The heart is deceitful . . .

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”

Jeremiah 17:9

Persecution is coming folks, no I’m not talking about China, Africa or even India. I am talking about right here in the United States.

This past week the Democrat controlled House refused all amendments intended to take the teeth out of House Resolution 1592 a bill that will make it a federal crime to use words that “insight hatred” against a person or group of persons. The bill is vague enough to allow it to be used against Christians who quote certain passages from the Bible.

In other words it would make it a crime to call sin for what it is: SIN.

Have you heard a peep out our nations church pulpit’s about this bill? No?

Some people may shake their head and wonder how did we get to this point as a so called “Christian” country? I say, we got there as a direct result of an American Church that has walked away from living and preaching the truth of God’s word. As a direct result of a national church leadership that has not stood up for the truth no matter the cost. A direct result of a church leadership who coveted their position more than the truth and therefore rationalized it and remained silent when past indiscretions and troubling theologies were first becoming popularized, because these “new” troubling theologies were what was accepted and popular, and to go against it was to go against the tide, to go against “Prime Time Christianity” and hence lose one’s status or position.

Our church leadership has been raised up on “Pop Culture Christianity”, that uses the same methods created by Atheistic Evolutionary Psychologists to first titillate people’s emotions and felt needs to get them to purchase things they didn’t need in the first place and then seeing how successful it was and having enslaved them to their emotions, using that same avenue to control the population by playing on their deftly directed aroused emotions. Modern Christianity has become a poor sad parody of secular corporate marketing.

The church has been poisoned by allowing its success criteria to be defined by the very things it was supposed to be preaching against!

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; and again, “The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” Therefore let no one boast in men.

1 Corinthians 3:18-21

So since the church has let that poison in the door, and achieved what it considers “success”: a Mega-Church, with a multi-million dollar building program debt, a multi-million dollar fixed cost overhead budget, and a congregation who will only remain as long as their emotional stimulation continues. Is it any further surprise that they would then use Pop Culture Self-Esteem Psychology to continue the emotional stimulation to pay the bloated bills of a Corporatized Prime Time false Christian beast, where the most important element is the church’s cash flow position?!?!

Add to this sad mess a Satanic Anti-Christ Religion: Islam that has declared a war to the death against the west and its pork barrel prosperity Ideology, no not the one the media tries to pawn off on us i.e. a fundamentalist radical minority of an otherwise “peaceful” religion.

When the actual truth is the entire theology of Islam is evil. I do not say that without knowledge, having studied the religion and its revered book: the Qur’an for over three years. Islam’s fundamental aim is to either force you and I by whatever means necessary to convert to Islam or make us virtual slaves subservient to it and governed by its Sharia Law. Because you see Islam says we are all being held under subjection, either by an illegitimate government (one not ruled by Islamic Clerics, getting their marching orders straight from Allah and one whose laws are not Islamic Sharia Law). Or we are held in subjection to our own selfish desires and hence in rebellion against Allah.

The other parts of Christianity that have not went the way of Pop-Culture Psychology are either busy dismantling the deity of Christ, or are dismantling the requirements that Christians actually need a Savior to atone for their sins or they deny that sin exists at all, because after all God loves us just the way we are, and he understands we are all really deep down inside just good hearted people with some emotional baggage.

This new pending hate crimes bill when signed into law will only hasten the apostasy that has already strangling the life out of western Christianity. How many of the western “milk” Christians do you think are prepared to be persecuted for their faith? How many who have been fed a diet of positive self-esteem messages, who need to be stroked every Sunday, who have been told that God wants them perpetually happy and prosperous via their own “felt needs”, will deny their faith when persecution hits because they will not perceive it as persecution for being a Christian but will only see it as being “out of alignment”, not keeping a “positive frame of mind”, not maintaining a “positive self image” or not doing enough to name it and claim it” or not having “sewed” enough into brother so and so’s ministry so as to get that “hundred fold return”.

I say that they will turn away from persecution in mass as they have never been taught that to stand on truth means you may have to accept persecution, deprivation or even death!

You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you! For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.

1 Corinthians 4:8-13

And once they have completely walked away from Truth they will willingly, gladly and actually believe they are doing as they have been taught and find it easy to say the words that make you a good Muslim: “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Prophet” and no Muslim will ever have to put a gun to their head to force them to say it.

Or how many of the Christ deniers who say that Jesus was not really divine or the one’s who say we don’t need a savior to atone for our sins, because God loves us just the way we are will quickly become a Muslim because after all Islam denies the divinity of Jesus too! And considers it a sentence of death to say otherwise? When you delve into the Theology of Islam you quickly find it is actually very accomodating to those who deny the dvinity of Christ, the existence of the trinity, and the need for an atonement. All it requires is a ruthless obedience to a deity who is unreachable, unknowable, who can have no human attributes, who is pure will and nothing else, and teaches that the only ones who go straight to heaven are those who kill for Allah, all the rest go straight to hell to pay pennance for their sins here on earth, no matter if they have been born a Muslim or become one in later life.

Then there are those who do see the persecution but have begun to close ranks with those who seem on the surface to have a similar moral stance becoming co-belligerents with them, and just as they are starting to do now look longingly at the Harlot of Rome and her foul offspring because they have found a few scraps of the Bible underneath all of her millennia of encrusted Pagan tradition but in reacing out to the Harlo they choose to ignore the pesky problem of all that encrusted Pagan tradition having made those few scraps of the Bible of none affect! And hence those who hold to truth will be further reduced.

Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?” He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.

Mark 7:5-8

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

1 Corinthians 1:17

What we are seeing come to pass and emerge are all the ingredients for the making of the “Perfect Storm! Where all of these events coalesce to bring about the larget mass falling away from True Christian faith in the last two thousand years.Or what is described in the Bible as "The Great Apostasy":

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

2nd Thessalonians 2 :3-4

What is so sadly ironic is this was all foretold within the Bible that they ignore so much:

I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.

John 5:43

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from truth, and be turned aside to fables."

2 Timothy 4:3-4

And its in the same Bible that you and I read, that these “Christians” read, but in today’s Psychology polluted Church there is no room for word’s that may “cause injury” to “fragile self-esteem’s” or don’t emphasize the current culturally accepted version of God as a sometimes slow on the uptake sugar-daddy Grandfather, who loves you and accepts you just as you are, and wants you to have whatever your heart desires.

But what did Jeremiah 17:9 say again:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”

Coming to a School near You the Homosexual Agenda, As a Christian what should you do?

To be clear the article below should not generate hate for Homosexuals and Lesbians, if you have hate in your heart for them then you need to talk to God about purging it from your heart and ask him instead to make you into an intercessor to stand in the gap to pray for them that God can reach them.

This war to remove this perverse corruption of our children will not be won by man made means, it will be won when those who call themselves Christians get down on their knee's in mass and ask God to first forgive us and then ask God to forgive these people who are pushing this agenda "for they know not what they do"

Just as Stephen was when he was being stoned by the Pharisee’s:

When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Acts 7: 54-60

Because as Christians we:

do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12

So the weapons of our warfare must be spiritual weapons:

Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.

Zechariah 4:6

And how do we ensure our spiritual weapons are sharp:

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

Ephesians 6:14-17

When we do this we will become like our High Priest: Jesus Christ who died for us. Who lived a perfect and Righteous life, and being righteous he died for the unrighteous.

So also we have to be righteous and become intercessors able to stand in the gap and pray to God in heaven to forgive our sins, and then to forgive the sins of these people. This is how we have to be. Far too many Christians today are “Vampire Christians” They are constantly in need. They go to Church on Sunday to get an emotional fill up and then during the week they struggle. They struggle because they do not know how to or do not want to know how to sharpen their spiritual weapons. They remain forever “Vampire Christians” needing to constantly be fed.

