When God created the world he created mankind in his own image, male and female he created them.

God created them male and female (Genesis 1:27).

With this blog we have discussed many topics. The headline we are looking at today is deeply disturbing.

In 2 Corinthians 7, the Apostle Paul speaks about certain “promises” which we have from God.  Those “promises” are recorded in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 …

“I will live with them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,  and they will be my people.”

¹⁷ Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”

¹⁸ And,

“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty”

These are the “promises” Paul is referring to when he says in 2 Corinthians 7:1

“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” (NIV)

The New American Standard Bible reads;  “let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

• Purify, Cleanse

From all

• Contaminate, Defilement

The human appetite easily leads to contamination and defilement.
The goal is to perfect holiness which means to pursue holiness.
Holiness is separation from all that defiles the physical body and the mind.

I refer to this passage in 2 Corinthians because there are some bills in various stages of passing or not passing in several states and the mere fact that these bills are even being considered is deeply concerning.

In California it is AB 1266.
In New York it was S2406.
In Massachusetts it was HB 1728.
In Arizona it is SB 1045.
In Maine it was 1046.

WHAT are all these bills?

They are called the “Bathroom Bills”
What is a bathroom bill?

What they propose is that anyone who is transgender has a right to use whatever bathroom, locker room, changing area that they want too.
These bills basically say that there is no such thing as gender.

• Public restrooms
• High school locker rooms
• Health clubs
• Even dorm rooms

All would be accessible by anyone.

Any man could legally gain access to facilities reserved for women and girls simply by indicating, verbally or non-verbally, that he inwardly feels female at the moment.

American Psychological Association says there is no way to distinguish between someone suffering from “Gender Identity Disorder” and a sexual predator.

This means that high school sports teams can have any gender play on them.
A girl can play on a boy’s baseball team. That’s fine.
It also means boys could play on girl’s tennis teams or swim teams.
Which ALSO means coaches would then be required to allow that male individual to change in the female locker room.

In Washington State, parents became upset (as were the female athletes) when they heard that a male was naked in a sauna in the girl’s locker room. Because of state law, school officials could do nothing about it.

Massachusetts Family Institute says that:

• HB 1728 says that “school children would be taught that they can change their gender.
• This means that women only fitness facilities would now be open to anyone.

“Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 

HOW FAR REMOVED is our culture from the heart of God?????

It was also recently reported that when Obamacare kicks in in 2014 that many health insurance policies will increase dramatically. Thousands of Dr.’s are threatening to retire or get out of medicine.

As of right now the mortgage debt relief act is set to expire in December 2013. The farm bill which sets the price of milk and dairy is also set to expire in December 2013. Both bills were to expire at the end of December 2012 but they both were extended for one year.  Could these bills be extended once again? Yes. However after one extension it is more likely that they will expire at the end of 2013, which sets up a chaotic 2014.

Let’s look at what could happen at the end of the year.

• Your insurance premiums could go up about 30-40% and your medical care may decrease
• The cost of milk could be $5-7 a gallon as well as cheese and other dairy products
• If you short sell your house whatever debt relief you receive would become income and would become taxable. So if you have $100,000 worth of debt relief in a short sale, and if you are just in the 15% tax bracket, that means you will have a $15,000 tax bill after short selling your home. (This will lead to far fewer short-sales and MANY more foreclosures)

The 2^nd area of everyday life that is extremely fragile is what is happening in the Middle East and in North Korea.

Syria- Iran – Israel – Hezbollah – Hamas – Egypt (Psalm 83 Nations) and now North Korea – China and Russia.

A fuse could be lit in any one of these nations and IF that fuse is lit it will affect people and economies around the world.

Here’s what has been bothering me for a while now. MOST people either are not aware of the financial condition of our country or the real threat of war and its affects or they have been aware and because something hasn’t happened yet, they are becoming more and more apathetic. In a time when Christians should be on the leading edge of being prepared to help people and to speak truth to them, it seems that again the church’s focus has drifted.

I am amazed at how many people who say they are Christians listen to and follow people whose voices have no connection to the Lord at all.

For some reason we want to know what celebritiesthink. Just because God has given them an amazing talent for singing or for sports or for acting – we listen to what they think about some pretty important issues in life. Issues that one has to ask “where is the source of this thinking?” If the source of their opinion is not from God WHY should it be followed?

In the day in which we live – WHOSE voice should we be seeking?

