A Row of Missiles

Wednesday, December 08, 2010, 6:51 a.m. – When I woke this morning, the Lord reminded me of a vision I had last night before I fell asleep.

THE VISION: I heard what sounded like people in conversation with one another, and then, all of a sudden, I heard “the 14th” said in their conversation. A minute later I saw what appeared to be a row of missiles of some kind being shot horizontally west to east. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Luke 5:1-11:

The Calling of the First Disciples
1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, 2 he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

My Understanding: I read these news stories: WikiLeaks founder is jailed, secrets still flow - http://apnews.excite.com/article/20101208/D9JVN08O0.html; Obama facing tough sell in own party on tax deal - http://apnews.excite.com/article/20101208/D9JVML500.html; and Palestinians question US ability to forge peace - http://apnews.excite.com/article/20101208/D9JVMVOG0.html.

I had this vision on December 7th. As I thought about “the 14th” I remembered that the 7th was the 69th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor that took place on December 7, 1941. Two times 7 = 14 and 41 backwards is 14. In my mind, I wondered if this might be a reference to a second (2X7) “Pearl Harbor” only backwards (41 in reverse), i.e. us hitting them instead of them hitting us.

And, as I read these news articles, these phrases stood out to me:

• Under pressure (like a gun or weapon)

• Nearly simultaneous moves (like the missiles in a row side by side)

• Latest batch of cables were released (like the releasing of missiles)

• The cables were loaded (like a weapon/gun with missile)

• The latest cables cover the details of British-Libyan relations (west to east)

• Obama on the defensive for striking a deal (missiles strike at their targets)

• If Democrats kill the package, it would mark (killing and mark are terms associated with missile strikes)

• Compromise is necessary (the goal of the “missile strikes” is to bring about global cooperation and compromise of world governments by persuading and forcing a yielding of their own sovereignty to the rule of the New World Order)

• Would hit taxpayers (one of many targets)

• Washington's ability to forge Middle East peace (missiles fired west to east; forge – “to shape or form metal by heating and hammering it” – Encarta)

• The U.S. failure to persuade (“missiles” are for the very purpose of “persuasion” – to convince; sway; convert; to sell something to someone)

• The Obama administration in its quest to broker a peace deal (quest – pursuit; hunt; chase – “missiles” of many kinds are used to bring all nations into “peace” and “unity” with the New World Order)

• Taking unilateral action (“decided or acted on by only one involved party or nation irrespective of what the others do” – Encarta. I see this as the goal of the New World Order and the “missiles” that are aimed and are firing west to east.)

I believe the Lord has shown me multiple times that the U.S. government is behind the Wikileaks and it is for the purpose of “shooting missiles” – the nearly simultaneous moves – at their targets, i.e. at other nations and even at their own, as their goal, too, is to bring down the governments of the world (including the USA) so that we will all be under the rule of the New World Order. I believe the Lord has shown me that these “leaks” barely scratch the surface and in some, or in all cases are altered and doctored to say what they want to reveal and to continue to hide what they want to keep hidden from the public.

In a previous dream or vision the Lord showed me Obama as dropping “the woman” who was being held in his arms (in the extension of his arms), and that woman covered tax payers, those on unemployment, those living on Social Security (retirement), the Wikileaks founder, Congress, etc. So, the ultimate goal is to shoot missiles at us, too, whether those missiles are actual literal missiles or misinformation, taxes, withdrawal of security, etc.

The Lord has also shown me on many occasions that the “forging” of “peace” in the Middle East is really a forced “peace” that really just means cooperation with and submission to the New World Order and at the price of many human lives and the destruction of property in order to bring about this “unity” and “peace” of government and religion where we all bow to the same government and religious order or we suffer the consequences, including death.

I believe very much that the Lord is showing me these missiles being fired as of many types (the nearly simultaneous moves), i.e. that they can be literal missiles or that they can be “Wikileaks” or changing of tax laws to affect people’s paychecks, et al, but that they have one source and that is the New World Order and one goal and that is world domination and control and rule and a one world religion, ultimately culminating in the rule of the beast of Revelation and the persecution and killing of true believers in Jesus Christ. So, what is the encouragement in all of this? I believe it is found in this passage of scripture.

In this passage of scripture, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” The scripture then says that “when they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.” When Peter saw this, he fell on his knees before Jesus and he felt unworthy to have Jesus do this for them. “Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.’”

I love that passage of scripture! Jesus is saying the same to us today. He is calling us to “put out into deep water for a catch”, i.e. he is saying that we need to be willing to die for our faith in Jesus Christ, we need to be willing to be hated and rejected, and we need to be willing to go wherever he sends us and say what he would have us to say and do what he would have us to do even if it is not popular, and even if it is considered weird by some. “Deep water” to me means stepping out of our comfort zone and going to the unknown, what might be scary to us, the unfamiliar, and possibly involving sacrifice or hardship, but whatever it is, i.e. whatever our “deep water” may be, it will involve faith and trust and doing what Jesus tells us to do even if it doesn’t look possible by human standards.

Peter said to Jesus that they had worked hard all night. I think sometimes we do work very hard at what we believe God has called us to do and sometimes or often without visible rewards and so we think that our efforts are not producing anything. And, sometimes we are working in our strength and with our own efforts to try to do God’s work, but we are not hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to us and we’re not allowing him to work through us and so our own human efforts do fail to produce results. Then, Jesus speaks and he tells us what to do and how to do it, and we have a choice. We can go on in our own strength, we can give up because we didn’t catch anything, or we can yield to the Master and do what he says his way and then we will catch fish. And, the results, even there, may not come immediately. We may not see the visible results right away, and that, again, involves believing in what Jesus says and doing it even when we can’t see what lies ahead.