Whatever happened to Christians wanting to drink of the water that makes them never thirst again?

Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

John 4:1-42

To say that we are a Christian is supposed to mean that we HAVE drunk of this water and we therefore thirst no more. It means that we too are to be like the apostles after Jesus’ Resurrection and the day of Pentecost. We are to have such a close spiritual walk with Christ that we are more than willing to become an intercessor for the lost, and if needs be gladly lay down our life not just for Truth but for the unsaved. Not that we can atone for their sins like Jesus, but that we might be like Jesus. This is what Christ asks of each one of us.

The next time you see a headline like this, instead of allowing your flesh to rise up, decide to become an intercessor, to pray, to stand in the gap: to be more like Jesus. Who knows, if enough of us do this:

if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.

2nd Chronicles 7:14-15

John Baker


MUST SEE VIDEO - Homosexual Propaganda Fed to Elementary School Children

"It's so heartbreaking to see little kids brainwashed", says former homosexual Stephen Bennett

By John-Henry Westen NEW YORK,
April 24, 2007

(LifeSiteNews.com) - In a press release this morning, Stephen Bennett, a man who once lived the "gay" lifestyle and has since founded a ministry to assist people to leave the destructive lifestyle, alerted the media to a video clip demonstrating what he calls first-hand homosexual activist "brainwashing" of elementary school children. The video available on the Internet on Youtube.com follows a Massachusetts school's fourth annual gay and lesbian pride day activities.

The video contains actual classroom footage showing teachers imposing pro-homosexual propaganda on children as young as six. Beyond that the video captures a pre-gay pride day staff meeting where one teacher, an African American, asks if teachers are to tell children whose parents oppose homosexuality that they should nonetheless accept it as a good, to which an affirmative answer is given.

A transcript of that portion of the video follows:Unidentified African American female teacher:

"I don't know what to do about this but, as a school are we saying that kids have to support this? I guess that's what it sounds like to me that we're saying. If a child comes from a background that says homosexuality is not correct, are we telling that child that they're supposed to, this is what you are supposed to do?"Unidentified Caucasian female teacher, "I think that we are asking kids to believe this is right. Not as a matter of moral principal, but as a matter of, we're educating them and this is part of what we consider to be a healthy education."Stephen Bennett told

LifeSiteNews.com in an interview that he was "horrified" and "had tears in my eyes" after seeing the video. "It's so heartbreaking to see little kids brainwashed," he said.Stressing that the video must been seen by all concerned parents, Bennett said, "this is what is happening to America's children -- without many parents even knowing a thing.

This is a crime against our children. Let the children be children!"Amazingly, the video, while newly posted on the internet, is a clip from a 1996 pro-homosexual film called "It's elementary". While the first segment of the YouTube clip of the film covers Cambridge Friends School (CFS) in Massachusetts, a second clip covers New York City Public School 87 where similar propagandizing occurs.In the 1996 video, then CFS Principal Thomas Price notes that it is the school's fourth annual celebration of gay pride day.

Homosexual activists have reacted quickly to the publicity of their agenda and have discussed demanding YouTube to remove the videos. The videos seem to have been posted to the internet by a racist and Bennett in his release stressed that the tag on the video reading "faggots" is something he opposes and should be removed. Homosexual activists have themselves acknowledged however the veracity of the video clips as segments of the film 'It's elementary'.

See the Youtube video clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mil2ohzJ6gs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spz5yN5I2wU&mode=related&...

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/apr/07042407.html

Evangelicals Reject God’s Holiness

From "No Place for Truth: Or whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology" (Eerdmans, 1993), p. 300.
By Dr. David F. Wells

"...the shallowness of modern life derives not from its banality but from its having lost its moral bearings. ... Christ seems to offer little of what this world is asking for. It wants whatever is new; it looks for the next step in the journey of the human spirit...."

"It is this holiness of God, then, without which the Cross of Christ is incomprehensible, that provides the light that exposes modernity's darkness for what it is....

Evangelicals turned from focusing on God's transcendence to focusing on his immanence [pervading all creation] -- and then they took the further step of interpreting his immanence as friendliness with modernity....

"The loss of the traditional vision of God as holy is now manifested everywhere in the evangelical world. It is the key to understanding why sin and grace have become such empty terms.... Divorced from the holiness of God -

sin is merely self-defeating behavior or a breach in etiquette...

grace is merely empty rhetoric, pious window dressing for the modern technique by which sinners work out their own salvation....

our gospel becomes indistinguishable from any of a host of alternative self-help doctrines....
our public morality is reduced to little more than an accumulation of trade-offs between competing private interests.

our worship becomes mere entertainment.

"The holiness of God is the very cornerstone of Christian faith, for it is the foundation of reality....

"...this God, majestic and holy in his being... has disappeared from the modern evangelical world. He has been replaced in many quarters by a God... whose Word is a plaything for those who wish merely to listen to themselves, whose Church is a mall in which the religious, their pockets filled with the coin of need, do their business. We seek happiness, not righteousness."

http://www.apuritansmind.com/PuritanWorship/DavidWells%20Holiness.htm

Saul: The Medium and The Lying Spirit vs. TD Jakes: Yoga and Meditation.

1 Samuel 28:7-14

Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor.” So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Please conduct a séance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you.” Then the woman said to him, “Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?” And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, “As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!” And the king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What did you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth.” So he said to her, “What is his form?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle.” And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down.

The key phrase in this passage is: Saul perceived that it was Samuel. However it was not Samuel it was a lying spirit. Saul had violated a specific commandment from God not to seek out and inquire of Mediums because Mediums were not of God and could only call up lying spirits:

Leviticus 19:31

Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 20:6

And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.

1 Chronicles 10:13

So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance.

God has given specific instructions on how to seek him out, also nowhere in Scripture does it say that those who have died can be contacted by the living. The commandment from God also more importantly points out that God has specific methods for seeking him, and there are methods that are not to be used:

Deuteronomy 12:29-32

“When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.

The use of mediums was part of the idolatry that was practiced by those people in Canaan that the Children of Israel were not to copy.

TD Jakes in a Washington Post Article says its ok to do Yoga and Meditation if the intent is correct, in other words If you are a Christian and have no intent of doing it to follow a Hindu belief system. Does TD Jakes in saying this show both his ignorance and blindness to God's Word?

As TD Jakes view violates not only God's Commandments in Leviticus but also the teaching of Paul in 1 Corinthians Chapter 8:4-13:

Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse. But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

TD Jakes as a supposed knowledgeable man of God should know not to place a stumbling block via his words or actions in front of weak Christians. The sad fact is that a large portion of Christians in our morally bankrupt America of today are constantly seeking after “Signs and Wonders” without living in obedience to God’s word, and they would jump at the chance to hear from a “familiar spirit" while utilizing Yoga & Meditation to their own detriment, fall and destruction.

Practicing Yoga and Meditation goes far beyond eating foods offered to Idols. Because Yoga is part of the Theology of Hinduism, it is used to prepare the person for meditation which then opens the person up to make contact with the "Higher Self" or the "Universal Consciousness" as Hinduism teaches that all of creation is one single integrated consciousness or being. There are hundreds of New Age books that have been written by people who have went into transcendental mediation and supposedly been contacted by spirits who gave them messages. Meditation has also been used to "Channel Spirit Guides" that use the person meditating to give "messages" to other people or mankind as a whole.

The Book: "A Course in Miracles" by an atheistic psychologist from Columbia University named: Helen Schucman who began to channel messages from a spirit she thought to be “Jesus”. She ultimately produced, or she says this “Jesus” revealed to her, over a thousand pages of revelation over a period of seven years. This "Spirit Jesus" supposedly told Schucman that who he was and what his purpose was had been misunderstood and that he was actually a "spiritual big brother" to everyone and that his real purpose was to show everyone how they could find their own "inner spiritual guide" to help them learn that they too could be a Jesus just like him and be part of the "sonship" the same as him. Chapter three of "A Course in Miracles" even denies that Jesus crucifixion established the atonement for our sins!

