Nisan 14 begins at sundown on April 19,2019 and ends at sundown on April 20,2019
lord’s evening meal
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The Greatest Gift God Gave To Creation
God’s Great Gift
Ephesians 1:10
“That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:”
Hebrews 4:14-16
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to the confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time".
Prophecy—-The Ripple Effect
Prophecy has a Ripple Effect
Prophecy's effects can be compared to a stone dropped into the center of a pond. Visualize the concentric circles that form from the epicenter and spread out across the pond. Over time these rings cover the entire pond.Each ring is an identical harmonic reproduction of the initial ring. So that no matter where you are positioned spatially in the pond, you see the same thing.
You can see prophecy's fulfillment everywhere. But there is a critical 'epicenter' to it. These epicenters are circumstances involving 'special' judgements in addition to those common to all mankind.
Following are a few renderings of 2 Thessalonians 2:8 which reveals how the man of lawlessness is brought to an end.
2 Thessalonians 2:8
BBE And then will come the revelation of that evil one, whom the Lord Jesus will put to death with the breath of his mouth, and give to destruction by the revelation of his coming;
EasyEnglish Then people will see the man who completely refuses to obey God. But when the Lord Jesus will come, he will kill that man. Jesus will kill him with the words that Jesus speaks. Jesus will kill him with the very bright, powerful light that shines from Jesus himself.
ISV Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will destroy with the breath of his mouth, rendering him powerless by the manifestation of his coming.
NHEB Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth, and destroy by the manifestation of his coming;
The Easy English gives the fullest interpretation as it points out how the Lord brings this "man of lawlessness" to his end. That is by revelation of the truth.
"Jesus will kill him with the words that Jesus speaks. Jesus will kill him with the very bright, powerful light that shines from Jesus himself."
"Words" will kill the man of lawlessness. Words that the Lord will provide. We certainly don't have an expectation that we will hear His voice from Heaven doing any speaking. Or at least, not prior to His arrival.
He speaks through his servants he has assigned to do so at the appointed time. As now we live near the close of this period of time, and also knowing that the "hour of test" must also occur before the end of this period, time has to be extremely short. And before this, the man of lawlessness is to be killed.
Since Christ will judge angels and flesh, and both the living and all who have died, the application of Biblical prophecy has to be more far reaching than the activities of a small modern day group as Jehovah's Witnesses.
Identifying Those Branded By The Beast
The mark of the beast is a brand of ownership that is identifiable by behavior.
What Is The Mark Of The Beast?
The original Greek word translated as 'mark' or 'imprint' referring to that received from the beast according to Strong means:
From the same as G5482; a scratch or etching, that is, stamp (as a badge of servitude), or sculptured figure (statue): - graven, mark.
Only those conforming to the will and dictates of the "wild beast" will prosper and being unhindered. So we see the most wicked of people doing well as a reward for worshipping the beast and bearing it's 'mark'.
The number six is only significant in Scripture as a symbol of imperfection, a missing the Divine mark of purity, 7. Six falls short and does not measure up.
Six is representative of falling short or missing the mark.
Thorough corruption involves corruption of the three key elements that make us: spirit, mind, and body.
666 is representative that one has completely corrupted themselves in spirit 6, mind 6, and finally body 6.
Revelation 13:11-17
11 I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it talked like a dragon.
12 It uses all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and it makes the earth and those living on it worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.
13 It performs spectacular signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people.
14 It deceives those living on earth with the signs that it is allowed to do on behalf of the first beast, telling them to make an image for the beast who was wounded by a sword and yet lived.
15 The second beast was allowed to impart life to the image of the first beast so that the image of the beast could talk and order the execution of those who would not worship the image of the beast.
16 The second beast forces all people—important and unimportant, rich and poor, free and slaves—to be marked on their right hands or on their foreheads,
17 so that no one may buy or sell unless he has the mark, which is the beast’s name or the number of its name.
