WHERE WAS JESUS REALLY BORN?
It is easy to see why we misunderstand as much as we do about the birth of Christ, since Matthew 2:1 begins almost 2 years after he was born, when the Magi came bearing gifts. For the sake of this teaching we will turn to Luke chapter 2 to find some of the details prior to his birth. The following will be from Young’s Literal Translation:
Luke 2:2-7
2 And it came to pass in those days, there went forth a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world be enrolled — this enrollment first came to pass when Cyrenius was governor of Syria —3 and all were going to be enrolled, each to his proper city, and Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, that is called Bethlehem, because of his being of the house and family of David, to enroll himself with Mary his betrothed wife, being with child. And it came to pass, in their being there, the days were fulfilled for her bringing forth, and she brought forth her son — the first-born, and wrapped him up, and laid him down in the manger, because there was not for them a place in the guest-chamber. YLT
The guest-chamber (Inn in the KJV) in those days was a room adjacent to the house for the lodging of guests. These days some people have Guest-houses, while others may have Guest-rooms. The Greek word is kataluma. It is used 1 other time in Luke and once in Mark. In both instances it is translated ”guest-chamber” in the King James Version:
Mark 14:14
And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
KJV;
Mark 14:14 NASB & NRSV:
and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house,’ The Teacher says, “Where is My guest room
Luke 22:11
And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? KJV)
The Guest Chamber or room was part of the house, not an outbuilding like a barn or a shed. Joseph and Mary were not out in the cold with no place to go. They were at a friend’s house or at the very least a friend of a friend. They were like royalty, direct descendants of King David and they were in the city of David. They didn’t just arrive but had been there at least a few days already . Anyone would have been glad to have them in their home, let alone the fact Mary was in her 9th month of pregnancy. Let’s read verse 6 of Luke 2 again in the NASB:
Luke 2:6
And it came about that while they were there,
They weren’t just getting there on the back of a donkey like movies show. They had been in town a few, if not several days. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words explains it the best:
kataluma (kata/luma, NT:2646), akin to kataluo (see Note above), signifies (a) “an inn, lodging-place,” Luke 2:7; (b) “a guest-room,” Mark 14:14; Luke 22:11. The word lit. signifies “a loosening down” (kata, “down,” luo, “to loose”), used of the place where travelers and their beasts untied their packages, girdles and sandals. “In the East, no figure is more invested with chivalry than the guest. In his own right he cannot cross the threshold, but when once he is invited in, all do him honor and unite in rendering service; cf. Gen 18:19; Judg 19:9,15.” These two passages in the NT concern a room in a private house, which the owner readily placed at the disposal of Joseph and Mary. (from Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Now, what is a manger? A Manger is the feeding trough for animals and a cozy place for a baby!
NT:5336 phatne (fat’-nay); from pateomai (to eat); a crib (for fodder):
(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
So, there you have it; no barn, no stall, no cows, sheep or oxen, no donkeys (hee-haw)! No mean, old Inn-keeper! No snow on the ground, either.
Merry Christmas and may God Bless you all in the name of Jesus Christ!
The Mighty God
While studying Luke 1:32 I got stuck on the meaning of “his name.”
Luke 1:31-34
And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. 32 “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of his father David; 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and his kingdom will have no end.”
NASB
In the Christian Scriptures it is the Greek word *onoma, onomatos, to and means:
- universally: used of proper names, Mark 3:16
- used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is roused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name,
In the Hebrew Scriptures as in Isa 9:6 is the word shem.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
KJV
*shem —
a) a name
b) a reputation, fame, glory
c) the Name (as a designation for God)
d) memorial, monument
Just the other day I got a Christmas card from a friend with Is. 6:9 on it. It sickens me that even at Christmas time the trinity has to be invoked. So, I decided to take a closer look at that little verse to get a better understanding.
Is. 9:6 should read:
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on his shoulders;
And his name will be called wonderful counselor, mighty god,
everlasting father, the Prince of peace.
What determines whether or not something is capitalized is whether or not it is preceded by the Article “the.” The only words that he is called that are preceded by the article “the” are Prince of peace. The other “the’s” were added by the translators, the one before “mighty” and the one before “everlasting.”
The word mighty here is the Hebrew word *gibbor
as an adjective: 1) strong, mighty; as a noun, masculine:
2) a strong man, a brave man, a mighty man
*god is the word ‘el which means:
1) God, god-like one, the mighty one
a) mighty men, men of rank, mighty heroes
b) angels
c) a god, a false god, (demons, imaginations)
d) God, the one true God, Jehovah (Yahweh)
2) mighty things in nature
3) strength, power
Luke tells us above that God will give Jesus the throne of his father David. I know you’ve all heard the expression, “like father, like son.” David was a proven warrior and a hero to his people. He was a mighty man in the flesh, like Jesus was a mighty man in signs, miracles and wonders! They were both men of renown; their reputations preceded them!
