Some of My End-Time Views

It has been said that the rapture is a secret coming of the Lord. I don't know about how secret it is, but it sure must be fast,

"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" 1 Corinthians 15:52.

I got good news for atheists and agnostics. Someday they will believe in God. They might not get saved but they will know for a fact that God exists,

"And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb" Revelation 6:16.

There is coming a great revealing when men will finally see who is running the universe. Instead of greeting the creator, they hide themselves in the rocks.

Where are the Christian when this event takes place? Are they hiding too?

"And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains" Revelation 6:15.

All Christians, I believe, have been removed during the earthquake. All that is left are those that are hiders. If the saints were there with the rock dwellers they would not be hiding but looking upwards. 

"Look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh" Luke21:28.

All Christians who have trusted in Christ alone for their salvation will not go through the wrath of God. Some call the wrath, "The Tribulation Period."

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth" Revelation 3:10.

Some teach that after the earthquake their will be a great revival. They claim that those at the throne of God are those saved during the tribulation period.  Why are not all christians sealed?

"Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

"And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel" Revelation 7:3.

What happen to the saints that are going through the tribulation period? Where is the revival? Only 144,000 Jewish children are sealed. There are no other servants of God.  The saints are gone or taken to the throne of God. The sealing of the 144,000 is a beginning fulfillment of this end-time prophecy,

"And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob" Romans 11:26.

The locust's creatures mentioned as one of God's judgments are real live monsters created by God to fulfill a part of His end-time punishments. They are not helicopters from our armed forces like some teach.

"And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads."

This is God's wrath in action and not men's inventions of war. Here again we see only those with the seal of approval are safe. How many have the seal? 144,000.

I do believe souls will be saved during the end-times. However, there will be a new stipulation added to gospel of Christ. They are forbidden to take the mark of the beast. In the Church age all we had to do was believe on Christ. In the end-times they will have to do more.

"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb" Revelation 14:9-10.

By studying the book of Revelation we see that the great revival never came. Those who would not take the mark are beheaded and the world is left with only two witnesses instead of hundreds of churches preaching the Word of God.

"And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth" Revelation 11:3.

If you were to make it through some of the tribulation period, you would not be able to hide from the guillotines. The world system of the evil one would be coming for you and you will have no place to hide. 

"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads" Revelation 13:16.

The antichrist has a 100 percent success rate at making those take his mark. If you are alive, you will take his mark or die.

There are so few living witnesses left after the beheadings that soon the angels must preach the gospel.

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people" Revelation 14:6

Those who are storing up food in preparation of going through the tribulation period have not read their Bible. Thank God there is going to be an escape hatch from planet earth. While others are buying generators, dried food, and survival gear, I'm going to be looking upwards. There is only one way to escape the hour of temptation that is coming on the earth and that is to be ready in Christ.

I Know Whom I Have Believed

Daniel W. Whittle, pub.1883

I know not why God’s wondrous grace

To me He hath made known,

Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love

Redeemed me for His own.

Refrain:

But “I know Whom I have believed,

And am persuaded that He is able

To keep that which I’ve committed

Unto Him against that day.”

I know not how this saving faith

To me He did impart,

Nor how believing in His Word

Wrought peace within my heart.

I know not how the Spirit moves,

Convincing men of sin,

Revealing Jesus through the Word,

Creating faith in Him.

I know not what of good or ill

May be reserved for me,

Of weary ways or golden days,

Before His face I see.

I know not when my Lord may come,

At night or noonday fair,

Nor if I walk the vale with Him,

Or meet Him in the air.

Galatians 3 Part 2

5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

We do not have very many miracles manifesting themselves in the church today. Perhaps many are trying to be good enough to receive them and thus do not get them. We should try to do good and learn from the teachings of the law but it has very little merit when we think we can earn miracles from God, especially when we consider how flawed we really are. We should live as best as we can out of love for God but shouldn't deceive ourselves as to our importance.

In our Christian walk we need to let others know that we have struggles in our lives just as they do. We have not arrived at being righteous in the flesh. If we could attain righteousness in the flesh then Jesus would not have died for all our sins (past, present, and future).   

I know there are some that teach that only our past sins have been forgiven and that God has only given us a new start in life instead of an ever present new life. I remember a preacher declared once that all our sins were in the future when Jesus died for us; thus making a case that Jesus died for all of our sins, past, present, and future.

"I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures" 1 Corinthians 15:3.

One of my favorite verses is this,

"Great grace was upon them all" Act 4:33.

Many can try to merit things from God but I have found a better way, great grace. Give me grace, LORD, for I'm not worthy. Work miracles for I have no merit. Lead me by thy hand of grace and show mercy on behalf of Christ.

The longer I've been a Christian, I can still say, I have never arrived at any pinnacle of self-worth. The more I know myself, the more I despise myself. I don't trust myself and must constantly say, "You're dead. Stop thinking that way."

