"Unholy Alliance"

On September 23, 2014, I had a dream in which I was in a church that the Sabbath group I attend, had rented. Preparations were being made for Passover. As I was walking through one of the hallways, I saw the man who leads the group attending to one of the tables that was in the room that our group would be using. I smiled and waved as I walked past it on my way out of the building. I knew that I was not only leaving the church but that I was also going to be leaving the country. I was a widow and would be traveling with a couple that I had traveled with before and knew that the timing of this trip was very important because as a result of it, I would have to observe second Passover that year. 

The dream then shifted to my arrival at the foreign country. I was coming down a hill and into a city where the buildings were varying shades of white. The climate was arid and the ground was covered with sand. I then walked under a portico covered entrance and into a building that was within the city. I had entered a motel. I came directly to my room where I walked into the bathroom and turned on the water in order to take a shower. The scene changed, the shower was completed, and I was bending over to clean the tub and remove my hair from the drain. I double checked it to be sure that it was clean and free of any remaining strands. 

In the next scene I walked out of my room into a large gathering area. Turning to the left, I saw many people who were milling about. It was as though I had walked out of my room and directly into a crowd. After taking a few steps I turned the corner to the left to find that the crowd had remained behind me. Indeed, only a few people were in this area. A reception desk was to my left and sitting in a wheel chair in the center of the room was a woman I know, named Ruth. I haven't seen her in a couple of years and as I approached her I saw that she appeared a bit younger from the last time I had seen her. I squatted down when I came to her and asked how she was doing. She told me that she was fine and that she had gotten married. In real life, Ruth is divorced. Unable to discern her emotion, I asked her how she liked being married and again she said it was fine but I was not convinced. Her eyes were troubled and held warning, like she was trying to convey something to me but couldn't articulate what it was. In real life, I never knew Ruth to be dishonest. Not knowing what to do but knowing that I was too uncomfortable to continue talking with her, I ended our conversation, walked away from her presence and out of the building.

It was here that I was approached by a man who was around my age and height and dressed like the majority of the people who were in the motel. He had dark skin and hair and wore an off white tunic from his neck to his feet. The small turban on his head matched his tunic. He introduced himself as Ruth's husband. We began conversing and walking around the perimeter of the building, always turning to the left. I asked him simple questions to make small talk, the way one would do upon meeting someone for the first time. The only question I remember asking him was what he loved about living in his country because it was evident that he did. His arms gestured widely as he talked. His head was up as he gazed around the city's landscape and beyond to the hills.

His answer to my question took me aback. He said, "Everything is better here! Even the sun rises in the west and sets in the east!" He went on to tell me that even it shined with more favor on them than on anyone else in the world. 

As we walked counterclockwise around the building, he continued talking although I don't know what he said. It was as though I had tuned him out and my mind was elsewhere but I don't recall thinking about anything in particular, except for the fact that he would brush the side of my right hand with his left one like he wanted to hold it. It was most disconcerting but I figured that maybe it was a custom in this part of the world or that he was lonely and missed Ruth being able to go for walks with him and was looking for a connection to her through our friendship. So, with my logic and compassion, I reluctantly gave him a finger or two to hold. His grip was very light. 

As we walked around the third corner of the building, thereby making it three fourths of the way around it, we came upon a man dressed like most of the other people I had seen in the dream, including the man beside me, only this man, a priest, was wearing all black instead of white. He sat behind a stone pillar that was about waist high. The pillar was the color of light sandstone and had a raised rim around the circumference. On top of the pillar was a folded piece of cloth that was off white and appeared to be linen. The man seated behind the pillar began to recite a prayer over us in a language that flowed and sounded melodic. Instinctively I knew that he was trying to join our lives together and I woke myself up, hearing in my spirit, "Unholy alliance". I asked the Father where I was, and He said, "Mecca."

As I have prayed about the meaning of the dream, these are the things that have come to mind.

     It was the spring of the year as evidenced by the timing of Passover. Instead of being in the US, I went to Mecca. A place where I shouldn't have been and did not belong. I left the Father's will to come to a land that does not worship Him. Upon my arrival I cleansed myself and I also cleaned the tub, revealing that I naively intended to keep myself clean. Not just myself and my actions but also my surroundings.
     Coming out of my room, I was surrounded by people. They were pressing in on me and the feeling was claustrophobic. I turned a corner and the focus was on Ruth who sat in the center. She was my friend and indeed that is what her name means, but her actions caused me not to believe her. My impression was that she felt forced into the marriage and that was a sham. It was evident to me that she did not love her husband and he was not a kind man. He appeared to be charismatic and peaceful, but the look in her eyes and what she left unsaid revealed something else entirely.
     The thing that Ruth's husband did have an undeniable attachment to was his homeland. It went beyond what most American's would know as patriotism, it was everything to him! His religion, his politics, his devotion and loyalty and pride; his very being was embedded in the earth. I knew that there was nothing he wouldn't sacrifice for it.
     Allowing him to lightly hold a finger or two revealed that I was in the wrong. It mattered little that I was a widow because he was a married man. I had intended to keep myself pure. I had no business allowing him to hold, even lightly, any part of me! My understanding of the situation was gravely mistaken!

     The dream was given to me to show that a time is soon coming when the world will have one religion. We see the makings of it taking place. The ecumenical movement is getting stronger and has the support of many high profile religious leaders around the world. The fact that major religions of the world were represented in the dream: Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, tells me that when they are in support of it, everyone will be pressured to submit.

A precious sister while in prayer about the coming days, heard this in her spirit:

     Ecumenism will be the battle cry
     Unity will be the marching orders
     Signs and wonders will be the weapons of their warfare

     Ruth was a "friend" who was afraid of her surroundings and circumstances and yet she was disloyal to me. Her eyes were full of warning, but she didn't disclose what she knew. This tells me that intimidation, manipulation, and control will be a means used to get people to cooperate and make them fearful of speaking out.
     The crowd I entered into, where nearly every person was dressed exactly the same, were of one accord, one mind. The scene was oppressive and pressed in on me. This told me that there will be great pressure to join the new world order with it's one world religion. This pressure will be exerted not just by world's political and religious leaders, but by people belonging to those groups. As more people enter into the crowd, especially those close to us, it is imperative that those who are not taken in by this lie will need to stand in the face of the tribulation, which by Greek definition means pressure.
     How will they do that? By following the example of the Messiah. He addressed the enemy by using the Sword of HIS Set-apart Spirit, which is the Word of Elohim. Adherence to His Word, His Commandments and His Teachings by the power of His Spirit is how to stand in the face of pressure.
     Why did I emphasize HIS Spirit? Because there are seducing spirits at work that will cause such strong, spiritual manifestations to come forth from these leaders and their followers, that if it were possible they will deceive even the elect. Their plans will sound sensible and spiritual; even right. Enough of the Bible and what are considered by many to be their holy books will be quoted to make it sound palatable to the world's religions. Where that doesn't work, their methods will turn savage, because make no doubt about it, this is spiritual to them and they mean to win. YHVH interrupted the plans of ancient Babylon, and the demons that have always driven this know full well that He will interrupt it again, but they will drag as many people as they can with them into hell where there awaits eternal death.


