I Pledge Allegiance To The Lamb

Watch this Video by Ray Boltz:

Hebrews 11

1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for.

3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

5By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

11By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

17By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

21By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

22By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

23By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

24By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.

25He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

29By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.
31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

The Confessing Church of Nazi Germany

"Hail Hitler", exclaimed the pastor as he walked down the street, his arm raised in salute. His collar had become nothing more than a piece of adorning fabric. His allegiance no longer lay with the The King of Kings. Really, his allegiance lay nowhere. He sought only to preserve his own life. The gospel which had once been his "pearl of great price" had been traded for the mercies of the swine.

In 1933 the Protestant churches in Germany were forcibly merged with the Protestant Reich Church and ordered to preach Nazism.

Those who still stood on the side of Christ were forced to go underground, forging a new church movement. They were, the Confessing Church.

Two of the most notable leaders of the confessing church were Pastor Martin Neimoller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Martin Neimoller spent seven years in concentration camps because of the profession of his faith. He is remembered most for the following poem:

First they came for the Communists,

and I didn’t speak up,

because I wasn’t a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn’t speak up,

because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics,

and I didn’t speak up,

because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me,

and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor, theologian and writer. He had been studying safely in New York City when he decided that he must go and suffer with his brothers at home in Germany. Upon returning to Germany he became instrumental in the Confessing Church. He was arrested by the gestapo and taken to a concentration camp in 1943. He would spend the next two years being moved from concentration camp to concentration camp. The constant transferal form camp to camp was done in attempt to stifle his ministry of the gospel. Despite their efforts he is believed to have led more than 1000 Jews to Christ during that two years.

While he was imprisoned he wrote one of my favorite poems:

Who am I? They often tell me
I stepped from my cell’s confinement
Calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
Like a squire from his country-house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
As though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
Equally, smilingly, proudly,
Like one accustomed to win.

Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
Struggling for breath, as though hands were
compressing my throat,
Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
Tossing in expectation of great events,
Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?

Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, 0 God, I am Thine!
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer(Summer 1944)

His most memorable statement was, "When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die."

And, it would serve as a prophetic statement for his life.

On April 9, 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was tortured, striped naked and led in the cold to the gallows. On his way to the noose, the guard noticing that he was shaking, sarcastically asked him, "are you afraid?" To which he replied, "No, I am cold."

His last words were, "This is the end- for me, the beginning of life.

I pray that when we face the coming persecution, we will be able to stand so strongly. And, that if need be, we will willingly put on the robe of the martyr.

Our Children Will Follow Us Wherever We Lead Them

Like it or not, we all lead by our example. Especially, parents. If we want our kids to live as Christ lived, then we too must be Christ like.

Please watch this video. It is very short. But, it is also very powerful.

Does HIV Really Cause AIDS?

Is it possible that HIV is not the cause of AIDS? If so, what is? And perhaps even most importantly what does that mean for those who have been diagnosed with HIV?

As with everything else that I talk about on this site, the information that I'm am about to present to you is only an invitation to seek out the truth for yourself.

If even one person stumbles across this post who has been diagnosed with HIV, then the few minutes spent typing will have all been worth it.

Please watch this video:



And visit these websites:

http://www.virusmyth.com/

http://aliveandwell.org/

If after watching this video and visiting these websites, you are content in believing Robert Gallo, then thank you for your time. But, if on the other hand, I have peaked your interest, then please research this for yourself and decide where you stand on the issue. If Peter Duesberg is right, then millions of healthy people have been given drugs which have killed them needlessly. And, if it is true that HIV does not cause AIDS, how many people are living out a false death sentence. This is a message of awareness. But most importantly, it is a message of hope.

Those Who Have Not Soiled Their Pants

I read the following passage a few weeks ago and have been laughing about it ever since:

"To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

-Revelation 3:1-6

There's just something really funny about Jesus saying "soiled their clothes." But, setting all joking aside, I feel very strongly that the message which was given to Sardis in Revelation 3 is very relevant to us as well, especially those of us who are Americans.

