God Blog

• "Because they lead my people astray, saying, "Peace," when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash…" Ezekiel 13:10 NIV

• "Everyone’s after the dishonest dollar, little people and big people alike. Prophets and priests and everyone in between twist words and doctor truth. My people are broken—shattered!—and they put on Band-Aids, Saying, ‘It’s not so bad. You’ll be just fine.’ But things are not ‘just fine’! Do you suppose they are embarrassed over this outrage? No, they have no shame. They don’t even know how to blush. There’s no hope for them. They’ve hit bottom and there’s no getting up. As far as I’m concerned,  they’re finished. God has spoken." Jeremiah 6:13-15 MSG

• "Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him. "If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you." John 8:31-32 MSG

• "Every man who loves truth recognizes my voice." John 18:37 PHILLIPS

• "There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us." 2 Timothy 3:15-17 MSG

• "God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what." Hebrews 4:12-13 MSG

• Inference is a fact reasonably implied from another fact. It is a logical consequence. It derives a conclusion from a given fact or premise. It is the deduction of one proposition from another proposition. Such inferential facts or propositions are sufficiently binding when their truth is established by competent and satisfactory evidence. Competent evidence means such evidence as the nature of the thing to be proved admits. Satisfactory evidence means that amount of proof which would ordinarily satisfy an unprejudiced mind beyond a reasonable doubt. Jesus used this rule when he proved the resurrection of the dead to the unbelieving Sadducees in Matt. 22:23-33.

• “Conjecture is an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information. an unproven mathematical or scientific theorem: the Goldbach conjecture. In textual criticism the suggestion or reconstruction of a reading of a text not present in the original source.

• “An inference is an idea or conclusion that's drawn from evidence and reasoning. An inference is an educated guess. We learn about some things by experiencing them first-hand, but we gain other knowledge by inference — the process of inferring things based on what is already known. When you make an inference, you're reading between the lines or just looking carefully at the facts and coming to conclusions.

• "Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate."

• "Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him."

• "Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God."

• “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has granted me [the needed] strength and made me able for this, because He considered me faithful and trustworthy, putting me into service [for this ministry], even though I was formerly a blasphemer [of our Lord] and a persecutor [of His church] and a shameful and outrageous and violent aggressor [toward believers]. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief. The grace of our Lord [His amazing, unmerited favor and blessing] flowed out in superabundance [for me, together] with the faith and love which are [realized] in Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 12:14 AMP

• “This is a faithful and trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance and approval, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost [of sinners], Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example or pattern for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King of the ages [eternal], immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 12:15-17 AMP

• “…and that He appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the Twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, but some have fallen asleep [in death]. Then He was seen by James, then by all the apostles, and last of all, as to one untimely (prematurely, traumatically) born, He appeared to me also. For I am the least [worthy] of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I [at one time] fiercely oppressed and violently persecuted the church of God. But by the [remarkable] grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not without effect. In fact, I worked harder than all of the apostles, though it was not I, but the grace of God [His unmerited favor and blessing which was] with me.” 1 Corinthians 15:5-10 AMP

• “For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 AMP

• Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage." Matthew 5:13 MSG

• "You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell." Matthew 5:21-22 NLT

• "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:27-28 NIV

• "If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell." Matthew 5:29-30 NIV

• "It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery." Matthew 5:31-32 NIV

• "But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:15 NLB

• "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it." Matthew 7:13-14 AMP

• "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28 NIV

• "Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven." Matthew 10:32-33 NIV

• "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Matthew 12:36-37 NKJV

• "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are." Matthew 23:15 NIV

• "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel." Matthew 23:23-24 NIV

• "You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You’re like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it’s all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you’re saints, but beneath the skin you’re total frauds." Matthew 23:27-28 MSG

• "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?" Matthew 23:33 NIV

• "Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has put in charge of his household to give the others [in the house] their food and supplies at the proper time? Blessed is that [faithful] servant when his master returns and finds him doing so. I assure you and most solemnly say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that servant is evil and says in his heart, ‘My master is taking his time [he will not return for a long while],’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour of which he is not aware, and will cut him in two and put him with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger]." Matthew 24:45-51 AMP

