Bible Teachings
Suffering And Brokenness In The Christian Life ~ Part Twenty Four
This series of entries are taken from a class on brokenness and suffering, at the Southwest Florida Bible Institute, aptly taught during the 2020 pandemic from April through June. Part Twenty Four below features student Rachel Marie RD sharing about how the Lord worked through the hardships of her life, gradually leading her to salvation:
Rachel Marie RD
5/30/2020
Brokenness paper number 3
Tragedy to Triumph “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive”. Genesis 50:20 (KJV)
Once I was a pew sitter, which is what I call people who think they’re saved, but are just taking up space in a pew. I believe it’s actually harder to lead these people to the Lord than it is an atheist. They are generally headstrong, indignant, resist the message, and usually argue with those who try to witness to them. That was me.
I know that God’s hand has always been on me. I can still see myself sitting under the Christmas tree singing to God and remember lying in bed many nights wondering if what I was living was all there was to life. Surely there must be more I thought. I presume I was searching for God. It really makes you contemplate the doctrine of election, but I digress.
I went to church through my upbringing, so I sat through many a sermon and, at age 14, I even started to teach young children in Sunday School. I had a five-year-old child in my class named Andrew whose parents were missionaries. He had an older brother named Kyle closer to my age. Andrew died of leukemia before the age of six. This may seem irrelevant, but is an important factor in my salvation testimony. This child’s death was devastating to me and I’m sure I contemplated why that would happen to such a Godly family.
As is done in the Presbyterian Church, I was what they called baptized as an infant, which is really christening, and was confirmed following confirmation classes around the age of 12. As a teenager, I went to the youth group, but it was little more than recreation. After I was married I continued to attend church, although my husband did not. Still, I was not a Christian.
During the next 9 years, much of my personal life was in turmoil, but the one thing that was very important to me was being a good mother. My daughter was born in ’69, my first son in 72 and second son in 73 whom I named Andrew Kyle in memory of that child and his brother I referred to. In ’76, one month shy of three, Kyle was killed in a car accident. Following that, I focused on making sure my other two children got the counseling and love they needed as they grieved this horrible tragedy in their young lives. Because of that I totally neglected my needs and grieved for the next seven years.
Toward the end of that period, I received a phone call from a total stranger who proceeded to tell me how to become born again. I assume I believed being in church and perfunctory attendance was enough. Self-righteously and indignantly I let her know I already knew that and I was on my way to heaven. Little did I know that was God knocking at the door and preparing me for what followed.
We are attending a Methodist Church at this time and an evangelist came to speak. This was the first time I had actually heard the gospel message and my husband, our children, and I all went forward to receive Christ. Now, I knew where I was going, where my son was and that I would see him again. I was finally able, after 7 years, to get through the last stage of grieving, accepting my son’s death. In some respects I feel like my son gave his life that I and many of my family members would get to know the one who truly did give His life for us. I would like to say that in the years following I was a totally different person, but even though I had accepted Jesus as my savior I had not made him my Lord. The devil struck again and my marriage was in jeopardy, but despite the fact I wasn’t putting God first He was seeking me and that’s when I began to yield to his leading. Two years later we met some friends who understood the fullness of yielding to the Holy Spirit’s direction and having asked for more of His indwelling changes began to happen. Our marriage was restored and we couldn’t get enough of the Word. We attended many churches every time their doors were open and dedicated our lives to Ministry.
I’m so grateful for all God has done for me it only seemed right to give back. We’ve served in prison ministry for many years, began a Christian retreat center serving in that capacity for 15+ years and are presently very active at church and working with the homeless. Evangelism is always at the forefront of our minds. I believe this is why the devil continues to hit us hard. In 2015 following an operation, an infection set in and, because of medical neglect, I almost died. It took three surgeries in 8 days to rebuild my back with one of my ribs and a cadaver femur. It was so horrendous I begged God to let me die every day. I still do from time to time, but I know God has more work for me to do. I now live with chronic pain and many other medical issues due to the infection, but I thank God that I am able to walk and have learned to do many things despite the handicaps. I praise God for a grandmother who taught me how to count my blessings and I attempt to focus on the fact that so many people are worse off than I am. I know the devil will never steal my salvation, but he sure attempts to make me ineffective for God. The war continues with the Devil but the word tells me we are warriors and overcomers with His strength and power. Some days the cross is heavier than others, but Jesus had to carry it why should I expect less.
