Picture theme - God is over all.

 

God vs. the Tsunami

Psalm 145  I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

I use the above scripture to emphasize what I am about to say. The terrible Tsunami that occurred in January 2005 was not from God. God is a good and loving God.

First I will tell you what this Tsunami means: It is a sign of what Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24:6: And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. In the Amplified Version of the Bible verse 8 it says; all this is but the beginning-- the early pains of the birth pangsof the intolerable anguish.

It is part of the intolerable anguish is the great tribulation that Jesus said would occur in the last days. Matthew 24:21: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

The Tsunami that killed 160,000 people is a sign a warning that the terrible anguish is upon us.

Why did it happen and why is there going to be terrible anguish? It happened because God's protection was not there. His protection was not there because man has not understood Him or His message. Catastrophes are the inevitable result of mankind's choices on this earth.

God's desire is to be FATHER GOD to all. He created us to be His children. When He did that, He created us to need Him. NO ONE is complete without Him. There is no young child who can make it on his or her own. Young children need parental guidance, discipline and protection and provision. EVERYONE on this earth needs GOD THE FATHER in the same way. EVERYONE OF US is a little child in God's sight. Why? Because He knows way more, He can do way more and He is way more than we are.

When a person choose to go their own way do their own thing it is an accurate comparison to a little child being completely on its own. Now if that little child on its own gets hit by a car or drowns in the river or is eaten by a lion, should we blame the parent who was not given opportunity to act as a parent? No. That is what happens in a disaster. Circumstances were such that God could not stop the calamity and still be operating within the boundaries He set up as good, wise, just and right.

Here's how it works: God provided life, light and love. We have the power to choose whether we will believe Him and receive Him and enter into the Father/child relationship that He offers. If we choose not to receive from Him, the result is that we are totally vulnerable to evil. (harm) If there was only good - God, then there would be no choice to make. But there is bad. If one does not listen to and agree with good teaching, then bad teaching influences their life. If a child does not listen to his or her parents, they must then listen to the politically correct, their teacher, their peers, the books they read, the TV they watch or some other source. Since mankind does not start out with knowledge, he or she much get it from some source. God has established that He is the source of good, the source of life, the source of hope, the source of light, the source of love, the source of Truth, the source of security, the source of safety, the source of continued health, and the source of prosperity.

God has also revealed that there is bad and that the father of bad is Satan/the devil/the liar. Jesus taught that if you don't listen to God then you have to listen to the liar. The devil wants to be your god. He uses all media that is not from God to teach a person false knowledge. A person no matter how good he wants to be can only make choices based on what he knows.  So a person can feel like they are good even though they haven't received the author of good-- God as their guide and influence. They can think their choices are smart and good, yet those choices can be very harmful. If their choices go against what God has taught, you can bank on it that they are harmful choices because what God wants is to be a good Father and have happy, healthy, profitable children. Everything He told mankind to do or not to do was to protect them from harm and use them to promote good.

Did innocent people die? Yes. Why? Tsunamis are no respecter of persons. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Did God protect anyone? Yes. There are testimonies of a few who listened to him and survived.

Did some of His own children die in it? Yes. Because at that particular time they could not hear Him. In other words as an earthly father has to either be with the child or his teaching be with the child in order for him to protect the child, so it works with God as Father. If the child is not in a position to be protected and the place where the child is, is not under protection, then there is no protection.

Did His children who died in the Tsunami go to heaven even though they were not listening to Him? Yes, unless they were, by their own choices, completely estranged from Him as they were before they became His children.

© Sylvia Huffnagle

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 Is the Bible True?

The Bible is not an account of man’s effort to reach God. It tells of God’s effort to reveal himself to man. It is composed of 66 books written over a period of 1,600 years by men of various backgrounds...lawgivers, kings, artisans, farmers, fishermen and scholars. It was written in different countries, under different social and political conditions: yet in its harmony it is chronologically, historically, doctrinally, prophetically and scientifically correct.

The Bible was written in the language of the common man and in the culture of the day. The divine guidance lay in the fact that the writers avoided the explanation of scientific things. Had they tried to interpret scriptural statements in the light of the best science of the day, this book would be full of grotesque errors as are all the scientific books of the ages past. For example, in Jeremiah 33:19-22 it says, As the host of heaven cannot be numbered . . . ,but Hipparchus (150 B.C.) said there were exactly 1,026 stars. One hundred fifty years later, Ptolemy said there were 1,056 stars, and then in A.D. 1610, Galileo, using the newly invented telescope, discovered many more stars. Since then man has learned that there are more stars than can be counted.

The Bible is the revelation of God and man that alone can satisfy the human heart, which cries out for a God to believe in and worship. The plan of salvation or reconciliation is unique in that God does the sacrificing in order to provide reconciliation.

