The Occult Bot

Question

Of all the questions asked about the second coming of Christ what is the most important one of all?

Answer

The most important question ever asked by anyone at anytime throughout history is the question asked by the Phillipian jailer to the Apostle Paul in Acts 16:30, Sirs, what must I do to be saved. Paul’s answer is also the single most important answer in the world. And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. Acts 16:31

Instead of seeing the rapture as the great escape hatch in the sky by which we will be instantly pulled to safety during the coming troubles, we must recognize that our faith in Christ is the way out, and nothing else. Jesus has made us invincible in a manner of speaking. He has said if we’re dead we’re yet living, and if we’re living, we can’t die. John 11:25-26. This being so, the antichrist can only affect the place of our abode but never the eternal life that has been granted to us through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Question

What is the doctrine of the second chance and where did it come from?

Answer

The doctrine of the second of the second chance is not really a doctrine at all it is just good common sense. It is based on the idea that a full knowledge of second coming events will prepare those who don’t now believe to see how they can save their own souls when no one is left to tell them how. Its origination is from the Bible but is seldom noticed by even the most well versed Christians.

I have never heard anyone even mention this most important aspect of the second coming, much less preach or write about it. I would be negligent and remiss if I failed to emphasize this to virtually anyone who will listen. How it seems to have escaped people is beyond comprehension. It would seem that as we approach the fulfillment of the Second Advent, that every believer the world over would be keenly aware of this important part of the Bible message.

I can only surmise that we must be overly involved with our own welfare and our own responses to the ensuing events. It is almost an attitude of, we made it out of here, so who cares what happens next. Caring like God cares covers what God’s caring covers, and that is all men, at all times, past present and future.

Practically everyone has heard a story at some time of a praying mother or father who died without seeing their children come to the Lord. Sometimes decades after they have gone their child or children will turn their lives over to the grace of God. They will in many cases attribute their salvation to the persistent prayers and constant speaking of the faith that their parents made. The witness of a loving mother may lay dormant in some child’s heart until they reach their extreme in life and are nearly broken, or conversely when in some quiet moment they reconsider the words that were so carefully implanted in their conscience. The Mothers presence is not at all necessary.

I am no more certain of when the rapture or the catching away will be than I am about the way the wind will blow tomorrow. But God has given me a clear picture of the nature and intensity of the events in the near future. By telling an unbelieving person all I can about Christ’s return I am providing them with knowledge by which to identify the various events as they unfold. If the rapture has occurred, what I took the time to tell them of the ensuing events will be the only viable witness they will have to refer to, in the troubled times ahead. But being told does leave them a witness, an explanation a chance. Perhaps they may have to lay down their lives to retain it, but what a horrible tragedy if they couldn’t see it coming at all. I can’t help but think that our nonchalant attitude about second coming wouldn’t make us somewhat culpable if anyone we had spoken to weren’t given this precious second chance to make their move toward God.

It makes little difference whether the pre-tribulationists are correct or some other view because someone will still be alive and making life changing decisions even seconds after we are removed. To give them aide in making the right decision is important before or after we are gone. I can imagine someone saying, Hey, this man ruling in Europe is doing some of the things I was told about by my friend before he left. If your words remain then you remain, the result is the same, the saving of a precious soul.

The more studied and balanced we are about the second coming of Christ the greater chance we have of providing others with a second chance. As the events unfold it has become more important than ever in history to choose solid teachers and sound teachings on this vital subject. It is becoming more of a responsibility than a mere side interest or something to otherwise intrigue the casual buff. The clearer message we leave behind the greater chance to add precious jewels to our crowns, even retroactively.

Rev Bresciani has written many articles over the past thirty years in such periodicals as Guideposts and Catholic Digest. He is the author of two books available on Amazon.com, Alibris, Barnes and Noble and many other places. Rev Bresciani wrote “Hook Line and Sinker or what has Your Church Been Teaching You,” publisher, PublishAmerica of Baltimore MD. He also wrote a book published by Xulon Press entitled “An American Prophet and His Message, Questions and Answers on the Second Coming of Christ.” His book is now being heralded as the clearest book on the subject of the second coming of Christ since Hal Lindsey’s “Late Great Planet Earth” Rev Bresciani’s website is,

http://americanprophet.org

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In part 1 we saw proof of the Holy Trinity, in part 2 we will see the opposite. Satan in his anger wants to be as God for in scripture we see his resolve to be. The trinity that we are going to study is Satan, The Beast and The False Prophet.

