General
Do It Now – Keep It Real
Recently, I heard a couple of comments about “keeping it real”. In other words, the sermons were good, but it went over the person’s head. In other words, break it down so I can live it in real life.
One thing we all need in order to manage the multiple tasks and challenges we face each day is how to get them all done. It doesen’t matter what our lot in life, we all have “stuff” to deal with.
Here is a scripture.
II Corinthians 6:2 “At an acceptable time I listened to you.
In a day of salvation I helped you.”Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
If you notice something to be done, do it now, or delegate it now, or write down the idea now before you forget it. Or, if it has to do with people working with you/for you, decide now how to strategize with them to get it done. Because the idea or focus that is coming to your mind, if you have committed your way to the Lord on a daily basis, if you are thinking of it, the Holy Spirit is bringing your attention to it as a thing that needs to be done.
Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.
In other words, talk to the Lord about whatever you are dealing with, lay out the problem before Him, and then follow the thoughts God gives you on how to solve that problem.
The widow woman who was about to starve was outside collecting sticks for a last meal. That is where Elijah found here and a miracle was the end result of that meeting. What if she had said when the thought came to mind to collect sticks…I’d rather sit here and watch a TV rerun, or scroll Facebook, instead of collecting sticks (they didn’t have TV or Facebook at that time, but you get the point). There’s always an excuse to “not” do something we think we should do. And disobedience and rebellion lead to defeat and unanswered prayer. It’s not answered not because God is not willing to answer the prayer, but because oftentimes “we” are a part of the prayer getting answered and if “we” don’t do what we should do, the process of solving the problem is aborted by us.
We have found the enemy and it is us. Pogo [cartoon character]
What about the devil? Well, absolutely, the devil is real and demons are real and can absolutely cause havoc in a situation.
But this is what Jesus said about himself and should be our goal as well.
John 14:30 I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world comes, and he has nothing in me.
It’s really not possible to be tempted with something unless the seed of that temptation reaches something within your soul.
It is simply to prove. Think about what tempts you. Think about your friends. Do they all get tempted by the thing that tempts you? Know that there are people who have zero interest in whatever it is that tempts you.
Temptation is not universal. It is tailored to the weak points in the flesh, meaning the fleshly nature, the carnal nature, the “not” spiritual part of ourselves that can respond to anything in excess. And whatever that “thing” is, it changes from person to person.
Again, the goal is this….the prince of the world comes, and he has nothing in me.
Have you ever had a situation where everything was peaceful, and then all of a sudden someone acts up? That “acting up” destroys the whole environment for everyone. It can be a child. It can be an adolescent. It can be an adult. The prince of this world attacked a weak spot in someone and that discord was passed onto the larger group.
This is why certain things are important to understand.
One principle is that of the body of Christ. A chain is no stronger than its weakest link. Somewhere, even if you don’t know the person by name, whatever is causing someone a problem is affecting you if you are part of the body of Christ.
This is why that even if you feel you have your “own house in order” fairly well, you need to also be praying and helping other members of the body get strong. Or helping other members of your family get strong.
This is also why it is not enough for a man to simply “bring home the bacon” and be the natural supplier of needs for the family. He must also be taking spiritual headship and doing spiritual battle for his family and raising up the children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
Why did God bless Abraham?
Genesis 18:19 for I have known him, that he commandeth his children, and his house after him (and they have kept the way of Jehovah), to do righteousness and judgment, that Jehovah may bring on Abraham that which He hath spoken concerning him.’
You have to know a bit of English grammar to understand what is being said. “…That Jehovah may bring on Abraham” implies a relationship to the words that went before, the word “that” implies a relationship to words that went before. What words went before? “For I have known him, that he commandeth his children, and his house after him (and they have kept the way of Jehovah [the Lord in other translations]), to do righteousness and judgment,……
So God could count on Abraham to do something and then, because of Abraham’s, and his children’s obedience, God brought “on Abraham that which He hath spoken concerning him.”
In my opinion, there is too much saying “the Lord will do it”, without understanding the part about our responsibilities. Yes, the Lord will do it, but we are the body of Christ and we have our own part to play.
Psalm 115:16 The heavens are Yahweh’s heavens,
but he has given the earth to the children of men.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God was intimately involved with what happened on the earth. He made Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soul.
But after that, God gave dominion of the earth to Adam.
God is still involved in the earth, but in a different way. Now God responds to prayer, the authority of the name of Jesus, to prayer in the Spirit and the different ways laid out in the Word of God to engage God to act on behalf of man.
God does not respond to need. God responds to obedience to his Word. God has laid out the laws of the kingdom in the Word of God. God is King of his kingdom. If we want what God offers off, we need to realize that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and follow the commandments in the Word to get results.