"And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the Passover.
And they kept the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.
And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, what they could not keep the Passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: 
and those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we many not offer an offering of the Lord in his appointed season among the children of Israel?
And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the Passover unto the LORD. 
The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 
They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of Passover they shall keep it. 
But if the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep Passover, even the same soul shall be cut off among his people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin.
And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the Passover unto the LORD; according to the ordinance of the Passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land." 
Numbers 9:4-14

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
2 Corinthians 6:14-18

"Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now there are many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? HE is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
Whosoever denieth the Son, that same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him."
1 John 2:18-29

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in fear of God."
2 Corinthians 7:1

I had to search for the meaning of the sun rising in the west and found that it is a prophecy given in the Quran and the Hadith. I also learned that people who worship Allah walk counterclockwise around the Kaaba.

"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;"
1 Peter 1:13

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"
1 Peter 5:8

"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that , if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
Matthew 24:24

"For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect."
Mark 13:22

"Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,"
2 Thessalonians 2:9

"For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty."
Revelation 16:14

All of Ephesians Chapter 6

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Romans 6:23

"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."
1 John 3:4

"Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable."
Luke 3:17

Ruth: Meaning and Etymology

A Clarion Call

The season is beginning to change where I live. I have smiled as I walked outside this week to the sound of birds singing for the first time since late autumn. The calendar says that the official arrival of spring is on March 20th and the warmth of the sun testifies to us that it is indeed time for the winter to pass away and for flowers to once again bloom upon the earth. If I were a gardener, I would expect to be ordering from seed catalogs and nurturing indoor containers of seedlings to be nestled into the earth as soon as the ground is warm enough and the soil has been prepared to receive them.

Just as the Father determines seedtime and harvest, so He brings change to the seasons of our lives, and from the things He has been showing me, I believe we are at such a point in history.

In the coming days, I will be sharing with you some dreams that He has given to me that I believe are pointing to this season. Will it be the spring of 2015? I don't know. All I can do is obey the urgency He has placed upon my heart and share with you what He has revealed to me. The rest, as always, is up to His perfect timing and the condition of our hearts.

As for this post, I pray that we will let it serve in the way that the Father has intended.

While I was in the midst of prayer, I asked Him what the title of this post should be. A Clarion Call was as clearly spoken to my spirit as if I had heard it with my ears.

"And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word." 
1 Kings 18:21

This one verse is an excellent example of a clarion call. An urgent cry to action that is very applicable to our day.

"And the people answered him not a word." Perhaps they didn't answer Elijah because his question caught them by surprise. They might not have realized how far they had fallen from the true worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
     So much time had passed from back when they had demanded a king. A demand that sprang from them wanting to be like the nations around them. Samuel was displeased and spoke to the Father about it in First Samuel the eighth chapter, at which time the Father told Samuel that the people had done this because they had rejected Him as their King.
     At the command of YHVH, the people were warned through the prophet what their king would require of them and that they would live to regret their choice. Samuel prophesied, saying, "18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of the king ye have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day." Upon hearing this, did the people reconsider their dictate and repent before the King whom they had grieved and insulted? The text answers that question in verses nineteen and twenty. "Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us. That we may also be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles."
   
There is no way that we, being human, can even being to comprehend the emotions of the Father at that moment. Oh, He knew how they felt. Their thoughts and actions had long been "speaking" to Him of the adultery that lay beating in their hearts, but to hear it from their lips is another matter entirely. What did they have that He did not supply? Was there ever a more righteous Judge? One more mighty in battle than their EL? Where could they ever find a more loving or forgiving husband? They could not. Their search would always be in vain. For there never was and never will be one greater than The Originator and Sustainer of Life!

Approximately one hundred eighty years had passed since the people had received their first king and I can't help but wonder if there may have been some puzzled expressions shared between people on the day Elijah told them to choose whom they would serve. Perhaps they were so immersed in the cultures around them, so accustomed to observing and participating in their practices, that they couldn't see that their worship was tied to Baal and thought they were following the Great I AM. How could this be? Because they didn't know or believe the God they claimed to serve, because if they did, they would have trusted Him and been convicted to obey His commands and teachings.

Which brings us to the time in which we are living.

Rather than knowing Him through His Word, which is the only way to truly know Him, we have formed our own opinions about Him based on our thoughts and the thoughts of those around us. We don't realize that because of our lack of knowledge of the Word - the written Word and the example set before us through the Living Word, the Messiah - and because we have embraced the teachings, traditions, and doctrines of those around us, our worship has become polytheistic. One possessing even a nominal knowledge of the Scriptures knows that that is something the Almighty will not accept.

At this point someone may be thinking, "Oh, please, knock it off! God knows my heart!"

Yes. He does. Are you sure you want to use that as your argument?

Let's say you are married and your spouse insists upon bringing into the marriage things that pleased their first spouse, but make your skin crawl. All the while they tell you how much they love you and how grateful they are for all the things that you bring to their lives. But they interrupt you when you try to talk to them. They have no interest in spending time with you or getting to know the real you. You've been honest with them and told them that these things offend you, hurt you, and make you angry with them because they refuse to respect you or your marriage covenant and because they won't let go of their first spouse's ideas of expressed love. Your heart, what you want in a marriage covenant, is irrelevant to them. They will "love you" their way.

Or ...

Let's say you know of a Christian college that has become one in name only. Oh, they keep the name and proclaim it with pride, especially to their contributing alumni, yet they hire professors who admit that they do not believe in the teachings of the Bible and in their not-so-subtle way they tell their students that they think the Bible is erroneous, and without conscience they belittle those who try to follow its truths; treating them unfairly, and with contempt. Though professing to be a Bible college, the focus is money and they are in the business of making it. Some sincere believers still attend, but what they expect and desire from a Christian college education and experience is irrelevant to the board of trustees and some members of the administration. Do you honestly think the Father is pleased? Do you think that their deeds, their hearts, their motives, are hidden from Him?

