The "Queen of Heaven"

Sunday, March 31, 2013, 8:23 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with this song:

Trust Him / An Original Work / August 15, 2012

Based off Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord; be of courage;

Be strong and take heart today.

Do not fear when foes attack you.

Trust in God always.

He will rescue you in times

Of trouble and distress,

He’ll comfort you in all ways

As you trust Him with your life today.

Trust in Him always.

God is with you; He’ll not leave you.

You can always count on Him.

He will fulfill all He promised

Before you began.

His word teaches you

All that you need for this life.

Let Him lead you. Open your heart;

Let his truth envelope you today.

Listen and obey.

Love your Lord God; follow Jesus.

Repent of your sins today.

Make Him your Lord and your master;

Trust Him and obey.

Follow Him where’er He leads you

In His service; be His witness,

Telling others about Jesus’

Price that He did pay

For your sins always.

http://originalworks.info/trust-him/  

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Jeremiah 44 (NIV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2044&version=NIV

In Egypt

God told Jeremiah the prophet to tell the people of Judah not to flee to Egypt, because there they would die, because the king of Babylon would invade Egypt and would kill them there, but they did not listen, and they fled to Egypt. It appears they took Jeremiah with them.

While in Egypt the Lord spoke again to the people through Jeremiah concerning the people’s idolatry. God had already judged Jerusalem and all the towns of Judah for the evil they had done in burning incense to and worshiping other gods. “Again and again” God sent his messengers the prophets to the people telling them not to do the detestable things that God hated, but they did not listen. They did not turn from their evil ways. They kept on worshiping other gods. So, God’s anger was poured out upon them in judgment. Now God was telling his people who had fled to Egypt that they should take special note of what happened in Judah and in Jerusalem. Why should they bring this disaster upon themselves by continuing to rebel against God by worshiping what their hands had made, and by not humbling themselves and not showing reverence to God, and by not obeying his commands?

Yet, the people’s response to these calls for repentance and warnings of judgment, if they did not repent, was to tell God, through Jeremiah, that they were not going to listen to the message Jeremiah spoke to them in the name of the Lord. They would continue to burn incense to the “Queen of Heaven,” and to pour out drink offerings to her just as their ancestors had done. Wow! They blamed God for their hardships and decided things were better for them when they bowed to the “Queen of Heaven.”

Jeremiah’s response to this was to tell the people that when the Lord could no longer endure their wicked actions and the detestable things they did, judgment would fall. Jeremiah told the people, since they were bent on continuing to worship the “Queen of Heaven,” to go ahead and keep their vows to continue doing what they knew was wrong, because they would soon realize that doing so would not bring them prosperity, as they had suggested, but would in fact bring much disaster and loss of life upon them. God assured them that his threats of harm against them would surely stand.

The Queen of Heaven

So, what lesson can we learn from this today? Today, at least here in America, is the traditional Easter celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, or is it?

When I read this passage in Jeremiah this morning, the term “Queen of Heaven” really jumped out at me, and I felt it was particularly significant that I would be reading this specific chapter on this day. I read up through chapter 43 at 2:22 a.m. when the Lord got me up in the middle of the night, so this was the next chapter. So, I looked up “Queen of Heaven” which led me to Ishtar, the Babylonian “Queen of Heaven,” who has her counterpart (or cognate) in the Aramean goddess Astarte, or the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Ishtar supposedly had a “dying god” lover Tammuz. [See Ezekiel 8 concerning the detestable things God showed Ezekiel that his people and their leaders were doing inside his temple, one of which was weeping over Tammuz.] Tammuz, in mythology, supposedly died and then came back to life again. [Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishtar]

History of Tammuz: Nimrod, a great-grandson of Noah, was supposedly the leader responsible for the building of the Tower of Babel and the rebellion against God, though I can find no Biblical account of Nimrod’s involvement with the Tower of Babel. Yet, in Genesis 10 it does say that the first centers of his kingdom were Babylon (et al) in Shinar, which is where the Tower of Babel was built, as is recorded in Genesis 11. Tradition has it, or Babylonian history purportedly has it that Nimrod died, his wife elevated his name to Bel or Baal, i.e. “sun god,” and stated that he, from heaven, impregnated her and she gave birth to a son Tammuz. He became known as the son of the sun god (perhaps a pre-figure of the antichrist). Nimrod’s subjects apparently wept over his death and then began to worship his son Tammuz and then they began weeping for Tammuz (thus the reference in Ez. 8). The people of God were adopting this pagan practice, which was idolatry. [Source: http://www.wnd.com/2008/05/64924/]

So all this leads to the pagan roots of the celebration of Easter. “Ishtar” is pronounced “Easter.” She was supposedly both the mother and the lover of Tammuz. When Tammuz died, then Ishtar, as tradition has it, said that he ascended to his father, Baal, and together they would be like father, son and spirit. Ishtar then became worshiped as Queen of Heaven. The celebration of the Queen of Heaven purportedly involved the tradition of Lent, eggs, rabbits, et al, apparently all a part of this worship of celebration of the “Queen of Heaven” in Babylon. [Source: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/tracts/tract1.html]

Today

I am no expert on Greek, Roman or Egyptian gods and goddess and their mythology. Yet, in my research, I did find a common historical account of Ishtar. I have also read that our Statue of Liberty is fashioned after the goddess Ishtar and she is also depicted as representative of the Great Prostitute mentioned in the book of Revelation. Much of Washington D.C. – its layout, structure, symbols, buildings, et al - is fashioned after Greek, Roman and Egyptian gods and goddesses. Look at our money, the Great Seal, the all-seeing eye of Horus (Satan), the unfinished pyramid (the old world order waiting for the new world order to complete it), and many of the buildings and statues in D.C., and you will see that our country was begun, not as a Christian nation, but as the new Rome, the new Babylon, and is based off of paganism, occultism, and Satanism with a mixture of Christianity within, I believe, for the purpose of deception, though paganism is a mixture of religions by nature.

