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Posts Tagged 'eschatology'
When We All Get To Heaven
Posted by Job on October 12, 2014
Posted in Christianity, devotional | Tagged: Adrian Rogers, comfort, deliverance, doctrine, eschatology, heaven, hell, lake of fire, last things, preaching, salvation, sermon, teaching | Leave a Comment »
Charles Spurgeon Sermon – Heaven and Hell
Posted by Job on February 1, 2012
Posted in Jesus Christ | Tagged: Baptist, Calvinism, charles spurgeon, Christianity, damnation, doctrine, endtimes, eschatology, eternal damnation, eternal punishment, final state, final status, heaven, hell, lake of fire, last things, new jerusalem, Particular Baptist, Reformed Baptist, saints, salvation, sermon, sinners, soul sleep, video | Leave a Comment »
Graceworx: Is Salvation Forever?
Posted by Job on February 1, 2012
Posted in Jesus Christ | Tagged: assurance of salvation, Baptist, Calvinist, Christianity, endtimes, eschatology, eternal, eternal salvation, eternity, forever, once saved always saved, perseverance of the saints, preaching, reformed, salvation, sermon, video | Leave a Comment »
Graceworx: The Reign Of Jesus Christ As Prophesied By Psalm 2
Posted by Job on February 1, 2012
Posted in Jesus Christ | Tagged: Christianity, endtimes, eschatology, Jesus Christ, preaching, prophecy, psalm 2, sermon, video | 1 Comment »
T.D. Jakes Exposed For The Heretical Liar That He Is And What It Means For The Church
Posted by Job on January 26, 2012
All right folks. I said that I was going to give this online discernment ministry thing up. The first reason was that there were too many false teachers and doctrines to keep track of. The second reason was that based on my interactions with those following these false preachers even after their unBiblical scandalous doctrines and behavior had been exposed that folks were going to believe what they choose to believe anyway. The third was that I had felt that I had adequately addressed the issue with the 3 years of blogging that I did dedicate to the topic. The fourth was that I felt that the best way to combat error was with the truth, so I decided to take this site in a more exegetical direction. And the last of those was also chosen for practical reasons: I no longer have the time to answer comments and interact with people that I did back when I made exposing false teachers so writing about scripture's meaning and application seemed to be a superior use of time (and yes I do need to get back to writing about the Bible).
But the T.D. Jakes issue is timely right now due to Jakes' recent appearance at a respected evangelical event of some estimation where he was "interviewed" by Mark Driscoll, where the topic of Jakes' rejection of the Holy Trinity was discussed. Now I don't mean to attack anybody, but one Christian blogger quickly proclaimed Jakes's statement satisfies me that he is a Trinitarian and that we should celebrate that Jakes has joined the Trinitarian camp. (Which, er, makes all his time as a false preaching modalist heretic and the people that he deceived during that time "ok" I guess. The truth is that at best he was an unregenerate false teacher when he was in the pulpit before, and even if he believes in the Holy Trinity NOW and is born again NOW, he has no business in the pulpit. His previous experience and service is worthless, and he needs to take his place in the pews learning from an actual Christian pastor. Otherwise, we can go get Jewish rabbis, Catholic priests, Buddhist monks, Muslim imams, and liberal "Christians" who perform homosexual "marriage" ceremonies and put them into the pulpit immediately after they say a salvation prayer.)
Another Christian blogger made a similar – though more guarded – statement: "By far, the session that was most anticipated was the one in which T. D. Jakes was asked to clarify his position on the Trinity. Thankfully, he did so – though perhaps not in a way that would satisfy all of his critics. I believe we should celebrate his affirmation of the truth that there is one God in three Persons."
The problem with doing so: Jakes own words on the Holy Trinity in the past and present. Now, here is a link to the transcript of the Elephant Room session, judge Jakes for yourself. But what follows is MY evaluation.
Part 1: I used to follow T.D. Jakes. Now … not so much. Without calling him a liar (while actually, you know, calling him a liar) allow me to propose that just because Jakes says something does not make it so. So … just because Jakes says that he believes "One God three Persons" DOES NOT MEAN that we should take it at face value. Jakes has been "less than forthcoming" on many issues in the past, so he does not deserve the benefit of the doubt. Just because Jakes is in the pulpit and calls himself a Christian does not mean that we should believe what he says. So no, listening to what he says and being "satisfied" requires a presumption that he is telling the truth, a presumption that he does not merit. Does that sound harsh, the bitter words of someone who has "church hurt" as it is called? Well keep reading.
Now in one context I can be SYMPATHETIC to Jakes' views because I don't like the wording or terminology used by the Cappadocian fathers myself. But this unease with the Cappadocian formulation needs to be addressed by someone other than Jakes. Why? Because Jakes has been known to be less than honest with the truth, and not merely on this issue. Recall that when Jakes was first challenged on the Trinity doctrine by Christianity Today, he submitted a modalist doctrinal statement that he insisted be accepted as Trinitarian!
Do not take my word on this: another ministry came to the same conclusion, that Jakes was dishonestly trying to pass off modalist heresy for orthodoxy. When challenged on it, he dissembled, claiming that his views on the Trinity were adapting and growing, that he was studying and learning more about it, and how Christians need to stop all this infighting and arguing about such things as minor differences in phraseology and get to the weightier matters of the kingdom, and such excuses for retaining and defending heresy as "these things are too mysterious to be comprehended or explained." Jakes even resorted to race-baiting, stating "Christians will never agree on every theological issue any more than the colors of our skin will all suddenly match." So, if Jakes was a liar and a demagogue on this Trinity issue in the past,why should we presume that he is any different now? What has changed to make us presume that Jakes has changed? Especially since he is still preaching heresies in other areas, such as the prosperity doctrine and trying to pass off ecstatic babbling done by mystics in many false religions as "speaking in tongues"?
Part II: From the transcript, it really does appear as if Jakes is fine with "persons" in his Trinitarian statement so long as "persons" is synonymous with "manifestations." Basically, he says, "well, so long as I can call a 'person' a 'manifestation' then I am Trinitarian." He says "My doctrinal statement is no different from yours except the word" – and Driscoll finishes his thought – "manifestations." What he says next is a amazing.
"Manifest instead of persons. Which you describe as modalist, but I describe it as Pauline. When I read…let me show you what I'm talking about…when I read I Timothy 3:16 – I didn't create this, Paul did." And then he goes onto the time-honored modalist lying techniques from the pit of hell: "I think it's important that we realize that our God is beyond our intellect. And if you can define Him and completely describe Him and say you are the end-all definition of who God is, then He ceases to be God. Because the reason Paul says it is a mystery, is that we deify the fact that God does things that don't fit our formulas. And because people's formulas and understandings of a description of an unbiblical God did doesn't make them demonic."
Let us go to his abuse of I Timothy 3:16. Yes, the King James Version that many oneness pentecostal liars claim is the only translation – and I used to be KJV-Only myself, and still today am KJV-Preferred, but not because of the translation itself but the texts used to produce the translation, as I believe text criticism used to produce the new manuscripts is a false science – reads "manifest" as its rendering of the Greek word phaneroō. But other versions translate phaneroō to be "appeared" and "revealed!"
Another thing: phaneroō's definitions: "to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way." So, rather than being a "mode" or "state" or "relationship" after the doctrines of the oneness heretics (for example, as water has a liquid, solid and gas manifestation as water, ice and vapor) phaneroō' in this context merely meant how God was shown to men! That is revelation, after the same manner that the Greek word apokalypsis was used in Revelation 1:1. Paul could have just as easily used apokalypsis instead of phaneroō!
Further, according to the definition, what can phaneroō "reveal" or "manifest"? A PERSON! It is right here in definition 1d in a common Bible lexicon placed online via BlueletterBible.com:
1) to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way
a) make actual and visible, realised
b) to make known by teaching
c) to become manifest, be made known
d) of a person
1) expose to view, make manifest, to show one's self, appear
e) to become known, to be plainly recognised, thoroughly understood
1) who and what one is
Jakes is exposed as a liar by exegesis of the very text that he used to claim that he was telling the truth! In this Jakes fulfilled the prophecy in Psalm 10:2, which reads "The wicked in [his] pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined."
Now the dictionary entry makes the Cappadocian utilization of "Person" more justifiable in my mind and it who knows, the Cappadocian fathers might have relied heavily on 1 Timothy 3:16 when they formulated their Trinity doctrine (which would make Jakes' abuse of that text still more ironic) because that text refers to the revelation of the Person of Jesus Christ and not the mere exhibition of a mode of existence or relationship (and moreover this revelation refers to Christ's existence being shown to the world; for phaneroō to have the meaning that Jakes claims that it does, THE TERM WOULD HAVE TO REFER TO HIS INCARNATION IN THE WOMB OF MARY, NOT HIS EXISTENCE AND WORKS BEING WITNESSED BY MEN, WHICH IS THE TRUE CONTEXT OF 1 Peter 3:16 AS WELL AS REVELATION 1:1, WHICH AGAIN IS WHY APOKALYPSIS COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN USED INSTEAD) but I confess to still uneasy with it. But the difference between me and Jakes is that JAKES IS LYING. That is the bottom line.