More importantly, do you want to continue using argument that, "God knows my heart."?

Babylonian worship of the sun didn't come from the minds of humans. It was birthed from the bowels of beings that once lived in the presence of YHVH. Beings that would not live with the commands of their Creator and can't stand the thought of humans following them, either. We are only kidding ourselves if we think that that thick thread with its teachings and traditions, didn't make its way into the church and go like a wild (false) fire, because the enemy knows full well what it would have taken to remain in the presence of their Creator. They also know what will cause you to live forever in His presence, or not.

Our obedience to accepting the plan of salvation is only the beginning. Only those " who endure to the end will be saved." The Israelites were saved from the wicked pharaoh and the slavery of Egypt in order to begin their journey to the promised land but because of their murmuring and disobedience to His marriage covenant, that they had agreed to follow, every person in that generation, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, died in the desert of testing. They never made it into the promised land.

It should come as no surprise to us that the beliefs and condition of our hearts always precede our actions. It is time to stop messing around with what everyone in our churches or Face Book think, and examine ourselves within the light of Scripture to see if we are truly in the faith because disobedience to His marriage covenant, (that we agreed to follow when we accepted the atonement of His Son, thus being grafted into Israel) isn't grace; it's spiritual adultery.

"How long will ye halt between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: if Baal, then follow him."

The clarion call has been given. He awaits your answer. 


Bible references: 

"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."
Genesis 8:22

"Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them out of Egypt even unto this day, where they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king."
1 Samuel 8:4-10

"For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding. They are skilled in doing what is evil, but they do not know how to do what is good."
Jeremiah 4:22

"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
For they that are in the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither can it be.
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."
Romans 8:3-8

"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud but giveth grace to the humble
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw nigh unto God and he will draw nigh unto you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up."
James 4:4-10

"Because my people have forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient path, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up."
Jeremiah 18:15

"And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt show this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?
Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the Lord, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshiped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law;
And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:
Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not show you favour.
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them; and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.
Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.
For mine eyes are upon all their ways; they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from my eyes.
And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things. 
O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.
Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?
Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The Lord."
Jeremiah 16:10-21

"And God spake all these words, saying,
I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
Exodus 20:1-3

"All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers.
And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live."
"Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him."
Deuteronomy 8:1-3, 6

"Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him."
Deuteronomy 13:4

"Moreover, Brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 
Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."
1 Corinthians 10:1-12

"Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day; Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (lawlessness)."
Matthew 7:21-23

"In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.
For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.
And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
 And Moses came and called for the leaders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him.
And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord."
Exodus 19:1-9

"These are they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.
But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.
For the Lord had said to them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun."
Numbers 26:63-65

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates."
2 Corinthians 13:5

"Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."
Jude verses 3-4

"And then many shall be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
And many false prophets shall rise, and deceive many.
And because iniquity (lawlessness) shall abound, the love of many will wax cold.
But he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved."
Matthew 24:10-13

"For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;"
Romans 11:16-17

"That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us."
Ephesians 2:12-14





 

"Harmless" Fun?

     I published this post a year ago on October 21st but felt led to publish it again as this time of year came around. Why, you ask? Because The Father reminded me that until His Son returns, things will go from bad to worse; and as long as that is the case, there will be a need for such writing.

     In addition to the reason I cited above, I know of a conversation that a grandmother had with one of her grandchildren this past week that is still heavy on my mind. It served as a second witness to His leading to re-post this piece.
  
     The woman's grandchildren have been reared with the truth about Halloween. Last year, one of her grandchildren actually refused to sing the Halloween songs in his music class. He then respectfully told the teacher why he wasn't singing. The teacher, perhaps not knowing what to say, said nothing, then turned and walked away.
     This year their church is offering one of those "safe" alternatives to trick-or-treating. From what I heard, the boy's lament went something like this, "There is candy and fun activities! You don't wear scary costumes. And it's at the church, on a separate night from Halloween and the church uses it as a chance to reach out to people, we're supposed to bring our friends! They tell a Bible story, and they don't call it trick-or-treating!" As anyone knows, an evening like that would appeal to the nature of a child, so the child wanted to go. But alas his dad said, "No. It is still like celebrating Halloween." So when Dad says no, you do what any thinking child does, you talk about it when you go to grandma's.

     The grandmother prayed as the child lamented and what came forth was quiet, respectful of the child's predicament, and yet honest. Much to his disappointment, she told him that she was proud of his dad. That until he was more mature, his dad was there to help him make wise decisions. She also told him the story of Esau who got the yummy bowl of stew he wanted, but lost so much more and even though he cried bitter tears he could not get it back. (1) She explained that some things are not worth going after and if we are not careful, we can end up with the same kind of thing happening to us. The child's eyes grew wide and took on that pre-tear look. The messages contained within Scripture have been recorded for our benefit, (2) to keep our feet from falling. (3) That day, the child was kept from sliding down the slippery slope that he was trying to traverse.
     So ...if the story had such a nice ending, why do I carry a heavy heart? Because that was the outcome this time. The pull of the world ...and sadly even the church, are strong. The enemy of our souls has made it his business to make sure that there is enough out there to appeal to our fallen natures and unless a person has died to the desires of the flesh, they are tempted. People or things would not tempt us if there was nothing left in us that desired them. That's why we are told to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (4) and to crucify the carnal nature, because the spirit of the world and our own carnal natures are antagonistic toward the law of YHVH. (5)     
 
     As I was praying last night for the grandma and the boy, this post again came to mind and with the second witness to His leading, the decision was made to put it up. When I had finished praying, I went to YouTube and a recommended video for me was the following one by Paul Washer. The last time I included one of his videos on a post, it was re-posted by others, six times. Somehow I think this one will have less appeal.
     An unexpected chuckle just broke from of me. A friend and I emailed each other this morning, and as we broached this subject we wrote about how we are like sore thumbs and party poopers who seem to make everyone's festivities less ...festive. However I promised Him that I would write what He wanted me to write because He loves you and wants you to live out the calling He has put before you, (6) to walk in holiness, (7) for your good and the good of your children. (8)

     With that in mind, please remember as you watch Pastor Washer's video and read the rest of this post that I didn't start this thing of celebrating the "Lord of the Dead". YHVH has only asked me to expose it. (9)

The post from October 21, 2013

     Where I live, the morning is cool and overcast. Its gloom is a reflection of the heaviness of heart that I feel, today. In an earlier post entitled, "A Time for Every Purpose", I explained that a few years ago a prophet of the Lord told me that one day I would have a blog. At the end of that post I wrote, "My comfort comes in knowing that His timing is always perfect, this blog is His, and I am never alone." The part of that sentence that stands out strongly to me this morning is where it says, "...this blog is His". You will see why as you continue to read.

