Word of Life

Hebrews 2:1-4

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

"Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. ..It was declared at first through the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him, while God added his testimony, by signs and wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to his will."

1 John 1:1-4
King James Version (KJV)
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."

Prophecies of Christ and Their Fulfillment

Prophecies of Christ and Their Fulfillment
This will be a work in progress. These (prophecies of Messiah) form a thread through the Bible.
Genesis 3:15 - Luke 22:53 (hour of darkness), Hebrews 2:14, 1 John 3:8
Genesis 12:3 - Acts 3:25-26, Gal 3:8 (all earth blessed through "the seed" Jesus)

Blessing and Cursing

My grand-daughter, early this morning as she was waiting for the school bus told me, basically, what she was being taught is the the United Nations (all the world?) is for peace but Israel refuses, saying "my God told me no". And that the six days war was a number of nations simply standing around Israel doing nothing (didn't mention their joyful communications they were saying to one another about what their plans were) but Israel said if we're going to win (survive?) we better attack now. (Well that last part's true. And they prayed.) And, she was told, Israel is keeping Palestine. [Israel has agreed to peace a number of times and it's always been broken, and they've given back land (people left to allow for the war when said nations were 'standing' surrounding Israel) and they get rocket fired upon from that land now.] ..Who's the 'good' guy? "..the tree is known by its fruit" Matthew 12:33. (An extremist Islamic beheading takes about 4 minutes of sawing.) "..the god of this world.." 2 Corinthians 4:4, is not the creator and father God. [Jacob/Israel, "cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee" Genesis 27:29.]
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(Will finish the prophecy formula (#s) after the New Year.)

Psalm 119 is Epic!

For years I have pretty much bypassed Psalm 119.. It's so long you know.. But now I see it is epic! Psalm 119 comes up at the end of November, because Psalms 110 to 119 is in my suggested readings schedule for November.
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Related: Is The Bible And Bible Prophecy Literal?

Is The Bible And Bible Prophecy Literal?

2 Timothy 2:15
Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Ephesians 6:17
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 11:3
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
2 Peter 3:5
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
1 John 2:14
I have written to you... ..because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.
Revelation 6:4 (NKJ) "..a fiery red horse.. granted to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword" (Greek word "mega" sword, and fiery-red, Greek word "purros", from root word "pur").

Not Imminent but Important

It's not that I think the culmination described within the Book of Revelation of the Bible is imminent. It's that I think all of us, the people of God, should know the message and pass it on.

The World's Rejection of Christ

The Book of Revelation is the completion of the world's rejection of Jesus. The story of mankind and life as we know it, is a complete story. It's a drama written in flesh and blood. This story would have ended long ago, if God had not confused the languages at Babel Tower.
(To be continued..)

Exact Likeness Of The Unseen God

Some of the greatest verses! Yes? http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=colossians%201:15-20&version=KJV;CEV;NKJV;AMP;YLT

An Extremely Important Crossroads!!

The USA (and thus the world) is at a very important crossroads, many are praying. But we mustn't get complacent. For this spiritual war has new things every day. I pray "all" God's children are earnestly praying, daily seeking His face & repenting on behalf of this nation which has made a lot of offerings to Satan. Surely the Spirit of Elijah cries "turn back! turn back!" See Malachi 4:6, as we know, closing prophetic words of the Old Testament..

Man Will Exchange God and The Gods With Government

Mankind will replace God and The Gods with government. Don't you think? The mistake we'll make is the giving over of too much power. It'll be the gods all over again (when this happens) but this time they'll have arms and legs, the resources and computers.

The Bread and The Wine

Quiet reading, contemplation and prayer time is absolutely necessary if one is to make any progress in the spiritual/christian life. The spirit man/woman cannot grow without nourishment. And our nourishment is the Bread and the Wine. Jesus said it on the very evening before he was crucified (executed in our place, declaring and making us innocent). And remember Melchizedek? Giving Abraham bread and wine? Man/Woman "shall not live on bread alone, but upon every word from God".. And Jesus is our new wine for he gives us the Holy Spirit.. Fresh and new, not sour and old.. Human thoughts are like strands.. Like jumbled thoughts piled willy nilly atop one another.. Tangled questions and negatives left over from rushing hither and yon and helter skelter. Our "High Priest" is the only one who can untangle the knots. Quiet reading, contemplation and prayer time is how we draw close to God and attune ourselves to the peaceful quietness of His Spirit and Presence, so that we are in him, and he is in us. We have one rule to live by. Love God. Consciously loving God (praising, worshiping God) opens us up to the stream of God and His Spirit and Presence flowing into and through us. This is called "waiting upon God" and resting in his "finished work". This is the new covenant (contract) with God. And it is all received "by faith" from beginning to end. It's grace, and it's the only system that works. For it releases the POWER of God. "There's none good but God." Jesus said. That means all good, all transforming power, self improvement, comes only from God. No amount of human striving "to be good" will cut it. You see God is "all in all". He's Life and He's Perfection. Ultimately he's the only dimension, the only reality, and all will be an eternal un-breakable paradise. Anyone coming along and saying you must follow this rule, or follow that rule (usually having to do with foods and days of worship) "have fallen from grace"! "God is Love" - fill ourselves with Him - "Love works no ill" .."does no harm". If we fill ourselves with God, we will not cheat others, steal, hurt, etc, etc. Every day is a day of worship. He "is the vine, we are the branches". When we wait, by reading, contemplation and prayer, if he should seem to delay showing up, we simply continue expectant, unruffled and peaceful "waiting upon God". Fully expectant, and knowing.. Keep waiting. He will show up (become apparent to us). Absolutely guaranteed.

The Gnostics

Clement of Rome was the bishop of the Christian church at Rome from A.D. 90 to 99. Paul mentions a Clement in his epistle to the Philippians, in Philippians 4:3 - "These women have worked together with me and with Clement and with the others in spreading the good news. Their names are now written in the book of life."
- Clement, in approximately 95 A.D., wrote in a letter - “The apostles have preached the gospel to us from the Lord Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ has done so from God. Christ therefore was sent forth by God, and the apostles by Christ.”
- The earliest church accepted only the gospel accounts or testimonies, of only those who were, as Luke wrote in Acts (1:21,22) "a witness of His resurrection” and were present "all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us.. ..from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us".
- In the Book of Revelation's letters to the seven churches from Jesus, in the letter to the church at Ephesus, and the one to the church at Pergamum, says, "But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate" and "Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate" (Rev 2:6 and 15).
- Several of the early church fathers, including Irenaeus, Epiphanius, and Theodoret mentioned this group. Irenaeus identifies the Nicolaitans as a Gnostic sect and that "they lead lives of unrestrained indulgence."
- In the New Testament, both Paul and Peter warned about "false prophets and teachers" which had come into the churches and were taching false things, some even going so far as to say "Christ had not come in the flesh".
- The thing about Gnosticism, or "gnosis"/knowledge" was they were sects ranging from extreme asceticism to "unrestrained indulgence". The reason for such difference and range is based upon the gnostic idea that matter is evil. Therefor some branches were very strict in their eating, etc, as all matter and physical actions were evil. But other sects were anything but ascetic, being very immoral in their actions and lifestyle, considering that all life and actions were evil, so it made no difference how they behaved! Fornication was no worse than eating a meal. They asserted that God was light and only light, and mankind had fallen into matter which was evil. It was impossible to them, that Christ had come to the earth and lived in the flesh, seeing as all flesh was evil! And this was the sign, 1 John 4:2 "By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit" (or teaching) "that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God."

The Human Story

Revelation, or its Greek name, “Apocalypse”, is the story of the consummation of good and evil. Adam and Eve, placed in and of the GARDEN PARADISE had eaten of the forbidden tree of the KNOWLEDGE of both good and evil, which fruit we are still chewing on to this day. (Once thinking ability, thus choice, was endowed, a whole new world, or tree, of possibilities ‘came to be’.) In this final book of the Bible, the FRUIT OF THE EARTH is fully ripe, both goodness, and wickedness. John was a very old man, when Roman authorities banished him to an uninhabited island called “Patmos”.
     While he was there, the Lord Jesus showed him a great vision of how man’s world would end up. The visions of this book are especially poignant. Believers are urged to read, listen to, and hear, the words of this little book – after the mighty crash of all things false and the last great war of nations, Armageddon (with environmental woes as a precursor to these things) and after a 1,000 year Kingdom of our Lord's long second advent of rebuilding paradise upon Earth, the New Jerusalem (the new capital of the planet) comes down from heaven, onto the earth.
     It shines of jewels and gold, and the pure sparkling river of the water of life flows through it, to all the world, with trees of life on either side, which leaves and fruit will be for the total healing, and continued health of the nations. No eye will again cry from sorrow, there will be no sickness, suffering or death. The question of good and evil, right and wrong, what is life as opposed to what is death, has been answered for all time, and all citizens have it engraved deeply upon their very hearts and minds for all eternity and ages. To stray from Perfection/Life/God, is to stray away from the very “breath of life” and can only ever end in a self destructive puff of smoke... and dust and ashes.
     Elsewhere we are told "eye has not seen, nor ear conceived, nor heart ever been able to fully imagine, all the good things God has created for those who love Him."

