Bible Truth

New Christian Investment Book

2007-02-17T18:57:00.000-08:00

Hello to everyone who has been supporting my blog. I am happy to announce the release of my latest book - this time catering for the Christian readership who are interested in property investment.

It is entitled "Christian Investing and Money Management" and is published through Lulu.com and is distributed by Ingram .It is available online at Debra’s Storefront You can also find more details on my webpage at Christian Family BooksI have been getting some very positive feedback from readers and have several magazines who will be doing reviews on it very shortly.This book fills the gap for works on Christian Investment that are applicable to the Australian property market and taxation system, and most of the principles can also be easily adapted to other countries. It covers areas including budgeting, goal setting, compounding interest, using other people's money to help build wealth and much more.It is the culmination of over eight years research, interviews and personal experience.This book examines the area of Christian Stewardship and how this relates to careful money management, budgeting and investing.It is also available through Amazon and many other on line book stores - and all brick and mortar stores as well (so feel free to ask your local stores to order it in). The ISBN is 978-1-4303-0428-9Thank you again for all your support.RegardsDebra LohrereAuthor of books on Property investment and Christian prophecy. Please visit Property Investment Books .

Is anyone burning in Hell today?

2006-12-10T13:04:00.000-08:00

There are various lines of thought in relation to Hell. Some believe that neither Heaven or Hell exist and that when we die that it the end of our existance. In Christian circles some teach that Hell is merely a ‘separation from God’, others contend that it is a fiery place of eternal torture where sinners instantly go at the moment of death. According to this theology, the lost are sizzling right now, somewhere in the fiery bowels of this earth. Most Christians believe that Hell is an eternal place of suffering. Is this what the Bible really teaches?

In the New Testament there are three different Greek words that are translated into “Hell” in English. They are “Tartarus,” “Gehenna,” and “Hades.” Tartarus is used only once in 2 Peter 2:4 “God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell [Tartarus], and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.” Tartarus means “dark abyss” or “place of restraint.” Notice also that it says the evil angels are reserved unto judgment, meaning that the day of judgment has not occurred yet, and they are not currently in the red hot fiery underworld. We know that in fact they are busy roaming the earth, actively tempting and attacking the people of God as well as the lost.

The second word used for Hell is “Gehenna” which is derived from Hinnon, a rubbish dump outside of Jerusalem where trash and dead animals were burned. It continually smouldered during Bible times. Jesus used this word when He warned about the danger of Hell Fire at the ‘end of the world’ Matthew 13:40-42 “The harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the weeds are gathered in burned in the fire, so shall it be at the end of this world. The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them that do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire, and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” This word does definitely relate to fire and being burned up or consumed away.

In the above verse you will notice that Jesus spoke of the Hell Fire being at the end of the world. Peter further clarified the timing of the Hell Fire to be at the day of judgment, not in the present time 2 Peter 3:7 “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men”.

The Bible clearly shows that ungodly men will be burned up by Hell Fire after the millenial reign of Christians in Heaven. Noone’s loved ones are burning in Hell today. Our just and loving God does not sentence anyone to Hell Fire before they have been judged on the day of judgment.

The third Greek word translated to Hell is “Hades” which means the grave. Revelation 20:14-15 “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire”. This verse clarifies that “Hades” itself is not a fiery place, but will be cast into “the lake of fire.” This verse is really saying that death and the grave will be consumed by fire and will be no more. There will be no longer be any more death and no more graves.

For more info visit Truth about HellBy Debra Lohrere Christian Investment and Prophecy Books

Are all the dead Christians in Heaven?

2006-12-10T13:01:00.000-08:00

It has long been taught that when a Christian dies they go straight to heaven. Is this what the Bible teaches or have paganistic doctrines and myths crept unbeknown into our Christian faith?

What did Jesus say about his friend Lazarus who had died? John 11:11-14 “These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead”.

Jesus clearly showed us that the dead sleep. If Lazarus had gone to heaven Jesus would have said that he was in heaven with the Father. Also, after Jesus raised Lazarus, did anyone ask Lazarus “What was it like in heaven? Tell us about it”. No one did, because it was the belief of the day that when someone died they slept until the resurrection on the last day.

This is further clarified in Psalms where we are told that when we die our thoughts perish Psalms 146:4 “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish”.

We are also told that we will not rise again until the heavens are no more (when Jesus returns) Job 14:12 “So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep”.

Paul reinforced this understanding 1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first”:

Many Christians believe that when they die they go directly to heaven, even though the day of judgment has not even occurred yet. They visualize themselves in heaven with the angels praising God. But what does the Bible say? Psalms 115:17 “The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence”.

It is clear that the Bible writers all believed that the state of the dead is like sleeping, to be awakened the moment after they closed their eyes at the final trumpet at the coming of Jesus on the day of redemption. 1 Corinthians 15:52 “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed”.

Job made it clear that we return to dust and are no more until the resurrection Job 7:21 “And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be”.

There are many deceptions of Satan going on in these end times and spiritism is on the increase. If people realized that the dead are all asleep and can’t communicate with us, then they would start to question who exactly it is that they are communicating with. There are many deceptive demonic spirits in the invisible world around us, who take every opportunity they can to lead people astray. It is time that we recognized that when mediums are speaking to the ‘other side’ it is actually the evil angels that they are talking to and not dead beloved relatives.

How can we help those who have been tricked by these deceptive spirits, if we don’t demonstrate to people from a Biblical perspective that the dead are asleep and have no thoughts, so it can’t be them doing the communicating?

All Bible references are from the King James Version.

For more info visit Truth about DeathBy Debra Lohrere Christian Investment and Prophecy Books

How long will Hell Fire burn?

2006-12-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

The Bible clearly shows us that on the day of judgment at the end of time, the wicked will be punished with Hell Fire. Many Christians believe that this Hell Fire will last forever and that the wicked will be eternally tormented in pain and anguish. Is this really what the Bible shows?

Jesus said Matthew 25:41 “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” He also said John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. In the one verse it would seem that the wicked will live forever in everlasting fire and yet the other verse tells us that only those who belong to Jesus will not perish. This means that wicked will perish.

The only conclusion we can come to is that the everlasting fire, is not actually fire that is everlasting, but rather fire which consumes with everlasting consequences.

Are there other places in the Bible where it says forever, but the event mentioned has finished? There are actually many examples of this. Just as today people will often say things like “The show was so boring it went on forever” and “It took forever to get the house painted”. These same type of expressions were also used in the Bible for events that lasted a long time, but not actually eternally or for events that had everlasting consequences. For example the Bible describes the fire that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha as eternal fire. Jude 1:7 “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire”. This fire is not still burning today. It had eternal consequences, as the cities were forever destroyed and the fire was not extinguished. This fire was allowed to burn until it had consumed everything away and then it went out.

This is the same type of fire that “death and hell” will be thrown into and the same type of Fire from Heaven that will consume the wicked after the judgment. Depending on their sentence they will be either consumed quickly with little pain, or else have to suffer longer for more severe sins. The Bible shows us that they will not live forever burning in Hell, because we are told that they will be as ashes under our feet. Malachi 4:3 “And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts”.

Many Christians think that Satan will be thrown into eternally burning hell fire and yet the Bible shows that he too will be consumed and will be no more. Ezekiel 28:18-19 “Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more”.

The Bible further clarifies that fate of the wicked Malachi 4:1 “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch”.

Our awesome and loving God who abounds in mercy is not going to torture and torment the wicked forever and ever in the agony of an eternally burning Hell. He will justly deal with them and they will perish for their sins. For the Wages of Sin are death.

For more info visit Truth about Hell
By Debra Lohrere Christian Investment and Prophecy Books

What does Stewardship encompass?

2006-12-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

The Biblical principle of stewardship of our finances encompasses three separate points. Firstly it relates to good money management. We need to be careful not to squander the resources that God gives to us. We should learn good money management techniques, and learn not to be susceptible to impulse buying.

The second aspect of stewardship is related to investing to make the resources that God gives to us grow, so that we can sow more back into the Lord’s work. In the parable that Jesus told about the three servants who were given gold coins. Two of them invested the money and gave their master more than He had entrusted them with. The third servant went and buried it for safekeeping – and the master was angry at that servant for not putting the money He had been entrusted to use.

The third aspect of stewardship is giving. We have been commanded to “Give tithes and offerings to the Lord”.

We have been instructed us to be good stewards and to use what God gives us wisely.

I believe that God wants to bless his children and to bless them abundantly.

Don’t we want the best for our own children? We don’t want them to struggle financially and have the pressure of trying to make ends meet.

I am sure that our Father in Heaven is exactly the same. He wants us to put Him first in our lives, and in turn wants to bless us.

God wants us to be financially secure not just so that we don’t have to struggle with financial pressures – but also because prosperity allows us to bless others more.