Suffering And Brokenness In The Christian Life ~ Part Twenty Three
This series of entries are taken from a class on brokenness and suffering, at the Southwest Florida Bible Institute, aptly taught during the 2020 pandemic from April through June. Part Twenty Three below features student Peter Cruz sharing the story of Old Testament Joseph; and then Peter harmonizes the Biblical story with his own personal story of brokenness and restoration whereby he is now able to help others.
Peter Cruz
5/31/20
For my project on Brokenness, I chose to write about “The Story of Joseph” (Genesis 39:1-20).
Where it speaks about Joseph being a captive slave for an Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer
Of Pharaoh and the captain of the guards. Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph. and that
The Lord made everything Joseph did successful. And because of this Joseph found favor with his
Master Potiphar. And was made to become the master’s personal attendant. Potiphar put Joseph
In charge of his house hold. And placed all that he owned under Josephs authority.
Potiphar always trusted Joseph because he walked with the Lord. But Potiphar’s wife had different
Plans for Joseph. Because she was very attracted to Joseph and wanted to sleep with him. But
When confronted with the offer to sleep with him, he would out right refuse to. Knowing that her
Offer was evil and deceitful to betray her husband that entrusted him and gave him all of his authority
And rights to everything he owned, except for his wife. Joseph knew that the proposition that Potiphar’s
Wife suggested was immensely so sinful and evil, and that it was against the word of God. But everyday
She would try to seduce him to sleep with her. But Joseph refuse her advances every time. Till one day
All of the house hold servants were out of the house. That was the day Potiphar’s wife took advantage
Of the opportunity to fulfill her plans of seduction. Potiphar’s wife cornered Joseph and grabbed him
By his garment and said sleep with me. As she held on to his garment, Joseph pulled away and ran
Outside to escape her forceful seduction. Leaving Potiphar’s wife with a piece of Josephs garment in her
hand. Suddenly she started screaming for the palace guards. When they arrived, Potiphar’s wife started
to lie about what just took place. And accused Joseph of trying to take advantage of her. She used the
torn piece of garment as her proof of Joseph being with her. And when Potiphar arrive to his house.
Peter Cruz
5/31/20 Page 2 on Brokenness
His wife told her husband the lie on how Joseph tried to sleep with her by force. And the piece of garment in her hand was the proof. After hearing this, Potiphar was furious with Joseph. And had Joseph thrown into prison. And even after Joseph was thrown into prison, the Lord was still with him. And the Lord made everything he did become successful. Eventually Joseph was released from prison due to his gift from God to interpreter of dreams, Working for the Pharaoh. And eventually rose up the ladder of leadership. Becoming the second most powerful man in Egypt, next to Pharaoh. Well unlike Joseph, being a righteous man of God. I was the complete opposite. My brokenness started with myself never seeking God and His goodness. But rather than seeking God, I sought the flesh and my own way’s. Even though it cost me my first marriage of 18 years with 3 children. Although our marriage had its up’s and down’s, pretty much like most marriage’s. I was never satisfied always feeling there was something else, something missing. An empty space in my heart that needed to be filled. Being deceived by my fleshly thoughts and giving into the devil. I believed that I could fill that emptiness with having an adulterous affair. And out of that affair we had a son. That I love very much and have a very good relationship with. But at that time in my life, giving into the flesh and having that affair was an act that I would regret for the rest of my life. Not in just destroying my marriage, but seriously hurting my kid’s and others as well. Kid’s, Family and Friend’s. They were all devastated. By my sinful, selfish act I’ve hurt everyone I loved. My sinful action was like watching a domino effect. Starting with one act of disobedience then watching your whole world come tumbling down. It was like a nightmare becoming a reality. In the book of James 1:5. It is written “Then desire when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin when it’s fully grown brings forth death”.