God is not a vending machine. God is not a coin slot machine. God is not a glorified Santa Claus. God is not an idol.
If we are not getting results the only cause of the problem can be us. It is either sins of commission (doing something we should not do), sins of omission (failing to do something(s) we should do) or a combination thereof. Because the prince of this world can only come if he has something in us.
Your life will change when you realize how much responsibility you have to change it, when you start having a regular daily devotion with the Lord, when you start following the leading of the Lord. And, I always like to add this because I believe it is one, if not, the biggest key in the Bible. Tithe and give offerings on a regular basis. All other scriptures of the Bible indicate how we will be tested and tried to see if we have yet “made the grade” or “attained” or “graduated” in a certain area and overcome. The scripture about tithing is the only place where God says, “prove me”. All I can say is that it works for me, but I would hasten to add, that you need to tithe first “in time and amount”, it is the first thing you do when money comes into your hands, and it needs to be a full 10% and it needs to be as regular and consistent as money comes into your hands. That may be daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or even in some cases, yearly. All I can say is “do it”.
I can hear those saying that they help out a brother or sister or son or daughter or friend.
I can only talk from where I’m at. I’ve been around a while, seen a lot of things, and consider this a good adage…”learn from other people’s mistakes because you don’t have time to make them all yourself”.
There are people who don’t want to do the hard, disciplined, work to be successful or learn to follow Biblical principles. We are talking two things here: sound Biblical principles and sound natural practices.
These people will fall into problems because they are simply not following the Word of God. Then they will go for help. But the only permanent help is in Jesus Christ. And that is not merely believing in Jesus Christ. James tells us that the devils believe in Jesus Christ and tremble.
If you help someone when they have no intention to change, you are enabling them to remain in their sin. This is why God barred the way to the tree of life after Adam fell. God did not want Adam to live forever in a fallen state. God had redemption in mind.
To obtain true and permanent help we finally need to learn to walk with God, to obey the Holy Spirit.
Chrisitianity is not merely going to a certain church for a service once a week (though going to church is important). It is learning to walk with God as Adam did before the Fall. Adam lost that ability to commune with God. Jesus made a way for us to reinstate that connection through the new birth. And then we have to grow in it.
That help comes not merely from praying, but also praying and obeying. Jesus went around and healed people. He also taught them. If teaching were not necessary Jesus would not have bothered. But in another place Jesus tells us that he always did the will of the Father, so teaching people is part of the Father’s plan for this earth. We cannot understand how to walk in God’s kingdom without teaching. There is a verse in Isaiah that says “my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”.
God’s ways are different than ours. We can’t understand how giving away 10% to a church preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ can help with finances, but it does. And that applies to many principles in the scripture.
So back to where this post started, on the principle of “now”. Actually, all of this is part of the “now” because instant obedience to the word of God is always “now”.
The Bible tells us to read the Old Testament as these things are given to us for examples. There as a time when God told Israel, through the leadership of Moses, to do something, and they refused. Then Moses told them they sinned. Then they decided to do what they had been told to do in the first place.
And Moses told them it would not prosper because…Go not up, for the Lord is not among you….
Back to the topic of “now”. When we do things “now” at the leading of the Lord, it is the optimal time to do it and the presence and power and provision of the Lord is there to get it done. If we wait until “later” that presence and power and provision is not there and we are on our own to struggle through.
If you can learn the lesson of “now” it is a huge lesson. It doesn’t mean that the total problem may be solved, but the step you take is one God can bless and then He can give you another and then bless your obedience to that and then step-by-step God can walk you through the problem.
Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.
Numbers 14:1 (KJV) And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!
3 And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.
8 If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
9 Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.
10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
11 And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?
12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.
13 And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;)
14 And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.
15 Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,
16 Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.
17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,
18 The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
20 And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word:
21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.
22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;
23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
25 (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) Tomorrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
26 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.
28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:
29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward which have murmured against me.
30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.
32 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.
33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
35 I the Lord have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
36 And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,
37 Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the Lord.
38 But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.
39 And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.
40 And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the Lord hath promised: for we have sinned.
41 And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the Lord? but it shall not prosper.
42 Go not up, for the Lord is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.
43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the Lord, therefore the Lord will not be with you.
44 But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.
45 Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.
There is no better time than now.
Shakespeare, put this in one of his plays.
There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Help Mom Year Round
_-_James_Tissot.jpg)
James Tissot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
While Moms will probably be treated better today than usual, it is good to be helpful and treat them better all year long.
