Hello God, I called tonight
To talk a little while
I need a friend who'll listen
To my anxiety and trial.
You see, I can't quite make it
Through a day just on my own...
I need your love to guide me,
So I'll never feel alone.
I want to ask you please to keep,
My family safe and sound.
Come and fill their lives with confidence
For whatever fate they're bound.
Give me faith, dear God, to face
Each hour throughout the day,
And not to worry over things
I can't change in any way.
I thank you God, for being home
And listening to my call,
For giving me such good advice
When I stumble and fall.. !!!!!!!
Your number, God, is the only one
That answers every time.
I never get a busy signal,
Never had to pay a dime.
So thank you, God, for listening
To my troubles and my sorrow.
Good night, God, I love You, too,
And I'll call again tomorrow!
P.S. Please bless all my friends and family too.
" Pleasant Words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones"... Proverbs 16:24
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled by
Psalms 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Proverbs 30:4 ...who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
John 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
John 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
From the time of the Old Testament, Israel was looking for her Messiah, and when he came, those that were ready found him. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Israel, the anointed one and God manifested in the flesh. He came to earth to die for our sins so that we could be reconciled to God.
All of the early church was Jewish. It was at the conversion of Cornelius (a Gentile) in the book of Acts that the Jews understood that our God is no respecter of persons and has opened the doors of eternal life to the Gentile as well.
The Bible teaches that all the prophets give witness of Jesus Christ (ref. Acts 10:43). The following Messianic prophesies were made hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years before the Lord Jesus Christ was born. Jesus Christ is the only person who has ever walked this earth that has fulfilled these prophesies. Looking for anyone else to fulfill these prophecies is an exercise in futility--a dangerous one because if you die in this deception, you will have no opportunity for recovery. Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Israel and he is the Son of David. His geneaology can be found in Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke chapter 3:23-38. [You can find an online Authorized Bible (as well as free Bible downloads and an overview of the Bible) here.]
Although many rabbis (see Matt 23:8) have strenuously tried for centuries to stop their own people from loving their Messiah, some Jewish people are still getting saved and safe. Unfortunately, many "Messianic" Jewish congregations have sprouted up teaching a confusing mixture of Judaism, dispensationalism, and the gospel. This is not good. In fact, it is horrible. Christ came to make Jew and Gentile one in his word. There is a great heresy that has gained much strength all over the world--that Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians are to remain forever separate. This heresy says that Israel is separate from the church. This is a very great heresy easily refuted by application of the scriptures.
I have long desired the opportunity to be able to worship with my Jewish brothers and sisters, the children of Abraham, in the truth. That lump is holy (Romans 11) . God has not cast away his people which he foreknew, they will be saved--but only under gospel terms. They will believe in their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, and will stop denying him.
A pack of wolves has taught that Jewish people do not need to be converted to Jesus--as if the Jews or anybody else could make it into the kingdom of God without forgiveness and without the blood of Jesus. And not only that, but as if the Jews could actually deny the Holy One of Israel, their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, and make it into God's heaven. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew (ref. Romans 11:2), but it must be understood that God's chosen people are those that believe the truth (ref. 2 Thessalonians 2:13). Ignore false prophets and teachers and set your eyes on the words of the scriptures. In Deuteronomy 18, Moses told Israel that God was going to raise up a Prophet from amongst them and that Israel was to listen to him. That Prophet is the Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament Messianic prophecies about Jesus Christ abound, but false prophets say that the Jews can be saved without hearkening to their own prophets. Do not listen to them. Listen to the scriptures. The Jewish people need the blood of Jesus just like us Gentiles. That great prophet and high priest of our profession, the Son of David and Messiah of Israel said--
John 14:6 ...I am the way, the truth, and the life: NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME.
There is only one way to come to God and that is through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jewish people need to be saved. They are not saved just because they are Jewish. One Jewish man told me that he should be okay before God because he was Jewish. He was wrong.
Matthew 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Being Jewish is not enough.
Judaism
Rabbis today may claim that they are followers of Moses. But is this true? In the books of Moses, God required the blood of select beasts to atone for sin. Without blood, there is no atonement.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
What have the rabbis been doing for the souls of the Jewish people for almost 2000 years? One thing is for sure--they have not been making atonement for their souls based on the law of Moses. The rabbis have not been shedding blood for the souls of their people. God's prescription for atonement was not good advice, prayers, Hebrew school, a following, and a kind look on your face. It was the blood of specific beasts, shed in a prescribed manner by specially selected persons (the Levitical priesthood) as outlined in the books of Moses. For almost 2000 years, this atonement has not occurred, nor should it. The Jewish temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD--not long after the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who was sacrificed for the sins of the world that we might receive remission of our sins (And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. Hebrews 9:22). There was no more need for the temple. It has served its use. With the destruction of the temple, there was an end of the sacrificial system of Moses. Israel was forced to stop shedding blood.
After the great work accomplished on the cross of Calvary by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the blood of bulls and goats was no longer needed nor accepted by God. Now God only accepts the blood of Jesus that was shed on Calvary's cross. That is why the rabbis have no temple and no blood. God is pleased with the blood of Jesus and that is it. While the Lord Jesus Christ was on the earth, the God the Father testified, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17; 17:5). That one time sacrifice that satisfied him and pleased him was accomplished. Now it was--and is--time for the people to believe on, worship and love and serve the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Messiah, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the King of Israel.
The blood of bulls and of goats could never take away sins (Heb 10:11)--that inefficacy is why the Levitical priesthood had to keep on offering them over and over again. When the Son of God, however, was offered, it was a one time act. Before he died, the Lord Jesus Christ said, "It is finished." Three days later he rose from the dead as it was not possible that he should be holden by death (Acts 2:24). He arose and is now seated on the right hand of God and ever liveth to make intercession for his people.
God gave Israel the blood of Jesus. That is why the temple was destroyed in 70 AD never to rise up again. The Old Testament system of animal sacrifice was over. The slaying of those Old Testament beasts was a picture of the great work that the Lord Jesus Christ would accomplish on Calvary when he shed his blood for the sins of the world.
But what have the rabbis and elders been doing all these years? Instead of pointing the way to the Messiah, it seems that the rabbis have used all of their power to keep their own people from loving Jesus, the Lamb of God, the Son of David, the Messiah, who was slain for the sins of the world. They have zealously followed the same policy of hinderance that the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, scribes, and lawyers followed--
Luke 11:52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.
God rebuked the rulers of Jerusalem in Isaiah 28:14-19 and prophesied of that precious corner stone that was going to come to the earth and take over. For those that do not know, that cornerstone is none other than our precious Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ--
Isaiah 28:14-19 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.
Today's rabbis offer no blood for the nation of Israel. Judaism is clearly not the religion of Moses, it is something else--it is essentially the tradition of the elders that the Lord Jesus Christ condemned (ref. Matt 15:3-9; Mark 7:5-13). Today, horrible made-up man-made tradition is found in written form in the blasphemous Talmud and Misnah. I do not advise anyone to read what these documents say about our precious Lord Jesus Christ even though we have at least one report about this on this website written by a Jewish brother, including portions of the Talmud. In speaking to the Jewish religious leaders, our Lord said this about the tradition of men--
Mark 7:6 ...Well hath Esaias [Isaiah] prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Mark 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Mark 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
Mark 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
Mark 7:10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:
Mark 7:11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.
Mark 7:12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
Mark 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
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The refusal of the Messiah by the Jewish leaders, the Lord Jesus Christ, is a fulfillment of prophecy--
Psalms 118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
Psalms 118:23 This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.
The New Covenant
In times past, God spoke unto the fathers by the prophets--like Moses--but in these last days he has spoken unto us by his Son.
Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
In Deuteronomy 18:15-16, Moses told Israel that God was going to raise up a Prophet from amongst their brethren that would be like himself a mediator between the people and God. The prophesy is then repeated from God's perspective in verses 17-19 accompanied by a warning--
Deuteronomy 18:17 And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
Deuteronomy 18:18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
Deuteronomy 18:19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
The Lord Jesus Christ did not come to destroy the law and the prophets, he came to fulfill what was written. He is that great Prophet.
Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Matthew 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.
The Lord Jesus Christ ushered in the new covenant spoken of by Jeremiah the prophet in Jeremiah 31:31-34--
Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a NEW covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Jeremiah 31:32 NOT according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jeremiah 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
If that first covenant with Moses had been faultless, then there would be no need for the new covenant that Jeremiah spoke of (ref. Heb 8:7). When God spoke of a new covenant, he made the first one old--
Hebrews 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Jesus Christ is the mediator of that new, better, everlasting covenant established upon better promises.
Hebrews 12:24 ...Jesus the mediator of the new covenant...
Hebrews 8:6 ...he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
Hebrews 13:20 ...our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant...
As you examine the scriptures on this page, see what the prophets prophesied concerning our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Read Isaiah 53 which clearly reveals Jesus Christ as our sin bearer. This is irrefutable. The Lord Jesus Christ was wounded for OUR transgressions. He was bruised for OUR iniquities. The chastisement of OUR peace was upon him; and with HIS stripes we are HEALED and ready for God's heaven. Hallelujah for the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world.
Fulfilled Messianic Prophecy Old Testament Scripture New Testament
Born in Bethlehem Micah 5:2 Matthew 2:5-6
His pre-existence Micah 5:2 John 1:1, 14
Born of the seed of a woman Genesis 3:15 Matthew 1:18
Of the seed of Abraham Genesis 12:3 Matthew 1:1-16
All nations blessed by Abraham's seed Genesis 12:3 Matthew 8:5, 10
God would provide Himself a Lamb as an offering Genesis 22:8 John 1:29
From the tribe of Judah Genesis 49:10 Matthew 1:1-3
Heir to the throne of David Isaiah 9:6-7 Matthew 1:1
Called "The mighty God, The everlasting Father" Isaiah 9:6 Matthew 1:23
Born in Bethlehem Micah 5:2 Matthew 2:1
Born of a virgin Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:18
His name called Immanuel, "God with us" Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:23
Declared to be the Son of God Psalm 2:7 Matthew 3:17
His messenger before Him in spirit of Elijah Malachi 4:5-6 Luke 1:17
Preceded by a messenger to prepare His way Malachi 3:1 Matthew 11:7-11
Messenger crying "Prepare ye the way of the Lord" Isaiah 40:3 Matthew 3:3
Would be a Prophet of the children of Israel Deuteronomy 18:15 Matthew 2:15
Called out of Egypt Hosea 11:1 Matthew 2:15
Slaughter of the children Jeremiah 31:15 Matthew2:18
Brought light to Zabulon & Nephthalm, Galilee of the Gentiles Isaiah 9:1-2 Matthew 4:15
Presented with gifts Psalm 72:10 Matthew 2:1, 11
Rejected by His own Isaiah 53:3 Matthew 21:42; Mark 8:31, 12:10; Luke 9:22, 17:25
He is the stone which the builders rejected which became the head of the corner Psalm 118:22-23; Isaiah 28:16 Matthew 21:42; I Peter 2:7
A stone of stumbling to Israel Isaiah 8:14-15 I Peter 2:8
He entered Jerusalem as a king riding on an ass Zechariah 9:9 Matthew 21:5
Betrayed by a friend Psalms 41:9 John 13:21
Sold for 30 pieces of silver Zechariah 11:12 Matthew 26:15; Luke 22:5
The 30 pieces of silver given for the potter's field Zechariah 11:12 Matthew 27:9-10
The 30 pieces of silver thrown in the temple Zechariah 11:13 Matthew 27:5
Forsaken by His disciples Zechariah 13:7 Matthew 26:56
Accused by false witnesses Psalm 35:11 Matthew 26:60
Silent to accusations Isaiah 53:7 Matthew 27:14
Heal blind/deaf/lame/dumb Isaiah 35:5-6; Isaiah 29:18 Matthew 11:5
Preached to the poor/brokenhearted/captives Isaiah 61:1 Matthew 11:5
Came to bring a sword, not peace Micah 7:6 Matthew 10:34-35
He bore our sickness Isaiah 53:4 Matthew 8:16-17
Spat upon, smitten and scourged Isaiah 50:6, 53:5 Matthew 27:26, 30
Smitten on the cheek Micah 5:1 Matthew 27:30
Hated without a cause Psalm 35:19 Matthew 27:23
The sacrificial lamb Isaiah 53:5 John 1:29
Given for a covenant Isaiah 42:6; Jeremiah 31:31-34 Romans 11:27/Galatians 3:17, 4:24/Hebrews 8:6, 8, 10; 10:16, 29; 12:24; 13:20
Would not strive or cry Isaiah 42:2-3 Mark 7:36
People would hear not and see not Isaiah 6:9-10 Matthew 13:14-15
People trust in traditions of men Isaiah 29:13 Matthew 15:9
People give God lip service Isaiah 29:13 Matthew 15:8
God delights in Him Isaiah 42:1 Matthew 3:17, 17:5
Wounded for our sins Isaiah 53:5 John 6:51
He bore the sins of many Isaiah 53:10-12 Mark 10:45
Messiah not killed for Himself Daniel 9:26 Matthew 20:28
Gentiles flock to Him Isaiah 55:5, 60:3, 65:1; Malachi 1:11;
II Samuel 22:44-45; Psalm 2:7-8 Matthew 8:10
Crucified with criminals Isaiah 53:12 Matthew 27:35
His body was pierced Zechariah 12:10; Ps. 22:16 John 20:25, 27
Thirsty during execution Psalm 22:16 John 19:28
Given vinegar and gall for thirst Psalm 69:21 Matthew 27:34
Soldiers cast lots for his garment Psalm 22:18 Matthew 27:35
People mocked, "He trusted in God, let him deliver him." Psalm 22:7-8 Matthew 27:43
People sat there looking at Him Psalm 22:17 Matthew 27:36
Cried, "My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?" Psalm 22:1 Matthew 27:46
Darkness over the land Amos 8:9 Matthew 27:45
No bones broken Psalm 34:20, Numbers 9:12 John 19:33-36
Side pierced Zechariah 12:10 John 19:34
Buried with the rich Isaiah 53:9 Matthew 27:57, 60
Resurrected from the dead Psalm 16:10-11; 49:15 Mark 16:6
Priest after the order of Melchizedek Psalm 110:4 Hebrews 5:5-6; 6:20; 7:15-17
Ascended to right hand of God Psalm 68:18 Luke 24:51
LORD said unto Him, "Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool Psalm 110:1 Matt 22:44; Mark 12:36;, 16:19; Luke 20:42-43; Acts 2:34-35; Hebrews 1:13
His coming glory Malachi 3:2-3 Luke 3:17
Over 300 Messianic Prophecies
Proverbs 30:4 ...who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
John 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
John 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
From the time of the Old Testament, Israel was looking for her Messiah, and when he came, those that were ready found him. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Israel, the anointed one and God manifested in the flesh. He came to earth to die for our sins so that we could be reconciled to God.