Peter Cruz
5/31/20 Page 3 on Brokenness
Feeling totally lost, broken and empty to the point where I considered ending my life. It is so true when the Lord said in Jeremiah 17:9. “The heart is more deceitful than anything else and desperately wicked, who can understand it “? I was so broken. But God had different plans for me. All the while my sister Mary, who loved the Lord would always tell me about the love Jesus had for me. She also told me of the hope that Christians have when they open up and receive the love of Christ through faith in Him. And then shortly after I began to seek Jesus by reading the bible. Jesus would reveal things about myself at a personal level. He humbled my heart and revealed the truth. Shortly after I gave my life to Him. And my life has never been the same. At that point in my life people I knew saw the change in me. Thank you Jesus!!! God was always by my side. But I never knew it because of my lack of faith in Him. And now I realize I needed to be broken and lost in order for God to show me the way. and to put me back together for His glory. As its say’s in God’s word; Luke 15:24 – “For once I was lost but now, I am found”. After all of my unrighteousness, God still loves me. And I love Him. Since then I have remarried to my beautiful wife Ann Marie and we are happily and equally yoked. God has used my brokenness in that working for New York City Dept. Of Sanitation for 21 years and now retired. God has given me many opportunities to share the gospel of Christ with many men that were contemplating divorce and that were having adulterous affairs. I’d always try to encourage them with Gods word. And by my trials of being broken.
The Wormwood Prophecy ~ The Asteroid Mentioned In Revelation
Revelation 8:10-11 ESV “The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.”
Breaking News Updates – September 25, 2020
BY MICHAEL SNYDER/ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
| Wormwood Warning – Why Are So Many Asteroids Having Close Calls With Earth? |
| The fact that so many space rocks have been headed our way is definitely alarming even if most of them have little chance of impact, especially since NASA only discovered some of them after they passed. |
Have you noticed that it seems like stories about asteroids that are approaching the Earth are constantly in the news this year? It wasn’t always this way. In the old days, maybe there would be a story about an asteroid every once in a while, and those stories were never a big deal.
But now asteroids are zipping by our planet with frightening regularity, and several more very notable passes will happen over the next few weeks.
For example, an asteroid that was just discovered on September 18th will come very, very close to the Earth on Thursday. According to NASA, it will actually come closer to our planet than many of our weather satellites…
An asteroid about the size of an RV or small school bus will zoom past the Earth on Thursday, NASA announced, passing within 13,000 miles of the Earth’s surface.
That’s much closer than the moon and is actually closer than some of our weather satellites.
This asteroid will speed by at more than 17,000 mph, but the good news is that it is so small that it would not be a serious threat even if it hit us.
But two other very large asteroids are also going to pass the Earth by the end of this month, and both of them are large enough to do an enormous amount of damage…
Two large asteroids will pass Earth in the next two weeks, with one measuring up to 426 feet in diameter and the other 656 feet—comparable in size to ancient Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza, which is 455 feet tall.
The first, smaller asteroid will pass by Earth on September 25 at a distance of 3.6 million miles, according to NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies, which tracks and predicts asteroids and comets that will come close to Earth. The second larger asteroid will fly by on September 29 at a closer distance of 1.78 million miles.
The good news is that neither of them have a chance of hitting us this time around, but the fact that the Earth’s neighborhood has so much “traffic” these days is a major concern.
Any soldier will tell you that if enough bullets get fired at you there is a very good chance that eventually you will get hit.
Let me give you a couple more examples of “near Earth objects” that are headed our way in the near future…
In October, an “unknown object” is expected to enter our gravitational field and become a temporary “mini-moon”…
An object known as 2020 SO is heading towards Earth, and from October, it will be a ‘mini-moon’, which could stay in orbit of our planet until May next year. While we have The Moon, Earth regularly gets many small asteroids and meteors which caught in its orbit, which astronomers call ‘mini-moons’.