Every man that is ignorant of what his wife is concerned about is imitating Elkanah, who was the husband of Hannah. He seemed to be oblivious of the fact that his other wife was bullying Hannah concerning Hannah’s inability to conceive a child. He seemed to be oblivious of the fact that a child was important to Hannah.
There are lessons to be learned.
Problems in a household arise because people are oblivious of the things that need to be done.
Now moms/mothers are aware of all the many details that need to be done because they can’t get away from those details. There’s laundry to do, dishes to wash, homework help for the kids, lunches to prepare, diapers to change, noses to wipe, floors to mop, windows to clean, bills to pay, kids to transport, events at the school and a myriad of other details.
Often, not saying always because there are some good shining examples where this does not happen, but often the kids and dad just walk past all those details or simply leave them to the mom, or add to them.
How many bags of trash have moms taken out that a child or dad could have taken out instead?
How much laundry have moms picked up off of bedroom or bathroom floors simply because no one bothered to put it in a laundry hamper or washing machine?
How many floors have moms swept that someone else could have swept?
How many pets have moms fed and watered and taken care of because no one else did?
How many little details were thoughtlessly left to the mom to do when someone else could have, and should have, done them instead.
Moms are detailed oriented. They have to be. Laundry has to be done on a regular basis or no one has clothes to wear.
Food has to be purchased regularly and prepared or no one will eat.
Dishes have to be washed on a regular basis or no one will have utensils to eat with.
Where are the dads and kids helping with the work? Moms do not need to be carrying the weight of the household by themselves.
Let’s put it in scriptural terms.
Moms are not called to carry the crosses that others are either unwilling or too lazy to carry.
If you don’t help, there is a loss, because any time someone picks up work someone else should be doing, something unique that could have happened does not happen because things are not in divine order and gifts are being misused.
We Gather Together Lyrics
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
The Body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit
Read the article at Natural News by clicking the link below.
Airman fighting possible DISMISSAL for refusing to get the COVID clot shot
Quote: Air Force Master Sergeant Robert Bierman first applied for an exemption to the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate on religious grounds in October 2021. He argued that taking the shot would violate his “sincerely held beliefs [regarding] the sanctity of human life and self-harm to the bodily temple of God.”
Bible Verse
I Corinthians 3:16 Don’t you know that you are a temple of God, and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, which you are.
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Kicking the Can Down the Road
_(14596347188).jpg)
Gertrude C. Marks ?Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons
I’ve always had a bit of a problem with this verse. Does anyone else see what I see in it?
Isaiah 39:8 (KJV) Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.
Well, maybe you don’t see the problem until I put it in context.
Let’s put it in context. Isaiah had just received some visitors from Babylon. He showed them all the temple treasures. The visitors were probably thinking, thank you very much, we’ll be back to get those.
Here’s the story. (WEB)
Isaiah 39:1 At that time, Merodach Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah; for he heard that he had been sick, and had recovered. 2 Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his precious things, the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah didn’t show them. 3 Then Isaiah the prophet came to king Hezekiah, and asked him, “What did these men say? From where did they come to you?”
Hezekiah said, “They have come from a country far from me, even from Babylon.”
4 Then he asked, “What have they seen in your house?”
Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of Yahweh of Armies: 6 ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up until today, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says Yahweh. 7 ‘They will take away your sons who will issue from you, whom you shall father, and they will be eunuchs in the king of Babylon’s palace.’”
8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “Yahweh’s word which you have spoken is good.” He said moreover, “For there will be peace and truth in my days.”
In that context, let’s reflect on this verse.
Isaiah 39:8 (KJV) Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.
Isaiah, the prophet, just told Hezekiah that the Lord said that as a result of Hezekiah showing all the treasures to the visitors from Babylon, that one day the Babylonians would take those treasures from Jerusalem, to Babylon, which did happen. Also, Hezekiah’s sons would be enslaved and made eunuchs.
The book of Daniel was written by Daniel, who was taken into captivity at the time that Babylon conquered Jerusalem. At that time, the people of the tribe of Judah, which also included those of the tribe of Benjamin, were taken to Babylon. Only a remnant of the people were left in land and not removed to Babylon.
Daniel 1:1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God; and he carried them into the land of Shinar to the house of his god. He brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
3 The king spoke to Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring in some of the children of Israel, even of the royal offspring and of the nobles; 4 youths in whom was no defect, but well-favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and endowed with knowledge, and understanding science, and who had the ability to stand in the king’s palace; and that he should teach them the learning and the language of the Chaldeans. 5 The king appointed for them a daily portion of the king’s dainties, and of the wine which he drank, and that they should be nourished three years; that at its end they should stand before the king.
