Woman proclaiming Christ ejected from Muslim prayers at National Cathedral

Reblogged from:

Robert Spencer Nov 14, 2014 at 5:42pm Muslim persecution of Christians 

 

It all sounds so high-minded: the Rev. Canon Gina Campbell says: “This needs to be a world in which all are free to believe and practice and in which we avoid bigotry, Islamaphobia, racism, anti-Semitism, and anti-Christianity and to embrace our humanity and to embrace faith.”

But someone threw a rotting cabbage on their lovely sofa, as DCist laments: “And because love, respect and understanding is too much of a concept for some people to understand, a person interrupted the service. Of course.” Still, the spectacle of a woman being forcibly ejected from what is ostensibly a Christian cathedral for proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord just before Muslim prayers are about to begin is at very least evidence that we live in strange times.

I noted here the Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood links of the sponsoring groups. Besides that, there is the fact that there is an enduring obstacle to achieving a world in which we are all free to believe and practice and embrace our humanity and faith: Muslims who take to heart and act upon Qur’an verses like these:

Christians have forgotten part of the divine revelations they received: “From those, too, who call themselves Christians, We did take a covenant, but they forgot a good part of the message that was sent them: so we estranged them, with enmity and hatred between the one and the other, to the day of judgment. And soon will Allah show them what it is they have done.” — Qur’an 5:14

Jesus is not the Son of God: “O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not “Three” – Cease! (it is) better for you! – Allah is only One Allah. Far is it removed from His Transcendent Majesty that He should have a son. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allah is sufficient as Defender.” — Qur’an 4:171

“It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! when He determines a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” — Qur’an 19:35
Those who believe that Jesus is God’s Son are accursed: “The Jews call ‘Uzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah’s curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth! ” — Qur’an 9:30

Jesus was not crucified: “And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Allah’s messenger – they slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain.” — Qur’an 4:157
Christians, as People of the Book, must be warred against and subjugated: “Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” — Qur’an 9:29

In light of all that, and the ongoing and escalating Muslim persecution of Christians worldwide, wouldn’t it have been more appropriate, so as to promote love, respect and understanding and all that, to have Christian prayers in a mosque? After all, it is Muslims who are persecuting Christians worldwide, and the National Cathedral decides to show its good will and love for Muslims by inviting Hamas-linked Muslim Brotherhood front groups to pray there. Why doesn’t the ADAMS Center show its good will and love for Christians by inviting Christians to pray in the mosque there?

This woman who disrupted the service was upset that a building dedicated to the worship of Christ had been given over for the use of people who believe that her proclamation of Christ is a blasphemous falsehood and that her beliefs are a perversion of the true teachings of Jesus the Muslim prophet. Before waxing indignant and self-righteous over her “bigotry” and “intolerance,” Muslims who would have no problem with a mosque that did indeed invite Christians in to offer prayers to the Son of God, and who would applaud the forcible ejection from that mosque of a Muslim who stood up and said, No, this is wrong, there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet, should demonstrate their own love, respect and understanding by actually extending a real invitation to Christians to come in.
“Of Course Someone Interrupted Muslim Prayers At The National Cathedral,” DCist, November 14, 2014 (thanks to Jerk Chicken):

In a “a dramatic moment in the world and in Muslim-Christian relations,” the National Cathedral is currently hosting Jumu’ah, the Friday prayer said by Muslims. And because love, respect and understanding is too much of a concept for some people to understand, a person interrupted the service. Of course.
According to reports, a woman yelled “Jesus Christ is Lord!” before being removed from the Cathedral. A group of motorcyclists planned to protest “the Islamization of America” outside the D.C. house of worship.