And in November, we are being told that a small asteroid will come very close to our planet on the day before the election…
An asteroid is projected to come close to the Earth on November 2, a day before the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the Center for Near Earth Objects Studies (CNEOS) at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory confirmed.
The asteroid known as 2018VP1, first identified at Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California, has a diameter of 0.002 kilometers (over 6.5 feet), according to the data.
Scientists say that it is not likely that this asteroid will hit us, but they admit that they cannot claim this with 100 percent certainty…
And that’s why the future of 2018 VP₁ is uncertain. It was observed 21 times over 13 days, which allows its orbit to be calculated fairly precisely. We know it takes 2 years (plus or minus 0.001314 years) to go around the Sun. In other words, our uncertainty in the asteroid’s orbital period is about 12 hours either way.
That’s actually pretty good, given how few observations were made – but it means we can’t be certain exactly where the asteroid will be on November 2 this year.
Fortunately, this particular asteroid is also too small to seriously hurt us, and we should be thankful for that.
But the fact that so many space rocks have been headed our way is definitely alarming.
Back in August, an asteroid the size of an SUV came extremely close to hitting our planet. The following comes from NASA…
Near Earth Asteroids, or NEAs, pass by our home planet all the time. But an SUV-size asteroid set the record this past weekend for coming closer to Earth than any other known NEA: It passed 1,830 miles (2,950 kilometers) above the southern Indian Ocean on Sunday, Aug. 16 at 12:08 a.m. EDT (Saturday, Aug. 15 at 9:08 p.m. PDT).
What made that incident so unsettling was the fact that NASA didn’t even see it until it had passed us…
The flyby wasn’t expected and took many by surprise. In fact, the Palomar Observatory didn’t detect the zooming asteroid until about six hours after the object’s closest approach. “The asteroid approached undetected from the direction of the sun,” Paul Chodas, the director of NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies, told Business Insider. “We didn’t see it coming.”
Unfortunately, the truth is that our scientists simply cannot see everything that is up there.
They are doing their best, but everyone agrees that our technology is limited.
But over the last 20 years our technology has definitely improved, and at this point the number of asteroids that our scientists have identified is far greater than it was a couple of decades ago…
The animation maps out all known near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) — space rocks that get within about 30 million miles (50 million kilometers) of our planet’s orbit — from 1999 through January 2018, in roughly 10-year time steps.
The differences are stark. In 1999, identified NEAs speckled the inner solar system thinly, in a light dusting. Many more were discovered by 2009, and Earth’s neighborhood looks absolutely swamped in the present-day portion of the video.
Of course more giant space rocks are being discovered all the time, and unfortunately many of them are not identified until after they have had a close encounter with our planet.
If NASA couldn’t see the asteroid that almost hit us in August in advance, what else can’t they see?
And is it just our imagination that the number of close calls seems to be increasing, or are scientists just getting a whole lot better at detecting them?
At this moment we don’t have all the answers, but we should be thankful that our experts are trying to keep a close watch on the skies because scientists tell us that it is just a matter of time before we are hit by a giant asteroid.
In the movie Deep Impact, such a scenario was called an “extinction level event”.
As I write this article, there are thousands of giant space rocks floating around up there that could cause such a disaster, and NASA is working to catalog them all as rapidly as they can.
What does the Bible have to say about all this?
Check out this special interview with Bible Prophecy expert Tom Horn on the approach of Aphophis in 2029:
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The Great Reset – Are We Being Conditioned For The Rise Of The Antichrist? 🚨
| Breaking News Updates – September 17, 2020 |
BY JONATHAN BRENTNER/JONATHANBRENTNER.COM SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
| The Great Reset – Are We Being Conditioned For The Rise Of The Antichrist? |
| World Health organization Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has declared that finding a vaccine for COVID-19 is not the final goal. No, the ultimate aim is the “reordering of society.” |
When 2020 began, who could have imagined that a virus from China would take us closer to the tribulation? However, COVID-19 has done exactly that.