Some Remarkable Things

I'm watching a movie called "Acts" put out by "The Visual Bible". I bought it at a Goodwill store for $1.99, as you can see, a veRy good deal! It's word for word the Book of Acts from the New International Version. I was watching the part which was on the Day of Pentecost, forty nine days after Jesus rose. The day the Baptism of the Holy Spirit came.. And then Peter got up and was speaking to the crowd that had gathered, and said some remarkable things, being of course, that they had seen Jesus risen from the grave, had even felt that he was flesh and bone.. These same disciples of Jesus, all went on saying this for the rest of their lives, and then all but one (who went on to write the Book of Revelation in his old age) were executed for refusing to stop doing so. What are we to make of such behavior?!

Is The Book Of Revelation Merely Metaphor?

The Book of Revelation of the Bible is very accurately true! When I wanted to know more about it, I prayed and it seemed to come back to me "what are the strongest forces at work upon mankind today?" Emphasis on "today".
- There's at least two locks in the Book.. the first (after the announcement, etc) is in chapter six, it's important to realize the seven seals are described here as a blend of what they are when first "opened" and also what they are in their full blown maturity at the 'end'. Thus, things which happen very late upon the planet, are described here so very early in the narrative. These seven seals are the dominant elements at work in the 'latter' age of mankind, the years of our Lord A.D.
- The second lock is to realize that chapters 12,13, and most of 14 are inserts like the creation account of Genesis two is an insert to the one of Genesis one, providing more detail, like a magazine or history book will have inserts to elaborate.
- Chapter 13 is TWO beasts - 1-10 and 11-18, the 1st being a big or world beast/body and the 2nd being a 'man' or closer yet a two horned office, the one which brought/opened new fire (bringing it down upon men) #13:13. This is also the 6th seal of chapter 6. It seems obvious the 'little' beast will step into the head seat of the world beast/governing. Many think these two beasts are the same, and that they are also the false prophet/teacher/teaching. But the false prophet began as a man, but also developed the capability of rev 13:13, which the two horned office was the 1st to "open" - note at the end of this seal, seal 6, there is a pause.. until it manifests again.. "angels holding back the wind".. The false prophet prepared the way and has and is thoroughly changing western civilization.
- The other main character is $ity BabbleOn (of today not yesteryear) of chapters 17 and 18. She has seduced and enchanted all the world (seven continents/hills). The Greek word for her, translated "harlot" is "pornos" and "to sell". Capitalism embraced "pornos" and therefor in one hour it will crash. "Fallen fallen" is Babylon the Great who holds a golden cup of her side effects, the murders, perversion, abortions, slave trade, dissolution of the family, etc.. The merchants made wealthy by her wares will weep when they see her burning "in one day". The ten kings in bed with her/10horns/10toes of the final hour will devour and burn her, yes, socialism will finally devour capitalism, and they/he will institute the 666 apparatus, also technology provided by the false prophet, that white smocked wizard.
- Babble On's forehead/psyche is Mystery Babble, every untruth and lie, and Mystery Babble is responsible for all blood spilled upon Earth, past, present, future "since Cain killed Abel".

For The Most Part

[For the most part] I think of the vision of the left (western world left) as a very good ideal but as 'unenforceable' and that you cannot trust human government with enough power to bring it to pass. Not that we can't strain toward it but just can't bring it to pass as quickly as some would like. We do not see the danger because power and reach is given in small increments.
- Each party views their own motives as beneficial to the people and society while viewing the other party's motives as self serving and suspect. Their interaction with each other, which strongly affects the country and people, along with history of course, demonstrates human governing should be limited.
- Every one in the world should want to see poorer nations and people lifted up.. wells dug, food/bounty shared. But before you can send good things their way you have to get rid of the dictators. How would you do it?
- I (and likely many others) am so caught up in seeing visions of the future I forget to "pray earnestly" concerning all these things, and for all those I am traveling through this life with.

But There Is A Counting Backwards II

"Tribulation Ten Days"

"..ye shall have tribulation ten days.." - Revelation 2:10 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)
from Matthew 24:29-31 - King James Version (KJV)
 . . . . . . "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.. ..they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and, He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

But There Is A Counting Backwards

"Look master at this beautiful Temple, buildings and walls.."
  - - - - "I tell you not-one-stone shall remain upon another.."
Daniel 12:11,12 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)
"...and from the time of the turning aside of the" (place of) "perpetual [sacrifice], and to the giving out of the desolating" (666) "abomination, [are] days a thousand, two hundred, and ninety" (that is, three and one half Hebrew years) "O the blessedness of him who is waiting earnestly, and doth come to" (45 days later) "the days, a thousand, three hundred, thirty and five."
...."God will bless everyone who patiently waits until one thousand three hundred thirty-five days have gone by." - Contemporary English Version (CEV)
. . . . "Blessed, happy, fortunate, spiritually prosperous, and to be envied is he who waits expectantly and earnestly [who endures without wavering beyond the period of tribulation] and comes to the 1,335 days!" - Amplified Bible (AMP)
"..ye shall have tribulation ten days.." - Revelation 2:10 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

A GREAT Sign In The Heavens!!

[Adapted from Revelation chapter 12 with cross references referenced.]
~ A GREAT sign in the heavens!! A woman with a crown of twelve stars, in agony to give birth to a son, a child of mankind who will rule and shatter all nations with iron law (Ps 2:9) and His Kingdom will be a Kingdom that never ends..
     A fiery red dragon stands in readiness to devour the child! King Herod killing every boy child in Bethlehem!
.....Rachel is weeping.. weeping for her children and cannot be consoled.. But the child is caught up to heaven and the right hand of God's throne and in rage the dragon pursues the woman, razing the old, and the new woman runs..
. . . There's war in heaven, Michael and his angels against the dragon and his one third of the angels.. Now restricted from the heavens, in great wrath he pursues and inquisitions the woman.. She's given the two wings of a great eagle that she may sail fast to a new land.. where for three and a half modern divisions of time she is kept safe from the fierce face of the dragon, but then the serpent guise of the dragon spews a flood and proliferation after the woman to wash her away from the face of the earth, so that the eagle may lose its wings, but if they crucify who they did in a green leaf, what will they do in a dry???
. . . Then the dragon's armies will surround the other children of the woman who have the commandments of God, and by now, have the testimony of Jesus..
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how oft I would have gathered you as a hen gathers her chicks! You'll not see me again until you say "blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD"!

Soon

There's going to come a time very soon when we're going to have to put down our pens.. get our fingers off the keys.. and get on our knees and on our faces before God. Because it's coming down the tubes and it coming down fast..

What Is Life? Where Are We From? Where Are We Going?

As for me, I have always had a very strong desire to know truth, utter truth, and nothing but the truth. What is life? Where do we come from? Or did come from? ..what is life? and also where, if anywhere, are we headed? So I started my search at a bunch of very good libraries all around Denver, Colorado (USA) where I was living at the time. I studied some on the world religions, meditation and astrology. Astrology, as to co-incidental figurations in the stars, planets and sun and moon at the time of certain occurrences in the world, or in this case, in my life.. I could go into those and a couple are very, very striking! But that might be another story.. I was learning how to meditate which in this case was how to still one's mind quiet enough one could 'hear' God's voice. The main way of doing that, for me, was to hold an image in my mind, with eyes closed, of an eight pointed radiant star, representing to me all that I had been studying, and I later learned it is the star most shown at Christmas as the Bethlehem star.. basically a star of light which rays are a cross and an x.
 - One day I was in the beautiful foothills of the Rocky Mountains sitting at the side of a hill on a sunny day, when all of a sudden, it seemed as though I could 'see' a thought drift across the very blue sky and hit me in the head! Yes, it hit me in the head. And what the thought said was "you've been studying about different forces at work in the universe, what of the force which created the universe and what if that thought has consciousness?" Then it was like a bright light dawned (like a light bulb turning on as they say when you realize something or put something together) and I exclaimed "God!" and it seemed as though I could feel a strong presence, but one I realized I had always known..
- My life completely changed after that day. It got to be when I was in the foothills or nature, I was happy, could feel His Presence, but anywhere else and He was absent! Which made me feel incomplete and out of sorts, til one day I found a Bible tract at my local post office (I met the lady later who was in the habit of leaving them around town). The tract was titled in large letters "God's Great Plan of Salvation".
 - Well, I'll tell ya, I read that thing 4 times and just could not get a handle on it! Something about being imperfect, which leads to death, aka nonlife. I've later learned God himself is Life and Perfection, but endowed thinking ability which includes being able to make choices, but any move away from what God thinks or does, is to become imperfect, the opposite of life. (If you get my drift..?)
- The tract said if I asked Jesus into my heart I would be "saved" (rescued, my journey toward nonlife checked) by Jesus paying the price of my death for me (and everyone else's).
- It was very unusual, but I was home alone that day, so four times I came out of my room where I had knelt at the side of my bed and said that salvation prayer, but came away sort of unbelieving, not that necessarily I didn't believe its message, but could it be true for me? So that's what I asked. And then the sun was setting over the mountains in the west and the sunlight from it came streaming through an inch of open curtain and shone across the room filling the off tv screen with a radiant eight pointed star. As miracles go, it may be small, but ever since then I've had no doubt.
- That was 33 years ago. And 17 years ago my son asked me two questions, which I answered but I wasn't at all happy with my answers so I prayed for the answers, and they came back to me "boom! boom! boom!" and knocked my socks off! And my socks are still knocked off! The questions were "why did God put the tree of good and evil in the garden" (the tree of knowing good and evil) and "isn't it nice we get to be an ant farm?" (So Cynical for one only 16 at the time!)
 - What I found out was that's the whole thing, we're not an ant farm! The whole 'packet' or 'cloud'(?) of information ended with a question to me! "Why did God wait such a very long time, and only create the universe and man and woman, not only after the first bound to occur rebel thought had occurred (as it did in Lucifer high angel) but after it had fully matured into outright sedition and trickery?"
 - So now I keep a blog where I go into these things I learned, mainly that God is Life and is Perfect and Perfection makes no mistakes, therefor the 'end' result of all this can only be the best one possible.. think of it, God being life, lives through, experiences, and suffers, all sufferings which ever occur! Why would He put Himself through all that? Because He's not creating an ant farm, or robots, but His family and an eternally un-breakable paradise, un-breakable, for all will fully understand good from evil / life from death / true from untrue.