Having established the history and story line, here is the verse again.
Isaiah 39:8 (KJV) Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.
If I were to put it into today’s street vernacular, it might go like this.
You know what? Hey, that’s great, bro. It ain’t happening in my day, It ain’t happening to me. So I’m okay. So I ain’t gonna worry about it. I’m gonna have peace. Peace out.
In other words, Hezekiah really didn’t care about what was going to happen to Jerusalem or to his posterity…to his sons, to his grandsons and beyond. There was going to be peace and truth in his day. That was enough for Hezekiah.
Sorta selfish and self-centered, don’t you think?
In political terms, it is called “kicking the can down the road”. People know they are creating problems that they are leaving to their children and grandchildren, but they don’t care. They just hope they die soon enough that they don’t have to experience the consequences of what they created either through active engagement or through slothfulness and laziness and complacency.
Where this attitude exists, there needs to be a course correction.
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
I Timothy 5:8 A man must care for his own people. At least he must care for his family. If he does not care for them, he shows that he does not believe in God. He is worse than one who has never believed.
Postnote
I have to add this as there is a definite attempt on the part of certain schools of thought to try to say that the book of Daniel was written after the fact. However, Jesus referred to the book of Daniel, so it is trustworthy.
Mark 13:14 (KJV) But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
Mark 13:14 But when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains,
Mark 13:14 ‘And when ye may see the abomination of the desolation, that was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (whoever is reading let him understand), then those in Judea, let them flee to the mountains;
There are those who might say, what is this about, why does it matter? The reason it matters is because the book of Daniel has been very accurate historically, so there are people who want to say it was written “after the fact” rather than that a prophet of God heard the Lord. Atheists want to diss (dismiss) prophecies. If they accept them, the mathematical odds against atheism and the views of atheism are overwhelming. So they have to pretend that facts don’t exist in order to push atheistic lies and agendas on society. (This is why apologetics matter. Apologetics deal in facts.) Certain groups, including the CIA and warmongers, would like to tilt the prophecies a certain direction in order to take society a certain direction, and they try to convince certain segments of Christiandom to back them. When you understand the game, you understand how not to play it. Some day you’ll get it.
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Righteousness and the Fruitful Field
Isaiah 32:16 (KJV) Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.
Judgment dwells in the wilderness,
Righteousness in the fruitful field.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.
Seeking righteousness,
brings blessings.
I Corinthians 10:1 10 Now I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5 However with most of them, God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Don’t be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Let’s not commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell. 9 Let’s not test Christ, as some of them tested, and perished by the serpents. 10 Don’t grumble, as some of them also grumbled, and perished by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn’t fall.
13 No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men. Judge what I say. 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, isn’t it a sharing of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, isn’t it a sharing of the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf of bread, we, who are many, are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf of bread. 18 Consider Israel according to the flesh. Don’t those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?
19 What am I saying then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God, and I don’t desire that you would have fellowship with demons. 21 You can’t both drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You can’t both partake of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
23 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are profitable. “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own, but each one his neighbor’s good. 25 Whatever is sold in the butcher shop, eat, asking no question for the sake of conscience, 26 for “the earth is the Lord’s, and its fullness.” 27 But if one of those who don’t believe invites you to a meal, and you are inclined to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no questions for the sake of conscience. 28 But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” don’t eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for the sake of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, with all its fullness.” 29 Conscience, I say, not your own, but the other’s conscience. For why is my liberty judged by another conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced for something I give thanks for? 31 Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no occasion for stumbling, whether to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the assembly of God; 33 even as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved.
(DARBY Translation)
Numbers 14:1 And the whole assembly lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole assembly said to them, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! or in this wilderness would that we had died!
3 And why is Jehovah bringing us to this land that we may fall by the sword, that our wives and our little ones may become a prey? Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?
4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return to Egypt.
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell upon their faces before the whole congregation of the assembly of the children of Israel.
6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of them that searched out the land, rent their garments.
7 And they spoke to the whole assembly of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it out, is a very, very good land.
8 If Jehovah delight in us, he will bring us into this land, and give it us, a land that flows with milk and honey;
9 only rebel not against Jehovah; and fear not the people of the land; for they shall be our food. Their defence is departed from them, and Jehovah is with us: fear them not.
10 And the whole assembly said that they should be stoned with stones. And the glory of Jehovah appeared in the tent of meeting to all the children of Israel.
11 And Jehovah said to Moses, How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe me, for all the signs which I have done among them?
12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and destroy them, and will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than they.