When we wisely invest our finances we will have more available to effectively support the missionaries in the field, to finance Christian satellite TV stations and to support the needy in our local community.

A wealthy person has far more power to aide the needy financially than the best-meaning poor person.

I believe God is calling us to embark on the road to financial security so that we can be in the position to fund the resources needed to assist in the great revival.

Some Christians believe that it is wrong to desire wealth, but at the same time they try to give whatever they can. They fail to see that they would be able to give far more generously if they possessed invested what they had and increased their finances.

We need to remember that our finances belong to God. He is our master and we are just the caretakers. We should do our utmost to carefully manage and increase what He has given us, and be open to Hearing from the Holy Spirit to guide us in the direction that He leads us to sow these finances back into.

God is calling us to be proactive with investing. He wants us not only to have faith and believe that He wants to bless us, and to openly and joyfully accept what He wants to give us, but to also seek the wisdom and knowledge that are required both to create and to manage wealth.

With more wealth comes more responsibility. But I believe that as we take care of the little that God has given us, and are faithful in giving as He directs – He will Help us learn what we need to know and will Help to point us in the right direction so that we can continue to create more and use it wisely.

He wants us to become wise investors, and to find out as much knowledge as we can to enable us to make wise, well informed decisions.

At school we were taught skills to enable us to leave school and get a job and earn a wage. But we were never taught how to manage our finances or how to build wealth. We were not taught how to invest.

As good stewards, we need to self-educate ourselves about how-to and where-to invest our resources for the most effective growth.

Debra Lohrere is the author of Christian Prophecy and Investment books Christian Investment and Prophecy Books http://www.propertyinvestmentbooks.com/christianbooks.html

Are Christians Raptured before the Tribulation?

2006-09-18T03:46:00.000-07:00

Today many people are teaching that Christians will be taken away in a secret rapture, seven years before the return of Jesus, and that they will escape the Earth’s final tribulation period.

Is this what the Bible really says?

After describing the “persecutions and tribulations” which the early believers where enduring, Paul wrote: 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”

This shows that Paul was expecting that the church would be enduring persecution and tribulation right up until the coming of Jesus at the very end of the world.

The idea that the church will be raptured away before the period of tribulation sounds good, because no one wants to go through persecution or hardship, but the fact is that throughout history Christians have suffered for their faith, and there will be no relief from that until the end of the world.

Almost every time the word tribulation is used in the New Testament it is referring to things that Christians go through, not that they escape from.

Matthew 24:21-22 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.”

Revelation 2:10-11 “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death”. Paul is showing clearly that Christians must ‘overcome’ the tribulation and remain faithful even unto death.

Revelation 7:14 “And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”.

These verses and many others all clearly indicate that the church will have to endure and overcome the time of tribulation.

The thing that the church will be protected from though, are the seven last plagues, because the angels seal all of God’s people before the plagues are unleashed. It will be just like the time of the ten plagues in Egypt, where God did not allow His angels to harm any of His people, and where the angel of death passed over the Jews who had marked their doorposts with the blood of a lamb in obedience to God’s instructions.

We need to study the Word of God so that we are prepared what will take place in the final events of Earth’s history.

For more information on this topic please visit http://www.rapturetruth.org/

Debra Lohrere is the author of Peace, Prophecy and False Fire http://www.lulu.com/content/333221 and Christian Investing and Money Management http://www.lulu.com/content/378757

Is the Secret Rapture Biblical?

2006-09-18T03:45:00.000-07:00

One of the most controversial subjects in relation to the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus, is whether or not there is a Secret Rapture of Christians seven years prior to His return.

We know from Paul’s writings that at the last trump, when the trumpet sounds the dead in Christ will rise first and those believers on earth will be changed in an instant and receive our new immortal bodies 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

This raises the question, if there had already been a Christian rapture seven years earlier, why would Paul be telling them that he expects them to still be on earth (remembering that Paul did not know the timing of the Lord’s return and wrote with the expectation that perhaps it would be during his lifetime)?

Paul states clearly that these events takes place “at the last trump,” not seven years before it. He shows that, “the trumpet shall sound.” So it will be loud, not quiet or secret.

Some teach that Jesus Christ will return secretly in the twinkling of an eye, but Paul actually says it is the changing of the bodies of believers from mortality to immortality that happens in the twinkling of an eye. Therefore, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 does not teach of Christians mysteriously vanishing at all. Rather, it reveals an extremely loud, audible return of Jesus Christ during the final sounding of the last trumpet and the instant transformation of believers into their new immortal bodies at the end of the world.

Paul also wrote 1 Thessalonians 4:16 - 5:4 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write to you. For yourselves know that the day of the Lord so cometh like a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then cometh sudden destruction upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But you brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief”

So as well as again telling the people that they will be on earth when Jesus comes, he is also telling them that they should be ready for his return, so that it will not be unexpected the way it will be for the unbelievers. It describes a loud audible return of the Lord and the Christians meeting him in the air. He says that Jesus comes down from heaven, true believers are caught up together, and sudden destruction comes upon the lost. Again this does not depict a secret rapture in any way, and he is saying that the Christians will still be on earth at the final trump.

We need to study the Word of God so that we are prepared for what will happen in the final events of Earth’s history.

For more information of this topic please visit http://www.ChristianRapture.com
Debra Lohrere is the author of Peace, Prophecy and False Fire http://www.lulu.com/content/333221 and Christian Investing and Money Management http://www.lulu.com/content/378757

Mark of the Beast Revealed.

2006-09-05T02:00:00.000-07:00

Amid the vast array of symbols in the book of Revelation there is a severe warning relating to anyone who takes the “Mark of the Beast”. Revelation 14:9-11 “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name”.

You will notice from this text that there is more than just taking the mark. It also refers to worshiping the beast or his image or receiving the mark of his name.

There has been a lot of speculation about the mark of the beast and whether it will be a computer chip implanted under the skin, or a bar code or some sort of tattoo. These ideas revolve around the concept that whoever does not receive the Mark of the Beast will not be able to buy or sell, so therefore it has to be something that will be used to track those who pledge allegiance to the beast. There is a hole in this theory however, because even though some sort of technology may play a part in the prevention of commerce, there is more to the mark than just the buying and selling issue. As you can see from the verse above, the real issue with taking the mark, worshiping the beast or his image or receiving the mark of his name, is that it will doom you to eternal damnation.

The spiritual aspect of the mark, is also highlighted by the fact that everyone gets a mark, not just those who worship the beast, the true believers are also marked, Revelation 7:3 “Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads”.

Also the distinction between those who take the mark of the beast and those who get the seal or mark of God is shown to be directly related to obedience to the Ten Commandments. Straight after the warning about not taking the mark of the beast it shows the difference. Revelation 14:12 “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus”.

The mark of the beast will not be obvious, because it will deceive many. Revelation 19:20 “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone”.

All of the symbols used in Revelation are explained elsewhere in the Bible, for instance a Beast represents a kingdom or a political or religious power.

Daniel 7:23 “Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces”.

Therefore the beast described in Revelation 13:1, which also correlates to the fourth beast of Daniel 7 relates to an apostate religious system, one that blasphemes God, puts the rules of men above the Word of God, and one that claims to have the authority of God on earth.

All of the early Protestant reformers clearly identified the first antichrist beast of Revelation to be none other than the false system of religion, and persecuting power found within the Roman Catholic Church. During the dark ages millions of people were tortured and killed as ‘heretics’ for not bowing down to all of the precepts the church.

The Catholic Church say that the mark of their authority, is the fact that without scriptural support they changed the Seventh Day Sabbath of God to Sunday. Therefore, by their own admission, Sunday keeping (which is worshiping on a counterfeit day of worship, on the day that the pagans worship the Sun god) is the “Mark of the Beast”.

Note again that those who are saved and sealed by the angels are those that obey the Ten Commandments and that the seal (Name, Title and Realm) of God is listed in His fourth commandment, the one the Catholic Church changed. Exodus 20:10 –11 “But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” This shows that God (name) is the Creator (title) of Heaven and earth (realm).

For more information on this topic please visit http://www.666Mark-Of-The-Beast.com
Debra Lohrere is the author of Peace, Prophecy and False Fire http://www.lulu.com/content/333221 and Christian Investing and Money Management http://www.lulu.com/content/378757

Is there really a Secret Rapture?

2006-09-05T01:59:00.000-07:00

The secret rapture doctrine teaches that the coming of Jesus will be in two separate stages. The first, a secret rapture of the Church at the beginning of a seven year tribulation period followed by His glorious, audible, triumphant return to Earth accompanied by the Church at the end of the seven years.

It also teaches that during this seven-year period the Antichrist is going to come into power, sit in a rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem and declare himself to be God. It says that the war of Armageddon is a literal war of nations against literal Israel, which occurs near the end of the seven years and is ended abruptly by Christ’s return with His Church. It says that literal Israel accepts the Lord as the Messiah and enters with Him as His covenant people into the 1000-year reign on earth. Those who ultimately reject Christ’s rule will be judged and destroyed at the end of the Millennium.