God says the same thing in scripture in order to bring many down to reality when they think they are special.

"Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits" Romans 12:16.

"So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour" 1 Corinthians 3:7-8

"For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" Luke 14:11.

I like to share with you how many claim to have miracles in your life. It is contrary to what Galatians teaches,

"Obedience brings success; exact obedience brings miracles."

"Obedience Brings God's Favor ."

“Faith is obedience in action and obedience brings forth blessings and miracles.”

Did you have enough? I did. Faith is obedience to the gospel but it is not works. You can do works of faith but not works that becomes faith. Remember James who said, "Faith without works is dead?" We are saved by faith but who did the works of salvation? God did. Yes, you are saved by works but not your works. You are saved by the works of God.  

Faith might teach us there is a reward to be given to those who feed the poor. But in order to claim the reward we must do the work. However, feeding the poor is not salvation and we are not saved by the works of our own faith. So when someone says we are saved by faith and works. Agree with them. However, explain to them that the works of salvation was done by the Father sending Jesus to die on the cross, shedding his blood for the remissions of our sins and then God resurrecting Him from the dead. Thank God faith was not without works. God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost did the works in salvation. It is not of ourselves. 

"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent" John 6:29.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Merchandising the Flock 2

Let's say there is this hat company. For some reason they cannot seem to sell their crappy little baseball caps. Even though Hat International will put any design on their hats that suits their customers' fancy their sales are still down. It seems that people are no longer into buying baseball caps. To make a 50 percent profit they must sell their hats at 2 dollars apiece wholesale.

A minister hears of their dilemma. He wants to help their business. After all the business is one that his family owns. Pastor Joe is willing to place an order for 2,000 hats. He complies with the company to buy the hats for 2 dollars apiece but with one stipulation. The ministry will buy them at 4 dollars apiece ($8,000) as long as the hat company agrees to give Joe a special gift of $2,000 to his personal account. The hat company will be selling them for $3.00 each and making a huge profit. The ministry will also look like they paid more for the hats than they did.

Pastor Joe is elated with the deal. He now goes on TV and preaches healing hats. He says, "Prayer cloths are mentioned in the Bible and now God is using caps. Today with your gift of twenty dollars he will give you a prayer hat as his way of saying thanks. It has been specially blessed and will do wonders." He then shows some spiritual ads on TV telling how brain tumors were healed by wearing Pastor Joe's blessed prayer hats. He also had one of the faithful appear on TV and speak about a wonderful story about how her brother was healed of leukemia by wearing the wonder cap.

The ads had their effect; the phone lines were amassed with callers giving their gifts of $20. Pastor Joe declares that many of his followers could have a prayer hat ministry themselves. "Buy a case of my hats and distribute them to all your friends and family." Joe offers a bundle deal.

When the audit was done it showed that Pastor Joe bought the hats at a high price but yet still net the ministry $16.00 a hat. Four dollars from each gift had to be first taken out of the proceeds and then given to his family's business (the hat makers). The sixteen dollars that was profit was divided among the special ones in the ministry to pay for all the expenses.

It is a win, win situation that makes ministers rich. No one suspected that Joe's family owns the hat company or that he paid more money than what the hats were worth. Pastor Joe even gets a kickback from his family's hat business.

The justification that Joe uses is that he is a man of God. He deserves payment for the work that He does for the ministry. Sure Joe hires most of his family members into the ministry and then pays them a hefty salary but whom else could he trust? Joe is working for God and deserves the fine things in life that God offers through His sharing people. The hats that Joe gives out are still crap but has been specially blessed. "Isn't a prayer on 2,000 hats worth something?" Joe says in his defense.

Galatians 3: Part 1

Galatians 3:

1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

Paul makes a point that we can become foolish and bewitched. There are witches out there trying to convince us not to obey the truth but obey another gospel. In my book I call the other gospel,  "The Cursed Gospel."

I have always maintained that salvation is a free gift of God. There are no conditions in keeping the free gift. A free gift is that, a free gift. There is no confusion in me that would make me believe otherwise.

Many have perverted the truth in order to teach a lie. This lie can damn your soul to hell. The main lie is that we can help ourselves in our salvation. By our so-called works of righteousness we can make or maintain our salvation.

The free gift of God is not just an empty package with a nice little ribbon on top. The free gift consists of free righteousness,

"Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference" Romans 3:22.

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" 1 Corinthians 1:30.

The free gift gives forgiveness of all of our sins,

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins" Colossians 1:14.

The gift brings us into the family of God,

"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named" Ephesians 3:14-15.

  

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Think about it for a moment. Was it some work you did that gave you the Spirit? Or was it by your ears and heart alone? Did you do twenty push-ups to obtain the Spirit or did you obtain the spirit by grasping hold of something taught to you by the Spirit of God?

