint for each person's life, but within that blueprint there are many possible variations and fluctuations,ramifications and many areas in which to operate

Every one's blueprint for life is to expand consciousness. To grow and become more aware of who and what we really are and to live in accordance with our blueprint. But the way we grow is up to the individual.

Life is a constant stream of choices. it is a choice from the very beginning.

As you expand your consciousness you make better choices. it is all a mathematical process. Use discrimination, wisdom and selectivity combined with balanced living to structure a whole (HOLY) life.

It fits so well with the ideas that thoughts are things and that we create our lives by what we think. We think thoughts or health, wealth and happiness along with the desire to be more conscious then we live a full productive life. The more conscious or god-like we become the better choices we make. The better choices we make the more conscious we become.

It works in the other direction also. The worse choices we make the more bestial we become and the lower our consciousness becomes. The lower our consciousness the more bestial. It brings up a very interesting occult question as far as reincarnation goes. According to some of the Eastern Religions you can be reborn as an animal. Something to think about?

Ellis Peterson AKA Ragnar Storyteller is a retired math professor and electronics engineer. He has been studying astrology, runes, radionics, metaphysics and alternate healing treatments for over 30 years. He is 70+, in very good health and lives in the boonies of the Pocono mountains with his wife Lory. His writings are unique and refreshing. To see more of his writings visit his websites.

http://www.olevikingshop.com/

and

http://www.runes-for-health-wealth-love-now.com/

Or go to Google and type in his pen name RAGNAR STORYTELLER for his listings. He is also a ghost writer and will write and article for you. Email Ragnar for his FREE 10 PART MINI-COURSE, "How-To use Quantum Physics in Your Every Day Life to Attract More Wealth, Health and Love, Now." You can contact him by email.

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The Holiday Epiphany

Most people are too distracted thinking about Christmas sales and promos, they tend to forget the celebration of Epiphany. The Epiphany is the time after Christmas when the 3 Magi visited the Child Jesus. Back then, the Epiphany celebration had the twelve days Christ's birth when the church celebrates Christ being shown as the Light of the world and remembers the journey of the three wise men.

Families in countries different from the US start the Epiphany celebration by remembering others on St. Stephens Day. St. Stephen's Day is on December 26 and commemorates Stephen, Christianity's first martyr. You might read Stephen's life story in Acts 6, 7, & 8.

His convictions about the revelation of Christ in the world brought about his death. In the book of Acts, he was considered the first martyr among Christians. For hundreds of years, people of the Christian faith have remembered his faithfulness on December 26, the day after Christ's birth is celebrated. This day is for selfless care for people in need, the unwanted, who have no people to love them.

Along with your family, it's nice to also find a needy family or support group to render services the day after Christmas. When most people are out shopping, you can be different by showing that you care by bringing food or gifts to an impoverished family.

In countries like Britain and Canada, December 26th is known as Boxing Day and considered an official holiday there. When my kids first heard of it, they were thinking of celebrating boxing as a sport. They never thought that Boxing day was about the service of love.

During this day, boxes of food are given to people in. Back then food and necessities were given to servants from their masters. The Wenceslaus' spirit is shown when people celebrate with great happiness the manifestation of the Good News of Jesus' coming to the world.

Most of the time churches plan for this day by specifically rendering humanitarian services to the needy and thus show that God's Word requires good deeds to people near them. On this day, you can visibly see true love as people give to their fellow man.

Kris King offers free advent calendars with daily Christmas activities to prepare your family for Christmas. Your family will learn more about holiday traditions with some of the daily activities

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Marks of the False Teacher

If I were a pastor, I would name names in this article. I would defend the flock against the ravaging wolves. Now that would get me in trouble with carnal members, but I'd do it anyway. There is absolutely nothing wrong with God's true shepherds taking a verbal rod and verbally smashing the head of one who is viciously devouring the people of God.

I'm not a pastor. And calling out names before in my writings got me in trouble with the Lord. Nevertheless I believe I have the green light to name descriptive characteristics of false teachers so that anyone can recognize these monsters on sight.

"Monsters" you say? So severe? Yes, I'm using a rather severe source for my authority. It's a blistering denunciation written by none other than the apostle Peter. Straying weakling little lambs who are all excited by the current crop of false luminaries need to have this list of Peter force-fed to them by someone who cares.

There have been deceivers in every generation. There have been silly sheep who go after them. The true sheep wake up in time. The others were looking for a show and got what they wanted.

All right, Peter, talk to us. It's II Peter chapters 1 and 2.

At the end of chapter one, Peter lays the foundation for all prophetic utterance, the standard by which all utterances of our day must be judged. Those prophecies already written came by way of the Holy Ghost and are not to be changed in any way.

