O Come, O Come Emmanuel and Ransom Captive Israel...

Lyrics:

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny

From depths of Hell Thy people save

And give them victory o'er the grave

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, o come, Thou Lord of might,

Who to Thy tribes, on Sanai's height,

In ancient times did'st give the Law,

In cloud, and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Breast Cancer Screening and Healthcare Reform...

A U.S. government task force, the USPSTF, makes a new recommendation: baseline mammograms do not need to occur until women are 50 years old.

Hum... "a U.S. government task force" makes this recommendation?

Ha! Welcome to socialized medicine! You can expect more of the same: dramatic new recommendations that will challenge known standards... and significantly reduce costs.

If you think you and your family will still get the same level of healthcare under the auspices of healthcare reform, you are dead wrong! It's all about the bottomline. Not to mention, I have never known the government to do anything better than the private sector.

And you believed lawmakers when they told you there would be no "death panels" under healthcare reform... a.k.a. "socialized medicine". When your medical care becomes expensive in your old age, you will be cheaper dead than alive!

So tell me, when the government takes its own recommendation to begin mammograms at 50 years vs. 40 years, what are you going to do about it? Huh? Punch the big, bad government in the eye?

Ami Ortiz Case Solved... Ami Forgives - God Bless You, Ami!

Word of Encouragement...

6 Furthermore He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far away from My sanctuary? Now turn again, you will see greater abominations.” 7 So He brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, there was a hole in the wall. 8 Then He said to me, “Son of man, dig into the wall”; and when I dug into the wall, there was a door.
9 And He said to me, “Go in, and see the wicked abominations which they are doing there.” 10 So I went in and saw, and there—every sort of creeping thing, abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed all around on the walls. 11 And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and in their midst stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan. Each man had a censer in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense went up. 12 Then He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, ‘The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.’”
13 And He said to me, “Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing.” 14 So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the LORD’s house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.
15 Then He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.” 16 So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.
17 And He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed they put the branch to their nose. 18 Therefore I also will act in fury. My eye will not spare nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.” -Ezekiel 8:6-18

1 Then He called out in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, “Let those who have charge over the city draw near, each with a deadly weapon in his hand.” 2 And suddenly six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his battle-ax in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer’s inkhorn at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar.
3 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; 4 and the LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.”
5 To the others He said in my hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. 6 Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple. 7 Then He said to them, “Defile the temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” And they went out and killed in the city.
8 So it was, that while they were killing them, I was left alone; and I fell on my face and cried out, and said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring out Your fury on Jerusalem?”
9 Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see!’ 10 And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head.”
11 Just then, the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported back and said, “I have done as You commanded me.” -Ezekiel 9:1-11


20 “...[B]y their fruits you will know them.” -Jesus, Matthew 7:20


19 “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control…” -Paul, Galatians 5:19-23


23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.” -John 14:23-24


21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice iniquity!’” -Jesus, Matthew 7:21-23


41 “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice iniquity, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth . . . . 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” -Jesus, Matthew 13:41-42, 47-50


17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? -1 Peter 4:17


19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. -Revelation 3:19


17 "Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. 18 For He wounds, but He also binds up; He injures, but His hands also heal.” -Job 5:17-18


11 My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his rebuke… -Proverbs 3:11


5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." 7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons . . . . 10 …but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. -Hebrews 12:5-8, 10-11


12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. -James 1:12


3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus . . . . 9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. -Philippians 1:3-6, 9-11


5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. -1 Thessalonians 5:5-11

6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. -1 John 1:6-7


3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. -1 John 2:3-6


15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. -1 John 2:15-16

Mighty is the Power of the Cross...

Atonement for Our Sins Is Forever Complete...

Why were Isaiah's sins forgiven when an angel touched Isaiah's lips with a coal from the altar in heaven?