But you know what? This is not truly about Jakes anyway. The reason is that anyone who goes and clicks on the T.D. Jakes category on this blog will know why no legitimate Christian pastor should touch Jakes with a 10 foot pole, unless that pastor has been instructed by God to smite Jakes with it. Instead, it is about the people that are embracing him. It is one thing for the decadent TBN (who has their own tag) Pentecostal abomination to embrace Jakes, and please recall that it was TBN who made Jakes into an international figure. TBN is run by a man who paid off a TBN employee with whom he had a homosexual encounter with, and has since been sued by another man making the same charges. These charges and the many other scandals are commonly known by those who patronize that network anyway and … well now you see why I felt that there were better uses of my time than exposing people who have already been exposed because people simply do not care!
But now, TD Jakes is being embraced by the "more respectable" corners of evangelical Christianity as represented by (ironically named) The Gospel Coalition, which includes some of the most prominent pastors and theologians in evangelical Christianity today. Now of course, there was significant "debate" over inviting Jakes. The fears of those objecting were quite founded, as it resulted in Mark Driscoll, himself a very troubling personality, doing very much to rehabilitate Jakes, largely because of Driscoll's own desire to push his false anti-cessationist doctrines into the Reformed/Calvinistic evangelical movement. Also, those who would have challenged Jakes rather than accommodate him were not allowed to participate. But the fact that there was even a debate at all shows how far gone the evangelical landscape is! Having Jakes in the Elephant Room should have been as much a nonstarter as having Richard Dawkins or Pope Benedict!
And that brings us to the real issue: further evidence that the evangelical church in America is veering off the rails. (It is such times that even people who MILDLY stand against Jakes and his lies are the ones to be mocked, opposed and condemned.) Is the great apostasy, the great falling away of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 upon us? This event is prophesied in scripture, and will come to pass. It is a very tragic development in and of itself, but 2 Thess 2:3 tells us that the great falling away is a precursor to – or more accurately a precondition for – the coming of the beast, the anti-Christ, the man of sin, which occurs during the great tribulation. It is my position that the church will experience this great tribulation, and not be raptured from or otherwise escape it, as many pastors and teachers propose. So as difficult as things are now for the church as evidenced by its willingness to not only suffer but endorse and promote such false teachers as Jakes, it is only paving the way for even tougher times to come. Christian, watch and discern the times. Pray. Be strengthened and encouraged in the Lord so that you will not be deceived, that you will resist temptation, and stay in the faith.
For those of you not in the faith, realize that the proliferation of false doctrines and those who gain wealth, fame and power by teaching them does not undermine Christianity, but rather is evidence that the Bible is true, for Jesus Christ Himself and His apostles predicted that such a time as this would come thousands of years ago; Christ referred to men such as Jakes as ravening wolves in sheep's clothing. That many will follow such people is evidence that narrow is the gate that leads to salvation, and wide is that which leads to destruction!
Enter into the narrow gate. Be saved in the Name of Jesus Christ. Repent of your sins, believe in Jesus Christ. Follow
The Three Step Salvation Plan
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Posted in Bible, Christianity, false doctrine, false religion, false teaching, Jesus Christ | Tagged: anti - Christ, apokalypsis, apostasy, beast, discernment, elephant room, endtimes, eschatology, evangelical, evangelicalism, faith, fulfilled prophecy, great apostasy, great falling away, heresy, holy trinity, homosexuality, man of sin, Mark Driscoll, modalism, oneness pentecostalism, online discernment ministries, online discernment ministry, phaneroō, prophecy, prosperity doctrine, Prosperity Gospel, sound doctrine, T.D. Jakes, TD Jakes, trinity | 5 Comments »
From Handel's Messiah: Behold I Tell You A Mystery/The Trumpet Shall Sound!
Posted by Job on April 13, 2011
For those not predisposed to Christian rap, perhaps this will be more to your liking :-)!
Posted in Bible, Christianity, Jesus Christ | Tagged: classical, endtimes, eschatology, gospel, Handel, Messiah, music, mystery, prophecy, rapture, video, we shall all be changed | 1 Comment »
Christians Should Not Support The War On Terror
Posted by Job on April 1, 2011
On September 11th, Muslim men hi-jacked several airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and one of them crashed in rural Pennsylvania due to a passenger uprising that prevented it from hitting its target. This was only the second attack by Muslims on the World Trade Center, and followed a pattern of escalating violence by Muslims against our interests, such as bombing our embassies in Africa and an attack on the U.S.S. Cole.
Since these events, America has conducted military action against three Muslim nations – Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya – while supporting military actions of other nations against some other Muslim nations, namely Ethiopia against Somalia. Further, America would have also attacked Iran by now were Iran not so strong militarily and economically, and may yet attack Iran also down the line if forced to.
So, we are in a war against Islam, correct? A thousand times no. No less than George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton and a number of other people in positions of power have made it clear: this is not a war against Islam! Instead, it is a war against terrorism, or a war on terror. In other words, this is not a religious war – for the United States and its principle allies are secular – but an ideological war. So, the United States, and indeed a international community which now must necessarily include the United Nations thanks to their recent resolution authorizing military force in Libya, is committed to waging ideological warfare.
Make no mistake: the problem with Saddam Hussein, Usama bin Laden, Muammar Qadaffi, the Republic of Iran etc. is not that they are Muslims. If you want further evidence of that, witness Peter King's hearings. Despite the claims of the liberals in the media otherwise, the target was not Muslims as a religion, or as a people or culture who are given over to this barbaric cult born of a demon who abused and entered into M0hammed. (Please note: Christians are to love our neighbors and our enemies, so the teachings of the sermon on the mount of Jesus Christ most certainly applies to our interactions with Muslims.) Instead, it was "radical" Muslims, meaning those who are "anti-American", or "anti-western" or "anti-democracy." (Please note: opposing Israel is just fine.)
One may wonder why Great Britain, our most reliable ally in going to warfare in the Middle East, cares about a bunch of anti-American Muslims. Or why the United Nations, which is weakening Iran with sanctions, did the same to Iraq, and now authorized military action against Libya, cares about being "anti-western." The answer: these things, especially being "anti-democracy", are merely euphemisms, stand-ins, for opposing the new world order. That is why Abu Mazen, or Mahmoud Abbas, despite being a Muslim terrorist with the blood of innocent Jews on his hands and longtime member of the terrorist P.L.O., is not the target of a war on terror. This Abbas is the leader of a U.N. funded and supported Palestinian Authority, and oft states his desire to create a democracy in Palestine that will be pro-western and pro-United Nations, and a model for other Arab and Muslim regimes. That is why Abbas gets a blank check (both literally and figuratively) from the international community, and Qaddafi gets bombs. (And keep in mind: the international community, including the Bush administration, courted Qaddafi for years, including endorsing his plans to work to centralize the governments and militaries of Africa, before turning on him when he refused to step down in favor of a democratic government.)
So, if being a "terrorist" is not a function of A) your religion, B) your nationality, C) your culture, D) your own membership in a known terrorist organization that affiliates with other terror organizations and regimes and E) your own personal terrorist acts (again, all of which would indict Abbas) but is instead being one who opposes the prevailing worldly ideology, where does that leave Christians who adhere to a legitimate New Testament faith? Precisely.
Rather than going to war against Muslims, the goal is to get Muslims to join the U.N., to join NATO, to join the EU, to participate in these globalist concerns. Muslim Turkey, which persecutes Christians to the outrage of absolutely no one of influence, is very influential in the U.N., a member of NATO and will ultimately join the EU. Right now, a carrot or stick approach is being taken with the Muslim world. Join the emerging world order, and you get a carrot. Refuse, and you get a stick, and replaced with leaders who will take the carrot. Again, this is not a function of the Muslim faith, culture or proclivity to violent jihad. Instead, it is a function of the support for the coming global consensus.
As it is with Muslims, so will it soon be with Christians. Germany, who persecuted legitimate Christians during the reign of Hitler, is now jailing Christians who object to their wicked public education system. One family took their case to the EU on religious freedom grounds, and the EU sided with the German government. At least one African nation is now taking similar actions against Christian parents who homeschool, claiming that it violates the United Nation's "rights of the child" treaty. Many other examples abound.
Make no mistake: one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. The day will come when being willing to publicly stand for the freedom from sin that comes from being a bondslave to Jesus Christ will cause you to be labeled a terrorist. This will not be merely because of the stands that Christianity takes against abortion, homosexuality and other moral/family issues. As the movie "The Time Changer" succinctly stated, Satan is not against good morals and values, but he is against Jesus Christ and His church, those who keep His commandments and bear His testimony.