The word “mentor” is defined as “a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.” Scripture gives us numerous examples of mentoring.

• The mentoring relationship between Eli and Samuel prepared Samuel for the tasks and responsibilities that were his after Eli’s death (1 Samuel 1–4).
• Both Barnabas and Paul excelled in mentoring (Acts 9–15).
• And obviously Jesus mentored His disciples (Luke 9)

Jesus made His style of mentoring clear: He led so that we can follow. He said, “If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24-26)

Mentoring is a process dependent upon submission to Christ.
The mentor serves as a model and a trusted listener.
The mentor relies on the Holy Spirit to provide insight, to lead and teach.

The apostle Paul’s leadership model is found in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ” In Philippines 4:9 Paul explains, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice”.

If mentors expect others to follow their example, they must be committed to following Christ. 1 Peter 5:3, Peter commands church leaders to, “Be examples to the flock”. In Acts 20:17, Paul explains to the elders at Ephesus, “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you”. In other words, Paul is telling the elders, “I showed you, now you show them.”

We live in a day where we need to be extremely careful what voice we listen to.

Many people have a lot of great questions, few people have great answers!

The question we all must answer is – WHO are you going to listen to and WHO are you going to follow?

For the first time in his presidency, President Obama recently went to Israel. For weeks before his trip we were told that there wouldn’t be any talk of forcing Israel into a two state solution and there would be just limited attempts to restart peace talks.

 The ISSUES and the purpose of this trip was to deal with:

1. Iran and nuclear weapons and Netanyahu’s “red line”
2. Syria and the threat of biological and chemical weapons

What will be the outcome, the fruit of this visit? We probably won’t really know for several weeks. I will do a follow up as we see how this all plays out. However there is a red flag, a warning to what could transpire from this trip. Our leadership could eventually take, desire, maybe even ask for, undue honor. What is “undue honor”? Taking credit for what God is doing!

Here’s a biblical example…

 Acts 14:8-10

“In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. ⁹ He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed ¹⁰ and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.”

Notice Paul didn’t say “In Jesus name”? Why not?

Jesus was already present. Paul saw Jesus in this man’s eyes!

What happens? 

Acts 14:11-13

“When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” ¹² Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.”

 The temptation Paul & Barnabas faced was to receive this praise being offered them.  HOWEVER – look at how Paul and Barnabas responded…

 Acts 14:14-15

“they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: ¹⁵ “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.”

After this event, Paul is stoned and left for dead.

• In other cities he had been plotted against, persecuted, abandoned, attacked…
• In all those occasions, Paul just picked himself up and moved on.

Here however, he tears his clothing and shouts out against their actions. Why such a strong reaction to what the people in Lystra were doing versus what people in other cities did?

Because what the people in Lystra were trying to do was to bring “undue honor” onto Paul and he was not about to take credit for what God had done and was doing!

 Here’s the danger with President Obama’s 1^st trip to Israel: our leadership taking credit for what God is doing and is going to allow to happen in the Middle East.

How close is Iran to nuclear weapons? Do they already have them?
Is Israel going to strike Iran?
Where does Syria play in all of this?
Is their leadership going to fall?
How many more deaths will that civil war cause?
Where do countries like Jordan end up in all this?
What about Egypt and its leadership which is taking a stance against Israel?

Our president and American leadership will be somewhat involved in all of this. My only hope is that they do so with humble hearts and do not expect or receive “Undue Honor” for what God is doing.

That would not bring blessing to America!

The dictionary defines morals as: “pertaining to or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct” Morals: “principles or habits with respect to right or wrong conduct.”

So morals are…

• Principles which decide right or wrong conduct
• Which lead to deciding values
• Which lead to setting priorities
• Which affect our way of life
• Which affect our relationship with others and with the Lord

 Recently, I assume because of this blog and website, the radio show and the Facebook page, I’ve been asked about my thoughts on current events. There’s been a lot in the news of late. People have asked me what I think of the new Pope.

I’ve been asked what I think about all the earthquakes happening around the world.  I’ve been asked what I think about the economy (especially in Europe with what recently happened in Cyprus).

What are my thoughts on all of this? These are just the symptoms- the problem is our lack of repentance and desire to live Godly lives.

To understand the day and the age we live in we have to see how ungodly our culture has become. The Lord through the apostle Paul gave us fair warning….

 2 Timothy 3:1-5

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”

“Have nothing to do with such people” means do NOT live as they live. Reject their lifestyle, their values, their priorities, their morals and embrace how God says to live!