"The God Of Our Salvation"

This is from Andrew Murray's "Waiting On God", from chapter one which is titled "The God Of Our Salvation" and begins with a verse from Psalms "My soul waits only upon God [marg: is silent unto God]; from Him comes my salvation." Ps 62:1

- "The deep need for this waiting on God lies equally in the nature of man and in the nature of God. God as Creator formed man to be a vessel in which He could show forth His power and goodness. Man was not to have in himself a fountain of life, or strength, or happiness. The ever-living and only living One was each moment to be the Communicator to him of all that he needed. Man's glory and blessedness was not to be independent, or dependent upon himself, but dependent on a God of such infinite riches and love. Man was to have the joy of receiving every moment out of the fulness of God... when he fell from God, he was still more absolutely dependent on Him. There was not the slightest hope of his recovery out of his state of death, but in God, His power and mercy. It is God alone who began the work of redemption. It is God alone who continues and carries it on each moment in each individual believer. Even in the regenerate man there is no power of goodness in himself. He has and can have nothing that he does not each moment receive; and waiting on God is just as indispensable, and must be just as continuous and unbroken, as the breathing that maintains his natural life."

Bit Of A Dry Spell

09/19/12 - I've been having a bit of a dry spell lately, so I've decided to re-read a book I read at the beginning of my "saved" journey. It is called "Waiting On God" by Andrew Murray who lived 1828-1917 and was a very energetic and motivated, prolific writer. I like how the foreword of the book describes him as an elderly gent very intent on what he was writing and would go from book to book, no sooner getting one done and then beginning another. By this time in his life (of writing "Waiting On God") he had developed the habit of writing these little soft cover books in a series of thirty one chapters of a page or two, for easy reading over the course of a month. I'm a slowpoke however and usually take about three days for a chapter!
- This book is about the practice and mindset of always waiting upon/for God. Early on too, around the same time, I also read another great instructional book called "Abide In Me" which was, of course, about the verse and quote of Jesus "I am the vine, you are the branches, abide in me..."
- I bought "Waiting On God" on Ebay a couple or few years ago and plan to look for "Abide In Me" soon, written also, I believe by Andrew Murray.

Keeping Hatred Out of Politics

I read a book once which says there are basically three psychologies to life - "I'm ok, you're not ok" -"I'm not ok, you're ok" -and "I'm ok, you're ok" . Only the third one is healthy. How do we make politics more healthy? By realizing (both) parties mean well, but simply have a different view, and idea, or vision of what will work.

The New Covenant

Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Hebrews 10:39-11:2,6
"...We will keep on having faith until we are saved.. Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. It was their faith that made our ancestors pleasing to God... without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and that he rewards everyone who searches for him."
Hebrews 10:19,20
"My friends, the blood of Jesus gives us courage to enter the most holy place, by a new way that leads to life! And this way takes us through the curtain that is Christ himself."
Hebrews 6:18-20
"God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed. We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. In fact, hope reaches behind the curtain and into the most holy place. Jesus has gone there ahead of us, and he is our high priest forever, just like Melchizedek."
New King James Version (NKJV)
Hebrews 4:16
"Let Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Hebrews 3:14
"For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.."
Hebrews 3:14
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
"We were sure about Christ when we first became his people. So let’s hold tightly to our faith until the end.."
Colossians 1:27
Young's Literal Translation (YLT)
"..to whom God did will to make known what [is] the riches of the glory of this secret among the nations -- which is Christ in you, the hope of the glory,"
Colossians 1:27
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
"God did this because he wanted you to understand his wonderful and glorious mystery. And the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God’s glory."
Ephesians 1:13,14,19,20
Young's Literal Translation (YLT) - Amplified Bible (AMP) - (YLT) - (NKJV)
"..in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth -- the good news of your salvation -- in whom also having believed, ye were sealed** with the Holy Spirit of the promise, That [Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance [the firstfruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring [complete] possession of it—to the praise of His glory".. (it is) "...the exceeding greatness of His power to us who are believing, according to the working of the power of His might, which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead." (Same Spirit which rose Jesus from the grave, is at work in us - "enter His rest" (Hebrews 4:1&11) "recieve the promise" (Galatians 3:14)
**the "seal" and "proof/guarantee" = "because you [really] are His, God has sent the [Holy] Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba Father!" - Galatians 4:6, Amplified Bible (AMP)

Words That Heal

Christians are supposed to be able to speak and pray healing by praying and speaking in the name of Jesus (as if for Him). And even raise the dead on occasion, and not by using a defibrillator... It seems to me it has to be some sort of speaking to the molecules.. And being the children of God, made in His image, is the key.. All part of God's grand agreement, signed in blood no less! (Such a signature is very dramatic, able to strike the heart of every creature). And the proof, pledge, and stamp of guarantee (old term being "surety") is His Presence with us which is the Holy Ghost flowing through us. The proof of His Presence is our heart crying "Father!" [Hooray! My Father! (Your Father, our Father..)]
...That peace which is like a river and swells up into joy.. But very few of us successfully pray or speak a lot of healing.. or maybe we just don't try, or don't have enough peaceful (que sera, sera) confidence..?

More Creativity, Appreciation and Diversity

I heard a Christian rap song today.. It was beautiful! Some people think The Kingdom will be 'boring'.. Not so! It will, of course, be far superior to this world, and life as we presently know it. There will be more creativity and inventiveness, deeper appreciation and complete harmony. And best of all there will be no human failings, no spoiler(s). All things will no longer be "under the law of sin and death" (all things will no longer fall apart and fade away). Truly the sky will be the limit. No back biting, no fraud, no cheating, etc, etc, etc! I believe it's only after this issue of "good and evil" (life and death; true and untrue) has been fully proven and deeply etched upon every heart, mind and psyche, that life will spread throughout the universe..

Clackity Clack, Watch Your Back

The Bible prophecies socialism will devour capitalism.. and the crash of her will be great.. "Rejoice O heavens and Earth".. But it also prophecies what replaces her will be horrific.. "brother will betray brother".. and the knitting needles will go clackity clack..
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rev 17:16; 18:9,11,20; 20:4; Mark 13:12,13  

Planetary Vision

Psalm 40:6 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT) "Sacrifice and presents Thou hast not desired, Ears Thou hast prepared for me, Burnt and sin-offering Thou hast not asked."
- The teaching of the "opposer", Satan, is human sacrifice, so easy, because the conscience of man knows himself to be quite flawed (as opposed to being utterly perfect and full of love at all times for all). But God trumped Satan by facing the issue squarely by resolving the issue and providing a Most Sacred sacrifice, so holy, it is one which is for all, and for all time. No other sacrifice is ever needed. It is so holy and complete it restores all back to God and oneness with Him, who by nature is Perfection and Life itself (there is and can be no life nor "living" apart from Him). To wander from perfection is to wander from life and can only ever result in non-life. (One of  the opposer's first lies was "surely, you won't, die?")
- Anyone thinking Lucifer is a free spirit who ushered in freedom and enlightenment, should realize everything he proposes ends in death, his goals are planetary, and he comes across as an angel of light.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Why did God wait and only create the universe and mankind after the bound to occur first rebel thought had fully ripened?