     Another point that I brought up in "A Time for Every Purpose"" was that my only real experience with writing has been through composing letters for family members and friends. A sister-in-law of mine who has since passed away, once responded to one of my letters asking me to please keep sending the "epistles". So needless to say, I am accustomed to writing about my life, my experiences with the Lord, and what I am learning from His Word. It comes pretty naturally to me. What doesn't come naturally to me is sharing the hard truths. I think the reasons are at least two-fold. First of all, His gift of mercy is strong in me. Very strong. Yet so is the need for truth. Sometimes it is a prayerful process to walk that line in accordance with His will. Secondly, my flesh has died a lot in the ways of pleasing people, but there was enough of that within me to keep this blog from beginning at an earlier date in time. As my walk deepened with Him, as He revealed some painful truths that cut deeply into the practices of Christianity, I knew that He would want them to be shared with other people. Clearing those hurdles had to take place before I could even begin to place my fingers on this keyboard for the purpose of writing this blog.

     Today I have to bring one of those painful truths to light. The heaviness associated with it doesn't stem from caring about what you will think, (as odd as that still sounds to me) it comes from having to expose it at all.

     A few days from now, people around the world will take part in the traditional festivities of Halloween. It was a night that I grew up celebrating, even into my teen years. As a young child, I liked dressing up in costumes and getting candy. In my teen years, I rode in the back of a pick-up truck in order to smash pumpkins, steal apples, and "decorate" trees with toilet paper. Those times were fueled by peer pressure more than what I considered to be fun, but I went along with it, anyway.

     When my children were toddlers, they went trick-or-treating one time. They were uncomfortable in their Care Bear costumes and they didn't smile beneath the masks that I told them to wear. I was uncomfortable too, looking at them as they reluctantly stood for picture taking, but I didn't know why. I felt strangely convicted but it didn't make any sense to me why I should. After my husband took them to a few houses, they came home to happily rid themselves of the costumes that they needed to wear in order to get the neighbors to drop candy into their plastic jack-o-lantern pails. It's funny how memories can bring back the emotions that one felt at the time ...this memory brings sadness along with it ... and that it took a long time for sleep to come that night. As a new day started, I began the routine of caring for the children and our home, thus putting the thoughts of the night before, behind me. Or so I thought.

     When that time of year rolled around again, I remembered. As Father would have it, I was working in my kitchen one morning, when I stopped to turn up a program I was listening to on the radio. Dr. James Dobson from Focus on the Family was interviewing a man about Halloween. The content of the interview caused me to stand still and listen. I was shocked as I learned about the satanic origins of this "holiday" and WHO is really being celebrated. What the real meanings are behind the "harmless" acts of fun. My eyes widened as I listened to his explanation of druid worship of demons and the vile acts of witches. I shook my head in dismay at the animal and human (including newborn) sacrifices to the "Lord of the Dead" that still take place on that night!

     No wonder my children couldn't smile for their pictures! No wonder I was convicted for encouraging their participation in glorifying the god of that night's sick practices! The conviction of His Spirit was so strong that no argument would stand up. Can you imagine how lame it would have sounded after learning what I had learned, to tell you, "Well, be that as it may, that's not how WE celebrate Halloween. For us, it is about good natured fun, dress up, and candy. Besides, I couldn't harm the kids by keeping this tradition from them or tell my in-laws and our friends at church that we won't be celebrating it. What would they think or say?!"? That's what we could have told ourselves, but deep down the honest reasoning would have been, "Let's not make the kids stand out from others, or cause the adults to wonder about our sanity or parenting choices. I don't want to deal with it. Let's just keep doing what we did last year and ignore the presence of His Spirit within us. Let's grieve HIM, instead. He understands. He forgives us, right?" Really? Would we trample the Son of Elohim, the Only True God underfoot because we didn't want to have to explain to others why we chose to let that holiday go? How could we one day look into the eyes of the One who died to set us free from that kind of stuff, and say, "You understood, right?"

     If I have learned anything through the indwelling of His Spirit, I've learned that when He reveals and convicts, He doesn't allow for compromise. If I choose to push past His commands and His conviction, I'm sinning. Period.

     So ...how did the story end? What was revealed in that single interview caused my husband and me to repent for our unknowing sin and never to return to it! We ignored that night from then on. We didn't choose some "Christian" alternative to traditional trick-or-treating. We simply stopped, and it went back to being just another night in the life of our family. And to our surprise, people seemed to be okay with it. At least to our faces. What they might have said behind our backs was none of our business. People, even those closest to us, were not our Judge. Neither are the people in your lives.

(1) Genesis 25:29-34; Genesis 27:30-38; Hebrews 12:15-17

(2) 1 Corinthians 10:6-7; 1 Corinthians 10:9-15

(3) Psalm 56:12-13; Psalm 73; Psalm 116:8-9

(4) Philippians 2:12-13

(5) Galatians 5:24; Romans 8:5-8

(6) Ephesians 5:6-16; 2 Peter 1:2-11

(7) Leviticus 20:26; Isaiah 52:11; 2 Corinthians 6:15-7:11; 1 Peter 1:3-25

(8) Deuteronomy 30; Malachi 2:13-15

(9) Ephesians 5:8-17

The Real Halloween

Where did Halloween Come From?

Is Halloween Harmless?

The Truth About Halloween




  

A Shepherd's Guilt and The Father's Mercy

     On April 3, 2013 I awakened from a dream in which I was walking down a city street. A large office building was to my left with concrete stairs extending up to it. As I looked at the building, a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair and wearing a grey button down shirt and glasses, came out of the building. Two policemen walked up to him and placed him under arrest for abusing his daughter. The man looked completely innocent and totally bewildered by what they were accusing him of as he tried to reason with them, telling them that he had never hurt her. He was so sincere that I believed that he must be telling the truth and that there had to be some mistake. The Father spoke to my spirit and told me that it didn't matter what it looked like to me or how innocent the man appeared to be, there was blood on his hands. (Isaiah 1. YHVH speaking to His people. His leaders. Note verse 15. Even the things they did right had become detestable to Him because of their sin. And what is sin? 1 John 3:4) His admonishment was so firm that I looked at the man's hands fully expecting to see blood on them; there was none. As the officers walked down the steps to my left with the man in their custody, they told him a court would decide. His fate was in the hands of a judge.