International Standard Version
'Vatican' And Vatika
No Justice In The Land
The Scriptural passages cited below are text that express God’s concept of what both REAL justice is and what is a miscarriage of justice on the part of corrupt judges and other high officials sworn to uphold justice.
As you consider these Biblical verses, compare them to what you are able to observe in the behavior of your court officials and Judges. What has been their behavior?
Deuteronomy 16:18-20
18 You shall make judges and officers in all your gates, which the LORD your God gives you, according to your tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.19 You shall not wrest justice: you shall not respect persons; neither shall you take a bribe; for a bribe does blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
20 You shall follow that which is altogether just, that you may live, and inherit the land which the LORD your God gives you.
Proverbs 17:23
23 A wicked man receives a bribe in secret, to pervert the ways of justice.Select capable men from all the people–men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain–and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. Exodus 18:21-22
Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. Leviticus 19:15
I charged your judges at that time: Hear the disputes between your brothers and judge fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelite or between one of them and an alien. Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it. Deuteronomy 1:16-17
Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly. Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you. Deuteronomy 16:18-20
Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for man, but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery. 2 Chronicles 19:6-7
Do you rulers indeed speak justly? Do you judge uprightly among men? No, in your heart you devise injustice, and your hands mete out violence on the earth. Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies. Psalm 58:1-3
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9
Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:15-17
Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them. Isaiah 1:23
Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch men. Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor. Jeremiah 5:26-28The leaders judge for a bribe, priests teach for a price, and prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the Lord and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us.” Micah 3:11
Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire–they all conspire together. The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. Micah 7:3-4
Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God. Her officials are roaring lions, her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning . . . the unrighteous know no shame. Zephaniah 3:1-5
In the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:2
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Romans 2:1
If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure. Proverbs 29:14
Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for man but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery. 2 Chronicles 19:6-7
- “This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.” Joshua 1:8
“This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite[a] it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.” Joshua 1:8
You Cannot Be A Follower Of Jesus Christ And Dispute And Deny What He Said.
How could you be a disciple, a student of an instructor whose words you keep changing into something that isn’t what he said? Can you image a classroom in which after the instructor has spoken, a class member had to stand up and interpret what the teacher has just said to the class? Not hardly.
There are many who say they believe in Jesus Christ Many say they believe the Bible. And after doing so, they take the words of Jesus and the rest of the Bible and mystify them into a symbolic code, which THEY must tell you the interpretation of.
They will tell you that you cannot take the Bible literally. If that were true, then everything written is open to second guessing and personal opinions. There are not many subject written about in the Bible that you won’t get a plethora of different ideas about all because what has been written is not taken at face value as it is written. “It says that, but that’s not what it means.” OR “Let me tell you what Jesus really meant.”
While some Scripture is written in symbolic terms, the overwhelming amount of it is not.
And within the context, the Bible it makes it clear when text is symbolic of other things.
Jesus makes clear at the beginning of his revelation to John that it symbolic language about ‘real’ things.
Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show unto his servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass: and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John; ASV
That is not true of his words at Luke 21. The word ‘sign’ is used differently than it is in Revelation.
In Luke 21, he is given signs of real conditions that would be happening prior to his Coming and would signal entry into the “Last Days”.
Luke 21:10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; ASV
He also says of this sign:
Luke 21:34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. ESV
Clearly his sign affects all on Earth so could not be fulfilled upon a small group whom much of Earth inhabitants know nothing of.
In the Revelation, ‘sign’ is used in reference to a ‘coded’ message written with symbolic terms. But even here not all things referred to are merely symbolic.
It mentions ‘Heaven’ which is real; it mentions ‘angels’ which a true believer accepts as real living creatures; it speaks of a war between real, living creatures and that war is a real war.
The spiritual mystic doesn’t believe any of these to be actual things; but, only symbolic of other things.
So to these, the Battle of Armageddon is a war of ‘words’ in which the devil will be destroyed. You cannot destroy a real living creature {angel} with mere words. Satan is not going to just disappear. Nor is the cleansing of the physical Earth going to occur by simple ‘talk’.