This paganism has also infiltrated the church. We are taught in the institutional church to worship (pledge allegiance, devotion and loyalty to) the image of our government, which is of Satan. Humanism and worldliness has so infiltrated the church so that it is barely distinguishable between the church and the world. The church has adopted many pagan practices and celebrations as its own, and has given them Christian connotations. Yet, even if we were to take the historic and pagan roots of Easter (and Christmas), and completely remove them from the mix, and we were to evaluate the celebrations of Easter and Christmas just in their own merit, how would they stack up against the word of God?

What have bunnies, painted eggs, buying new clothes, and the rituals associated with the celebration of Easter have to do with Jesus Christ? Nothing! What do you think most children think about when they think of Easter? – Jesus’ death and resurrection, so we can be free of slavery to sin? Or, Easter bunnies, eggs, chocolate, wearing new clothes, Easter egg hunts, et al? Just like at Christmas, the focus is not on Jesus Christ. At Christmas the focus is on the false god “Santa,” whose name is strangely much like “Satan.” It is on commercialism, greed, buying, parties, gifts, and fake gods who bring young children things that they like and enjoy. How can Jesus Christ as a baby or as a crucified Savior compete with bunnies, eggs, candy, fun, presents, decorated trees, and Santa in the minds of young children? He can’t, and that is exactly the point of the deception: Teach the church that they should honor Christ by celebrating his life and death and resurrection on pagan holidays that include pagan rituals and practices, and that focus the attention, especially for children, away from the Savior onto false gods, i.e. false christs. What an effective evil plot, too!

So, what is the point of all this? I believe God sees our celebrations of Easter and of Christmas as pagan, not so much because of the pagan roots, but because they are a mixture of celebrating him along with celebrating “other gods,” and he does not even get top billing, especially in the minds of young children. Jesus said the way he wanted to be remembered was through communion, not just the taking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, but in us dying to sin and self each day, and through following him wherever he leads us in obedience to his commands, and in surrender to his will for our lives.

Also see: http://originalworks.info/pagan-revelry/

Fully Surrendered / Alfred C. Snead / George C. Stebbins

Fully surrendered—Lord, I would be,

Fully surrendered, dear Lord, to Thee.

All on the altar laid,

Surrender fully made,

Thou hast my ransom paid;

I yield to Thee.

Fully surrendered—life, time, and all,

All Thou hast given me held at Thy call.

Speak but the word to me,

Gladly I'll follow Thee,

Now and eternally

Obey my Lord.

Fully surrendered—silver and gold,

His, who hath given me riches untold.

All, all belong to Thee,

For Thou didst purchase me,

Thine evermore to be,

Jesus, my Lord.

Fully surrendered—Lord, I am Thine;

Fully surrendered, Savior divine!

Live Thou Thy life in me;

All fullness dwells in Thee;

Not I, but Christ in me,

Christ all in all.

Original Works Song Book

Introduction

By Sue J Love

I have always loved music. I have been singing since I was a small child. I majored in music education my first time around in college many, many years ago. Yet, other than putting a melody to one of my poems in 1984, I had never before written songs.

My husband kept encouraging me that I should write songs, since the Lord Jesus wakes me every morning with a spiritual song or hymn playing in my mind, formerly only written by others, (but now including the songs he has given me to write, too). Yet I kept telling my husband that song writing was not my gift.

The Lord Jesus has been having me write out what he teaches me each day from my times with him in his word, and he has had me posting the writings on various websites for the past nearly seven years, and he nearly always includes a song or two with my daily devotions with him each day. Yet, I just did not imagine he would have me write songs.

Nevertheless, beginning April 6, 2011, the Lord Jesus Christ gave me a new gift, the gift of writing songs. He gave this gift to a clay vessel, i.e. I am a work in progress and writing songs is something I am learning to do. I began writing them by hand. Then I learned how to use a song writing package. Next, I learned how to save them into a file to be shared publicly, and then I learned how to put the files together on a site where they could be shared and heard publicly. So, this has been a work in progress, and still is.

The songs are not professionally recorded, with the exception of one, “For Our Nation,” which was recorded in Nashville, TN, this past October of 2012.

The songs are about God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit; about Jesus Christ and his gospel of salvation, and are songs of praise and adoration to him, my Savior, Lord and King; of encouragement and hope; of exhortation and edification; of prayer and devotion; of revival and renewal; and of what it means to be his servants and witnesses.

God gives me the tunes to write and then I pray for the words. I pray, “Lord Jesus, if this tune is from you, and you would be pleased to give your servant words to go with this tune, I pray you will do so. In Jesus’ name I pray these things. Amen.” And, he either puts the words directly in my mind, or he leads me to a passage of scripture, and then he shows me what words go with what notes. So, the songs are from Him, beginning to end. So, all praise, honor and glory belong to God for what he has done through this clay vessel.

Note: All passages of scripture, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION: Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

A compilation of the song lyrics for the first 120 “Original Works” songs, called “Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs,” and subtitled “Original Works Song Book,” in addition to an alphabetically organized index of all the songs, can be downloaded (free) at this link: http://originalworks.info/original-works-song-book-introduction/

New Beginnings

Friday, March 29, 2013, 8:08 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with this song in mind:

Trust Him / An Original Work / August 15, 2012

Based off Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord; be of courage;

Be strong and take heart today.

Do not fear when foes attack you.

Trust in God always.

He will rescue you in times

Of trouble and distress,

He’ll comfort you in all ways

As you trust Him with your life today.

Trust in Him always.

God is with you; He’ll not leave you.

You can always count on Him.

He will fulfill all He promised

Before you began.

His word teaches you

All that you need for this life.

Let Him lead you. Open your heart;

Let his truth envelope you today.

Listen and obey.

Love your Lord God; follow Jesus.

Repent of your sins today.

Make Him your Lord and your master;

Trust Him and obey.

Follow Him where’er He leads you

In His service; be His witness,

Telling others about Jesus’

Price that He did pay

For your sins always.

http://originalworks.info/trust-him/  

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Jeremiah 36 (NIV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2036&version=NIV

The Scroll

God told Jeremiah to take a scroll and to “write on it all the words” he had spoken to him “concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations” from the time he began speaking to him “in the reign of Josiah until” the present (then). Can you imagine that? Then, he said to him, “Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn from their wicked ways; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin.” God loves us so much! He is awesome!! He gently leads us, he sends us his messages, and he encourages, rebukes, warns and promises, comforts and heals. He wants so much for us to be faithful, like a faithful spouse, and to enjoy the blessings of obedience.