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" Hebrews 11:1.

The good news of Jesus Christ is received by faith. It is accepting God's record concerning His Son,

"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one" 1 John 5:7.

"He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son" 1 John 5:10.

Salvation is simple for simple minded people. When we hear the gospel of Jesus Christ: How He died for our sins, was buried for three days, and then raised again from the grave; it is not that hard to respond to. The Spirit of God had already prepared our hearts to help us respond by faith. Our response is out of our need as to what God offers us. We irresistibly placed our trust in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and were born again.

There Is a Fountain | William Cowper

There is a fountain filled with blood,

Drawn from Immanuel’s veins,

And sinners plunged beneath that flood

Lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see

That fountain in His day;

And there have I, though vile as he,

Washed all my sins away.

Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood

Shall never lose its pow’r,

Till all the ransomed church of God

Are safe, to sin no more.

E’er since by faith I saw the stream

Thy flowing wounds supply,

Redeeming love has been my theme,

And shall be till I die.

When this poor, lisping, stamm’ring tongue

Lies silent in the grave,

Then in a nobler, sweeter song,

I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

The foolish don't know much. They keep wondering if they are saved by grace or maybe a mixture of the two? When we trusted in Christ we were born from above. The Spirit now dwells within the Christian along with the new spiritual man that was created within us.

"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" Ephesians 1:13.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" 2 Corinthians 5:17.

 Many today teach that we are made perfect by the flesh. Hear a few of them,

"If they (Christians) do deliberately keep on sinning, they have only a judgment of damnation to look forward to."

"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21)."

"The Galatians letter is written to the churches in Galatia – presumably to Christians. It would appear Paul wrote this to warn new believers that they could not live in sin and expect to inherit the kingdom of God. Is there any guarantee that someone who has confessed faith will not fall away and live in those sins Paul recounted? Of course not! Most of us are familiar with people who had been strong in the faith but fell away from the faith and into sin."

Examine yourselves. Are you perfect? Sure you may not be a drunkard or into witchcraft but what about all your other sins? We must be careful that we don't ignore the little sins that easily besets us on a daily basis.

"Little foxes, that spoil the vines" Song of Solomon 2:15.

I can guarantee you that if you belonged to most churches that believed in keeping works for salvation, you would soon fall away. Why? When a church preaches on sin and does not give the remedy which is Christ you will lose all hope. The disciples said it well when they asked this question about salvation,

"Who then can be saved?" Matthew 19:25.

If the most humanly righteous man cannot be saved then who can?

Sooner or later you also would be so convicted and condemned of sin to such a degree that you would not be able to remain a Christian. You would raise your arms up in distress and say, "NO ONE CAN BE SAVED. It is impossible." You would soon fall away. You would stop trying to keep your salvation and end all your religion. 

You see sin is everywhere, especially in our flesh. When we start examining ourselves for sin it will appear to have no end. We would see and rightfully so, levels and levels of corrupting sin that always abides and dwells in our flesh waiting to manifest itself. That is why the Bible says we should trust in Christ alone for our salvation and consider our body now to be dead unto sin.

"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" Romans 6:11.

4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

The Christian life is in vain if we are not trusting in Christ alone for our salvation. Everything we do for God will become useless if we are not in the true Vine. We will have no true results in our lives. Everything will be done for nothing if we are not trusting in Him.

There are not two ways of salvation. There is only one way. I chose Christ and His atoning blood. What about you? Are you trusting only in Jesus?

Only Trust Him

Music: John H. Stockton

1.         Come, every soul by sin oppressed,

there's mercy with the Lord;

and he will surely give you rest,

by trusting in his Word.

Refrain:

Only trust him, only trust him,

only trust him now.

He will save you, he will save you,

he will save you now.

2.         For Jesus shed his precious blood

rich blessings to bestow;

plunge now into the crimson flood

that washes bright as snow.

(Refrain)

3.         Yes, Jesus is the truth the way

that leads you into rest;

believe in him without delay,

and you are fully blest.

(Refrain)

4.         Come then and join this holy band,

and on to glory go,

to dwell in that celestial land

where joys immortal flow.

(Refrain)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sinners' Prayer: Lord be merciful to me a sinner.

I believe in Jesus. He died so I could live. Forgive my sins and take me to Heaven when I die. In Jesus name I pray. AMEN.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Pre-Tribulation Rapture: Part 3 Feast of Tabernacles

Rosh Hashanah is a good time to look up for the Lords coming. There have been those who preached the "Imminent Return of Christ." They still preach it. It means that Christ could come at any moment. They could be right. In another way, other then being raptured, He could come for us at any moment if we should happen to die. That would be an imminent coming for many of us and a surprise, if we are not prepared for it.  

In a way, I believe in the Imminent Return of Christ. No one knows the exact date. But I also believe that we might be able to narrow it down a little as to when He might come.