The mystic sees Luke 21 as a coded message and not the Lord giving a sign of literal events that could be watched for to know when his arrival was eminent.
They claim that his sign is fulfilled within the body of Christ even though Luke 21:10 speaks of “kingdoms” plural.
These mystical interpreters have tunnel vision when it comes to understanding the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy and turn a blind-eye to the things we can see individually with our own eyes worldwide that are fulfilling Jesus’ sign.
Some of these individuals where members of groups like the Watchtower Society who departed and now are making hypocrites of themselves. They left the WTS because its governing body claimed to have this same special ability (spiritual insight) which their fellow professed anointed brothers could not possibly possess. And now here these very same people are presenting themselves as ‘special’ gurus, but now in their own right. Somehow to them their behavior is different. It is not.
Read the Bible yourself without relying on someone else’s interpretation of it. Learn and grow in accurate knowledge by being lead by the spirit that inspired its writing,
Have faith that if you are sincere of heart, God will cause you to understand everything you need to know about how to please Him.
Taking God and His Word Literally
Literal or Figurative?
Genesis 3:1-5 New Heart English Bible
Genesis 3
1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really a said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?’”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat,
3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
4 The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t surely die,
5 for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Satan, the serpent, was the first creature to question whether or not God's words are to be taken at face value... literally.
He put forth a question to Eve that opened the door to her second-guessing what she clearly had been told concerning God's commandment. She was even able to recite it when questioned.
But the devil was able to convince her that Almighty God needed an interpretor to explain hidden nuances in what He has said. That even though isounded an awful lot like she would die it she ate the forbidden fruit, she hadn't got the whole picture and so he appealed to her selfish desires and convinced her of something else.
HE CONVINCED EVE THAT THE 'DEATH' GOD HAD SPOKE ABOUT WASN'T REAL...THAT IT WAS SYMBOLIC...NOT TO BE TAKEN LITERALLY.
Today many of his weeds try to confuse truth-seeker believers by telling them they can't ttake the Bible literally and that it doesn't really mean what it says.
This opens the door to alternative reasonings that ignore what God has had written in Scripture.
Sounds familiar doesn't it?Where figurative speech and/or symbolisms are being used in Scripture, it is clearly stated within the context. Otherwise there is no reason not to take what is written most literally.
Locust
"And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power."
Revelation 9:3 KJVThe Watchtower Society teaches that the locust described in Revelation chapter 9, were their spiritual leaders in 1919 A.D.
(See "Revelation Its Grand Climax At Hand!" pages 143-154)
Revelation 9:1 tells us that these locust were released by a "falling star" or a fallen angel. So, they are attributing their rescue from an "abyss of spiritual inactivity" in 1919 to a demon.
These locust were permitted to torment only those that did not have the "seal of the living God."
If these locusts really pictured the anointed brothers of Christ, they would not have had to be instructed not to "harm" one another.
Fooled by as John puts it, "what 'seemed' to be gold crowns on their heads, the Watchtower leaders have assumed that these locust must be righteous. They saw these as the kingly crowns to be yet granted to the elect. (page 146)
They have based interpretations of Revelation chapter 9 on what is written later in Revelation chapter 20. That is a huge mistake. In Revelation 20, the circumstances have changed.
Revelation 20:1 refers to a later time when another angel is seen "coming down (not falling down) holding in his hand the key to the abyss". At this time, that authority will have been returned to the One that has the right.
They teach that this latter angel is the same angel who has authority over the abyss in Chapter 9 (Abaddon, "The Destroyer"). That is an assumption.
Revelation chapter 9 is about fallen angels, jurisdictions under their control, and demonic activities. It has nothing at all to do with righteous activities direct by Christ.
Who are the Locust? What do They Do?
As noted in reading, Revelation chapter 9 foretells of the unleashing on humankind of 'locust' by a fallen angel called "the Destroyer".
These demon spirits have been unleashed and they orchestrate anarchy by permitting people and groups of people to act out in anti-social, disruptive behaviors.
This is occurring on a global scale.