 2 Peter 3:3-4

“Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. ⁴ They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”

The time Jesus takes to return is obviously in the Lord’s hand, not ours. To ask in a mocking way, why hasn’t He come already, is scoffing. We need to understand that the Lord’s delay is not a delay but an act of grace giving us more time to serve and witness for Him!

Scripture is clear in the last days morals, values will be more and more ungodly.

 At the recent National Religious Broadcasters conference, a NRBC Board Member said, “Christians may have to decide whether to “bow our knee” to government or to God.” Why? What are the issues? She listed two, same-sex marriage and President Obama’s birth control mandate.

This problem with living against God’s Word is that that decision produces many symptoms that affect our daily lives.

The ITT Website (interpretingthetimes.com) and our Facebook page has daily articles that show how morally bankrupt our culture is. Why are some of the articles posted on our website and Facebook page? To either encourage you or to help you see how spiritually bankrupt we are! Check out this website for the blogs and current headlines and checkout and like us on Facebook and stay up to date daily and help others see the spiritual condition of our nation and culture.

For example, a recent article posted was:

• A university founded by the Methodists in the 1800′s in Atlanta, Georgia has decided to expel Chick-Fil-A from its campus; the decision was mostly over the company’s beliefs in Biblical marriage.
• A number of colleges and universities that have been offended by Chick-Fil-A’s founder’s comments on his belief in Biblical marriage and have considered kicking Chick-Fil-A off campus for its beliefs. In fact some have already done so, such as Elon University in North Carolina.
• The issue of same sex marriage has also produced a new version of the Bible. The Queen James Bible. In this edition they have re-written 8 verses, 8 verses that changed an entire doctrine. This act has become so ungodly that we are now changing and reprinting the Word of God!
• Our Supreme Court has to make ruling on the issue of what marriage is. When we have to institute laws that go against God’s Word, where are we headed as a nation?

We have tensions throughout the world. Iran, North Korea, Syria. Everyday lives are being destroyed; everyday lives are being changed. What’s the difference? Everyday some are accepting Jesus and His teaching and every day some are mocking and rejecting Jesus and His teaching.

Where do you fit in?

What are your morals? Values? Priorities?

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. ¹⁵ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:14-16

 “Chrislam” is the merging of Islam & Christianity on proposed common ground.

2 sources that promote this theology

1. Yale  University Covenant
2. www.faithshared.org

Faith Shared asked Christian churches across America to organize events involving pastors reading from both the Bible and the Koran.

WHY??

Because tensions around Islam in America have erupted throughout the country leading to misconceptions, distrust, and in some cases violence.

These “tensions” go beyond just the United States. June 2011 billboards were put up in Sydney, Australia reading “Jesus: a prophet of Islam”. It was said they were put up to encourage interfaith relations between Christians and Muslims.

A church in Atlanta, while teaching a series about “Loving your neighbors”, said that “we can’t love our neighbors unless we have a relationship with them.” Fine. But then a spokesman for the church goes on to say … “Jesus is mentioned over 25 times in the Quran.”

Yes, he is but this is not the same Jesus of the Bible!!!!!

In Islam:

1. Jesus name is Isa (pronounced Ee-saw).
2. Jesus was a human prophet sent by God, not part of the Holy Trinity.
3. The name for God is Allah.
4. Muslims are required by Allah  to believe in all of the Prophets.
5. The Qur’an recalls Jesus’ birth, his teachings, and the miracles he performed by Allah’s permission.
6. Muslims do believe Mary was a virgin and Jesus’ birth was a miracle allowed by Allah.
7. Jesus was most likely born under a palm tree in Bethlehem.
8. Just like Adam who was born with no human father, Adam and Jesus are equal prophets.
9. Muslims do not believe that Prophet Jesus was the son of God, for God has no sons.
10. The Prophet Jesus did not die on the cross. Rather, God saved him as his enemies were confused about him. Prophet Jesus was taken up by God to Heaven.
11. The Prophet Jesus prayed to the same God as all Prophets and Muslims pray to.
12. The Prophet Jesus will return before the end of the world during the time of the Imam – to prepare mankind for the coming of Mohammad.

Doctrines of Christianity that are rejected by Islam center around Jesus:

1. The Trinity
2. The Divinity of Jesus
3. The Divine Sonship of Christ
4. Original Sin, and
5. Atonement

According to Islamic teaching …“It is clear that all these dogmas are the result of over-exhalting Jesus Christ above what God wants him to be.”