Even though the fishermen had worked hard all night and had not caught anything, still they did what Jesus told them to do. I love Peter’s response. First he says, “Master.” Master means Lord and Lord means the one in charge; the boss. So, he first of all acknowledged the Lordship of Jesus Christ in his life. Then, he stated clearly their natural circumstances, yet he added this: “Because you said so…” Oh, how I love that!! Even when things don’t look possible by human understanding, if we know it is Jesus speaking, and we know he is saying to do it, we can say with Peter, “Because you said so, I will…” whatever Jesus tells us to do that is in agreement with the Word of God and is in harmony with the nature of God. What is impossible with man is possible with God.

So, even though the missiles may be aimed and shooting and for the purposes discussed and even though we are in a difficult time in human history, still the Lord Jesus is calling us, his disciples, to “put out into deep water for a catch,” i.e. “to catch men.” Many people don’t know Jesus. Many don’t know the salvation that is theirs in Christ Jesus and the freedom from sin and joy of knowing our Lord. Jesus is coming again, and he is coming to judge. We need to be doing what Jesus has called us to do in “putting out into deep water” and fishing for men, because we want all men to know our Lord and have the peace that comes from being in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, which is the only true peace there is.

King of the Birds

Friday, December 03, 2010, 2:59 a.m. – Last night, before I fell asleep, I had a vision.

THE VISION: I saw Obama, then gold, and then a gold crest of some kind that appeared in a cross-like or leaf-like shape. Then I saw someone standing in the northeast facing the southwest holding a woman, with the woman stretched across his arms, and then he dropped her or he tossed her in a southwesterly direction and I heard “woman overboard.” END

Then, this morning, I woke from A DREAM: I remember that I was planning to take my daughter dress shopping. I also remember that my husband and I were outdoors somewhere and that we were sleeping on the ground in what appeared to be sleeping bags of some kind. I was wearing an off-white sleeveless night gown. I think I had set the alarm clock for 6 a.m., but that I had woken up before it went off and while it was still dark outside.

There were other people sleeping out there, too, so I didn’t want to turn on a light and wake anyone. So, I went into the bathroom. My husband was already inside, so I closed and locked the two entry doors to the bathroom. We could have the light on inside there.

When we came out of the bathroom, I think everyone else was up, and the kids had been assigned to do some house cleaning. I watched the job they were doing, though, and from what I could see, they were doing a very surface-level job. It looked as though they were trying to clean without soap and water, because the rag they were using just seemed to be smearing and smudging everything they wiped, in particular the bathroom sink. END

I went back to bed a little later on and had ANOTHER DREAM/VISION: I saw a large crowd of people coming my direction (south or southwest). There was a man in front of the crowd leading the way. He had on a shirt that said “Champion”. Then, he jumped into the air and gave the motions of stuffing a basketball into a net. And, then it got silent. END

My Understanding: I read these news articles: WikiLeaks dropped by domain name provider - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WIKILEAKS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-12-03-05-11-07; Heading off tax increases: Compromise taking shape - http://apnews.excite.com/article/20101203/D9JS90IO0.html; Foreign help arrives to help Israel fight fire - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_ISRAEL_FIRE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-12-03-08-03-46; and President Obama in Afghanistan on unannounced trip - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_OBAMA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-12-03-11-17-09.

In the vision, I saw Obama, then gold, then a gold crest that was in a cross-like shape.

Crest - the highest stage or culminating point in an activity or achievement; heraldry a small animal, bird, or other heraldic symbol of a family or office, placed above the shield in a coat of arms or used alone on a helmet (Encarta).

Gold - a medal that is made of gold or something representing gold, given as a first prize for excellence or winning a competition (Encarta).

Goldcrest - The Goldcrest, Regulus is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. Its colourful golden crest feathers gives rise its English and scientific names, and possibly to it being called the "king of the birds" in European folklore. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldcrest. The scientific name Regulidae is derived from the Latin word regulus for "petty king" or prince, and comes from the coloured crowns of adult birds. This family has representatives in North America and Eurasia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinglet

This is not the first time I have seen Obama as “king” of all; king of the world; etc.

In this first vision, I saw someone in the northeast holding a woman in his arms. She was stretched across his arms and then he dropped her and I heard “woman overboard.” In the first three articles someone or something is being dropped. In the first article, Wikileaks is dropped from EveryDNS and from Amazon.com Inc. In the article about the fire in Israel, water is being dropped by helicopter onto the fire. And, in the article about the compromise on tax increases, it alludes to the possibility of an extension of unemployment benefits, and an extension of existing tax cuts for taxpayers at all income levels, etc. being dropped. And, in the 4th article, a private meeting with Karzai in the presidential palace is also dropped.

I saw these “extensions” as these arms extended out holding the woman. I also saw them as the “arms” in a “new arms control treaty with Russia” that dropped the woman. Then, the tax compromise article also said this: “For Obama, that has meant entering into negotiations with Republicans whom he has long held at arms length, particularly those in the house.” So, it appears that Obama is the one with extended arms holding the woman who he then drops. The article on the Wikileak drop said: “Domain name providers normally don’t drop their clients unless the clients themselves have breached their user contract. ‘WikiLeaks is not behind the disturbance here, but individuals trying to disturb Wikileaks’ operations,’ he said.” The article continued quoting Rickardsson: “’I don’t believe… I think they’ve been under pressure,’ he said referring to U.S. authorities.

Going to the dream next and skipping down to the part about me waking up before the alarm went off while it was still dark outside and me going into the bathroom which was already occupied by my husband who was sitting down on the toilet, and me closing and locking both doors (northwest and south): The article about the Wikileaks mentioned ‘the latest batch’ of classified U.S. diplomatic cables. Previous articles referred to the leaks as “dumps” and “dump” is a slang word for using the toilet. So, it was my husband who was “dumping” this latest batch of diplomatic cables. If I am the president, my husband could be the U.S. government. If I am the U.S. government, then my husband is the New World Order/allies.