Today the grossly mentally ill wander the streets of community behaving in both bizarre and socially disruptive manners. Yet it is tolerated.
Criminals dangerous to society at large are released from prison unreformed back into communities. Yet it is tolerated. Plagued severely as the Revelation to John foretold, yet they refuse to repent and turn away from worshipping demons.
It is obvious to most reasoning people that to allow these things is causing social disruption and dysfunction...the goal of anarchist. Their intent is to destroy the social fabric of humanity as Satan's goal is to disrupt and destroy the fabric of creation.
What is happening is not the result of coincidence or accident. It is the result of a plan foretold about in Revelation chapter 9.
These demons have opened the door to open incorporation into mainstream society. Now even public buildings are adorned with images of the occult. All the while, they have suppressed pure worship of the true God.
The Watchtower Corporate Head
Satan, the devil, is the father of the lie and of liars.
Satan delivered the first 'fake news' to Eve, the first woman, in the Garden of Eden. We live the consequences of his action.
Who is your father?
Cast Into Insanity by God
Who Caused This World To Go Insane?
It is God who is responsible for casting those who reject what is real truth and those who rejected true reality into the spiritual and mental dense darkness which is manifested in the deprave behaviors we observe today.What lead to Him to "give them up" to their hearts desire?
They replaced the truth with a lie and substitute reality with a falsehood.
The apostle Paul explains:
Romans chapter 1
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, {who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth}.
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, { have been clearly perceived}, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. {So they are without excuse}.
21 For although {they knew} God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 {Therefore God gave them up} in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
25 {because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie} and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 {For this reason God gave them up} to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;
27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error."
The bracket words highlight two things. First, that whom is being spoken against knew the truth but refused to act in accordance with the truths they clearly knew.
Second, that as a result, God yielded them into depraved insane thinking and conduct.
The word 'fake' gets thrown around quite a lot today. But the realty is that the world is and has held up a false, fake, façade of a nonexistent reality...a delusion. It is not unusual that the news is fake...the world is both delusional and fake because God threw them into their present state of mind.
They denied the reality of the existence of God himself and, for themselves, replaced him with false reality gods.
In the following passage, Paul reaffirms his understanding of the mass depravity the wicked.
The same conditions exist today, only amplified.
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12
10 "and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, {because they refused to love the truth and so be saved}.
11 Therefore God sends them {a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,
12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness}."
These verses clearly indicate that those who do not love the truth (which it is understood to live in agreement with it), are purposefully given into that delusional mental state by God as punishment.
So is clear that we are designed to adhere to the truth in order to keep our mental faculties in order.
It is also clear that Jehovah God wants us to avoid the world(s) of illusion. So it makes sense that refusing to deny reality is the only way we can insure we are obedient to the One who is real.
We must actively reject unreality and accept what is real regardless whether good or bad.
——Learning How to Learn—-
Fulfillment of A Dream
What modern Rulership has fulfilled this prophecy?
Daniel chapter 2- Nebuchadnezzar's DreamDaniel 2
1 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep went from him.
2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the enchanters, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.
3 The king said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to understand the dream.”
4 Then spoke the Chaldeans to the king in the Aramaic language, “O king, live forever: tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”
5 The king answered the Chaldeans, “The thing is gone from me: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a rubbish heap.
6 But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor: therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.”
7 They answered the second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”
8 The king answered, “I know of a certainty that you would gain time, because you see the thing is gone from me.
9 But if you do not make known to me the dream, there is but one law for you; for you have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, until such time that things might change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.”
10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, “There is not a man on the earth who can show the king’s matter, because no king, lord, or ruler, has asked such a thing of any magician, or enchanter, or Chaldean.
11 It is a rare thing that the king requires, and there is no other who can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
13 So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions to be killed.
14 Then Daniel returned an answer with counsel and prudence to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, who was gone forth to kill the wise men of Babylon;
15 he answered Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree so urgent from the king?” Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
16 Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would appoint him a time, and he would show the king the interpretation.