- - - - - - - - - -

9 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it. – Exodus 25:9


40 And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain. – Exodus 25:40


10 And Aaron shall make atonement upon [the altar's] horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.” – Exodus 30:10


1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!”
4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 So I said:
“Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The LORD of hosts.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said:
“Behold, this has touched your lips;
Your iniquity is taken away,
And your sin purged.” –Isaiah 6:1-6


19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” 21 Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24 For the Anointed One has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. – Hebrews 9:19-26


1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.
2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. 5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:
“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’”
8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus [the Anointed One] once for all.
11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.
14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. 15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” 17 then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 18 Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. – Hebrews 10:1-18


20 [The Anointed One] indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. – 1 Peter 1:20


8 For He said, “Surely they are My people, children who will not lie.” So He became their Savior. 9 In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them…” – Isaiah 63:8-9a


20 “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. – Exodus 23:20-21


7 “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’” 10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. – Psalm 2:7-12

In the Light... All I Want Is To Be In The Light...

I keep trying to find a life

On my own, apart from You

I am the king of excuses

I've got one for every selfish thing I do

What's going on inside of me?

I despise my own behavior

This only serves to confirm my suspicions

That I'm still a man in need of a Savior

(chorus)

I wanna be in the Light

As You are in the Light

I wanna shine like the stars in the heavens

Oh, Lord be my Light and be my salvation

Cause all I want is to be in the Light

All I want is to be in the Light

The disease of self runs through my blood

It's a cancer fatal to my soul

Every attempt on my behalf has failed

To bring this sickness under control

Tell me, what's going on inside of me?

I despise my own behavior

This only serves to confirm my suspicions

That I'm still a man in need of a Savior

(repeat chorus)

Honesty becomes me

[There's nothing left to lose]

The secrets that did run me

[In Your presence are defused]

Pride has no position

[And riches have no worth]

The fame that once did cover me

[Has been sentenced to this Earth]

Has been sentenced to this Earth

Tell me, what's going on inside of me?

I despise my own behavior

This only serves to confirm my suspicions

That I'm still a man in need of a Savior

(repeat chorus 2x)

[There's no other place that I want to be]

[No other place that I can see]

[A place to be that's just right]

[Someday I'm gonna be in the Light]

[You are in the Light]

[That's where I need to be]

[That's right where I need to be]

by DC Talk

Hatred by Religion... 9/11

Let Us Never Forget What Religious Hatred Does... And The Threat Is Still Real!

For man also does not know his time:
Like fish taken in a cruel net,
Like birds caught in a snare,
So the sons of men are snared in an evil time,
When it falls suddenly upon them.
-Ecclesiastes 9:12

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth . . . . He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
-1 John 1:5-6, 2:9-11

Walk in the light and in love: this is the Truth given to the world by the one and only True God, YHWH. God's truth gives no room to hate others! Hatred of sins and wickedness, yes, but hatred of people, no!

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God told us not to judge others. He told His people not to avenge Him or ourselves. We are not to execute vengeance for His name's sake... or ours. He is perfectly capable of defending His name and reputation. THIS is one of the more important differences between the true God and the false god of Islam. YHWH defends Himself! He demands that we step out of His way. He takes care of His enemies. He takes care of our enemies! Obviously, the false god of Islam is non-existent... completely unable to defend himself. Instead, angry, mislead men do this false god's bidding for him, and the result is death and carnage at the hands of those who are spiritually blind... who walk in darkness and hatred.

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YHWH will judge righteously and execute justice perfectly... vengeance belongs to Him, not to us. Yes, criminal acts should be dealt with appropriately on this side of eternity as the government of this world was established by God and rests upon His shoulders, but it is God who is the final and eternal Judge and Jury... and "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

..

Is this why the Jewish people have a very long history of being peaceful, non-violent people?

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Sadly, the Catholic Church historically and morally failed as miserably as Islam does today. Hence, in many parts of the world today, and even in America, Christianity has been dubbed as "a judgmental and hateful religion". I pray those of us who truly love the LORD and obey Him are walking in His light every day and in love toward everyone. There is no reason or excuse for unloving, angry, hateful thoughts and behavior when our hearts are filled with His light and we understand that He is our righteous defender... and His own best defense.

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Since Jesus (Yehoshua, Yeshua) commanded His followers to walk in love and in peace, I pray that Elohim (אֱלוֹהִים) - the God of Israel - has mercy upon Muslims and saves them from the darkness and [eternal] death in which they walk. I pray Elohim draws them unto Himself - that He converts their hearts and minds and cleanses their sins through the precious redeeming blood of Yehoshua - via the power and inspiration of His Holy Spirit. In the name of Yehoshua, Amen.

