Thursday, November 22, 2007

Big Brother at Work in the Pentagon...

Wow... truly, Big Brother is at work! (Read "1984" by George Orwell if you don't know who "Big Brother" is.)

Can you believe that my blog merited a visit by the U.S. Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, yesterday? But in quickly reading over the last post, I guess I can understand why - there are lots of "key words" that provoke suspicion. However, in actually reading the post carefully, and in looking beyond suspicious key words, it quickly becomes apparent that I am anything but a threat to the world. Have any of you had a hit from the Pentagon? I know many of you write and speak out against our enemy, the Islamic jihadist.

I DO NOT appreciate that we have lost our privacy - the U.S. government searches our blogs and websites and taps our phones - but I suppose in the effort to fight Islamic terrorism, it's okay with me to hit my blog to ensure Deborah isn't a threat to world peace or U.S. security.

Unfortunately, their efforts are priming the world scene for end times and the coming Tribulation. We will become so accustomed to the intrusive behavior by our governments and financial institutions in the name of "peace" that we will provide them a free pass to do so (like I just did). Those of us who await the arrival of [Messiah] would be caught off-guard and deceived if we were not called to be sober and alert - to know and understand the signs of the end! But the world is one step closer to ushering in the false messiah, the man whom everyone will adore and accept as the "peace maker," the "deliverer"... the "Messiah."

For me, the coming Tribulation means being gloriously rescued by Messiah and being caught up to join Him in the wedding of the Lamb. But for the vast majority of the world, the last three and a half years of the Tribulation means destruction and death - the wrath of God upon those who refused to fear and obey Him.

1 Now concerning(A) the coming of our Lord Jesus [the Messiah] and our(B) being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,[a] 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or(C) alarmed, either(D) by a spirit or a(E) spoken word, or(F) a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3(G) Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come,(H) unless the rebellion comes first, and(I) the man of lawlessness[b] is revealed,(J) the son of destruction,[c] 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God,(K) proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For(L) the mystery of lawlessness(M) is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then(N) the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus(O) will kill with(P) the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by(Q) the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan(R) with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for(S) those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore(T) God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe(U) what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned(V) who did not believe the truth but(W) had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)


Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple...

1(A) Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you,(B) there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."

Signs of the Close of the Age...

3 As he sat on(C) the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him(D) privately, saying, "Tell us,(E) when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your(F) coming and of(G) the close of the age?" 4 And Jesus answered them, (H) "See that no one leads you astray. 5 For(I) many will come in my name, saying, 'I am(J) the [Messiah],' and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you(K) are not alarmed, for this(L) must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For(M) nation will rise against nation, and(N) kingdom against kingdom, and there will be(O) famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of(P) the birth pains.

9 "Then(Q) they will deliver you up(R) to tribulation and(S) put you to death, and(T) you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away[a] and(U) betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many(V) false prophets will arise(W) and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased,(X) the love of many will grow cold. 13(Y) But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom(Z) will be proclaimed throughout the whole world(AA) as a testimony(AB) to all nations, and(AC) then the end will come.

The Abomination of Desolation...

15 "So when you see the abomination of desolation(AD) spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in(AE) the holy place ((AF) let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17(AG) Let the one who is on(AH) the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And(AI) alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be(AJ) great tribulation,(AK) such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for(AL) the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23(AM) Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24 For(AN) false christs and(AO) false prophets will arise and(AP) perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See,(AQ) I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, 'Look,(AR) he is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27(AS) For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be(AT) the coming of the Son of Man. 28(AU) Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man...

29 "Immediately after(AV) the tribulation of those days(AW) the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and(AX) the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then(AY) will appear in heaven(AZ) the sign of the Son of Man, and then(BA) all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and(BB) they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven(BC) with power and great glory. 31 And(BD) he will send out his angels with a loud(BE) trumpet call, and they will(BF) gather(BG) his elect from(BH) the four winds,(BI) from one end of heaven to the other.


The Lesson of the Fig Tree...

32 "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near,(BJ) at the very gates. 34(BK) Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35(BL) Heaven and earth will pass away, but(BM) my words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day and Hour...

36 "But concerning that day and hour(BN) no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,(BO) nor the Son,[b](BP) but the Father only. 37(BQ) For as were the days of Noah,(BR) so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38(BS) For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking,(BT) marrying and giving in marriage, until(BU) the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away,(BV) so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41(BW) Two women will be grinding(BX) at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore,(BY) stay awake, for you do not know on what day(BZ) your Lord is coming. 43(CA) But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night(CB) the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be(CC) ready, for(CD) the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
45 "Who then is(CE) the faithful and(CF) wise servant,[c] whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46(CG) Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you,(CH) he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master(CI) is delayed,' 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants[d] and eats and drinks with(CJ) drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come(CK) on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place(CL) there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:1-51)

4 comments:

Christian said...