So, Jeremiah did as the Lord instructed him and he dictated all the words God had given him for his scribe Baruch to write down on the scroll. That must have taken a long time. They had to write everything by hand in ink: No word processors with spell check, backspace, easy correction, and paragraph and/or sentence rearrangement. Everything had to be right or they had to start over. That takes me back to my younger years before PCs.

Jeremiah was restricted as to where he could go so he sent Baruch to go to the Lord’s temple to read the scroll to the people of Judah, who came in from their towns. He said, “Perhaps they will bring their petition before the Lord and will each turn from their wicked ways, for the anger and wrath pronounced against this people by the Lord are great.” Jeremiah cared very much for the people. He didn’t just want to spare them judgment, but he wanted them daily to have fruitful and productive lives in their relationships with Almighty God, and for them to live daily in the peace and the joy of the Lord.

So, Baruch did everything Jeremiah told him to do; “at the Lord’s temple he read the words of the Lord from the scroll.” “A time of fasting before the Lord was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah.” A person named Micaiah told all the officials what Baruch read from the scroll, and they sent for Baruch to bring them the scroll. They asked him to sit down and to read it to them. So Baruch read it to them. In fear, the officials knew they had to report the words to the king. They asked Baruch if Jeremiah had dictated the words to him, and he responded in the affirmative. Then, the officials told Baruch that he and Jeremiah should hide and not let anyone know where they were.

The officials then put the scroll in the room of the secretary and then they went and told the king. The king sent for the scroll, and Jehudi read it “to the king and all the officials standing beside him.”

The Firepot

“Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king cut them off with a scribe’s knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire. The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes. Even though Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the Lord had hidden them.”

Wow! This story is very personal to me because I have been writing out what the Lord Jesus teaches me each day from his word and I have been placing those writings on the internet now for the past nearly 7 years; nearly daily. I do not do this of my own accord. This is what God called me to do. He used several passages of scripture to let me know this was his assignment to me, but one of them, in particular, stands out to me. It is taken from Habakkuk 2:2-3 (NIV):

“Write down the revelation

    and make it plain on tablets

    so that a herald may run with it.

For the revelation awaits an appointed time;

    it speaks of the end

    and will not prove false.

Though it linger, wait for it;

    it will certainly come

    and will not delay.”

I make no claims to be a prophet, just a follower of Christ and one of his servants just doing the job he has assigned me to do for this time in history. He told me to write what he gives me to write, and to make it plain on “tablets,” which I saw as my personal computer. A herald was to run with it, which I saw as the internet, and I do believe it speaks of the end, because the Lord Jesus has been very much focusing on the final days before his return and of our need to repent of our sins because a time of judgment, which was prophesied in both the Old and New Testaments, is fast approaching.

I have printed off copies of these daily journals and I do have them stored, so the thought of someone taking all of them (7 years’ worth of work) and burning them all is a little disheartening to say the least. And, it is not just because it is 7 years of labor represented in these writings, but these represent my times with God each day, the words he spoke to my heart and my heart response to what he said to me. They also are his personal words to me, in many cases, so they represent my personal and intimate relationship with my Lord. So, the thought of someone burning them all or just wiping them off the internet entirely as though they never existed would be upsetting, yet I know if that happened, that God is absolutely in control over all things, that he allowed it, he permitted it for a purpose, and that he will gain the glory through it all. I have to look at these writings as though they are not mine to possess, so the Lord is free to give them and to take them if he so chooses.

New Beginnings

“After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “Take another scroll and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up.”

Isn’t that absolutely amazing? Can you even imagine such a thing? I can’t! Yet, what it proves is that no one can destroy God’s work. If God wants his words to go out and one door closes, he will just open another. So, we don’t ever have to be afraid of opposition or be dismayed or discouraged if our work for the Lord is threatened in some way, because God will make a way where there seems to be no way. His plans cannot be thwarted (see Job 42:2). No matter what darts the enemy of our souls may throw our way, God can handle it, and he already has a plan for what he will do, so we just need to trust him.

Here is Your God! / An Original Work / July 18, 2012

Based off Isaiah 40:9-31 NIV

You who bring good tidings to Zion,

Lift up your voice; raise with a shout,

And do not be afraid of the people.

Say, “Here is your God!”

See how the Lord God comes now with power.

His arm rules for Him; His reward with Him.

He tends His flock just like a shepherd,

His lambs in His arms.

Do you not know? Have you not heard?

Has it not been told you from beginning?

Our Lord sits enthroned above all things.

None to Him compare.

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens.

Who made all of these? Who calls them by name?

Because of His great power and strength,

All accounted for.

Why do you say, “My way is hidden

From the Lord, and my cause forgotten”?

Do you not know? Have you not heard?

The Lord, He is your God.

He will not weary. He gives us power.

Those who trust in Him will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings just like eagles;

Walk and do faint not.

http://originalworks.info/here-is-your-god/  

Nothing Can Separate Us

Taken from “Those God Foreknew,” based off Romans 8

In all things, not some things, but in all things that come into our lives, God works for the good of those who: 1) love him, and 2) have been called according to his purpose.

So, the first question we must ask is: “To whom is this referring?” To whom does this whole section of scripture apply? Who are these promises for? Are they to be applied across the board to everyone who reads this? - Or, to all those who call themselves Christian? Or, is there a specific targeted group here in mind to which these promises apply? I believe if we read through the entire chapter we can ascertain as to who are the intended recipients:

• Those who are in Christ Jesus (v. 1) – by faith (repentance & obedience)
• Those who do not live according to the sinful nature (v. 4)
• Those who live according to the Spirit (v. 4) – according to the Word of Christ
• Those who have their minds set on what the Spirit desires (v. 5)
• Those whose minds are controlled by the Spirit (v. 6) – not by the flesh
• Those who, by the Spirit, put to death the misdeeds of the body (v. 13)
• Those who are led by the Spirit of God (v. 14) – who follow God’s lead
• Those who love God (v. 28) – see 1 John 2:3; 5:3 (love=obedience)
• Those who have been called by God according to his purpose (v. 28)

We must not read through this list casually. This is very important that we read through each item prayerfully and carefully, and that we really think about what these various requirements mean. We cannot claim the promises and blessings of God in our lives if this list does not apply to us. None of us will do all of it perfectly all the time, but if we fail the test, then we fail to be the intended recipients of these promises of God… http://christsfreeservant.blogspot.com/2012/08/those-god-foreknew.html

Nothing Can Separate Us / An Original Work / March 28, 2013

Based off Romans 8:28-39

Nothing can separate us

From Christ’s love now within us:

Not trouble, hardship, nor famine,

Nor danger, nor sword.