Merely being a Christian will be a crime, whether you are a conservative culture warrior who pickets abortion clinics and hands out tracts at "gay pride" events, or a Christian who is relatively liberal on all points that do not transgress the Bible. And when that day comes, the terrorist will be the Christian, and the war will be against the Christian. These days will climax during the time of the great tribulation, when the anti-Christ will be given power to make war against the saints, and to overcome (most of) them. Many Christians will endure great tribulation, including a martyr's death. Will you stand in those days?
So, Christian, knowing what the "war on terror" will ultimately lead to, how counterproductive is it, how worldly and revealing the lack of a mind renewed from it, would it be to support this abomination NOW? The answer is yours.
If you are not a Christian, make no mistake: being an enemy of the world and its wickedness is part of friendship with Jesus Christ. The good news is that this world and its wickedness will be destroyed and Jesus Christ and His saints will reign forever! You can be a part of this reign by repenting of your worldliness, your sins and:
Following The Three Step Salvation Plan!
Posted in abomination, anti - Christ, Bible, catholic, Christianity, church state, civil rights, endtimes, globalism, government, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Jesus Christ, Judaism, late great planet earth, Left Behind, man of sin, mark of the beast, Middle East peace process, Muslim, Muslim Brotherhood | Tagged: eschatology, globalism, new world order, one world government, one world religion, prophecy, war on terror, war on terrorism | 1 Comment »
Solomon, Egypt, Democracy, Folly And Liberation Theology
Posted by Job on February 25, 2011
At the time of this writing, for the past several weeks have seen "democracy protests" in the Middle East and in Arab and Muslim nations. They apparently began in Tunisia, have resulted in the demise of at least two governments (Tunisia and Egypt), seem to have Libya at the point of crisis, and show signs of spreading to other nations like Iran, Iraq and Jordan, and have seemed to inspire political demonstrations and rallies in many various places of the world. I haven't had the spare time required to follow these events with any intensity and detail – whether over the Internet or on TV – as I most certainly would have in years past. Also, I haven't attempted any detailed speculation to these events "from a Biblical perspective", especially as it relates to prophecy and eschatology (such as the endtimes, Israel and the coming one world government and religion). So, other than a personal suspicion totally lacking in factual basis than the American intelligence community (CIA et. al.) has had a hand in coordinating and driving this, with regards to specifics I don't have much to say.
However, in terms of the general issues that these protests raise, I can and will contribute a little bit, primarily about how so many people, including not a few Christians, are absolutely, totally convinced that these protests are a good idea, that the general wishes of the protesters should be respected, and that it has the potential to lead to good, positive changes in the Middle East. This honestly does seem to be the consensus opinion. Further, the primary basis for dissent from the main opinion – that these protests are good and positive – is that these developments are negative only because it may lead to violent anti-western groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and the Iranian government to step into the leadership vacuum and assert themselves. Based on this, we can presume that even the dissenters would be supportive of this massive movement to overthrow civil governments if the new governments that resulted were more to their personal liking.
So, most people believe that these protests are a positive development, and most of the rest would also if they could be assured a "pro-western" ultimate outcome. And to me, that is absolutely incredible, and not in a good way. It is appalling, shocking, disturbing, frightening, and any number of "bad ings". That most people apparently do not share this view – or if they share it, they do so for reasons of self interest – shows just how deep the 1960s protest ideology has embedded itself in our modern culture, so deep that it is no longer oft directly challenged even by Christians. And that is evidence of how our modern culture has so thoroughly embraced a humanistic mindset marked by a complete and total rejection of God and a Biblical worldview.
Let it be known that the Bible does not not endorse rebellion or anarchy. Quite the contrary, the Bible refers to those as evil and sinful, and judges the men and ideologies who promote them the same. And if rebellion, anarchy, lawlessness and violence isn't what happened on the streets of Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and what have you, what is? Also, we are told what a "great thing" it is that this protest movement is being led by young people in their 20s and 30s, just as was our own 1960s counterculture. Are we not aware that the Bible says that the young should be instructed, trained and led by elders who are prudent and wise, and that societies where the prideful, vain and presumptuous youths cast off and usurp the place of the older, more tested leaders are those that are going to soon collapse? Didn't we learn ANYTHING from the turmoil in the Old Testament, such as in the time of the Judges, or in Israel (the Northern Kingdom) when they rebelled against the Davidic monarchy in Judah?
And no, the fact that these people are rebelling against authoritarian regimes in favor of democracy does not make things any better. It must be clearly stated: the Bible at no point advocates democracy. Quite the contrary, when the Bible appears to deal with the general concept, it lends a negative judgment to it, as if it is the product of proud people who reject God's governance in favor of self-rule. I am reading through the late Merrill Tenney's "Interpreting Revelation" right now, and the author did note the tendency to desire to rule oneself apart from God's guidance or law was evident in both Cain's building a city and in the building of Babylon and the Tower of Babel.
Make no mistake: when the Bible calls civil government "the servant of God" in Romans 13 and instructs us to be render under Caesar that which is Caesar's and to be subject to and pray for our leaders elsewhere in the New Testament, there was no "so long as the governments in question are democracies" caveat. Quite the contrary, the governments in view – and the only governments that the ancient world that produced the Bible were aware of – were regimes that by our modern western standards would be considered brutal, authoritarian, repressive etc. and begging to be overthrown and replaced with a modern, progressive one with a representative parliament, a constitution guaranteeing individual rights and separation of powers, and of course consenting to the ultimate overlordship of the United Nations.
And consider another angle: the Bible clearly speaks of and declares the absolute monarchy of Jesus Christ over the church (and ultimately creation) with pastors as His representatives and the Bible as His ruling document. What better method of subverting this model than promoting a mindset where individual human free will agency is the highest, most cherished prize, and that anything that would tend to limit this – such as a monarchy – is evil and oppressive? Far better to cast off ideas of "organized religion" in favor of self-styled "spirituality" where each person is his own ultimate authority (imagine no pastors, and no authoritative canon of scripture or interpretation thereof!). Or alternatively, ecclesiastical bodies with elected representatives can sit as judges. Women pastors? Won by majority vote! Homosexual church officers! The majority carries the day! Many paths to heaven? The majority sided with the newer, more inclusive hermeneutics. The inerrancy and authority of scripture? Sorry, that idea didn't get to 50% among the delegates to the convention!
But let us go back to Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and these other places where these brave young democrats are willing to die – and kill – for these new societies, where Twitter and Facebook are apparently changing the world (with the help of . First off, apply this to our own countries in the west … America, France, Canada, Germany, Great Britain etc. Imagine if all of a sudden our own young people took to the streets for a week, a month, a year, or five years and demanded that OUR governments be replaced. Imagine if it were our own high school and college students (helped by the government of Iran or Russia) creating some Facebook page about how we need to get rid of our oppressive, restrictive uncool governments in favor of something proposed by George Clooney and Lady Gaga. And imagine if the other governments of the world – and the United Nations – sided with these kids and told us that we should hand over our own perfectly legitimate and functional governments … or else. Sound like a good idea to you? Of course not. So what on earth makes it a good idea for Egypt or anyplace else? Either the people who are backing this actually WANT the mass confusion (which just may be the case) or we in these last days actually have gotten this far removed from concepts of right and wrong, order and disorder, propriety and impropriety, decency and vulgarity that we now believe that pressuring sovereign nations to hand over control of their governments to a bunch of violent seditious kids somehow represents progress.
And it wouldn't shock me the least if there wasn't at least one preacher or pastor out there who would call it just that. And I am not just talking about the liberation theology pastors who believe that overthrowing authoritarian regimes and powerful corporations in order to provide economic, political and social benefits to oppressed populations is the aim of the Bible. Instead, not a few conservative evangelical or fundamentalist Christian pastors would fully support what is happening in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Iran, Iraq etc. so long as the result is a pro-western democracy rather than a sharia law state that sponsors terrorism. That is because so many western Christians have wedded and melded representative democracy, capitalism, individual human rights, and other western ideas into their view of the Bible. Romans 13 and similar? Situational. Open to interpretation. Not the highest or final authority in every society in all times!
In order to try, challenge and prove this "democracy revolution", we need to go to the streets – or the Twitter pages – and ask these bold revolutionaries what they want. Many will say "We want freedom." I say "fine, but what is freedom? How will you exercise this freedom? What is it that you want the freedom to do? And the things that you have not been free to do before today, what effect does their absence really have on your life?" How many of these 28 year old men and women that have been willing to face down folks toting guns (or should I say, the legitimate representatives of their legitimate governments!) would be willing to give a satisfactory answer to these questions? I will tell you the answer to: none of them. Why? Because none exists. The reason is that outside of Jesus Christ, no freedom exists. Instead, all there exists is a soul's bondage to sin, and the soul that sinneth shall die.