Since the virus first appeared in the United States, the goal line for easing government restrictions, lockdowns, quarantines, and face masks has continually changed. They have gone from flattening the curve, which the CDC said would take two to four weeks, to reduced hospital admissions, to everyone receiving a vaccination, and to Dr. Fauci recently stating that people can return to movie theaters only after the vaccine has been available for an entire year.
But will the arrival of a vaccine mark a return to normal? According to Tucker Carlson’s August 26th report on The Fox News Channel, the goal line has moved yet again. He quoted the World Health organization (WHO) Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as stating that finding a vaccine for COVID-19 is not the final goal. No, the ultimate aim is the “reordering of society.” He quoted the WHO director as also saying this, “We will not, we cannot go back to the way things were.”
Dr. Ghebreyesus of the WHO summed it up this way, “The COVID-19 pandemic has given new impetus to the need to accelerate efforts to respond to climate change.” Tucker Carlson quoted Bill Gates as saying that the COVID-19 pandemic signifies “that the rest of us will have to sacrifice even more to save the earth from warming.”
So, what’s the connection between the virus and climate control? Tucker Carlson nails it with these words, “both are pretexts for mass social control.”
This “social control” is paving the way for the coming world government. The global warming alarm and the fear generated by COVID-19 are prepping society for the arrival of the antichrist.
THE GREAT RESET IS THE GOAL
One need not look any further than to the World Economic Forum (WEF) website to see how the global elite seek to use these “crises” to reorder society for what they call “The Great Reset.”
Below are a couple of the opening quotes from the “The Great Reset” page of the WEF website.
There is an urgent need for global stakeholders to cooperate in simultaneously managing the direct consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. To improve the state of the world, the World Economic Forum is starting The Great Reset initiative.
The Covid-19 crisis, and the political, economic and social disruptions it has caused, is fundamentally changing the traditional context for decision-making. The inconsistencies, inadequacies and contradictions of multiple systems -from health and financial to energy and education – are more exposed than ever amidst a global context of concern for lives, livelihoods and the planet. Leaders find themselves at a historic crossroads, managing short-term pressures against medium- and long-term uncertainties.
The push for the Great Reset has reached the United Nations. António Guterres, the UN’s Secretary-General, added this to the call for the reordering of the world governments on the basis of both the “pandemic” and “climate change:”
The Great Reset is a welcome recognition that this human tragedy must be a wake-up call. We must build more equal, inclusive and sustainable economies and societies that are more resilient in the face of pandemics, climate change and the many other global changes we face.
COVID-19 and climate change constitute “a wake-up call” for “global changes,” which further the need for the Great Reset, the coming world order of the tribulation over which the antichrist will someday rule. The elite who operate the WEF do not hide their intention to use climate change and the virus as the pretext for a one-world government.
Peter Koenig wrote this about how COVID-19 is advancing the agenda of the elite toward the one world government, which he calls “the Beast.”
We have become enslaved to the Beast. The Beast calls the shots on boom or bust of our economies, on who should be shackled by debt, when and where a pandemic should break out, and on the conditions of surviving the pandemic, for example, social confinement. And to top it all off – the instruments the Beast uses, very cleverly, are a tiny-tiny invisible enemy, called a virus, and a huge but also invisible monster, called FEAR. That keeps us off the street, off reunions with our friends, and off our social entertainment, theatre, sports, or a picnic in the park.
I find it quire remarkable that although Mr. Koenig does not claim any knowledge of Bible prophecy, he uses the terminology of Daniel and the book of Revelation in describing the kingdom of the antichrist.
I provide these quotes to show how climate change and COVID-19 lie behind the push for the Great Reset.