In understanding everlasting father lets look at the meaning of father in Hebrew:
* ‘ab —
1) the father of an individual
2) used of God as Father of His people
3) the head or the founder of a household, a group, a family, or a clan
4) an ancestor
a) a grandfather, the forefathers – of a person
b) used of people (in general)
5) an originator or patron of a class, profession, or art
6) used of a producer, a generator (figuratively)
7) used of benevolence and of protection (figuratively)
8) used as a term of respect and honor
9) a ruler or a chief (specifically)
How many of those things can be attributed to Jesus? What else does Luke say above? It says that of his kingdom there will be no end, as in everlasting, right? In the Millennial Kingdom, he will be the king or ruler, the chief one. He’s also called the Prince of Peace, right? Prince’s rule don’t they? So, everlasting father also equates to everlasting Prince, everlasting King, everlasting Lord, etc. He could also be called the “father” of Christianity, I suppose.
When it comes to understanding the Bible, there is more than meets the eye. Having a Bible program of some sort is critical. I use PC Bible by Biblesoft. All my definitions are from the Lexicons mentioned in the parenthesis below. Jesus was conceived, born and named according to Luke. In Matthew 1:18 he was born, genesis, came into existence, and was named Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God.
God bless!
*(from The Online Bible Thayer’s Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute for Creation Research.)
The Elusive Kingdom of God
I used to think saying the Lord’s Prayer was ludicrous until I realized that we were still praying for God’s kingdom to come. Jesus taught his Jewish followers to pray for God’s kingdom to come and Christians today are still doing the same. Why? Because it has not yet come. Let’s see what scriptures teach us about it.
Acts 1:1-6
The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through (no article the) holy spirit had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with (no article the) holy spirit not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Until the day Jesus ascended into Heaven his followers wondered when the kingdom was going to be restored to Israel. Obviously it had not been up to that time.
In Acts 14, it is implied that the Kingdom of God is something to be “entered into:” Acts 14:22
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. KJV
It’s the word eiserchomai, to come or go into. Here it says much tribulation is required to go into the kingdom. In the following verses the kingdom of God is something to be “inherited:” 1 Cor 6:9-10:
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. KJV
1 Cor 15:50 confirms the previous scriptures:
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. KJV
Another verse implying that the kingdom is something to be inherited: Gal 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Here is the next to last usage of the koG: Col 4:11:
And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellow-workers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me. KJV
“Unto” the kingdom is the same word as “into” in the verses in 1 Cor. 6, come “into,” eis.
I think it is very clear from scripture that the kingdom of God is not something we are in, but something that is still in the future. Jesus came to bring it to Israel, but the promises to Israel are being held in abeyance. We too will share in that promise, in the Millennial Kingdom, after the Rapture of the Church.
People are Souls, They have a Heart, but are Soul-less
Most of us have likely heard the expression “Bob is an old soul or Sandy is a young soul,” right? We don’t hear people say “John ‘has’ a young soul.” We do hear them say that so and so is young at heart, though.
In the Hebrew Scriptures Strong’s defines Nephesh as a breathing creature, i.e. animal of vitality; Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon as a soul, self, life, a creature, a person, an appetite, a mind, a living being, a desire, an emotion, a passion. As you can see from the definition whatever it is, it is alive and vital.
For the sake of this teaching I am going to be using the Darby Bible since it uses the words “living soul” twelve times. The first usage is:
Gen 1:21 “And God created the great sea monsters, and every living soul that moves with which the waters swarm, after their kind, and every winged fowl after its kind. And God saw that it was good.” Most other popular versions use the word “creature or “thing” instead of soul.
What does every living soul do? They move! Whether they creep, crawl, swim or fly, they are living souls. I never really thought about worms, ants, bees or snails as being living souls, but I guess they are!
The second usage (and so on):
Gen 1:30 “and to every animal of the earth, and to every fowl of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth on the earth, which is a living soul, every green herb for food. And it was so”
Gen 2:7 “And Jehovah Elohim formed Man, dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and Man became a living soul.”
Gen 2:19 “And out of the ground Jehovah Elohim had formed every animal of the field and all fowl of the heavens, and brought [them] to Man, to see what he would call them; and whatever Man called each living soul, that was its name.”
Gen 9:10 “and with every living soul which is with you, fowl as well as cattle, and all the animals of the earth with you, of all that has gone out of the ark — every animal of the earth.”