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May the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD - "Elohim" who IS: אהיה אשר אהיה (Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh) 'I AM THAT I AM', יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshua, a.k.a. 'Jesus') 'YHVH is salvation, YHVH is a saving cry' [veiled in flesh], and רוח הקודש (Ruach HaKodesh) 'Holy Spirit, Divine Spirit' - be invited to eternally comfort and bless all those whose loved ones were suddenly and cruelly taken eight years ago today by a false and hate-filled religion.
-Deborah

Psalm 20

1 May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; 2 May He send you help from the sanctuary, And strengthen you out of Zion; 3 May He remember all your offerings, And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah 4 May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, And fulfill all your purpose. 5 We will rejoice in your salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. 6 Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God. 8 They have bowed down and fallen; But we have risen and stand upright. 9 Save, LORD! May the King answer us when we call. -Psalm 20

The LORD Knows How To Delivery the Godly Out Of Temptations...

4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.

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12 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, 13 and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. 15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet. 17 These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

18 For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. 20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

-2 Peter 2:4-22

I'm Nobody!

I ’M nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there ’s a pair of us—don’t tell!
They ’d banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!
-Emily Dickinson

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly...

Psalm 1
1Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Ezekiel 47
1Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
2Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
3And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.
4Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.
5Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.
6And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.
7Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.
8Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.
9And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.
10And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.
11But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
12And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.

Revelation 22
1And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

King James Version

Some keep the Sabbath...

SOME keep the Sabbath going to church;
I keep it staying at home,
With a bobolink for a chorister,
And an orchard for a dome.

Some keep the Sabbath in surplice;
I just wear my wings,
And instead of tolling the bell for church,
Our little sexton sings.

God preaches,—a noted clergyman,—
And the sermon is never long;
So instead of getting to heaven at last,
I ’m going all along!
-Emily Dickinson

*******
Who has not found the heaven below
Will fail of it above.
God’s residence is next to mine,
His furniture is love.
-Emily Dickinson

Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins...

7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.
-Psalm 19:7-14

Besides Him, There is No Other Savior...

25 Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 They will perish, but You will endure;
Yes, they will all grow old like a garment;
Like a cloak You will change them,
And they will be changed.
27 But You are the same,
And Your years will have no end.
28 The children of Your servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before You.”
-Psalm 102:25-28

6 “For I am the LORD, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
-Malachi 3:6

8 [Yeshua (YHVH Saves/Salvation) the Messiah]
is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
-Hebrews 13:8

10 “You are My witnesses,” says the LORD,
“And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
11 I, even I, am the LORD,
And besides Me there is no savior.
12 I have declared and saved,
I have proclaimed,
And there was no foreign god among you;
Therefore you are My witnesses,”
Says the LORD, “that I am God.
13 Indeed before the day was, I am He;
And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand;
I work, and who will reverse it?”
-Isaiah 43:10-13

57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
58 Yeshua said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
-John 8:57-58

Messiah Revealed in the Passover... the Feast of Unleavened Bread...

...For indeed Messiah, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. - 1 Corinthians 5:7c-8

Happy Passover!

I want to share the wonderful meaning of Passover... the very special day that the Lamb of God died for the world so that all who look upon Him will receive eternal life with God.

As Moses led the people of Israel through the first Passover, so too, the Messiah – the One greater than Moses and of whom Moses foretold – has led Israel and the Gentiles (nations, goyim) through the ultimate Passover, the one foreshadowed by the first Passover in Egypt. The first Passover was an act of God's mercy for the Hebrews - saving them but bringing judgment upon unbelievers - when the time to execute judgment upon an idol worshiping, hardhearted Pharaoh did not believe it was necessary to place the blood of an unblemished lamb on the doorpost of Egypt's homes as Moses had instructed.

God demonstrated His unchanging ways when He showed mercy for the Hebrew slaves when they were passed over by the angel of death during that judgment.