• "But woe to (alas for) you who are rich ([abounding in material resources), for you already are receiving your consolation (the solace and sense of strengthening and cheer that come from prosperity) and have taken and enjoyed your comfort in full [having nothing left to be awarded you]. Woe to (alas for) you who are full now (completely filled, luxuriously gorged and satiated), for you shall hunger and suffer want! Woe to (alas for) you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep and wail!" Luke 6:24-25 AMP

• "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:32-34 NIV

• "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division." Luke 12:51 NIV

• "Then he said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once that it is going to rain, and so it does. And when you feel the south wind blowing, you say that it is going to be hot, and so it is. You frauds! You know how to interpret the look of the earth and the sky. Why can’t you interpret the meaning of the times in which you live?" Luke 12:54-56 PHILLIPS

• "Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:25-27 NIV

• "Some Pharisees overheard him and said, “Does that mean you’re calling us blind?” Jesus said, “If you were really blind, you would be blameless, but since you claim to see everything so well, you’re accountable for every fault and failure." John 9:40-41 MSG

• "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." John 15:5-6 NIV

• "I see what you’ve done, your hard, hard work, your refusal to quit. I know you can’t stomach evil, that you weed out apostolic pretenders. I know your persistence, your courage in my cause, that you never wear out. But you walked away from your first love—why? What’s going on with you, anyway? Do you have any idea how far you’ve fallen? A Lucifer fall!" Revelation 2:2-5 MSG

• "But why do you indulge that Balaam crowd? Don’t you remember that Balaam was an enemy agent, seducing Balak and sabotaging Israel’s holy pilgrimage by throwing unholy parties? And why do you put up with the Nicolaitans, who do the same thing? Enough! Don’t give in to them; I’ll be with you soon. I’m fed up and about to cut them to pieces with my sword-sharp words." Revelation 2:14-16 MSG

• "But why do you let that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet mislead my dear servants into Cross-denying, self-indulging religion? I gave her a chance to change her ways, but she has no intention of giving up a career in the god-business. I’m about to lay her low, along with her partners, as they play their sex-and-religion games. The bastard offspring of their idol-whoring I’ll kill. Then every church will know that appearances don’t impress me. I x-ray every motive and make sure you get what’s coming to you." Revelation 2:20-23 MSG

• "Write this to Sardis, to the Angel of the church. The One holding the Seven Spirits of God in one hand, a firm grip on the Seven Stars with the other, speaks: I see right through your work. You have a reputation for vigor and zest, but you’re dead, stone-dead." Revelation 3:1 MSG

• "Write to Laodicea, to the Angel of the church. God’s Yes, the Faithful and Accurate Witness, the First of God’s creation, says: “I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit. You brag, ‘I’m rich, I’ve got it made, I need nothing from anyone,’ oblivious that in fact you’re a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless." Revelation 3:14-17 MSG

• "I turned and saw the voice. I saw a gold menorah with seven branches, And in the center, the Son of Man, in a robe and gold breastplate, hair a blizzard of white, Eyes pouring fire-blaze, both feet furnace-fired bronze, His voice a cataract, right hand holding the Seven Stars, His mouth a sharp-biting sword, his face a perigee sun. I saw this and fainted dead at his feet." Revelation 1:12-17 MSG

• The Father: Begets. Leader of Godhead. Sets the times and seasons. Great White Throne Judge.

• The Son: Begotten. As Christ experiences the incarnation, humility, ministry, passion, crucifixion, atonement, resurrection, ascension, intercession, second advent, millennial reign, creator of new heaven and earth. Judge and head of the Church.

• The Holy Spirit: Proceeds. Leads into all truth. Empowers through the impartation of Divine nature and power via fruit and gifts.

• “Peter said, “Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away—whomever, in fact, our Master God invites.” He went on in this vein for a long time, urging them over and over, “Get out while you can; get out of this sick and stupid culture!” Acts 2:38-40 MSG

• “May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].” Ephesians 3:16-19 AMP

• “But I say, walk habitually in the [Holy] Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance], and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts]. For the sinful nature has its desire which is opposed to the Spirit, and the [desire of the] Spirit opposes the sinful nature; for these [two, the sinful nature and the Spirit] are in direct opposition to each other [continually in conflict], so that you [as believers] do not [always] do whatever [good things] you want to do. But if you are guided and led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the Law.” Galatians 5:16-18 AMP

• "Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead. And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs." Mark 16:14-20

• Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  James 5:13-16 NIV

2. Powerlessness: For obvious and opposite reasons, the dishonest doctrine on both sides of the aisle not only justifies each side's errors, but results in pandemic powerlessness. A anemic condition all the more acute given such entrenched positioning all but guarantees the vast majority of both cessationists and charismatics failure to even recognizing and admit, much less with brokenness and confession repent, of our nearly universal and continual grieving of the Holy Spirit. In this and a myriad of other vital matters.

