I was somehow sidelined into this thought this morning, during a reflective time with God. Why are Friday nights and Saturday nights almost always associated with partying, letting one's hair down, getting drunk, having a good time, going out, meeting mates, going clubbing etc?
Is it really because it is the weekend? or is there something else? Something spiritual?
Satan, was a fallen angel. He was once known as Lucifer. He was the head of worship. He was worship. He loved to worship God. He loved to worship for worshipping. He began to worship himself and this led to his downfall and to the whole realm of sin and seperation from God.
God ordained the Sabbath as a day of rest and also a day of celebration, a day of worship dedicated to God for who he is and what he has done for us. The Israelites and the Jews celebrate the Sabbath from twilight of Friday through to twilight of Saturday.
We brits and the rest of the world consider our Sabbath to be on a Sunday. That is the day we set apart specifically, historically and traditionally as the day for worship and celebration. Yet this leaves the gap. The original Sabbath and its spiritual connotations were regarded highly by God and by his ordained rules. These still apply, but now the fallen Lucifer has taken over the 'gap' in our lives. The worship is still there, the celebration is still ringing around the world, but it's not to God, but to the devil and to carnal desires. Music, love, lust, drunkeness, debauchery, orgies, violence, anger, hatred are all prevalent when people lose self control. The heady mix of alcohol, laughter and drugs makes for an interesting evening of escapism, which is becoming increasingly popular in our culture today. It's the devils scheme for making people worship themselves and him. Little do they know that when they are set out to have a good time, do they fall under the spell of the deceiver.
Satan still wants people to continue the sabbatical pattern of worship, but to worship anything else but God, the father and creator, as he originally ordained.
Next time you go out to have a good time, think of the reasons as to why, and then think how you can change that why to be more effective for God.
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
David and other people's names
Have you ever wondered that if some of the main characters in the Bible were so great and popular, why the Israelites didn't name their sons after them until much later.
If you check out some genealogical lines such as in Nehemiah or Ezra, Numbers or Matthew, you don't find another man named David or Moses or Abraham or Isaac.
Was this out of reverence for their greatness, parhaps?
or were these names their anglicised or they were known as other names originally, and because they are great, their names were altered to distinguish them from other Israelites during their times or even during the writing of the Bible, so that their uniqueness is more pronounced.
Interesting to find out.
If you check out some genealogical lines such as in Nehemiah or Ezra, Numbers or Matthew, you don't find another man named David or Moses or Abraham or Isaac.
Was this out of reverence for their greatness, parhaps?
or were these names their anglicised or they were known as other names originally, and because they are great, their names were altered to distinguish them from other Israelites during their times or even during the writing of the Bible, so that their uniqueness is more pronounced.
Interesting to find out.
Ezra's Gold & Silver
I am currently reading through Ezra and the amazing permission given for him and his fellow Israelites to be granted freedom to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple there. Not only could they go, but they were given gifts of silver and gold too. My NIV account mentions that there was the equivalent of 22 tonnes of silver and 3.5 tonnes of Gold given. Checking today's silver and gold market prices I worked out that they were given more than £93,000,000 worth. A phenomenal gift.
Then I wondered how would they transport the 25.5 tonnes of heavy metal for the 1000km from Babylon to Jerusalem. If they packed it on to donkeys, which could perhaps comfortably carry 50kg and possibly 100kg at a push, then they would need some 480 donkeys for the task of carrying the silver and gold, let alone all of the other paraphernalia they would take with them.
Ezra's group would have numbered between 8 - 10,000 depending on the number of women and children present. At that time, a veritable city of people crunching along the desert sands.
They took almost exactly four months to achieve the journey.
Then I wondered how would they transport the 25.5 tonnes of heavy metal for the 1000km from Babylon to Jerusalem. If they packed it on to donkeys, which could perhaps comfortably carry 50kg and possibly 100kg at a push, then they would need some 480 donkeys for the task of carrying the silver and gold, let alone all of the other paraphernalia they would take with them.
Ezra's group would have numbered between 8 - 10,000 depending on the number of women and children present. At that time, a veritable city of people crunching along the desert sands.
They took almost exactly four months to achieve the journey.