13 And Moses said to Jehovah, Then the Egyptians will hear it; for in thy might thou broughtest up this people from the midst of them;
14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land, [who] have heard that thou, Jehovah, art in the midst of this people, that thou, Jehovah, lettest thyself be seen eye to eye, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night;
15 if thou now slayest this people as one man, then the nations that have heard thy fame will speak, saying,
16 Because Jehovah was not able to bring this people into the land that he had sworn unto them, he has therefore slain them in the wilderness.
17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of the Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,
18 Jehovah is slow to anger, and abundant in goodness, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but by no means clearing [the guilty], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and fourth [generation].
19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of thy loving-kindness, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
20 And Jehovah said, I have pardoned according to thy word.
21 But as surely as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah!
22 for all those men who have seen my glory, and my signs, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice,
23 shall in no wise see the land which I did swear unto their fathers: none of them that despised me shall see it.
24 But my servant Caleb, because he hath another spirit in him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he came; and his seed shall possess it.
25 (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley.) To-morrow turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness, on the way to the Red sea.
26 And Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
27 How long [shall I bear] with this evil assembly, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.
28 Say unto them, As surely as I live, saith Jehovah, if I do not do unto you as ye have spoken in mine ears!
29 In this wilderness shall your carcases fall; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number from twenty years old and upwards, who have murmured against me,
30 shall in no wise come into the land, concerning which I have lifted up my hand to make you dwell in it; save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
31 But your little ones, of whom ye said they should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land that ye have despised.
32 And as to you, your carcases shall fall in this wilderness.
33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
34 After the number of the days in which ye have searched out the land, forty days, each day for a year shall ye bear your iniquities forty years, and ye shall know mine estrangement [from you].
35 I Jehovah have spoken; I will surely do it unto all this evil assembly which have gathered together against me! in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
36 And the men whom Moses had sent to search out the land, who returned, and made the whole assembly to murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report upon the land,
37 even those men who had brought up an evil report upon the land, died by a plague before Jehovah.
38 But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, lived still of the men that had gone to search out the land.
39 And Moses told all these sayings to all the children of Israel; then the people mourned greatly.
40 And they rose up early in the morning, and went up to the hill-top, saying, Here are we, and we will go up to the place of which Jehovah has spoken; for we have sinned.
41 And Moses said, Why now do ye transgress the commandment of Jehovah? but it shall not prosper!
42 Go not up, for Jehovah is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies;
43 for the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword; for as ye have turned away from Jehovah, Jehovah will not be with you.
44 Yet they presumed to go up to the hill-top; but the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and Moses, did not depart from the midst of the camp.
45 And the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt on that hill, came down and smote them, and cut them to pieces, as far as Hormah.
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Repost: ANCIENT CHINESE RECORD ON THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS!
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Revelation 19:11
Revelation 19:11 I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war.
He both judges and makes war.
In the Old Testament, there was a pattern of God using the enemies of God as part of the chastening for Israel’s backsliding from God. When that was complete, after the enemies of God had served His purposes for the chastisement of his people, then the enemies themselves were judged by God.
Proverbs 3:11 My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:
Hebrews 12:5 You have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children,
“My son, don’t take lightly the chastening of the Lord,
nor faint when you are reproved by him;
6 for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”7 It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with children, for what son is there whom his father doesn’t discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have been made partakers, then you are illegitimate, and not children. 9 Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they indeed, for a few days, punished us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. 11 All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Under Duress – Am I My Brother’s Keeper?
Rprin, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Genesis 4:8 – 12 (KJV)
Genesis 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
Pilots Fear for Passenger Safety
Read the article at Natural News by clicking the link below.
Pilots fear for safety of passengers as airlines continue to impose COVID-19 vaccine mandate – Brighteon.TV
Recommended viewing: video at the bottom of the article
https://usfreedomflyers.org
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
What Shall We Eat?
Read the article at Natural News by clicking the link below.
Creating food forests out of front lawns can prepare communities for FOOD COLLAPSE – Brighteon.TV
Additional links:
YouTube Urban Farmstead channel https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=urban+farmstead
Alcove Farms (mentioned in article above)
Dr. Mercola’s free regenerative agriculture ebook
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Folic Acid Pregnancy Tips
Folic acid is extremely important in the development of a fetus.
The Pill Problem: Oral Contraceptives Deplete More Nutrients Than Any Other Class of Drugs
Birth control pills destroy it.
Therefore, there need to be a physcian’s recommendation on how to get the folic acid levels up to par, perhaps with a good pre-natal. Talk to your doctor, but find one who is educated in nutrition, not just in medications.
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
Who is John Bunyan?
The name “John Bunyan” is not in the Bible.
John Bunyan was an author who wrote “Pilgrim’s Progress”.