Can't Do Any Better Than That!

Hebrews 9:26! You just can't do any better than that! That is to say, what a dramatic and 'cut to the heart' way (what more could anyone give or do?) of rescuing mankind and the planet from the wrong path and death/nonlife, its result and destination.
- Revelation 21:5 "and He who sits on the throne says 'behold I am making all things new'.."
- And not only that, but we get to enter the Most Sacred Place, His Presence, to get all the help we need.. Hebrews 4:16.

So There I Was..

We throw a reunion once a year, a party with lots of good food (and good folks & friends!!) This year, when it was getting late, someone had built up a bonfire, some of us were looking up at the stars to see if any clouds were moving in. There weren't many clouds, but just then playing from The Moody Blues' song "Nights in White Satin" was the line, "Oh.. how I lo-ove you.." So there I was, towards the end of a blessed and very pleasant day, looking into and past the stars singing "Ohh.. howw I lo-ove You.." :))

By Philips Brooks, Late 1800's

"All truly consecrated men" (man and wo-man of course!) "learn little by little that what they are consecrated to is not joy or sorrow, but a divine idea, and a profound obedience, which can find their full outward expression, not in joy, and not in sorrow, but in the mysterious and inseparable mingling of the two."

Wonderful Little Things

I've had some wonderful experiences with God - one time on a visit home, nine of us close family members went to a small outdoor ZZ Top concert. The first couple of songs, they sounded just a little bit rusty, but then they sang the line "Jesus just left Chicago.." and from then on they were dynamite! Sang all their old great songs.. "Cheap Sunglasses".. "Sharp Dressed Man".. We had a blast!
- Later, after my trip and at home, reflecting on my time there and being thankful, I thought "Gee Lord, I didn't make much room for you.. didn't draw you into the days and around us enough during my visit home.." But right then, coming to my mind, and clear as day, I heard the lines and music "Jesus just left Chicago.." ..."You might not see Him in person, but he'll be there just the sa-ame.." :))

Will God Lose Lucifer?

~ Colossians 1:20, New King James Version (NKJV)
"..by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross."
 ~ Colossians 1:20, Contemporary English Version (CEV)
"And God was pleased for him to make peace by sacrificing his blood on the cross, so that all beings in heaven and on earth would be brought back to God."
~ Isaiah 14:12,11, New King James Version (NKJV)
“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! Your pomp is brought down to Sheol" (translation="the grave") "And the sound of your stringed instruments; The maggot is spread under you, And worms cover you."
~ All the people were born after Adam and Eve and inherited their imperfect nature. (To turn from God in any teeny, tiny way is to turn from Perfection - which is God - and away from Life, which too is God.- So God sent "the Firstborn of all creation" to rescue us with His 'paid in full for all of us, death upon the cross'. His totally innocent death overcoming death.
~ Therefor we get to thank God for His rescuing us from death. Yet also (for a time) we get to thank Him for death (as an impersonal thing that is) because if it hadn't come to be, it would mean we had all been created as robots or (perhaps?) as forever very small children.
- - Perfection makes no mistakes.

On Being Monastic

It's not "being" a hermit (these days).. it's having the mind set of one. To live in the moment, giving thanks for everything throughout one's day.. A consciousness of pursuing Him.. of loving Him.. through praise and thanksgiving.. (post#144,rev7:4,9)

First Amendment or Thought Police?

Chick-fil A.. whoever they are, never heard of them before the firestorm.. says they don't discriminate in serving nor in hiring. As a christian person, to me, the whole world is not in  the blueprint God designed, but what folks don't realize about christians is they've been 'saved'.. out from that same 'chaos'. I think no less of any person who is not a christian and has a differing lifestyle or society than the bible one, nor do I want laws concerning any of it..  And (except for despotic dictators, predators and serial killers) I don't look down on anyone. And I absolutely love my fellow person!! Love them! have a good day :))

Politics and Religion All in One

Here's politics and religion all in one!
- In order to have a perfect world (or household) it basically requires a dictatorship, and of course that's short lived, or an illusion unless said dictator(ship) is perfect and incorruptible - or, if the members of the world (or household, etc) are perfect and incorruptible, along with a total knowledge of cause and effect (good and evil).

Bottom Line: We Know Him

(The bottom line for believers: we know Him!) But we don't conceive of how BiG God us.. We've greatly under estimated him.. When we talk to him, or even just think about him (out there.. in the never endingness beyond the stars..) he's like this spark.. this combustion.. a warmth from within.. and it shines out in a flare to our fingertips and toes.. Yet it is the tiniest little drop of Him...

Commune - Ism

When I was watering plants yesterday, I found myself thinking how Karl Marx's communism is like my strawberry patch.. All generously interconnected.. But I also thought with life (and human nature) as we know it, is it possible? Some movers and shakers will likely leave, or government is placed over it!

'Return' to Logic

Political people are the ultimate in caretakers. They care what people experience (one western party) or will experience (the other western party). There's of course a lot of misinformation circulated. Basically "republican" is state strength and power and distrust of federal power, and "democrat" wants to benefit society and sees federal government as the way to do it. The parties calling each other demons to get votes is only stirring up unrest and will likely, sooner or later, be the cause of someone getting hurt.

Translation: The Good News/Rescued

Evolution is a separation of traits & mutations expire. ~ The Bible prophecies 45days one cannot buy or sell. ~ Last 10 "hide thyself" (Daniel 12:11,12) ~ The 2nd resurrection (of all unsaved) will after time, catch up in joy, etc. to the 1st resurrection (of the saved 1000 years earlier). ~ God is perfect or he too would fade, so the 'end' result can only be the best one possible. ~ Tho still down the road apiece - Ezek33:6 - "if you see a sword coming & warn not, I will require it of thee".
                              - semi hermit who listens (pls pass this on)

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

Philippians 4:6
Young's Literal Translation (YLT)
"For nothing be anxious, but in everything by prayer, and by supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God; and the peace of God, that is surpassing all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus."
 - Revelation 20:4b does not occur until the very last thing..
 - "Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.." Acts 2:17
 - ...that day will not come upon you unawares.. (a play upon Luke 21:34)
 - Matthew 24:15 "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand)"
 - Matthew 24:33 "So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."
 - Mark 13:14 "But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains.."
 - Mark 13:29 "So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors."
 - Luke 21:20 "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh."

Global

God knew when He gave the Holy Spirit to man, it would set in motion the beginnings of the return of mankind working together to build man's tower (of enterprise / global city) which He had stalled so long ago when He "confused the languages".
~ Genesis 11:1,4-7 - Now the whole earth had one language and one speech... And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech."
~ Acts 2:1-11(38,39) - When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God...  (Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”)

How To Understand a Bible Riddle

If you (we) have a connection to God, through Jesus, when we read something we don't understand in the Bible or about the Bible, if we will ask God.. and pause a moment.. the answer or insight will come..

Meandering Musings

It's not just this administration - they intend to do good things but it's not just the corporations that are getting too big. Who's going to mind the store and make sure no one misuses the patriot act? Nobody considers history, I'm ready to go back to being a hermit thank you very much! :)) have a good weekend..

Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time, in another land far, far away, there lived a man who had become King by promising many wonderful things. As King he proclaimed some very good humanitarian edicts, so the people said "amen" and gave him more and more power until all things of sustenance were run through his fingers.. 666 is an office not a man.

Same Old, Same Old

It's human nature at fault and to blame for the world's problems, it's also human nature to want to blame one group over another.. exactly the same as with the races.. ONE race at fault, the human race. Until we figure that out, individually and collectively, we will keep making the same mistakes over and over and over.. The blame game is the true cause of war.. or what's used foR war... "divide & conquer" "be wise as serpents, harmless" toward all, not just one's own group "as doves".. to believe the blame game is to be used for evil..

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign 1

Acts 2:20

Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

^{20 "}the sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, BEFORE the coming of the day of the Lord -- the great and illustrious."

Lesser of Evils

Democrats have the good ideas - to try to see all are well - and to be very good to the environment. But Republicans want expanding productivity and trade, not less. (Heaven forbid there be less mass production and landfills!) And Libertarians (and Republicans) worry it requires resources to be in few hands which is sure to result in power run amok (and afoul). It's not that they like big business and corporations, but as a well known Libertarian answered a popular anchor person recently, it's government which has an army.

Bible Prophecy Almost 2000 Years Ago

On the internet I argue with christians, atheists, republicans and democrats.. all because I don't want my grandchildren to be the generation that experiences Revelation 20:4 (sentence 2) Prophesied nearly 2000 years ago and is in the world today.. [& Mt 24:29-31, key word aFter].
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=revelation%2020:4&version=NKJV;CEV;NASB;NLT;YLT

Is Universal Reconciliation Destined to Stay Little?