———————————————————————————————————————–

2 Corinthians 6:14-18

“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and lawlessness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? ¹⁵ Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?”

———————————————————————————————————————–

Want to reach out to those of the Muslim faith? Great!
Want to love your neighbor? Wonderful!
However don’t try to merge the Quran with the Bible!!
The Jesus of the Quran is not the Jesus of the Bible!!

This is dangerous theology!!!

On February 11^th 2013 the Pope announced that he was resigning as of February 28, 2013.  A pope resigning…This hasn’t happened in 600 years.

 Quickly, as soon as this announcement was made – people brought up the 900 year old prophecies of St. Malachy.

St. Malachy at the time of his prophetic vision was an Irish bishop. He died in 1148 A.D.  At his death he left behind a prophetic list of all future popes beginning in 1143 (Current Pope during his lifetime). In his prophecy, Malachy included a single line identifying a characteristic of each pope. Malachy’s prediction – listed just 112 popes – up to now, his prophecy has been amazingly accurate. According to his list, the next pope will be the last Pope meaning the next Pope will be the one who will help usher in the New World Order and the Tribulation.  Malachy said the last Pope will be “Peter the Roman” He wrote…

“In extreme persecution, the seat of the Holy Roman Church will be occupied by Peter the Roman, who will feed the sheep through many tribulations, at the term of which the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the formidable Judge will judge the people. The End.”

While in Rome, in 1139, Saint Malachy is said to have gone into a trance and received a vision in which he foresaw all the popes from the death of Innocent II until the end of time.  What do you think of this?

I can’t say amen to it because I can’t back these prophecies with Scripture.
I can, through scripture, see events that will happen in the end times.

What I find as interesting as St Malachy prophecies is the position the Vatican has taken over the last 15 months.

In October 2011, the Pope’s council for Justice and Peace called for radical reform of the world’s financial systems, including the creation of a global political authority to manage the economy and an overhaul of the world’s financial systems, creating a World central Bank, leading to a one world currency.

In December of 2011 the Pope’s council for Justice and Peace called for a global world health organization. I find the Vatican’s “global” mindset just as fascinating as St. Malachy’s predictions!

Just an FYI, The president of the Vatican’s council for Justice and Peace, which is promoting global, one world ideas, is Cardinal Peter Turkson, who is in the running to be the next Pope and would fit the prophecy of Malachy as “Peter the Roman”.

With the Vatican moving in a one world direction we also have nations like North Korea test firing nuclear weapons (doing so on behalf of Iran????)

On Tuesday Feb. 12^th North Korea conducted its third nuclear test in defiance of U.N. resolutions.

Reuters reports. “North Korea said the test had ‘greater explosive force’ than those it conducted in 2006 and 2009. N. Korea news agency said it had used a ‘miniaturized’ and lighter nuclear device, indicating it had again used plutonium, which is suitable for use as a missile warhead.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called North Korea a “rogue state” whose nuclear weapons program poses a “serious threat” to U.S. national security.

The New York Times reports: another disturbing possibility is that the Iranians may be paying the North Koreans to test nuclear warheads for them, and transferring the data to Tehran to help Iran further accelerate their bid for The Bomb.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran is shortening by one-third the time it will take to produce ‘one nuclear bomb’. Remember last fall Prime Minister Netanyahu believed Iran would cross that “Nuclear Red-line” by 2013.

If the pressure for a one world system isn’t enough, adding the tensions from North Korea and Iran and the Nuclear threat, China now is also causing tensions by threatening to attack Japan.

• The two nations are in a battle for control over 5 islands.
• China is saying these islands have been part of its territory since ancient times, and they serve as important fishing grounds
• Japan is saying 3 of these islands were owned by a Japanese business man who sold them to Japan.

The Pope resigning, Nukes being tested and China threatening war with Japan…

Mathew 24:6-7

“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”

MARANATHA – Come Lord Jesus!

In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.

Why is it called Valentine’s Day?

The Catholic Church recognizes three different saints named Valentine, all of whom were martyred. One legend has a priest named Valentine who served in the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the law, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young couples in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Roman prisons are where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl, the daughter of his jailer, who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today.

Why is Valentine’s Day celebrated in February?