Everyone has an opinion about end-time events. I don't think we need to fight over our interpretations of Scripture about when the Lord might come. We know that He is coming and that should be good enough to bring unity among all Christians.

There is a good chance, however, that the Lord will return at Rosh Hashanah.

  http://watchmansview.com/Commentary_-_Rosh_HaShanah_and_its_Link_to_The_Bride_of_Christ.html

I want to show you something different that is not repeated from another's teaching on the rapture. Let's go back to the rapture in Revelation 7 and the appearing of all the saints at the throne of God.

After the rapture this scene unfolds:

"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands" Revelation 7:9

They had palms in their hands. Did you know right after Rosh Hashanah is the Feast of Tabernacles? Sunday Evening, September 27 - Monday, October 5.

Here is some help on Jewish months which are different than our calendar.

http://www.jewfaq.org/calendar.htm

"Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days" Leviticus 23: 39-40

Lulav: [lolav]; Hebrew: לולב‎) is a closed frond of the date palm tree.

"While standing, the person picks up the lulav with its attached willows and myrtle in his right hand, holding the lulav so that its spine is toward them. The etrog is picked up in the left hand, next to the lulav, with its tip (pitom) pointing down. The blessings are said: “Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments, and instructed us concerning the waving of the palm branch.” Then the shehekeyanu is said: “Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, for keeping us in life, for sustaining us, and for helping us reach this day.” The etrog is then turned right side up and shaken with the lulav. Each day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the people in the Temple courtyard would hold their lulavs and make a circular procession around the altar. During the procession they would pray a prayer that came to be known as Hoshanos. It is a prayer for God’s blessing, ending each phrase of the prayer with the word hoshana (“Please save” or “save now!”). On the first six days they would march around the altar one time. On the seventh day they marched around it seven times. Traditionally, Psalm 27 is recited at the service of the Feast of Tabernacles. Bible prophecy tells us that people from the nations of the world will come up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles with the Jewish people in Jerusalem."

http://bible-truth.org/Feasts-Tabernacles.html

In Revelation 7 what are the people doing around the throne?

"And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen" Revelation 7: 10-12.

It sounds to me like they are worshiping and saying words like in the "shehekeyanu."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you are into blood moons there is one coming this year in September.

 "Some people believe that the tetrad has special significance because the eclipses coincide with important Jewish festivals. The two April lunar eclipses in 2014 and 2015 occurred at the same time as Passover, while the October and September eclipses occur during the Feast of Tabernacle. This, they suggest, is connected to a biblical prophecy of the end of times."

http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/blood-moon.html

Is God trying to get our attention? He might be. Just like there was a sign given at the birth of Jesus (the Bethlehem star) there are signs perhaps given to us as to the time of Christ return.

There is more. This Jewish year is a jubilee year. It starts on September 23:

https://hebrewnationonline.com/blog/are-we-coming-into-a-jubilee-year-in-fall-2015-what-does-it-mean/

"Recall that in a Jubilee year it is a great BLESSING to those who are humble, repentant, who are seeking to SHEMA, to hear and obey by the Holy Spirit. It is the year of RELEASE of the captives, return to your homeland, canceling of debts…freedom for the slaves…

But, for those who are unrepentant of sin, the Jubilee year is a JUDGMENT. The Jubilee year brings both great BLESSING and RESTORATION and LIBERTY and it also brings JUDGMENT, all rolled up in one, happening at the same time….."

Will Christians be released from their captivity on the earth? Will we return to the Lord as His possessions?"

We are God's possessions: 

 Clarke's Commentary on Ephesians 1:14

"Which is the earnest of our inheritance - This Holy Spirit, sealing the soul with truth and righteousness, is the earnest, foretaste, and pledge of the heavenly inheritance. And he who can produce this earnest - this witness of the Spirit, in the day of judgment, shall have an abundant entrance into the holiest. On the αρῥαβων, or earnest, see the notes on Genesis 38:17 (note), etc., and on 2 Corinthians 1:22 (note).

The redemption of the purchased possession - That is, till the time when body and soul are redeemed from all their miseries, and glorified in the kingdom on heaven.

The redemption of the purchased possession - Απολυτρωσις της περιποιησεως is variously understood; and indeed the original is variously translated. Dr. Whitby has observed that the verb πεειποιειν signifies to save alive; and he refers the περιποιησις, here, to the redemption of the body from corruption, and to its final glorification with the soul.

All those who believe in Christ Jesus are considered as his peculiar people and property, and to them eternal glory is promised. The Spirit of promise, which is given them, is a pledge that they shall have a resurrection from the dead, and eternal blessedness; the redemption, or bringing to life of the body, cannot take place till the day of judgment, but the Holy Spirit promises this redemption, and is now in their hearts an earnest or pledge of this complete restoration at the great day, which will then be, in an especial manner, to the praise of his glory, viz. of Christ, who has bought them by his blood."

http://www.godvine.com/bible/ephesians/1-14

It is an interesting time of the year. I like the coolness of fall. Perhaps the Lord will come this September. But if He doesn't look up anyway, 

"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." Luke 21:28.