Through Moses and other prophets, God foretold of the Messiah, whom He would be sending. Through Messiah, God would once and for all remove the sins of His chosen people and redeem them if they would look upon Messiah as they were going to soon look upon serpents raised upon Moses' staff in the wilderness to cleanse them from their unrighteousness. As foretold by the prophets, God would extend His great gift of mercy to the Gentiles (nations, goyim) as well. God's gift of salvation to the world, Jews and Gentiles, would come by way of the blood of an unblemished Lamb of God upon the doorposts of our hearts, which will allow God to pass over us during the final Day of Judgment. The first Passover served as a foretelling of what God had planned before the foundation of the world: as he had provided a ram in the thicket for Abraham when Abraham had been so obedient as to be willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac, so too God would provide His own Son as the ultimate Passover Lamb for His Hebrew children and anyone else who chooses to believe Yeshua (Jesus) is God come in the flesh. The Angel of Death cannot enter in to steal the breaths of those who believe; for by their obedience in turning from their unbelief to believe in the Lamb of God and the necessity of placing His blood upon their hearts and minds, they will be passed over during the final Judgment and given the promised eternal Sabbath - an unending life of rest - with God.

Happy Passover!

19 For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. 20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’” 21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. 22 And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. 24 And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. 25 It will come to pass when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. 26 And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’” So the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

- Exodus 12:19-27

19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”

23 He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

“Make straight the way of the LORD,”’as the prophet Isaiah said.”

24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.” 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
- John 1:19-29

32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” 35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

- John 6:32-40

1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

-Isaiah 53

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned." - John 15:5-6

"Children, have you any food?"

13 So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. 14 And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground.

15 So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat. 16 This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.’”

17 Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. 18 So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need.
- Exodus 16:13-18


8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
- Matthew 6:8


19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. 20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. 21 Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
-Matthew 14:19-21


5 Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?”
They answered Him, “No.”
6 And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.

10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” 11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish...
- John 21:5-13

Contend for the Faith...

Contend for the Faith
3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain [persons] have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly [persons], who turn the grace of our God into lewdness[1], and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

[1] lewd
adj. lewd·er, lewd·est
1. Preoccupied with sex and sexual desire; lustful.
2. Obscene; indecent.

Old and New Apostates
5 But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

Apostates Depraved and Doomed
12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; 13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. 14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Apostates Predicted
16 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. 17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.

Maintain Your Life with God
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction; 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

Glory to God
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25 To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.
– Jude 3-25

When the Son of Man Returns, Will He Find Faith On the Earth?

The prospect of the LORD returning today or at any time during or after the tribulation provokes no fear in me whatsoever. Across my friends, who are godly Saints in the LORD on all counts, I find a mixed bag of preferences concerning the rapture doctrines.

My preference is that Yeshua (Jesus) returns for us before the tribulation and that as many as possible and be found worthy of escape from it all!

My concern, however, is that Yeshua will return later than expected and that as many as possible be found having the utmost trust and faith in the LORD and are worthy to escape those things coming upon the unbelieving and rebellious ones.

Scripture and historical writings (letters and commentaries, esp. Irenaeus (AD 120-202), disciple of Polycarp who was a disciple of John, and Hippolytus (AD 170-236), disciple of Irenaeus) can be used to support any one of the rapture doctrines; therefore, I refuse to plant myself in a rapture doctrine because of the concern I have for engendering or teaching error.

If we are going to argue over Scriptures and their meaning in an effort to keep each other out of error, let’s start with the things which are plain and simple to understand, but ignored and contorted every day; such as, divorce and remarriage, reconciliation and forgiveness between the brethren, daily repentance and crucifying the flesh, etc.

Regardless of one’s preference, we are called to be found worthy of escape, vigilant and sober, at peace with one another, without spot and blameless, and encouraging one another in the hope of Yeshua’s very soon return. We are to stand still in the LORD in faith… with complete peace and trust… to ‘stay-the-course’ of our faith in Him during difficult times, no matter how pressing. Can we call anyone a heretic who holds to these encouragements rather than to one man’s doctrine about the rapture over another man’s?

For me, my heart’s cry is “Repent! For the Kingdom of God is at hand (now is the day of salvation). Make your hearts ready and keep them conditioned for Yeshua’s return, or for your pending physical death, whichever comes first. Repent from sin and sinful lifestyles! We must turn our hearts toward God, continually repent from sin that we trip into (that so easily besets us), and do all we can and must do to avoid willful sin! We must overcome the Accuser of the Brethren by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, and love not our [worldly] lives even unto death (Rev. 12:11)!

