Is it true or myth? Literal or not? This is an important question as it still affects us thousands of years later in culture wars over science, history and religion. It figures into patriarchal society and the reduced status of women. It is the affirmation that all humans are sinful and need a savior. So this is no unimportant question.
Are we to think that God wipes away tears once we get to heaven, but we have to die to experience it?
Actually, the teaching that God will wipe away our tears isn't a promise about heaven. It is a promise for now, that extends into the afterlife.
What do beliefs have to do with our dreams? The truth is that our hearts believe tens of thousands of things about innumerable subjects. Beliefs are the fabric of our experiences, and the filter for the glorious desires within you.
I believe that God has given us the power to access, activate and achieve our dreams. Of course there are lots of methods and programs to help us reach those goals, but I wondered if it was less complicated.
And I found that it was.
Yes, we do need to learn how to steward our hearts into those dreams. But I wanted to know what the common denominator was in getting our heart's desires. Was it prayer? Was it having enough faith? Was it being smart enough? Was it just luck? Or was it an arbitrary God who blessed some but not others?
Sheep and goats are apparently in vogue again, if movie titles are any indication. Whether it is Shaun the Sheep in his debut CG movie, or the horror movie, "Black Sheep: There are 40 Million Sheep in New Zealand and They're Pissed Off!" sheep and goats are becoming center stage. Let's not forget George Clooney's not-so-break-away hit, "Men Who Stare at Goats." Clooney's character is a psychic working for the government who can causes goats to pass out by using his powers.
One of the great tragedies of futurism is the neglect of history. The book of Revelation was written to a Jewish audience, before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. The Jewish historian Josephus, unbeknownst to him, recorded the fulfillment of many of the apocalyptic images of Revelation. One of the clearest examples is found in the prophecy of the sea turning to blood.
As "prophetic" voices around the USA trumpet the shaking that is coming in September, I think it appropriate to see what the Bible says about God bringing shaking. With such loud voices, passion and seeming authority demanding our attention it might surprise you to know that the shaking that is coming is not what you think, and it is not a cataclysmic event.
Will Jerusalem be surrounded by the nations of the earth in a future last days? The prophet Zechariah would not think so. Is there prophecy left to be fulfilled in the book of Zechariah? Some believe very strongly that there is, particularly in chapter 14. But I believe that it is very simple to demonstrate that it has ALL been fulfilled and there is no future event where the nations of the earth rise up against Jerusalem... at least not from a promise from Scripture.
Have you seen these kind of YouTube Headlines?
URGENT!! ILLUMINATI MARK OF THE BEAST!! EVERYONE NEEDS TO SEE THIS!!
Mark of the Beast: It’s not Coming. It is Here!
666. It Has Begun!666 RFID Chip Mark of the Beast!
Mark of the Beast Will Give You "SuperPowers"!
Are the fears of RFID chips and the mark of the beast really warranted?
On June 26, 2015 the United States Supreme Court announced their landmark decision that gay marriage will be the law of the land. Today, false prophets will begin raising their voices in alarming proclamations of fear and promises of dark doom. Inevitably they will forecast the wrath of God to come upon our nation for such a dastardly decision...
Let me ask you a question: What part did you play in raising Jesus from the dead? Separating him from our sins? What role did you play delivering him from the "pains of death" (Acts 2:24)? What did you do to declare Jesus justified (1 Timothy 3:16) after carrying all our sin away? Did you declare him holy or was it the Spirit (Romans 1:4)? What role did you play in opening the heavenly sanctuary in the clouds so the Son could be received? Or was it totally Gods work? His victory?
Many of us have heard it quoted through the years... sin is so serious and God is so holy that his eyes are to pure to even look upon evil! Usually on the heels is the inevitable guilt trip where we are called to come to the altar and "get right" because... basically God can't stand the sight of you. That is the message that some people have internalized.
Want a shocking perspective?!! Did Jesus lie when he said that the gospel was only for a very few? Or is there more to the story? Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are FEW who find it.”
A legend is a story that has some historical truth in it but has probably grown bigger than life. You know what a fairy tale is right? A fairy tale is a story with fairies. A fairy tale is a fantasy story filled with mythical creatures with a moral to the story, but it is outright fiction.
I want to tell you about a God who is not a fairy tale. One whose story seems too good to be true… he calls it good news. Gospel. It is not a fairy tale. It has been minimized instead of growing bigger than life that's why I’m telling you it's no fairy tale what God did in the gospel! BUT a lot of the things we believe about forgiveness and the gospel are closer to fairy tales than they are to fact. So let’s look at some of those:
We are “experts” at sizing up everything that happens to us by interpreting it according to our past experiences and "inerrant" lens. But the meaning that we give to each situation that happens to us can either neutralize drama or light a fire to it. Some of those “interpretations” of life simply aren't true:
Who is separated from Christ? Sinners right? Well… come with me and explore one of the most important paradigm shifts ever. As you read, suspend judgment until you allow the Holy Spirit to massage your heart. The difference is between religion and life. The change of mind you will get is called repentance.