Is the idea that God's Great Plan of Salvation (rescue) will be 100% successful, bringing all to faith, destined to stay small? It will if it uses gnosticism to answer questions concerning it! But once you take the "Bible As Literal" the answers shape up..

Battle World View

Think of me as just another internet lunatic if you want.. but I seriously believe modern man has lost it. In many more ways than one! And, I believe the collective consciousness of today's world is fast becoming the survival of the fittest. This already exists on the internet and in the human psyche.. it's face is that smarmy attitude of "I'm smart and you're stupid.." but in all seriousness? That doesn't answer one single issue.. It's a smoke screen. Why is a smoke screen needed?
- Besides.. might as well keep a blog interesting once in a while..

The Plan Of God Unfolding In These Steps

[ 1 ] the Father/aeons passed (who is Love, Perfection, LiFe) sees all possibilities end from beginning, chooses & all done in mind
[ 2 ] the Son/aeons passed, Firstborn of all creation
[ 3 ] the Reconciliation is "built from the foundation of world" (thinking ability is to be endowed thus ability to choose/a real pandora's box)
[ 4 ] long wait... 1st bound to occur rebel thought occurs
[ 5 ] more wait -> rebel thought ripe - the creation of universe, man & woman (all will take unavoidable journey & lesson together at once)
[ 6 ] adam&eve, the fall & the promise/prophecy of the reconciliation/messiah (gen 3:15)
[ 7 ] noah - prominent brow people gone
[ 8 ] mankind divided at Tower 'Babble' - because too soon man works together "no end to what they can do" - fuzzy memories of eve "mother of us all" and of the flood carried into all lands & languages
[ 9 ] abraham, moses (Israel) - "the prophets" prophecy Messiah" as suffering servant & healer, "light of the gentiles/nations" and.. as arriving crowned victor
[ 10 ] immaculate birth of Jesus, his life, execution in our stead(the trade), resurrection & ascension to right hand of the Father (rev 12:5) = spring holy days were fulfilled; (and note: seals/elements of age A.D. begin march & progression/gallop-rev chapter 6 = from Open to Maturity-a lock sealing the revelation vision for many days)
[ 11 ] Father's gift of Holy Ghost Baptism poured out (pentecost), gospel explodes, spreads & multiplies
[ 12 ] gentiles begin to be told & given gospel -- Holy Ghost Baptism poured out upon gentiles - gentile believers grafted "into" Israel
[ 13 ] "the churches" / church age:
 >>>>>>>>>>>and/meanwhile/later 'Babble' rebuilt as seduction used to sell to all seven hills/continents (see rev 12:15)
 >>>>>>>>>>>& 6th seal 1945 is rev 13:13 done by an office not man
 >>>>>>>>>>>babble/seduction ripe, has cup of side effects
 >>>>>>>>>>>{seal seven w/ its trumps} and "10 toes"/divisions devour 'her' (these are socialism & capitalism, the crash, "she is fallen, fallen!" note rev.17:17(15-18)
 >>>>>>>>>>>the gathering to armegeddon (rev 16:14-15-16) 15=
[ 14 ] return of Messiah (the Son) w/ mighty sound of "trumpet" (last trump)/the 1st resurrection (zech 14:4 & acts 1:9-11)
[ 15 ] millennial reign of Messiah (1000 yrs) - then satan loosed ->lof
[ 16 ] 2nd resurrection (from sleep of death of all those not reconciled/knowing)
[ 17 ] Great Day (age) of the examining of all things, the review & Judgment of all human history (500 yrs)
[ 18 ] those (still) not believing "will go to the lof/the 2nd death where is also the world beast/gov (rev 13:1-10, not 11-18) and the false prophet/teaching" (huGe, world changing) - neither of which is a person
[ 19 ] the "new heavens & new earth" ..."all things new" - New Jerusalem & throne of God comes to Earth "God will Tabernacle with man" (live w/ mankind; "tabernacles" will "be observed year to year") autumn holy days fulfilled, and He who sits on the Throne says "it is done"

Getting the Last of Wisconsin Politics Outa my Head

We're all pawns of the parties, that's why "the people" of the two parties talking and listening to each other is so totally important. The key to these "united" states is to keep voting out those who would make government too big and powerful, no matter which party is currently doing so. If we can't get along, we can't trim back at those huge ultra rich forces working so hard to coerce our government (of both parties, that is). A big part of where we'll go depends on if we the people will follow our noble nature or our baser nature. If we let ourselves be stirred up into mere confrontation between the parties, in all seriousness, all will be lost, because we'll find ourselves (this republic of states) volleying back and forth between the corporations and the huge interests of the world and neither party will recognize the country which emerges.

Western Politics in a Nutshell

Sometimes the republican crowd seem to be for unfettered, totally unregulated capitalism (and perhaps one or two somewhere in the world, as claimed, are for doing away with society safety nets).. But! Ideally, the people would regulate business by their boycotting power, but look at all the buying and selling of things not really all that good for people nor society. What to do, what to do.. The right at times wants to regulate personal choices, and the left at times wants to be in control of the economy and business. What (some) christians, for instance, and some libertarians understand, is that all humans are fallible, thus no one or no group should be overseers over any of these things and therefor, limitations upon power and reach, guarantee the most for safety. (Surely?) Are their forces in(?) or upon the modern world that seeks to keep the two (left and right) from dialogue?

Holy Ghost Baptism

Acts 1:1-4

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

1 Theophilus, I first wrote to you about all that Jesus did and taught from the very first ² until he was taken up to heaven. But before he was taken up, he gave orders to the apostles who he had chosen with the help of the Holy Spirit.

³ For forty days after Jesus had suffered and died, he proved in many ways that he had been raised from death. He appeared to his apostles and spoke to them about God’s kingdom. ⁴ While he was still with them, he said: (basically) "..the Father will give you the gift and baptism of the Holy Ghost/Spirit.." A cornerstone of God's work and kingdom (which is ultimate reality) and a greatest miracle of all!
Acts 1:4,5 and 10:47

A Little Home Town Politics

I can understand that taxpayer$ can't be in on every decision as to what tax dollar$ are spent on.. be it state or national.. But! when it comes to one's own school and district,etc I think taxpayer$ should have alot of rights as to what's spent and for what.. If there's pretty much only one side at the table, the bill's just going to keep going up and up.. Thanks SW!!! :))

All Things Reconciled

It's gotten lodged in my head that as the spring feasts, Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits, were fulfilled by Jesus at His first advent ("...that we may be unleavened.. for Christ our Passover has been sacrificed" 1 Cor 5:7, and "Christ the Firstfruits" 1 Cor 15:23) ..then surely the Autumn Feasts prophecy, and will be fulfilled by the second advent!?
     Leviticus 23, of course, lists the Feasts of God beginning with Israel's weekly Sabbath. Hebrews 4:3 & 9 says "...enter that rest ..a rest for the people of God" which of course is Jesus, thus even the weekly Holy Day/Sabbath is fulfilled by Jesus (Heb 3:18-4:10).
     I like how Young's Literal Translation puts the whole thing (God saith) in Leviticus 23:2 "these are My appointed seasons".
With the Fall Festivals being of the month (tishri / sept-oct) -
  ..Day 1 - "Trumpets"; Day 10 - the "Day of Atonement"; and Day 15 - the Feast of "Tabernacles", I'm thinking the peaks of what is prophesied as the second advent of Jesus, correlate.. Going something like this:
  ..Year 1 - Christ's return and the first resurrection ..."immediately after the tribulation of those days... with a great sound of a trumpet... will gather His elect from the four winds under heaven.."
  ..Year 1000 - occurs the second resurrection and the "Day of Judgment" [Because of the numbers, 1st, 10th & 15th, and because we know the millennial rule of Christ is prophesied to last 1000 years, I'm thinking the numbers have meaning (correlate) with days being years, and adding two zeroes to each, the 10th and the 15th; day 1 becoming year 1; day 10 becomes year 1000; and day 15,year 1500; making Judgment Day to last 500 years.]
 -The Day of 'Judgment' ends with, or is followed by the notorious words "those not written in the book of life" (those not believing) "will go to the" (cleansing ageduring) "lake of fire".
..But! after all have experienced [#1] being resurrected from the sleep of death (1 thes 4) and [#2] witnessing and living through an 'age' of the review and examination of all things (all human history,etc), who's not going to "believe"? I would think not many. There's really only one verse, I know of, which can possibly be used to suggest one MUST believe before their death, which is when Jesus told the pharisees unless they repent they would "die in their sins" but I think all this means is the first resurrection where immortality "is put on" far surpasses the second resurrection (for a time).
-All this, to my way of seeing it, turns the Day of Judgment to a GreaT Day of Atonement, at-one-ment / Reconciliation, but also being a day of repentance and weeping as became practiced by Israel.
  ..Year 1500 - a new heaven and a new earth.. the new Jerusalem comes down.. "behold the Tabernacle of God is among men and He will dwell among them". God the Father will "Tabernacle" with man upon perfect earth in a perfect universe... An un-breakable perfection because the full knowing of good from evil (life from death) will be deeply etched upon every heart and mind/psyche. Surely God can only be perfect, therefor the 'end' result of all this can only be the best one possible!