Isa 14:12-14; How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Why would there be an unholy trinity? For the anti-christ to deceive Israel, he must appear to fulfill prophecy of the messiah. To copy everything that Jesus accomplished. This way the anti-christ can deceive many into believing that he is the Christ. The unholy trinity uses deception and the stretching of the truth. The Bible lists the unholy trinity as;

1. The Dragon.
The Dragon symbolizes Satan. In Scripture Satan has many names. God describes Satan here in Eze 28:11-19; Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; “Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Satan [Heb.,= adversary], traditional opponent of God and humanity in Judaism and Christianity.

In Scripture and literature the role of the opponent is given many names, such as Apolyon, Beelzebub, Semihazah, Azazel, Belial, and Sammael. Nicknames include the Tempter, Evil One, God of This World, Father of Lies, and Prince of Darkness. But in the New Testament it is Satan, with its Greek equivalent diabolos (the Devil), which came to dominate, displacing or demoting other names and figures.

2. The Beast.
This is the Anti-Christ. Born a Jew in the similitude of Satan. This Beast copys all that the Messiah must do to fulfill prophecy. Other wise the Israelites would never accept him. He will promise a kingdom on earth, fulfilling the desires of the Sanhedrin and the Priest.

3. The False Prophet.
This is a man of great religious authority. This is also a representation of false religion, a system that wants to gain control over all aspects of human worship.

Revelations 13:2 And the beast (Anti-Christ ) which I saw was like unto a leopard ( with the characteristics of a Leopard. Swiftness.), and his feet were as the feet of a bear ( Symbolizing Strength.), and his mouth as the mouth of a lion ( Symbolizing fears-ness.): and the dragon (Satan) gave him his power, and his seat (preeminence), and great authority(Control).
In Revelations 13:2, we see a copy of what God did for Jesus and Jesus for His disciples.(Ref; Mat 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them (disciples ) power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me (From God) in heaven and in earth.)

Rev 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

Here in 2nd Thessalonins 2:9 we see the separation of the Beast and Satan.

“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.”

Here in Revelations 16:13, we see the unholy trinity joined together. “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.” This unholy trinity has already began to develope. The spirit of anti-christ is already at work, His bodily form is expected at any time, Satan is rushing about, knowing that his time is short, and the false prophet is at work around the world, decieveing and being deceived.

Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries
http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/

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Easter thoughts: What ever was the son of God thinking at the time of his crucifixion?

Easter is a time where we celebrate to commemorate the resurrection of our lord Jesus Christ. People all over the world of different cultures celebrate this miraculous rising. The season of spring is a time for new beginnings – new life. Nature`s beauty bounces back with lush jade privets – leafy trees in forty shades of green and flowers in full bloom. What with the lord Jesus Christ and new plant growth then who are we to disbelieve in the fact that there is life after death.

Easter thoughts: What ever was the son of God thinking at the time of his crucifixion?

Remember the lord by rejoicing – make this Easter extra special by sending close friends and family a Happy Card personalized with your own Easter thoughts put into words. Remember Easter is a time for forgiveness.

Remember the lord by baking a cake – pipe cream an Easter thought onto the sweet confection. Light 12 candles. You can donate this offering to the local chapel as a way of thanking Jesus Christ for coming back to watch over us. Remember Easter is a time for forgiveness.

Easter thoughts: What ever was the son of God thinking at the time of his crucifixion?

Remember the lord by throwing a dinner party – ask each guest to bring along a candle. Have the guests light the candle just as you are about to say grace thanking the lord for what you are about to receive. Remember Easter is a time for forgiveness.

Remember the lord with a prayer gathering among friends and family to let Jesus Christ know that he is in your thoughts at Easter. Remember Easter is a time for forgiveness.