Organized by South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Islamic Society of North America, Muslim Public Affairs Council and The Nation’s Mosque, certain people are pretty worked up about the service, with the Reverend Franklin Graham calling it “sad to see.”In a release about the event, Rasool, who helped organize the event with Cathedral liturgical director, the Rev. Canon Gina Campbell, said, “This needs to be a world in which all are free to believe and practice and in which we avoid bigotry, Islamaphobia, racism, anti-Semitism, and anti-Christianity and to embrace our humanity and to embrace faith.”
The service can be watched here.

Read more: http://thelightseed.blogspot.com/#ixzz3JMYOr9Hp

Should Your Church Stop Having a Stand and Greet Time?

Reblogged from Serve Him in the Waiting

By STLloyd November 12, 2014

Good to know I am not the only one who finds this mandated interaction called “greet your neighbor” awkward and unnatural.   The image below seems familiar….  I call this particular formation “The Gauntlet“….. Pivot left, shake, smile, pivot right, offer a “good morning”, left again, oops, almost missed one, right again….here, take a bulletin…..   It tends to leave one a tad dizzy and breathless.  Not surprisingly,  visitors often head up to the balcony to avoid it altogether.  –S.T. Lloyd
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
By Thom S. Rainer , Christian Post Contributor

You never know what will strike a nerve in the blogosphere. A blog post I wrote Saturday went viral, and the comments, discussion, and debate are still taking place at that post.
It was really a simple article. I did a Twitter poll (not scientific, I assure you) asking first-time church guests what factors made them decide not to return. I listed the top ten in order of frequency.

The surprise factor was the number one issue. Many first-time guests really don’t like the time of stand and greet one another that some churches have. According to the Twitter responses and comments on the post, many guests really don’t like it, so much so that they will not return [...]
Read more via Should Your Church Stop Having a Stand and Greet Time?.

The Emergent Church and the New Age Movement

Posted by: mlemay Posted on: October 14, 2011

Reposted from: Stand up for the truth

Image by Roshnii via Flickr

John MacArthur is a wonderful, godly man whose teachings have been instrumental in the lives of many Christians.  He has been a staunch defender of the gospel through attacks from false teachers and continues to urge Christians to hold on to the absolute truth of God’s Word.  I thoroughly enjoy his books and teachings and we use his research and writings frequently on Stand Up For the Truth.

But even great men like John MacArthur get it wrong some times.  MacArthur recently commented that the Emergent Church was dead.  He sees it as no longer a threat to traditional Christianity.  Well in this one instance, John MacArthur is failing to understand just what the Emergent Church is—and is not.

The Emergent Church is like water—conforming and molding to the container it is in.  And its container is this:  That for any man to claim he can know absolute truth is an abomination.  Its container is not doctrine or the Word of God—it is how we feel about things.  If we don’t like the judgmental side of God, just ignore it.  When Christianity is taught as a religion of exclusivity, well that is just too harsh for them.

The Emergent Church is all about humanism—putting the desires and dreams of men ahead of the Word and will of God.  And it has found a new container it fits within perfectly—the growing New Age Movement.  A movement where you can bend and shape the character and nature of God to what you would like it to be, instead of what God states His character and nature truly is.  A movement that cannot accept what Jesus taught about the path to salvation being narrow.  A movement that teaches that God is in everything and each of us have a divinity within us—and if we can just tap in to it and connect with one another, that we can accomplish anything–just like the Tower of Babel.

When you take a step back and connect the dots between Emergent Church leaders and the New Age Movement, you see the big picture.  Many Emergent leaders are followers and admirers of New Age mystic teachers like Emanuel Swedenborg, Eckhart Tolle, Matthew Fox and Leonard Sweet—men who taught that we are all divine and if we could just connect our divinity with others, we could become God.

With all due respect and admiration for John MacArthur, on this point he could not be more wrong.  The Emergent Church continues to emerge—and has now found its perfect home in New Age mysticism.  And sadly the movement is being promoted and supported—knowingly or unknowingly—in churches like Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church.  And Rick Warren has a website for pastoral resources that thousands of pastors access on a regular basis.  As pastors see the growth and financial prosperity of churches like Saddleback, do you think for a moment that many are not tempted to adopt his ideas for church growth?