All of the early church was Jewish. It was at the conversion of Cornelius (a Gentile) in the book of Acts that the Jews understood that our God is no respecter of persons and has opened the doors of eternal life to the Gentile as well.
The Bible teaches that all the prophets give witness of Jesus Christ (ref. Acts 10:43). The following Messianic prophesies were made hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years before the Lord Jesus Christ was born. Jesus Christ is the only person who has ever walked this earth that has fulfilled these prophesies. Looking for anyone else to fulfill these prophecies is an exercise in futility--a dangerous one because if you die in this deception, you will have no opportunity for recovery. Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Israel and he is the Son of David. His geneaology can be found in Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke chapter 3:23-38. [You can find an online Authorized Bible (as well as free Bible downloads and an overview of the Bible) here.]
Although many rabbis (see Matt 23:8) have strenuously tried for centuries to stop their own people from loving their Messiah, some Jewish people are still getting saved and safe. Unfortunately, many "Messianic" Jewish congregations have sprouted up teaching a confusing mixture of Judaism, dispensationalism, and the gospel. This is not good. In fact, it is horrible. Christ came to make Jew and Gentile one in his word. There is a great heresy that has gained much strength all over the world--that Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians are to remain forever separate. This heresy says that Israel is separate from the church. This is a very great heresy easily refuted by application of the scriptures.
I have long desired the opportunity to be able to worship with my Jewish brothers and sisters, the children of Abraham, in the truth. That lump is holy (Romans 11) . God has not cast away his people which he foreknew, they will be saved--but only under gospel terms. They will believe in their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, and will stop denying him.
A pack of wolves has taught that Jewish people do not need to be converted to Jesus--as if the Jews or anybody else could make it into the kingdom of God without forgiveness and without the blood of Jesus. And not only that, but as if the Jews could actually deny the Holy One of Israel, their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, and make it into God's heaven. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew (ref. Romans 11:2), but it must be understood that God's chosen people are those that believe the truth (ref. 2 Thessalonians 2:13). Ignore false prophets and teachers and set your eyes on the words of the scriptures. In Deuteronomy 18, Moses told Israel that God was going to raise up a Prophet from amongst them and that Israel was to listen to him. That Prophet is the Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament Messianic prophecies about Jesus Christ abound, but false prophets say that the Jews can be saved without hearkening to their own prophets. Do not listen to them. Listen to the scriptures. The Jewish people need the blood of Jesus just like us Gentiles. That great prophet and high priest of our profession, the Son of David and Messiah of Israel said--
John 14:6 ...I am the way, the truth, and the life: NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME.
There is only one way to come to God and that is through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jewish people need to be saved. They are not saved just because they are Jewish. One Jewish man told me that he should be okay before God because he was Jewish. He was wrong.
Matthew 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Being Jewish is not enough.
Judaism
Rabbis today may claim that they are followers of Moses. But is this true? In the books of Moses, God required the blood of select beasts to atone for sin. Without blood, there is no atonement.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
What have the rabbis been doing for the souls of the Jewish people for almost 2000 years? One thing is for sure--they have not been making atonement for their souls based on the law of Moses. The rabbis have not been shedding blood for the souls of their people. God's prescription for atonement was not good advice, prayers, Hebrew school, a following, and a kind look on your face. It was the blood of specific beasts, shed in a prescribed manner by specially selected persons (the Levitical priesthood) as outlined in the books of Moses. For almost 2000 years, this atonement has not occurred, nor should it. The Jewish temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD--not long after the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who was sacrificed for the sins of the world that we might receive remission of our sins (And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. Hebrews 9:22). There was no more need for the temple. It has served its use. With the destruction of the temple, there was an end of the sacrificial system of Moses. Israel was forced to stop shedding blood.
After the great work accomplished on the cross of Calvary by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the blood of bulls and goats was no longer needed nor accepted by God. Now God only accepts the blood of Jesus that was shed on Calvary's cross. That is why the rabbis have no temple and no blood. God is pleased with the blood of Jesus and that is it. While the Lord Jesus Christ was on the earth, the God the Father testified, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17; 17:5). That one time sacrifice that satisfied him and pleased him was accomplished. Now it was--and is--time for the people to believe on, worship and love and serve the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Messiah, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the King of Israel.
The blood of bulls and of goats could never take away sins (Heb 10:11)--that inefficacy is why the Levitical priesthood had to keep on offering them over and over again. When the Son of God, however, was offered, it was a one time act. Before he died, the Lord Jesus Christ said, "It is finished." Three days later he rose from the dead as it was not possible that he should be holden by death (Acts 2:24). He arose and is now seated on the right hand of God and ever liveth to make intercession for his people.
God gave Israel the blood of Jesus. That is why the temple was destroyed in 70 AD never to rise up again. The Old Testament system of animal sacrifice was over. The slaying of those Old Testament beasts was a picture of the great work that the Lord Jesus Christ would accomplish on Calvary when he shed his blood for the sins of the world.
But what have the rabbis and elders been doing all these years? Instead of pointing the way to the Messiah, it seems that the rabbis have used all of their power to keep their own people from loving Jesus, the Lamb of God, the Son of David, the Messiah, who was slain for the sins of the world. They have zealously followed the same policy of hinderance that the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, scribes, and lawyers followed--
Luke 11:52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.
God rebuked the rulers of Jerusalem in Isaiah 28:14-19 and prophesied of that precious corner stone that was going to come to the earth and take over. For those that do not know, that cornerstone is none other than our precious Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ--
Isaiah 28:14-19 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.
Today's rabbis offer no blood for the nation of Israel. Judaism is clearly not the religion of Moses, it is something else--it is essentially the tradition of the elders that the Lord Jesus Christ condemned (ref. Matt 15:3-9; Mark 7:5-13). Today, horrible made-up man-made tradition is found in written form in the blasphemous Talmud and Misnah. I do not advise anyone to read what these documents say about our precious Lord Jesus Christ even though we have at least one report about this on this website written by a Jewish brother, including portions of the Talmud. In speaking to the Jewish religious leaders, our Lord said this about the tradition of men--
Mark 7:6 ...Well hath Esaias [Isaiah] prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Mark 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Mark 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
Mark 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
Mark 7:10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:
Mark 7:11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.
Mark 7:12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
Mark 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The refusal of the Messiah by the Jewish leaders, the Lord Jesus Christ, is a fulfillment of prophecy--
Psalms 118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
Psalms 118:23 This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.
The New Covenant
In times past, God spoke unto the fathers by the prophets--like Moses--but in these last days he has spoken unto us by his Son.
Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
In Deuteronomy 18:15-16, Moses told Israel that God was going to raise up a Prophet from amongst their brethren that would be like himself a mediator between the people and God. The prophesy is then repeated from God's perspective in verses 17-19 accompanied by a warning--
Deuteronomy 18:17 And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
Deuteronomy 18:18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
Deuteronomy 18:19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
The Lord Jesus Christ did not come to destroy the law and the prophets, he came to fulfill what was written. He is that great Prophet.
Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Matthew 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.
The Lord Jesus Christ ushered in the new covenant spoken of by Jeremiah the prophet in Jeremiah 31:31-34--
Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a NEW covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Jeremiah 31:32 NOT according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jeremiah 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
If that first covenant with Moses had been faultless, then there would be no need for the new covenant that Jeremiah spoke of (ref. Heb 8:7). When God spoke of a new covenant, he made the first one old--
Hebrews 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Jesus Christ is the mediator of that new, better, everlasting covenant established upon better promises.
Hebrews 12:24 ...Jesus the mediator of the new covenant...
Hebrews 8:6 ...he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
Hebrews 13:20 ...our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant...
As you examine the scriptures on this page, see what the prophets prophesied concerning our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Read Isaiah 53 which clearly reveals Jesus Christ as our sin bearer. This is irrefutable. The Lord Jesus Christ was wounded for OUR transgressions. He was bruised for OUR iniquities. The chastisement of OUR peace was upon him; and with HIS stripes we are HEALED and ready for God's heaven. Hallelujah for the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world.
Fulfilled Messianic Prophecy Old Testament Scripture New Testament
Born in Bethlehem Micah 5:2 Matthew 2:5-6
His pre-existence Micah 5:2 John 1:1, 14
Born of the seed of a woman Genesis 3:15 Matthew 1:18
Of the seed of Abraham Genesis 12:3 Matthew 1:1-16
All nations blessed by Abraham's seed Genesis 12:3 Matthew 8:5, 10
God would provide Himself a Lamb as an offering Genesis 22:8 John 1:29
From the tribe of Judah Genesis 49:10 Matthew 1:1-3
Heir to the throne of David Isaiah 9:6-7 Matthew 1:1
Called "The mighty God, The everlasting Father" Isaiah 9:6 Matthew 1:23
Born in Bethlehem Micah 5:2 Matthew 2:1
Born of a virgin Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:18
His name called Immanuel, "God with us" Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:23
Declared to be the Son of God Psalm 2:7 Matthew 3:17
His messenger before Him in spirit of Elijah Malachi 4:5-6 Luke 1:17
Preceded by a messenger to prepare His way Malachi 3:1 Matthew 11:7-11
Messenger crying "Prepare ye the way of the Lord" Isaiah 40:3 Matthew 3:3
Would be a Prophet of the children of Israel Deuteronomy 18:15 Matthew 2:15
Called out of Egypt Hosea 11:1 Matthew 2:15
Slaughter of the children Jeremiah 31:15 Matthew2:18
Brought light to Zabulon & Nephthalm, Galilee of the Gentiles Isaiah 9:1-2 Matthew 4:15
Presented with gifts Psalm 72:10 Matthew 2:1, 11
Rejected by His own Isaiah 53:3 Matthew 21:42; Mark 8:31, 12:10; Luke 9:22, 17:25
He is the stone which the builders rejected which became the head of the corner Psalm 118:22-23; Isaiah 28:16 Matthew 21:42; I Peter 2:7
A stone of stumbling to Israel Isaiah 8:14-15 I Peter 2:8
He entered Jerusalem as a king riding on an ass Zechariah 9:9 Matthew 21:5
Betrayed by a friend Psalms 41:9 John 13:21
Sold for 30 pieces of silver Zechariah 11:12 Matthew 26:15; Luke 22:5
The 30 pieces of silver given for the potter's field Zechariah 11:12 Matthew 27:9-10
The 30 pieces of silver thrown in the temple Zechariah 11:13 Matthew 27:5
Forsaken by His disciples Zechariah 13:7 Matthew 26:56
Accused by false witnesses Psalm 35:11 Matthew 26:60
Silent to accusations Isaiah 53:7 Matthew 27:14
Heal blind/deaf/lame/dumb Isaiah 35:5-6; Isaiah 29:18 Matthew 11:5
Preached to the poor/brokenhearted/captives Isaiah 61:1 Matthew 11:5
Came to bring a sword, not peace Micah 7:6 Matthew 10:34-35
He bore our sickness Isaiah 53:4 Matthew 8:16-17
Spat upon, smitten and scourged Isaiah 50:6, 53:5 Matthew 27:26, 30
Smitten on the cheek Micah 5:1 Matthew 27:30
Hated without a cause Psalm 35:19 Matthew 27:23
The sacrificial lamb Isaiah 53:5 John 1:29
Given for a covenant Isaiah 42:6; Jeremiah 31:31-34 Romans 11:27/Galatians 3:17, 4:24/Hebrews 8:6, 8, 10; 10:16, 29; 12:24; 13:20
Would not strive or cry Isaiah 42:2-3 Mark 7:36
People would hear not and see not Isaiah 6:9-10 Matthew 13:14-15
People trust in traditions of men Isaiah 29:13 Matthew 15:9
People give God lip service Isaiah 29:13 Matthew 15:8
God delights in Him Isaiah 42:1 Matthew 3:17, 17:5
Wounded for our sins Isaiah 53:5 John 6:51
He bore the sins of many Isaiah 53:10-12 Mark 10:45
Messiah not killed for Himself Daniel 9:26 Matthew 20:28
Gentiles flock to Him Isaiah 55:5, 60:3, 65:1; Malachi 1:11;
II Samuel 22:44-45; Psalm 2:7-8 Matthew 8:10
Crucified with criminals Isaiah 53:12 Matthew 27:35
His body was pierced Zechariah 12:10; Ps. 22:16 John 20:25, 27
Thirsty during execution Psalm 22:16 John 19:28
Given vinegar and gall for thirst Psalm 69:21 Matthew 27:34
Soldiers cast lots for his garment Psalm 22:18 Matthew 27:35
People mocked, "He trusted in God, let him deliver him." Psalm 22:7-8 Matthew 27:43
People sat there looking at Him Psalm 22:17 Matthew 27:36
Cried, "My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?" Psalm 22:1 Matthew 27:46
Darkness over the land Amos 8:9 Matthew 27:45
No bones broken Psalm 34:20, Numbers 9:12 John 19:33-36
Side pierced Zechariah 12:10 John 19:34
Buried with the rich Isaiah 53:9 Matthew 27:57, 60
Resurrected from the dead Psalm 16:10-11; 49:15 Mark 16:6
Priest after the order of Melchizedek Psalm 110:4 Hebrews 5:5-6; 6:20; 7:15-17
Ascended to right hand of God Psalm 68:18 Luke 24:51
LORD said unto Him, "Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool Psalm 110:1 Matt 22:44; Mark 12:36;, 16:19; Luke 20:42-43; Acts 2:34-35; Hebrews 1:13
His coming glory Malachi 3:2-3 Luke 3:17
Over 300 Messianic Prophecies
Saturday, August 27, 2011
The Armor of God
God's will for us
"Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints...." Ephesians 6:10-18
What is the Armor of God?
