Be Courageous

"He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers." Proverbs 19:8 --- GET the facts before answering; be open to new ideas. Indeed Francis Chan chased wisdom and he cherishes the understanding of God's word, therefore he prospers as he serves the Lord who loves all. "The purpose of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out." Easter morning 2008 on Quail Lake. "Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right." Proverbs 20:11 --- Francis Chan's hero became Joshua "No one will be able to stand up against you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. BE STRONG and COURAGEOUS, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to GIVE them." Joshua 1:5 ---Our Lord longs to GIVE us the strength and courage to live life fully, without fear and regret! JAMES 5:14 "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did NOT rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. (Thanksgiving 2008 - the RANCH) My brothers,
if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." PRAISE GOD for the answered prayers of the saints who prayed for me when I wandered from the truth and for my son Jason! God is holy, holy, holy and faithful! Jason shared his testimony with high school students he is now coaching in basketball - and he told me the Spirit of God inside him caused him to break down and cry in church last Sunday! ROCK WITH PEEPS!
Pharoah, Pharoah --Oh NO -- LET MY PEOPLE GO! 20 sec SONG!

EMPLOYMENT OP

In a local newspaper a WANT AD was recruiting for a position that offers excellent benefits. You can enjoy GUARANTEED LIFE TIME employment with this faithful and honest Employer who offers equal opportunity for all who apply. God Almighty is calling on all willing Kingdom workers to APPLY at any local church. The only hiring requirement is a humble spirit. Unlimited positions exist for anyone who is willing to surrender all they possess in mind, body and soul. This radical Employer asks us to live a life that matters! "No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for Me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age, and in the age to come, eternal life." (Mark 10:29) With Jesus as our Teacher and Employer, we are assured that those who are regarded as rulers, and those who exercise authority and lord it over people, "that whoever wants to be first must be slave to all." Read the story of Mary and Martha and how it was the culture of the day for women to be seen not heard as they served men. With great humility and silence in front of 120 male guests, Martha entered to simply serve. She was overcome with love for her Lord, she poured perfumed oil on the head of Jesus and knelt down and poured oil over His feet. She exposed her crown of glory as she untied her hair to wipe the feet of Jesus. Her unspoken act of love caused a stir among the men as Martha glorified Jesus as Lord. She was humiliated by Judas for her child like, uninhibited humble devotion. Jesus said "Whoever wants to become great among you must become your servant, and whoever want to be first must be slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for man." (Mark 10:43) To be wise is to become close to the kingdom of God. Jesus said " HEAR, the Lord our God, the Lord is One." Get focused on whom you seek to glorify by your acts of service. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but Him. To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important that all other burnt offerings and sacrifices. When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, He said to him, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God." (Mark 11:29-34) If we are educated or uneducated, skilled or unskilled, we are wise in the eyes of Jesus when we love God with all our heart, mind, strength and our understanding. There is ongoing and unlimited training via the Holy Spirit for all who seek to be employed. God equips His elect with specific talents. The profile of a servant is detailed by God in His training manual. Read Genesis 24:3-66 and Ephesians 4:11-16.