So the question has to be asked, is TD Jakes truly ignorant of all of this? I would tend to say no he is not, after all he holds to the heretical "Oneness" Theology which teaches that there is no Trinity, and that God actually operates in different modes all on his own. When he needs to be Jesus the Son, he becomes Jesus the Son, when he needs to become God the Father, He becomes God the Father, when he needs to be the Holy Spirit he becomes the Holy Spirit. But there are not three persons: God the Father, God the Son, & God the Holy Spirit in the Godhead. Which if you think about it, is a ridiculous concept, as when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist (Matthew 17:5), God the Father spoke from heaven and said “This is my son in whom I am well pleased” So if God operates in different modes and at that time he was in the Mode of God the Son (Jesus), was God the Son doing a slight of hand? Throwing his voice? The very idea of “Oneness” Theology throws the whole of Scripture into total nonsense!

If a person already holds to a major Heretical anti-Biblical Theological position such as “Oneness Theology” Then they have opened the gateway to acceptance and incorporation of other heretical anti-Biblical positions and beliefs

TD Jakes “Oneness” Theology, his approval of Yoga & Meditation also falls in line with him stumbling on the question of whether Jesus is the only way to Heaven, on a Radio program in Seattle Washington just as Joel Osteen did on Larry King Live when asked by a caller who happened to be a Hindu, whether Jesus was truly the only way to heaven, Jakes told the caller that only God knew who was going to Heaven, now to show that he wasn’t just trying to avoid the question by using a political answer, Jakes went further to misuse the words of Jesus in John 10:16 where Jesus says “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” to say that there would be people who did not believe in Jesus who would go to heaven. But there is a major problem here. Jesus was speaking to a group of Jews, and Jesus was referring to the Gentiles who would come to believe in him and be saved though the missionary work of his disciples and others, beginning in Acts chapter 10 with Peter going to the house of Cornelius the Roman Centurion.

John 14:6:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me

I wonder why there are no well known "Televangelists" practicing the role of the Watchman and calling out TD Jakes on his major departures from Biblical Truth? Where is Kim Clement "The Prophet", to be a "troubler" to those who do not speak Biblical Truth? Oh I forgot he is out promising more abundance to those who already have far too much abundance! Could it be that none of them want to lose their position on the National and International Podium of Power and Fame?

None of them wanting to be booted off of the trough of Total Biblical Nonsense that is TBN? It should be a warning to all Christians that something stinks in the World of Televangelism!

John Baker

THE DR. RUTH OF CHRISTIANDOM?!!!

Any Fans Of Juanita Bynum And Bishop Thomas Weeks Out There?

(Caution although the video in the link below is supposed to be a Christian Video it may offend some!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frFXQlvrBgg

A Late edition:

Bishop Weeks, Juanita Bynum-Weeks husband approving of Sodomy, Oral Sex, Public Sex, and exploring things that "you havent tried" but may like!

(Caution this Video clip is much worse than the first one):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ7LFb7lhaQ

Let’s be clear on something! Only carnal Godless men constantly think about Sex. Godly men do not constantly think about sex. These videos are a disgusting example of how the modern false prophets are mangling the word of God. And to be clear the way in which the true church should be teaching couples on how to love each other is through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life. If we use Godly Biblical Wisdom to teach couples how to love each other then God sanctifies that teaching and therefore there is never a need for false teachers to “teach” in such a disgusting and carnal manner.

The main problem today is that the Holy Spirit has been pushed so far out of the teaching in our churches, that what is left is fallen carnal humanistic teaching. When the Teacher does not have the true indwelling of the person of the Holy Spirit then discernment and Godly wisdom will not be there. And this video is a classic example of that.

We have allowed far too much carnality into the church and given way to far too much carnality in the life of individual Christians that your average Christian has no understanding of what the Holy Spirit can do in their individual lives, in their marriages, and in their relationships with others.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a fundamental requirement for a Christian to be the salt and light. Jesus before ascending into Heaven told his disciples:

Luk 24:49

And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

The Power from on high came on the day of Pentecost when the Disciples were in the upper room:

Acts 2:1-4

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

This same indwelling power of the Holy Spirit is still available to those Christians whose hearts are fully turned towards God to do his will. but because most Christians want to be like Simon the Sorcerer:

Acts 8:18-23

And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

They think the Holy Spirit is for their own carnal desires, and this is why they never receive the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, God knows their heart, they continue to be bound to their carnal desires and lacking any discernment fall to the words of false Prophets and Seducing Spirits:

2 Timothy 4:3-4

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Revelation 2:18-23

‘These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

John Baker

University convocation told of Allah, not Jesus
Speakers also invoke Buddha, Dalai Lama

Speakers at the Virginia Tech convocation yesterday called on Allah and Buddha in their efforts to minister to the survivors, family and friends of victims of the shooting massacre at the school – but Jesus wasn't mentioned by name.

President Bush did offer a biblical message of hope, when he suggested the school community that lost 32 members to the shootings by an out-of-control resident alien student find "comfort in the grace and guidance of a loving God."

But even he didn't bring Jesus, the only hope of comfort and future life for Christians, into the memorials.

"I'm sitting here watching the convocation service at VT," wrote a WND reader who was given anonymity. "Five minutes ago they had four representatives from the local 'religious community.'

The Muslim specifically invoked Allah's blessings… and he didn't shy away from saying the name of Allah. The Jewish rep asked for God's blessings. Buddha was represented. The only name that [was] omitted, of course, Jesus Christ."

And another WND reader cited the speakers, in order:

"1st Speaker: A Muslim cleric invoking the name of Allah and quoting the Quran."

"2nd Speaker: A Buddhist Community Leader preaching that mankind is basically 'good.'"

"3rd Speaker: A Female speaker from the Jewish Community quoting Ecclesiastes: 'There is a time for everything.'"

"4th Speaker: A Liberal Lutheran Minister talking about 'healing,' etc. and how everyone needs to come together (blah, blah, blah…)."

"BUT NOT ONE EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN PASTOR/PREACHER. NO INVOCATION OF THE NAME OF CHRIST JESUS," the reader said.

"The only thing that surprised me, though, is that they didn't have a rep from the Universal Life 'church' or the 'Church of Satan.' Go figure," said the first reader.

Yet another reader wondered why a Muslim cleric was the first member of the clergy to deliver remarks.

"By the prominence of the Muslim speaker in the service are we to assume that Virginia Tech is mainly a Muslim student body? ... How are we to know this wasn't a signal to a sleeper cell? ... I pray the students and staff find tangible comfort from the God who freely gave us the Lord Jesus to show us how to live."

It was up to the president to deliver references to Christianity.

"People who have never met you are praying for you," Bush said. "They're praying for your friends who have fallen and who are injured. There's a power in these prayers, a real power. In times like this, we can find comfort in the grace and the guidance of a loving God."

Most of the other official statements of condolence released also ignored the savior of the Christian faith.

"Today is a day to reflect on our many blessings of family, neighbors, and our Blacksburg community, which includes the students of Virginia Tech," said a statement from the town of Blacksburg, where Virginia Tech is located.

"I urge Virginians to keep these victims and their families in their thoughts and prayers," said Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, who recounted some of the Old Testament Book of Job in his remarks.

"In time, Americans will learn more about the circumstances of this senseless tragedy. For now and forever after, our hearts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the other students, faculty and staff of Virginia Tech, and their families," said Sen. John Warner, a Republican.

"My heart goes out to the parents and families of the victims of this senseless act," said Sen. Jim Webb, a Democrat.