How long will it be until more churches do what Rick Warren is doing with his “Daniel Plan”—inviting Muslims and Hindus in to teach Christians how to have physical, emotional and spiritual health?  How long will it be until more churches stop preaching out of the bible, and turn to using cheap, inaccurate paraphrase commentaries like Eugene Peterson’s “The Message”?

A day is coming when every Pastor and Elder Board will have a huge decision to make:  Do they stand strong on the absolute truth of God’s Word?  Or give in to the world so they can see growth in numbers and finances?  It’s a big decision—with big, eternal consequences.


Related articles

• Nondenominational Meditation? (solasisters.blogspot.com)
• Is the Emergent Church movement dead (or dying)? (standupforthetruth.com)
• John MacArthur Says Emerging Church in “Disarray and Decline” – Evidence Shows Differently (lighthousetrailsresearch.com)
• Christians and energy healing (standupforthetruth.com)
• New Age Christianity – Are You Prepared? (standupforthetruth.com)
• Spotting counterfeit truth (standupforthetruth.com)
• Time For The Church To Wake Up! (standupforthetruth.com)
• Barbara Marx Hubbard and the New Age (standupforthetruth.com)
• Brian McLaren:12 Step groups may help us escape Bible (standupforthetruth.com)

And Such Were Some Of You

Saturday, November 8th, 2014 

Reposted from Grace Through Faith

• Featured
• Once Saved Always Saved
• Salvation

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

Do you not know that the  unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:9-11).


Of all the questions about OSAS, those that refer to the above passage are among the most numerous. On its face, the first part of 1 Cor. 6:9-10 seems pretty clear, the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God. No argument there. It’s Christianity 101. And the examples Paul used to show what he meant by “unrighteous” are all clear violations of God’s Law.
Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

Some of his examples, like fornicators, adulterers, homosexuals, and sodomites appear on most lists of “big” sins. These are sins that lots of people hate, and while they are certainly sins, their notoriety causes some people to gloss over the other ones Paul mentioned. Stealing, coveting, drunkenness and reviling (criticizing in an abusive or insulting manner) often get ignored in people’s minds, having been overshadowed by “the big ones.”
And, at least among the people who send me questions, it seems that many people don’t even take a glance at 1 Cor. 6:11, And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

For that reason, I’d like to take a detailed look at the whole passage to see if we can figure out what Paul really meant here.

A Closer Look

First, let’s go back to 1 Cor. 6:9. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?
If we really read that verse carefully we would see it can’t apply to believers because we are righteous by definition. We have a righteousness from God apart from the law that comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (Romans 3:21-22). The examples of unrighteousness Paul gave all have to do with behavior, whereas our righteousness comes from our belief.

Where behavior is concerned, Jesus said it doesn’t take unrighteous acts to disqualify us from the Kingdom, it only takes an unrighteous thought. He gave anger (Matt. 5:21-22) and lust (Matt. 5:27-28) as examples but He could have listed many more, like greed, envy, jealousy, and the list goes on. How many of us have unrighteous thoughts from time to time? Does that mean we’ve disqualified ourselves from inheriting the kingdom? Of course not.

But the real kicker in in verse 11. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Paul said some of us were fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites,  thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, or extortioners. And from the Lord’s comments above we can assume that includes thoughts and words, as well as deeds. But note the past tense. We were like that. What has changed to make us not like that any more?
First, we have been washed. We haven’t washed ourselves, we’ve been washed. In Ephesians 5:26 Paul said it’s the Lord who washed us, cleansing us by washing us with water through the word.

Then, we were sanctified. It means to be made holy. Again, we didn’t sanctify ourselves, it was done to us. When Jesus washed us it was so He could present us to Himself as a radiant Church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless (Ephes 5:27), sanctified.