But, says Peter, along with those true prophets were a gang of false ones. And though we too have true utterances, which have likewise been recorded for us in the New Testament, Peter says look out! These words are going to be challenged too. Here's how to recognize what's happening: (numbers correspond to verses in chapter two)

• 1. The false words will come in secretly. Not to entire denominations. Not to major churches. But here and there the ideas will be planted, and then spread. Some will go so far as to deny the Lord altogether. This is not explained. Does it mean that cardinal doctrines about Jesus will be discredited? His atoning power? His resurrection? Or to equate their own words with His? Or imply that the words of Jesus are passe, that we need fresh fire, fresh words from Heaven?
• 2 Because of their ways, that is, their habits or lifestyles, or just the awfulness of the teaching, even the outside world will curse the Christian message. We will be a laughingstock not because of the truth but because of the ridiculous additions to the message.
• 3 These men will be known to be covetous. They will fleece the flock instead of feed it. They will live like kings using the offerings given innocently to God.
• 10 These men, and let us not leave out the women, will be obviously fleshly in their demeanor. Many will try to excuse them in the name of Christian liberty, but eventually someone will just have to say, these guys are in the flesh, not the Spirit.They will be lust-filled men, unclean in body and soul.
• 11 They will despise authority, treat it lightly, and raise themselves up to fill the void they have created.They will be presumptuous, intruding into people's lives with an unholy boldness. They will be self-willed. Ever try to speak to one of these "prophets" and convince him of anything? 11 They will have a light attitude toward heavenly authorities, and in their own fleshly power will come against angelic forces. They will breathe a sense of familiarity with angels and demons that will be unhealthy and unsafe.
• 12 In keeping with the latter, they will "speak evil of things they do not even understand."
• 14 These will be adulterous men, who lead others into sexual immorality.
• 15 They do what they do in church to receive a financial reward.
• 18 They are great speakers. "Great swelling words" come from their mouths. But it is all show, all flesh, and the end result is the re-capturing of souls who were on their way out of the world's system and its tempptations. But now these straying ones have found a flesh champion in the church and they do not follow the way of holiness any longer.
• 19 They preach "liberty" from the old bondage, as they call it. Liberty from the "same ol' Christianity". But they are slaves to their lusts.

Now, I have seen men and women like this on TV and in church. How about you? I have heard of others by doing research on the Internet. How about you?

Oh brothers and sisters, beware! When you hear about brother so-and-so, do a few things before you go hear him preach:

• Pray with all your heart for God's wisdom and discernment
• Check him out! Most of these charlatans have already been nailed by godly pastors. We live in the Internet age, and there is no excuse for people being deceived unless they want to. A simple Googling of the teacher's name will bring up the information you need.
• One thing NOT to do: Go personally to check him out first. If he is a deceiver, and you have any weak areas at all, you'll be prey to his poison. Pray, study, be sure! You do not need to drink the poison to know it will kill you.

So, no names named. But I would not be surprised if you are inwardly saying the names of quite a few people now. Don't be afraid to give them, mentally, the left foot of fellowship.

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The Scant History Of The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Theory

We must travel 1400 years from the first mention of a pre-tribulation "catching away" before we find another word about it, and the source we find is not altogether convincing. The story goes that a Mr. Morgan Edwards was in his 20's at the writing of this paper, and wrote it for a college professor who wished Edwards to defend the literal interpretation of Scripture, a process not in vogue in that day. To do so, Morgan invented "a new doctrine" which it seems he did not espouse for himself, but rather he theorized as an intellectual pursuit. He even used Acts 17:19, 20 on his title page: "May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? For you are bringing some strange things to our ears." Morgan actually quoted the words of pagan philosophers!

And Mr. Edwards certainly would have delighted the men of Mars Hill, for not only does he come up with a pre-tribulation rapture, he also speculates that the lake of fire is in the moon, and that all planets in the solar system are inhabited. Some historians looking for the modern beginnings of pre-trib teaching discount Edwards altogether.

So there is this fourth-century hermit and a Bible college student on assignment espousing the pre-trib view, and they lived 1400 years apart. Not exactly a part of the "stream of revelation" one would expect for such a serious doctrine, if it be serious.

Historically, I suggest that 1830 is a more substantial date for the beginning of this doctrine . It was during this year that 15-year-old Margaret Macdonald, a "prophetess" of the newly arising Pentecostal movement in Scotland, uttered a vision that stated that Christians were to be raptured just prior to the Great Tribulation.