The school has announced a candlelight vigil to honor the victims of the mass killing Monday.

The campus also was ordered closed through this week, and counseling services were being made available to students, faculty and staff.

"We come to express our sympathy in this time of anguish. I hope you know that people all over this country are thinking about you and asking God to provide comfort for all who have been affected," the president told the community assembly.

"May God bless you and keep you and keep the souls of the lost and may his love touch all of those who suffer and grieve," he concluded.

He earlier had ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half staff at the White House, federal buildings and grounds, naval craft and military posts through Sunday.

"Our nation grieves with those who have lost loved ones at Virginia Tech. We hold the victims in our hearts. We lift them up in our prayers, and we ask a loving God to comfort those who are suffering," Bush said in the flag proclamation.

Authorities have identified the shooter as Cho Seung-Hui, 23, a senior English major at the school whose class writings were so disturbing he previously had been referred for counseling.

http://wnd.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55252

Virginia Tech students gather in front of the War Memorial to mourn their fellow students on Monday after the shooting rampage.

It Sets Our Childrens Teeth on Edge



Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast.And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the Lord.In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge.But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.



Jeremiah 31: 27-30 (KJV)

Oh that our country would fall on its knee’s in repentance and pray:

Come Lord Jesus, Forgive us for walking away from you, be our Lord, and watch over us, build up and plant within us all a new heart. And let no more that our children’s teeth be set on edge in fear.

John Baker

Authorities ID gunman in Va. Tech rampage
College president says gunman was a student; 33 killed, 26 wounded



BLACKSBURG, Va. - A Virginia Tech student was behind the massacre of at least 30 people locked inside a campus building in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history, the university said Tuesday.

The Virginia Tech Police Department identified him as Cho Seung-Hui, 23, a senior in the English department.

The bloodbath ended with the gunman’s suicide, bringing the death toll from two separate shootings — first at a dorm, then in a classroom building — to 33 and stamping the campus in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains with unspeakable tragedy.

Ballistics tests showed one of the guns found was used in both shootings, at the doom and the classroom building, Virginia State Police said.

A federal law enforcement official said Tuesday he had been told by other federal law enforcement officials that the two guns recovered in the shooting had had their serial numbers scraped off. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the information had not been announced.

A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information had not been announced, said Cho was carrying a backpack that contained receipts for a March purchase of a Glock 9 mm pistol.

At least 26 people were taken to hospitals after the second attack, some seriously injured. Victims were reported early Tuesday to be in stable condition at two area hospitals.

Community struggles to cope

President Bush planned to attend a memorial service Tuesday afternoon at the university, the White House said, and Gov. Tim Kaine was flying back to Virginia from Tokyo for the 2 p.m. convocation.

Local authorities have scheduled a media briefing for 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The people of Blacksburg struggled to find order in the wake of the shooting at Virginia Tech university.


“For all the children in our community who are afraid,” one woman pleaded in a church service held for those seeking solace.

Another added: “For parents near and far who wonder at a time like this, ‘Is my child safe?”’
Investigators gave no motive for the attack. The gunman’s name has not been released.

“Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions,” Steger said. “The university is shocked and indeed horrified.”

Difficult questionsBut he was also faced with difficult questions about the university’s handling of the emergency and whether it did enough to warn students and protect them after the first burst of gunfire. Some students bitterly complained they got no warning from the university until an e-mail that arrived more than two hours after the first shots rang out.

Wielding two handguns and carrying multiple clips of ammunition, the killer opened fire about 7:15 a.m. on the fourth floor of West Ambler Johnston, a high-rise coed dormitory, then stormed Norris Hall, a classroom building a half-mile away on the other side of the 2,600-acre campus. Some of the doors at Norris Hall were found chained from the inside, apparently by the gunman.
Two people died in a dorm room, and 31 others were killed in Norris Hall, including the gunman, who put a bullet in his head.

Students jumped from windows in panic.

Alec Calhoun, a 20-year-old junior, said he was in a 9:05 a.m. mechanics class when he and classmates heard a thunderous sound from the classroom next door — “what sounded like an enormous hammer.”

Screams followed an instant later, and the banging continued. When students realized the sounds were gunshots, Calhoun said, he started flipping over desks for hiding places. Others dashed to the windows of the second-floor classroom, kicking out the screens and jumping from the ledge of Room 204, he said.

“I must’ve been the eighth or ninth person who jumped, and I think I was the last,” said Calhoun, of Waynesboro, Va. He landed in a bush and ran.

Calhoun said that the two students behind him were shot, but that he believed they survived. Just before he climbed out the window, Calhoun said, he turned to look at the professor, who had stayed behind, perhaps to block the door.

The instructor was killed, he said.

‘Very calm look on his face’Young people and faculty members carried out some of the wounded themselves, without waiting for ambulances to arrive. Many found themselves trapped behind chained and padlocked doors. SWAT team members with helmets, flak jackets and assault rifles swarmed over the campus. A student used his cell-phone camera to record the sound of bullets echoing through a stone building.

Trey Perkins, who was sitting in a German class in Norris Hall, told The Washington Post that the gunman barged into the room at about 9:50 a.m. and opened fire for about a minute and a half, squeezing off about 30 shots.

The gunman first shot the professor in the head and then fired on the students, Perkins said. The gunman was about 19 years old and had a “very serious but very calm look on his face,” he said.

“Everyone hit the floor at that moment,” said Perkins, 20, of Yorktown, Va., a sophomore studying mechanical engineering. “And the shots seemed like it lasted forever.”

Erin Sheehan, who was also in the German class, told the student newspaper, the Collegiate Times, that she was one of only four of about two dozen people in the class to walk out of the room. The rest were dead or wounded, she said.

She said the gunman “had on a Boy Scout-type outfit. He wore a tan button-up vest, and this black vest, maybe it was for ammo or something.”

Students angry at university's responseStudents said that there were no public-address announcements after the first shots. Many said they learned of the first shooting in an e-mail that arrived shortly before the gunman struck again.

“I think the university has blood on their hands because of their lack of action after the first incident,” said Billy Bason, 18, who lives on the seventh floor of the dorm.

Steger defended the university’s conduct, saying authorities believed that the shooting at the dorm was a domestic dispute and mistakenly thought the gunman had fled the campus.

“We had no reason to suspect any other incident was going to occur,” he said.

University President Charles Steger emphasized that the university closed off the dorm after the first attack and decided to rely on e-mail and other electronic means to spread the word, but said that with 11,000 people driving onto campus first thing in the morning, it was difficult to get the word out.

He said that before the e-mail went out, the university began telephoning resident advisers in the dorms and sent people to knock on doors. Students were warned to stay inside and away from the windows.

“We can only make decisions based on the information you had at the time. You don’t have hours to reflect on it,” Steger said.

Some students and Laura Wedin, a student programs manager at Virginia Tech, said their first notification came in an e-mail at 9:26 a.m., more than two hours after the first shooting.

The e-mail had few details. It read: “A shooting incident occurred at West Amber Johnston earlier this morning. Police are on the scene and are investigating.” The message warned students to be cautious and contact police about anything suspicious.

Edmund Henneke, associate dean of engineering, said that he was in the classroom building and that he and colleagues had just read the e-mail advisory and were discussing it when he heard gunfire. He said that moments later SWAT team members rushed them downstairs, but that the doors were chained and padlocked from the inside. They left the building through an unlocked construction area.

Previous rampagesUntil Monday, the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history was in Killeen, Texas, in 1991, when George Hennard plowed his pickup truck into a Luby’s Cafeteria and shot 23 people to death, then himself.

The massacre Monday took place almost eight years to the day after the Columbine High bloodbath near Littleton, Colo. On April 20, 1999, two teenagers killed 12 fellow students and a teacher before taking their own lives.