Remember the lord by the giving of goodwill gestures. Easter time does not change situations in famine stricken countries nor for the abused child. Killings still continue with acts of terrorism which is a major concern spreading like an epidemic among loyalists. You can help by including these unfortunate people in the way of a donation as your Easter goodwill gesture – a couple of coppers to the campaign charities involved with fighting a good cause for peace can make a lot of difference to the starving and the abused.

We all feel saddened by Jesus Christ and his tortured passing but you can not turn back the clock. What is that true saying? you can not put a good man down and how very true are those words that were spoken.

Easter thoughts: What ever was the son of God thinking at the time of his crucifixion?

Forgive them for they know not what they do.

Peace and tranquility is all the lord ever wanted. Another way of finding this is by yoga practice.www.want2yoga.com Easter gifts for babies www.little-babyonline.com

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Copyright 2006 Rod Rogers

Even if you boldly teach biblical principles of stewardship year after year, as I did, you will still experience an occasional church giving crisis. What do you do when your giving begins to plummet?

If you’re like many pastors, you probably pray harder and offer a brief reminder to your congregation to be faithful in their giving. In most cases this does not fix the problem. It certainly never worked for me.

After many years of fumbling around, I finally figured out that I should address poor giving as I would any other problem in the church: by taking the lead to determine the cause, to clearly explain that cause to my people, and to challenge them to do what they should to solve it.

Here are three steps you can take to solve any giving crisis:

1. Check the giving records to discover the cause. Your offerings haven’t shrunk for some mysterious or mystical reason. They have dropped because some of your people have failed to give as they should. Have your church treasurer examine the giving records and tell you what changes he sees in your people’s giving patterns. You don’t necessarily need to know the names of those whose giving is sliding; but you do need to know if a large donor has stopped giving, or if ten families who regularly tithe have given a much smaller amount than normal.

2. Directly address the issue with your congregation. Clearly explain the nature of the problem (“We are $1,500 behind each month”) and its causes (“Five members gave nothing last month,” or “Twelve families significantly decreased their giving the last four weeks”). You can do this in a matter of fact way without singling anyone out and without scolding or shaming your people.

3. Challenge your church family to do what they should to fix the problem. I always took the position that poor giving was not primarily the pastor’s problem (assuming I was giving obediently), but that it was a crisis our entire church family should own. It was their responsibility to give to overcome the crises that they had created. Therefore, I would boldly challenge them to do what they should to keep our finances stable. For example, here is an actual letter I sent to our members and regular attendees on October 20, 1999, about a giving crisis we were in.

Dear Friend, I’m writing to you, a part of our church family, to let you know our offerings have been down in the last couple of months. This has created a budget problem we must not ignore.

Here are the pertinent figures: * July – $910.00 under budget * August – $42.00 under budget * September – $2,397.00 under budget (Here’s where things got real serious.) * October – $1,297.00 under budget (so far)

Since our new budget year began on July 1, we have fallen behind by $4,646.00. If this trend continues we will find ourselves in deep trouble soon, since our budget contains no “fluff.”

How do I explain this deficit? It’s not due to anything mysterious or mystical. It is explained by the following facts: * Three members (who committed to giving 10% in their membership covenant) have not given anything for four or more months. * One member has not given anything for two months. * Three members have not given their usual tithe amount, but have significantly decreased their giving, for two to four months. (This doesn’t include one member family who has been unemployed for several months–but who is still giving!). * Five regularly attending families/individuals have decreased their giving from their usual amount for two to four months.

These giving decreases account for approximately $4,000.00 of our $4,646.00 deficit. As your pastor I am asking you to please prayerfully evaluate your giving to see if you are acting as a faithful steward of God’s money. And if you have been sloppy in your giving, please consider making up what you have missed!

Of course, if you have had a financial crisis which accounts for your decreased giving, we understand, and would love to be able to pray, assist, and encourage you. Just let us know!

No one likes to have to talk about money, but I just thought you should know what’s going on. You have been a wonderfully giving congregation for many years, so I have confidence you will do what you can to help meet our current need. Please be praying with shameless persistence for our offerings to increase to meet our financial needs.