This event surely causes many, especially the Pentecostals of our own day, to give pause. Surely if something was spoken by a "word from the Lord," one cannot take it lightly, they reason. Yet these same people would have to take the words of Jesus and Paul lightly, to believe Margaret. One sadly lacking gift in the explosion of charisma over the years has been the gift of discernment, whereby utterances should, yea must, be challenged and compared to what God has already said. And when it is discerned that deception is at hand, a further discernment is needed, namely the identification of the spirit coming forth into the meeting and the subsequent repudiation of it along with the teaching it promotes. One doesn't

see this too often. It seems Margaret was not challenged then and is not now.

Within a year or two afterwards, Presbyterian pastor Edward Irving, of "Irvingite" fame in London (The Catholic Apostolic Church), heard about this dream, developed it theologically, and began teaching the pre-tribulation rapture to his congregation. By the time dispensationalist Darby got hold of it, it was already circulating fairly well. But Darby we will talk about another time.

For now, the point is made, I think, that the idea that Christ will catch away His bride before trouble breaks out planet-wide, then come back in 7 years to set up His Kingdom, having left "tribulation saints" behind to be punished for their lackadaisical ways... historically, it's just not there.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

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The Show Church

In North Korea there are churches that have been opened by the government, just for show. I was pondering recently over the situation in America. One wonders how much of what we Christians do is for the same reason, show. How many churches are run by the bulletin instead of by His program? How many have an agenda that must be kept at all costs?

Order is essential in a congregation, we understand. But when the meeting becomes predictable, or when the flesh dictates that order, one has a show church.

For example, today many pastors refuse to wear ties, in deference to the unpopularity of that item of the male wardrobe. It is assumed that the donning of casual dress will attract casual people. This is fleshly thinking.

In many churches, the desires of the young have been placed over the wisdom of the elderly. Music is one of the victims of this decision. For generations the church has passed on a rich tradition of in-depth majestic hymnody. The great teachings of Scripture have been put to music, and passed on decade after decade. As new songs have come along, those of wisdom have slowly added them to the collection.

But now, the collections are set aside en masse. Entirely new collections are in place, and weekly there are new songs added to the list. A man who has been a Christian for 50 years can sit through a meeting totally a stranger to the music portion of the fellowship. And he can think he is a stranger to the church, being left behind. This has not been true in every generation. It is sadly true in this one.

Often, standing before such elderly saints are young rockers, who have been granted sanction in this fast-evolving scene, authority to lead, not only worship, but devotion, prayer time, up to half of the meeting. Certainly we honor the new believer, and want him to learn leadership skills a bit at a time. But the wholesale turning over of pulpits and platforms to the young is not a Biblical precedent. It is more fleshly thinking. And it is destructive to all concerned.

The thinking is, We will let these people get involved, and then they will stick around. We used to think of such a process as bribery. What if they are not given heady leadership roles, and attention? Will they drift away? Is this what the framers of the New Testament saw as a likely scenario for church growth? Is this how we progress?

Or is this a show church? A church that hopes to grow by having the best show? Should not a warning be posted to the ones responsible for sheperding God's flock, that those who neglect the ancient landmarks in the interest of attracting those whose motives are fleshly will produce a fleshly church, a la Rome? When the saints are set aside so that the world can be promoted in God's holy church, is that church holy any longer? Is that church God's? When the sheep are bleating out their pain at the hijacking of their fellowship by those who only seek ambitious fulfillment, shall not the shepherd take action?

Evangelism is to be by testimony, not by show. Not the best building in town. Not the best performance in town. Only the purest Gospel, the most defining of standards, preached all week by its members. Raise the bar high. Let the world know that without help from above they cannot reach the wonderful ways He has given us.

Is that not how we were raised? Oh there were those who became "all things" to us. There were youth leaders who drew us in and made us feel comfortable. But there was also a higher plane to which we attained. There was a corporate meeting of men and women to whom we aspired. The elderly men stood before us, and by life and word led us to better things. Who is leading now? Certainly not the men, in more and more churches. And certainly not the elderly.

I fear that these later inventions will be exported to North Korea when it is finally open to the Gospel. So many Koreans are in America drinking in American ways. And so many want to take this brand of Christianity to the North. May God help us to understand that the brand of Christianity already in North Korea is what they need more of, not our brand.

There, people come to Christ because they love Him. No one else in his right mind would take the journey to certain suffering. They need not rock music, modern ways. They already love Him more than many of us. They don't need to be bribed. Sprinlked throughout this barren nation are pockets of believers worshiping and learning of the Master, serving Him alone.

They have found the way of the Cross. The way of the Cross trumps the way of the show.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website made to ask believers to pray for North Korea. Recently I have added Bible teachings to the menu. There are nearly 300 blogs , a live news feed , lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com Audio teachings at sermonaudio.com under my name.