The phrase "soiled their clothes" refers to absolute debilitating fear.

But, fear of what?

Fear of persecution!

In America, we are way too comfortable. Martyrdom scares us to death. It makes us soil our pants. As we move further into the last days, a period of persecution "unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again"(Matthew 24:21) draws nearer as well. The majority of Christians don't even wanna think about that. But, we don't need to, because Jesus is going to come and get us before all of that starts, right?

That line of reasoning is exactly what I'm talking about. We look forward to the "rapture" because we fear persecution. We are too comfortable. I'm sure Paul was pretty comfy sitting on the Sanhedrin before he met Jesus too. Then, the flogging, stoning, whipping and beheading started. The gospel is NOT a message of comfort. It IS a proclamation of Revolution. We have been conscripted into a Spiritual war which rages around us on all sides. We are on the front lines. At least, we should be. But, there are many deserters among us who have cowered behind stained glass windows. Having soiled their pants, they leave behind smudges of fecal matter on the cushy pews where they ruminate in the squalor of lukewarm Christianity.

To those who have soiled their pants,
Clean yourselves up and quit being babies!

To those who have not soiled their pants,
Keep up the good fight. He who endures will soon hear, "well done, good and faithful servant."

See also: http://thewarfarejournal.blogspot.com/2008/01/rapture.html

Pardon Me, What's in that Syringe?

It is becoming more and more common everyday to run across parents who choose not to vaccinate their kids. But, what happens if you tell your pediatrician that you don't want to vaccinate your kids. Our pediatrician refused to see our kids anymore. As parents, it is your job to know what your kids are watching on television, who they are staying the night with, what they are eating, and yes, even what the doctor's are injecting into them.
Here are a few websites where you can find a list of ingredients for vaccinations:
http://www.knowvaccines.com/vaccineingredients.htm
http://www.opposingdigits.com/vaccines/
http://www.tetrahedron.org/articles/vaccine_awareness/ingredients.html

Here are a few other websites which are worth visiting:
http://www.vaccinationnews.com/
http://www.mercola.com/article/vaccines/statistics.htm
http://www.holisticmed.com/www/vaccine.html
http://www.lightstreamers.com/Horowitz/article-Vaccination_UnGodly_Practice.html
http://www.satanicvaccines.com/

Please Check out these websites! It is your responsibility as a parent to be informed about every aspect of your child's life. Do not be a sheep! Seek the truth, no matter the cost.

The 10 Most Spiritual Movies I've Ever Seen

10) The Mission

9) The Apostle

8) Shawshank Redemption

7) Pay it Forward

6) The Miracle Maker

5) Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

4) Les Miserables

3) Joshua

2) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

1) The Matrix

Endgame/TerrorStorm: NWO Documentaries

If you are tired of being kept in the dark, you have to watch these movies from Alex Jones:

Endgame:




Terrorstorm:

The Good Test

The Cold Within

Six humans trapped in happenstance.
In dark and bitter cold,
Each one possessed a stick of wood,
Or so the story's told.
Their dying fire in need of logs
The first woman held hers back,
For of the faces around the fire,
She noticed one was black.
The next man looking across the way saw one not one of his church,
And couldn't bring himself to give The fire his stick of birch.
The third one sat in tattered clothes
He gave his coat a hitch,
Why should his log be put to use,
To warm the idle rich?
The rich man just sat back and thought of the wealth he had in store,
And how to keep what he had earned,
From the lazy, shiftless poor.
The black man's face bespoke revenge As the fire passed from sight,
For all he saw in his stick of wood Was a chance to spite the white.
The last man of this forlorn group did naught except for gain,
Giving only to those who gave,
Was how he played the game.
The logs held tight in death's still hands
Was proof of human sin,
They didn't die from the cold without,
They died from the cold within.

-Author Unknown

Christian Voter's Guide: 2008

I found this at: http://www.youthhacks.net/vote-for-jesus-voter%e2%80%99s-guide-2008. This chart was made by Mark Van Steenwyk, pastor of Missio Dei in Minneapolis.