God's armor brings victory because it is far more than a protective covering. It is the very life of Jesus Christ Himself.
"Put on the armor," wrote Paul in his letter to the Romans, "...clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 13:12-14)
When you do, He becomes your hiding place and your shelter in the storm -- just as He was to David. Hidden in Him, you can count on His victory, for He not only covers you as a shield, He also fills you with His life.
"I am the vine; you are the branches," said Jesus. "If a man abides in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)
Since living in the safety of the armor means oneness with Jesus, we can expect to share His struggles as well as His peace. Remember, God offers us His victory in the midst of trouble -- not the absence pain. So "do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ..." (1 Peter 4:12-13)
Committed Christians who face torture for their faith continue to testify to the supernatural strength--even joy--that enables them to endure unthinkable pain. They affirm with Paul--
"that in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.... For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers.... will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39)
This wonderful truth has become reality to all who believe and follow Jesus. When you put on His armor, His life surrounds you and keeps you safe in Him. He is your precious friend, and you are His! So "put on Christ." (Galatians 3:27) He is your victory!
How do I "put on" God's Armor?
This life in Christ begins with knowing and trusting each part of the armor. The first part is TRUTH -- God's revelation of all that He is to us, all that He has done for us, and all that He promises to do for us in the days ahead. This wonderful, everlasting TRUTH is written in the Bible, revealed by the Holy Spirit, and realized through Jesus Christ.
It cuts through all the world's distortions, deceptions, and compromises. When you study, memorize, live, and follow TRUTH, He enables you to see the world from God's high vantage point. For He is the Truth! Putting on the first piece of the armor means feeding on truth through daily Bible reading and making it part of yourself.
God's Armor
Know the Truth about...
Affirm key Scriptures
Belt of TRUTH
God: the Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6) Deut. 4:39; Psalm 23:1; 18:1-3
Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS
The holy and perfect righteousness of Jesus in those who are "born again" and filled with His Spirit
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." (Matt. 5:6) Psalm 100:3; Rom. 3:23-24, 6:23; Gal. 2:20-21; Phil. 3:8-10.
Sandals of PEACE
Inner peace and readiness
"For He Himself is our peace..." (Eph. 2:14-15)
Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:14; John 14:27, 16:33, 20:21.
Shield of FAITH
Living by faith
"I am crucified with Christ:...and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God...." (Gal. 2:20) Rom. 4:18-21; Heb. 11:1; 1 Pet. 1:6-7
Helmet of SALVATION
Salvation through Christ today and forever
"Nor is there salvation in any other..."(Acts 4:12) Each day: Ps. 16, 23; Heb. 1:3-6
For eternity: 2 Cor. 4:16-18; 1 Thess. 4:17; 1 John 3:1-3
The victorious Sword of the spirit: GOD'S WORD
God's Word countering spiritual deception and accusations
"...the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory...." (John 1:14) Heb. 4:12; Matt. 4:2-11; 1 Pet. 3:15; Ps. 119:110-112
To put on the "full armor"--and enjoy a daily and eternal love-relationship with Jesus Christ, thank Him for what He has shown you in His Word. Know the Scriptures behind your prayer so that your words and faith are grounded in the authority of the Bible. (Some of those verses are listed in the chart above.) Then pray through each piece. You can use the following prayer as an outline:
The belt of truth: Thank you, my Lord, for showing me the TRUTH about Yourself, Your plans and Your ways. Thank You for reminding me that You are the only God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the King of the universe, my Father who loves me, and my Shepherd who leads me. You are my wisdom, my counselor, my hope, and my strength. You are everything I need each day!
The breastplate of righteousness: Thank You for showing me the truth about myself -- that on my own I could never be good enough to live in your presence. Thank you for taking my sins to the cross and offering me your perfect, RIGHTEOUS life. Lord, show me any sin that I need to confess right now, so that nothing will hinder me from being filled to overflowing with your Spirit. [Take time for confession] Thank you for forgiving me and for filling me with your RIGHTEOUS life.
The sandals of peace: Thank you for the peace you give me when I trust and follow you. Show me how to help others find that PEACE.
The shield of faith: Thank you for helping me have FAITH in you. I choose to count on everything you have shown me about yourself -- and everything you have promised me in your Word.
The helmet of salvation: Thank you for promising me SALVATION both for today's battles and for all eternity.
The sword of the spirit, the Word of God: Thank you for the scriptures you have given me to memorize. Please show me which you want me to use to cut through deceptions and gain your victory in any battle I may face today.
How can I explain the armor to my children?
In a world where public schools, television, movies, and popular music all offer tempting counterfeits of what God promises His people, there is only one safe place for our children: in the loving arms of the Shepherd. So train your children "in the way they should go" (Proverbs 22:6) and help them to wear the "full armor of God" each day.
1. First, read Ephesians 6:10-18 together, then review the chart at the end of this section. It shows why the parts of armor will expose and resist all the main lies of New Age, neo-pagan and other contrary religions.
2. Memorize scriptures that show the truth about God and His righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation. Explain that these verses are scripture swords that counter the main lies of the enemy. Remember, when children know the truth about God, they won't trust popular counterfeits. Knowing God's way to peace and salvation, they won't choose today's numerous counterfeit and occult paths.
3. Remind your children that the armor is not like a magic shield they can casually slip on in order to be safe anywhere they want to go.
Years ago, our seven-year-old son asked if he could see a popular movie with some friends.
"No. I'd rather you didn't," I told him.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because it makes occultism seem both fun and right. Even though your friends know it's fiction, the story and images leave the impression that you can win in life by using occult rituals to get supernatural power. Not only does the Bible tell us occultism is evil, it also shows how it destroys people." I started to look up Deuteronomy 18:9-13.
"But I'll put on the armor."
"It won't help. When you go somewhere that you shouldn't, you disobey God and "take off" the breastplate of righteousness. You're never safe if you go somewhere Jesus wouldn't want you to go."
Our son got the message and stayed home. He knew that by himself he was no match for occult forces. But by wearing the special protection God offers us through His armor, he would be able to stand firm against satan's strategies.
To help your children put on the armor, follow the scriptures and outline shown in the previous section. Make sure they know the Scriptures behind the prayer so that their words will be based on God's Word. Then pray through the pieces of the armor, simplifying each part to fit the ages of your children.
God's Armor clashes with the world system
Remember: "...the whole world is under the sway of the evil one." 1 John 5:19
EACH PIECE
CHRISTIAN PARADIGM
GLOBAL PARADIGM
Put on:
Know and affirm:
Recognize and resist:
Belt of TRUTH His sovereignty, love, wisdom, and holiness. (Deut. 4:39; Ps. 18:1-3) Pantheistic, monistic, polytheistic gods and goddesses.
Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS Jesus Christ and His blood, which cleanses us from sin. The cross which frees us from bondage to selfish nature. The natural goodness, connectedness, and sacredness of all life.
Sandals of PEACE Our peace through our union and ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ. Peace through occult practices and union with a cosmic force or nature spirits.
Shield of FAITH Our continual trust in God, His Word, and His promises. Trust in Self, inner wisdom, dreams, visions, gods, goddess, cosmic force, coincidences, etc.
Helmet of SALVATION God's promises of daily and eternal salvation in Jesus Christ. Evolving spiritually by growing in consciousness staying tuned to the cosmic mind.
Sword of the Spirit His WORD The power of God's Word to counter deception and triumph over spiritual foes. The power of thoughts, words and affirmations to change reality and direct spiritual forces.
The last section on the armor of God was taken from chapter 8 of Brave New Schools. For more helpful information on how to "train up your child" to love and follow God, please read the whole chapter.
See also: A Wardrobe from the King: An 8-lesson Bible Study on the Armor of God and the joy of walking with Jesus
To encourage and equip children for the battles ahead, we suggest you read:
Children's book: The Invisible War: A parable to help children recognize and resist New Age deception
Helpful Charts: Brainwashing & How to Resist It, Checklist for the family, The Nature and Tactics of Satan and Unequal Contenders in the Spiritual War
Bible verses: Spiritual Warfare and Victory in Christ
Articles: Toying with Death and Role-Playing Games & Popular Occultism
Testimonies: Stories about brave children
Home | Victory | Persecution
"Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints...." Ephesians 6:10-18
What is the Armor of God?
God's armor brings victory because it is far more than a protective covering. It is the very life of Jesus Christ Himself.
"Put on the armor," wrote Paul in his letter to the Romans, "...clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 13:12-14)
When you do, He becomes your hiding place and your shelter in the storm -- just as He was to David. Hidden in Him, you can count on His victory, for He not only covers you as a shield, He also fills you with His life.
"I am the vine; you are the branches," said Jesus. "If a man abides in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)
Since living in the safety of the armor means oneness with Jesus, we can expect to share His struggles as well as His peace. Remember, God offers us His victory in the midst of trouble -- not the absence pain. So "do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ..." (1 Peter 4:12-13)
Committed Christians who face torture for their faith continue to testify to the supernatural strength--even joy--that enables them to endure unthinkable pain. They affirm with Paul--
"that in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.... For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers.... will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39)
This wonderful truth has become reality to all who believe and follow Jesus. When you put on His armor, His life surrounds you and keeps you safe in Him. He is your precious friend, and you are His! So "put on Christ." (Galatians 3:27) He is your victory!
How do I "put on" God's Armor?
This life in Christ begins with knowing and trusting each part of the armor. The first part is TRUTH -- God's revelation of all that He is to us, all that He has done for us, and all that He promises to do for us in the days ahead. This wonderful, everlasting TRUTH is written in the Bible, revealed by the Holy Spirit, and realized through Jesus Christ.
It cuts through all the world's distortions, deceptions, and compromises. When you study, memorize, live, and follow TRUTH, He enables you to see the world from God's high vantage point. For He is the Truth! Putting on the first piece of the armor means feeding on truth through daily Bible reading and making it part of yourself.
God's Armor
Know the Truth about...
Affirm key Scriptures
Belt of TRUTH
God: the Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6) Deut. 4:39; Psalm 23:1; 18:1-3
Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS
The holy and perfect righteousness of Jesus in those who are "born again" and filled with His Spirit
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." (Matt. 5:6) Psalm 100:3; Rom. 3:23-24, 6:23; Gal. 2:20-21; Phil. 3:8-10.
Sandals of PEACE
Inner peace and readiness
"For He Himself is our peace..." (Eph. 2:14-15)
Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:14; John 14:27, 16:33, 20:21.
Shield of FAITH
Living by faith
"I am crucified with Christ:...and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God...." (Gal. 2:20) Rom. 4:18-21; Heb. 11:1; 1 Pet. 1:6-7
Helmet of SALVATION
Salvation through Christ today and forever
"Nor is there salvation in any other..."(Acts 4:12) Each day: Ps. 16, 23; Heb. 1:3-6
For eternity: 2 Cor. 4:16-18; 1 Thess. 4:17; 1 John 3:1-3
The victorious Sword of the spirit: GOD'S WORD
God's Word countering spiritual deception and accusations
"...the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory...." (John 1:14) Heb. 4:12; Matt. 4:2-11; 1 Pet. 3:15; Ps. 119:110-112
To put on the "full armor"--and enjoy a daily and eternal love-relationship with Jesus Christ, thank Him for what He has shown you in His Word. Know the Scriptures behind your prayer so that your words and faith are grounded in the authority of the Bible. (Some of those verses are listed in the chart above.) Then pray through each piece. You can use the following prayer as an outline:
The belt of truth: Thank you, my Lord, for showing me the TRUTH about Yourself, Your plans and Your ways. Thank You for reminding me that You are the only God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the King of the universe, my Father who loves me, and my Shepherd who leads me. You are my wisdom, my counselor, my hope, and my strength. You are everything I need each day!
The breastplate of righteousness: Thank You for showing me the truth about myself -- that on my own I could never be good enough to live in your presence. Thank you for taking my sins to the cross and offering me your perfect, RIGHTEOUS life. Lord, show me any sin that I need to confess right now, so that nothing will hinder me from being filled to overflowing with your Spirit. [Take time for confession] Thank you for forgiving me and for filling me with your RIGHTEOUS life.
The sandals of peace: Thank you for the peace you give me when I trust and follow you. Show me how to help others find that PEACE.
The shield of faith: Thank you for helping me have FAITH in you. I choose to count on everything you have shown me about yourself -- and everything you have promised me in your Word.
The helmet of salvation: Thank you for promising me SALVATION both for today's battles and for all eternity.
The sword of the spirit, the Word of God: Thank you for the scriptures you have given me to memorize. Please show me which you want me to use to cut through deceptions and gain your victory in any battle I may face today.
How can I explain the armor to my children?