Pilgrim’s Progress is a story that mirrors things that happen in a Christian’s life.
There are several versions of it. There is a longer version for adults. There is a shorter version for children.
Interestingly, like Paul the Apostle who wrote parts of the New Testament while in prison, John Bunyan began Pilgrim’s Progress while in prison.
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
With All Your Getting, Get Wisdom
Here is a video about being prepared. The Bible teaches to add to our faith virtue. We are to seek wisdom and knowledge.
II Peter 1:5 Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge; 6 and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control perseverance; and in perseverance godliness; 7 and in godliness brotherly affection; and in brotherly affection, love.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge;
but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
Matthew 24:43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
Luke 21:36 Therefore be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
I Corinthians 16:13 Watch! Stand firm in the faith! Be courageous! Be strong!
This is a video on the four stages of preparation using a color code system. Watch here.
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
War Story About St. Michael
Dear Mom,
I wouldn’t dare write this letter to anyone but you because no one else would believe it. Maybe even you will find it hard but I have got to tell somebody.
First off, I am in a hospital. Now don’t worry, ya hear me, don’t worry. I was wounded but I am okay you understand. Okay. The doctor says that I will be up and around in a month.
But that is not what I want to tell you.
Remember when I joined the Marines last year; remember when I left, how you told me to say a prayer to St. Michael every day. You really didn’t have to tell me that. Ever since I can remember you always told me to pray to St. Michael the Archangel. You even named me after him. Well I always have.
When I got to Korea, I prayed even harder. Remember the prayer that you taught me?
“Michael, Michael of the morning fresh chord of Heaven adorning,” you know the rest of it. Well I said it everyday. Sometimes when I was marching or sometimes resting. But always before I went to sleep. I even got some of the other fellas to say it.
Well, one day I was with an advance detail way up over the front lines. We were scouting for the Commies. I was plodding along in the bitter cold, my breath was like cigar smoke.
I thought I knew every guy in the patrol, when along side of me comes another Marine I never met before. He was bigger than any other Marine I’d ever seen. He must have been 6′ 4″ and built in proportion. It gave me a feeling of security to have such a body near.
Anyway, there we were trudging along. The rest of the patrol spread out. Just to start a conversation I said, “Cold ain’t it.” And then I laughed. Here I was with a good chance of getting killed any minute and I am talking about the weather.
My companion seemed to understand. I heard him laugh softly.
I looked at him, “I have never seen you before, I thought I knew every man in the outfit.”
“I just joined at the last minute”, he replied. “The name is Michael.”
“Is that so,” I said surprised. “That is my name too.”
“I know,” he said and then went on, “Michael, Michael of the morning . . .”
I was too amazed to say anything for a minute. How did he know my name, and a prayer that you had taught me? Then I smiled to myself, every guy in the outfit knew about me. Hadn’t I taught the prayer to anybody who would listen. Why now and then, they even referred to me as St. Michael.
Neither of us spoke for a time and then he broke the silence. “We are going to have some trouble up ahead.”
He must have been in fine physical shape or he was breathing so lightly I couldn’t see his breath. Mine poured out in great clouds. There was no smile on his face now. Trouble ahead, I thought to myself, well with the Commies all around us, that is no great revelation.
Snow began to fall in great thick globs. In a brief moment the whole countryside was blotted out. And I was marching in a white fog of wet sticky particles. My companion disappeared.
“Michael, ” I shouted in sudden alarm.
I felt his hand on my arm, his voice was rich and strong, “This will stop shortly.”
His prophecy proved to be correct. In a few minutes the snow stopped as abruptly as it had begun. The sun was a hard shining disc.
I looked back for the rest of the patrol, there was no one in sight. We lost them in that heavy fall of snow. I looked ahead as we came over a little rise.
Mom, my heart stopped. There were seven of them. Seven Commies in their padded pants and jackets and their funny hats. Only there wasn’t anything funny about them now. Seven rifles were aimed at us.
“Down Michael, ” I screamed and hit the frozen earth.
I heard those rifles fire almost as one. I heard the bullets. There was Michael still standing.
Mom, those guys couldn’t have missed, not at that range. I expected to see him literally blown to bits.
But there he stood, making no effort to fire himself. He was paralyzed with fear. It happens sometimes, Mom, even to the bravest. He was like a bird fascinated by a snake.
At least, that was what I thought then. I jumped up to pull him down and that was when I got mine. I felt a sudden flame in my chest. I often wondered what it felt like to be hit, now I know.
I remember feeling strong arms about me, arms that laid me ever so gently on a pillow of snow. I opened my eyes, for one last look. I was dying. Maybe I was even dead, I remember thinking well, this is not so bad.