Is this what the Bible really shows?

In Matthew 28:20 Jesus said “…and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Why would He promise to be with the church until the ‘end of the world’ if He intended to come seven years before the end to take them out of the world?

The Bible shows clearly that God’s church will still be on earth when Jesus returns. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

It shows that when Jesus returns His angels will gather His people from the earth. Matthew 24:31 “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” How could they gather the church from the earth if the church had come back with Christ?

Every eye will see Jesus when He returns. This includes all of the non-believers and all of the believers. Revelation 1:7 “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”

The Bible shows that His return will be sudden, and unexpected for unbelievers and those who have not studied His prophecies. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 says “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” This verse also shows that the unbelievers will be destroyed when Jesus returns.

When the Lord returns there will be nothing secret about it. The dead in Christ will rise first, those of us who have overcome the time of tribulation and persecution and are still alive will be caught up to meet Him in the sky. All of the unbelievers will be destroyed and the earth will melt. 2 Peter 3:12 “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”

We will then go with Him to heaven where we will reign for a thousand years and the books will be opened and we will judge the nations. Revelation 20:4-5 “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus (definitely shows that they were on earth during the tribulation), and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”

The Bible shows that Jesus comes and gathers His people and that the unbelievers are all destroyed and are not raised again until the end of the millennium. The believers reign in heaven for a thousand years, as the earth has been destroyed. At the end of the millennium God makes a “new heaven and a new earth”.

All Bible references are from the King James Version.

For more information on this topic please visit http://www.secret-rapture.com/
Debra Lohrere is the author of Peace, Prophecy and False Fire http://www.lulu.com/content/333221 and Christian Investing and Money Management http://www.lulu.com/content/378757

What is Daniel’s 70 week prophecy?

2006-08-12T01:33:00.000-07:00

The prophecy in Daniel 9: 24-27 reads:
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

Daniel had been earnestly praying for his people, the Jews, who were in captivity in Babylon when he was given this vision.It is the most amazing and accurate prophecy about the coming of the Messiah. The timeline begins in 457 BC with the decree of Artaxerxes to rebuild the temple.

Ezra 7:8-17 shows that the decree went out in the seventh year of the reign of Artzxerxes, so history can confirm the year.In Bible prophecy they work on the day for a year system, Ezekiel 4:6 “...I have appointed thee each day for a year” so therefore 70 weeks, 490 days is 490 years.

This prophecy is split into three sections. Seven weeks (49 years, which is the time it took to rebuild the temple), 62 weeks (434 years) till Messiah the Prince. This takes us to the year the year AD27, which is the year that Jesus was "annointed" and began His ministry, and finally there is another week, 7 years. It says that in the midst of the final seven years the Messiah will be "cut off, but not for himself" (showing that Jesus would die after 3 1/2 years of ministry) and would cause the "sacrifice and oblation to cease". Jesus' one time perfect sacrifice on Calvary put an end to the need for animal sacrifices once and for all. What happened in the final 3 1/2 years of this prophecy? The gospel message was still preached exclusively to the Jews, but at the end of this period, Stephen was stoned, marking the final decision of the Jewish leaders to reject Christ as the Messiah and from this time on the gospel was taken to the gentiles.

This prophecy also predicted the destruction of the temple “the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” which occurred in AD70, and signified the final “desolation”. The destruction of both the first and the second temple were both as a result of the people’s rejection and disobedience to God.

This event signified that the sacred appointment of the Jewish people as God’s chosen ones was forever annulled. Through Christ a new covenant was made, that all who followed Him would be called the children of God and seed of Abraham. Galations 3:29 “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”What a wonderful display of the power of God these prophecies are. To foretell almost 600 years ahead of time, when He would send His son to this world to die for our sins. How Jesus would “confirm the covenant” and cease the need for performing the sacrifices that had been put in place as a shadow of the fulfilling work of our Lord.

Debra Lohrere is the author of Peace, Prophecy and False Fire http://www.lulu.com/content/333221 and Christian Investing and Money Management http://www.lulu.com/content/378757

What is the Mark of the Beast?

2006-08-09T05:38:00.000-07:00

It is a common misconception that when the Bible refers to the Mark of the Beast, that the beast if Satan. A beast in prophetic terms is a religious, political or regal power. Daniel 7:23 “Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces”. Daniel 7:17 “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth”. Revelation also clearly shows that there is a distinction between the devil and the beast. Revelation 20:10 “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever”. The second beast referred to in Revelation is a false religious system with political power.

The fifteenth century protestant reformers, such as John Wesley, John Huss etc all clearly stated that the fourth beast or “little horn” power of Daniel 7 that also correlates to the first beast of Revelation could be identified as the false system of religion, and persecuting power found within the papal system. The non-biblical doctrines instituted by the Roman Catholic Church had replaced many scripturally based doctrines with traditions of man. During the dark ages millions of people were tortured and killed as ‘heretics’ for now bowing down to all of the precepts of the Roman church.

The Bible also tells us that the “little horn” power of Daniel 7:25 would “think to change times and laws”.

One of the most notable changes implemented by the papacy was the changing of the day of worship that God had implemented, the seventh day Sabbath, with Sunday worship.

The papacy go so far as to say that the action of changing the Sabbath to Sunday, without any scriptural grounds is the ‘Mark’ of their authority, showing that they have the power to override even the institutions of God. "Sunday is our mark or authority...the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact." Catholic Record of London , Ontario, September 1, 1923.

When people say that 666 is the devil’s number, this is also an incorrect conclusion. 666 is the number of a man (being the leader of the political-religio system). Revelation 13:18 “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” It is interesting to note that one of the names given to the Pope, which is written on his triple tiered crown is VICARIUS FILII DEI, and that if you add up the Roman numerals for each letter it comes to 666.

Revelation predicts that at the end of time a second beast will arise that will be an image of the first beast, carrying out the same persecuting acts and holding the same false doctrines as the first. Revelation 13:12-13 “And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed” Revelation 13:15-17 “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

This shows that anyone who does not take the mark of the beast will be persecuted or killed. Then it goes on to speak of those true followers of God, who do not take the mark of the beast. Revelation 14:12 “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

It is interesting that the differentiating factor is that those who are saved will be “keeping the commandments”, and that the “Mark” of the papal system is that they changed the fourth commandment, the Sabbath to Sunday.

It seems then that the religio-political system, when it comes to power will enforce, upon consequence of death, the observance of worship on the counterfeit day, the day on which the pagans worship the sun god.

Those that stay true to the Bible based teachings and keep the commandments have the following promise to look forward to. Revelation “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

All Bible references are from the King James Version.

For more information on this topic please visit http://www.666MarkOfTheBeast.org.
Debra Lohrere is the author of Peace, Prophecy and False Fire http://www.lulu.com/content/333221 and Christian Investing and Money Management http://www.lulu.com/content/378757

Why is Wicca Witchcraft so popular?

2006-07-30T04:36:00.000-07:00

Wicca witchcraft is said to be the fastest growing religion amongst high school and college students in America. It is also now practiced by people in many different walks of life, including professionals like lawyers and teachers.

Wiccans practice what they call White magic, which they believe is ‘good’ and differs from the ‘bad’ black magic.

The motivation behind getting involved in wicca is not sinister in any way. The people involved are wanting to tap into the good “forces” in nature, and direct them in a positive manner. They are seeking the ‘power’ to be able to perform good magic, and often times to also find a popular group to belong to. The number of witches covens is increasing daily. Wiccans promote good moral values like honesty.

Books like the Harry Potter series, and TV shows life “Buffy”, “Sabrina the teenage Witch”, “Charmed” and other similar shows have skyrocketed the popularity of wicca witchcraft, in a way that is unprecedented.

The term witch, no longer seems to be associated with an ugly old woman wearing black and riding on a broomstick, it has taken on the guise of sexy young females, or young teenage boys.

Wiccans are not evil people seeking to destroy the world, but unfortunately they are oblivious to the true nature of the powers they are tapping into.

Wiccans don’t believe in the devil, or demons and this is the greatest tragedy. They don’t realise that the source of the magic they are delving into is not from “nature” but from the sinister master of the evil invisible world. Deceiving spirits of demons are hard at work, luring the unknowing into a destructive cycle that can devastate their lives. It is not until people are heavily involved in wicca that they find they start to encounter “bad spirits”, “psychic attacks”, “bad energies” and “harmful voices” in their heads among other things. At this stage they need to start practicing what they call “protection magic”.

There really are supernatural forces of good and evil at play behind the scenes in this world and the Bible reveals to us what these forces are. The Bible foretells that in the end times there will be many occult manifestations and that deceiving spirits will be rife and will seek to deceive even the elect.