There are six great witnesses attesting to the power and inspiration of the Bible.

• 1. The witness of unity among diversity, mentioned above.
• 2. The witness of fulfilled prophesy.
• 3. Archaeology confirms the Bible account every time.
• 4. Science. The Bible contains hundreds of scientific facts as up-to-date as tomorrow’s newspaper.
• 5. Preservation of the text...against all odds, against all adversity, against tremendous and innumerable efforts to destroy, wipe out, annihilate, eradicate the Holy Written Word of God, it is not destroyed because God Almighty preserved it and it stands every test of accuracy and authenticity.
• 6. It has triumphed over all its enemies and is bringing new life to millions around the world today.

The Bible is far too ingenious, poetic and artistic to ever have been written by man.

The Bible told us thousands of years ago, what was going to happen at this time. Check out Ezekiel 38, Daniel 7: 19-23, 8:10-14, 9:24-10: 1, 11:22-12:12, Luke 21, II Timothy 3, II Peter 2, Revelation 13,14 and many more.

Here is a list of some of the perks that Christians don’t have if the Bible is not from God.

• What would your life be like , Christian, if you didn’t know that God created you and that he loves you as his very own child.
• What if you didn’t believe that he is perfect in every way and that he knows everything and can do anything and that he is totally good and that he never changes.
• What if you didn‘t know that he never goes by his feelings, but always does what is best and right.
• If you were without the Bible, you would not know that God provided a way for us to have eternal life and eternal life is in his Son. And that we can receive his Son, Jesus, and know that when we are finished here, we are going to a much better place and have a much better life.
• You wouldn’t have Jesus living in your heart to help and guide and comfort and minister to you.
• You wouldn’t know that God wants to be a loving Father to you.
• You wouldn’t have a complete and proven set of instructions for daily living.
• You would have no hope for tomorrow and no help for today.
• You wouldn’t have the promises of God to see you through the bad times.
• The list could goes on . . . .

Following are reasons you should worship the God in the Holy Bible:

• 1. You will be delivered from harmful habits that pull you down, destroy your body, drain your finances and endanger your life now and for eternity.
• 2. The God of the Bible gives you power to be a better person
• 3. The Bible offers hope for tomorrow, help, strength and comfort for today. You see, the God of the Bible loves you. He is a loving Father.
• 4. The Bible offers a perfect Savior, one who is able to save you from sin and death. He is able to save you from bad habits and wrong thinking. He is able to save you from sickness and disease. And He is able to save you from after death hell fire and guarantee you heavenly eternal life.

This Savior can make you clean inside and wash away every sin, and he is able to give you God’s Spirit so you can live right and forever.

Now the god of this world, Satan, the devil, will encourage you to not listen to God. He will tell you that God wants to take away your freedom and wants you to fear and tremble because of your sins. He will encourage you to take drugs, to do free sex, drink alcohol, overcharge your credit cards, run around on your mate, and look at pornography (which distorts your perception of sexual gratification). He will encourage you to have fun today and not worry about tomorrow. He will tell you it’s all right to lie and cheat under certain circumstances even though it gets you into trouble and ruins your reputation and no one trusts you anymore. He will tell you that you are no good and that you are a failure. He incites you to hate people and want to "get even." He will encourage you to swear and say things that you will be ashamed of later. He tells you not to believe the Bible is the Word of God.

Who are you going to listen to--the one who loves you and wants to give you all good things or the one who will destroy you?

© Sylvia Huffnagle

The first part of this message contains excerpts from:

The Holy Bible- Wholly True © Pretty Good Printing

All Rights Reserved Last Days Ministries 

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What about Evolution?

Evolution is a real process. Does that surprise some of you--that a adamant believer of the Gospel would say that? Let me explain.

I’ll start with Daniel 4:33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.

Evolution is not only by intelligent design it is also by a loving God. Let’s look at how it works.

The account above tells of evolution’s benefits that this loving God designed. Because Nebuchadnezzar had to live in the field and eat grass his body adjusted and he developed what was needed to survive. Feathers and bird claws evolved. This is not a case for the atheistic theory of evolution--it is a case for a loving God who has provided adaptation.

What happens to an unattended field? It grows over with weeds, thorns, and nettles. But if a intelligent loving being cares for it, it evolves into a place bountiful in blessings.

What happens to a house that is left uncared for? It gradually deteriorates and eventually falls apart. This goes for car and everything that has been created by man. It take man caring about it to keep it in good repair. If neglected, things waste away to nothing. It could be said that they evolve into junk. The evidence is substantial.

What happens to a house that is loving and intelligently designed and built? It gradually evolves into a beautiful, functional home.

Children when raised by caring parents evolve into a useful contributing adults. What would happen to a child if there were no intelligent being and no nurturing in its life? It would evolve into a mess. It would take loving people many years to help it evolve into someone who can function well.