In a world where public schools, television, movies, and popular music all offer tempting counterfeits of what God promises His people, there is only one safe place for our children: in the loving arms of the Shepherd. So train your children "in the way they should go" (Proverbs 22:6) and help them to wear the "full armor of God" each day.
1. First, read Ephesians 6:10-18 together, then review the chart at the end of this section. It shows why the parts of armor will expose and resist all the main lies of New Age, neo-pagan and other contrary religions.
2. Memorize scriptures that show the truth about God and His righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation. Explain that these verses are scripture swords that counter the main lies of the enemy. Remember, when children know the truth about God, they won't trust popular counterfeits. Knowing God's way to peace and salvation, they won't choose today's numerous counterfeit and occult paths.
3. Remind your children that the armor is not like a magic shield they can casually slip on in order to be safe anywhere they want to go.
Years ago, our seven-year-old son asked if he could see a popular movie with some friends.
"No. I'd rather you didn't," I told him.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because it makes occultism seem both fun and right. Even though your friends know it's fiction, the story and images leave the impression that you can win in life by using occult rituals to get supernatural power. Not only does the Bible tell us occultism is evil, it also shows how it destroys people." I started to look up Deuteronomy 18:9-13.
"But I'll put on the armor."
"It won't help. When you go somewhere that you shouldn't, you disobey God and "take off" the breastplate of righteousness. You're never safe if you go somewhere Jesus wouldn't want you to go."
Our son got the message and stayed home. He knew that by himself he was no match for occult forces. But by wearing the special protection God offers us through His armor, he would be able to stand firm against satan's strategies.
To help your children put on the armor, follow the scriptures and outline shown in the previous section. Make sure they know the Scriptures behind the prayer so that their words will be based on God's Word. Then pray through the pieces of the armor, simplifying each part to fit the ages of your children.
God's Armor clashes with the world system
Remember: "...the whole world is under the sway of the evil one." 1 John 5:19
EACH PIECE
CHRISTIAN PARADIGM
GLOBAL PARADIGM
Put on:
Know and affirm:
Recognize and resist:
Belt of TRUTH His sovereignty, love, wisdom, and holiness. (Deut. 4:39; Ps. 18:1-3) Pantheistic, monistic, polytheistic gods and goddesses.
Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS Jesus Christ and His blood, which cleanses us from sin. The cross which frees us from bondage to selfish nature. The natural goodness, connectedness, and sacredness of all life.
Sandals of PEACE Our peace through our union and ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ. Peace through occult practices and union with a cosmic force or nature spirits.
Shield of FAITH Our continual trust in God, His Word, and His promises. Trust in Self, inner wisdom, dreams, visions, gods, goddess, cosmic force, coincidences, etc.
Helmet of SALVATION God's promises of daily and eternal salvation in Jesus Christ. Evolving spiritually by growing in consciousness staying tuned to the cosmic mind.
Sword of the Spirit His WORD The power of God's Word to counter deception and triumph over spiritual foes. The power of thoughts, words and affirmations to change reality and direct spiritual forces.
The last section on the armor of God was taken from chapter 8 of Brave New Schools. For more helpful information on how to "train up your child" to love and follow God, please read the whole chapter.
See also: A Wardrobe from the King: An 8-lesson Bible Study on the Armor of God and the joy of walking with Jesus
To encourage and equip children for the battles ahead, we suggest you read:
Children's book: The Invisible War: A parable to help children recognize and resist New Age deception
Helpful Charts: Brainwashing & How to Resist It, Checklist for the family, The Nature and Tactics of Satan and Unequal Contenders in the Spiritual War
Bible verses: Spiritual Warfare and Victory in Christ
Articles: Toying with Death and Role-Playing Games & Popular Occultism
Testimonies: Stories about brave children
Home | Victory | Persecution
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
THE FOLLOWING ARE 14 REASONS WHY RICK PERRY WOULD BE A REALLY, REALLY BAD PRESIDENT....
#1 Rick Perry is a "big government" politician. When Rick Perry became the governor of Texas in 2000, the total spending by the Texas state government was approximately $49 billion. Ten years later it was approximately $90 billion. That is not exactly reducing the size of government.
#2 The debt of the state of Texas is out of control. According to usdebtclock.org, the debt to GDP ratio in Texas is 22.9% and the debt per citizen is $10,645. In California (a total financial basket case), the debt to GDP ratio is just 18.7% and the debt per citizen is only $9932. If Rick Perry runs for president these are numbers he will want to keep well hidden.
#3 The total debt of the Texas government has more than doubled since Rick Perry became governor. So what would the U.S. national debt look like after four (or eight) years of Rick Perry?
#4 Rick Perry has spearheaded the effort to lease roads in Texas to foreign companies, to turn roads that are already free to drive on into toll roads, and to develop the Trans-Texas Corridor which would be part of the planned NAFTA superhighway system. If you really do deep research on this whole Trans-Texas Corridor nonsense you will see why no American should ever cast a single vote for Rick Perry.
#5 Rick Perry claims that he has a "track record" of not raising taxes. That is a false claim. Rick Perry has repeatedly raised taxes and fees while he has been governor. Today, Texans are faced with significantly higher taxes and fees than they were before Rick Perry was elected.
#6 Even with the oil boom in Texas, 23 states have a lower unemployment rate than Texas does.
#7 Back in 1988, Rick Perry supported Al Gore for president. In fact, Rick Perry actually served as Al Gore's campaign chairman in the state of Texas that year.
#8 Between December 2007 and April 2011, weekly wages in the U.S. increased by about 5 percent. In the state of Texas they increased by just 0.6% over that same time period.
#9 Texas now has one of the worst education systems in the nation. The following is from an opinion piece that was actually authored by Barbara Bush earlier this year....
• We rank 36th in the nation in high school graduation rates. An estimated 3.8 million Texans do not have a high school diploma.
• We rank 49th in verbal SAT scores, 47th in literacy and 46th in average math SAT scores.
• We rank 33rd in the nation on teacher salaries.
#10 Rick Perry attended the Bilderberg Group meetings in 2007. Associating himself with that organization should be a red flag for all American voters.
#11 Texas has the highest percentage of workers making minimum wage out of all 50 states.
#12 Rick Perry often gives speeches about illegal immigration, but when you look at the facts, he has been incredibly soft on the issue. If Rick Perry does not plan to secure the border, then he should not be president because illegal immigration is absolutely devastating many areas of the southwest United States.
#13 In 2007, 221,000 residents of Texas were making minimum wage or less. By 2010, that number had risen to 550,000.
#14 Rick Perry actually issued an executive order in 2007 that would have forced almost every single girl in the state of Texas to receive the Gardasil vaccine before entering the sixth grade. Perry would have put parents in a position where they would have had to fill out an application and beg the government not to inject their child with a highly controversial vaccine. Since then, very serious safety issues regarding this vaccine have come to light. Fortunately, lawmakers in Texas blocked what Perry was trying to do. According to Wikipedia, many were troubled when "apparent financial connections between Merck and Perry were reported by news outlets, such as a $6,000 campaign contribution and Merck's hiring of former Perry Chief of Staff Mike Toomey to handle its Texas lobbying work."
Rick Perry has a record that should make all Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians and Independents cringe.
He is not the "conservative Republican" that he is trying to claim that he is. He is simply another in a long line of "RINOs" (Republicans in name only).
If Rick Perry becomes president, he will probably be very similar to George W. Bush. He will explode the size of the U.S. government and U.S. government debt, he will find sneaky ways to raise taxes, he will do nothing about the Federal Reserve or corruption in our financial system and he will push the agenda of the globalists at every turn.
SOURCE: http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/14-reasons-why-rick-perry-would-be-a-really-really-bad-president
Monday, August 22, 2011
……. TORNADO BRIGADE PREAMBLE ……
……. TORNADO BRIGADE PREAMBLE ……
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God entitles them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
WE hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these right s governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever ANY FORM of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the RIGHT of THE PEOPLE to ALTER or to ABOLISH it, and to institute new Government, laying it’s foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should NOT be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed…..BUT, when a long train of ABUSES and USURPATIONS, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under ABSOLUTE OBAMMUNISM, it is THEIR RIGHT, IT IS THEIR DUTY, TO THROW OFF such Government, and to provide new guards for their future security………..
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God entitles them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
WE hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these right s governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever ANY FORM of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the RIGHT of THE PEOPLE to ALTER or to ABOLISH it, and to institute new Government, laying it’s foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should NOT be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed…..BUT, when a long train of ABUSES and USURPATIONS, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under ABSOLUTE OBAMMUNISM, it is THEIR RIGHT, IT IS THEIR DUTY, TO THROW OFF such Government, and to provide new guards for their future security………..
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Charley Reese's Final column! 545 vs. 300,000,000 People -By Charlie Reese
A very interesting column.. COMPLETELY NEUTRAL
Be sure to Read the Poem at the end.
Charley Reese's final column for the Orlando Sentinel...
He has been a journalist for 49 years.
He is retiring and this is HIS LAST COLUMN.
Be sure to read the Tax List at the end.
This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be. The
article below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican or
democrat. Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel,
has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that
in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments
made that impact each one of us every day. It's a short but good read.
Worth the time. Worth remembering!
545 vs. 300,000,000 People
-By Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and
then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are
against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation
and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on
appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme
Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are
directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the
domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that
problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its
Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally
chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason.
They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a
senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing.
I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash.
The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what
the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to
determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that
what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con
regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive
amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a
Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating
deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the
Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole
responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and
approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House
now? He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House
members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the
President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot
replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of
incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic
problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you
fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the
federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they
want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.
If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they
want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ...
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement
plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they
hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and
advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to
regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let
them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical
forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent
them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are
their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
What you do with this article now that you have read it... is up to you.
This might be funny if it weren't so true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:
Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he's fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.
Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.
Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...
Put these words
Upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me
to my doom...'
When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the
most prosperous in the world.
We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in
the world, and Mom, if agreed, stayed home to raise the kids.
What in the heck happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'
I hope this goes around THE USA at least 545 times!!! YOU can help it
get there!!!
GO AHEAD. . . BE AN AMERICAN!!!
Be sure to Read the Poem at the end.
Charley Reese's final column for the Orlando Sentinel...
He has been a journalist for 49 years.
He is retiring and this is HIS LAST COLUMN.
Be sure to read the Tax List at the end.
This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be. The
article below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican or
democrat. Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel,
has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that
in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments
made that impact each one of us every day. It's a short but good read.
Worth the time. Worth remembering!
545 vs. 300,000,000 People
-By Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and
then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are
against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation
and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on
appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme
Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are
directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the
domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that
problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its
Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally
chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason.
They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a
senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing.
I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash.
The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what
the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to
determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that
what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con
regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive
amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a
Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating
deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the
Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole
responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and
approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House
now? He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House
members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the
President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot
replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of
incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic
problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you
fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the
federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they
want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.
If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they
want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ...
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement
plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they
hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and
advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to
regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let
them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical
forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent
them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are
their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
What you do with this article now that you have read it... is up to you.
This might be funny if it weren't so true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:
Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he's fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.
Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.
Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...
Put these words
Upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me
to my doom...'
When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the
most prosperous in the world.
We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in
the world, and Mom, if agreed, stayed home to raise the kids.
What in the heck happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'
I hope this goes around THE USA at least 545 times!!! YOU can help it
get there!!!
GO AHEAD. . . BE AN AMERICAN!!!
Very Interesting Trivia
If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on the right side of your mouth. If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on the left side of your mouth.
To make half a kilo of honey, bees must collect nectar from over 2 million individual flowers
Heroin is the brand name of morphine once marketed by 'Bayer'.
Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult!
People in nudist colonies play volleyball more than any other sport.
Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined.
Astronauts can't belch - there is no gravity to separate liquid from gas in their stomachs.
Ancient Roman, Chinese and German societies often used urine as mouthwash.
The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows. In the Renaissance era, it was fashion to shave them off!
Because of the speed at which Earth moves around the Sun, it is impossible for a solar eclipse to last more than 7 minutes and 58 seconds.
The night of January 20 is "Saint Agnes's Eve", which is regarded as a time when a young woman dreams of her future husband.
Google is actually the common name for a number with a million zeros
It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times!
Gold is the only metal that doesn't rust, even if it's buried in the ground for thousands of years
Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end.
If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. When a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.
Each year 2,000,000 smokers either quit smoking or die of tobacco-related diseases.
Zero is the only number that cannot be represented by Roman numerals
Kites were used in the American Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers.
The song, Auld Lang Syne, is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the New Year.
Drinking water after eating reduces the acid in your mouth by 61 percent
Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines because it doesn't smoke unless it's heated above 450°F
The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.
Nine out of every 10 living things live in the ocean
The banana cannot reproduce itself. It can be propagated only by the hand of man
Airports at higher altitudes require a longer airstrip due to lower air density
The University of Alaska spans four time zones
The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.
In ancient Greece, tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage. Catching it meant she accepted.
Warner Communications paid $28 million for the copyright to the song Happy Birthday.
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
A comet's tail always points away from the sun
The Swine Flu vaccine in 1976 caused more death and illness than the disease it was intended to prevent
Caffeine increases the power of aspirin and other painkillers - that is why it is found in some medicines.
The military salute is a motion that evolved from medieval times, when knights in armor raised their visors to reveal their identity.
If you get into the bottom of a well or a tall chimney and look up, you can see stars, even in the middle of the day.