17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
18 that they would seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his companions should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19 Then was the secret revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever; for wisdom and might are his.
21 He changes the times and the seasons; he removes kings, and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have understanding;
22 he reveals the deep and secret things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.
23 I thank you, and praise you, God of my fathers, who has given me wisdom and might, and has now made known to me what we desired of you; for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”
24 Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and said this to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show to the king the interpretation.”
25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said this to him, “I have found a man of the children of the captivity of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation.”
26 The king answered Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?”
27 Daniel answered before the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded is such that no wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor soothsayers, can show to the king;
28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has made known to king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head on your bed, are these:
29 as for you, O king, your thoughts came into your mind on your bed, what should happen hereafter; and he who reveals secrets has made known to you what shall happen.
30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart.
31 You, O king, saw, and behold, a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was extraordinary, stood before you; and its appearance was awesome.
32 As for this image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze,
33 its legs of iron, its feet part of iron, and part of clay.
34 You saw until a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
35 Then was the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them: and the stone that struck the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
36 This is the dream; and we will tell its interpretation before the king.
37 You, O king, are king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory;
38 and wherever the children of men dwell, the animals of the field and the birds of the sky has he given into your hand, and has made you to rule over them all: you are the head of gold.
39 After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; and another third kingdom of bronze, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
40 The fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, because iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things; and as iron that crushes all these, shall it break in pieces and crush.
41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, because you saw the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43 And whereas you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mix with one another but they shall not hold together, even as iron does not mix with clay.
44 In the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all those kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
45 Because you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God has made known to the king what shall happen hereafter: and the dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.“
46 Then king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, and worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him.
47 The king answered Daniel and said, “Surely your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing you have been able to reveal this secret.”
48 Then the king made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him to rule over the whole province of Babylon, and to be chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.
49 Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel was in the gate of the king.
New Heart English BibleWe live in the age of the crumbling "feet and toes". And we must keep in mind that this image portrays the succession of world rulership.
Which rulership fits the description that was given to Daniel by the angel today?
What Is Faith?
"The assured expectation of things hoped for."
The suggestion that 'faith' and 'reason' are incompatible is a based on a false dichotomy. Neither faith nor reason need be mutually exclusive of one another.
;In fact, having faith in something "unseen" can at times be the only reasonable response. The force of gravity is an example. You cannot see nor hold it, but deductive reasoning gives you confidence that it exist.
The following is an excellent treatment of this subject.
IS FAITH REASONABLE?
;By R. Herbert, January 31, 2014
Faith, Hope and Wishful Thinking
All definitions of faith involve the idea that it is a response to something intangible or unseen. The dictionary tells us that faith is “belief with strong conviction; firm belief and complete trust in something for which there may be no tangible physical proof.” The Bible puts it this way: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).Although many secular people reject this concept outright, as though being certain of what we cannot prove is intellectual weakness of some sort, a kind of glorified hope or just wishful thinking, the truth is that we all live by faith in our everyday lives. We plan things for future dates not knowing that we will be there at that time. We arrange to meet a friend somewhere for coffee, and we go to meet the person although we may not have any firm physical proof he or she will show up. It is not that we go hoping that perhaps our friend will show up - we plan and we go because we are sure the person will be there. We have a kind of faith that our friend will appear.
Below is Hebrews Chapter 11 from the New Heart English Translation which uses Hebrew name pronunciations.Confidence and assurance are produce of a reasoning process. One draws a conclusion based on past evidence. It is a matter of deductive reasoning
Hebrews 11
1 Now faith is being confident of what we hope for, convinced about things we do not see.
2 For by this, the people of old were attested.
3 By faith, we understand that the ages were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen has not been made out of things which are visible.
4 By faith, Habeil offered to God a better sacrifice than Qayen, through which he was attested as righteous, God testifying with respect to his gifts; and though he died he still speaks through it.
5 By faith, Khenuk was taken away, so that he would not see death, “and he was not found, because God took him away.” For before he was taken he was attested as having pleased God.