We see evidence of this in the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, which lists goals for a one world government that it hopes to put in place by 2030. The New Green Deal in the United States mirrors the goals of Agenda 2030 with its agenda for a Marxist totalitarian world order (AKA the Beast).
THE CONDITIONING OF SOCIETY FOR THE GREAT RESET
How are the elite globalists of our world preparing the world to follow their lead in establishing a Marxist government? Below I list some of the ways they use the coronavirus as well as climate change for their demonic purposes to bring about the Great Reset that will pave the way for the rule of the antichrist during the tribulation.
1. Fear: The first tool in the arsenal of the globalists is fear and they have succeeded in creating a great deal of it both in the United States and throughout the world.
They advanced the horrors of climate change for decades, but this alone has not caught the attention of the masses that they had hoped it would do. An abundance of failed predictions along with an army of scientists who now dispute the dire warnings of impending doom have diminished the impact of climate alarm on many people. It consistently ranks low on the lists of concerns for voters.
The globalists needed a crisis that would impact everyone in the world and thus COVID-19 arrived on the scene. They still issue dire warnings regarding climate change for those who will listen and buy into that contrived panic. However, the elite have added the coronavirus to their plans to generate the widespread alarm they require to make people willing to accept their demonic Marxist solution for both crises.
2. Tell people to submit for their own well-being: The combination of fear and the great deception of our time have made vast numbers of people willing to submit to the government, which they now regard as the protector of their health. As a result, they have willingly given up many of their rights and freedoms for the sake of remaining healthy, a trend sure to continue.
The New World Order (AKA the beast) cannot exercise its dominion over people apart from their willingness to submit to dictates of a government they trust for their well-being and health.
And, very few pastors stand up against the restriction regarding the freedom of religion imposed on them by socialist governors. I thank the Lord for the courage of John MacArthur in this regard.
3. Lawlessness and violence: Billionaire globalists fund the violence and lawlessness we witness throughout the United States. The result of this will be the exact opposite of what those rioting believe they will accomplish with the fires, vicious attacks on the innocent, and the killing of law enforcement officials.
Those behind the Great Reset intend to use the breakdown of law and order to bring about a much more rigid “police state” where those enforcing the rules of the state will pledge loyalty to a tyrannical world government rather than to one’s city or state or country.
The protests against police cruelty will result in a totalitarian rule where everyone, regardless of race, nationality, or gender will shake in fear at the sight of those enforcing the draconian rules of an all-powerful socialistic government.
4. Establish a need for government control: In order for the elite to achieve their ultimate goal of a one world government, they must convince people of the need for more government control of their lives. This explains their devotion to the contrived climate emergency and why they will not let go of the increased control over our lives that they have achieved through the Covid-19 crisis.
President Donald Trump and the United States represent their greatest obstacles in achieving their objective, which is why we see the rioting and the nonstop media lies about our President. In 2016, Trump interrupted their march to world dominance, and they cannot allow for another delay in their effort to convince the world of its need for more government control.
Powerful forces in our world, led by the devil himself, seek to put in place a one-world government and they will use everything they can to make it happen. They will not let go of the COVID-19 health “crisis” until they have accomplished their goal to subject the entire world to the slavery of a Marxist regime.
THE GOOD NEWS
Tucker Carlson was spot on with his assessment of climate change and COVID-19, “both are pretexts for mass social control.” The wearing of masks, the bowing of knees to the Black Lives Matter movement, and the vaccines consist of preconditioning people to both receive the mark of the beast during the tribulation and worship the antichrist (Rev. 13:16-18). This is the end game of what Satan seeks to accomplish through the Great Reset.
The prophet Daniel, writing 2,600 years ago, wrote about the Great Reset of the WEF. He called it a “beast” with “horns” (Dan. 7:23-25). The apostle John, in Revelation 13, added more details to this beast whom the antichrist will someday personify. He is the “man of lawlessness whom the Lord will destroy at His second coming (2 Thess. 2:3-8).