When a person dies, hearing is the last sense to go. The first sense lost is sight
In ancient times strangers shook hands to show that they were unarmed
Strawberries are the only fruits whose seeds grow on the outside
Avocados have the highest calories of any fruit at 167 calories per hundred grams
The moon moves about two inches away from the Earth each year
The Earth gets 100 tons heavier every day due to falling space dust
Due to earth's gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 5,000 meters
Mickey Mouse is known as "Topolino" in Italy
Soldiers do not march in step when going across bridges because they could set up a vibration which could be sufficient to knock the bridge down
Everything weighs one percent less at the equator
For every extra kilogram carried on a space flight, 530 kg of excess fuel are needed at lift-off
The letter J does not appear anywhere on the periodic table of the elements.
And last but not least:
In 2011, July has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays, and 5 Sundays. This apparently happens once every 823 years! This is called 'money bags'. So send this on to 5 and money will arrive in 5 days. Based on Chinese Feng Shui, the one who does not pass this on will have money troubles for the rest of the year.
To make half a kilo of honey, bees must collect nectar from over 2 million individual flowers
Heroin is the brand name of morphine once marketed by 'Bayer'.
Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult!
People in nudist colonies play volleyball more than any other sport.
Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined.
Astronauts can't belch - there is no gravity to separate liquid from gas in their stomachs.
Ancient Roman, Chinese and German societies often used urine as mouthwash.
The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows. In the Renaissance era, it was fashion to shave them off!
Because of the speed at which Earth moves around the Sun, it is impossible for a solar eclipse to last more than 7 minutes and 58 seconds.
The night of January 20 is "Saint Agnes's Eve", which is regarded as a time when a young woman dreams of her future husband.
Google is actually the common name for a number with a million zeros
It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times!
Gold is the only metal that doesn't rust, even if it's buried in the ground for thousands of years
Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end.
If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. When a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.
Each year 2,000,000 smokers either quit smoking or die of tobacco-related diseases.
Zero is the only number that cannot be represented by Roman numerals
Kites were used in the American Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers.
The song, Auld Lang Syne, is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the New Year.
Drinking water after eating reduces the acid in your mouth by 61 percent
Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines because it doesn't smoke unless it's heated above 450°F
The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.
Nine out of every 10 living things live in the ocean
The banana cannot reproduce itself. It can be propagated only by the hand of man
Airports at higher altitudes require a longer airstrip due to lower air density
The University of Alaska spans four time zones
The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.
In ancient Greece, tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage. Catching it meant she accepted.
Warner Communications paid $28 million for the copyright to the song Happy Birthday.
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
A comet's tail always points away from the sun
The Swine Flu vaccine in 1976 caused more death and illness than the disease it was intended to prevent
Caffeine increases the power of aspirin and other painkillers - that is why it is found in some medicines.
The military salute is a motion that evolved from medieval times, when knights in armor raised their visors to reveal their identity.
If you get into the bottom of a well or a tall chimney and look up, you can see stars, even in the middle of the day.
When a person dies, hearing is the last sense to go. The first sense lost is sight
In ancient times strangers shook hands to show that they were unarmed
Strawberries are the only fruits whose seeds grow on the outside
Avocados have the highest calories of any fruit at 167 calories per hundred grams
The moon moves about two inches away from the Earth each year
The Earth gets 100 tons heavier every day due to falling space dust
Due to earth's gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 5,000 meters
Mickey Mouse is known as "Topolino" in Italy
Soldiers do not march in step when going across bridges because they could set up a vibration which could be sufficient to knock the bridge down
Everything weighs one percent less at the equator
For every extra kilogram carried on a space flight, 530 kg of excess fuel are needed at lift-off
The letter J does not appear anywhere on the periodic table of the elements.
And last but not least:
In 2011, July has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays, and 5 Sundays. This apparently happens once every 823 years! This is called 'money bags'. So send this on to 5 and money will arrive in 5 days. Based on Chinese Feng Shui, the one who does not pass this on will have money troubles for the rest of the year.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Who Is Rick Perry? By Bill Franklin
Who Is Rick Perry? By Bill Franklin
Saturday, July 9, 2011
He is a fifth generation Texan, the son of hardscrabble west Texas tenant
farmers - Democrats but conservatives through and through. He grew up in a
farm town too small to be on the state map. Life was so hard that he was six
years old before his house had indoor plumbing. His mother sewed his
clothes, including the underwear he wore to college.
He is an Eagle Scout. After Paint Creek High School , he attended Texas A&M,
graduated, and was commissioned into the Air Force where he became a C-130
pilot.
Now 61 years old, he has won nine elections to four different offices in
Texas state government. In the first three elections he ran as a Democrat
then switched to the Republican Party. He is currently the 47th governor of
Texas - a position he has held for 11 years, the longest tenure of any
governor in the nation.
He has never lost an election.
Rick Perry was the Lieutenant Governor to whom Governor George Bush handed
over the office after winning the 2000 Presidential election. Since then,
Perry won gubernatorial elections in 2002, 2004, and 2010, the last time by
55% against a field consisting of a Democrat, a Libertarian, a Green Party,
and an Independent.
Since he became its Governor, Texas - a right to work state that taxes
neither personal income nor capital gains - has added more jobs than the
other 49 states combined. In the last two years, low taxes and little
regulation led his state to create 47% of all jobs created in the entire
nation. Five of the top ten cities with the highest job growth in the nation
are in Texas . People follow jobs, so in the last four years for which data
are available, Texas led every state in net interstate migration growth.
Perry signed ground-breaking "loser pays" tort reform and medical litigation
rules that caused malpractice insurance rates to fall. Some 20,000 doctors
have since moved to Texas .
Texas boasts 58 of the Fortune 500 companies - more than any other state.
Since May 2011 Texas resumed its pre-recession employment levels. Only two
other states and the District of Columbia have done that.
Texas ships 16% of the nation's export value. California trails at 11%. Of
the 70 companies that have fled California so far in 2011, 14 relocated in
Texas .
In this year's Texas legislative season, Perry got most of what he wanted.
With no new taxes, a fiscally lean state budget was passed leaving $6
billion in a rainy day fund even as other states around the country
struggled to balance budgets and avoid more deficit borrowing. A voter ID
bill passed that was designed to prevent ballot box fraud and illegal
voting. A bill passed that makes plaintiffs pay court costs and attorney
fees if their suits are deemed frivolous.
Perry scored points even in his legislative failures. He failed to get
sanctuary cities banned - Texas towns in which police cannot question
detainees about their immigration status. The blame fell on the legislature.
Perry also failed to get a so-called "anti-groping" bill passed that would
put Transportation Security Administration agents in prison if they touch
the genitals, anus, or breasts of passengers in a pat down. Federal
officials threatened to halt all flights out of Texas airports and the bill
died in special session. That endeared Texans even more to TSA employees
living in Texas .
Perry jogs daily in the morning. He has no bodyguard with him, but his
daughter's dog runs by his side and he carries a laser-guided automatic
pistol in his belt. Last year while jogging in an undeveloped area, a coyote
paralleled his jogging route, eyeing his dog. He drew his pistol and killed
the animal with one shot, leaving it where it fell. "He became mulch," Perry
said. Animal rights groups protested, but Perry shrugged it off. "Don't come
after my dog," he warned them.
Recently, Obama asked Perry to delay the July 7 execution of Humberto Leal
in order to comply with the International Court of Justice in The Hague and
the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Perry refused. Therefore Obama
asked the US Supreme Court to delay the execution because it would damage US
foreign relations. The Court refused 5-4 and Perry ordered the execution to
go forward as scheduled. Over the howls of diplomats, politicians, and the
UN, Leal was administered a lethal injection at 6:20 p.m. Before he died, he
admitted his guilt and asked for forgiveness.
The case has special implications for Perry, who is considering a run for
the presidency in 2012. Even his critics resent federal interference in a
Texas execution, which is related to a state, not a federal, crime - an
alcohol and drug-fueled rape and murder 17 years ago by an illegal whose
family brought him into the country 35 years ago as a child. The
interference hinges not on the man's guilt, which Leal's advocates
acknowledged, but on a technicality - failure to inform Leal that he could
have gotten legal representation from the Mexican consulate in lieu of the
court-appointed attorneys who represented him. Independent Texans saw
Obama's interference as another intrusion of federal power into the affairs
of a state, which could cost Obama support in other states.
Needless to say, Perry is a hard-edged conservative and a ferocious defender
of 10th Amendments rights ("The powers not delegated to the United States by
the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the
States respectively, or to the people.") - an explicit restriction of the
federal government to only those powers granted in the Constitution. Perry
accuses the federal government, especially the Obama administration, of
illegal overreach.
Perry said "no thanks" to the feds whose stimulus offered taxpayer dollars
for education and unemployment assistance. The strings on "free money" from
Washington , he said, would restrict Texas in managing its own affairs.
Perry even depleted all state funds to fight recent wildfires before asking
Washington for disaster relief. His request has been ignored, which comes
across as an unvarnished federal power play, further pitting Perry and
Texans against the federal government.
It's little surprise, then, that 31% of Texans prefer Perry, who hasn't
announced for the presidency, versus 15% who prefer Romney and 11% who like
Bachmann. This is consistent with a Fox poll which put Romney at 18% with
national Republicans, Perry at 13%, and Bachmann at 11%. A Marist poll had
Romney leading with 19% but Perry and Giuliani, neither of whom has
announced, are tied for second at 13%. Perry is the favorite among Tea Party
voters, beating Palin, also unannounced, and Bachmann. For a guy who is not
officially running, Perry has more than an insignificant following compared
with the announced candidates.
But none of the candidates - announced and unannounced - has caught fire.
It's still early in the 2012 election cycle, and polling results this far
out border on meaninglessness. Yet I would have expected Romney to have a
greater lead, given his money and name recognition, unless he is being
perceived by voters as a nomination retread, now haunted by the
Massachusetts experiment that Obama claims inspired his unpopular remaking
of the national healthcare system. His business and economic expertise
towers over Obama's, but I suspect it would be easier for him to be elected
than nominated. Palin has a fan base rather than a constituency ready to
hand another rookie the keys to the White House. Bachmann, recently insulted
by Chris Matthews in an interview asking if she was a "flake" because of her
bizarre statements, might keep in mind that James Garfield was the only
House member to be elected President - and that was over 130 years ago. Ryan
may have recalled that fact when he declined to run.
But Perry is not without his negatives. French cuffs and cowboy boots
adorned with the words "Freedom" and " Liberty " bespeak a self-assuredness
that wears well in Texas and even in the south and southwest, but will it
work in Philadelphia , New Hampshire , and Ohio ?
Perry is ruggedly handsome - a modern Marlboro kind of man - whom the late
Texan and liberal columnist, Molly Ivins, called "Governor Goodhair." His
high octane rhetoric is unmistakably conservative. Speaking to the
Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans last month, he pumped the
air with both fists as he strode to the podium. "Whew!' he cried repeatedly.
"Yeah!" He was like an excited race horse being shoved into a starting gate.
I stand before you today a disciplined conservative Texan -- a committed
Republican and a proud American -- united with you in the desire to restore
our nation and revive the American dream.
Our party cannot be all things to all people. It can't be. And our loudest
opponents on the left are never gonna' like us so let's quit trying to curry
favor with 'em! . Let's speak with pride about our morals and our values and
redouble our effort to elect more conservative Republicans. Let's stop this
American downward spiral! .
This administration in Washington that's in power now clearly believes that
government is not only the answer to every need, but it's the most qualified
to make essential decisions for every American in every area. That mix of
arrogance and audacity that guides the Obama administration is an affront to
every freedom-loving American and a threat to every private sector job in
this country.
He left the podium and stage as he had mounted it: pumping his fists,
shouting "Yeah!" and "Whew!" as if he were returning to his corner after
Round 1 of a prize fight.
It's hard to imagine the cautiously moderate Romney, the bland
somnambulistic Pawlenty, or even the outspoken and misspoken Bachmann
delivering that performance. Yet, what a contrast Perry is to the
pontifical, condescending Obama speaking style, his head robotically
swiveling from side to side, nose unconsciously elevated. I suspect even the
leading GOP candidates wish they had Perry's "negatives."
Perry's speech was a tea partier's delight. The almost cocky swagger. The
Texas accent. But I wonder how it would sell to political independents -
those more pragmatic than ideological?
Sweeping these concerns aside, Perry's biggest challenge may be overcoming
the fact that he is "another" Texas governor seeking the White House. After
four years of Obama, Bush fatigue may have attenuated. But by how much? For
those in the center - the ones who will decide the next election - the
choice will be between four more years of someone they know (which they
didn't four years ago) versus someone who reminds them of someone they know
(Bush) and wish they didn't.
Beyond the Texas Governor's mansion, the accent, and the swagger, however,
the similarity ends. Their differences have been no small source of friction
between the Bush and Perry camps.
A 2007 YouTube, for example, showed Perry at a fundraiser saying, "George
Bush was never a fiscal conservative - never was," going on to say, "I mean,
'95, '97, '99, George Bush (while he was Texas Governor) was spending
money." The video came to the attention of Bush aides and they were not
happy with Perry's criticisms of their man.
Then after initially embracing Bush's "No Child Left Behind" law, Perry
turned against it, calling it "a monstrous intrusion into our (i.e. the
Texas education system) affairs" in an interview. His 10th Amendment
fire-breathing can't be contained.
When Perry ran for his third gubernatorial election, the Bush family and
political team retaliated by backing Perry's Republican opponent, Sen. Kay
Bailey Hutchinson, providing her campaign with fundraising and
organizational support. Perry won the primary and went on to win in the
general election by a sizable margin, no doubt giving him cause to gloat and
giving the Bush camp cause to mope.
The relationship between Perry and Bush continues to be frosty. But it would
be foolish for Perry to provoke the Bush family into working against him if
he chooses to run for President. And it would also be petty of the Bush
family to deny that politics requires a candidate to show that he is his own
man, not a clone of his former boss. Gore ran against Clinton in 2000, and
if Perry runs, he will have to show his independence of Bush if he is to
have any hope of shedding the "Oh no, not another Texas Governor" image.