Hi Deb,

I wouldn't worry. You're certainly no threat - at least to our government. Your posts would certianly not be tolerated in countries like China, Iran, etc.

Perhaps God was leading someone at the Pentagon that He loves to your site for a reason. After all you may take your site for granted but it's a great resource and source of spirit-filled inspiration for people like me.

God Bless you Deb !!

Christian.

Avi said...

Just wondering about the Tribulations: What will be the fate of those who do not accpet Yeishu? I tell you that from the deepest sincerest part of my heart, I do not believe in Yeishu nor will I ever. Am I to be condemened to eternal hellfire along with murderers and rapists simply because I am not a Christian?

This belief of eternal damnation has always bugged me. Why would a Merciful G-d create a place to torture sinners forever? That's why Judaism totally rejects that idea.

G-d bless you!

BK

Deborah said...

8 But HaShem is enthroned for ever; He hath established His throne for judgment.
9 And He will judge the world in righteousness, He will minister judgment to the peoples with equity. (Psalm 9)

28 Add iniquity unto their iniquity; and let them not come into Thy righteousness.
29 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. (Psalm 69)

BK,

You know I am not your judge, nor am I anyone else's judge. There is only one Judge regarding the final disposition of each man and woman according to His righteousness and justice. Remember, G-d's throne is founded upon righteousness and justice!

I do believe all those who have NOT obeyed G-d will go to an eternal place called Hell (Sheol, Hades, Gehenna)! Yes, G-d Himself will send the disobedient to Sheol for eternal destruction, and that doesn't mean "lights out forever", it means conscience suffering. (Sheol and destruction are before G-d. (Proverbs 15:11))

I don't know why rabbinic teachings don't include eternal punishment after death for the disobedient? The Tanakh is full of references to Sheol, the pit, and the justified punishment of the disobedient. Carefully consider Isaiah 28:14-22.

BK, because I believe Yeshua is the Messiah who is and who was and who is to come, I do believe all that He said concerning His first and second Messianic missions on earth, and I believe all that He said about eternal life - I believe what He had to say about one's eternal destination, which is either spent worshipping G-d or is spent in Hell (Sheol, Hades, Gehenna). The book of Revelation speaks very specifically and vividly about Satan's judgment and the judgment of those whose names are not found in the Book of Life.

You asked the question, and you know me, I want to provide a thorough answer. There's so much to say about the Tribulation, and THE Judgment, and Sheol. Instead of placing my references in the Comment format, I will post Scriptural references (both from the Tanakh and B'rit Chadashah) tomorrow so you can click into the cross references.

7 And he shall take the two goats, and set them before HaShem at the door of the tent of meeting.
8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats: one lot for HaShem, and the other lot for Azazel.
9 And Aaron shall present the goat upon which the lot fell for HaShem, and offer him for a sin-offering.
10 But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before HaShem, to make atonement over him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness. (Leviticus 16:7-10)

1 MY LITTLE children, I write you these things so that you may not violate God's law and sin. But if anyone should sin, we have an Advocate (One Who will intercede for us) with the Father--[it is] Jesus Christ [the all] righteous [upright, just, Who conforms to the Father's will in every purpose, thought, and action].
2 And He [that same Jesus Himself] is the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours alone but also for [the sins of] the whole world.
4 Whoever says, I know Him [I perceive, recognize, understand, and am acquainted with Him] but fails to keep and obey His commandments (teachings) is a liar, and the Truth is not in him.
5 But he who keeps (treasures) His Word [who bears in mind His precepts, who observes His message in its entirety], truly in him has the love of and for God been perfected (completed, reached maturity). By this we may perceive (know, recognize, and be sure) that we are in Him:
6 Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself.
7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the message which you have heard [the doctrine of salvation through Christ]. (1 John 2:1-7)

G-d bless you!

Deborah said...

Christian, do ya' gotta go and crush my most romantic conspiracy theory? :(

Nah, I'm certainly no threat to anyone... let alone the U.S. government. Well, they do say "every vote counts," so perhaps by my vote I can do good damage. :) (Hum... that's an oxymoron, eh?)

But, I like your perspective on the matter better than mine! 'Cause with God's help, and to His glory, I want to do everything I can to make a very good difference in our world. You inspire me, too, brother!

God bless you and yours!