Previously, the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history was a rampage in 1966 at the University of Texas at Austin, where Charles Whitman climbed the clock tower and opened fire. He killed 16 people before police shot him to death.

Founded in 1872, Virginia Tech is about 160 miles west of Richmond. With more than 25,000 full-time students, it has the state’s largest full-time student population. It is best known for its engineering school and its powerhouse Hokies football team.

The campus is centered on the Drill Field, a grassy field where military cadets practice. The dorm and the classroom building are on opposites sides of the Drill Field.

After the shootings, all campus entrances were closed, and classes were canceled through Tuesday. The university set up a spot for families to reunite with their children. It also made counselors available and planned an assembly Tuesday.

Police said there had been bomb threats on campus over the past two weeks but said they had not determined a link to the shootings.

Second shooting in less than a yearIt was second time in less than a year that the campus was closed because of a shooting.

In August, the opening day of classes was canceled when an escaped jail inmate allegedly killed a hospital guard off campus and fled to the Tech area. A sheriff’s deputy was killed just off campus. The accused gunman, William Morva, faces capital murder charges.

At a hastily arranged service Monday night at Blacksburg Presbyterian Church, the Rev. Susan Verbrugge gazed out at about 150 bowed heads.

“Death has come trundling into our life, a sudden and savage entity laying waste to our hearts and making desolate our minds,” Verbrugge said during a prayer. “We need now the consolation only you can give.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18148802/?GT1=9246

El Shaddai and His Suzerainty Treaty

Genesis 17 is a crucial chapter for our understanding of what's happening in the Bible. But this is a chapter which raises all kinds of issues. In fact, even many Bible believing Christians disagree on many of the issues raised in this chapter. I believe God has some wonderful truths to reveal in this chapter. Let's read the text...

Read: Genesis Chapter 17

We are not going to deal with the whole chapter. We will leave the subject of circumcision for another time. But, apart from the significance of that sign, there are at least two powerful lessons for us to learn from this chapter...

I. God Sets The Terms of His Covenant.

We live in a day in which most "everything is negotiable". If you don't like something, just hold out for a better deal! Because that is such a widespread reality, we sometimes have difficulty understanding the nature of God's Covenant. As God presents His covenant, it is not like a labor contract, where everyone sits down at the negotiating table and works out an arrangement which is acceptable to all.

Instead, God's Covenant is more like an ancient suzerainty treaty

That is a treaty made by a big, powerful king with his weak, little neighbor. In such a treaty the strong king offers his protection, imposes his governing, and demands whatever he pleases (normally obedience and taxes) from the weak king. Of course the weak king has a choice:
He can surrender to the control of the strong king and enjoy his protection, Or, he can refuse and suffer the consequences. What he cannot do is renegotiate the terms of the treaty or covenant.

Now, that's how God deals with Abram in this chapter. In verse 1, God just appears and lays out the term of Abram's relationship to Him. "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless!"

The Lord claims total sovereignty, and expects Abram to relinquish his control of his life and do what God says! In fact, in those first eight verses, God says, "I will..." no less than seven times:

I will confirm my covenant...
I will greatly increase your numbers...
I will make you very fruitful...
I will make nations of you...
I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant...
I will give as [you] an everlasting possession ...
I will be God [to your descendants] ...

And then in verse 9, God begins to say, "you must..." But, when we look for what exactly Abram must do, we find that his obedience is to be unconditional!

Christian Author Derek Kidner notes:

"The striking feature of the stipulations is their lack of detail. To be committed was all... The implications could be left unwritten (until Sinai), for [Abram] was pledged to a Master, only secondarily to a way of life."

Certainly, God promises some wonderful blessings here, but make no mistake... God set the terms of His covenant! That's one of the differences between chapter 15 and chapter 17.
In chapter 15, God privately enters into covenant with Abram and makes it very clear that His covenant is all of grace. Remember, God taking the covenant making walk down the corridor between the dismembered sacrifices – all alone, while Abram was helpless. Pure grace!

But here in chapter 17, God publicly confirms that covenant that he has made, giving a covenant sign, and now, the emphasis is not primarily on His grace, but on His sovereignty. God alone sets the terms of His covenant. Now, the truth is, we want a God of grace who will have mercy on us in the face of our failures. Abraham undoubtedly did too, for he had miserably failed the Lord in the affair with Hagar, right after God made such a wonderful covenant with him. But, most of us do not want a God who claims complete control over us.

Dr. Iain Duguid says it so clearly:

"Many people think they can decide what God will be like. They want to pick and choose what they will believe and what they will do – and they certainly don't want a God who makes too many demands on them. "My God isn't like that,' they sill tell you. In other words, they don't want a God who is God.

"The real question, however is not what you would like God to be like, but what he is really like. And he has revealed himself as the God who has made a covenant with his people. When the great king comes and offers to establish a covenant with you, you really have only two choices: you can accept the covenant relationship on his terms and receive its benefits, or you can refuse it and face the consequences."

But, God sets the terms of His covenant. Oh, I do not want to minimize God's grace in any way.
God's covenant is all of grace, or we have nothing, for none of us could stand on our own holiness. But the God of all grace, does claim absolute sovereignty over his people. When he says "I will be your God and you will be my people," He means it! He intends to be in the driver's seat – to be God to us! And that means we had better expect some changes! Think of the changes God immediately brought to Abram and Sarai. He changed their names.

Someone has said that a person's own name is the sweetest word in the world to their ears. Nothing is more personal, and strikes at our very identity, than our name! And God changed them! Changed Abram to Abraham and changed Sarai to Sarah.

Now, in the case of Abraham, though it seems like a minor addition, it was not small thing.
The name Abram meant "father of many." We can only imagine how many times someone asked Abram, "Oh, how many?" And for years he had to say, "none." Now, fortunately, at least he had Ishmael! But God says, "No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham..."

Abraham means "Father of a multitude!" Can you just imagine when Abraham announced this to his family? "Hey, I'm changing my name." "It's about time," some of his friends may have thought. "Enough of this Father of many. The guy is 99 years old, already!'

"So, Abram, what's the new name?" "From now on, you can call me, Father of a multitude!" Can you hear the laughter?! But you see, no matter how ridiculous it might have seemed to others, God sets the terms of His Covenant! I challenge you with this, for so often we are willing to have God's grace to bring us forgiveness, but we do not want him messing with our life! But, there is no such place to stand!

Our only hope is God's Covenant of Grace which He has brought to fulfillment in Jesus. But, he sets the terms of that covenant, And the terms are real simple: Hand over the reins of your life to the Savior! But that's not the only change God brought to Abraham. He also commanded him to be circumcised. Now, we are not going to get into circumcision now, except to make this point. If you think your name is personal, and changing it would be painful, think of this!

Iain Duguid again:

"This was faith that penetrated even to the most personal areas of Abraham's life in a most painful way."

How deeply does your faith penetrate your life? For so many, it only affects Sunday mornings. Few even worship on Sunday evening. Fewer still are known for their faithfulness to Christ at work. And even among those who everyone knows to be exemplary Christians ...

There are private relationships, evil thoughts, sinful motives, secret sins that are off limits even to the Lord Himself! No, nothing is off limits. He intends to change us profoundly, from the inside out! That's the great mandate of Romans 12: “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God And be not conformed to this world, But be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

There is no limit to that transformation which God has in mind. For this He sent His Son: to make you holy, through and through! Or, as He said to Abraham: "Walk before me and be blameless!" and, Abram fell face down in humility before the Lord! God sovereignly has set the terms of covenant faithfulness! Oh, but there is another great truth here – as encouraging as this one is penetrating...