We need to be really careful not to open up the wrong spiritual gateways. We need to seek the truth. Wiccans believe in reincarnation, but the Bible says, Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” Wiccans don’t believe in the devil, and yet the Bible clearly shows that he exists. Probably the most tragic thing though is that wiccans don’t think they need to have a saviour, but the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ gave His life so that all could be forgiven, if they accept Him as Lord of their lives. 1 Timothy 4:10 “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.”

The devil is alive and well in this world and out to harm as many of God’s blessed creations as he can. If you are involved in wicca, or know someone who is, you would be well advised to have a look at both sides of the equation, and at least consider what the Bible reveals about occult practices and the source of their power.

For more information on this topics please visit http://www.wiccawitchcraft.net/Debra Lohrere is the author of Peace, Prophecy and False Fire http://www.lulu.com/content/333221. Her Homepage is http://debra.lohrere.com/home.shtml

Is Speaking in Tongues a Prayer Language?

2006-07-24T03:43:00.000-07:00

Many pentecostal churches teach that speaking in tongues is a heavenly language, the “tongues of angels”. Is this what the Bible shows? Where does this teaching originate from?

The Greek words used in the New Testament for tongues, when used in relation to speaking, simply meant “language”. The Greek “glossa” means “tongue, language,” and the verb “laleo” means “to speak”, producing the word “glossolalia”. This always refered to an earthly or known language.

There is only one verse in the Bible that mentions the tongues of angels. It is 1 Corinthians 13:1(KJV) “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal”. Is Paul really saying that he speaks in the tongues of angels? This verse needs to be viewed in context and also in relation to the translation from the Greek. The word that has been translated to “though” when translated and used in over 95% of all other places in the New Testament, has been more correctly translated to “if”. Other Versions of the Bible do translate this correctly to “if I spoke in the tongues men and angels”.

Regardless of this mistranslation, merely reading the following verses clearly reveal that Paul is speaking rhetorically, as had he been speaking literally he would be boasting that he understood all mysteries and knew everything, which we know is not the case. These verses read 1 Corinthians 13:2-3 “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing”. Paul is emphatically expressing his desire that the people should demonstrate love, generosity and charity, the important fruits of the spirit, because without these everything else becomes void. He is showing that love is the most important characteristic that God’s people need to express in all aspects of their lives and their ministries. He is not saying that he really can speak in the tongues of angels and has all knowledge.

Isn’t speaking in tongues used to edify ourselves?

It should be noted that all of the gifts of the spirit that God gave were related to building up the church. Evangelism, prophesying, teaching, preaching and speaking in tongues to reach the surrounding nations and rest of the world with the gospel message were all gifts to edify the church.

Paul writes 1 Corinthians 14:4 “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church”. Many preachers use this verse to prove that we should speak in tongues to edify ourselves and build up our faith. Is this what Paul is really saying? If we again look at this verse in context it can be seen that Paul is in fact rebuking the church at Corinth for their misuse of the gift of speaking in tongues, and telling them that it is of no use whatsoever if they speak in tongues and no one around them understands them. He says that prophesying is far more important, as that will build up the church.

1 Corinthians 14:5-7 “I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?”

He continues on to say that they may as well be speaking into the air. 1 Corinthians 14:9 “So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air”. These words are far removed from encouraging them to edify themselves? The whole purpose of his message was to encourage them to stop being self-centered and work on doing things that would build up the church.

The Bible makes it clear that speaking in tongues was for the purpose of witnessing to people in their own languages that they could understand and not speaking where noone knew the meaning of the words being spoken. 1 Corinthians 14:11-12 “Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church”.
All Bible references are from the King James Version.

Is Speaking in Tongues a gift from God?

2006-07-24T03:41:00.000-07:00

Speaking in Tongues as we see it today in Christian churches is a relatively new phenomenon dating back to the early 1900’s.

Why is this? And in fact is what we are seeing today the same gift that empowered Jesus’ disciples at Pentecost?

The disciples were given the essential ability to speak in the languages of the surrounding nations, so that they could preach the gospel in the native tongue of all those they met. If what we see in churches today is the same gift, why was it absent from the church for over 1800 years?

Throughout the Bible it is seen that God gave His people gifts of the spirit to empower them to do what was required for a particular purpose at a particular time.
It is easy to see why God saw it necessary to give the gift of Speaking in Tongues to the early Church. How else could uneducated men have been able to spread the gospel? The question is then, for what reason would the gift of Speaking in Tongues have been reintroduced to the church after such a long absence. What possible purpose does it serve now that the church is established in almost every corner of the world?

We need to note also that when the genuine gift of tongues was given, for the purpose of evangelising, they understood what they were saying. 1 Corinthians 14:15-16 “What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Else when you shall bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at your giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what you sayest?”
Is what we are seeing in churches today the genuine gift, or has Satan somehow been able to infiltrate the Christian world and deceive them with a counterfeit of one of God’s gifts for his own purposes?

The Bible warns us that in the end times there will be a huge outpouring of false miracles, signs and wonders that would deceive much of the Christian world. Mark 13:22 “For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect”.

Most Christians are totally oblivious to the fact that speaking in tongues is also practiced in many non-christian religions. It is practiced in African rituals and in voo doo and occult religions. Independent studies have found that there is no distinction in tongues between Christians and the followers of non-Christian (pagan) religions.

One of the most important attributes of the Holy Spirit is that He will guide us into truth. John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself;”. Truth is the understanding of the true and complete gospel message that our sins can be forgiven through the blood of our saviour Jesus. The message that we are saved by grace and not works, and that those who are saved will be obedient to the will of the Father and follow His commandments, just as Jesus also instructed. John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments”.

The fact that many churches who are practicing speaking in tongues are also teaching that we no longer have to obey the commandments, which directly contradicts what Jesus taught when He said Mathew 5:18 “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” should make us step back and take a second look at whether this phenomenon being practiced in our churches is of God or from another source.

All Bible references are from the King James Version.

Wealth Creation and Christianity

2006-05-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

All that we have and all that we are has come from God. He has blessed us with money and possessions, and he has given each of us specific talents and abilities. We have been called to be good stewards - to use our money, our time and our abilities as best we can to benefit God’s kingdom.

Giving tithes and offerings demonstrates our obedience to God, and the recognition that all we have has come from him. Giving our time in the Lord’s work, whether in ministry, helping those in need or greeting people at the Church door, shows our determination to follow the Lord’s teachings.

Why is it then, if we are happy to faithfully give our time and money, that so many Christians seem to have an issue when it comes to discussing wealth creation.

There seem to be two distinct lines of thought – the one promoted by many of the big name TV evangelists who promote the “prosperity” and “name it and claim it” teachings and the other viewpoint of many of the conservative Church officials who push the opinion that seeking wealth is ungodly.

Unfortunately both of these viewpoints seem to run contrary to the word, and to Jesus’ teachings about stewardship.

The “prosperity” teachers promote the idea that whatever you give to God, he will return to you many times over. Although this is close to the teaching of stewardship, which says that you should seek to multiply whatever God gives you, so that you can give him more back in return. It has been distorted, in as much as the actual motivation behind giving promoted by the prosperity teachers is self based (if I give more, God will give me more) instead of focusing on Christ. There is a huge difference between giving to get more, and working to increase your means so that you can give more to further the works of the kingdom.

Some now try to imply that if you are not prosperous, then your walk with the Lord must be lacking in some area, and others at the other end of the spectrum are always making condemning statements about the evils of being rich.

We need to really look at what the word says, and the examples that Jesus gave.
I firmly believe that the enemy wants to deter us from aiming to invest and make our wealth grow, as he does not want us to be successful. He doesn’t want us making lots of money that we can use for the Lord’s work. He doesn’t want us to be able to fund mission outreaches or to feed the poor or to fund Christian satellite TV channels. Some Christians seem to have the misconception that being wealthy is evil and being poor is holy. There is nothing holy about being poor. God doesn’t want his children to be in poverty. A rich person has far more power at their disposal to be able to help where financial assistance is needed than a poor person. At the same time though we need to make sure that our motivation for creating wealth is to “get so we can give” as opposed to the prosperity teachers notion that we should “give so we can get”. As long as we do not idolise money, and retain the truth that all we have has come from God anyway, then there is no need to feel any guilt about how much money we make.

There are many examples in the Bible that show God’s desire to bless his faithful followers with wealth:

(Gen 39:2) “And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian."

(Deu 29:9) “Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do”.

(2 Chr 26:5) “And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper”.

and 1 Kings 3:13 “And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honor: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days”.

God loves to bless his children, especially if we in return are happy to bless others. Therefore there is absolutely nothing wrong with setting goals to be good stewards and create wealth to give back to our creator. In fact, as stewards of the resources God has given us, it is actually our responsibility to aim at increasing what we have.