     As I prayed about the dream, two revelations came. The first was that this man represented shepherds who are supposed to care for the church as Messiah would care for her and although it looks like they are innocent of any wrongdoing, the Father sees blood on their hands. Judgment comes from His left side.

     Through faith in Yeshua, having been grafted into the vine, we are Abraham's seed. YHVH knew that He could call upon him to be the father of a great nation because He knew that Abraham would hear, obey and follow Him. Genesis 26:5

"Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."
He kept all of it. Because of these things, we read in James 2:23
"And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God."
   
We see Messiah make a similar statement when speaking to His disciples in John 15:14-15:

"14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."
     Even the disciples had to follow the commandments as He followed them in order to be His friends. And this was the message that they continued to proclaim after Messiah returned to heaven and was seated at His Father's right hand. In fact, Paul tells us in Galatians 1:6-9:

"6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again. If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." 
    
     We speak about the great apostasy as though it is only applies to the day in which we are living, but in truth, the validity of the gospel began to be perverted in the apostles time! For example, Gnosticism, which is very much alive today and includes the worship of angels, was present back then. Furthermore, we see Peter's warning in 2 Peter 3:16-17 not to be swayed by people who twist Paul's words to their own destruction and therefore become lawless. The Greek word is anomia and it means: lawlessness, iniquity, disobedience, sin. To be destitute of the Mosaic law by being ignorant of it, violating it, or being contemptuous of it.   

      Paul taught that when a person comes to YHVH through faith in Messiah, that person enters the Abrahamic (faith) covenant. If we claim to be an heir of Messiah, adopted into the family of YHVH through faith in His atoning blood, to be grafted into the olive tree with Abraham as our patriarch, shouldn't we be living in like manner? It was written of Messiah:
"3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby know we that we are in him. 6 He that saith he abideth in him ought to himself also so to walk, even as he walked." John 2:3-6

     So in going back to the dream, we know that the prince of the air is always on the prowl to steal, kill and destroy. Are we so naive as to think that Christianity couldn't be messed with? Through the centuries, false doctrines and traditions of men have permeated teachings in seminaries and have been taught as biblical truth within churches. The girl, a representation of the church, the ekklesia, trusted her father, as congregants trust their leaders to proclaim, instruct, and live that which comes directly from the Scriptures. The clergy are expected to see its truth and to divide it properly; to protect the people from false doctrines; and to lead them to the Messiah, teaching them to live as He did, in obedience to the Torah, so that they may find in Him the words of life that both convicts and encourages them to reject their sin, turn from it, and follow Him on the ancient pathway. A pathway that is narrow and few find it. Yet it is secure and true in its destination. What can the people do when their leaders reject the pathway that leads to life? They become as sheep without shepherds; weak with malnourishment, led astray and vulnerable to the attacks of wolves.

     It isn't unusual for the Father to prepare me days or even weeks in advance for a coming message that He wants me to write on this blog so please hear the heaviness of my heart in what I am about to write.

     Men and women of YHVH, haven't you had enough of what you have seen taking place within your churches? Aren't your stomachs yet full and ready to wretch? You recall the man representing the shepherd in the dream emerged from a business. He wore glasses, yet he could not see his guilt. His hair was the color of salt and pepper, the mixture of truth and counterfeit. Is that what has happened? You wonder at the mess around you, perhaps not realizing that the blatant carnality you witness has come, not only from the deceitfulness of men's hearts and our propensity to sin waxing worse and worse, but from rejecting His instructions given in the first five Books of the Bible that teach us how to get along with others and approach YHVH; instead viewing it as being done away with and nailed to the cross, and rather than finding out what the apostle Paul truly meant by those words, because you know how to find out the truth and are therefore without excuse, you continue on in your ways and wonder why your people aren't growing in love and obedience to the Father and Son. You say that you follow the commands in the spirit of the law and that the letter has been replaced, but that is biblical heresy. For the flow of His Spirit within your churches is quenched and ultimately removed when the anchor of His commandments, His statutes and His laws are ignored.

     In looking back over the past week, it doesn't surprise me that the Father brought this dream to my remembrance a year and a half after the fact, because last night at sunset, according to the first crescent of the moon, began Yom Teruah, Rosh Hashannah the Feast of Trumpets. On this day, on HIS calendar, judgment is pronounced over the people, and according to the Scriptures in James 3:1, the stricter judgment falls on teachers. This message, though firm, is really another expression of His great love and mercy being extended to you, because there is yet time to repent before the books are sealed in ten days on Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement.
     Whether you honor His Feast Days or not doesn't make them any less relevant to Him. Most Christian teachers would agree that the fall Feast Days are shadows of things to come, if you hold to that belief and believe that you are grafted into Israel, then one day the last trumpet (shofar) will sound and the books will be sealed forever. Do you really want to take the chance and wait until then?

"7 For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. 8 But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. 9 Therefore have I also made you contemptable and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law." Malachi 2:7-9

     The second part of the dream's revelation extends to all of us. Each person will be judged according to their own deeds. It is time to repent and walk in ways that are pleasing to Him.
     The book of Daniel tells us in chapter 12,"4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."  All of us are without excuse. The information is available. Relativism is a lie and biblical truth is still there for those who will seek for it. Please, it is time to humble ourselves and repent before our Mighty Elohim!

Scriptures and additional references in order that they appear:

"17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. 18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked form his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul." Ezekiel 3:17-19

Gnosticism

"15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

"37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not." John 10:37

"19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you. The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." John 5:19

"48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me; he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak."  John 12:48-50

"13 For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. 14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. 15 Were they ashamed when they had commited abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord. 16 Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for you souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. 17 Also I sat watchem over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. 18 Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. 19 Hear, O earth: behold I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it." Jeremiah 6:13-19

"13 Enter ye at the straight gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because straight is the gate; and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matthew 7:13-14

All of Ezekiel chapter 34

"36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd." Matthew 9:36

"11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the world catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." John 10:11-16

"34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things; and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36 But I say to you, That every idle word that men speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." Matthew 12:34-36

"13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." James 1:13-15

" 6 Seek the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrightous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will abundantly pardon." Isaiah 55:6-7

" 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith the Lord; and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive."  Jeremiah 29:13-14

www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Fall_Holidays/Rosh_Hashannah/rosh_hashannah.html

www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Fall_Holidays/Yom_Kippur/yom_kippur.html

* I am adding this on January 20, 2015. http://womanassigned.blogspot.com/2015/01/dream-and-word-from-lord-january-19-2015.html?m=1



 

Saving Christmas?