The Parenthesis of ... (Sin)
In the beginning God…
Had a plan to create the earth and populate it with people who would worship him as their creator and take delight in his creation of the animals and the plants, the trees, the mountains, hills and seas around them, plus the myriad of stars above. Perhaps also to interact with God on a more personal level and to worship alongside his angels, just as he had a relationship with Adam in the beginning.
God placed man in the Garden of Eden where there was a whole variety of species awaiting his delight and there was the tree of life.
(Then came sin…..and seperation of man and a 1/3 of angels from God. Through sin, God had to readjust his plan, and send his son to die so that man could be reconciled to God once more and the pain of seperation and death would be dealt with once and for all, by binding Satan up and evicting him in to the lake of fire. This plan took man through many phases and many generations, from two people (adam & eve) through to today, where 6 billion people are living on the earth, and over time whoever knows how many have lived and died in the earth, perhaps 10 – 12 billion over the generations).
God planned a definitive time for all things to come to a head, to judge and to overcome the sin that caused his creation to go astray. God gave man time to try to overcome sin themselves but instead are destroying the very planet they live on, and creating technological advances which they claim can match those of God (or even transcend them).
The earth will be laid bare. Bare rock. No green grass, trees, plants, animals, people. A new earth. Seedlings will begin, life begins. Lichens and moss. This spreads, young plants will grow and these will spread. Over time the green grass will be renewed and be fresh and pleasing. This will be the new earth. Heaven, where men will dwell to worship God. On the earth there will be a city. The new Jerusalem, where God will dwell amongst man. The tree of life will be there and men will worship God forever. The city will be 12000 stadia long on each of its four sides – 1500 miles long x 1500 miles = 2.25m sq. miles
The people of God in their new bodies will be forever young, forever worshipping the magnificent creator and praising him for his new creations which he will do for us to take delight in once again and never will there be any more sin or death or all of the evil that is associated with it for God in his glory will be the ultimate for whom we run to when he extends his open arms and walks with us upon the lush green grass in the garden.
Had a plan to create the earth and populate it with people who would worship him as their creator and take delight in his creation of the animals and the plants, the trees, the mountains, hills and seas around them, plus the myriad of stars above. Perhaps also to interact with God on a more personal level and to worship alongside his angels, just as he had a relationship with Adam in the beginning.
God placed man in the Garden of Eden where there was a whole variety of species awaiting his delight and there was the tree of life.
(Then came sin…..and seperation of man and a 1/3 of angels from God. Through sin, God had to readjust his plan, and send his son to die so that man could be reconciled to God once more and the pain of seperation and death would be dealt with once and for all, by binding Satan up and evicting him in to the lake of fire. This plan took man through many phases and many generations, from two people (adam & eve) through to today, where 6 billion people are living on the earth, and over time whoever knows how many have lived and died in the earth, perhaps 10 – 12 billion over the generations).
God planned a definitive time for all things to come to a head, to judge and to overcome the sin that caused his creation to go astray. God gave man time to try to overcome sin themselves but instead are destroying the very planet they live on, and creating technological advances which they claim can match those of God (or even transcend them).
The earth will be laid bare. Bare rock. No green grass, trees, plants, animals, people. A new earth. Seedlings will begin, life begins. Lichens and moss. This spreads, young plants will grow and these will spread. Over time the green grass will be renewed and be fresh and pleasing. This will be the new earth. Heaven, where men will dwell to worship God. On the earth there will be a city. The new Jerusalem, where God will dwell amongst man. The tree of life will be there and men will worship God forever. The city will be 12000 stadia long on each of its four sides – 1500 miles long x 1500 miles = 2.25m sq. miles
The people of God in their new bodies will be forever young, forever worshipping the magnificent creator and praising him for his new creations which he will do for us to take delight in once again and never will there be any more sin or death or all of the evil that is associated with it for God in his glory will be the ultimate for whom we run to when he extends his open arms and walks with us upon the lush green grass in the garden.
The 4th Horse - Revelation 6
UN Report Exclusive: Climate Change Impact More Extensive than Thought - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News
The above link to DER SPIEGEL's report on Climate Change makes interesting reading, particularly when read in conjunction with Revelation chapter 6, where it describes the Seals and in particular the 4th Seal which reveals the 4th Horse, a pale horse whose rider is called Death and he is given power over 1/4 of all the earth to kill by sword, famine, plague and wild beasts.