A "Surprise!?"

If it is so widely accepted that Jesus fulfilled the Hebrew Spring Holy Days by His death (Passover), burial (Unleavened Bread), resurrection and ascension (Firstfruits/Single Wheat Sheaf waved) - all which is commonly known as fulfilled by His First Advent, then why not connect the dots concerning the Hebrew Autumn Holy Days as prophecy pertaining to, and being fulfilled by, His long Second Advent? ...the Fall Holy Days, beginning with "Trumpets" [fulfilled by the Revelation trumps 1-7 & Mt 24, verses 48 through 51 - "immediately after the tribulation of those days.. He will send out His angels with the mighty sound of a trumpet.."] and ending with the Feast of "Tabernacles" [fulfilled by Revelation 21,verses 1 through 3 - "..a new heavens and new earth.. and new Jerusalem come down to earth.. the Tabernacle of God is with man and He will dwell with them.." (i.e., God the Father, Himself, will live with man upon perfect earth and in perfect universe)].
 - Why can it not be seen, the Holy Day in the middle of these two, the "Day of Atonement" and what peak of the Second Advent might "Day of Atonement" correlate to? Being between His return (Trumpets) and the Father coming to "Tabernacle" (tent) with mankind?
 - And for anyone who loves a quiz, how might Rev 20:15 (in context 11-15) fit in (more precisely, where, might it fit in)? And what exactly is verse 15th's requirement?

The Four Horses of Apocalypse

Like thick velvet curtains slowly
parting, “Apocalypse” reveals its secrets,
and if we will settle back as if in ringside
theater seats, we will soon hear a
thunderous noise of approaching hoof
beats. Four powerful and notorious horses,
with riders, gallop steadily across the
stage, stirring up clouds of dust and sand
as they go. They are howling winds upon
the stage of time. Our hair blows back
from our faces, and sand stings our eyes
and coats our teeth. They soon dwindle
from our sight. But what we want to
remember is these “Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse” once they begin their ride,
continue their gallop throughout the whole
(Revelation) production, with each gallop
becoming more thunderous and
pronounced at the ‘end’. It is in their
winds, that the rest of the Apocalypse
visions occur.
 ........ "A Nefarious Pentagram"
 http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marie_glen

The Seven Seals of God (The Third Seal)

The Third Horseman of the Apocalypse:
At the third seal’s opening, the third
horse to appear upon Earth’s scene, is a
black horse. And this rider has a scale or
“balance” in his hands. In the heavens, a
voice sounds from among the four
majestic “living creatures”, which are seen
at the sides of the throne of God, and the
voice says, “a measure of wheat for a
day’s wages.. and a day’s wages for a
measure of barley, but don’t hurt the oil or
the wine.” The increasingly complex scale
and balance of “mercantilism” and trade,
has steadily grown and taken root
throughout the ages of man. But because
of “war” (and man’s imperfections) there
has been, is, and will be, shortage,
imbalance, and even famine. [Rev 6:5,6]
 ........ "A Nefarious Pentagram"
 http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marie_glen

Clashing

I've been watching "Hatfields & McCoys" starring Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton with Tom Berenger, who is almost incognito as "Tom Berenger"! It's a very good movie/mini series "a true American story of a legendary family feud—one that spanned decades and nearly launched a war between Kentucky and West Virginia. Hatfields & McCoys, a three-part miniseries, showcases an all-star cast led by Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton. It chronicles a clash of clans that inspired passion, vengeance, courage, sacrifice, crimes and accusations, while forever transforming the two families and the region they lived in—Hatfield in West Virginia, McCoy just across the Tug River border in Kentucky ...to increasing tensions, misunderstandings and resentments that soon explode into all-out warfare between their families. As hostilities grow, friends, neighbors and outside forces join the fight, bringing the two states to the brink of another civil war."
 - A very good and interesting movie, but I am finding it to be very disturbing...
=====================
 http://www.history.com/shows/hatfields-and-mccoys/articles/about-hatfields-and-mccoys

Intelligence !

I had a brief conversation with someone recently about the theory of evolution. They sort of laughingly and condescendingly said "because we see there has been a lot of change" (since the beginning) "it proves the theory of evolution".
- I thought 'how in the world does that prove evolution?' and it was a big mystery to me.
- As it turns out, I discovered it is because folks have been educated (told) "creationists" (now called Intelligent Design or "intelligence" behind "design") "believe God made everything just as we see them today, whereas Darwin saw that animals change, and therefor the creationists are wrong because we observe change; therefor evolution is right".
- Mystery solved! However, this statement about Intelligent Design is not true!
- Therefor, according to this, the first premise the theory of evolution is based on, is a false premise! I knew the whole theory is like a Jenga game, in that it is false premises built upon false premises, but I didn't realize just how total the whole thing is!
Note: Animals change through a process called "natural selection". We can compare it to the very many breeds of dogs there are. The first dog/wolf kind had within it all the genetic information needed (by all the different possible genetic combinations) to produce all these different breeds and species within that original "kind". But they are formed by the separating out of information. Evolution says information is added to the DNA code and is passed on, but in reality, genetic information is separated out and is passed on, leaving other genetic information behind. Therefor it is a loss of genetic information and ability, which is passed on, not an addition.
- In order for all life forms to have evolved from one original life form (which had to have originally sprung out of matter and the natural tendencies of matter) it had to have slowly developed unimaginably immense amounts of new information / genetic code. For example, a bird has within it the genetic information needed to form feathers. For the bird to have evolved from a reptile, the reptile would have to have come up with that new needed info. This does not happen. Has never been seen to happen. It is a theory (belief) only.
- We have many breeds and species within the wolf/dog kind, but we do not have a catdog.

Lesser and Greater

"Values and principles that have guided civilized man for centuries are coming unraveled by the minute" - I read this in a book with a copyright of 1997. I've lived long enough to have seen how the unraveling began in earnest, so I know which political party is the most dangerous.

Nefarious Things

I have a friend who swears neighbors are digging tunnels and abducting people and that it's a widespread phenomenon.. yes she's prone to this type of thing.. but I feel the Lord tells me there are indeed very nefarious things going on in the country and world (and states).. the work of demons.. using humans.. and feel a call to "fast and pray" regularly and doesn't have to be a long fast or even necessarily always total..

One Commandment

There's so much going on (in the world) that it's easy to get distracted. This whole life can be one big distraction! That's a part of being human. But the thing we shouldn't forget is that God is the Prime Element of life! He's the all in all..in everything! If we let him, he will open within us a fountain of worship (love) thanksgiving and praise..
- One commandment, "love God".
(Matthew 15:36)

The Seven Seals of God (The Second Seal)

Revelation 6:3,4
Good News Translation (GNT)
Then the Lamb broke open the second seal; and I heard the second living creature say,  Come! Another horse came out, a red one. Its rider was given the power to bring war on the earth, so that people should kill each other. He was given a large sword.
- The second galloping, progressing element of the latter age, the years of our Lord, A.D., is war, larger war (world wars), and growing larger weaponry. This is the Second Horseman of the Apocalypse.
- The Book of Revelation was written almost 2000 years ago, by the Apostle John, one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus, in approximately 90 A.D.

Galloping Seals - What is Commonly Missed!

The Opening of the Seven Seals, in the Book of Revelation, chapter six, begins with the first four seals being called the notorious "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse". Each of the seven seals are elements of the/a latter age of man, the years of our Lord, A.D.
- When each seal, one through four, are Opened, a horse and rider come galloping. These galloping horses and seals are the progressing elements of the age (the years of our Lord, A.D.)
- Recognizing this is a key to Bible prophecy, and is a major key to understanding the Revelation vision. This fancy footwork of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, is a lock upon the vision, hiding and obscuring much of the vision "for many days".
- The key is knowing that each seal, explained in chapter six is a blend of two things: what that element of the age is when it is Opened, and what it is in its fully progressed (galloped) state at the 'end'. Therefor, things which occur very late upon the planet, are described here, so very early in the Revelation narrative! Most cipherings of these seals are highly misunderstood therefor (not to say each element doesn't escalate as the 'end' progresses). With the first seal and white horse and rider being interpreted as a false Christlike figure known as the 666 man (er, office!) in Christian circles.
- A key to understanding the Seven Seals of God, is knowing they are the galloping, progressing elements of the years of our Lord A.D.
- We also need to know that each seal continues its gallop throughout the rest of the age, peaking at the 'end'.

The Seven Seals of God (The First Seal)

New King James Version (NKJV)
~ ~ Revelation 19:12
His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.
~ ~ John 19:5
Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”
~ ~ Hebrews 2:7
You have made him a little lower than the angels;
You have crowned him with glory and honor,
And set him over the works of Your hands.
~ ~ Hebrews 2:9
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
~ ~ Isaiah 28:5
In that day the Lord of hosts will be
For a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty
To the remnant of His people,
~ ~ Revelation 6:1,2
Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. (Beginning of the years of our Lord A.D.)
~ ~ Revelation 19:11
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.