     It is coming up on nine months ago. December 24th was the date. Evening descended quietly at our home as I put the finishing touches on the last post in a series that I had written on the topic of Christmas. The posts went into detail about the origins of the holiday, the truth about St. Nicolas, and the decision that each of us must make about what we will do concerning the pagan holiday that most of us in Christendom have wholeheartedly embraced. Anyone with a good set of encyclopedias or access to the Internet can find out the facts easily enough, so we are truly left with no excuse. Other than perhaps we don't want to research it because if we did, we would have to make a choice.

     Barna Research Group findings from 2009 contained the following quote.
"The problem facing the Christian church is not that people lack a complete set of beliefs; the problem is that they have a full slate of beliefs in mind, which they think are consistent with biblical teachings, and they are neither open to being proven wrong nor to learning new insights."

Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

     There was another aspect of the posts that was the most important detail of all. It was how the Father, according to the Scriptures, views our pagan holidays. And that was the part that brought me the greatest amount of sadness. It still does.

     All of this was brought to the forefront of my thinking again when I received an e-mail last week that contained the following video clip from youtube.

     One wonders if part of Kirk Cameron's premise for this movie would be that he is trying to save Christmas from progressive atheists who, in part, would rather replace the greeting "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays". However, the truth of the matter is, that even though some people don't like the word Christmas, atheists around the world celebrate it. I am convinced that if the holiday was truly God-given, most atheists wouldn't have anything to do with it. Leviticus 23 bears this out. His Feast Days are ignored by most of the world.
     If an effort of the movie includes trying to sway the opinion of the general public, including schools, to allow the singing of hymns and the setting up of nativity scenes on government property, we need to remember that the "powers that be" have declared this to be a post-Christian nation and they are not backing down.
     However it was this last premise that I clearly picked up from the trailer that states what the real message of this movie is, and it is a premise that has been supported by subsequent reviews. The message of the movie is trying to convince believers that regardless of what they may have heard from a few of their friends or family members, there isn't anything wrong with the holiday and that everyone should enjoy all of its fun traditions; and in that respect, Mr. Cameron has not only the support of Christian laity but also the resounding approval of church leaders all over the world. It is that characteristic of the movie that made me sick at heart.

     Personally, I think that Kirk Cameron is a sincere man who is trying to do what he thinks is right. Since this all goes much deeper than one man, in essence, it has little to do with him. Those of you who know me and read this blog know that I tend to cut to the heart of a matter pretty quickly. So it is the heart of the matter that caused me to sit down before the computer this morning.

     The practice of the pagan holiday that came to be known as Christmas was well established for approximately two thousand years before the birth of the Messiah and it has absolutely nothing to do with Him! Roman Emperor Constantine and Pope Julius in 349 AD saw it as a way to blend the pagan practices of winter solstice and the birthdays of the sun gods, including Tammuz - the first to be called Baal - with the followers of The Way. All that was essentially changed were the names. For believers to think that Christmas is about Christ, is a lie, no matter who tells us it isn't, how much reverence we give to it, or how good it makes us feel to participate in its traditions.

     YHVH through the prophets expressed throughout Scripture that He would not share His glory with another and that we were not to worship Him as the pagans worshiped their gods, in idolatry. Ironically enough, Christmas wasn't even allowed in this country until the 1800's because of that reason and because of the debauchery that surrounded the celebrations. Although the roots go all the way back to Babylon, the Christmas tradition has only been in our midst, so-to-speak, for less than a couple of hundred years but its grip is tight. So much so that when believers try to shed light on the matter that is based on biblical commands and historical evidence, they are the ones who are either laughed at, scorned and pitied, or worse yet shunned and called heretics.

Saving Christmas? From where I sit, it still looks very much alive.



For further contemplation:

Deuteronomy 12:28-32

Isaiah 28:9-13

Jeremiah 16:19

Matthew 15:8-9

Ephesians 5:5-17

2 Corinthians 6:14-18

2 Peter 3

Revelation 22:18-19

The Berean: John 4:23-24

I welcome you to read the posts I put up last December which include biblical as well as historical references. Of course these posts are just a representation of the evidence that is available to all who would humble themselves and pray to be open to the truth of the Bible as well as that of history, and then look for it. Finding out the truth isn't easy to deal with. But ...when did He promise it would be?

"Ho Ho Ho!" An Introduction

"Ho Ho Ho!" The Beginning - Part 1
 
"Ho Ho Ho!" The Impostor - Part 2

"Ho Ho Ho!" The Choice - Part 3

 

"Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve"

     We are living in a time when this admonishment must be given again. If we think for a moment that we are not foreigners in this land and that we are not surrounded by other gods; if we say with our mouths that we serve YHVH while in truth we live by our own thoughts and for our own pleasures, we make liars of ourselves. The time of making a pretense of what we say we believe is over. The time of decision making is before one enters into the heat of the battle.

     Memorial Day was last observed in America seven days ago. The day got me to thinking about a bit of correspondence that I had a few weeks back with a couple of sisters. One of them eluded to how Peter was offended by the thought of Messiah having to die as seen in Matthew 16. In verse 15 we read that Messiah asks His disciples, "But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." It was after they recognized Him for who He was, that He began to reveal to them more of His heart for the Father and His mission on earth. Beginning in verse 21, we read, "From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee." It was at this point that Messiah responded to him, "Get thee behind me, Satan thou art an offence unto me: for thou savorourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."
     The context of what is taking place here is that once they had confessed that He had come from the Father, He began to reveal to them His coming suffering and death, and that it was indeed His Father's will. In addition to their love for Him, they were faced with the reality that following the Father in obedience didn't promise them a life of position and ease, but the knowledge that if the Messiah, who walked in complete righteousness and was/is the embodiment of the Torah, and yet had to suffer and die, then who were they to expect anything more?

     Knowing these things I am forced to ask myself, "Am I offended by Messiah's sacrifice because of what it might mean for me? Am I truly willing to follow Him ...no matter what the cost?"

     As most of you know or are finding out, the prosperity gospel is a lie. Those who would believe, are handed a false bill of goods when that lie is peddled as a means of "evangelism", when in fact all it has done has given people who once prayed a prayer, a false sense of (even eternal) security; thinking that their desires would be met and they would become better, richer, more attractive versions of themselves. That is NOT the gospel! It is a lie that breeds selfish carnality and reeks of the flesh and hell! When did Yeshua, even one time, suggest that following Him in obedience to the Father would mean accepting a life of ease, position and popularity?