The article about heading off taxes spoke of “private talks” between Obama/The White House and congressional Republicans, so in this case, I could be representing The White House with my “off-white night gown” and my husband could be Congress, as I know there is really no difference between Republicans and Democrats, though this could be speaking of this new administration, or it could be talking about private talks with Russia in this secretive arms treaty. The purpose of these “private talks” was supposedly for the purpose of compromise over an extension of unemployment benefits and tax cuts. Yet, I believe it is more serious than that, though this could be part of it. It appears to me that this may be about Obama dropping Congress or the USA as a whole and/or Karzai and/or Israel as he steps out in his role of King, conqueror, champion with his slam dunk. To make a slam dunk is to make a forceful move against… and it sounds as though he is making a forceful move on many fronts.

While in this bathroom behind closed and locked doors, my husband took this dump. When we came out of these “private talks” behind closed doors, someone had assigned the kids to do some house cleaning, only they were not using soap and water so they were smearing everything they wiped with a rag. Immediately what came to mind were these definitions:

Smear – spread something over surface; to deliberately spread damaging rumors about somebody; to severely defeat a competitor or enemy (Encarta).

Rag - a newspaper with low journalistic standards, or any newspaper regarded with contempt (Encarta).

This news article said: “…Amazon.com Inc. – who had provided Wikileaks with the use of its servers to distribute embarrassing State Department communications…” Ok, here I saw Wikileaks as the children of the U.S. government, the servers as the “rag” that was distributing (smearing) embarrassing… Ok, what was clear to me is that these children were doing a very surface-level job, i.e. they were just covering the surface of all the dirt that was underneath, which I believe the Lord has shown me something similar to that before, i.e. that these documents were altered or doctored or the information being disseminated was controlled by the U.S. government for their political and evil purposes, and those evil purposes are for the defeat of an enemy or competitor, which includes the U.S.A. In other words, our government leaders are involved in a plot to destroy our nation for the purpose of world domination and rule. And, we are only one nation among many who are now coming under the control of the New World Order, and that includes Israel, too, it appears, as this article about Israel is showing her need of the help of the international community.

So, in reality, these Wikileaks were planned leaks by our government and husband (New World Order) for the purpose of defeating the USA and other governments so that the New World Order could rise as king of the world, and somewhere in here this treaty with Russia that has nothing to do with the disarming of nukes, I believe, is part of these “private talks” and “compromise” with the New World Order. This article about the compromise spoke of it “taking shape” and the “shape” that I saw in this vision was that of this “goldcrest” or gold crest, which has to do with a king of all “birds” and a new symbol of office on a coat of arms, so this is about Obama taking on a new position as king in the New World Order, it appears.

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Luke 1:46-55:

And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers.”

I believe the Lord here is comparing Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, to this “king of the birds” of the New World Order who is conquering nations and dropping those who are of no use to him/them. Whereas the arms of Jesus Christ extend mercy to those who fear him, and perform mighty deeds, the arms of Obama are those of weapons (nuclear) and are for the purpose of “woman overboard,” i.e. for dumping anyone he and the New World Order chooses to dump or drop or throw overboard; discard in their quest for conquering the world and coming out on top (the crest) and winning the goal (the gold) of their conquest.

Then, this passage says that God’s arms are also used as instruments of judgment against those who are proud. He will bring down rulers from their thrones (the woman thrown overboard, perhaps), i.e. Congress, Karzai, Israel’s leaders, perhaps, etc. I believe God is using Obama and the New World Order as divine instruments of judgment on nations right now but that the Lord God will one day turn in judgment on them, as well.

God promises to be merciful to those who fear him, i.e. those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Messiah, Savior and Lord. He will judge the wicked and bring down haughty rulers, yet he will lift up the humble. We know from reading Revelation how this is all going to turn out. God is going to allow the beast to rule for 3.5 years. He is going to allow the saints of God to be severely persecuted and killed for their faith in Jesus Christ, and I believe that is all part of this “dropping” of “the woman”, too, as the woman very possibly represents true believers in Jesus Christ, as well. Yet, the Lord will be with us and will see us through whatever he takes us through and will bring us safely home to be with him forever. We don’t need to fear man or what he can do to us. We just need to keep trusting in Jesus Christ and remain firm in our faith to the end of all things.

A Wide Green Flip

Monday, December 06, 2010, 8:21 a.m. – I woke this morning from a dream.

THE DREAM: My daughter was doing some kind of flips or one very large and wide flip (or rollover). The flip was the color of green. She couldn’t do these flips for a while, but something changed, and now she tried it again, and then she could do them (or it). There seemed to be a level of concern about this flip(s), though. And, I recall seeing the shape of the flip as the shape of Russia. And, Russia was also the color green. END

I woke up thinking about this dream, and praying that the Lord would help me to understand the role of Russia, China, North and South Korea, Iran, etc. in the scheme of world events and the global order. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Luke 4:14-30:

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”

24 “I tell you the truth,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

My Understanding: I read: Iran, 6 world powers resume nuclear talks - http://apnews.excite.com/article/20101206/D9JUDCL80.html; and More nations may pledge carbon limits at UN talks - http://apnews.excite.com/article/20101206/D9JUD4M80.html. Quotations from the news articles that the Lord has impressed upon my heart and mind as related specifically to this vision and scripture:

Iran and six world powers came to the table Monday for the first time in a year, exchanged pleasantries, but remained far apart on how deeply their talks should tackle the West's greatest concern - Iranian nuclear activities that could make atomic weapons.

Delegates from Iran, the European Union, the U.S., Russia, Britain, France and Germany hurried inside a conference center in Geneva to escape the pouring rain, and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton met Saeed Jalili, Iran's chief negotiator, in the foyer.

The long-term aim for the six nations is nudging Iran toward agreeing to stop uranium enrichment, which can make both fuel for reactors and the fissile core of nuclear arms.

Before the talks began, the chief negotiator from one of the six powers warned: "Don't expect much of anything," in a comment reflecting the deep divide separating the two sides. He also asked not to be named because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

Western nations said last year that Iran was running out of raw uranium as that imported stockpile diminished and asserted that Tehran did not have sufficient domestic ore to run the large-scale civilian program it said it was assembling.

On Monday, newly arrived government ministers begin applying political weight to talks being held in Cancun, as the 193-nation U.N. climate conference moves into its decisive final week.