I love you,

Pastor Rod

Our people responded well to this letter and our giving was back on track in a few months.

When you fall into a giving crisis, don’t ignore it and hope it will go away. Get the facts, share them with your congregation, and challenge them to do what’s right. In most cases they will.

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First off and foremost, I grew up without anyone imposing Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism or any other form of religion. I grew up making my own decisions on who to believe and what, and if not to believe. But the question that always stood before me was, “how can I believe if I first know not of (his) existence?” An individual who may want to prove “his” existence would have limitless proofs, because “he” is a supernatural and an idea, “he” can be defended by supernatural ideas which are limitless in defense. On the other hand, I only can defend my point of view by factual evidence which is obviously limited but proven in existence. My proofs are worth more because they exist, on the other hand stories, legends, and myths are just that, they don’t exist, even if you create millions of them, it wouldn’t be enough to prove yourself because what you’re saying is, “blah blah blah” your stories don’t exist. With that said, let me state my side of the argument, I beg you to keep an open mind, as if the word “mind” really exists. . .

10, 7, 5, 8, Mind, 3, 23, Soul, 12, 90, Love, 78, 653, God, 87, Justice, 34, 82, Equality. What is a number? A number is an idea, it doesn’t exist. A number is not physical you cannot touch it. What is mind? Mind is an idea of a persons human consciousness, it’s just a word the same as Justice and Equality, you may call your “human consciousness” as Equality, it’s basically the same as calling it Mind. So what’s the difference in the word “God”, you might as well be praying to the number 5, neither actually exist. But it doesn’t end here, there was a great and intelligent man, that you may know, called Plato. Plato wrote a book called, “The Symposium” in which he tries to prove that love, god, and numbers exist. This is what happened, Plato couldn’t prove his point, so he went to the best ancient mathematics university that was around at his time, to study with great mathematicians. Why did he go to the university? Plato went to study math for 10 years with the mathematicians to prove that numbers exist, because he understood that if he proved the number 5 exists, then he automatically also proves that Love, and God exist the same. So what happened?

After 10 years of study, he was not able to prove that the number 5 exists. But an interesting thing happened to him on the way home. On his way home, he stopped by this little island. On this island was an amphitheater, an amphitheater is our modern auditorium for Broadway spectacles, in which the seats go higher and higher purposely for the sound to be heard all over the theater. Plato sat there and looked around why everyone in the audience was crying, he couldn’t figure it out, then he finally looked at the stage and noticed something sad on the stage, with sad music. Now then he understood, he knew music had a beat and those beats needed numbers, he saw the musicians playing according to those beats, and produced sound which is physical and all of us are able to hear it. So the philosophy is, if you take something that doesn’t exist and apply it to something that does, it can be beautiful. But still the number doesn’t exist and neither does God. Let me move on to other finer points, and more detailed disapproval’s.

We live in a contemporary world, well let’s just say contemporary America. In contemporary America we have such things called as “the top ten songs”, “the top ten movies”, or “the top ten actors.” We also have the ten commandments, if there was 7 or 9 or 11 commandments, the contemporary American public would certainly not take it seriously and totally disregard it. The number 10 is psychologically satisfying, due to its number.

The fifth commandment says, “thou shalt not kill”, there have been more wars and deaths in the name or religion than all other wars put together including World War 1 & 2. For example, France as Huguenots and England as Catholics battled for literally hundreds of years, and this is recorded as data and proved, it is educated in classes across the world, my point here is, if Gods wars can be recorded and documented and proven to be actual history, why isn’t God the cause of the war be able to be documented and proven to exist? The deaths are, why isn’t he? In modern day, disputes between Israeli’s and Muslims are seen on television almost daily with suicides and raids. Is fighting for your god really worth the death of so many of your own people maybe even family members? You fight for your religion only to stop when it is your time to put on a green shirt, pants and a black rifle to only be killed on the battle field, because after all, isn’t there only one God? Then why are we always fighting?