To illustrate the point, consider again the Cessation vs. Charismatic rift. If the previously discussed debacle is accurate, half the Protestant church is at odds, if not war, with the other. In his book and video series Strange Fire, John Mac Arthur of Grace To You fame basically excommunicated the Charismatic church. He does so exactly along the party lines described earlier, while ironically guilty himself as a hardline cessationist of insulting the Spirit of Grace he seeks to defend.

What is needed is quantum balance and equilibrium. In this case, as a decades old prayer partner once noted in regards to resolving the tension between accurately discerning Scripture and the centrality of the Holy Spirit, "Evangelism without prayer is Fruitless, Prayer without Evangelism is Faithless. Scripture without the Spirit is Lifeless, the Spirit without Scripture is Baseless." With this mind, let us more prayerfully study the Bible, which itself much be spiritually discerned:

• "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 NIV

• "Spirit can be known only by spirit—God’s Spirit and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God’s Spirit is doing, and can’t be judged by unspiritual critics. Isaiah’s question, 'Is there anyone around who knows God’s Spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?” has been answered: Christ knows, and we have Christ’s Spirit."' 1 Corinthians 2:15-16 MSG

• "Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20 NKJV

• "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 KJV2000

• "Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?” 1 Corinthians 4:18-21 NKJV

First, we must find the courage to face the undiluted truth of our situation.

In the movie, "First Knight" King Arthur is played by Sean Connery  As the Knights of the Round Table place their shinning swords on the table, Arthur always offers the same prayer, "May God grant us the wisdom to discern the right, the will to choose it and the strength to make it endure."  At this dark hour we should pray and work hard to do the same.

Scripture suggests that given the success of abortion's diabolical attack against the church. Pro-life activists are best prepared to approach God in intercession and pray so God will hear. Yet how few Prophetic Christians are willing to enter the crucible of James 4's Prayer of Anguish to appropriately intercede for ourselves and the Church of our day? As Christ did:

• "Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear."  Hebrews 5:7  

The hope and prayer of pro-life people everywhere is a global repentance along the lines of 2 Chronicles 7:14. As Nineveh embraced Jonah's warning, so America and indeed the world should heed the Bible’s prophetic advice, call for a sacred assembly and receive the Gospel of Life.

Historically, however, Nineveh's response is rare and fleeting. This unfortunate fact, in light of the tremendous weight of Scripture condemning the brutalizing of the weak and shedding of innocent blood, leads us to only one of two plausible conclusions:

1. Our aborting of more than a billion of our children is the pinnacle sin of mankind and will bring God's final judgment.

2. Our aborting of more than a billion of our children is the seed from which a sin of far greater magnitude will grow.

The obvious albeit religiously incorrect truth is that legalized will never be overturned. One needn’t be a prophet to see that never in mankind’s history has even the least of humanity’s sins been successfully repented of. Some cite slavery but sadly several forms of slavery continue unabated. Add to this that according to Scripture slavery, as distasteful as it seems, is not in and of itself a sin. If the smallest of sins has proven to much for the human race, how much more such an entrenched adversary as legalized abortion has become?

From Genesis to Revelation the Bible is replete with warnings and examples that God will not be mocked, that whatever an individual or culture sow shall be reaped. Hosea is even more bold declaring, "They sow the wind, And reap the whirlwind." So we see Scripture clearly confirms what we all know, that once planted, even an tiny seed, if not uprooted, will grow into a towering tree. It is inevitable that without an unprecedented global repentance, if not reformation, we shall reap either apocalyptic judgment or a new magnitude of sin that will reduce the death of a billion babies to mere seed.