1/4 of the earth by sword - Islamism is growing ever popular and 1/4 of the countries on the earth now fully claim they are islamic, and there are representatives of islam in almost every other country, so we could argue that 1/4 of the world's population may base their religion beliefs on Islam.
The link above indicates that global warming is on an alarming increase, and by 2050 they estimate that 20% - 30% of all species (including humans?) will be killed off due to the effects of global warming to cause rising sea levels, eradicating low lying lands and islands, freak weather patterns, destroying the hiterto natural pattern of life and causing animals to seek food elsewhere around the planet and thus affecting their breeding rates and populations which also directly affect us for use of food sources and by attacks as certain animals may develop wilder characteristics in the chase for food and attack anyone in their way.
Plants and crops will be affected as the temperature warms and desertification spreads northwards and southwards and a distinct lack of rainfall over much of the lands means that crops will fail and there will be more famines which would not just affect those in poor Africa but may affect North Americans and Europeans since they consume most of the world's supply of foodstuffs and these will become scarce necessitating a change in lifestyle which most would deem to avoid if at all possible.
High ground will become a precious commodity as sea levels rise and those living in flood plains and low lying areas will likely lose their dwellings.
Imagine 1/4 of the earth's population. If by 2050 it is 7+billion then that would equate to 1.75 billion losing their lives.
If global warming continues then the rains may stop. They were not known before the time of the flood. Perhaps the earth will resort back to pre-flood conditions where everything was tinder dry and rain was not known. Then God will destroy the earth this time not by a great flood, but as he says in many passages, by fire. The vegetation will be tinder dry and we already know the devastation that forest fires can cause, as in Australia at the end of 2006. A forest fire on a global scale will destroy the earth and everything in it.
The above link to DER SPIEGEL's report on Climate Change makes interesting reading, particularly when read in conjunction with Revelation chapter 6, where it describes the Seals and in particular the 4th Seal which reveals the 4th Horse, a pale horse whose rider is called Death and he is given power over 1/4 of all the earth to kill by sword, famine, plague and wild beasts.
1/4 of the earth by sword - Islamism is growing ever popular and 1/4 of the countries on the earth now fully claim they are islamic, and there are representatives of islam in almost every other country, so we could argue that 1/4 of the world's population may base their religion beliefs on Islam.
The link above indicates that global warming is on an alarming increase, and by 2050 they estimate that 20% - 30% of all species (including humans?) will be killed off due to the effects of global warming to cause rising sea levels, eradicating low lying lands and islands, freak weather patterns, destroying the hiterto natural pattern of life and causing animals to seek food elsewhere around the planet and thus affecting their breeding rates and populations which also directly affect us for use of food sources and by attacks as certain animals may develop wilder characteristics in the chase for food and attack anyone in their way.
Plants and crops will be affected as the temperature warms and desertification spreads northwards and southwards and a distinct lack of rainfall over much of the lands means that crops will fail and there will be more famines which would not just affect those in poor Africa but may affect North Americans and Europeans since they consume most of the world's supply of foodstuffs and these will become scarce necessitating a change in lifestyle which most would deem to avoid if at all possible.
High ground will become a precious commodity as sea levels rise and those living in flood plains and low lying areas will likely lose their dwellings.
Imagine 1/4 of the earth's population. If by 2050 it is 7+billion then that would equate to 1.75 billion losing their lives.
If global warming continues then the rains may stop. They were not known before the time of the flood. Perhaps the earth will resort back to pre-flood conditions where everything was tinder dry and rain was not known. Then God will destroy the earth this time not by a great flood, but as he says in many passages, by fire. The vegetation will be tinder dry and we already know the devastation that forest fires can cause, as in Australia at the end of 2006. A forest fire on a global scale will destroy the earth and everything in it.
Is God younger than you?
We had a guest speaker in our church (an ozzie), and he said something which seems on the outside fascinating.