II. God Is Able To Do What He Promised.

As we get older and wiser, we tend to lower our expectations. It's easy to begin to "flatten" God's promises – to take the supernatural, outrageous, radical element out, and "tame" them down to expectations we can understand, or even guarantee with the resources at hand.
But, here, we learn that God's ways are greater than our ways – His plans are beyond even our wildest dreams. ...at least they were for Abraham! Here we are reminded that God is able to do what He says! This truth first confronts us in the very first verse:

"The LORD appeared to him and said, 'I am God Almighty..."

The name God calls himself is actually "El Shaddai" – here translated "God Almighty" This is the very first time this name for God is used in the Bible. Why? What does it add to this discussion?

Well, this name of God speaks of His Might, over against the frailty of man. It has been literally translated, "God who is sufficient!" – El Shaddai

The great O.T. scholar Franz Delitzsch claims that El Shaddai designates...

"the God who compels nature to do what is contrary to itself and subdues it to bow and minister to grace."

In the very name by which God introduces Himself to Abraham, even before He says anything else God makes the point that He is able to do what He says! Now, this is important for throughout this passage, God intends to promise the impossible! For example: Years ago, God had promised Abram land and descendants – that's old news. But now, God promises, "I will make nations of you and kings will come from you" (vs. 6) Sarah "will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her." (Vs 16) And for how long? "I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant..."

And this wasn't just about Abraham's direct descendants, according to vs. 12,13, God intended to include every servant born in his house, everyone bought from a foreigner, even "those who are not your offspring." In other words, this blessing on the nations was intended to include the Gentiles from the very beginning! This was more than just a family thing! Furthermore, God was not satisfied with just using natural processes. You see, Abraham was perfectly happy with his son Ishmael, now thirteen years old. Surely God had given him this son through Hagar now, he had an heir and he was content. But God said, no, I will indeed bless Ishmael...

But my promises will be supernaturally carried out through the son which will be born to Sarah! Born to Sarah when she is ninety, and Abraham is 100! For, the covenant cannot be by Ishmael, for then it would have depended on man, working out God's promises. But God's covenant is not dependant on man's ingenuity or clever maneuvering. God is able to accomplish what He promised! Natural processes are not an obstacle to Him; He created them! His covenant is all His way, and all His power. What God made clear to Abraham concerning His Mighty Power – the power of El Shaddai, God Almighty – applies to us as well. I remind you of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. "It is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes."

Now, that's important, for too often the promise of the gospel has been "flattened". Its promise has been distorted and reduced down to something more manageable. But, God has not just promised that he would make us feel better about ourselves. A hot shower will do that! Nor has God just promised to make us nice, middleclass families. A good income and decent education might do that. Nor has God just promised to make us more prosperous than those who are not His people. It's just not true! Jesus wasn't rich and you probably won't be either.

No, what God has promised is infinitely greater – greater than anything you or I could pull off by our own power and scheming. God has promised to remove the guilt of our sin for ever! – not just our guilt feelings, but the actual condemnation! God has promised to give us a new, spiritual life – reborn inside – a brand new creature in Christ Jesus. God has promised that He Himself, in the person of His Holy Spirit, will come and dwell within us all our days. God has promised that He will join us to His other new creatures, in a family relationship richer and stronger than blood ties! God has promised that death itself can no longer defeat His people, for we will live forever with Him. Death will be swallowed up by life.

Indeed, this is not just a spiritual thing, our physical bodies will rise from the dead to live forever in a new heaven and new earth. And God has promised that all the things he brings into our lives right now are working toward that goal – the day we will stand before him perfectly conformed to Jesus Christ. Now, you can manufacture a lot of religion – a lot of good Christian religion. But you cannot any more begin to do even one of those things, than Abraham and Sarah could have a baby when they were 100 years old! Oh, but the LORD – El Shaddai, God Almighty – is able to do everything He promised! He has proved it by the incarnation, death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus.

So, how should we respond? Well, according to vs. 17, when Abraham heard such impossible things, he fell facedown and laughed! But O, this was not laughter of scorn and derision... This was the sheer delight of faith – overwhelmed with joy, knowing and believing, that God was able to do everything He said. We know this was laughter of faith, for the New Testament tells us so.

Listen to the Holy Spirit's commentary in Romans 4:

18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead – since he was about a hundred years old – and that Sarah's womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised."

And God said, "By the way, call that child of promise Isaac," which means "Laughter!"
I don't know what promise of God looks so impossible to you today, but the Lord has not changed. He is still El Shaddai! And He is still able to do what he promised!

Conclusion

we have been confronted with the covenant of which circumcision was a sign. This passage doesn't tell us everything about the covenant... That is the unfolding story of the whole Bible.
But this chapter does make a couple of things clear – things which do not change!

1. God sets the terms of His Covenant It is not ours to negotiate. Like Abraham, we must fall on our face in devotion and unquestioning obedience.

2. God is able to do what He promises. He has often told us things which are beyond our comprehension We need not feel any compulsion to reinterpret them – to tame them.

We just need to trust Him – laughing with joy if necessary!

adpated from: http://www.wiserlakechapel.org/17part1.htm

I have had a problem with the widely accepted Dispensational Interpretation of Ezekiel 38 since the time I discovered that the name Rus from where we get the modern name Russia did not come into existence until the 11th century AD. As the author of the piece below explains, far too often people have tried to take place names form today and make the Biblical place names in Ezekiel 38 fit the modern names.

When you read the Bible in literal terms and not try to make it fit a preconceived idea or interpretation, the Bible begins to open its wisdom and reveals a natural and unforced interpretation. What is amazing about the article below and the natural interpretation where it lets the Bible speak for itself is it points very naturally to what we are seeing occur in Islam today, i.e. the battle between the Shia Muslim Countries, and the Sunni Muslim countries. The Iranian (Persian) led Shiite countries are lining up against the Sunni Arab countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Lebanon. As Iran (Persia) sees these countries as false states created by Western Imperialism.

I previously sent out an article about how Libya is declaring itself part of the Shia Revival and identifying with its aims. Libya (Put) is one of the countries listed in Ezekiel 38, as well as Ethiopia. But the Ethiopia in Ezekiel 38 is not the Ethiopia we know today. It is the Sudan, and what is happening in the Sudan? It is being taken over by radical Islamic groups who also identify with the Shia Revival and the aims of Iran (Persia), Al Qaeda is very active in the Sudan as well.

Turkey which is also listed in Ezekiel 38 was once a very western oriented country. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who founded Turkey wanted the country to be like the Western countries and not like the "backward" Middle Eastern Arabic Islamic Countries. However Turkey recently applied for membership in the European Union and has been turned down by most of the Western European countries out of a fear of Europe being over-run with Muslims from Turkey if Turkey was allowed to join the E.U. This has not been taken very well in Turkey and now that country has elected a more radical Islamic Government and is heading towards being a Radical Islamic State like Iran.

All of the former Soviet Central Asian Republics are Islamic States. And some are listed in Ezekiel 38 as being part of the confederation that attacks Israel. Russia on the other hand like the west fears Islamic Fundamentalism, It would never lead a confederation of radical Islamic States against Israel. And neither would the Radical Islamic States allow Russia to lead them in a confederacy. This all fits with what we see developing in International Geo-Politics today.


John Baker



The Nations of Ezekiel 38 – 39 Who Will Participate in the Battle?

PURPOSE OF PAPER

The purpose of this paper is to identify the nations who will be participants in the end-time battle described in Ezekiel 38. The terms which will be considered are Gog, Magog, Rosh, Meshech, Tubal, Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer and Togarmah (KJV). A discussion of the time of this battle does not fall within the scope of this paper; however, it will be easily seen that the position taken in this regard is that the battle will be right before the tribulation.