6 Now without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.
7 By faith, Nukh, being warned about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared a ship for the salvation of his household, through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
8 By faith, Avraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he was going.
9 By faith, he sojourned in a land of promise, as a foreigner, living in tents with Iskhaq and Yaquv, the heirs with him of the same promise.
10 For he looked for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11 By faith, even barren Sarah herself received power to conceive when she was past age, and gave birth, since she considered him faithful who had promised.
;12 Therefore as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as innumerable as the sand which is by the sea shore, were fathered by one man, and him as good as dead.
;13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.
15 If indeed they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had enough time to return.
16 But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith, Avraham, being tested, offered up Iskhaq; and he who had gladly received the promises was offering up his one and only son;
18 even he to whom it was said, “In Iskhaq will your descendants be called;”
19 concluding that God is able to raise up even from the dead. Figuratively speaking, he also did receive him back from the dead.
20 By faith, Iskhaq blessed Yaquv and Isuw, even concerning things to come.
21 By faith, Yaquv, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Yauseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.
22 By faith, Yauseph, when his end was near, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel; and gave instructions concerning his bones.
23 By faith, Mushe, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.
;24 By faith, Mushe, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,
;25 choosing rather to share ill treatment with God’s people, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a time;
26 considering the reproach of the Meshikha greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he looked to the reward.
27 By faith, he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
28 By faith, he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them.
29 By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. When the Egyptians tried to do so, they were swallowed up.
30 By faith, the walls of Irikhu fell down, after they had been encircled for seven days.
31 By faith, Rakhav the prostitute, did not perish with those who were disobedient, having received the spies in peace.
32 And what more should I say? For the time would fail me if I told of Gedeun, Baraq, Shemshun, Naphtakh, Dawid, Shemuyel, and the prophets;
33 who, through faith subdued kingdoms, worked out righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, grew mighty in war, and caused foreign armies to flee.
;35 Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.
36 Others were tried by mocking and scourging, yes, moreover by bonds and imprisonment.
37 They were stoned, they were sawed apart, they were tempted, they were killed with the sword. a They went around in sheepskins b and in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, mistreated
38 (of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and the holes of the earth.
39 These all, having had testimony given to them through their faith, did not receive the promise,
40 God having provided some better thing concerning us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
The worshippers of the true God have every reason to be confident that He will fulfill all that He has promised them just as those in the past had.
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Wormwood
They Acted In Direct Defiance Of God’s Warning
New Heart English Bible
Revelation chapter 22,
18 “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book.
19 If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will l take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book.”
By mixing their personal history and stories with the Book of Revelation and then claiming that these events were the fulfillment of specific prophecies contained in the Book of Revelation, the Watchtower organization has done precisely what the above Scripture expressly states not to do. That is what book such as “Babylon the Great has Fallen God’s Kingdom Rules” and “Revelation-Grand Climax Is At Hand!” do.
Having done so, they not only taught this mixture to their followers; but also distributed it to the world in massive distribution campaigns over decades.
The angel sent to John was perfectly clear in stating what the consequences would be.
“Repent therefore and turn around so as to get your sins forgiven.” Acts 3:19
————“Man in a Box”? ———-
CONDITIONING and MIND CONTROL
Experimenters will place a mouse into a box that is a totally controlled environment.
They do this for various reasons including what is known as 'Conditioning'.
They can introduce or remove anything into the box they choose. It is a totally controlled environment.
The controller habituates the mouse to some routine of task that the mouse realizes that if it performs, it will receive a reward (for instance a food pebble).
Generally, the mouse will be so engrossed by this routine that it will lose it's awareness of other things going on in the box.
A predator or some other threat can be introduced into the mix by the experimental controllers and the unsuspecting mouse stays unaware until it is too late to defend itself.
Such experimental methods are taught and learned as part of the Human Psychology disciplines.
These methods can be and are applied to human subjects.
You have intelligence, whereas that poor mouse did not.
Knowledge of the existence of these methodologies can help one from falling victim to them.