BE RICH

In the world today three billion people work all month to earn $2.00. In the USA today people throw away $2.00 a day to buy a cup of Starbucks or a lotto ticket. Unemployed people sit in front of plasma screens and drive a car to the unemployment line to pick up a check to pay people at a restaurant to serve them food. The combined average income for people in the Central Valley of California earn $42,000 annually which puts them in the TOP 4% of wage earners in the world. It is a fact that only 3% of people who live on planet earth own cars. Most folks are RICH but they do not FEEL rich because BEING rich is a moving target. Cable TV, Internet access, cell phones, appliances to refrigerate and cook food, and cars are not necessities they are the luxuries of RICH people. Our required living expenses, our dreams, our hopes for MORE cause us to chase the moving target of GETTING RICH as we FEEL unsatisfied with what we have. We hear it on the radio, we watch rich lifestyles on TV, we read HOW TO GET RICH in numerous books, and we resolve to do whatever it takes to capture the elusive dangling carrot of getting RICH enough to feel satisfied. Today many FEEL poor because they lost the job, the home, their health, but they live in a house, not on the street, under a bridge, or in a make-shift hut. The GOOD NEWS, the TRUTH is, according to God's word, we have been given much, we have been given HOPE! We are encouraged by God to "BE RICH in GOOD DEEDS, and BE generous and WILLING to share."
(1 Tim 6:17-19) In order to FEEL rich, in order that we HONOR God for all He has done, we must sincerely realize what Almighty God has given us already! --- We MUST ADMIT that in this present world ---
WE are RICH. We are filled by the Holy Spirit! Our Father takes great pleasure in us as we live to talk with the King of Kings! Let us ask for ears to hear His voice, for eyes to see what He sees! Let us be genuinely grateful for direct access to God. Lord we ask the Holy Spirit to expand our hearts and our willingness to use the gifts that You have given us. Ripe fruit hangs in the sun, by the Son, waiting to be chosen! When was the last time you had to pray for food? Wisely God commands us not to be arrogant, or to put our HOPE in wealth. What money gives us changes, it is uncertain, it comes and goes. The proof of the TRUTH in God's word is the fall of the World Trade Center, the homes lost in Katrina, the collapsed buildings in Haiti, the failed electricity in Chile. As our awesome Father does, our Lord commands that we pay attention to what He says, that we are obedient to Him, that we trust that He knows best, and that we --- "put our HOPE in God". God does not change. God is certain, He is eternal, He rules the earth and everything in it. We must look around and ADMIT to God that He has "richly provided us with everything for our enjoyment." Do you own a pet? What purpose did God have in creating dogs, cats, horses, fish, birds? Our heavenly Father has richly provided everything for our enjoyment. The stars, the sun, the moon, the ocean, the flowers, the trees, majestic mountains, a wide variety of all that is lovely. God knitted us together in our mother's warm womb and gave us life to ENJOY all seasons, and all things. Regardless of what zip code we live in, everyone can step outside and hear FREE music! An orchestra of birds singing, or the drum of rain drops pounding, or the sound of wind whistling through the trees. We were given the sensory mechanism to smell spring blossoms and the aroma of bread baking at General Mills in Lodi. We have been given the sensory to touch, to feel goose bumps, to hug and embrace the wealth of wisdom, knowing we are so loved by God! "Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and ENABLES him to ENJOY them, to ACCEPT his lot and BE HAPPY in his work --- this is a GIFT from GOD!" Do we not all possess the Holy Spirit, the ability to see, hear, smell, taste and touch? These things we possess because of the love of God. As we are enabled by God to accept and enjoy the multitude of GIFTS that He has given us, we are HAPPY in our work, in our gifts from God, and we are completely satisfied. A buffet of deserts at Crossroads left us not wanting more! FREE food, FREE entertainment, and the FREEDOM to enjoy all things is a GIFT from God. This photo is proof of many different models of God's humanity, gathering together to celebrate healthy, safe connections - and laughter at Crossroads Church in Manteca! Mark was given the gift to make music and he shared his gift freely. Bobbi was given the gift of leadership and she taught a gaggle of goofs how to play Bunko! We are absolutely RICH, yet it is a narrow path that we chose to walk on, to arrive through the eye of that needle that pricked our heart and said "Follow Me"! God created humanity so that He could communicate with us. He does not talk, listen or write words for the animals or the waters to have direction. He wrote a guide book for those whom He gave a mind to think and choose with. He gave us the capacity to desire and follow Him. AMEN

HARD questions ?