Simply put, legalized abortion will never be overturned. It can only be ended and that by the Church doing what it should have done for over 15,000 days and counting…

Second, we must admit that the pro-life movement suffers from a similar malady as modern Christian leadership.

As the shepherds fear to alienate the sheep, we fear to alienate both sheep and shepherds.  We’ve spent decades developing methods to quietly gather the crumbs that fall from their table.  Dare we jeopardize our only and already woefully inadequate supply even for the Kingdom’s sake? Dare we must, both quickly and carefully. 

We must hold summit meetings and continue doing so until we reach consensus and unity.  We should carefully measure our failures and limited successes. We should examine every facet of past, present and possible future opportunities and encourage all Christians to become authentically pro-life. As individuals and families, congregations and denominations, we should repent for past inaction, including failure to adequately support all pro-life causes from politics and Rescue, to chastity education and crises pregnancy centers. We must learn to prefer one another, exchange tactics for strategy and develop short term objectives within long term plans.

Third, we must find a way to inoculate the Body of Christ with our new found repentance and unity.

Admittedly this is “a hard saying, who can hear it.”  Yet hard is not impossible.  There are wise and gentle ways we can begin to communicate a fuller picture of the impact of abortion and still make inroads into Churchianity. If we are to provide wise leadership in this arena we must be willing to fully open our own eyes to the challenge before us.  The simple fact is abortion’s holocaust exceeds, in quantity, quality, and diabolic cunning all current sins by and against humanity as in its elevation the moon excels Mt. Everest. Put simply, spiritually abortion and our inadequate response to it, represents the greatest Kingdom catastrophe in millennia. 

There are many opportunities for individuals, churches and organizations to have an impact on people within their communities. For some great simple pro-life ideas just click the link: Change

For an overview of being authentically pro-life click the link below. For an in depth report on serious church and denominational objectives and strategies to enable the church to have a comprehensive pro-life, pro-family and pro-mission strategy click the link: Objectives

Doctrinal Error 6: Times And Seasons

Hundreds of thousands of well educated clergy and laity alike fail the test of "accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth." Most are unfamiliar with repentive and honest Bible study and interpretation. Particularly in regards to the rules of emphasis and inference. Not to mention overlooking or undervaluing the context of conflict theology, an essential element in comprehending Scriptures vast content.

Prophetic Christians are exceptionally honest and studious Bible students and intercessors, grasping much of both the context and content of Scripture. Such men and women seek God in faith, reasoning that He's said what He means and means what He's said. They're persuaded "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." Both in His mercy and love, as well as harsh words and judgment of His church. Possessed of deep and abiding repentance, they labor for revival in the hope and fear of God. Understanding both the love and "terror of the Lord" they endeavor to persuade others to choose eternal life rather than death. Knowing they too are sinners, they treat others as they would be treated: firm, fair, factual and friendly. They compel the lost, including apathetic and disobedient Christians, to come into the Kingdom by first speaking the truth in love. Should compassion fail, they spend themselves and their lives trying to pull lost humanity from the fire.

Yet even with such recommendations, few if any are ready and willing to "pray through" the Prayer of Anguish as commanded in James 4. Rather, like iron mixed with clay, while in many ways nearer the Lord than others in understanding and service, when it comes to true power evangelism and discipleship, we find ourselves all but off-line. We also often find ourselves lacking in one or more areas of radical discipleship. Thus short circuiting our attempts of being capable of praying the kind of effective, fervent and righteous prayers that avail much.

Today's Prophetic Christians also often fail to correctly discern the times and seasons. Those in which we live, and that which is swiftly approaching. For example, having attended and/or led well over a thousand corporate prayer meetings, a rarity in themselves, far more often than not I've listened to intercessors out of tune and step with the what the Spirit is saying to the modern church. Once, deep into an all night prayer meeting that I had arranged, a well versed Christian women with decades of prayer meetings under her belt, skillfully wove together a beautiful tapestry of Scriptures. Most focusing on the promises of God, including those made to Joshua and the Israelites during the Exodus. While sincerely offered, what she and so many fail to realize, is that our time and place in history, and the Scriptures, is not in keeping with the Jewish Exodus but Exile. The Old Testament passages we should be mining for prayerful meaning are not those of exaltations of Joshua but the lamentations of Jeremiah. As well as Habukkuk's complaint and the glaring warnings of all the minor prophets.