The meeting hopes to restore credibility to the talks after the last summit in Copenhagen a year ago, which failed to agree on any binding measures to rein in emissions of global-warming gases. A nonbinding political document, the Copenhagen Accord, outlined important compromises among key players, including the United States and China, but its adoption was blocked by a handful of dissident nations.

In subsequent months, however, 140 countries declared their endorsement of the accord, and 85 of them made specific pledges for reducing carbon emissions, or at least limited their growth, by 2020.

The Cancun talks seek to produce decisions on establishing a "green fund" to help poorer nations rein in greenhouse gases and to adapt their economies and infrastructure to a changing climate…

Definitions: flip – turn something over from one side to the other with a quick movement of the wrist, hand, or fingers; to move something with a small sharp quick motion (Encarta). Rollover - the act of changing the institution that invests your pension plan without incurring a tax penalty – http://www.wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn. Shape – character; nature; identity; and/or structure (MS Word Thesaurus).

I saw the “far apart” of these nations as this stretch from east to west (or west to east) of this “flip” or “rollover” that was green and was in the shape of Russia. I saw the “long-term aim” of the six nations also as this wide green flip in the shape of Russia, as well as it is the “deep divide” separating the two sides, and the “large-scale” civilian program. Basically, this is all one group that stretches around the world (global) and is all the same color (green which is a spectrum between yellow and blue). The “Don’t Tread on Me” flag of the Tea Party movement is a yellow flag with a yellow and blue snake coiled and ready to strike. Blue with yellow is the color of the New World Order and the European flag - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Europe. Green is also the color of money.

My daughter had tried this flip before but then couldn’t do it for a while, then something changed and then she could do it again. The second article talked about the Copenhagen meeting last year that failed to produce a binding agreement among the nations. Its adoption was blocked by a handful of nations, stated the article. Somehow, in the following months, 140 countries declared their endorsement. Now, I know personally from all the Lord has shown me over the past year in relation to world events and how God views them that this “applying political weight” has to do with the pressure that the U.S. and her allies (New World Order) has put on other nations to get them to submit to the New World Order and to “cooperate” with the “international community” or “face the consequences.” The Lord has shown me hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, diseases, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. all as part of the “applying political weight” to various nations throughout the globe in order to get them to surrender their sovereignty and to submit to the N.W.O.

The “green fund” has to do with a one world bank and a one world monetary system into which nations pay and then is distributed to various nations by the New World Order. So, for this to be in the shape (character; structure) of Russia, it means what? Well, for one, Russia is the largest country in the world. Politically, Russia is a federation:

In Europe, "federalist" is sometimes used to describe those who favor a common federal government, with distributed power at regional, national and supranational levels. Most European Federalists want this development to continue within the European Union. European federalism originated in post-war Europe; one of the more important initiatives was Winston Churchill's speech in Zurich in 1946. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalism

The New World Order will (or is now functioning) like this, as well, with a common world government with distributed power at regional, national, and supranational levels. And, this is the “flip” or the “rollover” to this control of the New World Order (federation), which will involve all nations of the world losing their individual sovereignty and they will all fall under this federation with a one world government and a one world financial system, which is all leading up to the rule of the beast of Revelation and to the mark of the beast in order to be able to buy and to sell.

There is one other aspect of this “federation” of the New World Order, too, that is a “flip” or a “rollover” and that is depicted for us here in this passage in Luke. Notice how the people spoke well of Jesus and of the gracious words that came from his lips and then not soon afterwards, when he told the people how he would not be accepted in his hometown, which is why he had to go to other peoples and nations, it says that all the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. So, the people flipped (one side to the other) in their devotion to Jesus Christ, which has happened in God’s temple (the true church; true Body of Christ), which is why God must bring this judgment upon us.

Yet, I see one more aspect of that, and that is that true believers in Jesus Christ will be treated the same as was Jesus. Right now, in the USA, Christians are treated fairly well, yet when this federation takes hold and a permanent agreement takes place, then we will see a flip in our nation in attitude and treatment toward believers in Jesus Christ, as well, and they will hate us and will kill us, too, just like they killed Jesus Christ. The Bible told us about this time that was coming a long time ago and now it is at the door, on the threshold, ready to come into fruition and for this “flip” to finally be successful. Is your heart right with Jesus Christ? He is coming soon! Jesus is calling to us to repent and to obey Him.

Making Preparations

Thursday, December 2, 2010, 7:55 a.m. – I got up this morning and came out to the living room to have my quiet time with the Lord. When I got out here, the song, “It is Well With my Soul” was playing on my husband’s computer. Just now, as I am sitting down to type up what the Lord is teaching me this morning from his word, this song is playing on my husband’s computer:

How Great Is Our God / Chris Tomlin

How great is our God, sing with me, how great is our God
And all will see how great, how great is our God

As my brain was slowly waking up, I spent some time rambling before the Lord concerning my day ahead of me and week to come, including thinking about preparations for colder weather. I recalled that I had purchased a warm winter coat last year and I bought some snow shoe-boots this year, and how I needed to get a winter scarf. Then, I prayed:

“Lord, awaken my mind to receive from you this morning what you have for me to learn from your word. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” I read Luke 1:1-38:

Introduction
1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly. 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.

8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. 16 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

19 The angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.”

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

My Understanding: For the first time ever, I think, I noticed that Luke was writing this to Theophilus. His name means “One who loves God.” The consensus appears to be that Theophilus was an individual person, a believer in Jesus Christ, a patron of Luke’s and possibly his publisher. The introduction in my Bible says that Luke wrote this account of the events of the life of Jesus Christ “to strengthen the faith of all believers and to answer the attacks of unbelievers.” “It was presented to displace disconnected and ill-founded reports about Jesus,” the introduction stated. In general, then, I think it is safe to say that this account of Jesus’ life in Luke is written to those “who love God,” i.e. to true believers in Jesus Christ, in order to strengthen our faith. Luke said it was good for him to write this “so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”

Following Luke’s introduction are the accounts of an angel of the Lord visiting Zechariah and telling him that he and his wife were going to have a son in their old age, and of an angel of the Lord visiting Mary, a young virgin engaged to be married to Joseph, a descendant of King David, to tell her that she was going to give birth to a son whom she was to name Jesus. As I began to read the account of Zechariah’s visitation from the angel of the Lord, I could not help but see many parallels, yet differences in Zechariah’s experience versus the experience of Mary, so I began to record the similarities and differences of their encounters.