Praise Him

"But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel" Psalm 22:3.

There is a special manifestation of God when we praise Him. I believe a Christian can have more of God's presence in their lives by praising Him.  

Psalm 71:8, "Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day."

Since a person can be filled with all forms of wickedness,

"Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them" Romans 1:29-32

Certainly then we can be filled with all goodness, truth, joy, mercy, understanding, wisdom …from the all-powerful Spirit of God.

Wouldn't be great if we could fill ourselves with the fullness of God? It would be an awesome experience that probable would come with responsibility that many of us are not ready for. Are you ready for street preaching? What about speaking to a total stranger about God? What if God sent you on a preaching mission?

"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit" Ephesians 5:18.

I think the responsibility that comes from being filled with the Spirit will also come with Spiritual power in order to do things that we normally cannot do. God will not put anything on us that we are not ready for. So we shouldn't be too afraid that God will make us do something that is against our desire. However let's look at Moses,

"Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" Exodus 3:9-11.

 Moses was called by God but he immediately started making excuses why God shouldn't use him. I like his first excuse, "Who am I?" Many of us are like Moses. We haven't been to Bible School, we don't speak well, or we feel that we are just too common. I remember the times when I would witness for Jesus and my neck would turn beet red. I wasn't ashamed of Christ it was just that my blood pressure would go up and show up in my neck. How embarrassing it was to be a red strobe-light. Talk about Rudolph the red-nose reindeer. I was Larry the red-neck witness.

So what did God say to Moses?

"Certainly I will be with thee" Exodus 3:12

The more of God's spirit we are filled with might also come with more responsibility. But we are not alone. God is with us.

"Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit? For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven" Colossians 1:8-20

I leave you with this last thought, When you praise God do not be repetitive in your praising; thinking that your many words of the same phrase will get God's attention. God is not deft or dumb that He doesn't know that you are praising Him. You know what I mean. There is a tendency to be repetitive "I praise you God. Praise You. Praise you, halleluiah, praise you Lord. Thank you God and praise you again. Your great God. Praise you, Praise you and Praise you." Talk to God sincerely and tell Him why you praise Him. Thank him for creating you and helping you in your work. Praise him in everything you do. Praise Him for making you strong and healthy. By telling God why you praise Him will be more sincere than by using repetitive words of praise as in a chant.  

Pre-Tribulation Rapture: Part 2 Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish holiday that has not been fulfilled. Read the following article to get a grasp on God's plan for the fulfillment of this holiday.

http://endtimepilgrim.org/rosh.htm

Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew: רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה‎, literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The Biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (Hebrew: יוֹם תְּרוּעָה‎, literally "day [of] shouting/raising a noise") or the Feast of Trumpets.

Rosh Hashanah is actually one day of two days. The new year does not start until the new moon is spotted by witnesses. When the new moon is spotted then the new year begins.

"During the period of the Prophets, the sanctification of the months was dependent upon hearing the testimony of witnesses who had seen the new moon. On the evening following the twenty-ninth day of Elul, the court would sanctify the day as the first of Tishrei based on the possibility that witnesses might come that day and testify that they had seen the new moon, retroactively establishing Rosh Hashanah on that day. If the witnesses did indeed appear, then that day would be sanctified and the following day would be a regular day - the second of Tishrei. However, if witnesses did not appear, then the following day would be Rosh Hashanah and retroactively, the previous evening - which the court had sanctified - would turn out to be a regular weekday. So that people would not treat the first day lightly, since its sanctified or weekday status was dependent upon the appearance of witnesses during the course of the day, the early Prophets ordained that Rosh Hashanah be celebrated as a two­day holiday - with the prohibition of work, the sounding of the shofar, and the order of prayer being observed on both days."

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/4381/jewish/Two-Days-of-Rosh-Hashanah.htm

This gets interesting when you figure in this statement made by Jesus,

"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" Matthew 24:30-36.

"But of that day and hour knoweth no man," was actually a code or an idiom that suggests a certain feast day when the events that Jesus was talking about will happen. That feast day is Rosh Hashanah.

http://bibleprophesy.org/trumpets.htm

Rosh Hashanah is one of two days.

"Rosh HaShanah in 2015 will start on Monday, the 14th of September and will continue for 2 days until Tuesday, the 15th of September."

http://www.when-is.com/rosh-hashanah-2015.asp

Read the articles (links) and I will continue another day. I'll read them too and perhaps learn something new.

TO BE CONTINUED

Pre-Tribulation Rapture Part 1

This is my favorite time of the year. I especially look forward to the Lords return during this autumn season.