INTRODUCTION

When interpreting Ezekiel 38 it has become popular to identify Gomer as Germany and the terms Rosh, Gog, Magog, Meshech, and Tubal as being Russia. Among dispensational authors there is almost complete unanimity on this point. This paper will analyze the arguments used in support of this position and attempt to demonstrate that these terms refer instead to a near-eastern coalition of nations which will seek to destroy Israel.

PRESUPPOSITIONS AND PRELIMINARY REMARKS

Linguistics and Interpretation

The interpretation of these place names in Ezekiel 38 must be based upon sound historical research and methodology and that in keeping with the established laws of historical and comparative linguistics. Reading modern English place names into the original Semitic terminology, for example, must be avoided. The similarity in sound of an ancient Hebrew word with a modern English word is more than likely only superficial. The Hebrew prophets were not writing to an English audience, and their terminology should not be interpreted as such but rather from their own historical standpoint.

One linguistic principle to bear in mind is that as a language evolves out of another or as a word migrates from one language to another, the vowels may all change, but the consonants will generally remain the same. A Biblical example of this is found in Nehemiah chapter 6. Verse 1 mentions a man named Gesham the Arabian; verse 6 names him Gashmu. Notice that the vowels all change, but the consonants remain the same: GŠM. The difference here in Nehemiah may have been caused by a translation from two different languages in the two verses. The point is that it is the consonants which are important.

Closely associated with this is the fact that the consonants remain in the same order, as in the example cited above. To reverse the order of the letters (consonants) in order to arrive at a desired conclusion is merely presumptuous. A consonant may change to another consonant with similar sound, but their order and place in the word remain.Method of Interpretation Care must also be taken to avoid personal and/or political bias. It is natural to seek to discover any great modern power or nation somewhere within the pages of Biblical prophecy. An example of this is seen in the desire to find the United States, China, or Japan in the prophetic Word. This temptation is only heightened when the nation or power in question is also an evil empire, as with the Soviet Union. Unger makes this mistake when he says "It is unthinkable that this vast God-defying power [USSR] would not be included in the scope of things to come as set forth in the Bible." Walvoord does virtually the same when he says "The godlessness of the invading army attacking Israel also points the finger to the nation Russia."

The weakness of this type of argument is obvious: that a political regime is evil and powerful today is no indication that it will be a part of international crises tomorrow. When interpreting Scripture, personal and political bias must be set aside. The priority of the written Word demands that Scripture be allowed to speak for itself and interpreted by itself.Imminence and InterpretationAnother observation worthy of mention involves a popular teaching of the imminent return of Christ. Those who emphasize the teaching that Christ may return at any moment often fall into error by assuming that His return must therefore be soon. However, the hidden time-table of Christ's second coming necessarily assumes that His return may not be soon at all. No one can say whether He will come sooner or later, however current events may seem to coincide with prophetic events. This should evoke considerable pause on the part of the interpreter before he becomes willing to specifically identify any nation as a part of Biblical prophecy unless there is clear, specified warrant to do so. This mistake has been made over and again in church history only to see Christ's delayed return disprove the interpretation. With the elapsed time the identified powers have waned.

The bearing this has upon this present study is clear. For example, if the Lord were to return today it is difficult to imagine how Russia (or the U.S.A.!) could not be somehow involved in the end-time battles. But this does not mean that Christ's return is very near, and it does not require that Russia be a part of the prophecy. That a nation is likely to be involved if events were to occur soon is not proof that the nation is specified in the original prophecy. Seventy years ago the possibility of Russia's being an end-time power was almost unthinkable. Should the Lord tarry another seventy years the same may be true of Russia then; no one can say.
Walvoord falls prey to this error when he says,

"Today, to the north of the nation Israel is the armed might of Russia. Never before has it seemed more likely that the prediction will be fulfilled given by Ezekiel (chapter 38-39) of an invasion from the north. To the east is the rising might of Red China, with the growing force of nationalism in India as well as the revival of Japan. Never before has it seemed more likely that there should be a tremendous military host coming from Asia, crossing the Euphrates river, and moving down on the scene of battle in the Middle East as predicted in Revelation 9:16."

Notice that the time-table of prophetic Scripture is interpreted by current events rather than allowing Scripture to speak for itself. Neither Russia, China, India, or Japan are mentioned in Scripture, but they are assumed to be a part of the prophetic Word because they are, today, the powers that be.

It is interesting that Berkhof, an avowed Amillennialist, made this same mistake of judging Scripture by the modern political scene when, while arguing against premillennialism in 1938, he asserted that the thought of Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon again rising to power is nothing short of an "absurdity." Needless to say, the thought is none too absurd today, a mere five decades later.

These two examples, from opposing standpoints, demonstrate the importance of specifically identifying nations only when there is ample Scriptural warrant to do so.

Hermeneutical Guidelines

Two principles of hermeneutics have direct bearing upon this study. First is the importance of literalism. It is a bit ironic that this should need to be asserted in argument against dispensational authors, but, as it will be shown, the need is real. Terms must be interpreted in their primary, ordinary, usual meaning. The temptation to apply them to something far removed from the author, without explicit exegetical warrant, must be carefully resisted.
This leads to the second principle to be emphasized: historical interpretation. This simply means that the passage must be considered within the frame of reference of the author and recipients of the writing. To carry it beyond requires, again, explicit warrant.

AN EXAMINATION OF EZEKIEL'S TERMINOLOGY

The terms found in Ezekiel 38 that must be considered are (as in KJV) Gog, Magog, Rosh, Meshech, Tubal (verse 1), Persia, Ethiopia, Libya (verse 5), Gomer, and Togarmah (verse 6). Of these, some are easily identifiable. The more obvious nations will be treated first then proceeding to the more difficult.Libya, Persia, Ethiopia, Libya (Put) remains today, bearing the same name, lying just west of Egypt. Persia, also remaining to the present, is now known as Iran. Biblical Ethiopia (Cush, KŠ) is not the Ethiopia of today but rather the land just to the south of Egypt, Northern Sudan.

Togarmah

Togarmah (TGRM) presents only a little more difficulty. Togarmah was a descendant of Noah through Japheth then Gomer (Gen.10:1-3). He is know to Assyrian records as Tilgarimmu (TLGRM). The inserted "L" is not uncommon and, more than likely, was silent. Tilgarimmu was a city state in Eastern Anatolia (Asia Minor, modern Turkey), more specifically, as Ryrie states, "the southeastern part of Turkey near the Syrian border." This identification is generally acknowledged by all.

Gomer

Gomer (GMR) has often been mistaken to refer to Germany because of a supposed similarity of linguistic construction. This position has two serious errors. One is that the "R" and "M" are reversed. Ezekiel wrote of GMR not GRM. The reversal is unwarranted linguistically. Furthermore, this similarity and inversion is based upon a comparison of Ezekiel's GMR with a modern English (from Latin) designation for Deutschland. Clearly, the similarity is only superficial. These two errors rule out, absolutely, any possible identification of Gomer with Germany.

However, GMR is well known to the ancient world as Gimarrai (GMR) of north central Asia Minor (Cappadocia). These people are also known as the Cimmerians (KMR, note the change in gutturals from "G" to "C"). This seems to be the simplest, most obvious interpretation.RoshThe identification of Rosh (RŠ) presents some difficulty. Some understand it to be a proper noun referring to Russia rather than as a simple noun or adjective, "head" or "chief" (KJV), which is its normal meaning.

Although this interpretation may be allowable on grammatical grounds, it suffers from several problems. The first is that there is absolutely no place on earth known by this name, Rosh. Of all the occurrences of Meshech and Tubal (MŠK and TBL) in Biblical and non-Biblical writings, they are never associated with a place called Rosh, as the translation "prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal" would suggest.