Since God long ago foretold the rise of this beast with the detail that we now see taking shape in our world, we can absolutely trust His Word as to the coming destruction of this beast, both the government and the antichrist who will personify the beast (Dan. 2:44-45; 7:26-27; Rev. 19:17-20:3). Jesus will destroy both at His second coming.
For those of us who belong to Christ, the good news of the Gospel is that Jesus will come for us before the start of the tribulation and the culmination of the Satanic plans of the globalists.
We do not watch in fear for the Great Reset; but we eagerly await the appearance of our great Savior who take us back to the place He has prepared for us (John 14:1-3). We await our speedy departure from this world to heaven.
Yes, the news about our world today is more than a little disconcerting, but our hope is more glorious than we can imagine.
Jesus is coming to take us home; we need not buy into the fear of our time.
The lawlessness and violence of our day tell us that the prophesied tribulation is ever so near. But before that can happen, we will reside in paradise with Jesus.
Originally published at JonathanBretner.com – reposted with permission.
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I would like to add a comment to this article. It is certainly not an overreach to consider the possibility of globalists INTENTIONALLY allowing the pandemic to be released throughout he world, creating instability with the economy in the United States. Donald Trump is a big league speed bump in the estimation of globalists and must be removed from office. The wicked leadership of China and those seeking control of the world, consider the lives of thousands of people “small potatoes” in comparison to their lust for global control. At any rate, there will be a crisis(s) [reset] that ushers in our modern day Tower of Babel, i.e. New World Order (NWO). Because of Him, Pastor Steve <><
John MacArthur Addresses Netflix Sexualization of Children, Pins it on the LGBTQ Revolution
John MacArthur Addresses Netflix Sexualization of Children, Pins it on the LGBTQ Revolution
GREG SMITH
SEPTEMBER 11, 2020
The sexual revolution is squarely in the hands of the LGBTQ movement and those that support it. And the fact that a large media company like Netflix can produce and broadcast a show that glorifies the sexualization of children and get away with it speaks volumes about the collective conscience of our society.
In case you’re unaware, Netflix is producing just such a show, called “Cuties,” that depicts young girls who rebel against conservative culture and become engulfed in a glorified sexual culture at a very young age.
Listen to John MacArthur’s comments above. Bold, brash, brilliant, beautiful and most importantly, true to the Word! Our nation is plummeting towards hell at warp speed, and nothing will stop it. We cannot revive what is already dead, and continually seeking to top the latest abomination with something even more sick. Nonetheless, we need to pray for this sin sick nation – Jesus Christ is our only hope.
Maranatha, Pastor Steve <><
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“The slide is greased and it’s rapidly going down hill at warp speed,” he continued, “and to try to intervene at some point and say that’s enough, you would have had to start a long time ago.”
What Does The Number Three Symbolize In The Bible?
Divine wholeness, completeness and perfection.
The number 3 biblically represents divine wholeness, completeness and perfection. If there ever was a desire to highlight an idea, thought, event or noteworthy figure in the Bible for their prominence, the number 3 was used to put a divine stamp of completion or fulfillment on the subject.
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What Does the Number Three Mean in the Bible?
The Number Three and God’s Sovereignty
by
God reveals his power in many ways, but one of those ways is by prophesying what’s going to happen and using specific numbers repeatedly, such as the number three.
Biblical Numerology is the study of numbers in the Bible. Many times when we start studying numbers in the Bible, we get off track because it often times requires us to make inferences at the meaning of these numbers. Most times the Bible does not explain why certain numbers are used in certain situations.
So when studying the numbers mentioned in the Bible, like the number three, we must be careful to only draw conclusions that are obvious and supported by other parts of Scripture.
The Regular Occurrence of the Number Three in the Bible Points to God’s Sovereignty
Having said that, what does the number three mean in biblical terms? While it would be easy to get off track when studying numbers in the Bible, we would be doing ourselves a disservice if we were to simply over look the regular occurrence of the number three in the life of Jesus, especially in relation to the gospel events:
• Jesus was 30 years old when he started his public ministry.