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" 1 Corinthians 15:51:52.

The word rapture is not in the Bible but the word for "caught up" or "snatched away" is in the Word of God.

Rapture is a Latin word that means: Raptus "a carrying off, abduction, snatching away."

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words" 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18

harpazó: to seize, catch up, snatch away

Original Word: ἁρπάζω

Part of Speech: Verb

Transliteration: harpazó

Phonetic Spelling: (har-pad'-zo)

Short Definition: I seize, snatch, obtain by robbery

Definition: I seize, snatch, obtain by robbery.

There is a famous song called, "I'll fly Away." It says,

Some bright morning when this life is over

I'll fly away

To that home on Gods celestial shore

I'll fly away

I'll fly away, oh glory

I'll fly away in the morning

When I die hallelujah by and by

I'll fly away

I hate to tell you this but you can flap your wings all you want but there is no flying done when we are raptured. Whether we are ready or not, Jesus is coming and He is coming for His bride.

Today there is very little comfort in the teaching of a pre-tribulation rapture. Many are teaching we must prepare. We must prepare for the wrath of God. Store up your food, water, and survival gear. Personally, I think they are going through the tribulation. Not because it is foreordained that Christians must suffer end time mayhem but because they have not prepared to meet God. They have not trusted in Jesus for their salvation.

There are two gospels in the last days. One is of works and the other is of grace. Paul made it clear,

 "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work" Romans 11:6.

"Nothing But The Blood"

What can wash away my sin

What can make me whole again

For my pardon this I see

For my cleansing this my plea

Oh, precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow

No other fount I know

Nothing, nothing, nothing but the blood of Jesus

Nothing can for sin atone

Not of good that I have done

This is all my hope and peace

This is all my righteousness

Oh, precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow

And no other fount I know

Nothing, nothing, nothing but the blood of Jesus

Nothing, nothing, nothing but the blood of Jesus

Now by this I'll overcome

Now by this I'll reach my home

Glory, glory, this I see

All my praise for this I bring

All my praise for this I bring

All my praise for this I bring

Oh, precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow

No other fount I know

Nothing, nothing, nothing but the blood of Jesus

Nothing, nothing, nothing but the blood of Jesus

Grace is not being taught in most Churches. Many teach a work theology:

"The bottom line is that God will judge us in the end by our actions done throughout our entire lives. Throughout our lives we can choose to remain in God’s friendship or not. We have free will to choose whether to obey God or not and if we choose to disobey God, which is to sin, then we choose not to remain in God’s friendship."

It sounds religious enough, If you sin, you become the enemy of God. The idea that men are redeemed by the blood of Christ and then sent out to live perfect lives with never a slip up is rubbish. Christians do not go to hell when they backslide. If that was the case, we would have to be saying a perpetual prayer of, "Lord be merciful to me a sinner" around the clock, day and night. If we were catholic we would have to live in the confessional booth. We would have to constantly confess our sins which are many. 

Did you know that even our thoughts are tainted with sin,

"The thought of foolishness is sin" Proverbs 24:9.

Do you really think God approves of you watching television? If you laugh at a nasty joke from your favorite comedian do you really think you are godly? If you lived by the words of most pastors, you have lost your salvation and on your way to hell. You have become an enemy of God.

Don't get bent out of shape. God is merciful and has provided a covering for our sin. Jesus is our covering,

"For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." Colossians 3:3-4.

There is nothing good about you. You are so evil that you have become dead. Apart from Christ you are stench in God's nostrils. However, there is good news. By trusting in Jesus you are hidden in Him. There is safety in the Lamb of God. The judgment that you deserve was given to Christ instead of you. He has taken your punishment and died in your place in order to satisfying God's requirement for sin. However, don't get smug. You are still evil but have been forgiven by grace through faith in Christ.

"Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin" Romans 4:8.  

Christians are forgiven but in their flesh they are far from being holy. Our holiness comes by being in Christ. The new man (born of the Spirit) is blessed with the holiness of God. We are in Christ and our sins are hidden in Him.  

 kruptó: to hide

Original Word: κρύπτω

Part of Speech: Verb

Transliteration: kruptó

Phonetic Spelling: (kroop'-to)

Short Definition: I hide, conceal, lay up

Definition: I hide, conceal, lay up.

If you were so holy, God would not have to conceal or hide your life. He has given us a new life in Christ in place of our corrupt life that is now hidden.

TO BE CONTINUED

Are You a Candy Store Christian?

It seems to be popular today to pick and choose Scripture of what we want to believe. We are like those in a candy store picking out the sweets. Not just any sweets but the ones we really like.  

I like to feel good about myself. I want the feeling of joy that I'm blessed and that God accepts me for who I am.  I can find many Scriptures to make me feel special in being who I am. Since I am wonderfully made then I must be wonderful.