There are linguistic problems here as well. As Unger admits, "Linguistic evidence for the equation [of Rosh with Russia] is confessedly only presumptive." The first problem is that the similarity is in sound only, not in consonantal configuration. Notice it is Rosh (RŠ) not Rus (RS). Furthermore, the problem encountered earlier, the supposed similarity is based on a comparison with a much more modern word. The term "Russia" comes from a late eleventh-century A.D. Viking word "Rus" (RS; again notice the difference in consonants). Reading modern words and spellings into ancient Semitic terminology is to ignore all known linguistic norms.

Since there is no place named Rosh associated with Meshech or Tubal, and since the attempted equation of it with modern Russia is obviously fallacious, it is easiest to understand both "chief" (rosh) and "prince" as related appositionally and used in reference to Meshech and Tubal: "chief prince of Meshech and Tubal" (KJV). This is also the reading of the Targum, Aquila, and the Vulgate.

Meshech

Meshech (MŠK) is often mistaken for the Modern Russian city of Moscow, capitol and largest city of the Soviet Union. Again, this identification, as even Ryrie admits, is unfounded also. The problems are similar to those associated with the identification of Gomer with Germany. First of all, the Š is changed to S. This again is unwarranted linguistically. Furthermore, the similarity is based upon a comparison of MŠK with the English designation Moscow; the Russian word is Moskva (MSKV) and is less similar still.

However, Mushki (MŠK) of central and western Asia Minor, known in the classics (Homer, etc.) as Phrygia, fits very well. These people were well known to Ezekiel, and this seems clearly the easier interpretation.

Tubal

Tubal (TBL) is commonly identified with the Russian city of Tobol'sk. Although this is allowable linguistically, it is not the best hermeneutically. Ezekiel knew nothing of Tobol'sk (or Moscow or Germany, for that matter); it did not exist. He was, however, well acquainted with Tabal (TBL) of Eastern Asia Minor (and Gimarrai and Mushki) of central and western Asia Minor). Granted, God could have revealed Tobol'sk (and Moscow and Germany) to the ancient prophet, but to assume so when Tabal was well known to him is unjustified apart from Biblical warrant. If a man in New York, for example, speaks of Manhattan, he would not want anyone to assume that he is speaking of a Manhattan, Kansas; much less would he want anyone to interpret his words as referring to a Manhattan somewhere else in the world of which he is unaware! Similarly, to assume a place unknown to the prophet (Tobol'sk) when clear options are available is both hermeneutically and exegetically untenable. Tabal is clearly to be preferred.

Gog

Gog is extremely difficult to identify. Some have identified him with Gyges (seventh century B.C.), king of Lydia (extreme western Asia Minor), who is called Gugu in the Ashurbanipal texts. Some have suggested the place name Gagai, referred to in the Tell el Amarna letters as a land of Barbarians. A god named Gaga found in the Ras Shamra writings; Gagu, a ruler of the land of Sakhi, North of Assyria; and Gaga, a mountainous region north of Meletene, have all been offered as alternatives. Some have understood Gog to be a historical figure such as Alexander the Great. One plausible explanation is that Gog is merely an official title or general designation for any enemy of God's people. This interpretation is based on the Septuagint rendering of several Kingly names in the Old Testament. Perhaps Gog is only a derivative of the related word Magog. None of the above suggestions has sufficient evidence for certain identification. It is most probable that Gog is a person, but geographical identification is not given.

Magog

Magog, a descendant of Noah through Japheth (Gen. 10:1-2), presents the most difficulty. Those who see it as Russia appeal to Josephus who said "Magog founded those that from him were named Magogites, but who are by the Greeks called Scythians," who lived north and northeast of the Black Sea. The fact of the matter, however, is that nothing is known about Magog--nothing. Josephus' guess may be as good as any, but the place is as yet unidentified. The appeal to Gesenius is impressive, but it must be remembered that Gesenius was a great lexicographer and grammarian, not an authority on ancient history. His statement was but a guess also; in fact, it is highly probable that Josephus was Gesenius' source for this information. Furthermore, though the Scythians are of the Japhetic line, they are believed by historians to be descendants of Gomer through Ashkenas; this is not true of Magog. To identify Magog as the Scythians is without support from historical anthropology.

Although Magog cannot be identified specifically, it seems that Scripture does give a clue at least to its general vicinity. First, "Gog" is known to be an Anatolian name. Further, if Meshech and Tubal have been identified correctly and are in Asia Minor, Magog must be a part of Asia minor as well since "they [Meshech and Tubal] lived in the neighborhood of Magog." Ezekiel 38:2 states that Gog, who is the "chief prince of Meshech and Tubal," is "of the land of Magog." If Gog is prince of Meshech and Tubal and lives in the land of Magog, it seems reasonable that Magog is in close proximity.

In summary, the Scythians were a people other than Magogites, and Magog is not able to be specifically identified, unless it is a general reference to the land of Asia Minor.

"North Parts"

Another argument for seeing Russia in this prophecy of Ezekiel remains, namely, Ezekiel's statement that Gog will descend "from the north parts" (38:15). The word indicates "uttermost parts of the north" or "farthest north." This, it is assumed, points directly to Russia. The major objection to this is again based upon a commitment to consistent historical interpretation. Scriptural terminology must not be forced into a twentieth-century A.D. map. To Ezekiel the "farthest north" was Asia Minor (from there you jump off the edge!). To extend Ezekiel's frame of reference any further, without exegetical warrant, cannot be right.

Moreover, if Asia Minor is not the "farthest north," then why stop with Russia? Why not go on to the north pole? If this seems ridiculous, then why not Finland? Norway? Sweden? These all extend directly above Moscow. If these interpreters will not interpret within Ezekiel's geographical frame of reference, demanding a "more literal" understanding of "farthest north," then their own hermeneutic demands they go farther north than Moscow. Their own argument falls.

One more fact is worthy of observation here. In verse 6 this same geographical description ("farthest north") is also given of Togarmah, yet virtually all agree that this is eastern Asia Minor! If Asia Minor was far north enough for Togarmah, why not for Gog? The problem is obvious.

SUMMARY

It has been shown on the basis of exegesis, hermeneutics, linguistics, and historical anthropology that, 1) Gomer cannot be Germany but rather Gimarrai, 2) Meshech cannot be Moscow but Mushki, 3) Tubal is not Tobol'sk but Tabal, 4) Gog is probably a personage, 5) Magog is unidentifiable except as a general reference ("land of Gog") to Asia Minor, 6) rosh is not a reference to a place but is to be translated "chief" or "head," and 7) the terms "north parts" and "north quarters" cannot mean Russia but, within Ezekiel's frame of reference, refer to modern Turkey.

What Ezekiel prophesied, then, is an end-time battle involving the following nations coming against Israel: 1) Turkey (Meshech, Tubal, Magog[?], Gomer, Togarmah; 2) Iran (Persia), 3) Sudan (Ethiopia or Cush), and 4) Libya.

FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Concerning Turkey

Precisely why Turkey (Anatolia, Asia Minor) is set forth in Ezekiel's prophecy under four names (Meshech, Tubal, Gomer and Togarmah) cannot be determined.

Perhaps it points to some future political break-up of that area. Perhaps it is simply to clearly specify that the entire nation or land will be involved: west (Meshech), Central (Gomer), and east (Tubal and Togarmah).Concerning the Nations Involved--And Those Who are Not
With Turkey, Iran, Libya and Sudan, Gog leads an Islamic coalition of nations against Israel: Turkey from the north, Iran from the east, Libya from the west and Sudan from the south.

Note also the nations who are (surprisingly!) absent: Egypt and Syria. Why?

The only plausible answer is that they both have somehow been relegated to an inferior position militarily. This fits nicely into Daniel chapter 11 with both the King of the North (Syria) and the King of the South (Egypt) being destroyed by Antichrist.


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