We should be seeking to be successful for God. To genuinely set goals for investing both our money and time into the kingdom of God. The best way to increase your monetary wealth is not to go asking the boss for a pay rise, but rather to start a regular investment program. More important still, is to learn how to invest wisely and not be wasteful with our resources.

Before you can start investing you need to make some money available. One of the most effective methods it to use the 10/10/80 Plan. 10% of your income to God, 10% for investing and live off the remaining 80% of your income. This may take a little time to adjust to, but when you consider the long terms results that you will achieve once you start investing, you will find that it is extremely worthwhile.

You will have all heard the expression that “The second million is always easier than the first”. This is absolutely true – the reason being is that it is compounding interest that has the greatest power to create wealth, and the more you have invested that compounding can work on – the quicker your wealth will grow.

In mathematical terms 72 divided by Compound Interest Rate of Return = Years for Money to Double in Value.

Therefore if you have an investment growing at 10% compound interest, it will double in value in 7.2 years (quadruple in 14.4 years and be worth eight times as much in 21.6 years). If it is growing at 12% it will double in 6 years.

John D Rockefeller who was once one of America’s richest men said that “Compound Interest is the Eighth Wonder of the World”.

Einstein once said, “The most powerful concept or principle in the world that I am aware of is that of compound interest”.

When deciding on the best areas to invest in, it is worth taking into consideration the fact that over 90% of the world’s millionaires have made their money through property.

In Australia over the past 50 years property has averaged 10% p.a. compound growth. (Carefully selected properties have averaged even greater returns). Not forgetting that investment properties will also be generating an income from rent.

Median priced property has averaged growing at a rate of 2 – 4% p.a. higher than inflation, making it a very solid investment.

I believe the most effective way to build riches is to accumulate a portfolio of investment properties (over the space of 7 to10 years) and then let the power of Compound Interest work to your benefit.

It is possible to borrow 100% of the purchase price of a property plus expenses by securing the deposit against your own home, so that you don’t have to come up with a cash deposit.
There are many different strategies for property investing, which suit different people depending on their current income or financial position.

God will give you the wisdom to decide on the best strategies for your situation if you put in the time and effort to learn as much as you can and seek his direction. It is wise to also seek professional advice, as rules and regulations and tax effectiveness will vary between nations.
The main reason that property can be utilised more effectively than shares as an investment, is due to the added benefit of being able to highly gear an investment property.

Gearing or leveraging is where you use a small portion of your own money along with a large portion of someone else’s money (in this case a loan from the bank) to secure an investment of a far greater value than you could have using only you own money.

If you had $10,000 to invest and invested it directly into shares that were growing at 10%, then in 7.2 years they would be worth around $20,000. On the other hand if you had used that $10,000.00 as 5% deposit on a $200,000.00 property and had borrowed the remaining 95% plus establishment costs. If this also grew at 10% then in 7.2 years your investment would be worth $400,000.00. Meaning that by leveraging your investment you have gained an additional $190,000.00.

Keep in mind here that there are two types of Debt. Good Debt is where you have borrowed funds to secure a capitally appreciating, income producing asset. Bad Debt is where you borrow to buy a capitally depreciating, non-income producing item such as a car, boat or holiday.
A combination of using Good Debt to buy property and then allowing Compounding to do its work – seems to be a most effective way of creating wealth. But this is definitely not a “Get rich quick scheme”, on the contrary it is a “Get rich slowly” scheme which works most effectively over a 10 to 20 year period. It takes patience and perseverance, but after having spoken to dozens of other property investors, many of whom have become multi millionaires within the space of 10 to 15 years, I am certain that it is worthwhile.

I believe God wants to start shifting the wealth of this world into the hands of Christians, who can plant it back into his kingdom.

Debra Lohrere is the author of books and articles on property investment, how to create financial security and related topics, as well as on subjects of spiritual encouragement. Please visit her homepage http://www.debra.lohrere.com/home.shtml or storefront at http://www.lulu.com/DebraLohrere

The Power of Worship

2006-05-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

Singing praises to God or worshiping him opens up a window to heaven. As your praise reaches the heart of God, it becomes a two way stream of communication. As you touch God with your praise, his Holy Spirit touches you and ministers to you. Praise and worship can also open the door to blessings from God.

We praise God because he is worthy of all praise. He is the maker of Heaven and earth and the entire universe. He has given us life and through his son has saved us from eternal damnation. He loves us completely despite of our short comings and sinful nature.
Probably the best examples of how to worship the Lord can be seen in the life and Psalms of King David.

God described David as “a man after his own heart”. David loved God and God loved David. David had a wonderful musical talent and regularly came before the Lord in songs of love and thanksgiving. He danced and played music to praise God. In (2 Sam 6:14-15) it says
“And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet”. (KJV)

David wrote beautiful words to express his deep devotion and love for God. David actively pursued God, and desired to have a close personal relationship with him. This is demonstrated in (Psa 57:7 –10) where he writes “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations. For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds”. (KJV)

When we praise God we are allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through us directly to our Father in Heaven. The Holy Spirit’s presence can be felt right inside of us and surrounding us as we speak to the Father through him. I have heard many times of healings taking place when people have been worshiping God, and I believe this is because the power of the Holy Spirit comes upon them and ministers to their needs while they are praising God.

There are several different Hebrew words used in the Bible to denote praise and worship. These can be translated into the following English meanings.

Worship - To fall down prostrate (especially reflexively in homage to royalty or God), to bow down, crouch, fall down flat, humbly beseech, make or do obeisance, do reverence or to stoop.
Praise - Literally to use (that is, hold out) the hand; to revere or worship (with extended hands); intensively to bemoan (by wringing the hands): give thanks, rejoice; a celebration of thanksgiving for harvest, to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration) or congratulate.

The main difference between worship and praise is that we worship God for who he is, and praise him for what he has done.

You will see that many of these translations display the theme of humility – of coming before God in subservience and in reverence of his awesome power. We are not praising him as we would a child who has done well, from the viewpoint of someone who is older and wiser – we are to praise him out of our total unworthiness to even be in his presence. In humility we need to grasp the magnitude of his awesome power, love and grace and praise him for them. We need to praise him for loving us despite of how unworthy we are of his love. We need to lift his name on high, not because of who we are, but because of who he is.

The Sabbath Blessing

2006-05-27T19:19:00.001-07:00

In Christian circles, even among those who do believe in keeping the ten commandments, there has still been confusion over the fourth commandment and whether we should be keeping the Sabbath on the seventh day that was ordained, sanctified and made Holy by God at the time of creation.

To be able to develop a close relationship with God, we need to spend quality time with Him. He set aside this day as a special time of communion with Him. It is a time where we can study His Word, and let His Holy Spirit speak to us through it. A time that we can spend in earnest prayer, talking to Him, praising and worshiping Him.

It is also a time that we can look at nature and reflect on all the wonderful creations that He has made. And finally, it is a time that we can spend with fellow believers, to worship together in song and have fellowship with each other, encouraging one another and building up each other’s faith by our testimonies.

God also gave us this special day as a day of rest. In this hectic world with our busy lifestyles it is so easy to get so engrossed in other things that we never have time for God and never have time to just stop all our work and let our bodies recuperate.

Some Christians spend a couple of hours of a Sunday morning attending church, but then the hum drum of the rat race catches up with them and they start doing household chores like mowing lawns. Others go to the footy, or do other secular activities where God is just not a part of it.

With stress related diseases like cancer and heart attacks on the increase every year, the necessity to take a days break, and bask in the presence of our all mighty father in Heaven, has never been so important. We need to spend time with Him to be replenished and rested.

God gave us His Sabbath day as a blessing to all mankind. A day on which we could spend time with Him to get to truly know Him and fellowship with Him. A day on which we do not have to do any work or labour. A day to rest, away from the worries and cares of this world.

God also ordained the seventh day Sabbath as a day in remembrance that He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. The Bible says, Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work…”.

The scriptures also show us the true spirit of the Sabbath. Isaiah 58:13-14 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight..”

This shows that the Sabbath is a delight and a blessing. It is a wonderful day and something to look forward to each week.

All Bible references are from the King James Version.

For more information on this subject please visit http://www.Sabbath-Day.net

The Power of Forgiveness.

2006-05-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

The rules, regulations and principles that God tells us to abide by in the Bible are all there for our own good. They are there to protect us physically, mentally and spiritually.

In the Lord’s Prayer it says, “Forgive us our trespassers as we forgive those who trespass against us”.
Why is forgiveness so important? Why is it essential to our own well being and our spiritual walk?

There are several reasons. Firstly unforgiveness hampers our relationship with God. We are disobeying him if we don’t forgive others, which retards our relationship with him. It also leads to pent up resentment toward the person who has sinned against us. We cannot love God and hate our fellow man, as written (Mat 22:39) “….Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”. Harbouring unforgiveness that keeps us in a state that is other than loving can dampen our spiritual walk.