In each of His addresses to the seven Churches in John’s vision, Yeshua said it is the over-comers who will receive their rewards. The use of the word “over-comers” is definitely indicative of struggle. No matter how light or pressing the struggle, we struggle to die daily in overcoming our fleshly desires, Satan, who is the spirit of this world, and his plots against us via principalities and powers, the rulers of darkness of the age (the era), and wicked spirits in heavenly places (spiritual realm).

God’s people MUST understand and teach the ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE! We must take our eyes off this world, our VERY temporary abode! We must stop teaching, expecting, and demanding comfort in this world (now, that is heresy)! Instead, let us encourage one another to live peaceful and godly lives and to keep our eyes on Yeshua, the Author and Finisher of our faith, because we may be required to look up to heaven in full expectation of seeing Yeshua waiting to receive us as we’re being martyred!

The disciples and apostles took great care to communicate the very imminent return of our LORD and spoke often of the condition of our lives and hearts… “peaceful, without spot or blemish.” We should not do any less! No doubt, we should all be ready to assemble tonight at the trumpet’s call and/or be ready to stand firm in the LORD during tremendous trial and tribulation!

This we all know and can agree upon: Messiah has not yet returned, but His return is imminent! Let us cease from arguing over exactly WHEN the Messiah is returning – pre, mid, or post tribulation. We need to be more concerned about living peaceful lives without spot or blemish… today. Each “today” turns into a tomorrow. As long as we are ready for His coming today, we will be ready when He returns! We absolutely need to encourage one another in our hope of the Messiah’s return. There’s no doubt, however, that He can return at any moment (Mark 13:32-37) or He can linger a bit longer (Matthew 24:48-51). For sure, He will come in an hour we think not!

When Yeshua returns, will He find faith on the earth (Luke 18:18)? Is your heart given completely to God? Will you be found worthy of escape, whatever form escape will take?

Watch, Be Aware of the Times, and Pray that You May Escape

Recently, my very large financial institution issued a new debit card to me – without explanation and without my request! Because my new debit card got mailed to my branch bank and my branch bank did not contact me, I was totally unaware that I had a new debit card and that my existing debit card now had been set to automatically deactivate 30 days after the mailing of my new debit card. It was only when I got online to pay bills one morning that I discovered my existing debit card had been deactivated. When I called my bank via the toll free number, they told me that a new debit card had been issued and I should have followed instructions to activate the new card. After looking into the matter and finding that my new card had been mailed to my branch bank, not my home, they instructed me to pick up my new debit card as soon as possible.

So I headed off to my branch bank. Since my new debit card had a new number, I was infuriated because I now had to take the time to contact the companies that automatically debit my account and update them with my new card number. I asked my "banker" to reorder a debit card and give me back my old number so I would not be inconvenienced. They proceeded to tell me that my old card and number had to be deactivated because it lacked the new "security chip." There was nothing they could do or wanted to do to rectify the situation for a longtime customer, who had just politely threatened to take her banking business elsewhere. All this happened in October… so as I researched other banks, I found that many were unstable and becoming insolvent. My financial institution remained relatively sound by comparison; I opted to stay with one of the few "financially sound" institutions.

For me, however, the REALization that access to my money could be 'turned off' at the whim of my financial institution was truly a "wake-up call!" And, oddly enough, I am one of the few people on earth who need to be reminded of the pending Mark of the Beast. Regardless of my hopes for an early rapture, a rapture occurring sooner than later, I am resolved in being vigilant in my watchfulness of the signs that proceed His coming – the famines, earthquakes, wars, pestilences, deceptions, false teachers and prophets, persecution and hatred toward the Saints – as my LORD and Messiah forewarned me to do. They fact that the LORD told us that some would finally give up on His coming and begin to partake in drunkenness and begin to beat others (physically, emotionally, spiritually?), tells me that the rapture may not occur as soon as we think it should… as we will witness, and have witnessed, the beginning of sorrows: The homes of believers blown or washed away by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Ike. The homes of believers burned up in the large and multiple wild fires in California. The homes of believers steeped in 3 – 6 feet of water then mud in the mid-west last summer. Thousands of believers losing their jobs in the U.S. and all over the world. The empty bellies of believers in Africa and Asia for the lack of rice and other grains. The believers in 3rd world countries who are sick and dying from the precipitous rise of diseases born from unsanitary conditions. The physical torture and killing of believers in Africa and Asia by corrupt, ungodly governments or Muslim guerillas who commit them to genocide, ethnic and religious cleansing, because they bear the name of our LORD.