And finally, we were justified. It means to render righteous. The Greek word for justified is the opposite form of the word translated unrighteous in verse 9. This refers to the righteousness that has been imputed to us by faith. And like we didn’t do the washing and the sanctifying, we didn’t render ourselves righteous, either.  It was done to us, in the name of Jesus, by the Spirit of God.

When that happened we became a new creation in Christ. From God’s perspective, the old us was gone and the new us had come (2 Cor. 5:17). And though we still sin, He no longer attributes our sins to us, but to the sin that still lives within us. He knows our sin infested bodies will never leave this world. They will either die or be changed at the rapture, so when we come into His presence we’ll be the new creation He has chosen to see from the moment we were saved.

Paul used himself as an example of how God now sees us.
For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it (Romans 7:18-20).

David gave us a glimpse of this 1,000 years before Paul when he wrote;
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit (Psalm 32:1-2), and
As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12).

This explains how God can “render us righteous” while we’re still sinners. He separated the believer from the behavior, making the believer a new creation, holy and blameless, and attributing behavior that is not consistent with His new creation to the sin that still dwells within us. He knows the cause of our sinful behavior resides in the mortal part of us that will die or be changed. Our faith in what Jesus did for us allows Him to consider only the immortal part of us, which He will soon clothe in perfection. This is the only way He could guarantee our salvation from the time we became believers, because if it depended upon our behavior we would all have been lost again shortly after we were saved.

A License To Sin?

This interpretation of Scripture has been called “giving people a license to sin” by some. They love to cite hypothetical examples of worst case scenarios that frankly never happen. For example, I had one person warn me that if my interpretation ever became accepted by the majority of believers then, in his words, “Let the rape and pillage begin,” as if to say that unless Christians are held in check by the constant fear of losing their salvation there would be no end to the evil acts we would commit.

But those who make predictions of this sort overlook three important facts. The first is, by and large even unbelievers are reasonably well behaved, and they don’t have the fear of losing their salvation to restrain them. Romans 2:14 says those who don’t know God’s law, do by nature the things required by it, because it’s written on our hearts, and our own conscience acts as a guiding influence on our behavior.

The second is the indwelling Holy Spirit, sealed inside us when we were saved, to convict us of our sins, guide us into all truth, and counsel us on appropriate behavior. Remember, Paul said it’s God who makes us stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come (2 Cor. 1:21-22).

And the third is our gratitude. The great majority of those who believe we’re saved by grace through faith alone are so grateful for such an amazing gift that we try not to behave in ways that would embarrass the Lord in an attempt to express our gratitude. Paul called it “living up to what we’ve already attained” (Phil. 3:16).

Where Are You From?

It’s easy for us to lose sight of where we came from, so Paul reminded us in Ephesians 2. He began by saying that at one time we were dead in our transgressions and sins, by nature objects of wrath (Ephes. 2:1-3).
But because of His great love for us God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved (Ephes. 2:4-5).

Our relationship with the Lord is not due to the fact that one day we decided to clean ourselves up and make ourselves fit to be in His presence. In Ephes. 2: 8-9 he said we are saved by grace through faith, and not by works. God accepted us just as we are because of His mercy, and saved us because of His grace. Our only contribution was to ask in faith. And then, before we had done anything, good or bad, He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within us as a deposit, guaranteeing our inheritance (Ephes. 1:13-14).

We can’t claim our faith in God’s mercy and grace as the sole basis for our salvation and then demand that others meet certain behavioral standards in order to receive or maintain theirs. The fact that one person commits sins that are more obvious than others is irrelevant. Sin is sin, and we all do it.
He didn’t save us because we behave a certain way. He saved us because we believe a certain thing.