Key elements to conditioning are:
Controlled/conditioned environment. Conditioned stimuli. Conditioned response.
The mouse is not an intelligent creature as you are and doesn't have the advantage you have by being forewarned.
If the mouse had known that there were controllers outside controlling it's mind, behaviors, and destiny; I imagine that if it could not escape, he would at least resisted their efforts with all it's might
Godly Contrition
Can there be forgiveness of our sins without proper remorse?
Pride will not allow the wicked one to admit and then accept responsibility for their wrong doing.
The wicked one is more concerned about what humans think of them than how they stand before God.
They will not acknowledge their fallen condition.
"Contrition is a key factor in true repentance. Without it, we are like the proud Pharisee, going through the motions of religion but harboring arrogance in our hearts.
Contrition agrees that a heart intent on following Christ must reject evil in all its forms. A contrite heart harbors no thoughts of repeating its sin; rather, it seeks the strength of God to overcome sin and move on toward holiness (1 Peter 1:15–16)."
Continue reading at:
gotquestions.org
——-Cognitive Dissonance——-
Cognitive Dissonance's adverse effects
Cognitive Dissonance--Individual and Group
"The theory of cognitive dissonance, proposed by Festinger (1957, 1958, 1964), has been proposed to explain a series of key observations. For example, if individuals are instructed to present some speech, their subsequent attitudes are more inclined to align with this presentation. However, this pattern of findings arises only when individuals are not granted conspicuous incentives to present this speech."
The way you live versus 'reality' can create dissonance.
The way you live versus the way you know you should live can create mental conflict (angst) creating cognitive dissonance.
"The key premise is that individuals experience a sense of unease or discomfort, called cognitive dissonance, when they experience or manifest two cognitions that contradict one another. They might, for example, believe they are typically an altruistic person but then recognize that, nevertheless, they seldom donate money or time to charity. Any such inconsistencies between their attitudes or beliefs and their behavior will provoke this sense of dissonance. Dissonance manifests as feelings of guilt, shame, embarrassment, anxiety, anger, or other negative affective states.
Dissonance does not tend to arise unless several conditions are fulfilled. First, individuals must feel they can control their behavior& they need to experience a sense of personal responsibility (e.g., Beauvois & Joule, 1999). Second, although some contention remains (e.g., Harmon-Jones, Brehm, Greenberg, Simon, & Nelson, 1996), the behavior is usually regarded as consequential and potentially aversive (Cooper & Fazio, 1984). Third, the cognitions need to be relevant to the self (Aronson, 1969)
Individuals experience a profound motivation to alleviate this sensation or feeling (see Elliot & Devine, 1994). To ameliorate dissonance, individuals can engage in various processes, all intended to align these cognitions with one another.
First, they might, for example, change their belief or attitudes. After failing to donate money to charities, for example, they might form the belief that such donations are ultimately futile.
Second, individuals could trivialize the domain or context. They could, for example, convince themselves the behavior is inconsequential (e.g., Simon, Greenberg, & Brehm, 1995).
Third, they could deny responsibility for their behavior--an inclination that curbs the negative affect that dissonance evokes (Gosling, Denizeau, & Oberl?, 2006). Similarly, they might justify their behavior, attempting to demonstrate to themselves that such acts do not conflict with their beliefs or attitudes. They could highlight, either to themselves or to someone else, they could not readily access their money. In other words, responsibility is not only a necessary condition to generate dissonance& personal responsibility can be denied to curb dissonance as well.
Finally, at least in some settings, individuals could change their behavior--and, in this instance, begin to donate money. Individuals might, for example, sometimes express positive attitudes about safety. Nevertheless, the same individuals might engage in unsafe sexual practices. After they become aware of this contradiction, they are more likely to buy more condoms (Stone, Aronson, Crain, Winslow, & Fried, 1994). These behaviors, then, overcome the aversive sense of dissonance."
There is mass cognitive dissonance today on all social group levels.
Behaviors do not align with present realities. Most of the world lives in some state of denial.