No, in all of these things

We are more than conquerors!

For your sake we face hardship.

We are sheep to be slaughtered.

I am convinced that death,

Nor life, nor anything else

Will separate us from

The love of God now in Christ.

What, then, shall we say to this?

God for us: who against us?

He who did not spare His Son

But gave Him for us all –

How will He not, with Him,

Graciously give us all things?

Who brings a charge against us?

God justifies His chosen.

Who is He that condemns?

Christ Jesus; died, rose again.

He’s at the right hand of God,

Interceding for us.

http://youtu.be/ivLyKCXbtoo

http://originalworks.info/nothing-can-separate-us/

Learn a Lesson

Thursday, March 28, 2013, 7:29 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Follow Him” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Jeremiah 35 (NIV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2035&version=NIV

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord during the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: “Go to the Rekabite family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms of the house of the Lord and give them wine to drink.”

So I went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons—the whole family of the Rekabites. I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God. It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper. Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.”

But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine. Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.’ We have obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops. We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab commanded us. But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded this land, we said, ‘Come, we must go to Jerusalem to escape the Babylonian and Aramean armies.’ So we have remained in Jerusalem.”

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words?’ declares the Lord. ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab ordered his descendants not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather’s command. But I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not obeyed me. Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said, “Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them. Then you will live in the land I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you have not paid attention or listened to me. The descendants of Jehonadab son of Rekab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.’

“Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen; I called to them, but they did not answer.’”

Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have obeyed the command of your forefather Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.’ Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail to have a descendant to serve me.’”

The Rekabites

The Rekabites (or Rechabites) belonged to the Kenites who were with the children of Israel as they entered the Promised Land (source: Wikipedia). According to Encyclopedia Britannica, they were an Israelite sect. “They were fervent followers of Yahweh, the God of Israel.” According to International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, the Rechabites were a part of the tribe of Kenite who “joined the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings.” They became identified with the tribe of Judah. The father of the Rechabites was Jehonadab, who was a “zealous Yahweh-worshiper.” He was instrumental in the removal of Baal worship. He led his family into a simple nomadic lifestyle “in order to guard against the enervating tendencies of sensualism, and as a covenant of fidelity to Yahweh, to whom they wholly devoted themselves when they joined themselves with Israel” - http://bibleencyclopedia.com/rechabites.htm.

The Model

God used the Rekabites as a model for his people to follow, not necessarily that they should all abstain from wine and live like nomads, but as a model of fidelity and obedience, and of the honoring of their “father.” The Rekabites did not drink wine because their forefather Jehonadab commanded them not to drink wine. They lived in tents because their forefather commanded them to live in tents. Evidently this continued for about 300 years (source: Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary). The people evidently were faithful to God and to their ancestor(s).

The Lesson

God used the Rekabites as an example of the kind of fidelity and obedience that he demanded from his children, the Israelites, but which he did not receive from them. He demonstrated this to Jeremiah who was then to go and tell the people of Judah the message (lesson) God had for them. He used the example of the Rekabites, as a family, and of their forefather, as a picture of what he wanted his “family” to be like, and as an example of how he wanted to be honored, respected and obeyed as their Father.

“Learn a lesson” can also be translated “respond to correction.” God had not spoken to his children just once, but time and time again he sent his children messages, confronting them with their sins of idolatry, spiritual and physical adultery, complacency, rebellion and the dishonoring and disrespect of their Father and of his commands, as well as of their refusal, time and time again, to listen to God’s messages and to turn from their wicked ways. Yet, he still loved them, and he still longed for them to have the kind of relationship with him as was exemplified by this family of Rekabites with the honoring of their forefather. So, he set before them an example (a model) to follow – to encourage, instruct and perhaps also to shame them.

“Again and again” God sent his servants the prophets to them with this message: “Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them…” But they paid no attention to God. They didn’t listen to him. The Rekabites listened to and obeyed their human ancestor in matters that had nothing to do with eternity, yet God’s people would not listen and would not obey in matters that had everything to do with their eternal destiny and with their relationship with God while they still lived on the face of this earth.

So, God had no choice but to send them a dose of divine discipline and correction. He had warned them, but they had not responded to correction, so now he would bring upon them every disaster he had pronounced against them. He spoke to them, but they did not listen. He called to them, but they did not answer. Wow! Yet, to the Rekabites God said they would never fail to have a descendant to serve him.

The Lesson II

So, what can we learn from this today? We, the church, i.e. followers of Jesus Christ, have been commanded to obey all of Christ’s commandments to his church and to teach others to do the same (see Mt. 28:18-20). We have also been called of God to turn from our wicked ways and to reform our actions and to not follow after other gods to serve them (see Luke 9:23-25; Eph. 4:17-24; Rom. 6; 1 Co. 10:14; 1 John, et al). Jesus said: “If you love me, keep my commands.” “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching” (Jn. 14:15, 23-24). So, the requirements God had of his people in the OT, as is described here for us in this passage in Jeremiah, are the same requirements Jesus demands of his followers even today.