Secondly unforgiveness can lead to internal emotional turmoil. It means that we are permanently tied to the act of sin against us. We cannot get over it or get release from it, and move on with our lives until we forgive the person and put the consequences of their actions into God’s hands to deal with. Bad things that have been done to us in the past cannot be changed. Having grudges does not help us and does not hurt the person who we hold the grudge against. They have sinned against us and moved on with their life, but we cannot detach ourselves and move on until we give it over to God and forgive them.

Resentment and pent up anger can be extremely damaging both emotionally and also physically. Many illnesses and mental conditions are directly linked to these negative emotions. Unforgiveness can lead to turmoil and torment.

Forgiveness allows our heart to start healing. It is often a slow process, if the emotions have been bottled up for many years.

We need to remember that forgiving someone is showing them mercy that they do not deserve – just as God through sending his son to die for our sins showed that he gave us mercy that we didn’t deserve.

Forgiving others begins the process of alleviating the pain that we have kept hold of, due to the hurt that the other person has caused us. When you start to forgive the pain will start to reduce and eventually go all together.

We do not need the other person to ask for our forgiveness to give it to them. Forgiveness is not really between us and the person who sinned against us it is really between us and God. God makes it clear that it is his job to take ‘vengeance’, not ours.

Forgiveness is not an emotion it is a personal choice, effectively an action that we need to perform. We have to choose to forgive and keep on choosing it. When we do this we cut the ties to the emotional hurts and can begin to heal.

Forgiveness releases us from the bondage of resentment and bitterness and gives us freedom and peace.

Debra Lohrere is the author of “Finding Eternal Peace” and several books on property investment. Please visit her storefront at http://www.lulu.com/DebraLohrere or homepage http://www.debra.lohrere.com/home.shtml

The Power of Prayer

2006-05-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

There are several different types of prayer. In his letter to the Ephesians Paul instructed them to “pray with all types of prayer”. EPH 6:18 says “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints”;

What are the different modes of prayer?

Talking to God – This is the one on one type prayer – where we converse with God to develop our relationship with him. We may ask him to help us in areas that we need spiritual, physical or emotional support. It can often be just a general conversation, like with a beloved friend.

Praise and thanksgiving – This is the earnest, heartfelt prayer where we come before the Lord thanking and praising him for his mighty power and love. We may praise him for all the things he has helped bring us through and for his help in everyday situations.

Requesting God’s Power – This is where we bring a specific need before the Lord and really focus on it and plead for the Lord to help us with it. Where we request his divine intervention and power to be utilised.

Seeking God’s will for our life – This type of prayer requires us to really open up our spirit and seek to hear what God is saying to us. We need to come humbly before him, asking him to use us as a tool for his work – and praying for guidance and wisdom as we seek to follow where his is leading us. We should also ask for discernment and that we won’t be distracted or deterred if the enemy tries to confuse us.

Travailing – This is an intense emotional prayer – where we are praying with all our might for someone else. Bringing them and their needs before the Lord. Asking for a breakthrough in their life or for some specific need to be met.

Spiritual warfare – This is audible prayer where through the authority of Christ and in his name we ‘cut off’ bondages or strongholds in either our own life or for the person we are praying for. This can include prayer to cast out demons from unbelievers. This is a prayer of resistance, not aggression. Jesus said ‘Resist the devil and he will flee’. One should be careful not to say anything insulting to demonic spirits – remember that even the archangel Michael would not ‘rebuke’ Satan. When he was arguing about who would have the body of Moses, Michael did not dare condemn the Devil with insulting words, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!”
This is further clarified in the book of Zechariah where an angel would not rebuke Satan, but left it to the person who had the authority. (Zec 3:2) And the (angel of the) LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” (KJV)

Why is prayer so important?

Prayer not only lets us grow closer to our Father in heaven, but also allows him to release to us and through us his power. In (Jam 5:16) it says “…..The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (KJV)

An effective prayer life can have a huge impact on not only our own individual life, but on the lives of those around us. Through prayer we can have an impact on our local community, our country and the world.

Prayer enables spiritual growth and opens the door for the Lord to impart spiritual power. (Jer 33:3) “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not”. (KJV)

It opens the door for salvations. (Act 2:42) “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers”. (Act 2:47) “Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved”. (KJV)

Prayer opens the way for miracles .(Act 12:5-7) “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands”. (KJV)

We should pray and believe for wisdom. (Jam 1:5-6) “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed”. (KJV)

If you lack boldness ask the Lord to give you it. (Act 4:29-30)

We should always pray with determination and faith, believing for the Lord to do mighty works through us and through those we are praying for. We should always pray in line with the will of God and his word.

Debra Lohrere is the author of books and articles on property investment, creating financial security and related topics, as well as on subjects of spiritual encouragement. Please visit her homepage http://www.debra.lohrere.com/home.shtml or storefront http://www.lulu.com/DebraLohrere

The Sabbath Day Blessing.

2006-05-27T19:17:00.000-07:00

God gave us His Sabbath day as a blessing to all mankind. A day that we could truly get to know and fellowship with Him, and not have to do any work or labour. A day on which to rest, away from the worries and cares of this world.

He also ordained it as a day in remembrance that He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. The scriptures say, Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work… For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it”.

I love this scripture. It shows how important God sees us spending time with Him is.

I was a Sunday keeping Christian for most of my life, until the Holy Spirit impressed on me nearly 12 months ago, that I should be keeping the seventh day – the one that He sanctified and hallowed and made holy. It was a huge change, and I wrestled with God for some time over it, but now I look forward in anticipation to every Sabbath – where I can spend quality time with Him and in fellowship with other believers. The Sabbath truly is a blessing from God.

For more info on the Sabbath visit Sabbath-Day.net

The Christian Sabbath.

2006-05-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

God sanctified the seventh day Sabbath as a day in remembrance that He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. The Bible says, Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work…”.

So if God ordained Sunset Friday to Sunset Saturday, the seventh day as the Sabbath, why do most Christians go to Church on Sunday?

Who changed the day to Sunday, and when? Did Jesus? Is it spoken of in the scriptures? Was there a new commandment written to amend the fourth commandment after Jesus died? Do we keep Sunday in honor of his resurrection?

It has been firmly established by numerous historians and theologians that the books of Matthew and Luke were written between 60 and 80 AD. This means that if the Sabbath had changed to Sunday after Jesus death, then it should have been recorded by these Bible writers. Instead though we see that rather than inform us of any change to the day, Luke instead he states in Luke 23:56, “…And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.”

Jesus Himself in His prophecy about the destruction of the temple, which occurred in about 70 AD, when He was talking to His Disciples said Matthew 24:20, “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.” This shows conclusively that Jesus knew that the Sabbath would still be in existence many years after the cross.

Historians also confirm that the seventh day Sabbath was kept by both Jews and Gentiles, until around 120 AD. At this time the persecution of the Jews became so great that many Christians in some areas decided to start keeping Sunday, so as to try to differentiate themselves from the Jews, who were still faithfully keeping the Sabbath of the Lord. Some Christians began to use the excuse that it was in honor of the resurrection, as there was no scriptural basis for this change. At that time Christians in areas outside the Roman empire continued to keep the true seventh day Sabbath of God.

In 321 A.D. Constantine, who was a pagan, became Caesar in Rome. As he began to see the balance of power shift from paganism to the Church he passed the first law enforcing Sunday worship in 321 AD. Sunday of course was the day that the pagans kept holy in their worship of the Sun god. Two years after passing this law Constantine joined the Roman Catholic Church and began mingling paganism with Christianity. The pagans were very involved with idolatry, so he took many of the statues of their gods and gave them Christian names, like St Peter and Mary. It was well after 400 AD before Sunday eventually took on the name of the Lord’s Day.

In many documents, papers and books written by the Roman Catholic Church, they openly take credit for moving the sanctity of the Seventh day Sabbath to Sunday, by their own authority, which they believe is above that of the scriptures. Here are some examples.

"Protestants...accept Sunday rather than Saturday as the day for public worship after the Catholic Church made the change...But the Protestant mind does not seem to realize that...In observing the Sunday, they are accepting the authority of the spokesman for the church, the Pope." Our Sunday Visitor , February 15, 1950.
"From this we may understand how great is the authority of the church in interpreting or explaining to us the commandments of God - an authority which is acknowledged by the universal practice of the whole Christian world, even of those sects which profess to take the holy Scriptures as their sole rule of faith, since they observe as the day of rest not the seventh day of the week demanded by the Bible, but the first day. Which we know is to be kept holy, only from the tradition and teaching of the Catholic church." Henry Gibson, Catechism Made Easy, # 2, 9th edition, vol. 1, p. 341-342.
"It was the Catholic church which...has transferred this rest to Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord. Therefore the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the (Catholic) church." Monsignor Louis Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, p. 213.
"Sunday is our mark or authority...the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact." Catholic Record of London , Ontario, September 1, 1923.