Zechariah was told that he was to name his son “John.” John means “YAHWEH is gracious.” Mary was told that she was to name her son “Jesus.” Jesus means, “YAHWEH is salvation.” Zechariah was told that his son was to be “great in the sight of the Lord,” and “he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.” Mary was told that her son “will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High… and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” These were both to be very special children. Zechariah was also told that his son will bring back many people of Israel to the Lord their God and that he would go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah… “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Mary was told that the “holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” So, Zechariah was told he would have a son who would be the forerunner of Jesus to prepare the way for him; and to make ready a people prepared for the Lord via his messages of repentance, and that many people would be brought back to the Lord their God. And, Mary was told that she was going to give birth to the holy one of God, i.e. to the very Son of God; the Savior; and the eternal King whose kingdom would never end.

Zechariah, nonetheless, responded by questioning the angel; by doubting what he had just heard. He said, “How can I be sure of this?” He didn’t believe what the angel was telling him because he was looking at his natural circumstances of how old he and his wife were and how they were beyond child bearing years. Because of his lack of faith, he was struck mute and could not speak until the child was born, so he was not able to give audible testimony of what he had just witnessed and the promise he had been given of the birth of his son.

Mary, on the other hand, had a quite different response though very similar in nature. She, too, responded with a question that on the surface level may appear somewhat like Zechariah’s question, only it was quite different. Mary asked, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Mary didn’t ask “How can I be sure of this?” She did not doubt the angel’s voice to her. She believed the angel. She was just seeking further understanding. So, the angel provided her with that further understanding by telling her how this would happen. The Holy Spirit of God would come upon her and she would give birth to the Son of God via the Holy Spirit. And, even there, Mary did not doubt what she was told. She may not have understood all of it, but she believed what the angel said to her. And, I love her response:

“I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

Wow!! If all of us had such a trusting response when the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts through God’s word and gives us his promises for our lives, or instructs us, corrects us, rebukes us, or encourages us, etc., that would be awesome!

Zechariah considered the fact that he and his wife were beyond years for having a child and he allowed that to hinder his faith to the point to where he doubted. He was looking at his physical limitations. That did not change what God had promised, though. He still had John and John was everything the angel said he would be. Our lack of faith does not alter the promises of God. What it does, though, is keep us from being able to be part of the process so that we miss out on all the blessings of faith. Zechariah was mute until the promise was fulfilled, so he was not able to give audible testimony. Nonetheless, his wife Elizabeth, when she became pregnant, gave the glory to God – “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor…”

Mary, because of her faith, was able to give immediate testimony to her Lord by saying, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Awesome!!

So, Mary got to be a part of the whole process of what God had promised in her life, because she submitted to God, even though I am certain she did not have complete understanding. For her to say this meant for her to submit, not only to being found in favor with God to be the one chosen to be the mother of God’s Son, but it would mean for her that she would share in the fellowship of Christ’s suffering, become like him in his death – she would be falsely accused of adultery, she would be rejected, ridiculed, and even almost stoned to death for what appeared to be her immorality. And Joseph, by agreeing to marry her, also submitted himself to the will of God knowing that he would share in Mary’s shame and persecution and rejection. So, when Mary said “Yes,” to God’s will for her life, it meant death to her reputation and to her former way of life, as well as it meant to share in the joy of the salvation provided by Jesus via his death and resurrection and of changed lives.

When we choose to believe in Jesus Christ, he also allows us to be a part of the process of what God is doing on this earth. Whether we believe or not will not change who God is or what he has promised, but if we doubt, then we will miss out on the privilege of sharing in what God wants to do in our lives and in the lives of the people of the world through our faith in Jesus Christ and our faith in his promises to us. Yet, if we believe, even if we don’t completely understand it all, we will be blessed with sharing with Jesus in the process of changed lives by the saving grace of Christ Jesus, our Lord. Along with that, though, will also come persecutions, rejection, and/or false accusations, etc. from those who don’t understand who Jesus is and what he is really all about.

When I sat down to have my quiet time with the Lord, I wrote about the individual preparations I was making for the cold weather of the winter in order to stay warm. John the Baptist was sent to make preparation for the Lord Jesus and to turn hearts back to the Lord, their God. Our Lord Jesus is going to return one day. We need to be prepared for his return by making the spiritual preparations in our lives of repentance, genuine faith in Jesus Christ, and obedience to His Word and to His will for our lives. So, we have a choice: Be like Zechariah and doubt God and his promises to us and miss out on the blessings of God that accompany that faith, or be like Mary and say, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Which will it be?

Tell of His Excellent Greatness!

Wednesday, December 01, 2010, 10:01 p.m. – I was lying in bed thinking about my day when the song, “Praise Him! Praise Him!” started playing in my mind. At first I didn’t really pay attention to the song. I was still thinking about the events of my day. Then, all of a sudden the song got a little bit louder in my head and I realized that it was playing in my mind, so I began to pay close attention to it and to the message contained within it.

Praise Him! Praise Him! / Fanny J. Crosby / Chester G. Allen
Psalm 150

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory;
Strength and honor give to His holy Name!
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children,
In His arms He carries them all day long.

Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness;
Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
For our sins He suffered, and bled, and died.
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
Hail Him! Hail Him! Jesus the Crucified.
Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong.

Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness;
Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Heav’nly portals loud with hosannas ring!
Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever;
Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet, and Priest, and King!
Christ is coming! over the world victorious,
Pow’r and glory unto the Lord belong.

Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness;
Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Mark 15 about Jesus’ crucifixion and then I read Mark 16 about his resurrection and then came back to Mark 15. Mark 15:16-41:

The Soldiers Mock Jesus
16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

The Crucifixion
21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

25 It was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27 They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!”

31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus
33 At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

36 One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

My Understanding: I am at a loss for words. So often when I read carefully and thoughtfully this story of Jesus’ crucifixion I am moved in my spirit to tears just thinking about how they treated Jesus as though he was a common criminal and as though he was nothing but dirt for them to spit upon. When I read about how they mocked him and made fun of him; how they treated him with such utter contempt; how they hurled their insults at him; and how they were so willing to crucify him, without even considering all the wonderful miracles he performed and all the lives that were transformed and set free by the miracle of his grace, it leaves me speechless (yes, that is possible). How can I even begin to describe all that he went through for us and why we should praise him for his excellent greatness?

When this song began playing in my mind, I was thinking about photos I had tried unsuccessfully to have printed today at a photo shop. And, I was contemplating the kindness of an offer to print them for me by someone in my family who was kind and thoughtful enough to help me. And, I do so appreciate that help since I am not a photographer and I know so little about how to manage those kinds of things. So, the question I have to ask is “Why did God have that song in my mind when I was thinking about photos?” Was that a mere coincidence, or did the Lord have something very specific in mind that he wanted to teach me via this song and scripture in relation to my thoughts about photographs? I know that a photograph is an image, so I will begin there.

Image – “a picture or likeness of somebody or something, produced either physically by a sculptor, painter, or photographer, or formed in the mind” (Encarta).

The people of Jesus’ day had a certain image of him they had formed in their minds. Some thought he was a blasphemer. Others thought he was a mad man. Still others considered him a Savior and their Messiah. Some saw him as a miracle worker. Still others saw him as a great teacher or a prophet. And, many were easily swayed one way or another, i.e. they were waving palm branches at him and praising him one day and then they turned right around and called for him to be crucified, so many were just followers of the crowd. Right or wrong, the people surrounding the death of Jesus Christ had their own images of Jesus Christ formed in their minds as to who He was, and those images influenced their treatment of him and the ultimate putting to death of him on the cross.

If they truly knew who Jesus was they would not have mocked him, spat upon him, placed a crown of thorns on his head, beaten him, ridiculed him publicly, and crucified him. Interestingly enough, what they charged him with was the truth, i.e. the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. Even there, their image of what that meant was distorted. They didn’t understand that he truly is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. If they had, they would not have crucified him. Yet, not everyone had this false image of Jesus. Some people did see him for who he is. This passage in Mark says that when Jesus breathed his last breath and when a centurion heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” His eyes were opened and he had the correct image of Jesus in that moment.

I think sometimes we read this story and we can’t believe how they treated Jesus. We may think that the people of Jesus’ day had to be pretty horrible people to do such a thing to the Son of God. Yet, how do we treat Jesus? What is our image of him? And, how does our image of him affect how we treat him? If we truly saw Jesus for who he is, should that not change how we treat him? How can we ignore him, be afraid to be associated with him out of fear of rejection, make jokes about him, disobey him, make light of our relationship with him, give him the leftovers of our time, affection and attention, and/or take sin so lightly, etc.? If we truly see Jesus for who he is, then why aren’t we shouting from the rooftops how much we adore him and how much we desire that everyone everywhere also get to know him as Lord and Savior? Why do we barely acknowledge him in our plans or only call upon him when we want something? Why do we cringe when someone publicly shares his teachings in front of our friends? Why are we embarrassed to be known as one of his followers? It is because our image of Jesus is all wrong. It is because we don’t see him as he truly is. He is radical! He is different! He is unique!! And, he makes waves!!

This hymn encourages us, as his followers, to praise him where people can hear it, i.e. “His wonderful love proclaim!” Proclaim means to “announce something publicly; to declare publicly that somebody is something; to show or reveal clearly what something is; to state something emphatically or openly” (Encarta). Many people have a false image of who Jesus is. We need to proclaim his excellent greatness so that the people of this world know who Jesus Christ is and what he has done for us in dying on the cross for our sins and in rising again, so that we can be free from the control of, bondage to, and the ultimate penalty of sin, which is eternal separation from God. When we tell our friends, neighbors, acquaintances and/or family members about Jesus, who he is and what he has done for us, we honor him and we honor his name. And, he is worthy of all honor, glory and praise!

Stay Here and Keep Watch!

Wednesday, December 01, 2010, 8:02 a.m. – I woke this morning to this song playing in my mind:

There's Within My Heart a Melody / Luther B. Bridgers

…All my life was wrecked by sin and strife,
Discord filled my heart with pain;
Jesus swept across the broken strings,
Stirred the slumbering chords again.

Though sometimes he leads through waters deep,
Trials fall across the way,
Though sometimes the path seems rough and steep,
See his footprints all the way.

Soon he's coming back to welcome me
Far beyond the starry sky;
I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown;
I shall reign with him on high.

“Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. Open your word to me, I pray. Grant your servant the understanding from your word that you want me to have today, and to apply to my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.” As soon as I finished praying, this song came into my mind:

Open My Eyes, That I May See / Clara H. Scott, 1841-1897

Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for thee,
Ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!

I read Mark 14 (selected verses):

Gethsemane
32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”

35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

39 Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.

41 Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

… “Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” 50 Then everyone deserted him and fled.

My Understanding: As I read this passage of scripture, I prayed for God to open my eyes to His truth that he had for me today. And, as I read, these words jumped out at me:

“Stay here and keep watch.”

Since I have been reading in the gospel of Mark for my quiet times with the Lord, the Lord Jesus has been having stand out to me many “imperative” statements that he has made.

Imperative – “absolutely necessary or unavoidable; forceful and demanding the obedience and respect of others” (Encarta); vital; crucial; essential; urgent; very important.