We are blessed to have the words of God written for us in the Bible, and most people in America have easy access to the Bible (or several Bibles), as do some people in other countries. So, we can read for ourselves the commands of Christ and of the necessity of following our Lord Jesus in obedience and in surrender to his will for our lives. We can read for ourselves how he said that if we are to come after him we must deny (disallow) ourselves (our self-life), take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow (obey) him (see Luke 9:23-25). We can read that the way we come to know Christ is by dying to our old ways of living for self and sin, by being transformed in heart and mind, and by putting on our new lives in Christ Jesus, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (see Eph. 4:17-24). We can read that coming to Christ means that “I” (my flesh) dies and “I” (my flesh) no longer lives, but now Christ and his life live within me and out through me – a life lived by faith and in his power and strength within us, not in absolute perfection, but with a desire to truly please God with our lives in all we do and say.

Yet, not every “follower” of Christ reads the Bible through, or spends time really listening to God and to his words with the full intention of heeding his words and obeying what he says. Many are listening to false teachers who distort the words of Christ and who dilute the gospel of Jesus Christ, leaving out God’s requirements for obedience and repentance (to turn from their wicked ways, reform their actions, and to not follow after other “gods”). The church of today, for the most part, has become so much one with the world that it is barely distinguishable anymore between the church and the world. Many are following after the “gods” of men (including preachers), of wealth, of prosperity, of entertainment, of man-made religion, of complacency, idolatry, adultery and the like, and God has taken a back seat in many a “follower’s” life.

God is sending out messages today through his servants, giving the same or similar messages as the prophets of old, and of John the Baptist, Jesus and the apostles gave to the people – repent, obey, turn from your wicked ways, from your idolatry, adultery and the like; obey God, do what he says, listen to him, spend time at his feet, respond to his calls and stop following the teachings of mankind, but learn what the word of God teaches and follow it and follow Christ wherever he leads you. If you do not repent, and you refuse the words of Christ time and time again, God will send his doses of divine discipline and correction upon the church (see Rev 2-3), but it will be to bring the church back into a right relationship with God Almighty so that he can restore her, revive her, renew her, bless her and use her to reach this world for Jesus Christ.

Follow Him / An Original Work / February 21, 2013

Based off Luke 9:22-25

Jesus, Son of God,

Died for us on a cross.

Anyone who would come to Him

Must deny himself and follow.

He must take up his cross daily;

Die to sin and self each day.

Father, God above,

Loved us so: gave His Son.

If you want to save your old life;

Keep on sinning, follow your ways,

You will lose your life forever;

Hope of heaven gone away.

Spirit of our God

Gives us life in God’s Son.

Nonetheless, if you die to self;

Forsake your sin; follow Jesus,

You will live with God in heaven,

And forever praise His name!

http://originalworks.info/follow-him1/

Sounds of Joy and Gladness

Wednesday, March 27, 2013, 7:07 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “I Will Lift My Eyes” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Jeremiah 33:1-16 (NIV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2033&version=NIV

While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time: “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege ramps and the sword in the fight with the Babylonians: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath. I will hide my face from this city because of all its wickedness.

“‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’

“This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.” Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying,

“Give thanks to the Lord Almighty,

    for the Lord is good;

    his love endures forever.”

For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolate and without people or animals—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks. In the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.

“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

“‘In those days and at that time

    I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;

    he will do what is just and right in the land.

In those days Judah will be saved

    and Jerusalem will live in safety.

This is the name by which it will be called:

    The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’

Everlasting Love

Jeremiah was a prophet of God. That meant that he spoke the very words of God to the people. The people of God were steeped in sin – rebellion, idolatry, and spiritual and physical adultery. They had stopped up their ears and they refused to hear the words of the Lord. Many were listening to the lying prophets, instead, who were promising them peace and safety. God had sent them many messages, confronting them with their sins, and calling upon them to repent, but they refused. So, he had Jeremiah prophesy judgments to come against them if they did not repent. Yet, he also prophesied much hope and healing for the penitent.

God told his people (see Jer. 31) how he loved them with an everlasting love, and he reminded them of how he drew them to himself with loving kindness. Yet, since they rebelled against him, and they refused to repent time and time again, he would have to send his judgments upon them in order to bring them back to himself. He promised if they repented that he would restore his people, and that he would build them up again. He would turn their mourning into gladness and give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow (cf. Is. 61:1-3). He told them that there would be hope for their future. He also told them that, even though presently he often had to speak against them because of their many sins, his heart yearned for them and he was filled with compassion for them. This is true love.

Health and Healing

God had to hide his face from his people, and the city in which they dwelled, because of all their wickedness, yet he vowed to bring health and healing to them and to their city. God’s purposes in the judgment of his people are not to be mean and hateful. He is like a loving dad who must correct a wayward and rebellious child who refuses the father’s instructions. The dad does not enjoy this. He gets no pleasure out of such discipline. Yet, in love, he must do so to bring the child back to where he or she ought to be. This is called “tough love,” but it is still love, and the most difficult kind of all. It breaks the heart of the father to see his children living in rebellion, and it breaks his heart that he must come against them in correction and discipline, yet he does so in the hope that the child or children will turn from their sinful ways and will learn the peace and joy that comes through submission.

God’s goal is always to bring us back from captivity to sin and living for self to trusting in him and submitting to his plans and purposes for our lives. He is our creator. He knows what is best for us. He knows how much sin destroys lives, but surrender to God and to his will brings peace, joy and safety. If this is speaking of those who know Jesus but who have fallen into the trap of willful sin once again, his goal in divine discipline is to get us back on the right path so he can rebuild us into what he intended for us from the beginning. He will forgive and he will cleanse us from all our sins, and then we will live such lives among the people of this world that our lives will bring God Almighty much honor, praise and joy before all the nations of the world, and then many will flock to Jesus Christ and to his salvation.

Our Righteous Savior

Jesus Christ, the promised seed of Abraham, i.e. the promised Messiah to the people of Israel has come. He came over 2,000 years ago. He was born as a baby, yet he is the Son of God. When he walked the face of this earth, he was fully God and fully man. He suffered as we suffer, and he was tempted in all the ways we are tempted, yet without sin. He was falsely accused, arrested, beaten, mocked, spat upon, betrayed, denied, forsaken and rejected of men before they hung him on a cross to die as a common criminal, although he had done no wrong. Yet, when he died, he took upon himself the sins of the entire world. When he died, our sins died with him. They were buried with him, but when he rose from the grave, our sins remained buried, for he conquered death, hell, Satan and sin.