God is a quick answer to mans great questions, “where did we come from?”, “why are we here?” Well, why couldn’t we always have been here? Why do we need to have a beginning and an end, I personally think evolution is retarded, I don’t think a giraffe grew it’s neck 10 ft long to bite off a leaf. But evolution is partly true. Back in the middle ages, we all may recall that the height of a very tall person would be approximately 5 feet, now tall would involve well over 6 feet. The average height of people now is around 5 feet and 9 inches, back then it would be no more than 4 and a half feet. So did we grow bigger? Yes we did, and this is proven by factual evidence, by skeletons, statues and documents. So back to mans great questions, the quick answer to God is generated by ignorant people who don’t take the time to even think about their being. Some people see religion as a requirement of society, or in other words, a social ploid, why do we pledge of allegiance to God in our classrooms across America, isn’t there a separation of church and state in our great nation? We all know there are people around us who were brought into religion without a choice like orthodox Jews, the children’s parents threw all their beliefs at them and as children they just took it in without question, almost being brainwashed.

The thoughts of those children stay with them for many years, and they will pass those ideas down to their children, and so on. This is the same as the great Ku Klux Klan in which their children are also implanted with ideas from their parents from birth to keep carrying on the cause and hate that their ignorance produces. In my opinion people should be able to make their own decisions on their own ideas, beliefs and observations. Those who choose their religion upon their own beliefs and observations and not environmental influences are real believers in their cause. But what do you get from praying all your life and believing in a single or even maybe many deities? Well if you let me tell you, I have a personal experience. My stepfather is a devoted Christian almost completely all his life, he prays all the time, before he goes to sleep, when he wakes up, before he enters or leaves a house, when he’s in his car, he prays even in his sleep probably. What does he have in return? I’ll tell you what, a failed business, $20,000 in debt, a car accident and his sister has lung-cancer, she’s only 36 years old. Let me talk about fear.

Fear, all people have fear even me, the greatest fear of all is death and loss of life. If one of your relatives dies you can cope with their death through religion, convincing yourself that they are in heaven and well. When it comes to your own death, you automatically think of hell, and try to go over all the things in your head that you did bad and match it up with good, hoping good wins over and you’ll go to heaven, or at best, purgatory. The facts is, is that no one knows what happens after death, but since there are not supernatural occurrences in real life, why should their be when you’re dead?

All the stories of the bible are nonsense, how can Noah’s ark be able to hold 2 of each animal? That’s impossible, 2 elephants, 2 gorillas, 2 giraffes, that’s a big ark. How is it that God created Adam and Eve first when fossil records and carbon dating show that there were life forms before Adam and Eve? If God created everything, who created God? More importantly did God create man or did man create God? Here’s something else to think about, why doesn’t God create man in heaven? Why doesn’t the devil create man in hell? Why are we created on earth?

Born in Belarus, Minsk 1988, came to America with huge aspirations, and fullfilling them by participating in a Microsoft competition, and soon attending Polytechnic University in New York City. I spend my time with my friends and research technology constantly. I always question things before i believe them blindly and make sure in whatever it is i do, there is truth in it, or at least money!

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These next two verses are extreme – and I mean extreme! These two verses are telling us that God’s people are literally, and I mean literally, being destroyed for lack of knowledge. The second verse below says that God’s people can literally go into captivity as a result of not having the right amount of knowledge about something.

God the Father is giving all of us a major warning with the ways that He has these two verses worded. A perfect example of these two verses in actual operation are the Muslim suicide bombers. Many of these suicide bombers are young kids. They have been brought up being brainwashed by the extremist element of Islam, and they really do think they are going straight to heaven if they are willing to blow themselves up and anyone else they can take with them.

This is a perfect example of these young kids being led into “captivity” as a result of not having the appropriate knowledge to fully understand what they are getting into in the first place. And then when they actually take their own lives in these suicide bombings, they are literally being “destroyed” as a result of this lack of knowledge.

That is why seeking after the knowledge of God is so important with all the crazy and demonic things that are going on in this world. Having God’s knowledge on certain things, situations, different issues and topics is what can keep you from getting entangled into something that could end up turning deadly on you.