"I am fearfully and wonderfully made" Psalm 139:14.

Did you know I am royalty?

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" 1 Peter 2:9

Since I am royalty then I deserve the best things in this life, right? I am a king's kid and I deserve royal treatment.

How did you like the way I strung some Scripture together to make me sound special? I took one facet of the gem of truth and made me deserving of all kinds of self-importance. If I could pat myself on the back, I would. I'm great and I know it.

Now let us balance out the Scripture. Many today in the Church believe we should love ourselves. They say that if we love ourselves then we can love others more perfectly. The feel good teaching puts a joy on our face but not the joy of the Lord. Self-aggrandizement is not a godly feature in a Christian. It takes away from true humility.

Let me blow your mind,

"He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal" John 12:25.

"No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" Luke 16:13.

Do you hate your life? I do. Do you hate sin? I do. Do you love God? I do. I don't trust myself. I have been disappointed too many times by my dumb behavior. I trust in God. I try daily to have more love for God then any positive affirmation for myself. We cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve yourself and expect to become a servant of Jesus Christ. To become a servant of Jesus Christ you must do this one thing and do it well. This one thing is death.

"I die daily" 1 Corinthians 15:31.

"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" Romans 6:11

Do you want victory over sin in your life then become a master of death. Die daily. Don't live for pleasure but live unto God as those who are alive from the dead.

 "Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter" James 5:5.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wanton

Wanton means in the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance: to be ruled by a physical desire.

We need to daily be ruled by Christ against our physical desires. To really love God we should not love ourselves in which we constantly yield to our own physical desires. We are to yield to God and resist our sinful flesh.

Must We Prove the Historical Jesus?

A reader wrote: Sorry Larry, but you've made an assertion, and that assertion is that Jesus died for mankind. In order for that to be accepted as true, you have to prove that the historical Jesus existed which you cannot do. In addition, you need to prove that the Jesus' character is in fact the son of a God, which you cannot do, and in order to do so. You must be able to prove that a God actually exist which you clearly cannot do.

My Reply:  It is not my assertion but is God's assertion made in the Bible. Here is the assertion, 

"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" 1 John 2:2  

Now you made an assertion that I had to prove the historical Jesus. That can be put back to you to disprove the historical Jesus. Which you also cannot do. We are not time travelers that can prove anything ourselves. But we can trust in reliable sources or witnesses that we deem truthful that might steer us on a certain path. You also have been persuaded by other people. You have no doubt been instructed or taught by others of your kind. 

The most important evidence for me of God and Jesus is what is inside me which you cannot see or know. You too have something inside you that is guiding your thoughts. Your mind has convinced you not to believe in the Bible and my mind has convinced me that the Bible is true. There are spirits at work here. One is the Spirit of truth and the other is the spirit of error.  

A person doesn't really need proof that what the Bible says is true. All he needs is ears that hear and eyes that see. Many have neglected the inner teacher that is called the "Holy Ghost." It is the inner teacher that guides us into all truth. In the end it will be the Spirit of wisdom or truth that will justify the children of light when God is revealed in all His glory. Those who resist the truth will shrink away into darkness while those who had embraced the truth will shine like the stars in the firmament.

The Bad and the Good Tree

"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?" Matthew 7:16-22

Good works is not evidence of having good fruit. Many will say to Jesus that they have done many good works in His name and yet Jesus will say He never knew them.

What is Jesus talking about when He says ye shall know them by their fruits? A good tree brings forth good fruit whereas a bad tree brings forth evil fruit. What determines whether the tree is good or bad?

One portion of Scripture says, 

"They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one" Romans 3:12. 

It basically says that we are all evil and therefore we must conclude that since we are all corrupt then we must all bring forth bad or evil fruit. How are we to become a good tree that brings forth good fruit?

Jesus tells us, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."

What is the will of Jesus' Father?  

"And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:40).

It is salvation in Jesus Christ that supernaturally makes us into a good tree that will hopefully begin bearing good fruit sooner rather than later. Do you know of the fruit of the Spirit? Without the new birth we could not manifest God's fruit.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" Galatians 5:22-23.

But how are we really to know the good tree (those born from above) from the corrupt tree?

"A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him" Proverbs 12:14.

The book of 1 John gives us tests to determine if a person is of the good tree. They are justified or condemned by their fruit of their lips.

Here is a few from 1 John:

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" 1 John 1:8.

"He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now" 1 John 2:9.

"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son" 1 John 2:22.

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world" 1 John 4:1-3.

Do you see that by examining so-called Christians by works alone may not help us in determining if someone is truly of God. We are to test them. Try their spirit. An impostor will always slip up sooner or later in their tongue due to their ignorance of the true gospel.  

Merchandising the Flock

"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." 2 Peter 2:2.