Through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection we can be set free from captivity to sin and we can walk in freedom and victory over sin, self and Satan. We can have wonderful fellowship with our Lord God. We can sit at his feet and learn from him daily what he has for us, and out of love for him we can walk in obedience to his commands and we can surrender to his plans and purposes for our lives because Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins so we could go free!

Yet, each one of us must individually receive Jesus Christ as Lord (master) and Savior of our lives, by God’s grace in providing salvation for us, and through faith (repentance and obedience). Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny (disallow) himself (his fleshly will and appetites), take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow (obey and submit to) Jesus Christ. He said if we choose to hold on to our old lives of living for sin and self that we will lose them for eternity, but if we willingly lay down our lives for the sake of his name and for the sake of the gospel, that we will gain eternal life with God forever (see Luke 9:23-25; cf. Eph. 4:17-24; Rom. 6; 1 John; Gal. 2:20). This is the working of the Holy Spirit of God in our hearts in transforming us, in purifying us from sin, and in regeneration (new birth) in Christ Jesus, as we cooperate fully with that work.

Jesus paid the penalty of our sin so we can go free from slavery to sin, and so we can be free from having to spend eternity in hell, and so we can be free to love, honor, worship, obey, surrender to and serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the rest of our days. So, when we turn from our sins and we turn to God, committing ourselves to be faithful, submissive, obedient servants and children of Almighty God through faith in Jesus Christ, God restores us to a right relationship with him, he heals our broken hearts that were broken because of sin, he comforts us with his love and forgiveness, and he fills us with his peace and joy, and promises spiritual protection from the enemy of our souls; that he will be with us all our days, that he will teach us his ways so we can walk in them, that he will comfort us in our sorrows, and that he will provide all the strength and hope we need to live each and every day for him in his strength and power within us. This is awesome!

Should we sin

Jesus does not promise that we will never be tempted by sin or that we will never sin again once we come to him in faith. Yet, he does ask that when we do sin that we come to him humbly with contrite hearts, that we confess our sins and choose again to turn away from them and toward him in faithful obedience. When we do, he is always there to restore us, to revive us, to heal our wounds, to heal our broken hearts, and to set us on the right paths again, because he is a loving and forgiving God, and because Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sin so that we can go free. He will always seek after us to bring us back.

Yet, should we stray to the point to where we refuse to repent any longer, even after he sends us message after message calling us to repent, I believe scripture teaches that he will send us a dose of divine discipline and correction like a loving dad in order to get us to return, so that he can restore us and build us up again and make us whole in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

So, if you want to be free from the traps of sin, turn from sin and get rid of all that hinders your walk with the Lord and that leads you into sin, and choose today to walk in faithful obedience to your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – to bring him honor, praise and joy among the people of this world so that many others may also know the joy of our salvation.

I Will Lift My Eyes / An Original Work / December 12, 2012

Based off Psalms 121-125

I will lift my eyes

To my Lord Most High.

My help comes from Him,

Who saved me from sin.

He will not let your foot slip, and

He who watches will not sleep.

Our Lord watches over you, and

Your life He will keep.

I will lift my eyes

To my Lord Most High.

My help comes from Him,

Who saved me from sin.

I give thanks to Him.

I will lift my eyes

To my God in heav’n.

I look to the Lord.

My sins, He’s forgiv’n.

Because of His great love for us,

He made us alive with Christ.

Through the kindness of our Savior,

He gave us new life.

I will lift my eyes

To my God in heav’n.

I look to the Lord.

My sins, He’s forgiv’n.

My home now in heav’n.

Praise be to the Lord,

Who is on our side.

Our help found in Him.

He gives peace within.

Those who trust will ne’er be shaken.

God will supply all we need.

Our Lord has done great things for us.

He’s our friend, indeed!

Praise be to the Lord,

Who is on our side.

Our help found in Him.

He gives peace within.

I can count on Him.

http://originalworks.info/i-will-lift-my-eyes-2/

Proclaim the Good News!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013, 7:07 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Sing Praises” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Jeremiah 31, and then the Lord Jesus, I believe, led me back to read Isaiah 61. I see many parallels between these two passages: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2031&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2061&version=NIV

Isaiah

If I had to summarize the book of Isaiah I would say that a good portion of the book is given over to prophecies concerning the Messiah Jesus Christ, to his life, ministry, death, resurrection, the gospel of salvation, the messianic age, the life of the church, the church in rebellion in the last days, God’s judgments on the idolatrous and adulterous church of the final days on this earth, and to promises of restoration, renewal and revival of God’s penitent people - his church - and, as a direct result, the gospel of Jesus Christ going forth from the revived church to all the nations of the world, and people from all nations streaming to faith in Jesus Christ, to the gospel of salvation by grace through faith, to the kingdom of heaven, and to Christ’s body, the church (see Is. 2, in particular). So, with that understanding of the book of Isaiah I read chapter 61:1-3 (NIV):

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

    because the Lord has anointed me

    to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

    to proclaim freedom for the captives

    and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

    and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

    instead of ashes,

the oil of joy

    instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise

    instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

    a planting of the Lord

    for the display of his splendor.

Good News

Jesus Christ quoted vv. 1-2a about himself. Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God the Father anointed his Son to proclaim “good news” to the poor. “Good news” has to do with freedom from captivity, which in the case of Jesus Christ meant freedom from captivity (slavery) to sin. Jesus not only proclaimed it, but he made the way possible for us to be delivered from sin. He died on the cross, taking upon himself the sins of the entire world, so that we could go free from slavery to sin. Our sins died with him on that cross, they were buried with him in the grave, but they remained in the grave when he rose again, conquering death, hell, Satan and sin.

Yet, that does not automatically mean that everyone in the world is saved from sin. We have to each individually accept God’s invitation to receive his Son Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, and to accept his plan of salvation (deliverance from sin) for our lives personally. Jesus said we have to repent and believe the “good news.” To repent means not only to completely turn away from our lives of sin and living for self, but it means a complete turnabout - a complete and radical transformation of mind and heart (like the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly) – away from sin and toward a walk of faith and obedience to Jesus Christ and to his will for our lives (see Eph. 2:1-10; 4:17-24; Luke 9:23-25; Rom. 6; 1 John; Gal. 2:20, et al). This is the only way in which we can truly be delivered from slavery to (and the penalty of) sin, so this is the “good news.”