OK, so forget about freedom. What else do these MTV generation revolutionaries (assuming that anyone even watches MTV anymore, so I guess I should say "YouTube generation", and that's assuming that's still popular either) care about? They'll tell you that they want money. Class mobility. The ability to earn money, to earn even more money, to keep and invest it. OK, fine. How much money do you need? $1,000? If I give you $1,000, will you get out of the streets and stop doing your part to allow the United Nations to take over your country? Oh, you want more than that. You want $5,000 and a car. Or maybe $15,000 and a house. Maybe you want $50,000 and a college education. Or $1 million, a yacht, a summer home in Dubai, and VIP status in Las Vegas. Will that make you happy? Truthfully, of course not. Money doesn't make people happy. You can find more miserable people in an expensive American gated community with million dollar homes than you can in some third world village where everyone is living in tiny mud huts. The reason is that true riches, true wealth, is only through identification with Jesus Christ. Everything else is something that rust can corrupt and thieves can steal. Or something that won't make a bit of difference to you if you are lying on your deathbed with a few hours to live. I guess in such an instance, a few dollars for drugs to ease the pain in your last moments on earth would have some merit, but we all know that the folks on the streets working to overthrow their governments don't have that on their minds. Instead, they are convinced that they are going to live forever – or at least a very long time – and want more money to do it with, thinking that it will make them happier with their lot if they do. The prosperity doctrine according to Middle Eastern street revolutionaries. Well, the true gospel of Jesus Christ says that godliness and contentment are great gain.
Or what about the principle of the matter? What about simply wanting a better, more honest, more open system of government? What about justice, fairness and truth? To the revolutionary allow me to ask you the same question that Pilate asked Jesus Christ: "What is truth?" What piece of knowledge or system of knowledge is there that will satisfy you? Will make you truly happy? Will answer all your questions? Will meet all your needs? The answer is simple: outside of Jesus Christ, there is none. All else is an inadequate partial truth at best, or a delusion and a lie.
It is inescapable, then, that this battle for democracy in the Middle East is the same as is all worldly battles: vanity. We know this from Solomon. Freedom? Solomon had it, for he was king. Truth? Solomon had it, for he was the wisest man that ever lived. Wealth? Solomon had it, for he was the richest man in the world. All of those things and more Solomon had, and they didn't make him happy. Instead, Solomon found them to be vanity. Why? Because God's Holy Spirit had departed from him because of his idolatry and apostasy. Despite having everything in his hands what these people in the Middle East are killing and dying for and more, Solomon was unhappy. As a result, everything that he had and possessed, everything that he even wanted and aspired to, was worthless. They were worthless precisely because of their very temporal and therefore attainable (at least for some) nature. By contrast, the things of Jesus Christ are the things that truly matter, and they last forever.
So, liberation theology and other religious movements that are primarily concerned with ideas and other things of this world, are vanity. The same can be said with any number of economic, social and political movements: vain, light limited and flawed things that will not last the test of time. Or, as it were, things that will no longer be when time is no more. And that is why despite living in an evil, authoritarian repressive pagan Roman Empire that was wicked to the core, Jesus Christ, Paul and Peter were still able to tell us to be subject to our government and leaders, and even to pray for them. The reason is that these governments only have rule over us for a time. We should be able to endure their inefficiencies, their imperfections, and even their outright wickedness because these things are only for a time. When that time – our time on earth – is at its end, they have no more rule or power over us. Instead, that is when we pass from the temporary, limited flawed rule of man to the permanent, unlimited and perfect rule of Jesus Christ. How is it that we can be counted worthy to enjoy the benefits of the latter if we so reject and despise the cost of the former, even if that cost is persecution unto death?
And this is not merely New Testament doctrine. Remember David as he was being persecuted by the wicked government of his day as embodied by King Saul and his soldiers as they hunted and sought to kill him, and later by Absalom and those loyal to him when they rebelled against David and tried to do the same. It was in the power of David to personally overthrow the wicked human government of Saul and institute a new government to his own liking by killing Saul and becoming king instead. But David refused to do such a thing, because David knew that by doing so, he was not actually rebelling against a wicked government, but against God. David knew that his own miserable circumstances did not justify taking matters into his own hands to correct them.
Instead, David was willing to let God deal with the problem in God's time and in God's manner. As David was a man after God's own heart, should we not do the same in response to our own turmoils and crises? That is not a popular idea in an American society that glorifies our own Revolutionary War with its tea party and "no taxation without representation" and Declaration of Independence and George Washington, but that is just more evidence that human ideas, Cain and Babylon inventions, are always going to be more popular than what the Bible says. That is why our duty as Christians isn't to do what is popular with the people as King Saul wanted to do, but instead to do what God commands us as King David did! We are to do what God commands as opposed to what feels good and seems right in our own eyes! What a radical concept!
And allow me to point out with regards to democracy, that Absalom nearly succeeded in deposing and murdering King David because he gained popularity with the people. And that Jeroboam was able to keep the Northern Kingdom of Israel from rejoining the house of David in Judah by appealing to the people. And that during the time of Israel's apostasy there were a multitude of false prophets who were very popular with the people. And the children of Israel in the desert provoked God to wrath by receiving the wicked report of the ten spies that was popular with the people.
So after all, what is democracy but power to the people who want to seek their own way instead of God's? Just as it was in the days of the Old Testament, it is so in the Middle East, that very same region of the world today. And just as King Rehoboam rejected the wise counsel of the elders in favor of the foolish counsel of the young when confronted with the first crisis in his kingdom, and had ten of the twelve tribes rebel against him as a result, the rulers of the world are siding with the foolish young leaders in the Middle East today. And how many Christian churches today are following the young because they are desperate to be hip and relevant? As it was then, it is today, and as they are, far too many of us are because we are worldly and carnal.
I cannot speak to the long term results of this Middle East turmoil. Its direct implications on issues like the church, Israel, the world governments and economy I do not know, and those are things that God knows and controls. For now, it is enough to say that the very fact that these demonstrations are being embraced, supported and promoted by so many people all over the world is a very troubling thing. It is evidence of how many rulers, leaders and people of this current world order have completely given themselves over to a strange, evil and wicked mindset that rejects order, decency and propriety in favor of presumptuous decadent confusion. I do not know what age or time this Middle East crisis is leading us into, but it is sufficient to say that the reaction to and support of the rebellious demonstrators in the streets over and against the legitimate rulers and governments of these nations is a judgment of the wickedness, depravity, hypocrisy and moral vacancy of our own times. And all such evil and wickedness is not just against man but also against God, and this is the same God that one day will judge all wickedness.
All one needs to do is read Revelation and realize that this judgment and punishment is a serious matter indeed. What a person must do is come out of this wickedness so that they will not be part of this judgment. When that time of judgment comes, do not be counted among the riotous, the seditious, the rebellious, and of the people who have vicarious pleasure in those who do such things. Instead, be counted among those who love the order and peace, which are those who love and trust Jesus Christ, who when He comes into His kingdom will not suffer any such rebellions but instead will rule the nations with the rod of iron. When Jesus Christ returns for His friends, even the last enemy of God's system of order and stability, death, will be defeated and cast into the lake of fire. Even so, come Lord Jesus!
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Posted in Bible, Christianity | Tagged: anti - Christ, arab revolt, beast, democracy, demonstrations, demonstrators, ecclesiastes, egypt, endtimes, eschatology, humanism, Israel, liberation theology, libya, new world order, prophecy, protesters, protests, sanctions, sedition, tunisia, United Nations | 3 Comments »
An Issue For Rapture Believers: Will The World Know That You Are Gone?
Posted by Job on January 2, 2011
It is the Christmas – New Year season, which means time for certain Christian broadcasters to air their cache of rapture/endtimes movies. Though I turned away from advocating a belief in the rapture a few years ago, I have never declared the doctrine to be clearly false and stated that its supporters are knowingly adhering to a false doctrine. (Now I should point out that some doctrines by some rapture/premillennial dispensational advocates are abominable heresies, but it appears that few pastors who teach the rapture and even fewer Christians who believe in it consent to them, and many of them are not not aware that these strange, outlandish doctrines exist.)
However, for those who do believe in the rapture, consider the "Left Behind" movies (and similar ones that were made before and since, not to mention a large number of novels) that depict this mass panic that grips the world upon the disappearance of a significant percentage of the world's population, and that this panic is exploited by the one world government and the anti-Christ. First off, the "global hysteria" doctrine appears nowhere in the Bible, but appears to be based entirely on assumptions. Of course, it is very logical, but God's works – and not just miracles – often exist outside of the boundaries of human logic. Second, the idea that the global hysteria will cause the one world government, one world religion and the rise of the anti-Christ is problematic, because – according to a literal reading of Revelation that assumes a literal timeline (the preferred hermeneutic of rapture adherents) the beast does not truly take power until halfway through the seven years. This contradicts popular rapture movies, which show the beast taking over – and in many depictions taking over a pre-existing political/military/economic/religious apparatus – almost immediately after the rapture as a direct response to the global emotional trauma and economic, political, etc. upheaval that it causes.
However, Christians who adhere to this doctrine should consider the opposite perspective: after the rapture, will the world even know that you are gone? Will they miss you? Consider three angles to this question.