It is believed February 14^th was chosen to counter the pagan celebration of Lupercalia which took place on February 15. Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture. So before pagan acts and rituals were performed the church chose the day before as a day to celebrate love, the type of love that honors God.

Why does this matter?

• Celebrating a day of love
• Telling someone you love them
• Having someone tell YOU they love you.

WONDERFUL…

It’s great for those who have someone that they can call their valentine

But what about … those who do not have someone?

Do you have any compassion for those who feel all alone?? Who feel that they are not loved?

Now let’s look past this one day of the year.

Well what about those who do NOT know Jesus?

Do you have compassion for them? Enough compassion to reach out and love them???

The love of Jesus is for every day, yet many people live in ignorance of understanding how much Jesus loves them.

Jesus had a lot to say about love. Especially his final night with his disciples during the course of the evening (5 chapters in the gospel of John are dedicated to this one evening, John 13 through 17). That evening Jesus spoke of love no less than thirty times in eighteen different verses.

Everything we need to know about love may be summed up in just one song: ‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’

Do you know the origin of that song?

It first appeared in the form of a poem in a children’s novel in 1859. One of the characters in the story comforts a dying child with the words, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” The novel was not well read however a couple of years later William Bradbury stumbled across it, wrote his own tune and within months the song spread across North America like wildfire. A simple poem from a children’s novel became the most well-known hymn in the world.

Still it’s often used by missionaries as a teaching aid, because it’s simple and easy-to-learn . ‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’

It’s amazing to understand, “Jesus loves me.”  The key is can you respond, “I love Jesus.”

Jesus said that the first and greatest command is this: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength”.

In Proverbs 5:15-20,  we are told to enjoy (savor, treasure, cherish) what you have as opposed to being obsessed with what you don’t have!   When you love Jesus – you want to share that love.

There may be people out there who do not have a valentine this year – but no one has to go without Jesus!

Happy Valentine’s Day – ‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’

Joel 3:17

“Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her.”

Three weeks ago I asked you to pray for Israel. Psalm 122 tells us that we are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. I explained that David wrote that Psalm for when those traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate a festival time could sing that Psalm. They would be praying for the peace of Jerusalem, which was a prayer for the ability to worship without distraction.

I explained that true peace will not come to Jerusalem unto the Lord returns.

Then I asked you to pray for the elections facing Israel. Those elections took place on January 22, 2013.

The results were NOT what most had anticipated, not what most of the polls showed going into the elections.

It was believed that Israel was moving more to the “right” meaning that they would be moving away from the peace process with the Palestinians, that they would not be as open about dividing Jerusalem, God’s Holy Hill. It meant they were moving toward a much harder stance with security and especially with Iran.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likid party, before the elections, held 27 of the 120 seats in Israel’s government. It was believed that after the early elections were called that his party would have 45-47 seats. They ended up with just 31.  His party is still the largest party but it doesn’t hold the political power it was expected to have.

Israel’s second largest party is a party that did not exist a few months ago. It is led by a former news anchor personality who got out of TV and into politics. He formed this new party just for these elections and they won 19 seats, which is amazing. The party’s name is Yesh Atid which means “There is a future”. They would be considered more center/right. Their focus is changing the old corrupt system and to create a new political system which offers change and hope. (Sound familiar? Obama 2008?)

Arabs who live in Israel take part in the election process. They have their own party and they have a voice.  If THEY are included in the final tally it seems that the power is divided evenly, 60 seats to the left (liberal) and 60 seats to the right (conservative).

Is there a future for Israel?

Iran wants to wipe them off the map. Egypt has a new leader who calls Israelis pigs and monkeys. Syria has killed over 40,000 people and has deadly chemical weapons. Internationally Israel is becoming more and more isolated, including a strained relationship with the United States. Israelis see the darkness around them but they also see new possibilities such as the natural gas that has been discovered off the shore of Haifa and the pipelines being built to harvest that. In the near future Israel could actually be exporting natural gas to Europe! This new party is a fresh political face; it’s not the same status quo and that appealed to the younger Israeli voters. This party won because of first-time young voters (again, sound familiar?)

The problem with this new direction is that Israelis are looking for change, hope, a brighter future but they are doing it by looking everywhere except to God. There is a hardening toward God taking place. By its own admission, this new party is a very “secular” party.

Recently Benjamin Netanyahu has been seeking out Scripture, including hosting a Bible study in his own home. That Scripture was becoming an element that he was including in his decisions.