How shall we respond Lord when a co-worker asks us about our joy, our constant energy to do our best at work? Agreed we are privileged to represent a holy God who has set us apart and fueled us with the Holy Spirit to help us overcome temptations, and to give us words that will go forth and accomplish the will of God, not ever coming back void. Yet when asked at work to simply explain how Noah got one male and one female hippo, elephant, tiger, eagle, pelican, alligator onto the ark, I did not have an apt reply. Without an immediate answer my response was that research was needed. Another co-worker overheard our banter and emailed me some thoughts and scriptures. Then after work I asked my doctor who said "we must keep it simple. We believe that God spoke and the earth was formed right? Yes. And we believe that the entire bible is God breathed correct? Yes. Because Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 7:1 The LORD then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation." GOD's ANSWER: Gen 7:8 "Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah." Lord Jesus I want to thank You for answered prayers as I am reminded that 90% of the time You send people in response to each prayer request. On the radio I heard about an INTELLIGENT DESIGN VIDEO on this website. In it science admits that it is entirely impossible for a human cell to evolve by chance to perfom specific functions. COPY: http://www.signatureinthecell.com/
WOW! At my growth group another slice of great news. Science discovered HARD evidence of the crossing of the Red Sea. A chariot wheel was found on the bottom of the Red Sea! Encrusted bones and chariot remains were found in the Gulf of Aqaba. SEE LINKS TO TRUTH on the sidebar of this blog. A listening co-worker added: The theory of evolution suggests that man evolved in various places and types.*** However, in 2009 Newsweek devoted its science section to “The Search for Adam and Eve.” In the field of genetics with debates still storming, not all scientists agree, but emerging evidence of DNA links us all to the same parents! Humanity has a common genetic ancestor. SEE LINK ON SIDEBAR. Scientists have confirmed that genetically we all trace back to the same human parents. Different nations, ethnics, languages, cultures, features came from Noah and his sons ---but the separation really took place once the languages were confused at the tower of Babel. The people were scattered and over time with SPECIFIC traits became very dominant. Chinese, Japanese, Black, White, Indian. Separated now by language barriers, each linguistic group developed its own culture, art, customs, traits, and religion—each its own ways of doing things. (Leviticus 18:3) Alienated from God, the various peoples contrived many idols of their mythical deities.—Deut 12:30; 2 Kings 17:29, 33. SCIENCE is man made. However, today in 2010 new science emerges proving the claims in earlier college text in error. Theories about Cave Man were proven to be manipulated to disprove the bible. The book of Genesis, the story of creation, the stories of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Judah and Tamar are the historical record of our ancestors. As it was inspired by God as the truth, preserved without error and written by Moses in approxiamately 1410-1450 before Christ. Gen 10:1-8,13-32; and 1 Chron 1:4-25 is a listing of nations formed after Noah. Many changes came with the passing of time. Some nations were absorbed by their neighbors or disappeared altogether, because of weakness, disease, or war; others came into existence through new migrations and population increases. Nationalism at times was very strong among certain groups and coupled with great military exploits, ambitious men pushed to build world empires at the expense of weaker nations.

>>A co-worker named John asked HOW NOAH? 3/11/2010 3:17 PM Blah, blah...just tell me how Noah got all the animals on his arc from all over the world. How did he feed them their specific diet during the 40 years he gathered the animals? How did Noah live to be 500 years old? GEN CHAP 7 - Noah built the ark, and God called the animals to enter the boat. Noah lived to be 600 years old as he found favor from God. Barbara asked for time to respond to John's evolution question. I needed time to research the bible, to ask God, to listen and pay attention to what the saints around me had to share. Responding to the argument about evolution versus creation is also the plight of Jason Velo, who works at the University of the Pacific, who leads a growth group in Stockton. Remembering, the TRUTH that my friend and co-worker John had come to report to me that he is a good person and that he recently took his daughter to church --- because he believed it was good for her. John also shared that he was once a bible thumper. God is faithful to deliver His chosen from traps, unbelief, fear, and the disease of intelligence that has NO FAITH in the unseen. I can testify by FAITH that God not man created the stars, and the seeds that become a baby, a flower, or a stalk of corn, or a sea of fish to feed millions. MAN has NEVER been able to reproduce ONE seed...and cause growth...God uses the weak, the lame, the young, the old, the blind, and the dead! All wisdom comes from God --- what man scientifically figures out... the fact that they were able to THINK at all separates them from APES. We choose how we USE the MIND that GOD gave to man, and NOT to an ape, gazelle, elephant, giraffe... I hereby admit that my BRAIN is flawed as it cannot comprehend the depth of God's love for me, but He is using me, as I am to speak to others, intelligent people about the Creator of the universe. "Faith is being sure of what you HOPE for and certain of what you do not see." Hebrews 11:1 --- As the certainty of my HOPE that Jesus shall return, and that I will receive a heavenly body without illness, but one that can dance with a voice that can sing, and hands that will be kept busy, and a mind that will never question the holiness and power of God --- the characters God uses includes me, a crack pot, chosen in my weakness, to leak His glorious light at work! AMEN

Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses stuttered
Gideon was afraid
Samson was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Timothy was a teen
Jeremiah was only 7
David a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
Peter denied Christ 3 times
Disciples fell asleep while praying
Mary Magdalene was promiscuous
Samaritan woman divorced twice
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer...AND
Lazarus was dead!
A BRANCH connected to the Vine, shares a few fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and goodness! Galatians 5:22 "And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. AND we KNOW that in ALL things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:27-28 -- Lord Jesus I pray that You draw John back into Your Holy Word that He may teach his daughter and show his wife all the fruits of the Spirit. AMEN Dr Stephen C. Meyer author of Signature in the Cell - Worked as a geophysicist doing digital signal processing, a form of information analysis and technology. Stephen then enrolled in graduate school at the University of Cambridge, where he eventually completed a Ph.D. in the philosophy of science after doing interdisciplinary research on the scientific and methodological issues in origin-of-life biology. In the ensuing years, he continued to study the problem of the origin of life and authored peer-reviewed and peer-edited scientific articles on the topic of biological origins, as well as co-authoring a peer-reviewed biology textbook. In 2009 after having researched the subject for more than two decades, Stephen published Signature in the Cell, which provides an extensive evaluation of the principal competing theories of the origin of biological information and the related question of the origin of life. Since its completion, the book has been endorsed by prominent scientists including Philip Skell, a member of the National Academy of Sciences; Scott Turner, an evolutionary biologist at the State University of New York; and Professor Norman Nevin, one of Britain’s leading geneticists.

TRUTH BE SOLD

What if the WISE of today began to promote on TV and radio ONLY positive messages that the majority of the listening and watching world wants to hear and view? Ratings would soar! Just think about this message targeted at youth: VENERAL DISEASE in women and men is a LIE! Have all the sex you want! Clinical studies show that if boys abstain from sexual activity before marriage --- they become more attractive, and increasingly more virile while the girls are more beautiful, more desirable and take greater pleasure in sex when married. As the RIGHT to CHOOSE is our most important freedom, all parents applaud their right to BE, GET and JUST DO IT! The world says to little Abbey "DO whatever" because we live in America, the land of the FREE! Wisely parents encourage their children to have sex before marriage believing that there is no need to worry about AIDS or getting any other sort of sexually transmitted disease --- because the MESSAGE is mighty CLEAR, and it can BE TRUSTED, sexual disease DOES NOT EXIST! Today the MESSAGE to NOT worry about consequences is very effective! Would not the listening audience delight in a TV ad and RADIO broadcast that promotes promiscuity without a single CONSEQUENCE? We all know that monopoly money is fake, that we cannot really purchase a home on Park Avenue with those fake dollars. What would happen if schools taught kids that it is perfectly legal for them to manufacture their own money? Counterfeit money looks like money, feels like real money, and to circulate home made dollars would NOT put you behind bars! Go do whatever you like cause there are NO NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES when it comes to printing your own money, your own rules, and beliefs! Today there is a truly DANGEROUS COUNTERFEIT MESSAGE going on --- and the penalty is eternal destruction, not a sentence of 10-20 years in jail, but for ETERNITY in HELL! Today there are counterfeit churches that preach there is NO HELL because God forgives all, and He loves all, and it is His desire that none should be lost. Those churches are selling what people want to hear, not the truth they need. The highway to destruction is wide, but the gateway to heaven is narrow, and the gate keeper is Jesus Christ. Innocent children and adults are being led to believe that just because they are GOOD, they will go to heaven? If you do not read the bible and you just believe there is a God, just because everybody else lives according to that belief, does it make it the TRUTH? What is God's name? Have you called on God and asked Him what the truth is? What does God's Word say? "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal. (other American Idols) So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace." Some positive thinking churches just preach the preceding scripture and leave out the rest of the passage in Romans chapter 11. "What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the ELECT did. The others were hardened, as it is written: 'God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day.' There are great numbers of people that prefer to hear only the positive messages, or a version of the truth that allows one to believe what they want. That all can do whatever they want, taste all of life, as there is no sin that will not be forgiven. God forgives all, because all there is in the entire world is LOVE. Without HELL, Jesus did not need to SAVE US from anything! In the unseen realm good and evil exist! Oh Father what will you teach your child?
THE TRUTH in the Word of God is that HELL EXISTS! -- 1. "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew was a tax collector before he met Jesus. God repeats what is most important to Him that His children learn. God was talking to the priests with these salty words. 2. "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?" All of God's word is for our benefit. For encouragement, hope and the discipline that a Father shows to those He loves. Thrice through Matthew God quickly repeats so our ears will be open to hear what the Spirit is saying. 3. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are." Matthew 10:28 + 23:33 + 23:15 --- Saul was a Pharisee before he met Jesus on the road. He was made blind to the world so that he could see the condition of his soul inside. Then Jesus named him Paul and Paul took the gospel to Rome and said "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who SUPPRESS the TRUTH by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities --- His eternal power and divine nature --- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged glory of the immortal God for images to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over to their sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator ---who is praised forever." Romans 1:18 --- Do not be like Jonah and attempt to run from God. To fear God is the beginning of wisdom! Jesus said "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it." Luke 9:23 --- What say ye to He who gave up His life for thee? Shall we follow the Pied Piper of television and simply eat, drink and live merrily? Or do we teach by example and choose to follow He who calls us by name through the narrow gate? Where our kids spend eternity is their freedom of choice and we led them to it. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