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

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Is The Pre-Tribulation Rapture In I Thessalonians 5:9?

Surely God will not let His children suffer like the world that is going to be judged, right? I mean after all, look at Paul's words:

I Thessalonians 5:9, "For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Question: Since the tribulation is the wrath of God upon unbelievers, how can the church be present?

Let me ask you in return a more difficult question from the pre-tribulation perspective: If people can indeed be saved during the Tribulation, as most who teach this theory believe, [since they see saints all over the Book of Revelation], why are the saints not raptured out of the world immediately upon their salvation, since the same wrath will be falling all around? Are these new believers a separate category of saints? To put a possible end to the dilemma of both questions, let us call upon brothers Bethel and Schwertley:

From Bethel, " What is the wrath to which we are not appointed? And, can saints go through the Great Tribulation without suffering the

wrath of God, as did the Old Testament saints in Egypt when God sent His plagues because of Pharaoh? ..."

The first question, regarding the nature of the wrath, needs a careful answer. For the wrath of God is indeed poured out during the three and one half years called the "Tribulation." During these times, believers will be separated from unbelievers, as they were in Egypt. Nevertheless there will be other forms of death for believers, and as Bethel says, "Tribulation and persecution is not the wrath of God...persecution and martyrdom is the New Testament norm."

He adds that, ultimately, " The wrath of God that Christians will be kept from is the wrath of the last day and, of course, the wrath of the Lake of Fire." It is clear at the end of the Book that believers are indeed caught up before Jesus pours out His vengeance on all His enemies (19:11-21). There is definitely no one called saint on the planet at that moment.

Bethel says that often in Scripture God takes His people through tribulation rather than delivering them from it.He cites Noah, the three Hebrew boys, and Daniel as examples of this. He mentions that all the Apostles were martyred except John... "God sometimes lets His saints suffer and die for His glory. Beloved, let no man deceive you. The saints will go through the tribulation depicted in the Revelation. The antichrist will be given power 'to make war with the saints, and to overcome them' (Rev. 13:7). The prophet Daniel wrote concerning the antichrist, 'He will speak against the Most High and oppress His saints...The saints will be handed over to him for [three and a half years]...He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people' (Dan. 7:25, 8:24). Christians who are compromisers before the Great Tribulation are not going to be overcomers through it."

Yes, God's people are kept from the wrath before the ultimate wrath during this Tribulation time: Hear Schwertley: "Revelation 16:1-2 says that God's wrath (the first bowl) is only to be poured out on the worshipers of the beast, who have his mark. Once again believers are excluded. In 16:9 and 11 those who receive God's plagues are identified as blasphemers who refuse to repent. A careful reading of Revelation demonstrates that although God's people experience persecution, death, and harm at the hands of wicked men they are carefully and lovingly excluded from every act of God's wrath..."

Another example then of pre-tribulation arguments that go up in smoke under close examination. God's people will not be judged with His wrath, but they will not be spared from the ravages of the antichrist. They suffer in our present day, and they will suffer then. It is knowing this that makes the "blessed hope" even more blessed.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

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North Korea - Getting Out

Here is a very recent picture of how things in North Korea are changing while staying the same. "The same" is the constant desire of people who discover the truth to get out of North Korea. What's developing into a news story is the organized business that is evolving to get them out.

"Planned escapes" are making not a few brokers financially comfortable, even if the business is a bit risky. Any there's a whole range of prices, from a budget plan $2000.00 to a super deluxe escape that runs about 5 times that much. Now, the low-cost exit involves some difficult river-crossings, pedestrian travel, and even several weeks in a Thai immigration jail. But at least you're out. Free from Kim. The high-end plan will get you a forged Chinese passport, and an airplane ride from Beijing to Seoul. The whole ordeal can be over in three weeks!

Though one hears regularly of crack-downs and tighter security, this article explains that the bigger change is the conduct of bribe-hungry guards. The word has got 'round that looking the other way is a great method of having a little extra spending money, and that's surely hard to come by, by any legal means in Kim-land.

It was the Christians who led the way out of North Korea, thanks be to God. They did it out of love and serious compassion, risking their lives only because of the workings of the Spirit within them. But others caught the idea and decided it would be a great way to make a living. Now there are more paid than unpaid "rescuers."

The description of the refugees has changed over the years too. A trickle of mostly 30-40 year old males with "important" jobs was the original flow. For them it was not such a difficult thing to get out. A total of 41 such people made the journey from North to South Korea in 1995. But the numbers have grown exponentially since then. With agents galore willing to help, the count rose to over 2,000 in 2006 alone. And there are more women and children now than men.