Does Scientific Dating Disprove the Bible?

First of all, the Bible doesn't actually make any claims as to how old the universe actually is. The assumption is that when you add up the time which passed in the course of the genealogies found in the Book of Genesis and then add up the known history which began during the events which took place in the Book of Exodus, you will see that the Earth is between 4000 and 6000 years old.

There are two problems with this assumption.

First, we don't know how long Adam and Eve were in the garden prior to the fall. When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he told them that in the day that they ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good evil, they would die. But, they did not die. At least not then. The Hebrew wording for the phase, "you will surely die", is better translated, "in dying you will die". In other words, "you will begin to die."

Prior to having eaten the forbidden fruit, there was no such thing as death. Nor, was there any need for keeping track of one's age. Up to that point Adam and Eve had never aged, not even a day. Their lifespans and the record thereof did not begin until they had been exiled from the garden of Eden, where the tree of life had been located.
It is possible that Adam and Eve were in the Garden for hundreds, thousands or even millions of years.

Secondly, the genealogies in the Book of Genesis do not record every generation, only the significant ones.

So, how many generations went unrecorded?

There is no way of telling.

However, even if the Bible did in fact present a younger universe than Science has revealed, the Bible and Science don't necessarily disagree.

When God created Adam and Eve, he created them as adults, fully matured. Therefore, it would stand to reason that He also created the rest of the universe in a state of maturity as well. When Science tells us that a star is millions or even billions of years old, seemingly proving that the universe is at least that old, they are referring to how long the light from that star would have taken to reach Earth. If God created a fully matured universe, the light from all of the stars in the sky, shone upon the Earth immediately, at the command of His voice.

So, I would have to say that the Bible has not made any false claims as to the age of the universe. God knows how old the universe is, He was there when it was formed.

The Infant and the Cobra

Can you imagine this?

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.

The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.

They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
- Isaiah 11:6-9

The four school shootings this week are indisputable evidence that our world is filled with violence and hatred.

War and rumors of war plague the planet. Genocide rocks the continent of Africa. Men and women convicted of murder sit in lonely American prison cells as they await death in a syringe.
Bombs, gas and chemicals bring forth a cloud of terror. Where will its rain fall next? Thousands of unborn infants are murdered everyday at the request of their mothers.

But, the day is coming soon when infants will play with cobras and suffer no harm.

He, Christ Jesus will be our King!

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
-Revelation 21:4

He will bring peace to Earth once and for all. No more harm will come to those who will REST on His holy mountain.

Come quickly Lord Jesus!

Right at Your Door: A Spoiler

I saw this movie advertised on Alex Jones' Prison Planet website about six months ago and could not wait to see it. I looked everywhere trying to find it and after six months of searching, I finally found it on Netflix. I really liked the fact that the main character, Brad had the radio on and tuned to the news during the whole movie. The news functioned as a narrator for the movie and added an extra "doomsday" touch to the plot. I don't normally like Lions gate films, but I actually did enjoy this one, mainly because of the ending which I will get to in a minute. In the movie, explosions which are rumored to carry deadly toxins have been detonated in Los Angeles. Brad believes that his wife, who works downtown is trapped there. After several attempts to make it through the police blockades, he gives up on trying to find her. Instead, he goes home and seals up his house in an attempt to keep out the deadly toxins from the bombs. The next day, his wife returns, covered with toxin carrying dust. Since, the toxin is contagious, he refuses to let her inside. When he refuses to let her in, she breaks a window and tries to get in, but finally gives up and agrees to stay outside. So, he reseals the window. For the rest of the movie, separated by plastic wrap and duct tape, they prepare to be separated instead by her death. I knew that this movie was supposed to have a surprise ending, but having seen it advertised by Alex Jones, I figured that the surprise would be a government conspiracy. I was wrong. I liked the real surprise much better, because it paralleled my favorite Bible verse, which I will quote in just a minute. The twist at the end was that, when the rescue team came to rescue Brad's wife, she was curable. He, on the other hand was not. You see, when she broke the window, she let in some of the toxin, but by sealing the house up again, he created a chamber which turned him into a carrier for the toxin. At the end, because he sealed himself in with the toxin, he dies and she lives. My favorite Bible verse is Luke 17:33:
Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
Sometimes in life, we become obsessed with preserving what we have, whether it be possessions or even life itself. That act of self preservation is the very act which destroys us, ripping all we have from our grubby fingers.