Earth Shaking News

How wise is our Lord, how kind, what great mercy He shows us by NOT telling us when our last day on earth will be! It would be like living on death row without hope for a re-trial! God gave us the key to the prison, He sent His Son Jesus to pay our debt, our ransom and when we accepted Christ we were set FREE! Praise the Lord that our HOPE and our security is not in the stock market, or in the mercy of man! Our Father reveals Himself as the caring Shepherd. One we can trust and rely upon to keep us from falling as He protects us from the wolves! Consider the book of Esther when Haman posts a decree in every language, in every city that ALL JEWS will be killed on a specific date, eleven months in the future! Mordecai was mortified, and certainly all Jews lived with increased distress knowing their execution date. The EARTH SHAKING NEWS is that during these END TIMES we know where we are going! This is a photo of EGYPT at Karnack in 2010. Mighty Egypt is in ruins. Today our world wide trust in CEO's, movie idols, kings, rulers, congress senators, talk show hosts, sport stars and people is rapidly crumbling. We have taken God out of schools, courts, rulings, laws and our USA coins have removed "IN GOD WE TRUST". Christians are killed in parts of the world for having a bible. The Roman emperor Nero officially sanctioned the torture and extermination of Christians. Citizens and subjects of the empire who refused to worship the ruler or confess that the emperor was divine were tortured, killed or exiled as traitors. The apostle John was exiled to the island of Patmos, a prison island. John received his revelation about the victory of God in the face of great terror and evil. John SAW God triumph over evil and that GOD totally annihilated evil at the end of time. John obeyed and sent letters to the seven churches of Asia to encourage and warn that God's victory will be with our without our co-operation. We must persevere in the midst of persecution and in death! The central event is the return of Jesus. "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen" Rev 1:17 -- "He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name sake." Psalm 23 continues to reveal the courage and confidence that only He can give as we walk through the valley. As the shadow of death looms, we fear NO evil, because we are convinced, we are certain that God is with us. Because we believe in His word we can TAKE the courage of the living Word that is etched into our hearts. As death casts a spooky dark shadow, and we know our body will someday just poop out, we TAKE the Comforter's hand and follow our Shepherd into the house of the Lord and dwell in His loving presence forever! God's letters to the 7 churches, to our 7 conditions of soul today:
1) Ephesus (2:1) Praise patience, labor. Complaint: Lost love of Jesus.
2) Smyrna (2:8) Praise their suffering and poverty. Complaint: NONE
3) Pergamos (2:8) Praise martyrdom. Complaint: Immorality and idolatry
4) Thyatira (2:18)Praise love and service. Complaint: Wickedness
5) Wealthy Sardis (3:1) Praise the few faithful. Complaint: dead in spirit, complacent, forgot the forgiveness of lies, sloth, deceit?
6) Philadelphia (3:7)Praise faithfulness. Complaint: NONE
7) Laodicea (3:14)Praise NOTHING. Complaint: lukewarm faith, wretched, blind. Jesus is knocking on the doors of churches, on our hearts and pleading with us to let Him in. Like Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He will raise our lukewarm faith --- IF we love Him, we will follow Him, we will be obedient, we will talk to Him, we will listen to Him, we will be His hands, we will be His feet, we will be His disciples and speak His words to the lost. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 3:21-22) The HOPE we have is JESUS, it is HIS return. Who do you know who is hoping that the economy will repair itself? Who do you know believes that prayer will stop what God's Word says WILL happen? Has the 4th seal been opened? The 5th? The 6th? How the worldwide web and satellites enable us to see what is happening around the world, at the same time, isn't this a fulfillment of prophecy? PROPHETS TIME LINE SINCE 760 Before Christ was AMOS; HOSEA; MICAH; then from 740 - 681 BC the prophet ISAIAH gives God's message of divine judgement to the deaf ears of Israel and Judah. Isaiah named Cyrus (559-530 BC) as King 150 years before he was. Israel falls to the Assyrians in 722. God gave Isaiah visions of what would be, just as Jesus revealed Himself to the apostle John on the island of Patmos. We are slaves today, people are in bondage just like they were in Egypt. The twin towers came down, and wall street rattles still. Are not the storms more fierce, the tornado's, floods, fires, mighty hurricanes and earthquakes happening in more frequency with more intensity? Has God lifted His hand from earth for a time to allow us to live the consequence of our choices? God is faithful to fulfill His word, and He is! The apostle John saw visions of the throne and heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the elders, the living creatures and the number of them was 10,000 X 10,000, and thousands saying in a loud voice: "WORTHY IS THE LAMB WHO WAS SLAIN to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing." and the twenty four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever! WAKE UP and SEE through the EYE of the STORM. CHAPTER SIX = SIX SEALS and we are invited to COME and SEE in God's word a series of four judgments. These events are part of the tragic great tribulation, during which our Holy God pours out His wrath on a world that rejects Jesus as Lord. "Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals" REV 6: It is a time to WAKE UP, to open our eyes, and COME AND SEE. Prepare for His return!