These two verses should be memorized by every Christian. Here they are:

1. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)
2. “Therefore My people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge …” (Isaiah 5:13)

If these two verses are telling us that not having the knowledge of God operating in our lives could literally lead us into getting into some kind of captivity – not to mention the possibility of getting us killed or thrown into the pits of hell when we die – then the reverse is also true – that having the knowledge of God operating in your life can help keep you out of serious trouble, help keep you free and possibly help lengthen the number of days that you can live down here on this earth.

4. Knowledge and Wisdom are Better than all the Material Things of This World

These next 7 verses are once again making a very radical statement. God is literally telling us that the knowledge and wisdom that we can receive from Him is better and more valuable than all the silver, gold and rubies of this world. In other words, the knowledge and wisdom that you can receive from God is better than all the material wealth that this world has to offer!

God then goes one step further in this first verse I will list below, and states that knowledge and wisdom is better than anything else you can possibly desire in this life! Think about how radical this statement really is given the materialistic and money hungry society we live in.

Grab a hold of these 7 verses – especially the first two.

1. “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her.” (Proverbs 3:13)
2. “How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.” (Proverbs 16:16)
3. “There is gold and a multitude of rubies, but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.” (Proverbs 20:15)
4. “But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.” (Ecclesiastes 7:12)
5. “Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it.” (Proverbs 16:22)
6. “Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” (Proverbs 24:3)
7. “Wisdom strengthens the wise more than ten rulers of that city.” (Ecclesiastes 7:19)

Notice in the first verse that God says that “happy” is the man who finds wisdom, and that having knowledge and wisdom will help lengthen the number of days that you might live down here on this earth. He then says that knowledge will also bring you peace and be a tree of life to you and your life.

This “tree of life” is what stimulates those who seek after knowledge. There is nothing more challenging, more rewarding and more thrilling than seeking after the knowledge of God on a particular subject or issue that you may really be interested in.

And to top all of this off – all of the knowledge and wisdom that you receive from God on the different parts of your life down here on earth will all go with you into the next life – which will be heaven. However, not one ounce of all of the gold, rubies, silver and wealth of this world will go with you the minute you die and cross over. All of that earthly material wealth will rot and perish as far as you are concerned – because not one ounce, not one penny will go with you to the other side!

That is why God is placing such an extremely high value on the pursuit of His knowledge and wisdom for us in this life. That is why God is telling us in the above verses that seeking after His knowledge and wisdom in this life will give you true life.

Article written by Michael Bradley of Bible Knowledge Ministries. Their website is a resource of Bible knowledge commentary and teaching. They currently have over 100 Bible articles. All free of charge.
The article was an excerpt from Michael’s E-book titled, Seeking After the Knowledge of God You can go to their site and download the book free of charge. © 2005 by Michael Bradley. All Rights Reserved.

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Prayer is very important. There are medical studies linking both prayer and meditation with better health. People who pray on a daily basis have been found to experience lower blood pressure, less stress, stronger immune systems, less depression, to live longer and happier lives, etc… These are great benefits and should not be overlooked, but the reason for prayer is to communicate with, ask for help and forgiveness, and please God.

To pray correctly we must be sincere and pray from the heart. Jesus Christ was angered by the falseness of the local religious leaders and likened them to hypocrites – “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him (Mathew 6:5-8). Here Jesus Christ specifically states to pray in quiet, not to rant and babble like many priests and evangelists do. This is not sincere, as they are trying to impress their followers and stroke their egos with their impressive vocabulary. God is infinitely smarter than that and will not be impressed by incantations, repetition, and insincerity. He wants us to pray in private, not for show. God would much rather hear a prayer from someone meek and sincere.

We can pray about anything and there is nothing saying you can’t repeat requests. We should pray not only about what troubles us, but also for forgiveness and what we are thankful for – our families, good times, God’s help, etc… In Matthew 6:9-15 Jesus Christ gives us a great example of how to pray – The Lord’s Prayer – “This then is how you should pray:” ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we have forgotten our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Jesus Christ implies in the Lord’s Prayer that we need to forgive everyone. We have all sinned and all need forgiveness. We also need to be thankful for what God has given us. We may be poor, we may have a terrible boss or financial hardships, but we need to look through this and find the good. There is always some good we can reflect upon.