“The authority of the church could therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the Church had changed...the Sabbath into Sunday, not by command of Christ, but by its own authority.” Canon and Tradition, p. 263.

So it seems that if Christians keep the Sabbath on the seventh day, we are following the commandment of God, but if we keep Sunday, we are following the traditions of man. Does that really matter?

The Bible says in Mark 7:6-9 “Jesus answered them, “How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you! You are hypocrites, just as he wrote: ‘These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me. It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach human rules as though they were my laws!’ “You put aside God's command and obey human teachings.” And Jesus continued, “You have a clever way of rejecting God's law in order to uphold your own teaching.”
It seems clear that Jesus wanted us to stand firm on the teachings of the scriptures, and not on any religious traditions instituted by man.

All Bible references are from the King James Version.

For more information on this subject please visit http://www.GodsBibleTruth.com

Are there only Nine Commandments?

2006-05-11T05:38:00.001-07:00

One of the most controversial subjects among Christians today, is whether or not the Ten Commandments are still valid today. While many concede that Nine of them are still valid, but the 4th one concerning keeping of the Sabbath on the day ordained and sanctified by God is no longer necessary, some even go as far as to say that all Ten have been abolished and that we are now “Under Grace not the Law”.

How do these view points line up biblically?

Perhaps the best place to start is at the very beginning. After all it was at the time of creation that God implemented the Sabbath day, as a memorial to his wondrous work. The bible says, Gen 2:2-3 “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made”.

When Moses was given the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, the fourth Commandment was written stating Exo 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it”. Using the word “remember” reiterated the fact that the Sabbath was already in existence, it was not created when the Ten Commandments were written as many seem to think.

What the people who are today of the view that none of the Commandments are valid anymore seem to fail to recognize is the fact that they are all about Love. The first four show us how to love God, and the last six how to love our fellow man.

For those who have forgotten them, here is a quick rundown of the Ten Commandments:

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image…….
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy………
5. Honour thy father and thy mother:…….
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

It is easy to see from looking at these Commandments that they were all implemented for our own benefit. They show so beautifully how we should treat God (with all reverence and love) and how we should treat everyone else. How much better and safer would this world be if everyone obeyed these wonderful rules? There would be no more murders, rapes, robberies, unwanted pregnancies etc.

To obey these Commandments is the real test of our love for God. This is why they are so necessary in the experience of a true believer. Jam 2:20 “Faith without works is dead.” Jesus said, Mat 7:21 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”. Words and profession are not enough. The true evidence is our obedience.
I think the strongest evidence there is about the validity today of these Commandments is the words of our Lord Jesus himself. He said, John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

One of the most powerful texts in the Bible on this subject is found in 1 John 2:4. “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” John could write this with such assurance because it is one of the most deeply established truths in the Bible. Jesus spoke of those who said, “Lord, Lord,” but did not do the will of the Father. He then described many who would seek entrance to the kingdom claiming to be workers of miracles in the name of Christ. But He would sorrowfully have to say, Mat 7:21-23. “I never knew you: depart from me.” This is serious because Jesus is saying is “Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven”. God’s grace does not cover deliberate disobedience, because this shows that there was no genuine repentance of our sinful act, because had there been, we would not have kept on doing it.

To know Christ is to love Him, and to love Him is to obey Him. The valid assumption of the Bible writers is quite clear and simple: If you are not obeying Christ, you don’t love Christ. And if you don’t love the Master, then you don’t know Him. So we can see that knowing and loving and obeying are all tied closely together and are absolutely inseparable in the life of God's faithful people. The beloved disciple John summed it up in these words: 1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”
All Bible references are from the King James Version.

http://www.godsbibletruth.com

Spending a day with God.

2006-05-11T05:38:00.000-07:00

To be able to develop a close relationship with God, we need to spend quality time with Him. We need to study His Word, and let His Holy Spirit speak to us through it. We require time to spend in earnest prayer, talking to Him, praising and worshiping Him. We need time to look at nature and reflect on all the wonderful creations that He has made. And finally, we need time to spend with fellow believers, to worship together in song and have fellowship with each other, encouraging one another and building up each other’s faith by our testimonies.

In this hectic world with our busy lifestyles it is so easy to get so engrossed in other things that we never have time for God. Some of us may spend a couple of hours of a Sunday morning attending church, but then the hum drum of the rat race catches up with us, and we find ourselves mowing lawns, going to the footy, or off doing other secular activities where God is just not a part of it.

With stress related diseases such as heart attack and cancer on the increase every year, the necessity to take a days break, and bask in the presence of our mighty father in Heaven, has never been so important. We need to be replenished and rested, so that our bodies have time to recuperate.

God gave us His Sabbath day as a blessing to all mankind. A day that we could truly get to know and fellowship with Him, and not have to do any work or labour. A day on which to rest, away from the worries and cares of this world. He also ordained it as a day in remembrance that He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. The scriptures say, Exo 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it”.

The Bible shows the true spirit of the Sabbath. Isaiah 58:13-14 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight..” It shows that the Sabbath is a delight. It is a wonderful day and something to look forward to each week.

All Bible references are from the King James Version.
For more information on this topic, please visit: http://www.godssabbath.com

The Law of Love.

2006-05-11T05:37:00.001-07:00

In the book of Mathew it says, Mat 22:37-40 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”.

When Jesus quoted these two commandments He was not giving a ‘new’ law to replace the Ten Commandments of God, He was in fact quoting an Old Testament scripture on the importance of keeping the Ten Commandments. Deu 6:5-8 “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: … And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes”.

Jesus was reinforcing the sentiment that the Ten Commandments were a law of love. The first four commandments showed us how to love God, and the last six how to love our fellow man. This is why He said, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”.

Another verse showing the nature of the Ten Commandments is John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love”.

Paul wrote Rom 13:8 “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law”.

James showed that we should view the law as a law of liberty, like a mirror that shows us our sinful nature. Jam 2:11-12 “For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” He goes on and shows more importantly that we need to seek to follow the law to the best of our ability. He demonstrated that even though we are saved through Grace, it does not mean that we can be disobedient to the law of God. He says we cannot be saved by faith alone – because the result of true faith will be seen in our actions (works), by the life we are leading. Jam 2:13 “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone”. This shows that in New Testament times it is still important to keep the ten rules of love that God laid down for the benefit of mankind.

God’s Ten Commandments truly are His ten magnificent rules of love. They show how to love Him and people, but the fourth commandment, the Sabbath, is perhaps the real test of Love. The other nine say what not to do, but the Sabbath tells us what we should do to demonstrate our love and obedience to God. He has told us to devote every seventh day to Him. He instituted this at the beginning of the world, as both a memorial to His creation and a time for man to commune with Him.

Jesus and His disciples all faithfully kept the Sabbath day their entire lives, and Jesus made it clear that there would be no changes to the law, or the day to keep the Sabbath on when He said, Mat 5:18 “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled”.

All Bible references are from the King James Version.
For more information on this topic, please visit: http://www.gods10Commandments.com

Were the Ten Commandments Abolished?

2006-05-11T05:37:00.000-07:00

In Colossians 2:16 it reads “Let no man therefore judge you in meat (offering), or in drink (offering), or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days:”. Many people who have read this verse out of context have concluded that this means that the fourth Commandment, which says “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy….”. was abolished at the cross.

Is this really what the Bible is teaching? What do the preceding verses say? Can they shed any light on the validity of this conclusion?

Colossians 2:14 states, “blotting out the handwriting (the only laws written by hand were the ceremonial laws, written by Moses -) of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.”

The ceremonial and sacrificial law was a rigorous system of rites and ceremonies and feasts that were put in place as a shadow of things to come. They pointed to the coming of the Messiah. Whenever an animal was sacrificed and it’s blood was shed, it served as a reminder to the onlookers that someday a Saviour would come and die for their sins. The ceremonial law was symbolically placed in the side of the Ark of the Covenant, to show that it was temporary, and ‘against’ the people. The Ten Commandment law on the other hand, was written in stone by the finger of God, and placed inside the Ark of the Covenant, symbolising its eternal nature.

Luke further clarifies that there is a distinction between the Ten Commandment and Ceremonial laws. Luke 1:6 “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”

James described the Ten Commandment law as a “law of liberty”.

Jesus showed that they were a law of love. John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love”.