1st Seal: Jesus rides white horse and goes out conquering souls
2nd Seal: Jesus rides red horse. Blood shed, peace removed. War. 3rd Seal: Black horse. Withdrawal of abundant crops. Scarcity in the land, man must pay more for food of less quality. Price of bread in 2010? 4th Seal: God gives Death power with Hades covering 4th of the earth. God limits His judgement in war and famine. Pestilence causes widespread death.
5th Seal: As the lamb opened this seal John could see the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God. They cried "How long, O Lord, and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Then a white robe was given to each of them and they were asked to rest a bit longer. 6th Seal: UNIVERSAL devesation. Behold a great earthquake, the sun turns black, the moon is red. Stars fall to earth. The sky recedes and every mountain and island is moved. All kings, presidents, rich, poor and great commanders, every slave, every free person hid in caves and in the rubble crying and begging "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" REV 6:16
7th Seal: Four angels stood at the 4 corners of the earth and held back the winds. A voice commanded not to harm the earth until the servants of God are sealed on their foreheads, the minds of 144,000, of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Scholars believe that the 144,000 is the fulfillment of God's promise to Israel by sealing members of the Jewish nation. Patient is our Lord Almighty that He gave us ample warning in His word, and in the world that we can see. The first seal, the great years of REVIVAL! The 2nd seal, the ongoing WAR on earth! The 3rd seal the scarcity and starvation of people around the globe, the fall of the economy in 2009. The 4th seal - the widespread death of multiple Psunami's, 911, Katrina, Haiti, Chile, Indonesia. Floods, Fires, Famine, Skin eating disases, Swine Flu, Contaminated water, Pests in the fields, Gangs gaining strength over police, Cities, States and Countries around the globe filing bankruptcy, with increased crime and governing officials caught cheating, lying. THE GREAT TRIBULATION refers to a SEVEN YEAR period of unparelled trouble on earth, concluding with the return of Jesus Christ. Oh Lord Jesus, You have given us TIME to repent, TIME to listen, TIME to see, and now we have a limited amount of TIME to take your message of SALVATION to the world! The Bible is the inspired, inerent word of God. We have been given the blessed Holy Spirit to teach us, give us understanding, eyes to see, and ears to hear. The Book of Revelation is chiefly referring to events that are occuring right before our eyes. We are the witness of what has been revealed by Jesus Christ to John at Patmos. WOW! Jesus Christ is returning soon. We do not know the day, the hour, the year. But if we have 10 years left or 7 years left, how will we serve Him?
The wealthy people of Israel were enjoying peace and prosperity. They were complacent and oppressing the poor, even selling the less fortunate into slavery. Today we have homeless under bridges, we have single mothers turning to prostitution, we have drug lords and gangs that rule our cities. "But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream." Amos, a man of God, a lay person, a sheep herder. Amos was not the son of a priest or a prophet. He was a humble servant of the God. God gave Amos a vision of the future 1:2 and told him to take his message to Israel, to the Northern kingdom 7.15. Amos outlined the sins of Israel 2:4. Amaziah, a priest in Israel intervened and tried to stop his warning of God's disgust with His people. "The days are coming" declares the Sovereign Lord, "when I will send a famine through the land --- not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching fro the word of the Lord, but they will not find it." Amos 8:11 God's covenant with His people (2 Sam 7:12) that God would raise up a ruler to restore the house of David, the ornate temple that was reduced to a "fallen tent". This promise will not be fulfilled by an earthly king, or a political ruler, but by the Messiah, who will renew us and rule forever. "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:37 Apocalypse = a universal or widespread destruction or disaster. Over 500,000 dead in PORT-AU-PRINCE. The earth quaked in Haiti on Jan 11, 2010. City offices collapsed. The tax office collapsed. Schools and hospitals collapsed. Schools have a lot of dead people in them. Colossal damage reported by the Red Cross for a population of 9 million who already lived in extreme poverty. Red "CROSS" accepts donations for Haiti, Chile, Indonesia. Have I not COMMANDED you? BE STRONG and of GOOD COURAGE; DO NOT BE AFRAID, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is WITH YOU WHEREVER you go" (Joshua 1:9)