In A Nutshell

If you’re a human being, you’re a sinner. If you’re a saved human being, your faith in what Jesus did for you has allowed God to attribute your ongoing sinfulness to the sin that still lives within you. From His perspective it’s not you doing the sinning, but the sin that still lives within you. One day soon, you will shed that sinful part of yourself forever, and you will be clothed in perfection in preparation for your eternal life with the Lord. You will have finally been conformed to His image, just as God has always intended for you to be (Romans 8:29-30). Selah 11-08-14

Christian book industry 'sinks into the mire'

 Reposted from: World Net Daily

Exclusive: Jim Fletcher exposes dark underbelly of publishing 

Published: 12 hours ago

Jim Fletcher 

Blogger and researcher Jim Fletcher has worked in the book publishing industry for 15 years, and is now director of the apologetics group Prophecy Matters. His new book, "Truth Wins," provides important analysis of Rob Bell and his Emergent friends.

 

  I picked at a cranberry salad as my friend wolfed down a double-decker cheeseburger. He barely paused to wipe his mouth as he ranted about New York Times bestselling author (cue laugh track) Mark Driscoll’s hasty departure from the House that Mark Built, Mars Hill in Seattle. For those of you who have better things to do than keep up with the latest shenanigans within evangelicalism, Driscoll is the hipster loose cannon who recently succumbed to a year’s worth of bad publicity, spurred by his bad behavior.

Reports of spiritual abuse, plagiarism, misuse of ministry donations and other ugly issues forced the sometimes profane and always brazen Driscoll to resign as senior pastor. My calorie-ingesting friend was focused, however, on Driscoll’s “book writing” abilities.

“How many of these big ministry guys actually write their own books?” he asked.
I absentmindedly turned up my glass of water and two ice cubes hit me in the eye. I tried to appear nonplussed and continued pontificating on the state of Christian publishing.
“Well, it’s like this,” I blustered as I dabbed my eye with a napkin, “A few of them put in the work and actually write. But you’d be shocked and disgusted by how many of them don’t. It’s virtually a scam.”

The real scandal though? The absolute refusal of what some call the Evangelical Industrial Complex to acknowledge and discipline the jugheads within their own ranks.
Put researchers on the church payroll to compile your next bestseller? No problem, you are rewarded with conference speaking gigs to help promote the book.

Use the tithes of hard-working congregants to puff your book through a New York publicity firm? Congratulations, son, we’re going to distribute your stuff through the Catalyst network, good-old-boy Christian retail channels, etc.

Months ago, when Driscoll’s shoddy, plagiarism-driven books were outed by a few brave souls like Janet Mefferd, those exposing the wrongdoing were lambasted, while prominent evangelical leaders uttered nary a peep.

Think about it. Is Rick Warren going to reign in his protégé, Driscoll? Of course not. Did Driscoll’s outrageous behavior from the past disqualify him from speaking for Catalyst?
Are you kidding? There’s money to be made!

Rank-and-file Christians have no real idea how the Evangelical Industrial Complex controls the narrative within the American church. They do it through media and force of personality.
I know one – one – publisher still willing to produce hard-hitting books that will challenge evangelical leadership and inform the rank and file. The publisher recently told me that a brand new release (they require their authors to write their own books, btw) had sold 10,000 copies in the first month and was now in a third printing.

Praise God. Seriously.

Now, one can hope that the major publishers, who create, nurture (and, if necessary, prop up) the Mark Driscolls of the world will be more circumspect when signing up the new breed of evangelical “pastor.”

But that’s probably being too idealistic. No doubt Driscoll, already being rehabilitated by his friends before the ink was dry on his resignation, will emerge in some new ministry venue in 2015. He’ll take off for the holidays.

Days after departing Mars Hill, he was called to the stage to speak by the organizer of the Gateway Leadership & Worship Conference, Robert Morris.
Morris, a Dallas-based pastor, also made a crude comparison between Driscoll’s public “crucifixion” (because, you know, the Lord was crucified, too, by mean-spirited fundamentalists) and Jesus, and no one really blinked. In fact, there was applause.
So this is the state of Christian publishing today, by and large. Yes, you can rightly call me to task for painting with a broad brush; I acknowledge of course that there are fine efforts still going on within the industry.