Maybe I was looking into the sun. Maybe I was in shock. But it seemed I saw Michael standing erect again only this time his face was shining with a terrible splendor.
As I say, maybe it was the sun in my eyes, but he seemed to change as I watched him. He grew bigger, his arms stretched out wide, maybe it was the snow falling again, but there was a brightness around him like the wings of an Angel. In his hand was a sword. A sword that flashed with a million lights.
Well, that is the last thing I remember until the rest of the fellas came up and found me. I do not know how much time had passed. Now and then I had but a moment’s rest from the pain and fever. I remember telling them of the enemy just ahead.
“Where is Michael,” I asked.
I saw them look at one another. “Where’s who?” asked one. “Michael, Michael that big Marine I was walking with just before the snow squall hit us.”
“Kid,” said the sergeant, “You weren’t walking with anyone. I had my eyes on you the whole time. You were getting too far out. I was just going to call you in when you disappeared in the snow.”
He looked at me, curiously. “How did you do it kid?”
“How’d I do what?” I asked half angry despite my wound. “This marine named Michael and I were just . . .”
“Son, ” said the sergeant kindly, “I picked this outfit myself and there just ain’t another Michael in it. You are the only Mike in it.”
He paused for a minute, “Just how did you do it kid? We heard shots. There hasn’t been a shot fired from your rifle. And there isn’t a bit of lead in them seven bodies over the hill there.”
I didn’t say anything, what could I say. I could only look open-mouthed with amazement. It was then the sergeant spoke again, “Kid,” he said gently, “everyone of those seven Commies was killed by a sword stroke.”
That is all I can tell you Mom. As I say, it may have been the sun in my eyes, it may have been the cold or the pain. But that is what happened.
Love, Michael
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
On The Power of Tithing
This clip is taken from a longer video. This segment talks about the power of tithing.
Malachi 3:6 “For I, Yahweh, don’t change; therefore you, sons of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned away from my ordinances, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of Armies. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with the curse; for you rob me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this,” says Yahweh of Armies, “if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there will not be room enough for. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before its time in the field,” says Yahweh of Armies. 12 “All nations shall call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says Yahweh of Armies.
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
George Washington’s Vision
The account was taken from the reprint in the U.S. war veterans’ paper The National Tribune, in December 1880. The National Tribune is now called The Stars and Stripes.
This article was reprinted in the Stars and Stripes December 21, 1950.
Wesley Bradshaw wrote: The last time I ever saw Anthony Sherman was on the fourth of July 1859, in Independence Square.
He was then ninety-nine years old and becoming very feeble. But though so old, his dimming eyes rekindled as he gazed upon Independence Hall, which he came to visit once more.
“Let us go into the hall,” he said. “I want to tell you of an incident of Washington’s life – one which no one alive knows of except myself; and if you live, you will before long see it verified. Mark the prediction, you will see it verified.”
You doubtless heard the story of Washington’s going to the thicket to pray in secret for aid and comfort from God, the interposition of whose Divine Providence brought us safely through the darkest days of tribulation. One day, I remember it well, when the chilly winds whistled through the leafless trees, though the sky was cloudless and the sun shown brightly, he remained in his quarters nearly all the afternoon alone. When he came out, I noticed that his face was a shade paler than usual. There seemed to be something on his mind of more than ordinary importance. Returning just after dusk, he dispatched an orderly to the quarters who was presently in attendance. After a preliminary conversation of about an hour, Washington, gazing upon his companion with that strange look of dignity which he alone commanded, related the event that occurred that day.
George Washington’s Vision
This afternoon, as I was sitting at this table engaged in preparing a dispatch, something seemed to disturb me. Looking up, I beheld standing opposite me a singularly beautiful female. So astonished was I, for I had given strict orders not to be disturbed, that it was some moments before I found language to inquire the cause of her presence. A second, a third and even a fourth time did I repeat my question, but received no answer from my mysterious visitor except a slight raising of her eyes.
By this time I felt strange sensations spreading through me. I would have risen but the riveted gaze of the being before me rendered volition impossible. I assayed once more to address her, but my tongue had become useless, as though it had become paralyzed.
A new influence, mysterious, potent, irresistible, took possession of me. All I could do was to gaze steadily, vacantly at my unknown visitor. Gradually the surrounding atmosphere seemed as if it had become filled with sensations, and luminous. Everything about me seemed to rarefy, the mysterious visitor herself becoming more airy and yet more distinct to my sight than before. I now began to feel as one dying, or rather to experience the sensations which I have sometimes imagined accompany dissolution. I did not think, I did not reason, I did not move; all were alike impossible. I was only conscious of gazing fixedly, vacantly at my companion.