The human body grows and by the time it reaches adulthood all the equipment required for it to function correctly has evolved. It could not be an accident that the things needed for adulthood are there at the right time.

What is wrong with the theory of evolution is not evolution, but the mentally defective idea that something could evolve into something better without the design and help of a caring being.

© Sylvia Huffnagle

Post Script                          

Christianity vs. Humanism

Those who embrace humanism either don't believe in a supreme being who created all things good or they believe that if there is a supreme being, he, she, or it is not involved in our daily lives. They believe that evolution is merely a process of the earth.

If these things are true then the only thing we can do is eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die. This way of thinking is non-productive. It is as destructive as evolution without a loving God. Observe any building, machine, living thing, etc.--left to itself it deteriorates till it falls apart.

Whereas if there is a loving God watching over all--evolution is meant to help the living things adapt to their surroundings for the purpose of survival. The nature of our loving God is to work with the challenged party until the outcome is victory.

It is the humanistic viewpoint that has caused life on planet earth to get more and more difficult to cope with. It is this viewpoint that is causing the increase in pain and heartache.

If there is no loving God in charge of things, then inevitably selfishness is god.

The Christian viewpoint is that a loving God created the earth and everything in it. And it was good. Man's wrong choice--their choice to do what they wanted to do rather than what God (God is love--love always does the right thing because the right thing produces good.) told them to do, brought about all that is bad.

But a loving God is still offering love. He sent his Son who made all the right choices and then offered himself in the stead of all those who made wrong choices so that they can make the right choice which is to receive the Him and new life. This ultimate act of love reveals God’s nature as nothing else could do.

This loving God is behind true evolution--evolution is only true in the sense of adaptation--the same God who created everything good is the same God who causes things to adapt to their surroundings and be able to survive until the time when God's Son comes back to oversee the choices made throughout the earth and make all things right. God ordained that everything produces after its own kind, so apes do not turn into people, etc.

The humanistic world view encourages selfishness--the loving God worldview encourages people to follow love, and to heed God's guidance, and it also provides for all of mankind's needs to be met.

 

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As a Christian . .What Not to Wear

Point #1  Parallels are a true test. If it is true that we need a spiritual covering--secret place of the most high--Psalms 91, would it not be true that we need a soul covering--the full armor of God--Ephesians 6, and a body covering also--Genesis 3:21? 21--Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. [The Amplified Bible says the coats of skins were long robes.]

Point #2  Clothes make a statement. Most people when they are going out in public dress to make a statement. The rich wear clothes that tells that they are rich. The hippie wears clothes that say they will not conform. The skateboarder wears baggie clothes to identify with other skateboarders. The prostitute wears clothes that advertise her wares.

Scripture Reference: 

I Timothy 2: 9-10 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

Spiritual parallel:  

Job:29:14  I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.

Rom. 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Isa. 52:1  Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

Zeph. 1:8  And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.

Rom. 13:12-14  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Eph. 4:22-24  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Gal:3:27  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Eph. 6:11-13  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Col. 3:8-11  But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Point #3  The Christian way is to dress with consideration for others. The pious-[having or showing religious devotion; zealous in the performance of religious obligations--Webster‘s] wear very conservative clothes because they do not want to draw attention to or advertise their bodies, they do not want to cause men and boys to lust after them nor do they want to excite a male who may then take it out on someone else. [Cleavage entices! Belly buttons showing entices! Legs showing up to buttocks entices! Christian husbands will be tempted to lust. The loins of innocent males will be incited to crave. Wives and girlfriends will not want their men around you. You will be causing them torment when they see their men looking at you the way you intended when you put on that skimpy outfit.]

Scripture References:

Rom. 14:13  Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

Rom. 14:21-22  It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.

Rom. 15:2  Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.

I Pet. 1:14-16  As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Scriptures for how a Christian must think in order to conform to the Word and not the World:

II Corinth. 10:4-5  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Rom. 6:11-13  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Rom. 8:12  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Col. 1:9-10  For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

I Jn. 5:15-17  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Point #4  That you might be a good witness for Jesus.

Scripture References:

Hos. 8:7-9 7  For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up. Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure. For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.

Rom. 2:24 24  For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. (Taken out of context. Used only to show that our behavior can demean our witness.)

I Tim. 6:1  Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.

I Pet. 2:9-12  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Isa. 4:2-4  In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

Point #5  God associates uncovering with ungodliness.

Scripture References:

Isa. 3:16-23  Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: Therefore the LORD will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts. In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, The rings, and nose jewels, The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.

Isa. 47:1-3  Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate. Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

Jer. 13:22  And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.

Ezek. 16:39  And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare

© Sylvia Huffnagle

 

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