1. According to every single survey on religious attitudes and beliefs, the vast majority of Bible believing Christians, whether evangelical, fundamentalist or traditional, do not lead lives that distinguish them from non-Christian people. Every ounce of data exists shows that these Christians exhibit no outward evidence of their faith other than showing up to church on Sunday. Almost none of the fruit-bearing that the New Testament speaks of is present in the lives of such Christians, many of whom do not even so much as invite their neighbors or co-workers to church on Sunday or into their homes for Bible study. So, were the rapture to occur, what is it that would make people notice that it is a rapture of Christians, as opposed to just a bunch of random people going missing? More to the point, if you personally were to be raptured, would most/half/any of the people who know you consider that it might be because you are a Christian?
2. Related to 1, minority of Christians that adhere to the rapture belief only believe in a partial rapture, stating that not all born again believers who will eventually enter heaven will be raptured, but only those who are counted most faithful and fruitful. This view has its advantages, as it does deal with the various Bible references to believers who will be alive and suffer during the great tribulation. (The "complete rapture" believers who espouse such doctrines as the persecuted believers are those who will be converted after the rapture – such as by the 144,000 Jews – do so despite a ton of logical consistencies in this belief, such as the Bible evidence in places such as Romans 10 that it takes an believer's preaching the gospel to convert an unbeliever, and also that conversion cannot take place without the Holy Spirit, which many/most "complete rapture" adherents believe will leave the earth with the church at the time of the rapture.) It also appears to be the view among the rapture adherents that makes the best use of scripture, including Jesus Christ's promise to the church in Revelation 3:10, "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."
But if this doctrine is true, then only a small percentage of the members of Christian churches and megachurches will be raptured. Instead of the practically empty churches that you see depicted in many of these rapture movies, instead, most or nearly all of these churches will be mostly filled with believers that are lukewarm (i.e. the Laodicea church) or possess varying degrees of the ills identified by Jesus Christ in the other 6 churches. If Revelation 2 and 3 are a guide and should be interpreted literally and mathematically, only 1 out of every 7 Christians will be raptured, and (again using the Laodicea example) virtually none of those will be in the churches that show outward signs of piety (i.e. large size, huge amenities, middle/upper class congregants taught by eloquent erudite pastors with huge support staffs, etc). Again, now this is not to say that these people won't be saved and ultimately wind up in heaven, but rather that they won't be raptured. And since the vast majority of people who regularly, faithfully attend Bible-believing churches and even perform good works won't be raptured because Jesus Christ will "have something against thee" (His common rebuke to 5 of the 7 churches, to all but Philadelphia and Smyrna, and it is pointed out that Jesus Christ didn't promise to keep Smyrna from great tribulation but rather to strengthen them as they endure it!), how will this be recognized as "a Christian rapture"? Especially since many of the left behind will in fact be Christians who adhere to the complete rapture doctrine, and may likely be ones who deny before the media and the world that a "Christian rapture" occurred because they will (truthfully I might add!) state that if there was a rapture of the entire church, they would have been included! Again, if it is only a partial, seemingly random number of Christians raptured, other explanations for their disappearance may abound, and the continuing presence of born-again Christians will be the main enabler of those alternate explanations.
3. This is somewhat related to the prior point. Consider the great falling away that the Bible states will happen before the return of Jesus Christ. If this is applied to the larger rapture doctrine framework, it fits the teachings of a lot of dispensationalists that the information to the seven churches in Revelation were of 7 church ages, which the last age being the Laodicea one. If the church falls into widespread apostasy similar to that of Old Testament Israel (which was a type that pointed to the church in many respects) just before the northern and southern kingdoms fell to Assyria and Babylon, then whether the issue is a full rapture or a partial one, there will be very few Christians to be taken up in the rapture indeed.
4. Consider that the Bible speaks of a strong delusion being sent by God in the endtimes that will cause people to believe a lie. If this can be interpreted with respect and applied to the rapture, it can either be in terms of 3.) the great apostasy resulting in a very tiny legitimate church when the rapture occurs or the fact that when the rapture occurs, people will delude themselves, lie to themselves about these missing persons in the first place. Many have interpreted this to believe that the strong delusion will cause people to deny the rapture and contrive other reasons for the disappearances (including alien abductions according to one such movie), but it is very plausible that the delusion will be of the nature that denying that the raptured souls ever existed in the first place, something that many in the mental health profession would describe as a trauma-induced dissociation as a coping mechanism.
Add it all up and Christians who believe in the rapture must challenge and question the idea popularized by so many rapture teachers that we are so precious, beloved and important to the world that our presence will cause a worldwide turmoil of the people of this world. Of course, it strokes our own egos and vanity to regard ourselves as being so important … how once we are gone, the world will literally go down the tubes because we will no longer be around to be police officers, bankers, teachers, spouses, parents, community leaders etc., and that people of the world will be so frightened, grief-stricken and left leaderless and impoverished by our loss that they will obviously turn to the anti-Christ and his system!
Wow. Think how that sounds. Think of how that sounds to Jesus Christ, the One who came not bragging about Himself, but who emptied Himself, made Himself of no reputation, humbly submitted Himself to the Will of the Father, and suffered the humiliation and torment of public rejection and public execution. When Jesus Christ died and returned to heaven, the world continued. But we are so important than when we depart this earth, the world spins out of control?
Also, it rejects a key thing about what Jesus Christ teaches about the church: we are not loved, cherished, exalted, embraced, even liked by the world. Instead, we are despised, hated and rejected by it. The world hates, persecutes and rejects us just as it does to our Head and Master, Jesus Christ. If we are Christ's own body, how can the world love us while hating Christ? If the world hates Jesus Christ because His light exposes that the world's deeds are wicked, then how on earth can the earth love our light?
Again, we are beloved, treasured and adored by God. We were important enough to God that He sent His only Son for us, and we were important enough to Jesus Christ that He obeyed and died for us. But the world views us as precisely the opposite. The world's father is not God but Satan, the prince of the power of the air, the same who was a murderer from the beginning and the truth is not in him, the same dragon who persecutes and afflicts the church.
So have no prideful delusions of our own importance, or of anyone loving and treasuring us but God. If the rapture doctrine is true and the event does occur, when it happens, rather than being driven to anguish and grief over our no longer being present, the world will rejoice and say "Good riddance … now we can REALLY get on with what we need and want to do!"
Any false notions otherwise are the product not of honest Bible study and interpretation but of human pride. Well please recall that pride comes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. This includes the fall of Satan, and the fall of Adam as well. Do not walk in their ways, but instead in the ways of Jesus Christ, who humbled Himself, lowered Himself, gracefully accepted His hard task, and never at any point deluded Himself about how hated and despised He was, not only by His own people, but even by one of His very own twelve that betrayed Him!
As Jesus Christ is our Master, those who adhere to the rapture doctrine must take a step back from what is commonly being taught and instead seek interpretations and applications of this doctrine that is consistent with the teachings of our Master and honors our Master.
If Jesus Christ is not your Master, then Satan is your master. If that is the case, when judgment day arrives, you will receive from Jesus Christ, who is Lord, the same punishment that Satan receives, which is eternal destruction in a lake of fire with no hope whatsoever of reprieve. Please turn away from your sins and submit to Jesus Christ as your Master. Do not delay, but do it quickly, for why would you wish to delay such a blessed thing as entering into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ? What is it that the world offers to make any delay worthwhile?
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Posted in Bible, Christianity, evangelism, false doctrine, false teaching, Russia | Tagged: anti - Christ, beast, caught up, Dispensationalism, dissociation, endtimes, eschatology, Holy Spirit, Left Behind, new world order, one world government, one world religion, Premillennial Dispensationalism, prophecy, rapio, rapture, strong delusion, vanity, worldliness | 2 Comments »
Our Blessed Hope For The Future By Dr. Iain Campbell
Posted by Job on January 1, 2011
Original sermon here.
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Posted in Bible, Christianity, evangelism, Jesus Christ | Tagged: audio, comfort, endtimes, eschatology, faith, hope, Iain Campbell, joy, peace, preaching, prophecy, salvation, sermon | Leave a Comment »
Why Christians Must Pray For The Salvation Of The Jews
Posted by Job on December 26, 2010
Upon leaving the dispensationalism that I was reared in, the question of precisely what position that I as a Christian should take towards the Jewish people and the Jewish state vexed me. Should I take the hostile position towards both that has been exhibited by many Christians throughout history, a position that cannot be reconciled with either the New Testament text or the wise words of Augustine? Should I continue the dispensational practice of preferring Judaism and Israel over other false religions and nation-states established around them? (What, for instance, justifies the Christian's being any more supportive of Jews and Israel than of Muslims and Saudi Arabia or Hindus and India?) I resolved this theological, intellectual and emotional internal conflict by choosing the path of Sweden, which is neutrality. I attempted to wash my hands of all things concerning Israel and Jewry and began to try to concern myself only with Christians as part of an attempt to remain more faithful to the Bible.
That is, until, I recently encountered a snippet of knowledge, the source of which I have since forgotten. It appears that in some setting at some time, some Christian was challenged to justify his faith in God by providing evidence or proof. This fellow responded to the effect that the best physical, tangible evidence of the existence of God and the truth of the Bible was the continued existence of the Jewish people. And it should be mentioned that the person who provided this bit of wisdom was no premillennial dispensationalist.