Judaism had the glory and deliverance of Moses and the Exodus. Christianity the glory and empowerment of Christ and Pentecost. After nearly two millennia of obedience and blessing, disobedience and reproof, the long foretold Exile created the Jewish diaspora. In keeping with Ezekiel's terrible prophecy, a third of Israel died by "disease or hunger," a third was slaughtered by the sword and "a third thrown to the wind and chased by killers." Along with others, Isaiah, recognized as perhaps the greatest of the major prophets, warned of six woes. Even going so far as to walk about naked for three years to make his point. Understanding the times and seasons strongly suggests that prayers and songs reflecting the Exodus are discordant with Biblical revelation of our time and place in history. Those reminiscent the Exile are far more in keeping with our present and future challenges.

As modern Laodiceans, difficulty with discernment is our stock in trade. Pandemic self deception presents a plethora of problems. One the greatest is accurately assessing our Kingdom nature and identity. Consider the following frequently disregarded passage:

• " But no one can go into a strong man’s house and steal his property unless he first overpowers and ties up the strong man, and then he will ransack and rob his house." Mark 3:27 AMP

• "By faith, Moses, when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house. He chose a hard life with God’s people rather than an opportunistic soft life of sin with the oppressors. He valued suffering in the Messiah’s camp far greater than Egyptian wealth because he was looking ahead, anticipating the payoff. By an act of faith, he turned his heel on Egypt, indifferent to the king’s blind rage. He had his eye on the One no eye can see, and kept right on going. By an act of faith, he kept the Passover Feast and sprinkled Passover blood on each house so that the destroyer of the firstborn wouldn’t touch them." Hebrews 11:23-29 MSG

• "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." James 3:13-18 NIV

• “Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate! The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide enough for all the multitudes who choose its easy way. But the Gateway to Life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 Living Bible

• “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.” John 3:16-17 The Message

• “This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.” John 3:19-21 The Message

• "The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It's written, 'I'll turn conventional wisdom on its head, I'll expose so-called experts as crackpots'. So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation." 1 Corinthians 1:18-21 The Message

• "Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can't begin to compete with God's "weakness." Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"?" 1 Corinthians 1:25-31 The Message

• "Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?" Mark 8:34-37 MSG

• "And the Dragon stood on the shore of the sea. I saw a Beast rising from the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads—on each horn a crown, and each head inscribed with a blasphemous name. The Beast I saw looked like a leopard with bear paws and a lion's mouth. The Dragon turned over its power to it, its throne and great authority. One of the Beast's heads looked as if it had been struck a deathblow, and then healed. The whole earth was agog, gaping at the Beast. They worshiped the Dragon who gave the Beast authority, and they worshiped the Beast, exclaiming, "There's never been anything like the Beast! No one would dare go to war with the Beast!" The Beast had a loud mouth, boastful and blasphemous. It could do anything it wanted for forty-two months. It yelled blasphemies against God, blasphemed his Name, blasphemed his Church, especially those already dwelling with God in Heaven. It was permitted to make war on God's holy people and conquer them. It held absolute sway over all tribes and peoples, tongues and races. Everyone on earth whose name was not written from the world's foundation in the slaughtered Lamb's Book of Life will worship the Beast. Are you listening to this? They've made their bed; now they must lie in it. Anyone marked for prison goes straight to prison; anyone pulling a sword goes down by the sword. Meanwhile, God's holy people passionately and faithfully stand their ground." Revelation 13:1-10 MSG

• "I looked up, I caught my breath!—a white cloud and one like the Son of Man sitting on it. He wore a gold crown and held a sharp sickle. Another Angel came out of the Temple, shouting to the Cloud-Enthroned, "Swing your sickle and reap. It's harvest time. Earth's harvest is ripe for reaping." The Cloud-Enthroned gave a mighty sweep of his sickle, began harvesting earth in a stroke. Then another Angel came out of the Temple in Heaven. He also had a sharp sickle. Yet another Angel, the one in charge of tending the fire, came from the Altar. He thundered to the Angel who held the sharp sickle, "Swing your sharp sickle. Harvest earth's vineyard. The grapes are bursting with ripeness." The Angel swung his sickle, harvested earth's vintage, and heaved it into the winepress, the giant winepress of God's wrath. The winepress was outside the City. As the vintage was trodden, blood poured from the winepress as high as a horse's bridle, a river of blood for two hundred miles." Revelation 14:14-20 MSG