Bush ran as a "compassionate conservative," probably a euphemism for the
liberalism of his rich family, which is what caused Reagan to balance his
conservative ticket with running mate George H. W. Bush. Perry will have to
show that he intends to reverse the reckless spending of the Bush-Obama
years.
Bush ran as a "uniter, not a divider." Perry will have to show that he
intends to be an unmistakable contrast to everything Obama stands for and
will undo the Obama program, even as Clinton undid the Reagan legacy and
Obama undid the Bush programs, complaining all the while that Bush was
responsible for everything that was wrong with America .
Perry has not yet said he is in the race. Time is running out for him to do
so. But should Obama be concerned if Perry runs? Absolutely. Obama cannot
run on his record - an unpopular healthcare law, a failed stimulus,
unprecedented spending and debt, a jobless "recovery" and the threat of a
double-dip recession, not to mention a foreign policy he can't explain and
his undeclared war on Libya . Obama's record is a disaster. Perry by
contrast produced in Texas an oasis of prosperity in a sea of misery during
the Obama years.
Not being able to defend his own economic record, or attack Perry's, Obama
might try to paint Perry as a representative of the far right. That wouldn't
be easy. Perry served three terms in the Texas House as a Democrat, and
supported Al Gore's 1988 presidential bid. That was when there were still
some conservative Democrats. Perry switched to the Republican Party in 1989
when the Democrat Party began moving left.
Obama might attack Perry's ideological extremism. But Perry could remind
voters that Reagan was initially painted as a conservative extremist, until
Reagan's folksy "Now there you go again" confidence showed Americans that
the extremist was in the White House. Reagan's proof was the economic chaos
Carter had wrought ("Are you better off now than you were four years ago?")
and the foreign policy catastrophes his policies produced in Iran , whose
hostage crisis was nearing 400 days.
Unlike Perry, Obama is all hat and no cattle. There is no Obama thrust that
Perry can't parry if he keeps his good humor and enthusiasm and reminds
Americans that, yes, his flaws are large - until you compare them with
Obama's.
My goal in life is to be as good a person as my dog already thinks I
am........
Saturday, July 9, 2011
He is a fifth generation Texan, the son of hardscrabble west Texas tenant
farmers - Democrats but conservatives through and through. He grew up in a
farm town too small to be on the state map. Life was so hard that he was six
years old before his house had indoor plumbing. His mother sewed his
clothes, including the underwear he wore to college.
He is an Eagle Scout. After Paint Creek High School , he attended Texas A&M,
graduated, and was commissioned into the Air Force where he became a C-130
pilot.
Now 61 years old, he has won nine elections to four different offices in
Texas state government. In the first three elections he ran as a Democrat
then switched to the Republican Party. He is currently the 47th governor of
Texas - a position he has held for 11 years, the longest tenure of any
governor in the nation.
He has never lost an election.
Rick Perry was the Lieutenant Governor to whom Governor George Bush handed
over the office after winning the 2000 Presidential election. Since then,
Perry won gubernatorial elections in 2002, 2004, and 2010, the last time by
55% against a field consisting of a Democrat, a Libertarian, a Green Party,
and an Independent.
Since he became its Governor, Texas - a right to work state that taxes
neither personal income nor capital gains - has added more jobs than the
other 49 states combined. In the last two years, low taxes and little
regulation led his state to create 47% of all jobs created in the entire
nation. Five of the top ten cities with the highest job growth in the nation
are in Texas . People follow jobs, so in the last four years for which data
are available, Texas led every state in net interstate migration growth.
Perry signed ground-breaking "loser pays" tort reform and medical litigation
rules that caused malpractice insurance rates to fall. Some 20,000 doctors
have since moved to Texas .
Texas boasts 58 of the Fortune 500 companies - more than any other state.
Since May 2011 Texas resumed its pre-recession employment levels. Only two
other states and the District of Columbia have done that.
Texas ships 16% of the nation's export value. California trails at 11%. Of
the 70 companies that have fled California so far in 2011, 14 relocated in
Texas .
In this year's Texas legislative season, Perry got most of what he wanted.
With no new taxes, a fiscally lean state budget was passed leaving $6
billion in a rainy day fund even as other states around the country
struggled to balance budgets and avoid more deficit borrowing. A voter ID
bill passed that was designed to prevent ballot box fraud and illegal
voting. A bill passed that makes plaintiffs pay court costs and attorney
fees if their suits are deemed frivolous.
Perry scored points even in his legislative failures. He failed to get
sanctuary cities banned - Texas towns in which police cannot question
detainees about their immigration status. The blame fell on the legislature.
Perry also failed to get a so-called "anti-groping" bill passed that would
put Transportation Security Administration agents in prison if they touch
the genitals, anus, or breasts of passengers in a pat down. Federal
officials threatened to halt all flights out of Texas airports and the bill
died in special session. That endeared Texans even more to TSA employees
living in Texas .
Perry jogs daily in the morning. He has no bodyguard with him, but his
daughter's dog runs by his side and he carries a laser-guided automatic
pistol in his belt. Last year while jogging in an undeveloped area, a coyote
paralleled his jogging route, eyeing his dog. He drew his pistol and killed
the animal with one shot, leaving it where it fell. "He became mulch," Perry
said. Animal rights groups protested, but Perry shrugged it off. "Don't come
after my dog," he warned them.
Recently, Obama asked Perry to delay the July 7 execution of Humberto Leal
in order to comply with the International Court of Justice in The Hague and
the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Perry refused. Therefore Obama
asked the US Supreme Court to delay the execution because it would damage US
foreign relations. The Court refused 5-4 and Perry ordered the execution to
go forward as scheduled. Over the howls of diplomats, politicians, and the
UN, Leal was administered a lethal injection at 6:20 p.m. Before he died, he
admitted his guilt and asked for forgiveness.
The case has special implications for Perry, who is considering a run for
the presidency in 2012. Even his critics resent federal interference in a
Texas execution, which is related to a state, not a federal, crime - an
alcohol and drug-fueled rape and murder 17 years ago by an illegal whose
family brought him into the country 35 years ago as a child. The
interference hinges not on the man's guilt, which Leal's advocates
acknowledged, but on a technicality - failure to inform Leal that he could
have gotten legal representation from the Mexican consulate in lieu of the
court-appointed attorneys who represented him. Independent Texans saw
Obama's interference as another intrusion of federal power into the affairs
of a state, which could cost Obama support in other states.
Needless to say, Perry is a hard-edged conservative and a ferocious defender
of 10th Amendments rights ("The powers not delegated to the United States by
the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the
States respectively, or to the people.") - an explicit restriction of the
federal government to only those powers granted in the Constitution. Perry
accuses the federal government, especially the Obama administration, of
illegal overreach.
Perry said "no thanks" to the feds whose stimulus offered taxpayer dollars
for education and unemployment assistance. The strings on "free money" from
Washington , he said, would restrict Texas in managing its own affairs.
Perry even depleted all state funds to fight recent wildfires before asking
Washington for disaster relief. His request has been ignored, which comes
across as an unvarnished federal power play, further pitting Perry and
Texans against the federal government.
It's little surprise, then, that 31% of Texans prefer Perry, who hasn't
announced for the presidency, versus 15% who prefer Romney and 11% who like
Bachmann. This is consistent with a Fox poll which put Romney at 18% with
national Republicans, Perry at 13%, and Bachmann at 11%. A Marist poll had
Romney leading with 19% but Perry and Giuliani, neither of whom has
announced, are tied for second at 13%. Perry is the favorite among Tea Party
voters, beating Palin, also unannounced, and Bachmann. For a guy who is not
officially running, Perry has more than an insignificant following compared
with the announced candidates.
But none of the candidates - announced and unannounced - has caught fire.
It's still early in the 2012 election cycle, and polling results this far
out border on meaninglessness. Yet I would have expected Romney to have a
greater lead, given his money and name recognition, unless he is being
perceived by voters as a nomination retread, now haunted by the
Massachusetts experiment that Obama claims inspired his unpopular remaking
of the national healthcare system. His business and economic expertise
towers over Obama's, but I suspect it would be easier for him to be elected
than nominated. Palin has a fan base rather than a constituency ready to
hand another rookie the keys to the White House. Bachmann, recently insulted
by Chris Matthews in an interview asking if she was a "flake" because of her
bizarre statements, might keep in mind that James Garfield was the only
House member to be elected President - and that was over 130 years ago. Ryan
may have recalled that fact when he declined to run.
But Perry is not without his negatives. French cuffs and cowboy boots
adorned with the words "Freedom" and " Liberty " bespeak a self-assuredness
that wears well in Texas and even in the south and southwest, but will it
work in Philadelphia , New Hampshire , and Ohio ?
Perry is ruggedly handsome - a modern Marlboro kind of man - whom the late
Texan and liberal columnist, Molly Ivins, called "Governor Goodhair." His
high octane rhetoric is unmistakably conservative. Speaking to the
Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans last month, he pumped the
air with both fists as he strode to the podium. "Whew!' he cried repeatedly.
"Yeah!" He was like an excited race horse being shoved into a starting gate.
I stand before you today a disciplined conservative Texan -- a committed
Republican and a proud American -- united with you in the desire to restore
our nation and revive the American dream.
Our party cannot be all things to all people. It can't be. And our loudest
opponents on the left are never gonna' like us so let's quit trying to curry
favor with 'em! . Let's speak with pride about our morals and our values and
redouble our effort to elect more conservative Republicans. Let's stop this
American downward spiral! .
This administration in Washington that's in power now clearly believes that
government is not only the answer to every need, but it's the most qualified
to make essential decisions for every American in every area. That mix of
arrogance and audacity that guides the Obama administration is an affront to
every freedom-loving American and a threat to every private sector job in
this country.
He left the podium and stage as he had mounted it: pumping his fists,
shouting "Yeah!" and "Whew!" as if he were returning to his corner after
Round 1 of a prize fight.
It's hard to imagine the cautiously moderate Romney, the bland
somnambulistic Pawlenty, or even the outspoken and misspoken Bachmann
delivering that performance. Yet, what a contrast Perry is to the
pontifical, condescending Obama speaking style, his head robotically
swiveling from side to side, nose unconsciously elevated. I suspect even the
leading GOP candidates wish they had Perry's "negatives."
Perry's speech was a tea partier's delight. The almost cocky swagger. The
Texas accent. But I wonder how it would sell to political independents -
those more pragmatic than ideological?
Sweeping these concerns aside, Perry's biggest challenge may be overcoming
the fact that he is "another" Texas governor seeking the White House. After
four years of Obama, Bush fatigue may have attenuated. But by how much? For
those in the center - the ones who will decide the next election - the
choice will be between four more years of someone they know (which they
didn't four years ago) versus someone who reminds them of someone they know
(Bush) and wish they didn't.
Beyond the Texas Governor's mansion, the accent, and the swagger, however,
the similarity ends. Their differences have been no small source of friction
between the Bush and Perry camps.
A 2007 YouTube, for example, showed Perry at a fundraiser saying, "George
Bush was never a fiscal conservative - never was," going on to say, "I mean,
'95, '97, '99, George Bush (while he was Texas Governor) was spending
money." The video came to the attention of Bush aides and they were not
happy with Perry's criticisms of their man.
Then after initially embracing Bush's "No Child Left Behind" law, Perry
turned against it, calling it "a monstrous intrusion into our (i.e. the
Texas education system) affairs" in an interview. His 10th Amendment
fire-breathing can't be contained.
When Perry ran for his third gubernatorial election, the Bush family and
political team retaliated by backing Perry's Republican opponent, Sen. Kay
Bailey Hutchinson, providing her campaign with fundraising and
organizational support. Perry won the primary and went on to win in the
general election by a sizable margin, no doubt giving him cause to gloat and
giving the Bush camp cause to mope.
The relationship between Perry and Bush continues to be frosty. But it would
be foolish for Perry to provoke the Bush family into working against him if
he chooses to run for President. And it would also be petty of the Bush
family to deny that politics requires a candidate to show that he is his own
man, not a clone of his former boss. Gore ran against Clinton in 2000, and
if Perry runs, he will have to show his independence of Bush if he is to
have any hope of shedding the "Oh no, not another Texas Governor" image.
Bush ran as a "compassionate conservative," probably a euphemism for the
liberalism of his rich family, which is what caused Reagan to balance his
conservative ticket with running mate George H. W. Bush. Perry will have to
show that he intends to reverse the reckless spending of the Bush-Obama
years.
Bush ran as a "uniter, not a divider." Perry will have to show that he
intends to be an unmistakable contrast to everything Obama stands for and
will undo the Obama program, even as Clinton undid the Reagan legacy and
Obama undid the Bush programs, complaining all the while that Bush was
responsible for everything that was wrong with America .
Perry has not yet said he is in the race. Time is running out for him to do
so. But should Obama be concerned if Perry runs? Absolutely. Obama cannot
run on his record - an unpopular healthcare law, a failed stimulus,
unprecedented spending and debt, a jobless "recovery" and the threat of a
double-dip recession, not to mention a foreign policy he can't explain and
his undeclared war on Libya . Obama's record is a disaster. Perry by
contrast produced in Texas an oasis of prosperity in a sea of misery during
the Obama years.
Not being able to defend his own economic record, or attack Perry's, Obama
might try to paint Perry as a representative of the far right. That wouldn't
be easy. Perry served three terms in the Texas House as a Democrat, and
supported Al Gore's 1988 presidential bid. That was when there were still
some conservative Democrats. Perry switched to the Republican Party in 1989
when the Democrat Party began moving left.