And the wisdom of this cannot be denied. Of all the people groups that have existed and passed into history, of all the languages, cultures, religions and traditions, what accounts for the dogged perseverance of the Jews? And has there been a more uniquely persecuted, hated, marginalized, discriminated against, and despised group of people throughout recorded history than the Jews? The attempts by the ungodly to destroy the Jews date back to the stated desire of Esau to murder Jacob and climaxed with Hitler's final solution, which nearly succeeded because no one, no nation stood up in their defense. And yet the Jews still exist while people groups have perished. Indeed, they have existed despite not controlling a sovereign homeland since 586 B.C. Why? It is not because of their strength, nor because it is of their great numbers. The only logical, rational, reasonable answer to the conundrum that is the continued existence of the Jewish people is that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob still lives, and is still protecting them.
But why is this? The mission of Israel has been completed. Though national Israel failed to accomplish the task, the Son of Israel, God's own Son, Jesus Christ, did so, and the result of Jesus Christ's fulfilling the law of Moses and dying on the cross for our sins is the church, composed of both Jew and Gentile. The law was a schoolmaster to point us to Jesus Christ, who has come from the Father, walked this earth in perfect obedience to the Father, returned to the Father, and now is in His high priestly role as intercessor between God and man, awaiting His second coming. So then, why is the continued existence of the Jewish people necessary?
The answer is found in Romans 11:25-27, which reads "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this [is] my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins."
We cannot be naive as touching this prophecy. Satan and the other enemies of God know this prophecy. They do not want this prophecy to be fulfilled. So, the enemies of God have been hard at work trying to prevent it from being fulfilled by attempting to destroy the ones who will be heirs to this prophesy and its promise from the face of the earth. Their attempts can be described by Psalm 2:1-3 "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, [saying], Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us."
And who can deny that these attempts are ongoing? The attacks against Israel and the Jews are increasing in their vehemence and frequency. And what is being done about it? Nothing. Now, I have toned down my "new world order" talk in recent months, but who can deny that this "new world order" of secularists, socialists, nationalists, Muslims and Catholics is very bad for both Jews and Bible-believing Christians? Look at what is going on in the world … Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, the European Union, and even a coalition of Latin American countries led by Venezuela constantly saber-rattles against Israel. Most other nations, including the United States, China and Russia, are openly collaborating with Iran and Israel's other enemies. The same is true of the United Nations and the other leading NGOs. Now I do not subscribe to "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" thinking, but simply looking at the geopolitical currents is enough to challenge the "neutral towards Israel and the Jews" thinking. We cannot deny that these evil people and groups are bent on destroying Jews from the face of the earth as an act of defiance and rebellion against God and His Word.
So what, then, are Christians to do? There are a lot of things that are currently being done, and many of them I used to support. However, beware: so many of them rely on human methods – the arm of the flesh – in support of a religion and a nation state that honestly does explicitly reject Jesus Christ. We cannot and should not use those methods. Similarly, we are also not to succumb to the temptation of becoming anti-Israel or anti-Jew, nor can we fall into the trap of apathy, or as I called it for myself , "neutrality", as the Bible commands us to study the scriptures and discern the times.
What is the answer, the solution, then? Prayer. We must pray that the prophesy of Romans 11:25-27 come to pass, that all Israel be saved! After the manner of the prayer that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ gave to us, we must pray that this thing be done on earth just as it is God's Will in heaven. This is something that all Bible-believing Christians regardless of background, political beliefs or theological/eschatological system must do: pray for the salvation of the Jews. That is the answer – the only answer – that resolves all the issues involved.
Yes, we are to bring the gospel to all nations as commanded to the Great Commission, and yes, God has no respect of persons. Yes, Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11 are still true … in Christ there is neither Jew or Gentile, male or female, free or slave, rich or poor etc. However, we cannot be ignorant of the fact that Romans 11:25-27 (and the entire context of Romans 11 for that matter, which begins with "I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid.") is not universal in scope but instead applies only to Jews. So, it is for the salvation of the Jewish people that we must pray. And yes, this does mean we must pray that the Jewish people continue to exist and have God's protection during the times of the Gentiles, so that at the consummation of the times of the Gentiles, this prophecy will be completed. This thing is God's will, as Bible-believing obedient and submissive Christians it should be our wills as well, and God's will shall be done to the glory of God alone. So, then, in this fact, let all of God's people, Jew and Gentile alike, rejoice!
And whether you are Jew or Gentile, if you are not one of God's people, I urge that you become one today. Turn away from your sins, flee the judgment of death and destruction that God will inflict on His enemies, and
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Posted in Bible, Christianity, Jesus Christ | Tagged: endtimes, eschatology, Israel, jews, Judaism, new world order, prophecy, Psalm 2:1-3, Romans 11:25-27, Romans 11:26 | 2 Comments »
The Strange Religious Direction That Quantum Physics Is Taking
Posted by Job on October 15, 2009
And in the modern world, with the strange and inexplicable discoveries of quantum physics, scientific treatises on the nature of reality sound remarkably like ancient mystical writings. The more we learn about the shocking contradictions and improbable mechanics of the subatomic world, the more it appears that the universe is less like Isaac Newton's giant clock and more like one giant dream, imagined from within an implicate order that transcends human reason. Such a vision would be familiar to the Sufis of Islam, along with their counterparts among Buddhist masters, Kabbalists and Christian mystics like Meister Eckhart.
So, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, and "Christian" mystics all agree on this stuff. Fascinating. In addition, the "dreamtime" religious myths of Australian aborigines can be compared to this also. (Incidentally, Kabbalist means Jewish, as Kabbalism is part and parcel to the accepted Jewish religion. Kabbalism is in no way pseudo-Jewish cultism. Instead, esoteric knowledge and magic are all over Judaism, and is the acknowledged but seldom spoken of underpinnings of the Talmud and other rabbinic Jewish books. Kabbalah, which at best is a syncretism between some elements of the Hebrew religion and the Babylonian pagan mystery religions and is more likely the Babylonian mystery religion in Jewish guise, can be considered "higher Judaism." Jews are encouraged to master the Talmud and the other books first, and the brightest and most devoted then go on to study Kabbalah. From a Jewish website: Kabbalah is also part of the Oral law. It is the traditional mystical understanding of the Torah. Kabbalah stresses the reasons and understanding of the commandments, and the cause of events described in the Torah. Kabbalah includes the understanding of the spiritual spheres in creation, and the rules and ways by which G-d administers the existence of the universe. More information that "Christian Zionist" preachers and leaders never tell the laymen, though they certainly know about it. So, we should not be surprised that Kabbalists and Muslims agree on this topic, because it is "knowledge" that not only spiritually but also quite literally has the same origin.)
This also seems to correlate to the religious worldview pushed by people such as Dan Brown and George Lucas (theosophy and New Age sorts), where knowledge (or more accurately consciousness), matter and energy themselves are worshiped as god. Reminds me of a couple of articles I read (see below). One world religion anybody? The interesting thing is that this religio-scientific worldview very much accommodates evolution, the big bang theory and similar. As a matter of fact, the article points out that believers in this worldview include Francis Collins, the current director of the National Institutes of Health (Barack Hussein Obama appointee). Despite his belief in and advocacy for evolution, Collins is considered to be an evangelical Christian (and is indeed embraced as one by evangelicals desperate to see one of their own ranks represented in mainstream culture, especially in the elite academic, scientific and government arenas, and Collins represents all three), and is working to get evangelical Christians to abandon their opposition to evolution. I should point out that in this Francis is far from alone, as not a few Anglican evangelical theologians, including Alister McGrath, have been trying to get evangelicals to submit to evolution for decades. And incidentally, you should know that the Roman Catholic Church, with its long history of mysticism, is slowly accommodating evolution as well. Again, one world religion maybe, perhaps?
Posted in Christianity | Tagged: aborigines, Alister McGrath, big bang theory, catholic, Dan Brown, dreamtime, endtimes, entertainment, eschatology, Francis Collins, George Lucas, hollywood, indiana jones, Islam, Judaism, kabbalah, mass media, media conspiracy, Muslim, mysticism, natural theology, New Age, occult, one world religion, physics, popular media, prophecy, religion, Roman Catholicism, science, star wars, Stephen Spielberg, theosophy | 8 Comments »


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Packaged in a luxurious gold case that calls to mind the glamour and drama of 1940s makeup, the lipstick offers a triple-emollient moisturizing formula that contains vitamins A, C and E, along with aloe, to instantly hydrate lips and cushion them for total comfort.
By purchasing the Elizabeth Arden Limited Edition Anniversary Red Door Red Lipstick, you'll not only take part in celebrating our fabulous years of beauty, but you'll be helping women to look good, feel better and enjoy life.


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"Desperate times call for desperate measures" said a spokesman. "But we'll get a few bob, and secretly we are planning to never get them back anyway. It's a win-win."