At the United Nation General Assembly meeting in New York last fall, Benjamin Netanyahu drew a bomb and said this is the Red Line for Iran. When they get to this point (expected in 2013) there would be no stopping them. With these election results, Netanyahu’s political power has been reduced. Military analysts inside Israel say that because of that an Israel pre-empted strike against Iran is less likely.

What does all of this mean?

Will Israel strike Iran?
Will Israel negotiate with the Palestinians?
Is Jerusalem going to be a part of those negotiations?
Will Israel/ U.S. relations be stronger or weaker?
Will Israel become self-sufficient because of the natural gas discovery?
What will happen to the peace treaty signed with Egypt?
What will happen with the threat of chemical weapons in Syria?

Much will be happening in Israel. Remember Psalm 122 tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem – God’s Holy Hill.

There are websites that students sign up on and they are matched with “sugar daddies”.  This is happening across the nation. These are major universities.

According to one of the websites that matches students in need of financial support to sugar daddies the top 20 schools include:

• Georgia State University which is ranked # 1
• Arizona State is ranked # 6
• Texas State is ranked # 10
• Penn State is ranked # 12
• Michigan State is ranked # 16
• University of Ohio is ranked # 17
• UCLA is ranked # 20

This is happening from NY to Florida to California and these are major universities!

 An official in the public relations and marketing departments was quoted as saying “Georgia State prides itself on fostering an enterprising and entrepreneurial spirit among its students.” I am NOT saying these schools are endorsing this behavior; however it is obvious that they are aware that this is happening. They know this is happening and they are not stopping it!

I can hear the student’s reasons for such actions…

• College is expensive
• All I want is an education
• I deserve it

Temptations and lies have been used since the time of creation to draw people into sin and away from God. What we are dealing with here is another example of the

• Lust of the eye
• The Lust of the flesh
• And the pride of life

The very same method used to entice Eve in the Garden of Eden.

The same method used to tempt Jesus in Matthew 4.

 Genesis 3:6

“when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.”

•  Lust of the eye & Lust of the flesh

Eve “saw” that it was good; it was desirable so she took it and ate.

 Genesis 3:5

“For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

•  Pride of life

We can say NO to temptation and lies!!!

Jesus is our example…

Matthew 4:3

“If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

• Lust of the eye

After 40 days of fasting he was hungry. Could he have turned the stones into bread? Yes. Did He? No. He rebuked the temptation with the Word of God!

 Matthew 4:5

“If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself downFor it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you …”

• Lust of the flesh

 Again Jesus rebukes the temptation with the word of God!

 Matthew 4:8-9

“the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 

• Pride of life   – be king. Receive the glory without suffering.

What did Jesus do? Again, Jesus rebuked the temptations with the Word of God!!!

What is the antidote to overcoming temptation? The Word of God.

The Christian needs to recognize the role of Scripture in overcoming temptation.

Psalm 119:11

“Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

Some believers understand that temptation is not the same as sin, so they feel that they can enjoy the enticements of temptation without any harm.

This behavior becomes a type of game—seeing how far can one “enjoy” without falling into sin. How far can I push that envelope?

This is dangerous thinking.

Our attitudes AND our actions are to be holy.

Realize that no matter what temptations may come – there is a way of escape.

The believer can never truthfully claim that the temptation was so strong that he/she had to give into it. There is always a way to say no.

The Christian who has grown in one area of his/her spiritual life is responsible for helping other Christians who have not yet grown in that area. In this manner, Christians can edify (build up) one another in the faith.

If we don’t – we have college students selling themselves to sugar daddies to pay for college!

Matthew 25:1-9

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³ Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, ⁴ but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵ But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. ⁶ “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ ⁷ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.”

 Cultural background on this parable…

• After the engagement, brides are waiting for their groom
• The groom goes to his father’s house and starts to builds on to his father’s house. The addition is where he and his family will live. The bride waits while the groom finished the addition.
• When the addition is complete he goes to get his bride and their life together begins.
• When the groom comes for his bride, with a trumpet blowing every virgin pledged to be married rushes to her window to see if it’s her groom, is it her wedding day?

Understanding the use of parables – parables are stories of common events/tasks, things that people were familiar with and could relate to. They are used to explain spiritual truths. What is the spiritual truth of this parable?

