|
Concerning the message of the redeeming Christ and the principle of the life-transforming experience called born-again, Romans 16:25 reads, "according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began." I Timothy 3:16:
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Christ and His miracle called "born-again" are still a mystery. Consider these words in Matthew 13:10-15:
10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given
12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
The mystery of redemption cannot be entered into casually. Natural understanding cannot enter here; it must be spiritually discerned. Born-again is not turning over a new leaf; it is a brand-new life. Born-again is the inception of a very real spiritual metamorphosis whose end result is the image of Christ Jesus and eternal life.
James 4:8-10:
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Have you entered into this mystery? Are you born-again? Are your heart's ears yearning to hear, and its eyes ready to see? Is your heart ready to understand? Today is your day of salvation. Click onto "Further With Jesus" for childlike instructions and immediate entry into the Kingdom of God. NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.
GOD SAID, II Timothy 3:1-5:
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
GOD SAID, Daniel 8:23:
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
MAN SAID: These doomsday prophets make me laugh. There is no end of the world and certainly no judgment day. These are just doctrines promoted by religious leaders to keep dim-witted Christians in line.
Now THE RECORD. No man knows the exact time of Christ's return for the church, the soon-to-follow fierce battle of Armageddon, or the end of this world as we know it, but many signs are posted in the Word of God. Jesus said in Mark 13:37:
And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
This is Update XXI of the "Twenty-One Signs of Doomsday" series. At the end of this feature, we will list the entire series for your perusal. Things are moving very quickly.
The prophecy in Daniel quoted above uses the following words when referring to the anti-christ and God's judgment, "when the transgressors are come to the full." The maturing of evil is a telltale benchmark of doomsday.
Satan weaves a spider's web to snare and destroy the souls of men. One of his masterful techniques is a concept called gradualism. Satan begins with an issue that God classifies as gross sin or an abomination, and through the process of gradualism, brings it into mainstream society.
Satan's gradualism takes what is Biblically an abomination and converts the deed (homosexuality, for example, see Leviticus 18:22) to a mainstream, acceptable, and even desirable deed. Satan parades before men his obvious strong men in academia, science, psychology, the political arena, and entertainment to champion the cause. Over a period of years, he numbs societal sensibilities, and gradualism's progress looks like this:
First: abhorrence
Next: tolerance
Then: acceptance
Finally: open practice
The sexual revolution of the 1960s, just 50 years ago, used classic gradualism in its revolt against authority. Note that in 1953, the I Love Lucy show was censored for the use of the word pregnant. On the show, when the married couple would go to sleep at night, they would sleep in twin beds.
The hotbed of sexual revolution was and is in the world's universities where the "enlightened ones" consistently challenged the inerrancy of God's Holy Writ. One should not be surprised that the universities are breeding grounds for all forms of societal deterioration, for Genesis 3:6 reads:
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Carnal wisdom: "a tree to be desired and to make one wise."
Some of the fruits of the sexual revolution are the high escalations of:
● Abortion;
● Adultery;
● Child abuse;
● Children out of wedlock;
● Gay marriage;
● Pedophilia;
● Poverty;
● Premarital sex;
● Rampant divorce;
● Rape;
● Sexual immorality;
● Sexually transmitted diseases; and
● The cancer of pornography; among many others.
Hosea 4:13-14 speaks of the results of casting off God's commandments:
13 They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.
Surely adultery is rampant and virginity is scarce indeed.
History will repeat itself. God's judgment moves in a very real and predictable way. Wickedness will come to a full and God will judge. It was the case in the days of Noah.
Genesis 6:5-7:
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
It was the case in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah.
II Peter 2:6-8:
6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
Sodom, of course, is the source of the name Sodomites, which is the homosexual community. It was the case with the judgment of the Amorites.
Genesis 15:16:
But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
And it shall be the case in the end of the world.
Daniel 8:23:
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
Iniquity is surely coming to the full. Consider these news excerpts published in the AFA Journal in their May 2012 issue. The headline reads, "ObamaCare Threatens Religious Freedom."
Fallout continued over implementation of the Affordable Care Act—nicknamed "ObamaCare" — after the administration announced in March guidelines that apply to religious organizations.
The mandate exempts churches themselves but forces most religious groups -such as hospitals, schools, adoption agencies, orphanages and ministries like AFA -to provide employees with health insurance plans that include free coverage for contraceptives, including drugs that cause abortion. [End of quote]
Kirk Cameron, a champion of the Gospel, was interviewed by CNN. The following account was published by OneNewsNow.com.
In an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan, Christian actor Kirk Cameron said marriage is designed to be between one man and one woman for life. He further defined homosexuality as "socially destructive," "unnatural," "detrimental, and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization." Homosexual activists attacked Cameron for these honest responses to questions about his views on homosexuality and gay marriage. However, Cameron maintained that he should not be expected to remain silent about his moral standards because "God has something to say about these things." [End of quote]
The headline reads, "Girl Scouts, Planned Parenthood Co-Host Sex Workshop." The Washington Post writes:
A graphic sex manual titled "Healthy, Happy and Hot" was distributed to young girls at a United Nations "Girls Only" workshop hosted by Girl Scouts of America and Planned Parenthood.