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Hearty Chicken Soup
Nutritional Info
- Servings Per Recipe: 8
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 157.5
- Total Fat: 4.5 g
- Cholesterol: 54.8 mg
- Sodium: 233.9 mg
- Total Carbs: 7.4 g
- Dietary Fiber: 1.2 g
- Protein: 20.7 g
View full nutritional breakdown of Hearty Chicken Soup calories by ingredient
Submitted by: LESLEY210
Number of Servings: 8
Almond oil, 1 tbsp
Chicken breast, bone and skin removed, 3
*Large Raw Carrot, 1
Onions, raw, 2 medium
Leeks, 2 leek
*Better Than Bouillon - Chicken, reduced sodium, 4 tsp
Water, boiling, 4 cups
Cut the dark part of the leeks off, wash and cut the rest into slices. Cut the chicken into small pieces. Saute the onions and the chicken in the oil. Dissolve the bouillon in the water. Put everything into a slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours.


text: A Whole New You: Visions Spa Salon 1:25 PM, May 23, 2013 2:00 PM, May 23, 2013 Share Article Show Caption Hide Caption Previous Next Michigan's nationally awarded and premiere spa and salon can be found at Visions Spa Salon of Novi. Let our world trained and talented team of stylists, nail technicians and make-up artists create the bridal look of your dreams. Visit our spa known for its lavish elegance and service beyond your expectations. Celebrate with a tea party for your bridesmaids, a couples massage with your fiancé or a spa package for yourself – the possibilities are endless. Visions Spa Salon – the experience is waiting. Website: VisionsSpaSalon.com Phone: (248) 344-9944 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Q: What are your hours? A: We are open 7 days a week. Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM, Saturday 8:30 Am – 7:00 Pm and Sundays from Noon – 6:00 PM. Q: Where are you located? A: We are in a free standing building across from Providence hospital at Grand River and Beck. Easily accessible from I-96 Q: How long have you been in business? A: We have been in business since 1988 and have always been in Novi Michigan. We moved to our current location in October of 2003. Q: What kind of services do you offer? A: We are a full service salon and day spa. We offer a full menu of hair and nail services and have all the amenities of a true day sap with a complete menu of spa service including massage, facials, and body treatments. Q: What service do I need? A: Call us and we will be happy to assist you in choosing exactly the right service to make sure you enjoy the experience as well as receive the results you are seeking. Share Article A Share A A A Share Article


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Website, Teaching, Student Scholarships, and Publications
All of our many programs are successful because of you!
We hope you will commit to help us spread the message of Mises and Rothbard, and train the next generations to carry forth the great edifice of truth that is Austrian economics and classical liberalism.
Please take a minute to see which areas are most important to you, and then join us in the battle for freedom, truth, and the future.


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Guided Walk
Sunday 26th March, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Further Details
Join one of our experienced Guides for an informative 2 km guided walk exploring the Battle of Bosworth, the death of King Richard III and the unlikely victory of Henry Tudor.
This is a great way to learn about the Battle of Bosworth, but don't just take our word for it;
TripAdvisor Review 1st November 2016 – "Do not miss the guided tour!" : We were given an excellent tour by Liz, who brought what was a "normal" view over what looked like merely fields, to life with her vivid description of what happened on 22nd August…
Adult £4.50, Concession £4, Child £3. Family Tickets also available.


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I rooted my wife's Droid Pro a while back, now she's having some probs and wants to take it back to Verizon.. I used z4root to root it, so just now I clicked 'unroot', it says 'root should be successfully removed.' Is there a way to tell if it has indeed been successful? Also, what other steps should I take to 'clear' her phone so Verizon doesn't have a conniption fit about it being rooted? Thanks for the help! jwnic
I think easiest way is to check for the SuperUser icon in your apps screen. If its not there then its no longer rooted. Also try to run an app that requires root to double check. What problems is she having with it? Maybe there is something that we can help you with here.
Preciate it... Superuser is gone.. I already uninstalled the ROM Manager before I unrooted.. She hadn't really done anything with it (as far as roms or themes).. she'd mainly wanted to see if it would improve her batt life. As far as what's wrong with the phone -- she says it seems to be taking on a life of it's own! For example, she'll open up the apps list, not touch anything, and it will close by itself. Mostly things like that.. (open an app, then it closes). Almost like the back button or home button is 'stuck' (don't know how that would be possible, but anyway)! Thanks for the reply! jwnic
google123, Can you help me out? I have a droid pro. I need to unroot it. But every time I go to the z4root app and click unroot, it won't unroot. Superuser permissions won't get off my phone. I'd appreciate it if you could help me out.
In the same boat here - rooted my sister's Droid Pro, she's having issues (I don't know what she's done to this thing but it lags like crazy when you do anything), and I want to unroot it so it can become Verizon's problem, not mine. I go into z4root, it gives me the option to unroot, I click that, and a minute or so later it pops back in to the app drawer without having done anything. Attempts to restart the app result in it FCing, rebooting the phone and trying it again does nothing. Any idea? Help is greatly appreciated!
I'm going to guess, based upon the same issue that a lot of people had, that the last Froyo update was installed while the phone was rooted. If that's the case, it put the phone in an in between root and unrooted state that won't allow it to fully go in either direction. If that's the case, you'll have to flash the SBF: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/motorola-droid-pro/112314-official-droid-pro-sbf-tbh.html This will reflash the phone to it's original factory state (except it doesn't perform a factory reset of all of the personal data on the phone). This is basically how the software was originally placed on the phone and how Verizon/Motorola would recover a seemingly "bricked" device.
Clutch. Thanks so much. I'll just do that... I hate fiddling with other people's phones, and this is why. If this where my X I'd be on top of things like that, but I keep up with Pro stuff every time... well, never. Thanks for the tip!


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Sunday, December 9, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Proteins Illo.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Ronald Reagan
Hi again!
Sorry haven't posted anything new lately but it's been a bit hectic on many fronts. Anyway, wanted to show you this drawing I did a couple of years ago; a client called up asking for a reprint. I really enjoy drawing faces from different angles. I wish more people in general would have pictures taken from all sorts of views so that our work gets a bit more exciting than it already is.
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(3 quotes found)
"Teams play our guards tight and focus so heavily on them. I was just finishing. When teams overplay our guards, it makes my job a lot easier."
Will Sheridan
"When they [overplay] Dirk, it leaves a lot of opportunities for other guys."
Raef LaFrentz
"You've got to mix things up, especially with the short kicking game from league. I'm not going to overplay my hand but it's got something to offer."
Berrick Barnes


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WiMax - The 800 LB wireless gorilla
In this column John Shepler gives a clear definition of WiMax and describes what you can and will be doing with it.
Look out Wi-Fi! Look out MMDS! Look out EV-DO! Look out 3G! The WiMax monster is about to come out of the swamp and take dominion over the Earth. Who else should be fearing its mighty rumble? DSL, cable modem service and even T1 lines. Make no mistake about it, the 'Max' in WiMax really does mean BIG.
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WiMax is a new wireless data transmission standard that has been brewing for years. What gives it monster potential is that over 180 companies have banded together to set standards and provide certification of equipment through an industry organization called the WiMax forum. The new standards will also be blessed by the venerable Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers under the IEEE 802.16 standard. The basic standard was approved in 2001, with an extension called 802.16-2004 approved last July. So, what are we waiting for?
Monster? Does anyone see a monster? Not yet. The big reason is that chips and end user equipment are still winding their way through the design and certification cycle. They should be popping up in the marketplace pretty soon now. WiMax is also such a far reaching standard that it will probably take the rest of this decade before its impact is felt completely.
So, what IS a WiMax anyway? It sounds like just a beefier version of Wi-Fi. Oh, it is. But it's a lot more too. WiMax is actually an acronym for "Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access," which gives you an idea of its planned reach. Originally envisioned as another line-of-sight transmission standard for the 10 to 66 GHz frequency band, it has morphed into much more. Now it includes both licensed and unlicensed operation in the 2 to 11 GHz bands and non-line-of-sight transmission. Another standards extension coming later this year will add mobile capability.
What can you do with WiMax? Well, you might be getting broadband Internet service to your home or business up to 31 miles away from the WISP tower. No DSL or Cable Modem service in rural areas? No problem. Closer to the towers you'll be able to get wireless Internet service to an indoor antenna. Pick up a WiMax modem at a retail store and sign up for service. You'll install it yourself and be operating in minutes instead of waiting days or weeks for someone to string wires through the yard or mount antenna masts on your roof.
The real excitement comes in a couple of years when laptops and PDAs incorporate WiMax chips the way they include Wi-Fi now. Then you'll take your ISP with you and not have to worry about finding a hot spot. Since WiMax is being billed as a wireless MAN or Metropolitan Area Network, the infrastructure will be in place for mobile Internet services in cars and trucks. Think real time weather radar, maps with updating road conditions, store directions with what's on sale, streaming music and mobile VoIP telephones, for just a few ideas.