The Poor

The meaning of the word “poor” is “deprived; unfortunate; humble; needy” etc. We can be poor in material possessions and wealth, or we can be poor in abilities and aptitudes, or poor in strength, power and endurances, or poor in health, in education, wisdom, knowledge, or understanding, or we can be spiritually impoverished due to sin in our lives. Since Jesus Christ was anointed to preach the “Good News” to the “poor,” and since the “Good News” has to do with being delivered from slavery to sin, then I would suggest that the “poor” are those who are impoverished spiritually due to sin so the good news is that Jesus Christ came to provide a way out from underneath that weight of sin, and that through faith in Jesus Christ (as described in the above paragraph), by God’s grace in attaining salvation for us, we who are impoverished spiritually can be delivered from our poverty and we can be made rich in Jesus Christ in all his spiritual riches and blessings he will lavish upon us.

The Brokenhearted

Those who are brokenhearted are those who are despairing, crushed, desolate, disappointed, sad, sorrowful, etc. If we have cancer, and someone puts a Band-Aid over our wounds, the cancer will continue to grow and to destroy the healthy tissues in our bodies. The only way to truly “bind up” the brokenhearted (those with cancer of the heart, soul or emotion) is to get to the cancer, to dig it out, and then to dress the wound. The Bible speaks much against false prophets who dress the serious sin wounds of the people as though they are not serious, saying “peace, peace,” when there is no peace. The only way to true peace with God is through repentance (digging out the cancer), being transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God (digging out the cancer of sin and replacing it with the truth of God’s holy word, and walking in that truth), and putting on our new lives in Christ (dressing of the wound with the truth of God’s word, his salvation, and his blessings).

Freedom for the Captives

Many today are “short-sheeting” the gospel, i.e. they are only telling half the truth, but not the whole truth, and so they are not truly proclaiming freedom for the captives. Jesus came to set us free, not only from eternity in hell, but he set us free from slavery to sin day-to-day so that we could walk in freedom to live for God in his righteousness. They are telling the people the truth about what Jesus Christ did for us in dying for our sins, but they are not telling them the truth about what we must each individually do in order to appropriate what Christ did for us on the cross to our individual lives, so they are lying to the people.

Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny (disallow; disavow) himself (his life of living for self and sin), take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey; surrender to) him. If we think we can receive his salvation without us dying to sin and self and without a commitment to walk faithfully in obedience to him, then think again, because that is not what scripture teaches. The only way we will be free from slavery to sin is if we daily choose to leave our lives of sin behind us, to reject the temptations to sin and to live for self, and if daily we choose to live for righteousness, holiness, godliness and to obey our Lord and Savior in his power and strength. This, brothers and sisters, is true freedom! I know!! I have been in slavery, and I know what it means to be free, so don’t let anyone sell you short on what it means to be set free. Freedom comes by God’s grace through faith (repentance and obedience). Anything short of that is no freedom at all.

Favor & Vengeance

The year of the Lord’s favor is the day of our salvation; our redemption. To proclaim this favor is to proclaim his grace, love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness, his death on the cross, his resurrection, and his plan of salvation for how we can be set free from slavery to sin so that we can live with God for eternity and so we can live for him daily while we still live on the face of this earth in freedom, righteousness and holiness.

The day of vengeance is two-fold, I believe. God will visit the people of this earth in vengeance during the time known as the Tribulation when he will judge the earth and its inhabitants. This will be followed by a thousand year reign of Christ on the earth, during which time Satan will be bound, which will then be followed by the “great white throne” judgment. Anyone whose name is not found written in the Lamb’s “book of life” will be thrown into the lake of fire where he or she will be tormented forever and ever. So, God will pour out his vengeance on the earth and on its inhabitants during the time known as the Tribulation, but then he will also judge us on the basis of what we did with Jesus Christ, and that will determine whether we spend eternity in hell or in glory with God.

Mourn and Grieve

We can mourn and grieve over the loss of a loved one, loss of health, job, etc. And, certainly we are in need of comforting during those times. Yet, what is the picture here in context of the book of Isaiah as a whole, and in context of these first two verses in chapter 61? The context is that of sin and salvation, bondage and freedom, favor and vengeance, etc. I believe, in the sequence of this passage in Isaiah 61, and this mourning and grieving thus following after “the day of vengeance”, that there is strong evidence here to point to what the rest of Isaiah and much of Jeremiah is speaking to and that is a people of God who were in bondage (slavery) to sin having just experienced God’s divine judgment due to rebelliousness, idolatry, adultery, refusal to listen to God and unrepentant hearts, now having come to repentance and in great need of God’s comfort, renewal, restoration and revival. Where they had to go through a time of divine discipline, now he will bestow upon them crowns of beauty (of holiness and righteousness), the oil of joy of forgiveness and restoration, and praise instead of despair, because now they have hope and healing.

Yet, this is also a picture of our salvation (the day of favor), because when we are in slavery to sin and are living to please ourselves, we do not have hope, a future, healing, etc. We are lost in this endless pursuit for happiness but never to find it because we are looking in all the wrong places. The only way to peace and rest is through repentance (mourning and grieving over our sin to the point of turning from it), faith and obedience – the true expression of our love for God and for others, too. So, when we finally come to the end of our ropes and cry out in desperation to God for his saving grace, and we turn from our sins and we choose to walk daily in obedience to him and to surrender to his will, then he delivers us from that bondage to and the control of sin over our lives and he sets us free to walk in victory. Amen! This is true freedom! This is the “Good News!”

Sing Praises / An Original Work / November 30, 2012

Based off Psalms 6-9

Sing praises to the Lord!

Tell of His wondrous works.

Afflicted, they cry out;

The Lord will not forget;

The needy, not desert.

The Lord’s our refuge now;

A stronghold when we fear.

The Lord will ne’er forsake

The ones, who Him pursue!

Sing praises to the Lord!