But they are in the minority. So long as ICRS (International Christian Retail Show) allows books by change agents like Brian McLaren on the summer conference floor, and Warren, Bill Hybels, and Andy Stanley keep enabling spiritual abusers, publishing will continue to sink into the mire.
It’s a sorry state.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/11/christian-book-industry-sinks-into-the-mire/#3Xw3cyyedLQkGixJ.99

Peace and Religion Report.pdf

Peace and Religion Report.pdf

Interesting...What  do you think?

After 6000 years of written history and its lessons it taught us that we should have learned by now, the technological advances and the good will of men all over the planet to solve the overwhelming problems facing civilization, why are we on the brink of extinction?

This is the primordial question that should be the subject of reflection of every sentient and conscious human being. Maybe we are looking in the wrong place. This is what this blog is about.

We have all the facts, all the information we could ever need to make our planet a paradise on earth... keep on asking, keep on knocking, keep on seeking the one Creator who made you, who knows you, who loves you and the only one who can save your soul. Nobody else but you can unravel the mysteries of life to your own satisfaction, this is a personal quest. Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, but by me".

Today invest some time in looking for the answers to your soul´s questions. Read the Gospel of John humbly asking God to reveal  the truth of the Scriptures.

In John 7: 17, the Lord Jesus said of his Father and you and me: If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine (teaching), whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. 

For a personal testimony, read A single sentence that saved my life

Jean-Louis. 

Hollywood tackles the End Times with “Left Behind” film. But is “The Rapture” a Biblical concept, or a fictional plot device?

Reblogged from:Joel Rosenberg´s Blog
In Uncategorized on October 5, 2014 at 12:09 pm



This weekend, Hollywood tried to tackle one of the most intriguing and controversial topics in Biblical eschatology: “The Rapture.”

A new motion picture — Left Behind — starring Nicolas Cage and based on the best-selling novel series by Dr. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins was released on more than 1,700 screens nationwide. It depicts the sudden and cataclysmic disappearance of Christ-followers in the last days of human history.

I have not seen the film, and likely won’t for several months at least given my schedule here in Israel, so I cannot review or comment on it.
But I do want to discuss the concept upon which the novels and the film are based, and several related questions. Among them:

• What exactly is “The Rapture”?
• Is “The Rapture” a Biblical concept, or merely a fictional plot device?
• What does the term mean?
• What are the implications of “The Rapture”?

While the Bible does not indicate precisely when the Rapture will happen, the Holy Scriptures do teach that all true followers of Jesus Christ will be removed from the earth prior to the beginning of the Tribulation. 

Because God has not chosen believers to suffer the wrath of the Tribulation, people who have received Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord prior to the Rapture will thus be rescued from the worst of the persecution, wars, natural disasters, and judgments that the Book of Revelation, the book of Daniel, and other Scriptures explain will occur during the seven years leading up to the Day of the Lord. People who are not born-again believers in Christ at the moment of the Rapture will remain on the earth.

If a person honestly and genuinely repents of his or her sins and receives Christ as his or her personal Savior and Lord at any point after the Rapture — including during the Tribulation — the Bible teaches that person will without a doubt be forgiven of all sin, be regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God, and be saved from ultimate judgment. This is God’s grace and mercy, and it will be available even after the Rapture, though the Bible indicates that such new believers will still have to endure the terrors that will occur on the earth during that time. Indeed, many will face martyrdom. Only those who are believers before the Rapture will be saved both spiritually and physically from the wrath to come.

Read more: Joel Rosenberg´s blog

Muslim Areas Of Sweden Are No-Go Zones For Swedish Police - Investors.com

Political Correctness: The perils of multiculturalism and open borders have reached critical mass in Sweden. There are Muslim enclaves where postal, fire and other essential services — even police officers themselves —require police protection.