I have been guilty of watching some so-called Christian television on Roku. I don't want to pick on the ministries or scoff at their tactics but it is getting insane out there in Christian television land. Aren't you amazed at how many men who supposedly are speaking for God and yet are into merchandising? I know it takes money to advertise their wares but they do it with a straight face as if they are called of God.

"There's a sucker born every minute"

Believe it or not there are those who fall into the speaker's mesmerizing preaching and end up giving huge sums of money to be one of the faithful. It is a shame and a sham in thinking they are doing God a service by their huge gifts to con-artists.

One ministry is selling food for the end-times that desperately needs help in order to buy more air-time in order to sell more food. A visit to their compound demonstrates their love for possessions. They will tell you that the love of money is evil but yet they love the things that money can buy (covetousness).

When I was young I went to one of their schools. I paid my dues. Nothing was free but the act of giving. Ministries like the one I attended cried for gifts to acquire more possessions but seldom gave back. They are like the leech:

"The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough" (Proverbs 30:15-16).

One time I gave a huge gift to a ministry in order to help with their evangelism. It wasn't enough that I wanted to help with their ministry; they had to give me books as a thank you. I didn't want their books. And yet everytime I gave, I got books. I stopped giving.

To some ministries they increase their man's or minister's book sales by buying huge quantities of books and giving them away (this also helps getting their book on the number one bestselling lists). The ministry takes your gift to buy the books and the minister gets his cut of the royalties. If the ministry or minister owns the publishing house, they would get more profit. In the end, it is about getting so-called legitimate profits from their book selling business in the guise of calling themselves a ministry.

It is interesting to note that of all the gifts of money that many have given to so-called men of God we see very little fruits. Our world is more messed up than ever. Building large ministries is not the answer that America needs. I know they will promise or imply that they are doing their work to help others, but then ask this question, who really benefits from your gift giving?

The one that benefits most are the ones in the ministry who live by your gifts. I think many in the work of their religion are into your gifts in order to give them a better quality of life. They are king's kids and they show it by their extravagant compounds of splendor or edifices of grandeur.

You do not need to support most ministries. They will squander away your gifts. Show me the fruits of their work? Is our country godlier? Why not use your money yourself. Learn to help those in your community. Become your own ministry. Make and distribute gospel tracts. If you see a person in need that is not a professional con-artist then help them. Take charge of your own money and use it for good. I know it is easier to give it to a con-artist or to professional shyster, however, now is the time to make your money count for something other than throwing it into the wind and hoping it will do some good.  

Becoming Wise to the Ways of Health

Can you handle the truth? If someone told you that the food you are eating is poisonous would you continue eating it? I did a blog about the perfect diet which suggested to my readers to go on the "NO FOOD" diet. It was meant for humor but it really makes sense if you take heed to all those against certain kinds of foods. I have found someone against every kind of foods we eat. Are they crazy?

I've come to the conclusion that all these naysayers against our supermarket foods are right. Our foods are hazardous to our health. Meat is bad, dairy products are bad, wheat is bad, vegetables are bad and the list goes on and on.  What are we to do? I know some of us pray over our food and it is a good thing to do but what about also using intelligence in choosing and preparing our foods. Even the prophets wouldn't eat the poisonous stew until Elisha fixed it so that it became harmless.  

And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not. So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.

But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot” (2 Kings 4:39-41).

White flour products are one of the most poisonous foods that you could eat. By reading one article like this one you should be crying out like the prophets, "There is death in the pot":  

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/03/26/The-Little-Known-Secrets-about-Bleached-Flour.aspx

Many will fluff off the truth about the foods they eat. "It's too much work to eat healthy or I don't have the time." Do you have time for the doctors when sickness come calling? Many are young and could care less about nutrition, while others are just too lazy to garden or prepare healthy foods.

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise" Proverbs 6:6.

I know it is not easy to work day and night, but being a Christian was never promised to be easy. It's hard to go against the system and become wise to the ways of health. But it is time to make a change. This is the day for action. Your life depends on it and your family depends on you making the right decisions.

We need start by making small changes in our lives and then continue to make more changes.  First we must acknowledge sin in our world. This system is not a friend to the Christian. It is geared for death.

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" Proverbs 14:12.

"They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes" Romans 3.12-18.

I have another blog (Hay Bale Gardening) that will help us in beginning our quest for a healthy life style. Sure we must grow more of our own foods but we should also take heed to those who give us warnings about our food's corruption. With every warning there is a solution or modification that we can make to our foods. Instead of drinking lots of soda, drink water instead. Instead of eating white bread, eat sprouted wheat bread that is healthier for you. There are some things we may not be able to change but at least we are trying to become healthy and God will bless our efforts.

What is the purpose of living a longer life? As a Christian we can do more good and reap more rewards. By extending our lives we can glorify God longer and demonstrate to the world that God's ways of purity are better than the lust of the flesh and all its dainty morsels.