I believe the Lord would have me to examine some of the imperative statements today from this passage of scripture in Mark 14. Some of these statements are:

Sit here while I pray – Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” ~ Sometimes God just asks us to be still before him. We get so busy with our lives, our activities, etc. that we often fail to just be still and to know that he is God. Jesus is our intercessor between us and God the Father; he is our mediator. Sometimes we need to just be quiet and to let our mediator speak to the Father for us instead of us doing all the talking. He knows what we need better than we do. We get all anxious about the things of this life and we sometimes pray as though we don’t really believe God is going to answer our prayers, so he says to us, “Sit here while I pray.” We need to allow Jesus to intercede for us while we are still before Him.

Stay here and keep watch – Mark 14:38: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” ~ A watchman, in Biblical times, was a sentry or a guard stationed on a wall or in a watchtower whose job it was to warn of impending danger. The Bible often used that term to describe the prophets of old as watchmen who warned the people of spiritual danger, i.e. of the entrapment of sin, of false teachings and teachers, of coming judgment, against idolatry and spiritual adultery, etc. and who called the people to repentance. A sentry is somebody who is assigned to keep watch and to warn of danger (Encarta). These watchmen had the assignment to watch not only for themselves but also for other people. Jesus has given his followers the same assignment, and that is that we are like sentries on a wall whose job it is to watch out for the danger of sin and entrapment to sin as it heads our way so that we don’t fall into the trap the enemy has set for us and we are able to stand firm on our watch against the forces of the evil one coming against us. In order to do this, we need to be spiritually alert!

Could you not keep watch for one hour? – 2 Timothy 4:6-7: “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” ~ Paul wrote this about his own ministry as he saw his earthly ministry coming to a close. Jesus said similar words right before he made this statement to his disciples about them not keeping watch for one hour.

Mark 14:35-36:

“Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. ‘Abba, Father,’ he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’”

“This cup” and “the hour” was the death that Jesus would die for our sins. Paul’s drink offering was the suffering he endured for the sake of his faith in Jesus Christ and for his testimony for him. He was able to say that he “fought the good fight” because he submitted, as well, to the will of the Father and to “the cup” and “the hour” and “the drink offering.” I believe the message Jesus was giving his disciples and us reaches beyond just the hour Jesus was praying, but speaks, as well, of this “hour” of his death that he would die for our sins and of “the hour” of trial that we would also face. The Bible tells us that we will share in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, becoming like him in his death. It tells us that we will also be persecuted, rejected, mocked, falsely accused and some of us will even be put to death for our testimony for Jesus Christ. Yet, many, when they come up against such opposition to their faith, instead of watching for one hour, will fall away and will fall into the devil’s trap, so that is why it is imperative that we keep watch for “one hour.”

Are you still sleeping and resting? - While You Were Sleeping / Casting Crowns

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night
America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping

Rise! Let us go! – Ephesians 5:14: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Revelation 3:1-3:

“These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.”

The scriptures must be fulfilled – The Bible prophesied both in the OT and the NT concerning these last days on the earth, the coming of the beast of Revelation and the antichrist or the false prophet and of a time of severe trial and persecution of the saints of Almighty God as well as of the judgments of God on the earth prior to Jesus’ return. We cannot pray this away no matter how hard we try. This day is coming and it is coming hard and fast and we need to be ready. We can’t count on a pre-trib rapture to save us from it. Many throughout the world have already undergone such suffering for their faith in Jesus Christ. We, in the United States of America, have not generally had to suffer physical beatings, imprisonments and death for our faith in Jesus Christ and our testimony for him, but that time is coming. And, that is all the more reason why we must “keep watch” and not be found sleeping.

We need to learn to rest in Jesus and to allow Him to intercede for us instead of us doing all the talking. It is essential that we “keep watch” for the enemy, for danger, and for temptation to sin, so that we don’t fall into the devil’s trap. It is necessary that we say with Jesus concerning the trials that will come to us in this life, “Yet not what I will, but what you will,” so that we can say with Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” It is vital that we do not allow ourselves to be lulled to sleep by worldly philosophies and subliminal messages that are intended to brainwash us and to control our thinking so that we don’t hear God’s voice when he speaks to us. It is critical that we “wake up” from our slumber and that we “strengthen what remains and is about to die”, and that we remember what Jesus has taught us, that we obey Him, and that we repent. And, it is imperative that we do all this for this life and for our relationship with Jesus now, today, but also so that we are ready to meet Jesus when our Lord Jesus returns for His bride.

Though sometimes he leads through waters deep,
Trials fall across the way,
Though sometimes the path seems rough and steep,
See his footprints all the way.

Soon he's coming back to welcome me
Far beyond the starry sky;
I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown;
I shall reign with him on high.

Do Not Let Him Find You Sleeping!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010, 10:13 p.m. – I think I fell asleep for a few minutes and then woke back up, and I could not get back to sleep. This song was going through my mind:

Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross / Fanny J. Crosby / William H. Doane

Jesus, keep me near the cross;
There a precious fountain,
Free to all, a healing stream,
Flows from Calvary's mountain.

Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day
With its shadow o'er me.

Near the cross I'll watch and wait,
Hoping, trusting ever,
Till I reach the golden strand
Just beyond the river.

In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever,
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. Open your word to my heart, I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen! I read Mark 13 (selected verses) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2013&version=NIV1984:

5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many…

9 “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues…

13 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come…

35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.

36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.

37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

My Understanding: Before I read the passage of scripture, I prayed that the Lord would help me to hear from Him and to know what he wanted to say to me this evening. I knew he had woken me for a reason. Satan was fighting against me, though. Then, the Lord had the words to this third stanza of this song stand out to me, and as the words played in my mind I heard the word “watch.” Then, as I began reading this passage of scripture, I noted that the word “watch” was recorded three times and the phrase “be on your guard” was also recorded three times. I saw the passage this way in bullet form:

•

Watch out!
• On guard!
• Stand firm!
• You were told
• Be alert!
• Keep watch!
• No sleeping!
• Watch!