In the beginning, WiMax is being touted as a means to eliminate wires and feed existing broadband access such as Wi-Fi hot spots. Yeah, there probably will be some of that initially. Once the technology is in full production and the complete standards package is in place, the genie will really come out of the bottle. Wi-Fi with its puny range has never been much of a threat to any incumbent telecom service. WiMax with 70 Mbps bandwidth and 31 miles range has the potential to start gobbling up competitors. Who knows? Ten years from now we might be WiMaxed out. Or.... Wire line Internet service providers and even whole telephone companies might be considered as quaint as rotary dial phones or dial-up bulletin boards.
Learn more about WiMax directly at the WiMax Forum.
T1 Rex's Business Telecom Explainer offers easy to understand information about complex telecommunications and networking technology. T1 Rex explains how T1 lines work, VoIP telephone, PBX, virtual private networks, digital audio transport, Wi-Fi & WiMax, fiber optic carriers and other business telecom services. Written by John Shepler.
Looking for high bandwidth at low prices for business applications? T1 Rex can help. Check for DSL, Cable Modem, and Satellite Internet service for home use at Can I Get DSL?
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LibGrrl's Albums and Images
Joined: 19-May 08Honeymoon (Second)
Pictures from the 2008 trip to New York that we took to celebrate 10 years of marriage. I've done these pages over the past year, so I apologize if I've not gotten all the pieces attributed right. I got sloppy with keeping up with the IPR and I apologize greatly if I didn't give you...
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The ladies in my new blog header are my mother (on the right) and a friend (I don't know her name). This is probably the early 1940's while my father was away in the war and I wasn't born yet. This is real sepia color.
I think that's Grand Central in the background. They are probably on their way across town to Macy's.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Sepia Scenes #121
I added the sepia effect and then reduced the effect to 74%.
Just the slightest bit of color as you can see.
mallard duck,
Sepia Scenes
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Sepia Scenes #119
Do you like this little bear with his red heart that says "Hugs and Kisses?" I changed the color pic to SEPIA and then erased back to the red heart. Like it?
I think I'll put him up for my Valentine's blog header.
I think I'll put him up for my Valentine's blog header.
Why don't you try something different for your sepia pix?
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Deck choices
Hey everyone..I used to have a Clarion M309 in my boat and I wasn't happy with the ipod integration nor the sound quality coming out of the deck even at 75% volume... So I have taken it out and am looking to upgrade.
I sold off all my bits and pieces..only thing I have left are 2 syn 4 (on the auction block) and 2 pairs of xs-650 (on sale).. I am starting from scratch now..I am just not sure exactly what to pick anymore.... Deck: Alpine cda 118m - $350ish http://www.alpine-us.../view/cda-118m/ with a WS420 eq or Rockford fosgate RFX5000 - $150 http://www.rockfordf...details/rfx5000 with Rockford Fosgate RFXMR5BB Remote - $80 http://www.rockfordf...etails/rfxmr5bb with a WS420 eq or Just run a WS-420 eq I know some of the newer malibus run the Rockford stuff...so I thought id see what their opinions are... Im not sure if anyone is running the alpine..its hard to find because they discontinued it but I hear good things about it. As for Boat interior speakers..I was tossed up between going JL M660 or Wet Sounds XS-650..or even the exile sx65m... I haven't heard the exiles...But I used to have the Wet sounds xs-65 and I was very dissatisfied with the sound out of those! The wet sounds xs-650 I can get for $250, JL for $299 and the Exile for $150... Does the double cost for ws and jl make twice the sound....? |
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Not affiliated with the US Social Security Administration
Benefits for children
Benefits for children
January 21, 2009 by admin
From http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10085.html :
Who can get child's benefits
Your child can get benefits if he or she is your biological child, adopted child or dependent stepchild. (In some cases, your child also could be eligible for benefits on his or her grandparents' earnings.)
To get benefits, a child must have:
- A parent(s) who is disabled or retired and entitled to Social Security benefits; or
- A parent who died after having worked long enough in a job where he or she paid Social Security taxes.
The child also must be:
- Unmarried;
- Younger than 18;
- 18-19 years old and a full-time student (no higher than grade 12); or 18 or older and disabled. (The disability must have started before age 22.)
The child may qualify under the parent's disability.
Benefits for children (19 replies)
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Top 5 Special Edition Halloween Candies
As the fall holiday season approaches, Halloween-themed candies are popping up on grocery shelves and fueling my addiction to limited/special-edition products. Here are five that deserve some space in your trick-or-treat sack.
5. Ghost DOTS. While regular DOTS never really made me kick up my heels, I really like the "Bat," "Candy Corn," and "Ghost" varieties that have been released for Halloween. The ambiguous "fruit" flavor of these candies is just fine; even better, though, is their deathly green glow.
4. Chocolate Dipped Orange Chicks. Peeps offers an assortment of marshmallow candies in Halloween shapes (e.g., ghosts and pumpkins), but the Halloween chicks have the additional virtue of being dipped in either milk or dark chocolate. Not to be missed, also, are these neat-o recipes.
See Also: Top 5 Halloween Treats of Yesteryear Halloween Treats: Glow-in-the-Dark Cupcakes Ick or Treat: The 5 Worst Halloween Candies Bottom Five Halloween "Treats," or How to Guarantee an Egging
3. Caramel Apple Milk Ways. I stumbled upon these at Party City in New York, but according to web sources, they should be available nationwide. The apple flavor, albeit fake, adds a wonderful dimension to the layer of caramel and just a little bit o' autumnal spice.
2. Candy Corn M&M's. From everything I've heard, candy corn Oreos are a giant fail; candy corn M&M's, surprisingly, aren't too bad. Cocoa lovers won't adore their white chocolate flavor, but anyone with a penchant with colorful, sugary cream candies will want to eat them by the handful or use them to snazz up cookie dough.
Cadbury Screme Eggs.
Photo courtesy of CandyWarehouse.com
1. Cadbury Screme Eggs. Finally, an excuse to eat Cadbury Eggs at Halloween. I mean, not that I don't regularly throw some in the freezer at Easter for postponed consumption, but by October those eggs really have that not-so-fresh-feeling. The Screme Eggs appropriately boast a white and green center, which means if you bite into one, there's a good chance you'll have green ooze on your chin. Cool.
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The Real Housewives of New York returns for its 5th season tonight. That's right, the show that showcases some of the most glamorous foreclosures in America is back.
Read Whole Story
Now, I'm a man who loves women, and I have absolutely no interest in ever getting in their pants. And since most of my friends are women, I've always thought I understood them pretty well. But there are five things that still totally confound me.
Get top stories and blog posts emailed to me each day. Newsletters may offer personalized content or advertisements. Learn more.


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Use this kids Sunday school lesson for Thanksgiving to help kids be thankful for the bodies God gave them. Find more great Sunday school lessons to help kids grow in their faith.
1. Make-A-Body-*Say: Today, we're going to celebrate Thanksgiving by celebrating a gift that God has given us every day-our bodies.
Give each child a sheet of paper. Have each child draw a gingerbread-cookie-type person and then draw arrows from different parts of the body to the outer rim of the paper. From the head, have them write words that describe what they like to learn about. From the hands, things they like to do. From the feet, places they like to go. From the stomach, things they like to eat, and so on.
2. Hopping-Popping Thanks-Read aloud Psalm 139:14. Help the children better understand this verse by using their bodies to express the information on their gingerbread cookie papers. Have children think about kernels of popcorn. As it gets to just the right heat, each kernel bursts open into popcorn, but the kernels don't do it all at the same time. Invite children to burst open with their answers as each part of the body is mentioned.
*Say: We thank God for our minds to think about… Have children jump up at different times and respond. After all the children have popped up and answered, go to the next body part.
3. Body Benders-Have children lie on the floor. Encourage them to imagine what it would be like if their bodies could not bend. Have them do these actions without bending any part of their bodies: get up, walk, talk, run, and sit down. Reread Psalm 139:14 at least four times.
4. Snack-You'll need: For every four children, you'll need a one-quart jar with a tight-fitting lid, 1 3/4 cups milk, and one small package of vanilla instant pudding. You'll also need small cups and spoons.
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Directions: Put the milk and instant pudding in the jar and close it tightly. Have children pass the jar around the circle and shake it until it becomes pudding. This usually takes around three to five minutes. Encourage students to think about how they're using their bodies to help each other. Serve the pudding in small cups.
5. Circle of Thanks-Form a circle and have children link arms. Have kids say in unison, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made!" Then have children raise their hands and close in a prayer of thanks for the wonderful bodies God has given us. End with a group amen!
Bobbie Bower is a children's ministry consultant in Kansas.
TEACHER TIP You may have children with physical disabilities in your class. If you do, be sensitive to their feelings of not having perfect bodies. Help them focus on all the parts of their bodies-internally and externally-that work perfectly. Encourage them to thank God for these parts of their bodies.
Also check out these 22 Thanksgiving ideas for Sunday school!