Obama might attack Perry's ideological extremism. But Perry could remind
voters that Reagan was initially painted as a conservative extremist, until
Reagan's folksy "Now there you go again" confidence showed Americans that
the extremist was in the White House. Reagan's proof was the economic chaos
Carter had wrought ("Are you better off now than you were four years ago?")
and the foreign policy catastrophes his policies produced in Iran , whose
hostage crisis was nearing 400 days.
Unlike Perry, Obama is all hat and no cattle. There is no Obama thrust that
Perry can't parry if he keeps his good humor and enthusiasm and reminds
Americans that, yes, his flaws are large - until you compare them with
Obama's.
My goal in life is to be as good a person as my dog already thinks I
am........
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
WOMEN OF THE BIBLE RHODA - from Bible Gateway
Rhoda
The Woman Who Was Called Mad
Scripture Reference - Acts 12:1-19
Name Meaning - Foreign born, this domestic servant of Mary the mother of Mark had a Greek name meaning "rose." Wilkinson remarks that as "Barnabas, Mary's brother, was of the country of Cyprus, it is a very reasonable supposition that the family had been resident there, and brought thence this maiden, who, like so many of her nation born in foreign parts, had received a Greek name." Although she carried one of the most beautiful names she was called by another not so pleasant. The saints in Mary's home called her Manias meaning, "a mad woman."
In the human episode in which Rhoda is the prominent character, nothing is said of pedigree. As a slave-maid she did not merit any genealogy. As a servant, she had no hours. The fact that it was long past midnight when Peter reached Mary's house, and that Rhoda the portress answered the door, indicates that she was willing to serve long and late. Mary, her mistress, also found in Rhoda a spiritual help. Doubtless she, too, was on her knees with the others praying for Peter, and hearing his knock went to the door. Perhaps we can break up the narrative in this threefold way. Peter knocked - Rhoda was shocked - The saints mocked.
Peter Knocked
The background of the record which Rhoda shares can be briefly cited. Mary of Jerusalem, a rich widow and mother of Mark the evangelist, owned a large and conspicuous house in the city which she placed at the service of the Lord. During the days of terrible persecution the saints in Jerusalem gathered regularly in her lovely home not only for the reading and exposition of the Word, but also to pray for afflicted saints. On the night in question the saints concentrated on the deliverance of a precious life, namely, Peter their leader. Herod's sword of persecution had fallen heavily upon the church in Jerusalem. James the Greater had already drunk the cup of martyrdom prophesied for him by his Lord, and the gathered intercessors had learned that Peter, imprisoned by Herod, was the next to be led forth to die. If their shepherd was smitten what could the sheep do. Such a crisis brought Peter's fellow believers to their knees in night-long intercession.
As the church in the house earnestly petitioned the Lord, their prayers were heard. In the prison the Lord, by means of an angel, miraculously freed Peter. Peter sped past guards and through opened doors, and came to the closed door of a house where he knew the saints were gathered together praying. Peter knocked at the door, but because of Rhoda's excitement, she failed to open the door. Peter continued knocking until the door was opened, not by angelic hands, as at the prison he had left, but by unbelieving human hands. Such a delay might have been dangerous, if the guards, discovering their prisoner had escaped, had tracked him down and found him standing at the closed gate of Mary's ancient house.
Rhoda Was Shocked
Peter not only knocked but also spoke, for we read that she knew his voice - the dear voice she had listened to so often expounding the sacred truths of the Word. But she was so stunned and overwhelmed at the answer to those midnight prayers standing there, that she failed to draw the bolts and admit Peter. "She opened not the gate for gladness." Such gladness would have been changed to sadness had Herod's soldiers appeared at that moment and taken Peter back to prison. We can understand Rhoda not opening the gate as soon as she heard the knock. "Never open a door in the dark until you know who is behind it." In those days when the saints were not sure who would be the next to join the noble army of martyrs, great caution was necessary. That knock might have been the summons of cruel Herod, making a fresh inroad on the little flock. But when Rhoda asked, "Who is knocking?" and received the muffled reply, "It is Peter, open quickly," she should have opened the gate before opening her mouth to others in the house about Peter standing outside. Knowing that for certain it was Peter, it was her duty as the maid to open the door. But stunned by the glad tidings she was momentarily thoughtless.
There are some characteristics of this maidservant who only has this one notice in Scripture, which are attractive. First, unbounded joy was hers. Luke, the beloved physician, who wrote the Acts, analyzes Rhoda's state of consciousness when the good news of answered prayer on Peter's behalf overpowered her presence of mind. She forgot herself - and her duty - and ran in to tell the intercessors to pray no more for Peter was at the gate. We can imagine how excitedly she shouted, "Peter is free! Peter is knocking at the door!" A spontaneous child of nature, she manifested her exuberance. Had hers been a calmer, less passionate nature, she would have opened the door when she knew it was Peter, and then gone in to tell the praying band that Peter was safe and free.
Further, when her good, glad information was scorned by the saints whose prayers for Peter had been interrupted by Rhoda's joyous outburst, "she constantly affirmed that it was even so." Her young heart believed in God and in the power of prayer, and knowing definitely that prayer had been answered, she would not suffer the praying band in the house of her mistress to browbeat her into silence. Although only the maid, she was not to be subdued by the sarcastic criticism of the large congregation present. She knew it was Peter, and nothing could move her from that belief. Rhoda wore the red rose of courage so beautifully as she persisted against opposition to constantly affirm the truth.
The Saints Mocked
How revealing was the reaction of those gathered together to Rhoda's excited announcement. First of all, they told the glad maid that she was mad . They accused her of insanity! But Rhoda was in good company because it had been said of the Saviour whom she had come to know and love, "He is beside Himself." Then, when Paul's eye kindled with the glory of his message, just as the face of Rhoda glowed as she told of answered prayer, Festus said of the Apostle, "Thou art beside thyself, much learning doth make thee mad." The prophet speaks about the spiritual man being mad (Hosea 9:7 ). Have we ever been thought mad for Christ, or fools for His sake? We are in the best of company if others sneer at us as we declare and live the message of God's power through Christ. But being told she had lost her senses did not deter Rhoda from the repetition of what she knew to be true.
Departing from their accusation, the band said, "It is his angel." Failing to move Rhoda from her persistent testimony, the saints treated her message as coming from the dead. It was a common Jewish belief that every true Israelite had a guardian angel especially assigned to him, who, when he appeared in human form, assumed the likeness of the man whom he protected. The continued knocking of Peter, however, stifled that interpretation of Rhoda's testimony because guardian angels are not prevented from carrying out their mission by closed doors. So, feeling that there was something insistently human about that constant knocking "they opened the door, saw Peter, and were astonished."
Astonished! How this description of their feelings revealed their unbelief! They had been praying for hours for Peter, yet when Peter stood at the door they did not believe it. Lack of faith was mingled with their intercessions, and so they were surprised at the miracle God had performed in Peter's escape from prison. Our Lord instructed His disciples to pray believingly. "When ye ask, believe that ye receive." Spurgeon once said, "If the Lord wants to surprise His people, He has only at once to give them an answer. No sooner do they receive an answer than they say, 'Who would have thought it?'" Mary of Jerusalem came to value her godly maid, Rhoda, more than ever because of the great assistance she had rendered that memorable day. And once in the house, Peter must have commended her for her persistence
The Woman Who Was Called Mad
Scripture Reference - Acts 12:1-19
Name Meaning - Foreign born, this domestic servant of Mary the mother of Mark had a Greek name meaning "rose." Wilkinson remarks that as "Barnabas, Mary's brother, was of the country of Cyprus, it is a very reasonable supposition that the family had been resident there, and brought thence this maiden, who, like so many of her nation born in foreign parts, had received a Greek name." Although she carried one of the most beautiful names she was called by another not so pleasant. The saints in Mary's home called her Manias meaning, "a mad woman."
In the human episode in which Rhoda is the prominent character, nothing is said of pedigree. As a slave-maid she did not merit any genealogy. As a servant, she had no hours. The fact that it was long past midnight when Peter reached Mary's house, and that Rhoda the portress answered the door, indicates that she was willing to serve long and late. Mary, her mistress, also found in Rhoda a spiritual help. Doubtless she, too, was on her knees with the others praying for Peter, and hearing his knock went to the door. Perhaps we can break up the narrative in this threefold way. Peter knocked - Rhoda was shocked - The saints mocked.
Peter Knocked
The background of the record which Rhoda shares can be briefly cited. Mary of Jerusalem, a rich widow and mother of Mark the evangelist, owned a large and conspicuous house in the city which she placed at the service of the Lord. During the days of terrible persecution the saints in Jerusalem gathered regularly in her lovely home not only for the reading and exposition of the Word, but also to pray for afflicted saints. On the night in question the saints concentrated on the deliverance of a precious life, namely, Peter their leader. Herod's sword of persecution had fallen heavily upon the church in Jerusalem. James the Greater had already drunk the cup of martyrdom prophesied for him by his Lord, and the gathered intercessors had learned that Peter, imprisoned by Herod, was the next to be led forth to die. If their shepherd was smitten what could the sheep do. Such a crisis brought Peter's fellow believers to their knees in night-long intercession.
As the church in the house earnestly petitioned the Lord, their prayers were heard. In the prison the Lord, by means of an angel, miraculously freed Peter. Peter sped past guards and through opened doors, and came to the closed door of a house where he knew the saints were gathered together praying. Peter knocked at the door, but because of Rhoda's excitement, she failed to open the door. Peter continued knocking until the door was opened, not by angelic hands, as at the prison he had left, but by unbelieving human hands. Such a delay might have been dangerous, if the guards, discovering their prisoner had escaped, had tracked him down and found him standing at the closed gate of Mary's ancient house.
Rhoda Was Shocked
Peter not only knocked but also spoke, for we read that she knew his voice - the dear voice she had listened to so often expounding the sacred truths of the Word. But she was so stunned and overwhelmed at the answer to those midnight prayers standing there, that she failed to draw the bolts and admit Peter. "She opened not the gate for gladness." Such gladness would have been changed to sadness had Herod's soldiers appeared at that moment and taken Peter back to prison. We can understand Rhoda not opening the gate as soon as she heard the knock. "Never open a door in the dark until you know who is behind it." In those days when the saints were not sure who would be the next to join the noble army of martyrs, great caution was necessary. That knock might have been the summons of cruel Herod, making a fresh inroad on the little flock. But when Rhoda asked, "Who is knocking?" and received the muffled reply, "It is Peter, open quickly," she should have opened the gate before opening her mouth to others in the house about Peter standing outside. Knowing that for certain it was Peter, it was her duty as the maid to open the door. But stunned by the glad tidings she was momentarily thoughtless.
There are some characteristics of this maidservant who only has this one notice in Scripture, which are attractive. First, unbounded joy was hers. Luke, the beloved physician, who wrote the Acts, analyzes Rhoda's state of consciousness when the good news of answered prayer on Peter's behalf overpowered her presence of mind. She forgot herself - and her duty - and ran in to tell the intercessors to pray no more for Peter was at the gate. We can imagine how excitedly she shouted, "Peter is free! Peter is knocking at the door!" A spontaneous child of nature, she manifested her exuberance. Had hers been a calmer, less passionate nature, she would have opened the door when she knew it was Peter, and then gone in to tell the praying band that Peter was safe and free.
Further, when her good, glad information was scorned by the saints whose prayers for Peter had been interrupted by Rhoda's joyous outburst, "she constantly affirmed that it was even so." Her young heart believed in God and in the power of prayer, and knowing definitely that prayer had been answered, she would not suffer the praying band in the house of her mistress to browbeat her into silence. Although only the maid, she was not to be subdued by the sarcastic criticism of the large congregation present. She knew it was Peter, and nothing could move her from that belief. Rhoda wore the red rose of courage so beautifully as she persisted against opposition to constantly affirm the truth.
The Saints Mocked
How revealing was the reaction of those gathered together to Rhoda's excited announcement. First of all, they told the glad maid that she was mad . They accused her of insanity! But Rhoda was in good company because it had been said of the Saviour whom she had come to know and love, "He is beside Himself." Then, when Paul's eye kindled with the glory of his message, just as the face of Rhoda glowed as she told of answered prayer, Festus said of the Apostle, "Thou art beside thyself, much learning doth make thee mad." The prophet speaks about the spiritual man being mad (Hosea 9:7 ). Have we ever been thought mad for Christ, or fools for His sake? We are in the best of company if others sneer at us as we declare and live the message of God's power through Christ. But being told she had lost her senses did not deter Rhoda from the repetition of what she knew to be true.
Departing from their accusation, the band said, "It is his angel." Failing to move Rhoda from her persistent testimony, the saints treated her message as coming from the dead. It was a common Jewish belief that every true Israelite had a guardian angel especially assigned to him, who, when he appeared in human form, assumed the likeness of the man whom he protected. The continued knocking of Peter, however, stifled that interpretation of Rhoda's testimony because guardian angels are not prevented from carrying out their mission by closed doors. So, feeling that there was something insistently human about that constant knocking "they opened the door, saw Peter, and were astonished."
Astonished! How this description of their feelings revealed their unbelief! They had been praying for hours for Peter, yet when Peter stood at the door they did not believe it. Lack of faith was mingled with their intercessions, and so they were surprised at the miracle God had performed in Peter's escape from prison. Our Lord instructed His disciples to pray believingly. "When ye ask, believe that ye receive." Spurgeon once said, "If the Lord wants to surprise His people, He has only at once to give them an answer. No sooner do they receive an answer than they say, 'Who would have thought it?'" Mary of Jerusalem came to value her godly maid, Rhoda, more than ever because of the great assistance she had rendered that memorable day. And once in the house, Peter must have commended her for her persistence
Saturday, August 13, 2011
MEN OF THE BIBLE - LEVI from Bible Gateway
Levi
[Lē'vī] - joined or adhesion.