• “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." Matthew 24:36-39 New International Version

1. Matthew 24-25 are considered Christ’s Olivet Discourse.
2. From Matthew 24:1-13 Jesus offers insight into a variety of topics. These include the destruction of Jewish Temple, Times and Seasons (deceptions, wars, famines, plagues and earthquakes - the beginning of sorrows), Persecution, False Prophets, Lawlessness (love of many growing cold) all calling for the endurance of the saints while the gospel is preached to all nations before the end comes.
3. Matthew 24:15-22 may partially describe Rome’s destruction of Jerusalem while prophetically referencing the ruin at the coming of the Antichrist.
4. Matthew 24:23-26 warns of eschatological errors and offers insight regarding Christ’s Return.
5. Matthew 24:29-31 is a further reference to the Great Tribulation and Rapture. Matthew 24:32-35 uses the fig tree as metaphor for the entire period.
6. Matthew 24:36-39 explains only God the Father knows the day and hour, while using the days of Noah as a warning against being caught unaware, “For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
7. Many have used this verse to introduce a secret Pre-Tribulation Rapture conveniently preceding the Great Tribulation (supposedly negating personal concerns). Others, noting Jesus, Paul and John all teach a Mid Tribulation Rapture, consider Christ’s literative use of the days of Noah suggest a metaphorical interpretation of the entire Book of Revelation.
8. More likely, like the Fig Tree and the remaining passages, Matthew 24:42-51, may simply be Jesus addressing the hardness of mankind’s heart throughout the last days, if not the whole of human history.
9. From a Biblical point of view, few things are more certain than man’s propensity to deception from sin above (fallen angels and demons), about (society) and within (fallen nature). A sad but frequent refrain, reaching its crescendo when even after the judgment and destruction of Revelation’s seven seals and six trumpets we are told, “But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality (also a good fit for contraceptive abortion) or their thefts.”
10. The Olivet Discourse then concludes with Matthew 25’s account of Christs parables of the Ten Virgins, Talents and Sheep and Goats, interestingly placing ”eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” about Mid-Olivet Discourse.
11. BTW: The casualty counts of 1/4 of mankind in Revelation 6:7-8 and 1/3 of mankind in Revelation 9:13-19 present strong evidence for a largely literal interpretation of the Book of Revelation.

• "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." 2 Corinthians 4:4 NIV

• "Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." 2 Timothy 2:25-26 NIV

• "Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered." Hebrews 5:7-8 NKJV

• “Jesus, seeing all His friends asleep and all His enemies wakeful, commits Himself entirely to His Father. Jesus does not regard in Judas his enemy, but the order of God, which He loves and admits, since He calls him friend… Jesus tears Himself away from His disciples to enter into His agony; we must tear ourselves away from our (distractions for our) nearest and dearest to imitate Him. Jesus being in agony and in the greatest affliction, let us pray longer.

• All true passion is born out of anguish. All true passion for Christ comes out of a baptism of anguish.

• Hear’s what God said, “I’ve heard the words of this people. They have well said all that they have spoken. O that there were such a heart in them. That they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always that it might be well with them, and their children forever!”

• “When I (Nehemiah) heard these words (regarding the ruin of Jerusalem) I set down and wept. And morned certain days and fasted. And prayed before the God of heaven.”

• We face a similar situation except ours is many times worse.

• Does it matter to you at all that God’s spiritual Jerusalem, the church, is now married to the world?

• Does it matter about the Jerusalem that’s in our own hearts? The sign of ruin that is slowly draining spiritual power and passion? Blind to lukewarmness. Blind to the mixture that’s creeping in.

• You won’t fight. You won’t labor in prayer anymore. You won’t weep before God anymore. You can sit and watch television and your family go to hell!

• Does it really matter to you that your unsaved loved ones are dying and we’re getting closer and closer to the end?

• Where’s the anguish. Where’s the tears. Where’s the mourning? Where’s the fasting?

• It’s going to take more than preaching. More than a new revelation.