Remember, the LORD told us to store our treasuries in heaven, where moth and rust cannot destroy. Remember, this life is but a vapor, whether we live 10 years or whether we live 95 years, this life is a vapor compared to the timeline of eternity. Our home, our ultimate reality, is in heaven… with our LORD Yeshua and heavenly Abba. We need not sell our inheritance for a bowl of porridge as did Esau; in other words, we need not sell our eternal hope and inheritance to gain a temporal reprieve in this world. Now, more than ever, we need to encourage one another in the LORD, in the reality of our inheritance, in the hope of soon seeing our Messiah and heavenly Abba. Mind-over-matter techniques will not deliver anyone from the reality of these birth pains… all of creation is in travail. We need to be so prepared, so ready in our minds and spirits, that we react as Stephen reacted when he was being stoned to death… we need to be able to look beyond the circumstances that may strip us of our worldly goods and beyond our persecutors who can kill the body… and see Yeshua, see the reality of our inheritance with Yeshua:

"To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." – Revelation 2:7

"He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death." – Revelation 2:11

"To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it." – Revelation 2:17

"…He who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—
' He shall rule them with a rod of iron;
They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessel'—
as I also have received from My Father..." – Revelation 2:26-27

"He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels." – Revelation 3:5

"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name." – Revelation 3:12

"To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne." – Revelation 3:21

We need not tell each other that there will be peace when there is no peace. We need not encourage each other to turn a deaf ear toward brethren who are finding themselves caught in the rain that comes upon the just and the unjust. We need not get caught up in false doctrines that lie in telling people of worldly wealth that God desires to bestow upon His children. You see, in God's economy, we should careless for this world and the things of this world… we are to conduct ourselves as heirs of His kingdom, which is not of this world. In so doing, we introduce and bring others into His glorious kingdom through our testimony.

Above all, we are to retain our love for one another – love is the tell-tale sign of a true believer. Lawlessness is going to abound during this 'beginning of sorrows' coming upon the world, resulting in the love of many waxing cold. Many will be offended… they will betray and hate one another. Be aware of your love or waning love, dear ones… do all you can do to remain in love. As times become more difficult for all upon the earth, as our rights as are increasingly trampled because we bear the name of YHVH and our Messiah Yeshua and as our senses are offended for the lack of justice, we must fight the urge to feel contempt toward others. Should any of us recognize contempt and hatred is trying to set up within our hearts, we must immediately cry out to the LORD and ask Him to create in us a right spirit and a clean heart, full of love and compassion! If we say we love God but hate our brother, we would be lying. God is love.

Now, some who we believe to be our brethren will choose the world and will revel with the world as did happen in the days of Noah… either out of ignorance, because they will not be watching as we've been told to watch, out of rebellion, or out of idolatry. What has light to do with darkness? As we are told, we are to have nothing to do with such people. However, I caution you: although these so-called brethren may betray us, let us not be found to be the betrayers. Should you be offended by these so-called brethren or by professing unbelievers, remember, "Vengeance is Mine!" saith the LORD. If you believe that they are truly believers, and you do not rebuke them gently, then their blood will be required at your hand. But if you rebuke them gently… tell them of their waywardness with a most humble approach... and they listen, you will save yourself and the righteous man or woman from sinning. If they refuse to listen, you will have saved yourself and need to remember that their end will be determined by God. (Ezekiel 3:18-21) Quietly remove yourself from their presence and be on your way, walking in the path of righteousness for His Name's sake.