     Messiah told the truth. He warned us that the cost of discipleship could cause even those closest to us, to hate and betray us - even unto death. He told us that we would be persecuted, imprisoned and martyred. He instructed us to count the cost because those who place anything or anyone above Him are not worthy of Him. His teaching was clear and honest when He told us that if we truly love Him, we would obey His Father's commands. He forewarned His listeners that the time would come when people would think that killing us would glorify His Father, and still He asked those who wanted to come after Him to pick up their cross and follow Him - knowing better than anyone that there is so much at stake, and that the alternatives of spiritual darkness and eternal death are far worse!

     So knowing these things, begs us to ask, What does it really mean to follow Him?

     In looking at Matthew 16:24 and Luke 9:23, we find that the definition of the word follow is Greek #190 - akoloutheo. In Thayer's Greek Lexicon we see that it means: walking the same road. To follow one who precedes, to join as an attendant, to accompany and join as a disciple. To cleave steadfastly to one, conforming wholly to his example, in living and if need be in dying also.

     It is very interesting to note as well, that the word disciple is a Hebrew word, talmid Chatham, and it means: wise student. "An honorific title was given to one well-versed in Jewish law, in effect, a Torah scholar." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmid_Chacham  This caused me to consider anew what our Jewish Rabbi Messiah truly meant when He told His apostles to go and make disciples of all nations. Pause and think on that.
   
     As I mentioned, this post began with my thoughts during Memorial Day of the correspondence I had a few weeks back with two sisters in Messiah. What follows is an e-mail that I sent to both of them.

Hello, Dear Women!

I think the admonishment of our Savior to pick up our cross and follow Him is even harder for Americans to grasp. We are accustomed to having someone else fight for our freedoms/rights and to die in our place. When ___ mentioned here that Messiah saw Peter's statement that He mustn't die as an offense, it made me think of something. That is how many (perhaps most) Christians in America view having to suffer persecution for Him. We are under the impression that because He took our place on Calvary, that nothing is expected from us other than to ask for forgiveness, (even without true repentance) and to confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts. Having done a short study from both the Hebrew and Greek about what the words confess and believe really mean, showed me that there is more to their meaning than what we know about them. So yes, picking up our cross and following Him means so much more than we like to think about. Nevertheless, it is truth.

A few Sunday's ago, even our pastor said that when things get bad, most of his listeners will take the path of least resistance.

We are a nation of relative thinkers. Billy Graham had this right, "Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone - except God." As a result, we don't know what it is to suffer hard persecution for our beliefs. Even one publication of The Voice of the Martyrs proves it. As a people, we are accustomed to, and comfortable with, all of our freedoms and conveniences. We are unconcerned with everything except what is in our own backyards. We are like Laodiceans. And Laodicea will be shaken to the core when it all comes to town and ends up in our own backyards and at our front doors.

Yes, we've reached the crossroads. May we pick up our crosses and truly follow Him!


Scriptural definitions and references:

"9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."  Romans 10:9-10

Confess is Strong's Greek #3670 - homollogeo: It means more than to agree or to declare as truth. It means to concede, assent, not to refuse, to promise, admit guilt, profess. It means to voluntarily yield, to change one's conviction in order to follow.

"36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36

Believeth not in John 3:36 is Greek #544 - apeitheo, and it means: not believing, disobedient, obey not, unbelieving. It is clear by the biblical meaning of the words that disobedience reveals our unbelief. To truly believe in the Messiah means not disobeying Him.
We see another witness to this truth in Psalm 78. Read the entire chapter. Verse 22 tells the reason that they complained against YHVH and disobeyed Him repeatedly. "22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in His salvation." It wasn't until He brought judgment and calamity upon them that they turned to Him again in verses 34 and 35. They turned to Him but did not abandon their sin. When you read you will see that He was tender to them but they didn't deserve His compassion. Verse 72 says, "So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands."

"15 If you love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15

"1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me."
John 16:1-3

"6 For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house." Micah 7:6

"34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."
Matthew 10:34-39

"2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Hebrews 12:2

"20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
21 For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
Philippians 1:20-21

"11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death."
Revelation 12:11

"36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
Mark 8:36

"20 And Jesus said unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath nowhere to lay his head."
Matthew 8:20

"14 Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
Joshua 24:14-15

http://persecution.com/  Link to Voice of the Martyrs







   

"Who do you say that I am?"

     It was right after Messiah asked that question of His disciples and Peter gave the famous answer, "You are the Messiah. The Son of the living Elohim.",1 that He began to prepare them for the coming sacrifice of His death.

     We are entering the time of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread and I have come to understand that it is most fitting that He would bring this message now because He is asking the same question all over again to every one of us, "Who do you say that I am?"

     When Messiah entered into the city of Jerusalem before the Feast of Passover, He chose to ride upon a donkey's colt. In doing so, He fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah which stated,
"9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth."
Zechariah 9:9-10

     He rode into the city at the time when lambs are being inspected for Passover. After the selection, lambs were to be brought into homes of the people for four days. Exodus 12:3-6. The people cared for them and bonded with them - a very easy thing to do where lambs are concerned. When the time of the sacrifice was made, the entire assembly, including women and children were present. It was done this way to reveal to them the cost of their sins.

     Yeshua was their spotless lamb. As He approached Jerusalem, Luke tells us, "And when he was come near, he beheld the city and wept." 2 

He wept.

     He wept not only because He foresaw the destruction of the Temple, but because He knew what lay ahead in the coming moments ...and in the coming days. He had left heaven and was always about His Father's business and for three concentrated years of ministry was in their very midst, and they still didn't know Him or love Him for who He was. He watched as the crowds were gathering, waving palm branches and laying down their cloaks. He heard them shouting, "Hosanna, to the son of David: Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest." Matthew 21:9 Hosanna means "Save us! Help us, we pray!"
     King David they knew. He was a mighty warrior made a king. These people were under the hand of Roman rule and they believed that this rabbi descendant of King David would deliver them as evidenced by the fact that four days later, when He didn't fulfill their expectations, they cried out for His death.3

     They didn't know who He was or understand what He came to do and He wept because of it.

     They didn't know His Father, either.