Presently I heard a voice saying, “Son of the Republic, look and learn,” while at the same time my visitor extended her arm eastwardly, I now beheld a heavy white vapor at some distance rising fold upon fold. This gradually dissipated, and I looked upon a stranger scene. Before me lay spread out in one vast plain all the countries of the world — Europe, Asia, Africa and America. I saw rolling and tossing between Europe and America the billows of the Atlantic, and between Asia and America lay the Pacific.
“Son of the Republic,” said the same mysterious voice as before, “look and learn.” At that moment I beheld a dark, shadowy being, like an angel, standing or rather floating in mid-air, between Europe and America. Dipping water out of the ocean in the hollow of each hand, he sprinkled some upon America with his right hand, while with his left hand he cast some on Europe. Immediately a cloud raised from these countries, and joined in mid-ocean. For a while it remained stationary, and then moved slowly westward, until it enveloped America in its murky folds. Sharp flashes of lightning gleamed through it at intervals, and I heard the smothered groans and cries of the American people.
A second time the angel dipped water from the ocean, and sprinkled it out as before. The dark cloud was then drawn back to the ocean, in whose heaving billows in sank from view. A third time I heard the mysterious voice saying, “Son of the Republic, look and learn,” I cast my eyes upon America and beheld villages and towns and cities springing up one after another until the whole land from the Atlantic to the Pacific was dotted with them.
Again, I heard the mysterious voice say, “Son of the Republic, the end of the century cometh, look and learn.” At this the dark shadowy angel turned his face southward, and from Africa I saw an ill omened specter approach our land. It flitted slowly over every town and city of the latter. The inhabitants presently set themselves in battle array against each other. As I continued looking I saw a bright angel, on whose brow rested a crown of light, on which was traced the word “Union,” bearing the American flag which he placed between the divided nation, and said, “Remember ye are brethren.” Instantly, the inhabitants, casting from them their weapons became friends once more, and united around the National Standard.
“And again I heard the mysterious voice saying “Son of the Republic, look and learn.” At this the dark, shadowy angel placed a trumpet to his mouth, and blew three distinct blasts; and taking water from the ocean, he sprinkled it upon Europe, Asia and Africa. Then my eyes beheld a fearful scene: From each of these countries arose thick, black clouds that were soon joined into one. Throughout this mass there gleamed a dark red light by which I saw hordes of armed men, who, moving with the cloud, marched by land and sailed by sea to America. Our country was enveloped in this volume of cloud, and I saw these vast armies devastate the whole county and burn the villages, towns and cities that I beheld springing up. As my ears listened to the thundering of the cannon, clashing of sword, and the shouts and cries of millions in mortal combat, I heard again the mysterious voice saying, “Son of the Republic, look and learn” When the voice had ceased, the dark shadowy angel placed his trumpet once more to his mouth, and blew a long and fearful blast. “Instantly a light as of a thousand suns shone down from above me, and pierced and broke into fragments the dark cloud which enveloped America. At the same moment the angel upon whose head still shone the word Union, and who bore our national flag in one hand and a sword in the other, descended from the heavens attended by legions of white spirits. These immediately joined the inhabitants of America, who I perceived were will nigh overcome, but who immediately taking courage again, closed up their broken ranks and renewed the battle.
Again, amid the fearful noise of the conflict, I heard the mysterious voice saying, “Son of the Republic, look and learn.” As the voice ceased, the shadowy angel for the last time dipped water from the ocean and sprinkled it upon America. Instantly the dark cloud rolled back, together with the armies it had brought, leaving the inhabitants of the land victorious!
Then once more I beheld the villages, towns and cities springing up where I had seen them before, while the bright angel, planting the azure standard he had brought in the midst of them, cried with a loud voice: “While the stars remain, and the heavens send down dew upon the earth, so long shall the Union last.” And taking from his brow the crown on which blazoned the word “Union,” he placed it upon the Standard while the people, kneeling down, said, “Amen.”
The scene instantly began to fade and dissolve, and I at last saw nothing but the rising, curling vapor I at first beheld. This also disappearing, I found myself once more gazing upon the mysterious visitor, who, in the same voice I had heard before, said, “Son of the Republic, what you have seen is thus interpreted: Three great perils will come upon the Republic. The most fearful is the third, but in this greatest conflict the whole world united shall not prevail against her. Let every child of the Republic learn to live for his God, his land and the Union.” With these words the vision vanished, and I started from my seat and felt that I had seen a vision wherein had been shown to me the birth, progress, and destiny of the United States.
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.