Behold a Violent Squall

Today was a very bad day for me. Finding my self in the midst of one of life's storms, through all but tears, I cry out to my God seeking the refuge that only He brings. On stormy days like today one passage that always brings me relief is Mark 4:36-41.

36 Leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. 38 Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" 39 He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be still!" 9 The wind ceased and there was great calm. 40 Then he asked them, "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" 41 They were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?"

What strikes me about this passage is that several of the men who were with Jesus in the boat that day, were occupational fisherman, therefore when a "violent squall" arose that had the fisherman spooked, you can bet that it was indeed a DEADLY storm, otherwise the fishermen would not have been afraid. And yet, Jesus rebukes their lack of faith! If Jesus rebuked them and their lack of faith in the face of sheer peril, how much more can we see that He is with us in our struggles. We must remember that Jesus is in our boat and He has the power to not only bring us safely through the storm, but also to repair the boat afterwards.

Giving Wine to the Drunken

Throughout my time as a Bible teacher, I have spoken with tons of Christians who believe that drinking alchohol is a sin. I actually really enjoy discussions about drinking, because it serves to show how little is actually known about the Bible. Yes, the Bible does paint a negative picture of drunkards, not only drunkards but also gluttons as seen in Proverbs 23: 20&21:

Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

The point in that passage is not to attack the act of drinking but rather the act of over-indulgences in any area. There is also another factor to take into account when discussing drinking as a sin, loss of control. When a person becomes extremely intoxicated and loses control of their actions and inhibitions, that is sinful. This is a reality that we saw with Noah right after the flood, when he passed out naked on the couch and with Lot who got drunk and was seduced by his two daughters. Anything which makes you lose control is bad. However, to say that all drinking is a sin is to question the morals of Jesus Christ himself, whose first miracle was to turn water into wine. I have heard several people claim that the wine at the wedding in Cana was not fermented. They are wrong. In John 2:10, the master of the banquet tastes the wine Jesus had made and realizing how wonderful it was commented to the bridegroom saying, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best for now." Those verses tell us in no uncertain terms that the wine was fermented. His statement also raises another question. The master of the banquet was also clear about the fact that many people had already had too much to drink at that point. When he said that most people bring out the cheap wine last, he was referred to the fact that those at the party would be too drunk to notice. That being the case, if the act of becoming drunk is a sin, why would Jesus have given drunken men more wine, allowing them to become even more drunk? Let me clarify! I do believe that drunkenness is a sin, just as I believe that gluttony is a sin. I also have a problem with Christians getting so drunk that they cannot control themselves or remember what they have done or where they have been, especially married Christians. But, if you, in the privacy of your own home, have some drinks with your wife and you guys get a little drunk, have fun! God created us to enjoy ourselves in our marriages.

Christian Forums

Throughout my time searching the web, I have ran accross several fellowship websites for Christians. So far, the best one I have found is Christian Forums at: http://christianforums.com/. It is a great place to discuss issues which are important to you and an awesome place to hang out with other Christians. Christian Forums also has several really cool features such as:

1) Creating your own character and clothing him/her with all 6 pieces of the armor of God.

2) Reputation is given based on posts and treatment of others.

3) An online currency called "blessings" can be won and received by other posters and they can be given away or you can use them to buy all kinds of upgrades and stuff on the website. You can also put them in a bank account and build interest.

If you enjoy having theological discussions or even just fellowshipping with other Christians online, you should join Christian Forums. Tell them that brimac referred you! I hope to see you there! You can usually find me in the Blessings Exchange forum at: http://christianforums.com/f247-blessings-exchange.html