Cathy Ruse of Family Research Council exposed the connection and said the sex manual is full of ideas too pornographic to repeat. The manual's purported purpose is to offer "better sexual health" to girls as young as 10. [End of quote]
A whitehouse.gov headline reads, "U.S. Agencies Get Pro-Gay Overhaul." It reads:
In December, President Barack Obama promised that the full weight of U.S. government will be used to promote the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) agenda around the world. A memorandum was issued as instruction for the heads of executive departments and agencies.
However, some conservatives were concerned by the policy's blanket promise of "promoting human rights" for homosexuals worldwide—language commonly seen as equating things like gay marriage with traditional marriage.
Obama said, "[N]o country should deny people their rights because of who they love." [End of quote]
Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, made it clear in the public forum that U.S. foreign aid will be hooked to how recipient countries treat homosexual issues.
A blog.sfgate.com headline reads, "Hockey Pros Tell Homosexuals 'You Can Play,'" and it reads:
The National Hockey League has joined the campaign to promote and accept homosexuality in sports. The new campaign consists of a video series titled "You Can Play," featuring NHL stars encouraging everyone to play, regardless of sexual orientation. [End of quote]
The headline reads "Campus Blocks Christian Vendor." Onenewsnow.com reports:
The Student Government Association of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, faced an onslaught of pressure from pro-homosexual activists and decided to reject Chick-fil-A as a vendor in its campus food court.
A representative of the Northeastern student group said, "In light of Chick-fil-A's financial support for groups advocating against gay rights and gay marriage, [we felt] that it was not appropriate to invite Chick-fil-A onto campus because it contradicts Northeastern's values and standards with respect to diversity and the University's commitment to its LGBT community. It is not in the interest of the University to allow onto a campus a vendor associated with these beliefs. [End of quote]
Foxnews.com writes under the title, "School Adopts Pro- Gay Stance," the following:
Minnesota's Anoka-Hennepin school district, the state's largest school district, was sued for a policy requiring teachers to remain neutral on the subject of sexual orientation. But six former and current students filed suit claiming the neutral policy prevented teachers from protecting homosexual students. The school district settled the suit in early March and adopted a new policy that promises to improve treatment of gay and lesbian students.
The decision was reached in a five-to-one vote of the school board. Kathy Tinglestad, the lone dissenter, resigned in protest of the decision. [End of quote]
Csnews.com reports the following:
ICE: Hormone Therapy and Abortion Services.
Illegal alien detainees who identify as transgender will be provided with hormone therapy by the Immigration Customs Enforcement, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Guidelines for this procedure are contained in the 2011 Operations Manual ICE Performance- Based National Detention Standards:
1. Within twelve hours of arriving at the detention facility, the detainee will be screened for "gender self-identification."
2. Transgender detainees who were already receiving hormone therapy when taken into ICE custody will have continued access.
3. Detainees will be provided assistance in labor and delivery, adoption or abortion services.
4. ICE will arrange and fund transportation to an abortion facility, and if the pregnancy is deemed life-threatening or is the result of rape or incest, ICE will pay for the abortion. [End of quote]
Wickedness is coming to a full. But to the redeemed, there is a golden lining to that very bleak story. Just as Noah and Lot were saved from catastrophic judgment, so it will be with the born-again.
I Thessalonians 4:13-18:
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 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:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
In the field of psychology, there is a term called "positive reframing." Basically, it means to take a bad picture and reframe it with a positive idea. This, of course, is a Biblical principle, and through childlike faith, we can reframe the world's dark pictures with God's Light and Love.
Consider these verses:
Romans 8:28:
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Proverbs 4:18:
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Psalms 118:24:
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
I Thessalonians 5:18:
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
The time of the end is near, but this is very good news for the saved.
GOD SAID, II Timothy 3:1-5:
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
GOD SAID, Daniel 8:23:
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
MAN SAID: These doomsday prophets make me laugh. There is no end of the world and certainly no judgment day. These are just doctrines promoted by religious leaders to keep dim-witted Christians in line.
Now you have THE RECORD.
Continue reading
Twenty-One Signs of Doomsday Series
References:
Authorized King James Version
AFA Journal, "ObamaCare Threatens Religious Freedom," May 2012
Onenewsnow.com, "Cameron Defends Marriage," March 8, 2012
The Washington Times, "Girl Scouts, Planned Parenthood Co-Host Sex Workshop," Jan. 16, 2012
Whitehouse.gov, "U.S. Agencies Get Pro-Gay Overhaul," Dec. 6, 2011
Blog.sfgate.com, "Hockey Pros Tell Homosexuals 'You Can Play,'" March 5, 2012
Onenewsnow.com, "Campus Blocks Christian Vendor," March 5, 2012
Foxnews.com, "School Adopts Pro-Gay Stance," March 5, 2012
Cnsnews.com, "ICE: Hormone Therapy and Abortion Services," March 5, 2012