• Jesus was 33 years old when he died on the cross.
• Jesus was tempted 3 times in the desert by Satan.
• Peter, James, and John were the three disciples with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane who were in his inner circle.
• The disciples failed to stay awake three times in the Garden of Gethsemane.
• Peter denied Jesus three times.
• In John 21 when Jesus reinstates Peter, he asks him 3 times if Peter loves him.
• It says in Mark 15:25 that it was the third hour of the day when Jesus was crucified.
• The Holy Spirit’s anointing at Pentecost according to Acts 2:15 happened at the third hour of the day.
• Jesus rose from dead on the third day.
• God is one, but he is also three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Trinity).
While we must be careful when interpreting numbers in the Bible, the most basic and safe claim to make about the number three in the Bible is that its regular appearance, especially in relation to the cross and resurrection, cannot be chance.
So what does the number three mean in the Bible? The number three in relation to the gospel of Jesus Christ at minimum proves that God is in control of all these events that took place which resulted in our salvation.
The Use of the Number Three in the Bible Shows God Is Sovereign Over Sin
Perhaps God works in threes so many times in the Bible so we could see the fingerprint of the Triune God and believe he is sovereign, thus trusting him more.
God’s not ever responsible for sin, but Peter’s three failures is an example of how God is sovereign even over our sin. He’s not causing your sin, but he is in control, even over sin, therefore should we not trust him and seek his help in everything?
Peter could have denied Jesus 2, 4, or 8 times, but God allowed 3 so when Peter looked back he might know that although God did not cause him to sin, God was in control even when he did sin. Judas could have betrayed Jesus for 20, 40, or 31 pieces of silver, but it was 30 pieces of silver, prophesied before hand in the Old Testament books of Jeremiah and Zechariah (Matthew 27:9-10).
God was in control of all that was happening, and God made sure to put in writing through prophesy what was going to happen beforehand so we would all know he was and is in control when it did happen. Jesus made sure to tell the disciples the exact thing that was going to happen to him, that he was going to be crucified, but be raised on the third day. In John 14:29-30 Jesus says, “I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me.”
Just before Judas leads the soldiers to Jesus and betrays him with a kiss, Mark 14:41-42, says, “Returning the third time, he said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Jesus came a “third time.” He was telling his disciples before his season of suffering started that “the hour has come” and that Judas’ was going to betray before it happened so that they would see God’s sovereignty over this whole situation. All of this should strengthen our resolve to seek the solution to our problems in Jesus Christ who is in complete control of everything, even when it doesn’t look like it.
What Does the Number Three Mean in the Bible? It Means God Can Be Trusted
Because God is completely in control, even over sin, this means we should trust him all the time.
So much more has been said by others about what the number three means in the Bible, and more could be said here. But while much of this would be interesting and might help us dive deeper into our theological understanding, sticking to the plain and obvious facts about the number three, I believe, bears the most fruit.
So what does the number three mean in the Bible? At minimum, it means God is sovereign (over sin, salvation, and everything else) and therefore can be trusted with our whole heart, all the time, and forever.
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Yes indeed, three (3) is a key Biblical number. Father, Son and the Holy Ghost. Peter, James and John. Paul prayed three times for his thorn in the flesh. Past, present and future. Length, width and height. Three dimensions. Earth, wind and fire. Shem, Ham and Japheth. The orphan, widow and stranger.
I learned something from our parishioners who entered our prayer meeting last night. You and I have all seen double rainbows, yet I knew not that triple rainbows even existed. Following is a picture of yet another three – a triple rainbow over Israel. What does it mean/signify? Interpret it from the aforementioned material on the significance of the number three. Blessings, Pastor Steve <><
Triple Rainbow Over Israel 6/29/2020
Genesis 9
13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,
15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.
16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
Jonathan Edwards and the Call to Prayer
Colson Center for Christian Worldview
JOHN STONESTREETWITH ANTHONY AVILES |
Even Steven 