When the devil caused sin to enter our world the period of aging began and now we take it as normal that we have our allotted time of three score and ten (70 years) or there abouts (on average) to live out our lives.
We know from the bible that people pre-Noah's time lived far longer, i.e. Methuselah lived 969 years.
It was not God's original intention that we grow old so quickly. This is a cause of sin in our lives.
Jesus says let the children come to him.
God wants us to have a simple faith in him. To believe him and trust in him without us complicating things and making provisos or ifs and buts, but just to trust him, like a child simply trusts its parent without question.
My child trusts me even though he has often no clue what I am doing. I say to him, come we are going out in the car, and he tags along because a) he enjoys going out in the car, b) because he enjoys being with me, whereever I go and whatever I do.
This is how God wants us to be.
Could it be that we age to become older than God? That God is an eternal child in simplicity and without complication? He sets down the rules and he never changes. There are no provisos. No ifs and buts with God. He wants us to simply love him and trust him. His rules are there to keep us close to him, like we tell a child not to wander off or stick their grubby fingers in the electrical sockets. Those rules keep them safe and God's rules are designed to keep us safe in him.
That's all he wants folks........
When the devil caused sin to enter our world the period of aging began and now we take it as normal that we have our allotted time of three score and ten (70 years) or there abouts (on average) to live out our lives.
We know from the bible that people pre-Noah's time lived far longer, i.e. Methuselah lived 969 years.
It was not God's original intention that we grow old so quickly. This is a cause of sin in our lives.
Jesus says let the children come to him.
God wants us to have a simple faith in him. To believe him and trust in him without us complicating things and making provisos or ifs and buts, but just to trust him, like a child simply trusts its parent without question.
My child trusts me even though he has often no clue what I am doing. I say to him, come we are going out in the car, and he tags along because a) he enjoys going out in the car, b) because he enjoys being with me, whereever I go and whatever I do.
This is how God wants us to be.
Could it be that we age to become older than God? That God is an eternal child in simplicity and without complication? He sets down the rules and he never changes. There are no provisos. No ifs and buts with God. He wants us to simply love him and trust him. His rules are there to keep us close to him, like we tell a child not to wander off or stick their grubby fingers in the electrical sockets. Those rules keep them safe and God's rules are designed to keep us safe in him.
That's all he wants folks........
Age of Methuselah
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to live to the age Methuselah did? In Genesis 5 v 27, the bible states that he lived for 969 years. Longevity in those days was the norm. Imagine if Methuselah had been born 900 years ago in Britain. The year 1107. As he grew up what would he have witnessed? What events would have been key in his memory? Born into medieval Britain, witnessing the change of Kings and wars with scotland, the collapse of the Roman empire, the rise of the protestant church and the beginnings of the methodist movement, Queen Elizabeth 1 and her wars with spain and france, the civil war - would he have been a roundhead?, the conquering of the new worlds of america and the exploration and expansion of the British Empire to boast the Empire is such that the sun never sets upon it, and then man's almost nihilistic destruction beginning at the start of the 20th Century leading through until today.
He'd be saddened by the fact that 800 years had gone by where yeah there were battles and unrest, poverty and decline, power and victory, but never had there been near total destruction as there is nowadays on a almost global scale. The skirmishes he'd witness as a young man would have affected perhaps two villages and their fields, perhaps upto 300 men each; now its two or more countries with 3 million people at stake
How he would now feel the need for the hunger of God. He would know man needs God so much now than ever before. Even the dark days of the civil war do not account for anything like the dangers we see on our streets.
Methuselah did actually live in a similar time. An unlawful and uncivil society, keen on getting their own way and doing what they wanted and wishing to live lavishly against the rules of God and morality. Society was then at breaking point.
What happened?
God intervened and through Noah decided he would save the human race, but at a cost to everyone else who were all drowned in the flood.
The bible says God will intervene again. This time not by flood but by fire. We humans didn't learn from the first lesson and the devil has made God seem totally unimportant in this world of personal freedom, gain, TV and PCs, where all of our attention on God has been directed elsewhere, so that now God is a little less than a picture on a wall, a dusty book hidden under glossy magazines, a gold effigy hung on a chain for good luck; a book from the past hidden in a darkened cupboard long forgotten behind the bright lights of a plasma screen.