A police report released last month identifies 55 of these "no-go zones" in Sweden. These zones are similar to others that have popped up in Europe in recent years. They formed as large Muslim populations emigrating to politically correct and tolerant European states refuse to assimilate and set up virtual states within a state where the authorities fear to tread.

Soeren Kern of the Hudson Institute has documented the proliferation of these zones. They are de facto Muslim micro-states under Shariah law that reject Western values, society and legal systems. In these districts non-Muslims are expected to conform to the dictates of fundamentalist Islam or face violent consequences.

"A more precise name for these zones," says Middle Eastern expert Daniel Pipes, "would be Dar al-Islam — the House of Islam or the place where Islam rules."

Read More At Investor's Business Daily: 

Follow us: @IBDinvestors on Twitter | InvestorsBusinessDaily on Facebook

Muslim Areas Of Sweden Are No-Go Zones For Swedish Police - Investors.com

Note from this blog´s author:   Could it happen in the US? Give it a few years of inertia, complacency on the part of the general population and a hard push from the subversive, progressive elements in the country, given the lack of control at the borders and the untenable situation in the Middle-East, one day we might wake up with a call of worship to Allah and worse instead of a rooster call or Good Morning America. We will see what the Republican victory will bring.

The Day of the Lord - Hal Lindsey Report

This morning I was greatly encouraged  by this timely video. Here are the verses that remind us to keep our shield of FAITH up as the Holy Spirit who has poured the LOVE of God in our hearts and keeps refilling us so we can love him and others as an active manifestation and expression of our faith in action. 

⁴ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you ^[a]like a thief; ⁵ for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; ⁶ so then let us not sleep as ^[b]others do, but let us be alert and ^[c]sober. ⁷ For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. ⁸ But since we are of the day, let us be ^[d]sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. ¹¹ Therefore ^[e]encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-11 (NASB)

Faith and love go together in providing balance and stability to our hearts and mind in these hard times of trials and tribulation. 

 Another verse about the hope related to the love that God has for us comes to mind: 

See ^[a]how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. ² Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. ³ And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.  I John 3:1-3.


The HOPE of the resurrection of our bodies is a strong component of that faith: Peter expresses this hope in these terms:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various ^[a]trials, ⁷ so that the ^[b]proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which ^[c]is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 
I Peter 1:3-7

Misusing Malachi 3:8-10 - Qs and As

Reposted from http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher

Friday, October 31st, 2014 

Tithing

Q.  On more than one occasion, by more than one spirit filled minister, I have heard the teaching that if we as Christians don’t give 10% of what we get to the Church then we are ‘stealing from God’.  The only scripture they offer to support that statement is in Mal.3 where the priests were actually stealing the tithes to use for themselves.  I have totally rejected this teaching with my comment; “You’re saying then that Jesus’ sacrifice is not enough, and we must buy our way into Heaven?”


A.  Tithing and Salvation are not connected.  No matter how much you give you can’t buy your way into heaven, nor is tithing ever presented that way in the Bible.

It seems clear to me that when God said the Israelites were robbing from Him by not bringing the full tithe into the storehouse that’s exactly what He meant (Malachi 3:8-10).  It wasn’t that the priests were stealing the tithes, it was that the people weren’t bringing them.  Tithing was required by law and by not doing so the people were breaking the law, in effect stealing from God.

But pastors who quote Malachi 3:8-10 in an effort to get more money from their congregations today are misusing the passage.  In the Old Testament people tithed out of obedience, but in the New Testament we do it out of gratitude.

Paul said whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly and whoever sows generously will reap generously, but we are to decide in our own heart what to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:6-7).  Jesus said with the measure we use in giving to the needs of others it will be measured to us (Luke 6:38).  In other words, our generosity toward others will determine His generosity toward us.

We are not under the Law but under Grace.  No other group in the history of mankind has been or will be as blessed as we are, and our generosity is one of the ways we can express our gratitude for that.