Brothers and Sisters, I don't care what stance you take on the timing of the rapture, the fact is that the Mark of the Beast can be implemented, or be very, very near implementation, before the rapture… so you need to be watchful, be aware, and be ready to stand firm for the LORD. I bring it to your attention for this passage:

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Messiah for a thousand years. – Revelation 20:4

RFID chips are already being placed in passports - this we know as a fact! The U.S. government is very close to issuing a national ID card with an RFID chip containing all personal information known to them among the various government agencies. The implementation of the national ID card was supposed to have begun in August 2008. Should we be told this year, in 2009, or next year that we must have this ID card to access our money and to buy goods and services, will you accept?

I suppose I could have reverted to writing checks versus using my debit card. Perhaps I will. I think I will throw away my debit card with the new "security chip." But the mere thought of having to write and mail checks to pay my bills aggravates me further. You see, I am already very spoiled by the convenience of being able to pay my bills online, within 5 to 10 minutes, without having to go to the post office. I suppose I need to open a savings account at another bank instead of depositing all my money in savings and checking accounts in the same financial institution; but it is so easy to transfer money from my checking to my savings. Agh… although the inconvenience pains me, I will do so this week.

All this being said to lead up to these questions: What if I, and a couple of other believers, had been some of a few thousand selected and forced to accept debit cards with this new security chip or there would be NO way to access our paychecks that had just been automatically deposited? No checks, no cash withdraws, no account-to-account transfers, no wires transfers. What if I called you and told you that I only had $30 cash and I'd soon be out gas? Okay, so we get me and two other believers through the next two weeks. But then, when we try to switch the direct deposit of the next paycheck to other banks, we are told that all new bank accounts require the use of these debit cards with these new security chips. I mean what if the banks and the government agencies are basically telling us, "You cannot buy, sell, or trade unless you accept this new card." Would you encourage us to accept the card because it's not a "mark?" Would you encourage us to accept the card, because despite the varied doctrines surrounding the timing of the rapture, you're quite sure that believers will be out'a here before governments and financial institutions cut us off from our money… our ability to buy, sell, or trade?

Now, fortunately, access to my money was temporarily cut off until I accepted the new card with the new security chip, and the situation not as dire as I describe above since I could have opted to access my money with checks and cash withdraws – I think. (Actually, I did have to do a cash withdrawal the other day and I WAS asked for my debit card by the teller… so maybe I wouldn't have been able to make a cash withdrawal had I not activated the new debit card. I'm sure I could have written a check… yes?) Quite honestly, the minute the government or financial institutions tell me that I cannot access my money by any means unless I accept a new "card"… that basically I cannot "buy, sell, or trade" without the card, I'm folding my hands and with every ounce of God-given strength in me and will politely tell them, "In God I trust. Keep my money, for God will keep me."

Shalom aleichem!

* * * *

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved." – Yeshua, Matthew 24:4-13

36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." – Yeshua, Matthew 24:36-44

34 "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to ESCAPE all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." – Yeshua, Luke 21:34-36

Emunah...

"Emunah" is a Hebrew term in which the concept got lost within the Hellenized church - "emunah" was stripped of its meaning by the Greek pursuit to mentally transcend the term "belief", a.k.a, "faith." A person in the Hellenized church says, "I have faith... I believe in God." Yet the fruit thereof is nearly non-existent or non-existent altogether - their "faith" is nothing more than a mental transcendence of the idea, not a living out of the idea. The concept of faith in Hebrew, which is "emunah," is FAR more than a mental exercise. Emunah is a working, living, and active trust in God - emunah demonstrates one's trust and belief in God by everything one DOES, not says or thinks. To act contrary to God's Word is to lack "emunah." Emunah is "FAITHFULNESS," it is outright TRUST in God and the exercise and portrayal of God's attributes in one's own life - emunah in a Believer's life is the ACT of portraying God's faithfulness and lovingkindness.

As I read and prepared for yesterday's Torah study, Parshah Vayechi, the Ruach HaKodesh ministered this truth to me. After the Ruach HaKodesh ministered the true meaning of faith, of emunah, He asked me to read Hebrews 11... interjecting my new understanding of emunah wherever I read the word "faith." Oh, my... a new and tremendous understanding was revealed. "Without 'emunah' it is impossible to please God." Now, I understood that Abraham did more than just "believe" - Abraham did more than mentally acknowledge God. Oh, yes, Abraham acted on, worked out, adhered to, and relied upon God's Word and promises. Yeah... now read Hebrews 11 and interject "emunah" wherever you see the word "faith."