Prayer can be very benefitial when done correctly as God will actually hear and answer prayers and requests that are sincere, truthful, forgiving, and not full of earthly desires – this is coveting and is one of the ten commandments – “Thou shalt not covet.” When our prayers aren’t answered, maybe its because we weren’t praying for the right reasons or for what we really need. Remember, God knows and sees everything and loves all of us so much that he sent his only son Jesus Christ to die for us and our sins. Let us honor him by praying correctly and for the right reasons.

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In five words Paul enunciates the basic principle of the Christian life: “You are not your own” (1 Cor. 6:19). Some of the Corinthian Christians were acting like they were autonomous, as if their lives had not been bought and paid for with the precious blood of Christ. Because they ignored this
principle, they were practicing sexual immorality. Paul tells them that instead they ought to “glorify God with your body” (v. 20). But this principle has broader applications than just sexual purity.

You are not your own boss. Because we are Christ’s, we are highly motivated as workers-it is the Lord Christ that we serve (Col. 3:24). This means doing all that is expected of us, and more. We will be honest and trustworthy because we love and respect Him who is our ultimate boss.

You are not your own banker. Both our ability to make money (Deut. 8:18) and our possessions themselves are gifts from God, so that we can be generous on every occasion (2 Cor. 9:11). Since our money belongs to Another, we learn to be content with it or without it, by Christ’s strength (Phil. 4:11-13).

You are not your own lawyer. The old proverb, “He who represents himself has a fool for a client,” could never be truer than in heaven’s court. If we stand alone in that docket, we will surely be condemned (Rom. 3:23; 6:23). But thank God, we have an Advocate with the Father, who is effective, for
He pleads the merits of His own life and His death (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 John 2:1-2). Wise clients will follow the advice of their lawyer.

Boss, banker, lawyerin all of these roles and more, Christ is outstandingly successful, and you and I are miserable failures. Let’s listen to Paul and stop trying to usurp these jobs. To do so is to insult the Lord who can do them so much better.

Steve Singleton has written and edited several books and numerous articles on subjects of interest to Bible students. He has taught Greek, Bible, and religious studies courses Bible college, university, and adult education programs. He has taught seminars and workshops in 11 states and the Caribbean.

Go to his DeeperStudy.org for Bible study resources, no matter what your level of expertise. Explore “The Shallows,” plumb “The Depths,” or use the well-organized “Study Links” for original sources in English translation. Sign up for Steve’s free “DeeperStudy Newsletter.”

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In part 1 of this series of end time articles, I am going to go ahead and outline all of the main events that will be occurring that will be leading up to the 2nd coming of Jesus to our earth. This will be a basic overview of the main end time events. I will then go into additional parts giving you a bit more detail into some of these specific events. The Bible once again very specifically and very explicitly lays out exactly what is going to happen before Jesus returns back to us for His second coming.

The problem is that all the verses pertaining to the second coming of Jesus to our earth are all scattered throughout the Bible. You thus have to search them out and then match them up to be able to see exactly what is coming down the road – just like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. God always seems to want to make you hunt and search for all of the knowledge that is in the Bible. Seek and then you will find. The subject of revelations and end time events is no exception.

I will keep this article focused on the basic main events so as to give you a “roadmap” as to what may be getting ready to come our way. This subject can get very detailed due to all the incredible events that will take place before Jesus comes back for His second coming.
Basic Outline of the Main Events
Here is a basic outline of the main events at a quick glance. I will talk about each of them in a little more detail in following articles.

1. Miscellaneous Signs

Here are some specific signs that will be occurring as told to us by Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament.

a. Perilous times will come.
b. False Christs and False Prophets will come to deceive even the elect.
c. Wars and rumors of wars.
d. Nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom.
e. Increase in famines, pestilences and earthquakes.
f. Lawlessness and immorality will abound.
g. The love of many will grow cold.
h. Some Christians will depart from the faith giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.
i. Men will become lovers of self, lovers of money, unholy, proud, boasters, blasphemers, unloving, disobedient to parents, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, traitors, headstrong, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God and unthankful.
j. The Holy Spirit will be poured out on all flesh.
k. The Gospel of Christ will preached to the whole world and then the end will come.
m. God will open up end time prophecy for all to understand and interpret so
as to prepare for His second coming.