This passage is and has been the source of great comfort and INCOURAGEMENT (inside COURAGE) for the saints down through the ages beginning with Joshua's generation. It is a COMMAND, not a suggestion to the people of God. "Have I not commanded you..." The command is given in the positive and negative. The positive command is be strong and be of good courage, the negative command is do not be afraid, confused or dismayed. Now the question is, how are we to be strong when we are so weak? How are we to take courage when we are terrified? How are we to be of sound mind when we are completely disoriented by the NEWS, by the REALITY of the REVELATION of the SEALS that have been opened? The answer is found in the last part of our verse, "for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Complete dependence upon God and recognizing His presence among us has always been the Christians source of strength and courage in these trying times. What a COMMAND, what a blessing to those who OBEY. The book of revelation reveals signs of the end, NOT the date, NOT the time, NOT the how! We can therefore PRAISE GOD for His mercy! If we have seven years after the 7th seal is opened, we have been protected by His grace in that we DO NOT KNOW! We are called to LIVE in VICTORY over impending physical death, trusting God for our eternal life, in NEW heavenly bodies! For those who have been given a terminal diagnosis, this is NOT easy to say or hear. DEATH IS NOT OUR FINAL DESTINATION! God calls some of us to be NOBLE in our death. To courageously die, to depart this world with confidence, knowing that we are loved and that God is using our life and our death as a powerful witness to those who are watching. As we slowly wither, as we draw closer to our last breath, it is a comfort to think of Jesus telling our story at the banqueting table as we sit with the saints that have gone before us. COURAGE is not the absence of fear, but it is taking the truth confidently to our grave. That we know there is something more important than this life and we take our last breath as a choice to DO this for His glory, for a purpose larger than we know. Let us therefore live FULLY empowered by the Holy Spirit until our tents fold, until our body just craps out. AMEN The Book of Revelation describes Jesus as the "Word" and the "Lamb of God". John the apostle wrote the book of Revelation as he witnessed "the word of God" and the tesimony of Jesus Christ. A primary criterion for apostolic authority was to be an eye witness to the message. "Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection." (Acts 1:21) Lord Jesus I pray that to all who read this EARTH SHAKING NEWS that they BELIEVE and LIVE according to Your commands, that they are certain of a destiny way beyond a casket, that they REJOICE in the ROYAL destiny of joining YOU in Your glorious Kingdom! That we look forward to a REUNION of souls in the magical place that YOU prepared for us. ALL praise, honor and glory to God, Halleluiah and AMEN!