This evening, before Rick and I went to bed, I was looking at some information someone had shared with me about our world and its global system of government at present. A man was on the video talking about all the subliminal messages that are being pumped into our minds every day via the media, and most especially via television. He stated that the reason TV was created was for that purpose, i.e. for mind control. As we watched various segments of this video, I remarked to my husband how I had believed this or that, as well, until I woke up, i.e. until God opened my eyes. The man on the video used the same terminology to describe those who were no longer duped by the mind control of the mass media and were able to see through a lot of the deception as those who had woken up, which he likened to be wakened from hypnosis.

Mark 13:5 tells us to “watch out that no one deceives you” and verse 22 says this: “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible.”

If it were not possible for us, the elect, to be deceived, then why would Jesus go to such great lengths to warn us, to tell us to watch out so that no one deceives us, and to alert us that the goal of the antichrists is to deceive the elect? Why all these emphatic phrases? – Watch out! Be on your guard! Be alert! Etc. Obviously it is possible for us to not only be deceived but to be deceived by the master deceiver, manipulator, liar and enemy of our souls who wants nothing more than to have us fall into his trap and to be lulled to sleep (hypnosis) by these subliminal messages so that we are not effective witnesses and servants of Jesus Christ in this world because we are of the world.

Mark 13:34 says this: It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

I have Bible software on my computer. I can hold the cursor of my mouse over a passage of scripture, and if it is in the New Testament, it will show the Greek word and the meaning of the Greek word. I did that with this word “watch,” and it rendered this:

Watch – “to give strict attention to, be cautious, active; to take heed lest through remission and indolence (laziness) some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one.”

The timing for this is really interesting, because as I was beginning to write this definition of “watch,” suddenly the weather outside took a turn for the worse. The wind is blowing strong and rain is coming down hard. We are under a tornado “watch” until 4:00 a.m. It says “Warning” in red with an exclamation point next to it and then the weather bulletin tells us that we are under a watch. If it were a tornado warning, it would mean that an actual tornado had been spotted in our area and that we should take cover. A watch means that conditions are favorable for a tornado to appear so we should be on the alert.

And, that is exactly what this means when Jesus told his disciples to keep watch, to be on the alert, to be on their guard, etc. It was not time to take cover yet, but the conditions are favorable for that time to happen at any moment, so we must be actively listening, seeking, paying attention and keeping our minds alert to deception. Remember that to deceive means to “mislead; trick; con; misinform; hoodwink; dupe; delude” etc. Deception is not going to be obvious unless we are watching and we are alert and we are on our guard.

So, how can we watch? What must we do to be on our guard? We have to realize where deception begins (originates). It begins in our minds via messages we take into our minds over and over again to where we are programmed to believe certain ways. So, what this really comes down to is what amount of the world’s messages we are consuming vs. the amount of God’s messages that we are taking into our minds. I have heard Christians tell me over and over again that they don’t have time to have time with the Lord each day in His Word and in prayer, yet they have time for everything they want, including time for their favorite activities, their friends, TV, movies, games, etc. It is all a matter of priorities, but it is much more than that. We can’t put Jesus first in our schedules if he is truly not first place in our hearts. We need to put our all on the altar and give Jesus Christ our bodies and souls, putting off the things of this world and putting on the things of God; being not conformed to the pattern of this world, but being transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Rick and I got rid of our TV two years ago and it was the best decision we ever made. If we are not taking in all those subliminal and maybe not so subliminal messages into our minds every day, then the Lord doesn’t have to sift through all of that to get to our minds when he wants to show us something, i.e. when he wants to reveal His truth to us. We can’t hear the truth if our minds are filled with a pack of lies and if we hold on to the lies as though we were holding on to something sacred. I’m not saying everything on TV is a lie, but a lot of it is. I know that I bought into some of those lies and now in retrospect I wonder how I was so easily deceived. We have to make a clear passageway in our minds in order to receive the truth that the Lord wants to show us, and we do that by putting off conforming to the pattern of the world via taking so much of the world and its messages daily into our minds and thus accepting the lies as truth, and instead we allow God to renew and to transform our minds so that we hear him clearly when he speaks, not meaning at all that we understand everything perfectly (see I Co. 13).

We can’t “watch”, “be on guard”, “be alert,” “stand firm,” and not be caught sleeping if the majority of our free time is spent in front of the television or a movie screen or surfing the net mindlessly or playing continuous games, in particular computer and video games which suck us into the “other world” of cyberspace. So many believers in Jesus Christ spend little to no time at all in the Word of God each day but they fill their minds daily with the things of this world. And, that is what they regurgitate, too. We talk about what is important to us. If all or most of conversations revolve around what movie or TV show we have watched or what video games we play or sports, etc. and little to none of our conversations ever revolve around our relationship with Jesus Christ and what He is doing in our lives and what He is teaching us, then something is seriously wrong. These other things are not necessarily wrong in some forms. I like a good game of Scrabble. I enjoy time with family and friends. I like to connect with people on the Internet. Yet, I have to ask myself these questions:

What is ruling my life? What am I about? What do I talk about? What do I write about? What captures most of my time and attention? What am I taking into my mind? Is it Jesus and his love and is it what is most important to him? Or, is it my own self interests? If I am truly going to be watchful and waiting for my Lord to return, then I need to be all about HIM, not about myself. I pray that would be so of my life. I don’t want to be deceived or lulled to sleep because I failed to spend that time listening to God, obeying Him, and putting off the conformity to the world, the world’s thinking, the world’s philosophies, etc., and putting on Jesus Christ’s mind, his thoughts, his attitudes, and thus resulting in changed thinking and behavior.

At the beginning of this writing, I wrote this: “I think I fell asleep for a few minutes and then woke back up, and I could not get back to sleep.” I did “fall asleep” for a while when I allowed myself to be taken in by the messages of the world and they became my pattern of thinking and behaving, but then I “woke up” because God woke me up, and I could not fall back asleep, praise God! I wrote once that I closed that door on my former way of life never to go back, and that applies here, as well. Now that I am awake and I am no longer being lulled to sleep, I cannot go back to sleep because I don’t want my Lord to return and to find me “sleeping” and not watching. I want to be watching and praying when my Lord returns.