2. Restoration of the Jewish People Back to the State of Israel

3. Rebuilding of the Jewish Temple

4. Rise of the Antichrist, False Prophet and a 10 Nation Confederacy

5. The 7 Year Great Tribulation

6. The Battle of Armageddon

7. The Return of Jesus to our Earth to set up a 1000 year Millennium Kingdom

8. The New Heaven and New Earth

About the Author

Article written by Michael Bradley of Bible Knowledge Ministries. Their website is a resource of Bible commentary and teaching. They currently have over 100 Bible articles. All free of charge.

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It is a pity, if not tragic, that for 2000 years the “Christians” refuse to grow, they refuse to mature, they prefer to remain infants and talk about their Big Brother, Jesus, who did everything for them!

Instead of getting on with the job Jesus asked his followers to do, they endlessly argue about baptisms, Trinity, who is “saved” and who is going to hell, throwing verses against each other from the same Book they all believe to be the infallible Word of God! Instead of picking up their own “cross”, denying themselves and following Jesus’ example, they spend their time and energy in fighting against each other. At the same time, by their childish attitude and ridiculous doctrines and creeds, push many a good people to atheism or to the arms of other religions, while the world around them is suffering more and more by wars, violence, hatred, exploitation, injustice and man-made disasters.

At last, Christians, wake up! Christ does not need any advertising by you! All he wants you to do is to go about his Father’s, your Father’s, our Father’s business!

Do not deceive yourselves! No one has or can “save” you. You must save yourselves and the world about you. You must become peacemakers. You must hunger and thirst for justice and righteousness! You must, we must, be embodiments of love; we must demonstrate God’s qualities in our lives. People with common sense couldn’t care less about your doctrines; in fact they laugh when they hear you propagating your far-fetched dogmas. Who cares about dogmas? People want to see your deeds, our deeds!

In the darkness of our present hedonistic culture, people look for a light to enable them to find their way “home”. Are you this light? Can you be this light? Do you want to be the Light? It will cost you…

Jesus was a human being like you and I, and he left a precious teaching and example for us to follow, in order to make this world a better place for ourselves, our families, the society in which we live and the world as a whole. The archons of his day crucified him because they could not stand his “woes” against them. It is as simple as this! Nothing mysterious about his death; he was hated just as all the true prophets before him were. His message wasn’t popular because it hurt those he addressed. As you know, the Truth always hurts!

Would you, self-proclaimed, self-righteous, “Christians”, stand up and speak the Truth to the leaders of your country? Would you judge their warmongering policies? Would you, actually, be the Light in your country, opposing, for a change, the forces of darkness? In other words, would you permit yourselves to abandon Christian infancy, get out of your comfortable kindergarten, and do God’s business?

God can only change the world through you and I. It is only through us that He can manifest and thus affect things on this planet. Stop waiting for that illusive “rapture”! It is never going to happen! It is a utopia, a myth written for infants! No Messiah will ever come to sort out the mess we have created in our planet! We have to do it ourselves.

Would you, please, do yourselves a favour? Just think soberly, and use your common sense, your God-given reason, to re-examine some of your childish religious doctrines, and decide to get rid of your deceptions. I am not saying that this is easy. Religious brainwashing is a serious mental and emotional disorder that does not go away easily. But you have to try. Nobody else can do it for you!

And remember: “perfect love casts out fear”. Don’t be afraid of losing your “salvation”! After all, no one can lose something one does not have! “Salvation” is an ongoing process and it requires inner enlightenment. It is a lifetime spiritual evolution, for those who will choose and follow the narrow path Christ was talking about. Nothing easy about it… It takes self-denial, unconditional love and contentment. One must be content even if none of his/her prayers are answered, even if none of his/her dreams have been fulfilled. One must only care about being the LIGHT, allowing God to manifest through his/her inherent spirit – God’s principle in each and everyone of us.

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