1. Another name for Matthew, the one-time Roman tax-gatherer (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27, 29). See MATTHEW.
2. An ancestor of Jesus Christ(Luke 3:24).
3. Another ancestor of Jesus Christ (Luke 3:29).
4. The third son of Jacob by Leah. Levi had three sons, and died in Egypt at the age of 137 (Gen. 29:34; 46:11; Exod. 6:16). His descendants, the Levites, had care of the sanctuary. The Book of Leviticus describes their ministry.
The Man of Isolation
Isolation is a feature in the history of Levi, quite as much as it characterizes Simeon, with whom he is paired. The capacity to stand alone made Simeon and Levi conspicuous among their brethren in their attack upon the Shechemites, and proved a valuable instrument for the work of the Lord. The tribe of Levi was fitted by the discipline of trial to discharge a most important duty in Israel - a duty which made Levi second in importance to none but Judah, whose forerunner and counterpart he was formed to be. Levi stands before Judah in the prophecies of Jacob - Judah before Levi in the blessings of Moses, the man of God.
"The true Levites," says Dr. C. H. Waller, "are the men who have been made lonely among their brethren that they may live alone with Jehovah, and so dwell as the families of others that they may unite them to the family of God."
Levi came under the ban of Jacob, who, in his prophecy set Simeon and Levi under a "curse." To the patriarch they were bad brothers.
Dr. Dinsdale Young has a telling chapter on Simeon and Levi in which he elaborates on these features:
I. They constituted an unholy brotherhood - they had a common disposition (Gen. 49:5).
II. They had unhallowed belongings ( Gen. 49:5) - sinful homes and perverted instruments.
III. They drew from their father a heart-felt prayer (Gen. 49:6). Reviewing their sinful courses, the dying father prays for them.
IV. Their father uttered a righteous imprecation upon their sin. Jacob did not curse them, but their sin (Gen. 49:7).
V. A just judgment was pronounced upon them, "I will divide them" (Gen. 49:7 ). Though divided and scattered, they were not cut off from the promised land. Theirs was not the abundant entrance of others, yet they were privileged to enter.
[Lē'vī] - joined or adhesion.
1. Another name for Matthew, the one-time Roman tax-gatherer (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27, 29). See MATTHEW.
2. An ancestor of Jesus Christ(Luke 3:24).
3. Another ancestor of Jesus Christ (Luke 3:29).
4. The third son of Jacob by Leah. Levi had three sons, and died in Egypt at the age of 137 (Gen. 29:34; 46:11; Exod. 6:16). His descendants, the Levites, had care of the sanctuary. The Book of Leviticus describes their ministry.
The Man of Isolation
Isolation is a feature in the history of Levi, quite as much as it characterizes Simeon, with whom he is paired. The capacity to stand alone made Simeon and Levi conspicuous among their brethren in their attack upon the Shechemites, and proved a valuable instrument for the work of the Lord. The tribe of Levi was fitted by the discipline of trial to discharge a most important duty in Israel - a duty which made Levi second in importance to none but Judah, whose forerunner and counterpart he was formed to be. Levi stands before Judah in the prophecies of Jacob - Judah before Levi in the blessings of Moses, the man of God.
"The true Levites," says Dr. C. H. Waller, "are the men who have been made lonely among their brethren that they may live alone with Jehovah, and so dwell as the families of others that they may unite them to the family of God."
Levi came under the ban of Jacob, who, in his prophecy set Simeon and Levi under a "curse." To the patriarch they were bad brothers.
Dr. Dinsdale Young has a telling chapter on Simeon and Levi in which he elaborates on these features:
I. They constituted an unholy brotherhood - they had a common disposition (Gen. 49:5).
II. They had unhallowed belongings ( Gen. 49:5) - sinful homes and perverted instruments.
III. They drew from their father a heart-felt prayer (Gen. 49:6). Reviewing their sinful courses, the dying father prays for them.
IV. Their father uttered a righteous imprecation upon their sin. Jacob did not curse them, but their sin (Gen. 49:7).
V. A just judgment was pronounced upon them, "I will divide them" (Gen. 49:7 ). Though divided and scattered, they were not cut off from the promised land. Theirs was not the abundant entrance of others, yet they were privileged to enter.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Letter to attorney general Eric Holder (From Orly Taitz)
Letter to attorney general Eric Holder (From Orly Taitz)
December 14, 2009 | Orly Taitz
Posted on Tue Dec 15 2009 18:15:04 GMT-0700 (Mountain Standard Time) by Man50D
Law Offices of Dr. Orly Taitz ESQ
29839 Santa Margarita parkway ste 100
Rancho Santa Margarita CA 92688
Phone 949-683-5411 Fax 949-766-7603
12.14.09.
Via Certified Mail
Attn Mr. Eric Holder
United States Attorney General
950 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington DC 20530-0001 USA
Dear Mr. Holder,
On March 1st on behalf of my clients I have submitted to you a request to file Quo Warranto against Mr. Barack Hussein Obama. The request was filed due to following troubling facts:
1. According to a number of licensed investigators National Databases show Mr. Obama using as many as 39 different Social Security numbers, which included the numbers of deceased individuals and numbers never assigned.
2. Number 042-68-4425 that Mr. Obama used for most of his life and is currently using while residing in the White House, is a number assigned to an individual born in 1890, who resided in the state of Connecticut and this Social Security number was issued in the state of Connecticut where Mr. Obama never resided.
3. One of the leading forensic experts in the country Ms. Sandra Ramsey Lines has prepared an affidavit, stating that Mr. Obama’s short version Certification of Life Birth cannot be treated as genuine without seeing the original on file in the Health Department in HI.
4. The state of Hawaii since 1911 had in its statutes a provision allowing Foreign born children of Hawaiian residents of get Hawaiian Birth Certificates(currently statute 338-17) and currently statute 338-5 allows one to get a birth certificate based on a statement of one relative only without any corroborating evidence from the hospital.
5. In spite of over 100 law suits filed around the country and 12 Citizen Grand Jury indictments Mr. Obama refused to sign a consent to unseal his original birth certificate currently sealed in the Health Department of the state of Hawaii and all the other vital records.
6. Ms. Chiuomi Fukino, Director of the Health Department of the State of Hawaii has provided a statement that there is a document on file in Hawaii, however she refused to provide any information, as to what document is on file: whether it is a Birth Certificate given to a foreign born child of Hawaiian resident, whether it is an amended Birth certificate, obtained when Mr. Obama was adopted by his Indonesian stepfather. She refused to answer any questions as to whether his birth certificate was obtained based on a proper hospital birth certificate or based on a statement of one of his relatives only, which needs to be corroborated.
7. Regardless of place of birth of Mr. Obama, since birth and until now Mr. Obama had a split allegiance. He had British citizenship at birth, Kenyan since age 2 and Indonesian since age 5. Allegiance to other Nations goes as a clear violation of the Natural citizenship clause of the article 2 section 1 of the Constitution.
8. Under the Freedom of Information act 5 US 552, since no response was provided to numerous certified mail letters received by your office nine months ago, I demand a written response or Administrative hearing on the matter within 30 days. On behalf of my clients I demand an answer, as to when the Quo Warranto against Mr. Obama will be filed by the US Attorney General office, or in the alternative if the Attorney General office refuses to file Quo Warranto, I demand an ex-relator status for my clients to proceed with the Quo Warranto action against Mr. Obama in the DC court or the Supreme Court of the United States.
Dr. Orly Taitz ESQ
Counsel to the plaintiffs-ex relators.
Attachment
Quo Warranto request, Dossiers
December 14, 2009 | Orly Taitz
Posted on Tue Dec 15 2009 18:15:04 GMT-0700 (Mountain Standard Time) by Man50D
Law Offices of Dr. Orly Taitz ESQ
29839 Santa Margarita parkway ste 100
Rancho Santa Margarita CA 92688
Phone 949-683-5411 Fax 949-766-7603
12.14.09.
Via Certified Mail
Attn Mr. Eric Holder
United States Attorney General
950 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington DC 20530-0001 USA
Dear Mr. Holder,
On March 1st on behalf of my clients I have submitted to you a request to file Quo Warranto against Mr. Barack Hussein Obama. The request was filed due to following troubling facts:
1. According to a number of licensed investigators National Databases show Mr. Obama using as many as 39 different Social Security numbers, which included the numbers of deceased individuals and numbers never assigned.
2. Number 042-68-4425 that Mr. Obama used for most of his life and is currently using while residing in the White House, is a number assigned to an individual born in 1890, who resided in the state of Connecticut and this Social Security number was issued in the state of Connecticut where Mr. Obama never resided.
3. One of the leading forensic experts in the country Ms. Sandra Ramsey Lines has prepared an affidavit, stating that Mr. Obama’s short version Certification of Life Birth cannot be treated as genuine without seeing the original on file in the Health Department in HI.
4. The state of Hawaii since 1911 had in its statutes a provision allowing Foreign born children of Hawaiian residents of get Hawaiian Birth Certificates(currently statute 338-17) and currently statute 338-5 allows one to get a birth certificate based on a statement of one relative only without any corroborating evidence from the hospital.
5. In spite of over 100 law suits filed around the country and 12 Citizen Grand Jury indictments Mr. Obama refused to sign a consent to unseal his original birth certificate currently sealed in the Health Department of the state of Hawaii and all the other vital records.
6. Ms. Chiuomi Fukino, Director of the Health Department of the State of Hawaii has provided a statement that there is a document on file in Hawaii, however she refused to provide any information, as to what document is on file: whether it is a Birth Certificate given to a foreign born child of Hawaiian resident, whether it is an amended Birth certificate, obtained when Mr. Obama was adopted by his Indonesian stepfather. She refused to answer any questions as to whether his birth certificate was obtained based on a proper hospital birth certificate or based on a statement of one of his relatives only, which needs to be corroborated.
7. Regardless of place of birth of Mr. Obama, since birth and until now Mr. Obama had a split allegiance. He had British citizenship at birth, Kenyan since age 2 and Indonesian since age 5. Allegiance to other Nations goes as a clear violation of the Natural citizenship clause of the article 2 section 1 of the Constitution.
8. Under the Freedom of Information act 5 US 552, since no response was provided to numerous certified mail letters received by your office nine months ago, I demand a written response or Administrative hearing on the matter within 30 days. On behalf of my clients I demand an answer, as to when the Quo Warranto against Mr. Obama will be filed by the US Attorney General office, or in the alternative if the Attorney General office refuses to file Quo Warranto, I demand an ex-relator status for my clients to proceed with the Quo Warranto action against Mr. Obama in the DC court or the Supreme Court of the United States.
Dr. Orly Taitz ESQ
Counsel to the plaintiffs-ex relators.
Attachment
Quo Warranto request, Dossiers
Thursday, August 11, 2011
OBAMA: ‘Islam has always been part of our American family’
This type of rhetoric is why BO has an 80% approval rating in the Muslim Community, and is going to cause some major problems in the near future in my opinion!!!
OBAMA: ‘Islam has always been part of our American family’
August 11, 2011
362Share
Here is some of President Obama’s remarks during Wednesday’s Iftar dinner at theWhite House:
“Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the White House. Tonight is part of a rich tradition here at the White House of celebrating the holy days of many faiths and the diversity that define us as a nation. So these are quintessentially American celebrations — people of different faiths coming together, with humility before our maker, to reaffirm our obligations to one another, because no matter who we are, or how we pray, we’re all children of a loving God.
“This evening reminds us of both the timeless teachings of a great religion and the enduring strengths of a great nation. Like so many faiths, Islam has always been part of our American family, and Muslim Americans have long contributed to the strength and character of our country, in all walks of life. This has been especially true over the past 10 years.
“In one month, we will mark the 10th anniversary of those awful attacks that brought so much pain to our hearts. It will be a time to honor all those that we’ve lost, the families who carry on their legacy, the heroes who rushed to help that day and all who have served to keep us safe during a difficult decade. And tonight, it’s worth remembering that these Americans were of many faiths and backgrounds, including proud and patriotic Muslim Americans.
“Muslim Americans were innocent passengers on those planes, including a young married couple looking forward to the birth of their first child. They were workers in the Twin Towers — Americans by birth and Americans by choice, immigrants who crossed the oceans to give their children a better life. They were cooks and waiters, but also analysts and executives.
OBAMA: ‘Islam has always been part of our American family’
August 11, 2011
362Share
Here is some of President Obama’s remarks during Wednesday’s Iftar dinner at theWhite House:
“Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the White House. Tonight is part of a rich tradition here at the White House of celebrating the holy days of many faiths and the diversity that define us as a nation. So these are quintessentially American celebrations — people of different faiths coming together, with humility before our maker, to reaffirm our obligations to one another, because no matter who we are, or how we pray, we’re all children of a loving God.
“This evening reminds us of both the timeless teachings of a great religion and the enduring strengths of a great nation. Like so many faiths, Islam has always been part of our American family, and Muslim Americans have long contributed to the strength and character of our country, in all walks of life. This has been especially true over the past 10 years.
“In one month, we will mark the 10th anniversary of those awful attacks that brought so much pain to our hearts. It will be a time to honor all those that we’ve lost, the families who carry on their legacy, the heroes who rushed to help that day and all who have served to keep us safe during a difficult decade. And tonight, it’s worth remembering that these Americans were of many faiths and backgrounds, including proud and patriotic Muslim Americans.
“Muslim Americans were innocent passengers on those planes, including a young married couple looking forward to the birth of their first child. They were workers in the Twin Towers — Americans by birth and Americans by choice, immigrants who crossed the oceans to give their children a better life. They were cooks and waiters, but also analysts and executives.