• Please don’t tell me you’re concerned. Don’t tell me you want your unsaved loved ones saved while you’re spending hours before the internet or television. Come on…

• There’s going to be no renewal, no revival, no awakening until we’re willing to let Him once again break us. Folk’s it’s getting late and it’s getting serious.

• “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:1-3 NIV

• “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?” James 4:4-5 NIV

• “But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:6-10 NIV

• "It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations -these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously – no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner – no mere tolerance, or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment.

• "Jesus said, There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’ But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’ Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’ The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:19-31

• How rich was the rich man? All we are told of the rich man is that he was a likely homeowner who dressed and ate well. It's doubtful his home and furnishings, wardrobe or menu were half as fantastic as the average First World citizen's.

• What was the rich man's sin? While Lazarus lay at the other's gate, we are left to assume the rich man knew of and ignored the beggar's plight. Outside of the possibility of the sin of omission, there is no record of wrong doing on the part of the rich man.

• There is no virtue associated with Lazarus: Scripture is entirely silent as to any apparent faith or righteousness on Lazarus' part. In fact, such dire circumstances suggests quite the opposite. The Bible often assures God's provision to those faithfully seeking and serving Him.

• Lazarus dies from exposure and is carried into safety by multiple angels. With nothing more than extreme poverty and alienation to commend him, the beggar is borne by angels to a place of paradise within Hell.

• Upon death, the rich awakens in flaming torment. Rather than demanding an explanation the rich man humbly requests a few drops of water from Lazarus' hand to cool his tongue.

• Abraham denies this modest request. The father of the Jews answers he's physically unable to comply with his great, great, great....grandson's request. Abraham lays no charge of sin against the one in torment. His only explanation is that on Earth the rich man had received "good things" and Lazarus "evil things." Now their roles would be eternally reversed!

• The rich man becomes an evangelical. The tormented man immediately pleads for the salvation of his family. His charismatic request for an appearance of Lazarus to his father and five brothers is denied.

• The man in torment repeats his request. Fearing his loved ones lack of respect for Scripture, he presses Abraham to send Lazarus. Again his request is denied.

• "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

• "He has forgiven you all your sins: Christ has utterly wiped out the damning evidence of broken laws and commandments which always hung over our heads, and has completely annulled it by nailing it over his own head on the cross. And then having drawn the sting of all the powers ranged against us, he exposed them, shattered, empty and defeated, in his final glorious triumphant act!" Colossians 2:17-19 PHILLIPS

• “They wondered what the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about, for he told them to write down the events which, since then, have happened to Christ: his suffering, and his great glory afterwards. And they wondered when and to whom all this would happen. They were finally told that these things would not occur during their lifetime, but long years later, during yours. And now at last this Good News has been plainly announced to all of us. It was preached to us in the power of the same heaven-sent Holy Spirit who spoke to them; and it is all so strange and wonderful that even the angels in heaven would give a great deal to know more about it.” 1 Peter 1:11-12 Living Bible - Emphasis QC’s

• "But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own." 1 John 3:2-3 MSG

• "For our earthly bodies, the ones we have now that can die, must be transformed into heavenly bodies that cannot perish but will live forever. When this happens, then at last this Scripture will come true—“Death is swallowed up in victory.” O death, where then your victory? Where then your sting? For sin—the sting that causes death—will all be gone; and the law, which reveals our sins, will no longer be our judge.”"1 Corinthians 15:53-56 TLB

• "Don’t you know that someday we Christians are going to judge and govern the world? So why can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves? Don’t you realize that we Christians will judge and reward the very angels in heaven? So you should be able to decide your problems down here on earth easily enough." 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 TLB

• "Are not all the angels ministering spirits sent out [by God] to serve (accompany, protect) those who will inherit salvation? [Of course they are!]" Hebrews 1:14 AMP

• "To everyone who overcomes—who to the very end keeps on doing things that please me—I will give power over the nations. You will rule them with a rod of iron just as my Father gave me the authority to rule them; they will be shattered like a pot of clay that is broken into tiny pieces. And I will give you the Morning Star!  “Let all who can hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 2:26-29 TLB

• “That is what is meant by the Scriptures which say that no mere man has ever seen, heard, or even imagined what wonderful things God has ready for those who love the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 TLB

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