Not everyone uses an agent. There may be 100,000 self-led North Koreans hiding in China waiting for their breakthrough to the South, or somewhere safe.

For those who do buy their way out, there is always someone willing to take their money. There are scams. But generally the men come through on their promises. And no one is claiming this is easy money. Some get caught. A former NK military officer who defected in '99 says the "policy is for 100 percent execution of those caught helping people to defect. I personally saw several such executions." Of course, citizens trying to escape are accused of treason. 5 years in prison with all the accompanying horrors, is possible for them .

Even those who reach the South have a serious issue to deal with: guilt over those left behind. In fact, families of escapees are quite often imprisoned. One such lady heard that "her mother, father, and sister were forced from their homes by the authorities and relocated to a farming area in the interior." She then hired brokers to find them, but they too were arrested. She says, "You cannot know how heartbreaking it is to leave your family in this way."

We will not judge them. We simply cannot comprehend... We will pray that the reason for all this sorrow and grief will soon be taken away. And that North Koreans will continue to be pointed Upward as they are directed outward.

Facts from above article gleaned from a recent MSNBC story.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

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Rapture or Second Coming? One Distinction Refuted

It is disappointing to read the works of men that are normally trustworthy in their treatment of Scripture, when it comes to their promotion of a "pre-tribulation rapture," that is , a coming of Christ before the coming of Christ. Consider our brother in Oregon, head of the Berean Call ministry. Over and over his publications define New Testament Christianity and its enemies. But on the subject at hand he seems to fall woefully short of exemplifying his "Berean" philosophy. The brother actually sees "clear distinctions" between the rapture and the second coming. He reported on these distinctions several years back.

For one, he says that at the rapture, Christ does not return to earth, but at the second coming He does. As proof, he offers the words of Jesus in John 14:3: "I will...receive you unto myself that where I am you may be also." Further, he quotes Paul (I Thessalonians 4:17): "...caught up to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord."

Certainly our brother does not suggest that Jesus remains suspended "in the air", that is, the atmosphere above our earth, constantly for those seven years. We all assume that at this point, when the saints are gathered, Jesus either goes back to Heaven, or completes His journey by coming to earth. Now both of the quoted statements only tell us that when we leave here we go to be with Jesus, and remain with Him forever. No other point, especially geographical, can be extracted. So the argument is from silence. Since the text does not state here which way Jesus goes, it is assumed that He goes up, to fit the theory.

True "Bereans" search the Scriptures daily "to find out whether these things be so." My brother Berean needs to compare Scripture with Scripture here: For example, take a look at Matthew 24:30 and 31, and then compare it to the passage he uses in the Thessalonian letter. In both passages are clouds, angels , a trumpet, and a gathering. Matthew's text is acknowledged to be about the final coming, while the pre-trib people say Paul was talking about a rapture seven years earlier. But what distinction can be drawn? Consider :

I Thessalonians 4:16-17: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

If we add in more of Paul's supposed pre-trib teaching from I Corinthians 15:52, we find that that "trumpet" is the last trumpet. But that ties it in with Revelation 11:15, where the seventh and final trumpet is sounded at a time that is clearly the end of all things. There cannot be another trumpet after this. Yet Matthew 24, supposedly written about a period seven years in the future, mentions another trumpet! The number of trumpets doesn't "add up."

Here's Matthew: "...after the tribulation...the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven ...they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven . And He will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they will gather together his elect from one end of heaven to the other."

Paul knew the teachings about the second coming of Christ. He knew that they involved angels, trumpet, clouds, and a gathering. Is it likely that, in this confused Thessalonian church, he would introduce the same terminology used for the second coming of Christ without spelling out his meaning, that this "coming" is separate from the other?

Further, in Acts 1:9-11, normally considered a "second coming" promise, Jesus ascends into heaven, and a cloud receives Him out of their sight. Angels promise that when Jesus descends it will be in the same manner, as John repeats: "Lo he comes with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him" (Revelation 1:7). It fits the pattern. Jesus comes down, and in the context of Acts, He sets up His kingdom. And like a magnet drawing nails, His own are drawn to Him at that time.

Why did the church buy into the necessity of two second comings? Why aren't both of these events ever described side by side? How do such great Bible scholars buy into a doctrine that demands that they wrest text after text to make it fit?

Seems like this is a greater mystery than the teaching itself.

Hello! I'm brother Bob Faulkner, and I am truly enjoying sharing God's Word with you on Ezine. For a full listing of teachings including audios, go to http://sermonaudio.com and type in my name. Also visit with me at http://chosunhouse.com and let me share with you my love for North Korea.

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