Gen 9:12 “And God said, This is the sign of the covenant that I set between me and you and every living soul that is with you, for everlasting generations:’
Gen 9:15-16 “and I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living soul of all flesh; and the waters shall not henceforth become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living soul of all flesh that is upon the earth.
Lev 11:10 “but all that have not fins and scales in seas and in rivers, of all that swarm in the waters, and of every living soul which is in the waters — they shall be an abomination unto you.”
Lev 11:46 “This is the law of cattle, and of fowl, and of every living soul that moveth in the waters, and of every soul (creature) that crawleth on the earth;”
1 Cor 15:45 “Thus also it is written, The first man Adam became a living soul; the last Adam a quickening spirit.”
Rev 16:3 “And the second poured out his bowl on the sea; and it became blood, as of a dead man; and every living soul died in the sea.”
The following verses are from a Bible called The Message. Some of you OG’s may remember seeing it but it is one of the seventeen Bibles in my PC Bible Program.
1 Kings 15:29 “As soon as he was king he killed everyone in Jeroboam’s family. There wasn’t a living soul left to the name of Jeroboam; Baasha wiped them out totally,”
2 Chron 20:24 “As Judah came up over the rise, looking into the wilderness for the horde of barbarians, they looked on a killing field of dead bodies — not a living soul among them.”
Job 12:10 “Every living soul, yes, every breathing creature?”
Acts 3:22-23 “Moses, for instance, said, ‘Your God will raise up for you a prophet just like me from your family. Listen to every word he speaks to you. Every last living soul who refuses to listen to that prophet will be wiped out from the people.’ “
At the risk of becoming exhaustive I am compelled to give you every usage I could find on the 2 words. These verse are from the good old Catholic Bible, The Douay-Rheims. The first one we have already covered but I had to include it because someone mentioned something about adding water to dust to from the body of man. The Monks already took care of that!
Gen 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth: and breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul.
Gen 8:21 “And the Lord smelled a sweet savour, and said: I will no more curse the earth for the sake of man: for the imagination and thought of man’s heart are prone to evil from his youth: therefore I will no more destroy every living soul as I have done.”
Now for some of you younger souls, there are 400 more usages of soul in the Hebrew Scriptures. Feel free to have at ‘em. I’m just going to show a few that pop out at me.
Lev 5:1-4 “And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity. 2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing…………3 Or if he touch the uncleanness of man…………4 Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these. KJV
Deut 12:20-21 “When the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. 21 ………whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. KJV
To be honest and fair, there are many verses that would incline one to believe that the soul is something distinctly independent of the person. Here is just one:
Isa 29:8 “It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion. KJV
Here is what one Commentary says about it: “[It shall even be …] This is a most striking figure representing the earnest desire of the Assyrian to possess the city of Jerusalem, and his utter disappointment.
(from Barnes’ Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
Who would have thought that?
BTW, I looked up dead soul and couldn’t find anything. But, nothing is more convincing than looking at the 78 times soul(s) plural was used in the KJV! Then you will become further convinced that souls are living “things” that take breath, including fish, worms and bugs! You could even say, “If it shits, it’s a living soul!”
Souls Plural
Gen 46:15 These be the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padan-aram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three. KJV
Gen 46:18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls. KJV
Gen 46:22 These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.
Gen 46:25 These are the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob: all the souls were seven.
26 All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six;
27 And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.
Acts 7:14 Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. KJV
Acts 27:37 And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls. KJV
1 Peter 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. KJV
Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Acts 7:14 Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.
Since Bob mentioned the Apocraphal and extra Canonical Books I thought it would be cool to look at a few of those as well.
Judith 7:26-27 Now therefore call them unto you, and deliver the whole city for a spoil to the people of Holofernes, and to all his army. For it is better for us to be made a spoil unto them, than to die for thirst: for we will be his servants, that our souls may live, and not see the death of our infants before our eyes, nor our wives nor our children to die. KJV
Judith seems to be a pretty smart lady. I’ve always said that no one is any good to God dead! Here she would rather be someone’s spoil than starve to death!
Wisdom 2:22-3:1 As for the mysteries of God, they knew them not: neither hoped they for the wages of righteousness, nor discerned a reward for blameless souls. For God created man to be immortal, and made him to be an image of his own eternity. Nevertheless through envy of the devil came death into the world: and they that do hold of his side do find it. But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them. KJV
Being a soul as opposed to having one eliminates a whole bunch of things which we know are not true, like soul sleep, transmigration of the soul, or soul travel.