Good News!

The gospel (good news) is in very large part, psychological, bottom line being, we are all miserable sinners and Jesus was executed in our place.
 (Good News Translation, GNT)
Isaiah 11:7

 ⁷Cows and bears will eat together,
      and their calves and cubs will lie down in peace.
   Lions will eat straw as cattle do.

Revelation 22:1,2  
¹The angel also showed me the river of the water of life, 
sparkling like crystal, and coming from the throne of God 
and of the Lamb and flowing down the middle of the city's street.  
 ²On each side of the river was the tree of life, 
which bears fruit twelve times a year, once each month; 
and its leaves are for the healing of the nations.

Promises A Blessing!

The Book of Revelation/Apocalypse is unique in that it opens with a blessing declared for anyone who reads it, hears it and heeds it.. (first chapter, verse three). Then at the end of the book in the last chapter, verse seven, it repeats the blessing.. Makes me think we are supposed to read it and understand it! That we would be blessed to be able to "heed" it...

Happy at the Hermitage

..count yor blessings not yor woes, and u'll be happy everywhere u goes :))

Golden Calf

ACTS 7:40
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

⁴⁰ The people said to Aaron, “Make some gods to lead us! Moses led us out of Egypt, but we don’t know what’s happened to him now.”  ⁴¹ Then they made an idol in the shape of a calf. They offered sacrifices to the idol and were pleased with what they had done.
- Will it work if mankind makes government to be Providence?

Those Obnoxious Christians

Many folks think Christians are somewhat obnoxious. Of course, in every group of human beings, there are those who give the rest 'a bad name'. And then too, Christianity often rubs a person the wrong way before they are "saved" (rescued from the grave, more commonly translated "hell"). But another reason Christians are thought of as obnoxious is because they don't easily give up in trying to convert another. But the reason Christians can be very zealous in their efforts to convince, is because they are taught and believe that unless one believes in Christ before their death, they will perish.. or worse. In other words, to them it's a matter of life or death. (So they willingly suffer unpopularity and humiliation.)

Learning Good From Evil

It's so prone for human nature to want to put in a box and be the authority.. and I think human nature doesn't wait for God's revealing.. but puts things in a box of understanding..
- I was never so fascinated as when I realized if the spring Hebrew holy days prophesied our Lord's 1st advent, then surely the peaks of his long 2nd advent would correspond to the fall Hebrew holy days of Trumpets, Day of Atonement & Tabernacles.. and if there are 1000 years represented by the 10 days between Trumpets (return, first resurrection) and Atonement (Day of Judgment) then likely 5 days between Atonement and Tabernacles (when the Father Himself will tabernacle with man upon Earth) represents 500 years.
- It's only toward the close of the 500 years, after all humans have experienced being resurrected, and have lived through a long day, or short age, of the examination of all human history, etc, that it is written "those not believing will go to the 2nd death" (ageduring is a closer translation than "for ever and ever") - but who after all that, isn't going to "believe"?
- I think there's only one verse which can be used to possibly imply one has to "believe" before death, and that's when Jesus told the pharisees if they didn't turn (repent) they would "die in their sins" but this surely is simply because the 1st resurrection at first is much more joyful than the 2nd.. [Life, though literal, is a metaphor, lesson, and drama, some are 'chosen' to believe in this life, through no goodness or doing of themselves, yet it's still free will God is letting run it's course, He just knows all things from the beginning to the 'end' or result.]

Was God of the Bible FoR Slavery?

Have you heard this one? The God of the Bible supports slavery? Logic: It's not true. The slavery of the Bible was a debt system of man, borrow money or land, etc, and pay it back by working.
- Old Testament laws said to treat them well and after seven years the debt is paid no matter what. Paul, writing in the New Testament addressed the same system, saying both slave/worker and the one being owed, were equal, and both should act toward each other with respect and consideration of one another.

Root of All Evil

Any philosophy or thinking that makes the claim one group, party, or race of people is more to 'blame' for earth's woes (or a nation's woes) is a bigotry. When we hear it we need to see it as the propaganda it is, and as the (true) root of most wars. It's the oldest 'game' of all, the blame game and the human race falls for it over and over.. and over..
- And we should despise it any time we see it.

Fuldilled Bible Prophecy

They say Jesus was crucified (executed on a Roman cross) when He was 33. He fulfilled 333 prophecies written of Messiah in the Old Testament, the book of thirty-nine books written by more than twenty authors, spanning from approximately 1500 B.C. to about 400 B.C.
- Jesus was known to say "come, follow me.." When we read the New Testament we can follow the pathways in which His feet walked..

- Matthew 4:23, Amplified Bible (AMP) ^{- "}And He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news (Gospel) of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every weakness and infirmity among the people."

- Hebrews 13:8, Contemporary English Version (CEV) - "Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.."

Angels and Demons

There may be twice as many faithful angels as there are fallen angels, but the demons are criminally insane. [And they still are "legion" / lots..]

Tornado!

Every nation can look back and see the wide path of destruction which has raged over their land. But this reminds us, YHWH (pronounced YHVH, I believe) can do anything!! (Man's ways may very well collapse first though.)

Human Government

Human government should be (imho) Minarchist Libertarian (minimal government) yet with social assistance for the poor, hurting and destitute, with the people's education (and media) having a mindset of citizenship of honor, charity and well informed free thinking, with no theory of life or politics being exclusively taught.

No Rushed Decisions (Politics)

It's not that I think economic collapse is imminent but perhaps government size becoming beyond the point it can be subservient..

Signs of the Times

Life now (this unavoidable lesson and journey we're on) is "like a roaring lion" always "seeking to devour". That's why it's important to look out for one another, one way being with good societal safety nets, retirement, and of course, healthcare. The paradox is, if we bite off more than we can chew, or if the number of people being assisted, and the people being paid to administer the assistance, become the majority, society cannot sustain it without draining the economy that supports it. This can lead to traumatic sufferings for the people, greater than current challenges and the societal sufferings and hardships of economic inequality. And having a governing that is powerful enough to gather so much, can become almost all powerful.
- Mankind is having a beautiful dream. People mean well (but spirits don't). They try for world peace, but a leopard has its spots (it's beyond fallen man and self).
- Bible prophecy, that crazy vision, the Book of Revelation, talks of two 'beasts' (in prophecy beasts are governments, two 'beasts') developing into tyranny. The first (Rev 13:1-10) a world beast (body) will be given "breath" (authority) by the second 'beast', said to be a man 'for we have his number' (Rev 13:13,11-18). This second one is identified as an office (horn, seat, "two horned") which "brings fire to earth in the sight of man" (Hiroshima, Nagasaki) and convinces mankind to rebuild the world body (into an image of the beast). Later, this same office will become more closely involved with the first beast (interlocking? stepping into?) bringing more life to it.
- It is said the first beast has seven heads (seven continents, is global). "The Harlot" (the greek = "pornos") another notorious Book of Revelation character (banks and corporations) sits on seven hills (goes global) and holds a $golden cup of the side effects of her hypnotic, enchanting, seducing effects over the world.
- The world beast (big and little, first and second) and its "ten horns" (last hour ten divisions, Rev 17:12) will raze "devour" the harlot (depleting capitalism). "In one day is her ruin".. "in one hour she falls" (crashes). (Rev 18:8, 18:19)
- Crafty human government has within it the trend to grow and expand (self interest) and has a way of eventually becoming individuals with too much power. Add to that shortage(s) (Luke 23:26,27,31 and Rev 12:16) and you have the makings of bedlam and marshal law (Rev 9:1-5, five months of).
- Man as Providence? Can it work? Or is it too much power granted? Why did God divide the peoples of Earth at the building of Tower Babel?

Logic Is Always The Key

When trying to figure out the truth, or the 'right or wrong' of something, it's good to think about where it came from.. it's roots.. and beginning, or what it sprang from; and where it's going.. where is it likely to lead, and go, and take us..?