As well as being about love, the first four showing us how to love God, and the last six how to love our fellow man, the Ten Commandments also depict aspects of the character of God. In many places the same words are used to describe the nature of God and the nature of the law. For example:

Romans 16:26: God is Eternal - Psalm 111:7-8: The law is Eternal
John 4:24: God is Spiritual - Romans 7:14: The law is Spiritual
Psalm 145:17: God is Righteous - Psalm 119:172: The law is Righteous
Matthew 5:48: God is Perfect - Psalm 19:7: The law is Perfect
Luke 18:19: God is Good - Romans 7:12: The law is Good
Deuteronomy 32:4: God is Just - Romans 7:12: The law is Just
1 John 3:3: God is Pure - Psalms 19:8: The law is Pure
I John 4:8: God is Love - Romans 13:10: The law is Love
I John 1:5: God is Light - Proverbs 6:23: The law is Light
Psalms 48:1: God is Great - Hosea 8:12: The law is Great
Deuteronomy 32:4: God is Truth - Psalm 119:142: The law is Truth
Isaiah 5:16: God is Holy - Romans 7:12: The law is Holy

It seems obvious from the very nature of both the Ten Commandment law and the ordinances, that it was only the Ordinances that were made obsolete at the cross, through the death and resurrection of our Lord.

The Ten Commandments remain as an eternal law of love. Jesus Himself said about the commandment law. Mat 5:18 “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled”.

All Bible references are from the King James Version.
For more information on this topic, please visit http://www.colossians2-16.com

Did the Sabbath change to Sunday?

2006-05-11T05:35:00.001-07:00

In over 105 languages Saturday translates to Sabbath. In Italy it is called Sabbato, in Russia Subbota, in Portugal Sabbado, in Spain Sabado and in Poland Sobota. All of these names mean “Sabbath” or “rest day” in the various languages.

The fourth commandment of the Bible says Exo 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God…”

So if Saturday, or more accurately Sunset Friday to Sunset Saturday, is the true Sabbath of the Lord, then why do people go to church on Sunday?

Who changed the day to Sunday, and when? Did Jesus? Do we keep Sunday in honour of his resurrection?

It has been established by many historians and theologians that the books of Matthew and Luke were written between 60 and 80 AD. Luke does not tell us of a day change, but instead he states in Luke 23:56, “…And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.”

Jesus also showed that the Sabbath would still be kept after the cross when He was talking to the Disciples about the forthcoming destruction of the temple in about 70 AD. Jesus says in Matthew 24:20, “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.”

Historians also confirm that the seventh day Sabbath was kept by Jews and Gentiles alike, until about 120 AD when the persecution of the Jews for Sabbath keeping became so great that many Christians decided to start keeping Sunday, so as to distance themselves from the Jews. Some began using the excuse that it was in honour of the resurrection, as there was no biblical basis for the change.

In 321 A.D. Constantine, who was a pagan, became Caesar in Rome and when he began to see the balance of power shift from paganism to the Church he passed the first law enforcing Sunday worship in 321 AD. Two years later he joined the Roman Catholic Church and began mingling paganism and Christianity. It was well after 400 AD before Sunday eventually took on the name of the Lord’s Day.

In many papers and documents the Roman Catholic Church openly take credit for moving the sanctity of the Seventh day Sabbath to Sunday, by their own authority, which they say is above that of the scriptures.

“The authority of the church could therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the Church had changed...the Sabbath into Sunday, not by command of Christ, but by its own authority.” Canon and Tradition, p. 263.

So it seems that if we keep the Sabbath on the seventh day, we are following God’s commandment, but if we keep Sunday, we are following the traditions of man. Does that really matter?

The Bible says in Mark 7:6-9 “Jesus answered them, “How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you! You are hypocrites, just as he wrote: ‘These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me. It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach human rules as though they were my laws!’ “You put aside God's command and obey human teachings.” And Jesus continued, “You have a clever way of rejecting God's law in order to uphold your own teaching.”

All Bible references are from the King James Version.

For more information on this topic, please visit http://www.godssabbathtruth.com

Is the Seventh day really the Sabbath?

2006-05-11T05:35:00.000-07:00

The Bible tells us that God implemented the Sabbath day, at the time of creation as a memorial to his wondrous work. It says, Gen 2:2-3 “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made”.

This shows clearly that at the beginning of time the seventh day was the day set apart by God as His Sabbath. This was later reiterated on Mount Sinai when He wrote the Ten Commandments in stone and gave them to Moses. The fourth commandment plainly states Exo 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it”.

This means that in Moses time the Sabbath day was still the seventh day, but did it change after the cross?

Undoubtedly a lot of things changed when Christ died and was resurrected. All of the old Jewish ordinances, with their feasts, fast days, sacrifices and ceremonies (which had been written by Moses in his handwriting and placed in the side of the Ark of the covenant) were abolished. They were no longer necessary as they had all been pointing to the coming of the Messiah, and with His one perfect sacrifice that allowed forgiveness of sins for all time through grace, they were no longer needed. However Jesus never said anything to in any way even imply that the Sabbath day would be changed or altered, and in fact if He had, He would have been contradicting what he had previously said about the Law of God, which included the Sabbath commandment, and that was Mat 5:18 “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled”.

Why does God want us to keep the Sabbath, and how do we do it?

The biblical Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday night and ends at sunset on Saturday. The Bible describes how to keep it as follows. Isaiah 58:13-14 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight...not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth…” This means we are not to do any kind of real work on the Sabbath like our normal occupation, personal business, housework or any laborious activity. Of course, preparing or cleaning up after a light meal would be all right as we find a number of occasions when Jesus enjoyed a Sabbath meal with others. He never condemned acts of hospitality on the Sabbath (see Luke 14:1-6). Since Jesus said in Matthew 12:10-12 “…it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath”, such as healing the sick or rescuing an animal, obviously performing medical services is fine.

The point of the Sabbath is that, whatever we do, God must be an intrinsic part of it. Taking a walk with your family through a natural setting is a wonderful way to get in touch with God who made the beautiful creations we see. To keep the Sabbath in the true spirit, we have to focus our minds on God and those things He wants us to be concerned with during His holy time. Then, as God promised, we will be truly blessed. As it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath, it is a great time to make encouraging phone calls or visit the sick. The Sabbath is also a Leviticus 23:3 “…sabbath of rest, an holy convocation” and is an ideal time for worship services. When we fellowship with others in whom God dwells, we are also fellowshipping with Him (see 1 John 1:3, 7). We should view the Sabbath as a very special day, a period when we can take time to deeply study and thoughtfully analyse the scriptures. It is a time when we can sit quietly, meditating over and contemplating the truly big issues of life and eternity. In addition, the Sabbath is the perfect time for heartfelt prayer to our Father in heaven to commune with and worship Him, to get to know Him intimately. This is why we can call God’s Sabbath a delight.
All Bible references are from the King James Version.

For more information on this topic, please visit http://www.seventh-day-sabbath.com

What’s the difference between Ordinances and Commandments?

2006-05-11T05:33:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a lot of confusion among Christians about the need to follow the Ten Commandment law of God. Many have been unable to differentiate between the ceremonial law, also called the Ordinances, that were done away with at the cross, and the Ten Commandments, which are eternal. This misunderstanding has led some to conclude that all Ten of the Commandments have been abolished and that we are now “Under Grace not the Law”.

What actually did change at the cross? Were all of the commandments and ordinances abolished? Can we now commit any actions we desire and have them not called sin? The Bible, after all, defines sin as transgressing of the law. As ludicrous as this sounds, many are today preaching that we no longer have to keep the Ten Commandments. This implies that murdering, stealing, committing adultery etc are all okay. They may say in response to such an argument that we should only keep the laws of the land – a view that would explain why over 50% of Christian marriages are today ending in divorce and sex before marriage and adultery are almost as common among Christians, as they are in the secular world.

We need to be able to distinguish between the ceremonial law that was given to the Jews to follow until the coming of the Messiah, and the Ten Commandment law, which God wrote in stone, as an eternal covenant between Himself and man.

All of the ordinances (ceremonial law) were written in Moses’ handwriting and were placed in a pocket at the side of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ten Commandments were written in stone and placed inside the Ark. The Ceremonial law included many special feasts and Holy days, which were all a representation of the work that Christ would do.

The Ceremonial Law, with its sacrificial system, pointed the people to the coming of the Messiah. Every time an animal was sacrificed and it’s blood was shed in the old Jewish temple, it was a reminder to the onlookers that someday a Saviour would come and die for their sins. Hence, John the Baptist pointed to our Lord Jesus Christ and declared, “Behold the Lamb of God”.
When Jesus died on Calvary’s cross, the veil of the great temple curtain was torn from top to bottom, signifying that the entire ceremonial and sacrificial system was forever finished. No longer did the priests have any need to offer up sacrifices. The One great and perfect Sacrifice was offered that day, when the true Passover Lamb bowed His head and died. When He cried out, “It is finished”, the old Ceremonial Law, that pointed the people to His sacrificial death, was nailed to the cross.

This had also been foretold in Bible prophecy by the prophet Daniel, over six hundred years before the birth of Christ. He wrote Dan 9:27 “And He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (seven literal years, according to prophetic terms): and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease…”.

In relation to the Ten Commandment law, Jesus Himself said Mat 5:18 “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled”.

All Bible references are from the King James Version.

A site with more information on this subject is http://www.ceremoniallaw.com