With all my heart I sing.

I will rejoice in Him;

Sing praises to His name;

Tell of His wondrous works.

My shield is God Most High.

He saves those who believe

In Jesus Christ, God’s Son.

His grace has pardoned you!

The Lord accepts my prayer!

The Lord has heard my cries.

He is so merciful.

He heals my anguished soul.

The Lord has made me whole.

Give thanks unto the Lord.

Give praise unto His name.

Our Lord is righteousness.

Sing praises to the Lord!

Sing praises to the Lord!

http://originalworks.info/sing-praises-2/

A Dwelling for Demons

Saturday, March 23, 2013, 8:38 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Our Great Savior” or “Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners.”

I caught a glimpse of the news this morning. When I heard the news, they were talking about new movies that have come out. I wouldn’t normally pay attention to what they were saying about movies, but this one really jumped out at me, for the movie was titled “Olympus Has Fallen,” and is about an attack on Washington, D.C., our nation’s capital. The reasons this movie title and movie plot stood out to me so much is that the Lord has recently been giving me dreams and visions about an attack on our nation, especially upon its capital (government structure), and also he has been giving me messages in relation to all the Greek/Roman mythology that surrounds our capital, and that has been showing up recently in the naming of winter storms, which I believe is purposeful in order to give out “hidden” messages. This movie title and plot are also filled with Greek/Roman mythology.

New movie just released: Olympus Has Fallen - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_Has_Fallen

“To accomplish this, he requires the access codes to a system in the bunker called Cerberus, which are held by three top United States officials within the bunker, including the President.”

Cerberus - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus

“Cerberus (pron.: /ˈsɜrbərəs/), or Kerberos, (Greek form: Κέρβερος, [ˈkerberos]) in Greek and Roman mythology, is a multi-headed (usually three-headed) dog, or "hellhound" which guards the gates of the Underworld…”

Olympus (mythology) – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Olympus

“In Greek mythology Olympus was regarded as the "home" of the Twelve Olympian gods of the ancient Greek world. It formed itself after the gods defeated the Titans in the Titan War, and soon the palace was inhabited by the gods.”

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Jeremiah 25:15-38 (NIV):

This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them.”

… “Then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword I will send among you.’ But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it! See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword on all who live on the earth, declares the Lord Almighty.’

“Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them:

“‘The Lord will roar from on high;

    he will thunder from his holy dwelling

    and roar mightily against his land.

He will shout like those who tread the grapes,

    shout against all who live on the earth.

The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth,

    for the Lord will bring charges against the nations;

he will bring judgment on all mankind

    and put the wicked to the sword,’”

declares the Lord.

This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Look! Disaster is spreading

    from nation to nation;

a mighty storm is rising

    from the ends of the earth.”

At that time those slain by the Lord will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered up or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground.

Weep and wail, you shepherds;

    roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock.

For your time to be slaughtered has come;

    you will fall like the best of the rams.

…Like a lion he will leave his lair,

    and their land will become desolate

because of the sword of the oppressor

    and because of the Lord’s fierce anger.

Compare this passage to Revelation 14:9-11: A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

And to Revelation 18:1-3: After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. With a mighty voice he shouted:

“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’

    She has become a dwelling for demons

and a haunt for every impure spirit,

    a haunt for every unclean bird,

    a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.

For all the nations have drunk

    the maddening wine of her adulteries.

The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,

    and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”

I believe our government (in conjunction with the New World Order) is behind the naming of these recent winter storms, with their hidden messages, and that they are behind the hidden messages within this movie title and plot, as well. And, there is a lot we can learn about our government just by connecting all the dots, and then by taking what we have learned to the Lord Jesus in prayer, seeking his face for understanding of what is truly going on in our nation and in our world.

For instance, there is an obvious reference here to Washington, D.C. as being inhabited by mythological gods, i.e. by demons. And, there is an obvious correlation here between this 3-headed dog or “hellhound” and three top U.S. officials, including the president, and between them guarding the access codes to these nuclear devices and this 3-headed hellhound guarding the gates of hell or the “underworld.” So, there is an obvious reference to Obama as being one of the heads of this 3-headed hellhound. We learned in a previous writing that the statue that sits atop our U.S. capital building is an image of a mythological goddess named Persephone, who was queen of the underworld and that there are high officials who are over our government, which then translated to Satan being over our government.  

Also, giving the movie the title “Olympus Has Fallen” is reminiscent of the above passage from Revelation 18 where it states that “Babylon” has fallen. “She has become a dwelling for demons.” If you have not done so before, do the research on our nation’s capital, its architecture, its layout, and all the mythological god symbols throughout the city and in the foundations of our government, including in our Great Seal and on our money, etc.

I believe we are getting very near to the time of the fulfillment of these words spoken in Revelation and in Jeremiah/Isaiah and other OT prophecies. If we would be willing to see the truth about our nation/government, the Lord would show us, I believe, that our government truly is a dwelling place for demons and that God will soon judge her for her sins, especially since she bears his name, i.e. she claims to be one nation under the one true God and makes claims to being a Christian nation, too.

This song offers us great spiritual encouragement for such times as these.

Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners / Our Great Savior / J. Wilbur Chapman / Rowland Prichard

Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!

 Jesus! Lover of my soul;

 Friends may fail me, foes assail me,

 He, my Savior, makes me whole.

Jesus! what a Help in sorrow!

 While the billows o’er me roll,

 Even when my heart is breaking,

 He, my Comfort, helps my soul.

Jesus! what a Guide and Keeper!

 While the tempest still is high,

 Storms about me, night overtakes me,

 He, my Pilot, hears my cry.

Hallelujah! what a Savior!

 Hallelujah! what a Friend!

 Saving, helping, keeping, loving,

 He is with me to the end.

  

See these other messages the Lord has recently given me related to this “Olympus”:

Jupiter - http://originalworks.info/jupiter/

America, the Beautiful? - http://originalworks.info/america-the-beautiful/

The god of the Underworld - http://originalworks.info/the-god-of-the-underworld/

The Severed Fingers - http://originalworks.info/the-severed-fingers/

The Speech - http://originalworks.info/the-speech/