The church is the Bride of Christ.  This parable has to do with being ready for His return.  Verse 5 said, “When the bridegroom was delayed a long time, they all became drowsy and fell asleep”

This parable describes the condition of the church at the second coming.
Here’s the question, is the church going to be awake or asleep?????
Half of the virgins had oil, half did not.
The ones that did not knew they did not.
The point – everyone is aware of their spiritual condition; it’s just that some just aren’t very concerned about it.

The church, the Bride, HAS to be awake and ready!

What concerns me deeply is the lack of Christian values not only around the world, but here in America.

A school board in New Jersey has voted to fire a substitute teacher that gave a middle school student his Bible during lunch.

During the lunch period one day in October, while the students were lined up at the door to be dismissed, the teacher commented to the last student in line, “Remember, the last shall be first.” He explained that over the next few weeks, the student asked several times where the saying came from, and after the seventh time, the teacher pulled out his personal pocket New Testament and gave it to the student as a gift. The teacher was to be suspended for 90 days but then the school board decided to fire him.

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Headline: Duluth Minnesota Bars Christians From Sharing the Gospel in Public Park During ‘Tour of Lights’ Event.

The “Tour of Lights” is a Christmas display with 3 million lights, and at the center is a 12 story tall Christmas tree.

When some Christians tried to “evangelize” by sharing the story of the birth of Jesus, the real Christmas story, Police were called in and they were told they must leave or face being arrested. The police told the Christians that the city attorney has given them direction that “if you want to practice your First Amendment right, which is perfectly fine, that you have to be in that First Amendment zone,” When asked what would happen if the men continued to witness in the public park, the officer explained that the Christians ran the risk of being incarcerated. “If you didn’t leave, “You could be cited and/or jailed for trespassing.” It was illegal to tell the Christmas story in a public park at a Christmas display.

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Headline: Walmart Pharmacist Fired After Being Accused of Praying With Crying Customer  

This happened in Bakersfield, California – A former pharmacist was fired for allegedly praying with a customer. She had been warned that she could not pray on the job, says that the district manager brought her into his office and showed her a surveillance tape that captured what he believed was the pharmacist praying for a person that was crying. The pharmacist denied that she was praying at the time, and said that she had just touched the person’s hand and was trying to console them. She then received a letter informing her that she was being terminated for “misconduct.” Comforting a distraught customer (by prayer) was cause for termination for misconduct!

In 60 countries around the world everyday Christians are persecuted strictly because of their belief in Jesus. Each year, Open Door International  comprises a “world watch list”. It lists the nations that persecute Christians for their belief in Jesus.  

In North Korea, Christians can be arrested for a number of reasons, including for possessing a Bible, and placed into prison camps. In China you can be a Christian in your own home but not outside of it. Also making the list in 2013 is Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. Nigeria, which was in the news throughout 2012 as churches had been bombed, houses set on fire and Christians were murdered, is also listed.

The average Christian may see a list like this and think… That could NEVER happen here! Not in America! However…

Headline: California city closes down Bible study in private home

In San Juan Capistrano it is considered illegal to hold “a regular gathering of more than three people” on private property. Officials stated that a license is required to hold meetings in a private home. San Juan Capistrano authorities claim home Bible study is not allowed because it is a “church,” and churches require a Conditional Use Permit.

 Headline: San Diego County threatens to fine couple for holding Bible Study in Home

When approached by city officials the couple was asked
“Do you have a regular meeting in your home?” She said, “Yes.”
“Do you say amen?’ “Yes.”
“Do you pray?’ “Yes.”
“Do you say praise the Lord? “Yes.”

The county employee notified the couple that the small Bible study, with an average of 15 people attending, was in violation of county regulations. A few days later the couple received a written warning that listed “unlawful use of land” and told them to “stop religious assembly or apply for a major use permit” — a process that could cost tens of thousands of dollars.

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Have you heard of the “Queen James Bible”? It is called “A gay Bible”. It was published the end of November 2012 and is being sold on Amazon for $34.95.

This version of the Bible changes Scripture taking out references to homosexuality as being sinful. It has its own website… here’s the link.

http://queenjamesbible.com/

Let’s review…

1. A teacher giving a student a Bible at lunch (NOT in the classroom) is fired
2. A pharmacist “thought to be” praying with a crying customer is fired
3. Christians witness at a Christmas event in a public park are told to stop
4. Christians holding Bible studies in their private homes are accused of unlawful use of land and
5. Amazon is selling the Queen James Bible, a gay Bible

IS THE BRIDE READY for HIS RETURN??????