     As I was praying two nights ago, I drifted off to sleep and as I did so, the Father awakened me, saying, "A branch to the nose." I knew the Bible story in which that phrase is referenced and found that it is in Ezekiel chapter eight. When you turn there to read the entire chapter, you will find that Ezekiel was in his house before the elders of Judah when the hand of the Lord God fell upon him.
"2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.
3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where there was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy."
Ezekiel 8:2-3

     We are shown in this chapter through Ezekiel's vision what the abominations of YHVH's people look like to Him. In verse 14 we see women weeping for Tammuz who was born Nimrod, son of Ishtar/Easter and Noah's grandson, Cush. After Cush died, Tammuz and his evil mother married and began organized Baal worship. Tammuz was also called Molech and was the first to be called Baal.
http://suebendorf.blogspot.com/2013/12/ho-ho-ho-beginning-part-1.html?m=1
     The women of Israel were so caught up in their idolatry that they mourned for forty days (where Lent comes from) prior to the anniversary of Tammuz's death by a wild boar. His death was commemorated by the eating of, yes, Easter ham. THIS is the person whose death they wept for and it doesn't stop there!
     Ezekiel was also shown what the men of Israel were doing. They were holding Barsom branches to their noses, a pagan practice given to the worship of false gods. With their backs to the Temple, they were bowing down to worship the sunrise. Yes, that practice is where Easter sunrise services came from! If there was any remaining doubt as to whether or not I should celebrate the pagan practice of Easter, this chapter would be enough to answer it for me!
What did YHVH do about their idolatry? His fury began to be clearly seen in verses 17 and 18 of chapter eight, but go with me into chapter nine.
"1 HE CRIED also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
2 And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; an one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen alter.
3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side;
4 And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereov.
5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. ..."
Ezekiel 9:1-6a

By Ezekiel 11:23, because the abominations did not cease and the people did not repent, the Glory of YHVH had literally moved away from Israel and they were sent into exile for seventy years. Judah alone returned. The ten northern tribes are still scattered across the earth.

     You might ask, "What does this have to do with us? What they did and our innocent practices are two different things! He knows our hearts! He knows we love Him! We are honoring Him!" I lay weeping on the floor in the middle of the night telling Him that some of you would think that. That because of the accumulated centuries of indoctrination you wouldn't see it as spiritual adultery. As though Ezekiel eight and nine were not enough, He instantly brought to mind the image of a man telling his wife that he loved her and kissing her good night; but then he turns to leave, his back to their marriage bed which YHVH calls sacred,4 in order to bow down to computer images of other women. And then He said, "Speak to that wife and tell her heart that what her husband is doing isn't adultery!" How DARE WE continue to justify our abominations calling them HOLY! Answer me this, who were the ones who were spared YHVH's righteous judgment? The ones with His mark on their foreheads. And what characteristics did they have? What set them apart? Reflect on that.

     In the last post I put up, I wrote that history repeats itself. Ecclesiastes tells us in 1:9 that there is nothing new under the sun; that what has gone before will be done again. So be not surprised when His judgment falls! The book of Revelation tells us that those who are among His numbered 144,000 have HIS mark on their foreheads 4:9, 14:1. They are not defiled with falsehood. His witnesses will proclaim HIS TRUTH to the nations! Great exploits will accompany them because they honor His character, His teachings, and commands! Nothing has changed in that regard since His obedient ones of old! And be assured of this, no lies, no paganism will have any part of their message as they exclaim, "REPENT for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!" John 3:2

     This post began with telling the story about how the Messiah wept over Jerusalem, in part because they didn't know Him for who He was. It continued with telling how they didn't know who His Father was either, as evidenced by their refusal to honor his heart and obey His commands. Commands that were given for their own good, because He loved them and wanted them to be well, blessed and protected from the bitter results of sin! "Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God." Deuteronomy 12:28   
  

     In conclusion, "Who do you say that I am?" is just as relevant for us today because evangelicals are greatly confused. We have despised His Torah so much that we don't know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob so when the wolves come in to lead us astray, we are proving to be easy prey. I will end with an example of the point being made.
  
     A friend sent me a video of something last week that I never thought I would see. The video contained footage from Kenneth Copeland's annual evangelical minister's conference. An attractive and charismatic, middle-aged Episcopal bishop stood before them and said that he had come in the spirit of Elijah and John the Baptist to bring the hearts of the children back to their fathers (priests) and the hearts of the fathers (priests) back to their children. He went on to tell them that the Catholic church was where it all started and that the protest (Luther's) was over and they should come back to their beginnings. Did people stand up in protest? No. The sheep gone astray, led by blind guides, stood to their feet and cheered in standing ovation to the lies that he proclaimed!
  
     The roots of our faith are NOT in the Catholic Church!

"4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:"
Deuteronomy 6:4-6

"4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."
Ephesians 4:4-6

     True believers belong to the YHVH of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The roots are the patriarchs of that faith. The Vine is the Messiah, Yeshua Ha 'Machiach. The branches are the children of Israel and wild shoots, the Gentiles, are grafted in.5 There is only one covenant that the Father made with His people. The only covenant that He made with Gentiles is that He would never flood the earth again. Genesis 9:11 Gentile means, a foreigner, stranger, pagan, out of covenant. To be grafted in means that we are in covenant with YHVH through the atoning blood of His Son. So either we are in covenant with THE ONE TRUE ELOHIM, or we are not! If we are His, then we had better learn to live like it! It's His house! It is time to return to our First Love, remember the heights from which we have fallen, and do the things that believers did at the beginning of the Christian faith!6

     Please, I implore you to pull off the veil of pride. The door of grace is closing and judgment comes. To those in the clergy, "God takes the deception of His people personally."7

References used and for further study:

John chapter 8
1. Matthew 16:15, Mark 8:29, Luke 9:20
2. Luke 19:41
3. Mark 15:13, Luke 23:21
4. Hebrews 13:4
5. Romans 11-12:5
6. Revelation 2:4-5
7. "God takes the deception of His people personally." Taken from www.theberean.org Archive. Devotion from April 11, 2014 - Jude 1:3 www.theberean.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Home.showBerean/BereanID/2119/Jude-1-13.htm
8. http://standupforthetruth.com/2014/02/pope-to-copeland-catholics-and-charismatics-must-spiritually-unite/
9. For a look at the life and teachings of the apostle Paul, plus concise information about Replacement Theology, Separation Theology, and Remnant Theology: http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Articles/Israel/israel.html
10. For an additional look at the teachings and life of Paul, please consider reading, The Letter Writer: Paul's Background and Torah Perspective by Tim Hegg
11. Barsom branches: http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/barsom-av
12. http://womanassigned.blogspot.com/2014/04/his-still-small-voice-one-year-ago.html?m=1