'God' Of The Air

Warning! - this may be offensive to some:
God is nurturer and provider. Who was it decided to dig up our roots and kick God out? And now wants the state to be provider.. don't you see?? dependent, is the opposite of free..
 ....by peacemaker and patriot (peacemaker is a bible term meaning to think, do and act in and for peace)

Bible Prophecy, A Voice Crying in the Wilderness

Prophesy by Prophet Isaiah, about 700 B.C.
Isaiah 40:1-3
 "COMFORT, COMFORT My people, says your God. Speak tenderly to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry to her that her time of service and her warfare are ended, that [her punishment is accepted and] her iniquity is pardoned... A voice of one who cries: Prepare in the wilderness the way of the Lord [clear away the obstacles]; make straight and smooth in the desert a highway for our God!"
Prophecy by Prophet Malachi, about 400 B.C.
Malachi 3:1
 "BEHOLD, I send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me. And the Lord [the Messiah], Whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; the Messenger of the covenant, Whom you desire, behold, He shall come, says the Lord of hosts."
-------------
Luke 3:1-7, about 30 A.D.
 "And in the fifteenth year of the government of Tiberius Caesar -- Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother, tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene -- Annas and Caiaphas being chief priests -- there came a word of God unto John the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness, and he came to all the region round the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of reformation -- to remission of sins, as it has been written in the scroll of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying, `A voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, straight make ye His paths; every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straightness, and the rough become smooth ways; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.' ...Then.. multitudes, coming forth to be baptised by him.."
John 1:36
 "...and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said,'Behold, the Lamb of God!'...”
John 19:30, about 33 A.D.
 "Jesus said, 'It is finished!' And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit."
Revelation (Apocalypse) 21:1-6 & 22:1
 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth did pass away, and the sea is not any more; and I, John, saw the holy city -- new Jerusalem -- coming down from God out of the heaven, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a great voice out of the heaven, saying, `Lo, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and He will tabernacle with them, and they shall be His peoples, and God Himself shall be with them -- their God, and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall not be any more, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor shall there be any more pain, because the first things did go away.' And He who is sitting upon the throne said, `Lo, I make all things new; and He saith to me, `Write, because these words are true and stedfast;' and He said to me, `It has been done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End; I, to him who is thirsting, will give of the fountain of the water of the life freely'...
 ...And he showed me a pure river of water of life, bright as crystal, flowing forth out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.."

Face Of The Beast

The final beast (tyranny) will have seven heads (will span seven continents, global) and will have ten horns (final hour divisions). [Book of Revelation / Apocalypse 13:1, 17:12]

Book of Revelation / Apocalypse Riddle: "The Harlot of Babylon"

The Greek translated "harlot" = "porno$". The Harlot, also called "the whore of Babylon" has a golden cup of side effects in her hand. [Revelation 17:4]

Missing Pieces

We are removed from the natural rhythm of life! Maybe it's time for a training regimen. Spend my early quiet moments in the most eastern room.. or better yet outside of course, towards the east. Noon would be south.. and evening, west or under the moon.

Easter

The deity is Life and Perfection, but he gave thinking ability, thus choice, which is how we got life as we know it. To be imperfect is the opposite of life so God sent the "firstborn of all creation" who died in our place - trading with us and reconciling us to God/Life when we believe and receive. Study science/observation (or just look into it a little) it does not support man's adult fairy tale of man being the highest power.
- Once again, "the wolf will dwell with the lamb, the lion will eat straw like the ox, the bear will graze with the cow" Is. 11:7. ~ Peace! and happy Easter!

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Bible & Book of Revelation / Apocalypse made clear
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Life Is A Metaphor

It's a popular belief that Bible prophecy is merely metaphor. But to believe this is to miss two thirds of what it is God is doing. The Bible is wondrously and gloriously literal!
- Jesus lived, was crucified and was resurrected. His virgin birth demonstrates that the "firstborn of all creation" who "was with God" prior to his coming here, was that spotless lamb the Old Testament always prophesied. The "wages", result, and natural occurrence of imperfection may be death (decline, fading) but Jesus was not imperfect and states that he died in our place "so that where he is, we may be".
- Paradise (universal) is going to be literally restored to this planet. And "apocalypse", the unveiling of lies from truth (when untruth crashes) will literally precede it, teaching and demonstrating to all, the all important knowing of all good from evil, which is life from death.
- A second resurrection of all not yet reconciled to God will also literally occur, followed by a day (an age of 500 years) of the examining of all history and all lives, as to what went wrong; what works and what doesn't work so well.
- After all this, it's recorded all those not believing will die a second time and "the last enemy vanquished will be death".

God Talks To Us

God talks to each one of us. Not usually as an audible voice.. though in deep quietness, his 'voice' can be heard.. a thought floating down like a feather.. but often making a profound splash.. Or, of course (mainly) through the scriptures - but critics of the Bible have been shouting and criticizing so loudly, it's caused many to miss the message the Bible tells (it's drowned out by visions of a burning afterlife, and not recognizing why the anger of the Old Testament, which btw, was because of mankind's doings, the last straw being the practice of infant sacrifice.. what God worth His salt, wouldn't be angry?) But also, day in and day out, God talks to us in millions of other ways.. a dream, a song, something someone says, a color pattern.. birds singing, butterflies flying.. etc, etc.. if we have ears to hear, we will hear it.. One of mine has always been numbers.. double numbers and triple numbers (are always showing up).. I'm sure God, the Great Mathematician uses numbers in many ways and with many people. My birth date is all the same number. I know four people with the same birth date, but not year, and just before 'finding God' I met a person with my exact (same) birth date. It's just one tiny door God can use to say hello.. here I am.. so close by..
- Are we listening enough? Of course we're not!

The Letters of "Creation"

Like all words are made up of different combinations of the 26 letters of the alphabet, everything in the world is made up of different combinations of the 118 elements of the periodic table. When scientists can shake a box of letters and come up with a novel, I'll start to consider the theory of evolution. Of course when they do it they will have engineered it (shaken the box) so the results would be invalid. But so it is with "origins"! Very devout followers think of it as 'science' but one doesn't have to dig very deeply to find it really isn't, but is more like assumptions built on assumptions, therefor it's speculation, and a belief.

The 666 One

The thing about the 'little' beast is it's a man (we have his number) but more specifically, it's an office. One which "worked mighty miracles, and while people watched, it even made fire come down from the sky" (Rev/Apoc 13:13 Contemporary English Version) - think Hiroshima, Nagasaki - fire which causes man to rebuild (and make an image to) the (big) beast (13:14) "which was and was not" (17:11) and when he reaches full stature (with) will "give breath" (authority) "to the" (big) "beast" (13:15).

Revelation Riddle - Big Beast

The Book of Revelation is full of riddles! But once the mystery of them is unlocked, they fit together like the pieces to a puzzle forming a complete picture. There a lot of ruminating over who (or what) "the beast" of Revelation/Apocalypse chapter 13 is. One of the most important things to notice, and surprisingly, some don't, is that there are two beasts in that chapter! There is the many headed, many horned and many crowned beast of verse 1 through 10, and then there is the (smaller) two horned (two office) beast of verses 11 through 18.
- Of course a big clue to Bible prophecy riddles is cross-references, those other Bible verses which are closely linked, having words or similarities in common. Such a reference to the description of the larger beast of Revelation/Apocalypse chapter 13, verses 1 through 10, is found in Daniel chapter 7, verses 7 and 19.
- Here are the two references - Young's Literal Translation (YLT):

Revelation 13

 <sup>1</sup>And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and I saw out of the sea a beast coming up, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon its horns ten diadems, and upon its heads a name of evil speaking..

Daniel 7

 <sup>7</sup>After this I was seeing in the visions of the night, and lo, a fourth beast, terrible and fearful, and exceedingly strong; and it hath iron teeth very great, it hath consumed, yea, it doth break small, and the remnant with its feet it hath trampled; and it [is] diverse from all the beasts that [are] before it; and it hath ten horns.
 <sup>19</sup>Then I wished for certainty concerning the fourth beast, that was diverse from them all, fearful exceedingly; its teeth of iron, and its nails of brass, it hath devoured, it doth break small, and the remnant with its feet it hath trampled..

To make the riddle more certain, is the phrase "its teeth of iron, and its nails of brass" which brings us to yet another important cross-reference, one not well noticed, or at least I have never come across any reference to it by any other Bible prophecy buffs.


An Ancient Dream of a Huge Statue - Of Ancient World Empires (with impact upon Israel) and a last World Empire:

Daniel 2

 <sup>32</sup>This image! its head [is] of pure gold, its breasts and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass;

<sup>33</sup>its legs of iron, its feet, part of them of iron, and part of them of clay.. (ten toes)..
( <sup>34</sup>Thou wast looking till that a stone hath been cut out without hands, and it hath smitten the image on its feet, that [are] of iron and of clay, and it hath broken them small..)

Bible scholars agree, the brass represented Greece, and the iron represented Rome ("iron teeth", ancient iron columns of Rome!) To find the identity of the many headed, many horned (seated) and many crowned (rulers, modern) we need to look for its Graeco/Roman roots (of philosophy, arts, architecture, politics, etc). Preceeded by the golden head, being Babylon, and the Silver, being (Media)-Persia.

Daniel 7:19 - Amplified Bible (AMP)

<sup>19</sup>Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast--which was different from all the others, exceedingly terrible and shocking, whose teeth were of iron and its nails of bronze, (or brass) which devoured, broke and crushed, and trampled what was left with its feet-- [What the iron doesn't devour, the Greek (secular humanism / nowadays "humans are the higher power" philosophy) will break up and trample underfoot..]