Part V of Identifying the False Prophet; the Predecessor of the Antichrist
As you have seen from the previous four segments the end is not yet. It could be said and has been said by many that “we are definitely in the end times.” As I have said before, there will be things leading up to the apokalupto of the False Prophet, but what they will be no one knows for sure. And I don’t believe anyone can tell you with absolute certainty that we are in the end times. I have shown you what will happen after being Caught Up, harpazoo, of 1Thess. 4:17, but no one knows what will be going on prior to that.
There are no prophecies concerning this Age because none of the prophets before Paul knew anything about this age. This age was kept a secret by God:
Rom 16:25-27 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel (Paul’s) and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the secret which has been kept silent since the world began but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the (Christian) prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith;
Eph 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy (Christian) apostles and prophets by spirit; (How many Old Testament apostles can you name?)
Since none of them, no one, had any knowledge of this Secret Age, they could not have prophesied anything about it, particularly what to expect before the Gathering Together of the saints! In other words no one has any idea when this will occur. There are no worldly events which will indicate when it will happen.
Now, if I am wrong about the Rapture and there is none as many believe, at least you know what to look for concerning the False Prophet.
So, when will “the end” come? Let’s see what 1 Cor 15:20-26 says:
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep (dead). 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the standing up from the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, (Remember the 5 parts of the Parousia, coming, in Part IV?) This is addressing the dead, those who are asleep.
24 then comes the end, when He, Jesus, hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death (death is not destroyed until Rev. 20:14, after the Millennial Kingdom.) NASU
When all of the “whens” have occurred, then comes the end!
Illustrations by Rev. Clarence Larkin who died 90 years ago, which represent Oikonemia in Scripture
This picture represents what the prophets (including Jesus Christ) could see and know from the Scriptures. As you can see here the Prophets could not know or understand anything about the Church Age because God kept it a Secret from everyone until it was revealed to Paul and the other Apostles by the ascended Christ.
Rom 16:25-27
And to Him who is able to establish you, according to my good news, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the secret, in the times of the ages having been kept silent,
26 and now having been made manifest, also, through prophetic (Christian) writings, according to a command of the age-during God, having been made known to all the nations for obedience of faith —
27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to him [be] glory to the ages. Amen.
YLT
Eph 3:3-5
3 that by revelation He made known to me the secret, according as I wrote before in few [words] —
4 in regard to which ye are able, reading [it], to understand my knowledge in the secret of the Christ,
5 which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it was now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the spirit —
YLT
1 Cor 2:7-8
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a musterion, secret, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
KJV
This one represents the Church of the Body of Christ versus the Kingdom of God and Christ. The resulting affect of this hidden wisdom is that the coming Kingdom which Jesus and the apostles expected soon after his ascension, would be put on hold or held in abeyance. As you can see, the Kingdom most Christians speak about as if it existed today, will not exist until after the Great Tribulation. As for now, Jesus is our Lord, not our king.
2 Peter 3:14-18
Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
NASU
This revelation is NOT to be ignored; you do so at your own destruction.
Will you be found blameless?
Are you among the untaught (unteachable) and unstable?
Are you being lead astray by the error of unprincipled men?
Are you growing in knowledge as well as grace?
ANGRY YET? IF NOT, YOU SHOULD BE.
The Bible, the words of the One, True God, (YHWH), says that we are to get Angered, “BE ANGRY” about certain things, “YET WITHOUT SIN,” in Ephesians 4:26. Yes, it should make us angry when, as the preceding verse implies, we are surrounded by LIARS. We have many examples in the world today of people who are angry and sin because of their anger. Anger is an innate emotion that we are not to be denied. I am angry that some government officials think they can get away with murder, instead of just telling the truth.
2 Co 10:4 tells us “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) KJV. Taking matters into our own hands is not the answer. The WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE ARE MIGHTY THROUGH GOD. Our anger, our outrage, needs to be taken to God through our prayers. The previous verse in 2 Co 10 says, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:” The way we carry on our warfare is spiritual, not physically.
In the final chapter of the greatest revelation given to the Church of the Body of Christ, Paul, by way of our Lord, Jesus Christ says:
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Eph 6:10-18
Yes, we should be angry about what is going on in high places in our country and around the world today. Taking matters into our own hands as the two domestic terrorists recently did is not the answer. Fervent Prayer Is.
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Jas 5:16
Was Newtown Really a Movie Set?
My son sent me a You tube video yesterday (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx9GxXYKx_8&feature=youtube_gdata_player) which portrayed the school in Newtown, CT as a movie set, alleging that the entire shootings there were all fabricated. He wanted my opinion about it. Here is what I told him:
I don’t have a difficult time believing stuff like this. Fast and Furious failed and everyone knows what the government tried to do with that: to make the public cry out for gun control. If this doesn’t succeed, watch for more and pray we are never a victim.
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