Woo hoo... wowsa!

What I've always understood as, "Without 'the mental acknowledgement of God' it is impossible to please God..." came to life and now read as, "Without 'faithfulness, trust, adherence, and reliance upon God and the exercise and portrayal of God's own attributes in our life' it is impossible to please God..." (Hebrews 11:6a).

What I've always read and understood as, "If we 'lack the ability to mentally believe God,' He remains faithful 'to those of us who struggle to believe or who are doubleminded'; He cannot deny Himself" came to life and now read as, "If we 'are not faithful, do not trust, do not adhere, do not rely upon God and do not exercise and portray His attributes,' He remains faithful - 'He faithfully demonstrates His attributes'; He cannot deny 'demonstrating His own attributes'."

Actually, the passage directly proceeding 2 Timothy 2:13 says, "If we deny Him, He also will deny us." (That statement should provoke a healthy and fearful respect of God, no matter how men's theology have carved out various doctrines.) Therefore, 2 Timothy 2:13 should have never been construed as "If we act as if we don't believe in Him, He will continue to believe for us or be faithful to us." No, rather, "If [people] act as if [they] don't believe in Him and [they] do not demonstrate His attributes, He will continue to be faithful in the demonstration of His attributes (righteousness, justice, and lovingkindness); He cannot deny the demonstration of His own attributes."

The trustworthy saying Shaul is quoting basically explains that if we crucify our own flesh (beliefs, desires, egos) on Yeshua's cross, we will also live with Yeshua. It goes on to explain that if we endure, if we run the race and finish the race well, we will also reign with Yeshua. Both concepts (crucifying our flesh and enduring until the end) require acting out, portraying, and exercising our trust, adherence, and reliance upon God, His Son, and His Word - His commandments, precepts, and promises - during our earthly lifetime!

11 This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.

12 If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.

(The faithful, trustworthy saying above demonstrates the meaning of EMUNAH, and the immediate passage below speaks of the lack of emunah...)

If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.

(Shaul goes on to tell Timothy that the faithful (or trustworthy) saying sums it up when it states, "if people lack emunah (faithfulness), God cannot lack emunah (faithfulness) since He cannot deny His own attributes/characteristics.")

13 If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.
- Shaul, 2 Timothy 2:11-13

Now, since we understand that Greek thought (Hellenization) in practice and in essence stripped the Hebrew of its meaning, even within the first century congregation of Believers, we see that Yaakov (James), the brother of Yeshua, sought to revive the meaning true of 'faith'... the Hebrew meaning and understanding of "emunah": 14 "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." - (Yaakov) James 2:14-17

It is surely God's grace (unmerited favor) that has provided salvation for all, not the works of our flesh, but is is (1) TESHUVAH (a daily turning from sin - seeking to recognize and acknowledge sinful behavoir and the thoughts in which it began - and returning to God (Luke 9:23)), and (2) EMUNAH that demonstrate a true circumcision of heart.

Yeshua described teshuvah when He said if we want to follow Him, we must deny ourself, and take up our cross daily, and follow Him (Luke 9:23). Emunah demonstrates that we have entered into the new covenant (the Brit Chadasha - Jeremiah 31:31-34) with YHVH and are heirs according the terms of the new covenant (Hebrews 9:11-28, 10:1-20, John 3:1-16, Galatians 4:4-7, Romans 3:19-31).

Emunah is being, is acting, as sons and daughters of God, who desire to emulate their Father, thus truly BEING heirs to Yeshua's inheritance. Hence, Yochanan (John) the Baptist told the Pharisees, "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance..." (Matthew 3:8). In one sentence, Yochanan the Baptist summed up teshuvah and emunah.

Over the past few months, in my own practice of teshuva, I have been asking YHVH to compel me, to strengthen me, in portraying Him, His attributes, to others in my everyday world - to those whom I work with and my family and friends - rather than acting sinfully, thereby, dishonoring Him. My greatest desire is to turn to the LORD with all of my heart and that He guide me in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. Little did I know, I was already exercising emunah before I came to any knowledge of the Hebraic word and concept.