Reference
http://www.sicotests.com/
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The Value & Meaning of Circumcision
The Greater Meaning
Many have been taught to believe God's requirement of circumcising was nothing more than a superficial mark of identification. It was much more.
The 'mark' of most importance was a mark of cleanness. God was separating His people apart and teaching them to live cleanly by behavior.
Some other cultures practiced circumcision, including the Egyptians who adopted the practice when the Hebrew children resided in Egypt.
Others like the Philistines did not. David called Goliath an, "uncircumcised Philistine".
God knew the uncleanness spread by uncircumcision.
The uncircumcised soldiers of the nations brought diseases with them to Europe in two world wars as the medical article below cites. Why were so many uncircumcised in the 1940's is a good question to ask.
God's simple instruction to the Hebrews was not to mix with gentiles because they would become unclean.
The Pattern
The Bible likens Satan the devil to the "filthy foreskin".
His seed does not issue forth from the shoot or the natural creation of God.
His seed is the scum that collects beneath the foreskin and inflames and corrupts God's creation.
The Law of God was that on the eight day after birth, the Priest should take that foreskin outside the city wall and tossed it into the Valley of Hinnom, Gehenna, the Lake of Fire.
The Uncircumcised And The Spread of Disease
"US Army report by General John Patton stated that in World War II 150,000 soldiers were hospitalized for foreskin problems due to inadequate hygiene, leading to the statements: “Time and money could have been saved had prophylactic circumcision been performed before the men were shipped overseas” and “Because keeping the foreskin clean was very difficult in the field, many soldiers with only a minimal tendency toward phimosis were likely to develop balanoposthitis [Patton, 1987b]. Army urologists stated “Had these patients been circumcised before induction [into the Army] this total would have been close to zero”. In the Second World War Australia had to send urologists to circumcise all of its troops fighting in the North African campaign who were not already circumcised [Short, 2006]. Similarly sand was a problem for uncircumcised men during the Gulf War in Iraq (“Desert Storm”) in the early 1990s [Gardner, 1991; Schoen, 2007e].
As discussed in section 4 on the history of circumcision, the Judeo-Muslim practice of circumcision quite likely had its origin in Egyptian civilization. There is ample evidence of circumcised mummies at the time the Hebrews inhabited Egypt, as well as illustrations of the operation itself and of circumcised Pharoahs, dating back to 3,000 BC [Weiss, 1997].
The Judeo-Muslim practice of circumcision quite likely had its origin in Egyptian civilization, where there is evidence of a circumcised mummy at the time the Hebrews inhabited Egypt, as well as illustrations of the operation itself and of circumcised Pharoahs, dating back to 3000 BC [Weiss, 1997].
Although the sand theory is compelling, another suggestion is that the Egyptians could have circumcised themselves and their slaves to prevent schistosomal infection [Weiss, 1997; Weiss, 2004]. Urinary tract obstruction and hematuria are common in localities such as the Nile Valley that are inhabited by the blood fluke, Schistosoma haematobium. The preputial sac would undoubtedly possess the adverse ability of being able to hold water infected with the cercaria stage of the life cycle of this parasite and so facilitate its entry into the body. It has also been suggested that the Egyptians believed that when a snake shed its skin, and emerged bright and new again, it was undergoing rebirth. Since they thought by shedding its skin the snake became immortal that humans might do the same by causing the “shedding” of the foreskin.
The perpetuation of the procedure by the Israelites (and thus Jews) may have subsequently been driven by a desire to maintain cleanliness in an arid, sandy desert environment. When the Israelites were held in bondage in Egypt the men were all circumcised. After Moses led them out of Egypt a ritual of circumcision on the 8th day post-partum was instituted as a “covenant with God”. (Of course this tradition was then lost during their wanderings, and was re-instituted later, as described in section 4 on the history of circumcision.) The Prophet Mohammad, born in hot, dry, sandy Saudi Arabia, was also circumcised as are all Muslims today."
Reference:
http://www.circinfo.net/what_caused_many_cultures_to_remove_it.html.
location of Gehenna
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