Man is causing damage to the world. The boulder rolling down the hill can no longer be stopped. It's momentum gaining speed as it heads down to flatten and destroy.
Only God can now save us.
Jesus Christ is the key. Look to him and believe and you will be saved.
Man cannot be saved by Noah again. His time is gone.
Now the world is the stage for Armageddon. Beware for your time is soon up. In the twinkling of an eye, it will come to pass and you will question yourself as you see the burning flames of hell and wonder where your time is gone and wonder why in the end it was all for nothing. Meaningless.
You have your chance. Take it now before it is too late. Jesus is waiting for you with his arms open wide. Go to him before you sink below the flames.
He'd be saddened by the fact that 800 years had gone by where yeah there were battles and unrest, poverty and decline, power and victory, but never had there been near total destruction as there is nowadays on a almost global scale. The skirmishes he'd witness as a young man would have affected perhaps two villages and their fields, perhaps upto 300 men each; now its two or more countries with 3 million people at stake
How he would now feel the need for the hunger of God. He would know man needs God so much now than ever before. Even the dark days of the civil war do not account for anything like the dangers we see on our streets.
Methuselah did actually live in a similar time. An unlawful and uncivil society, keen on getting their own way and doing what they wanted and wishing to live lavishly against the rules of God and morality. Society was then at breaking point.
What happened?
God intervened and through Noah decided he would save the human race, but at a cost to everyone else who were all drowned in the flood.
The bible says God will intervene again. This time not by flood but by fire. We humans didn't learn from the first lesson and the devil has made God seem totally unimportant in this world of personal freedom, gain, TV and PCs, where all of our attention on God has been directed elsewhere, so that now God is a little less than a picture on a wall, a dusty book hidden under glossy magazines, a gold effigy hung on a chain for good luck; a book from the past hidden in a darkened cupboard long forgotten behind the bright lights of a plasma screen.
Man is causing damage to the world. The boulder rolling down the hill can no longer be stopped. It's momentum gaining speed as it heads down to flatten and destroy.
Only God can now save us.
Jesus Christ is the key. Look to him and believe and you will be saved.
Man cannot be saved by Noah again. His time is gone.
Now the world is the stage for Armageddon. Beware for your time is soon up. In the twinkling of an eye, it will come to pass and you will question yourself as you see the burning flames of hell and wonder where your time is gone and wonder why in the end it was all for nothing. Meaningless.
You have your chance. Take it now before it is too late. Jesus is waiting for you with his arms open wide. Go to him before you sink below the flames.
Wind is God's sculpture tool
God is in the wind.
The Wind is God's sculture tool. He likes to sculture rocks and landscapes with the wind. Consider the art of the mesas in Utah's monument valley or the angle with which a line of poplar trees lie in the fields of Belgium or how the rolling dunes of sand are shaped in the sahara.
Wind is full of matter. Of tiny particles of rock and tree debris which smash into these rocks at high speed. Time is a factor. If it occured just once, then like a drop of H2O in the ocean they would have no affect, yet over time, and continual hammering of the rocks and they become sculpted and shaped by the passing winds. Sand dunes roll over the lands of north Africa, travelling like ripples through water. Particles are carried all over the world by the wind. If we could place a GPS tracker on a given particle and send it into the air over time we could see it travel around the world. It would settle for long periods in certain places yet will then travel again, caught in with water droplets it may eventually become embedded in the frozen ice sheets at the poles until released with the warmth of the sun once again to begin its journey anew.
The Wind is God's sculture tool. He likes to sculture rocks and landscapes with the wind. Consider the art of the mesas in Utah's monument valley or the angle with which a line of poplar trees lie in the fields of Belgium or how the rolling dunes of sand are shaped in the sahara.
Wind is full of matter. Of tiny particles of rock and tree debris which smash into these rocks at high speed. Time is a factor. If it occured just once, then like a drop of H2O in the ocean they would have no affect, yet over time, and continual hammering of the rocks and they become sculpted and shaped by the passing winds. Sand dunes roll over the lands of north Africa, travelling like ripples through water. Particles are carried all over the world by the wind. If we could place a GPS tracker on a given particle and send it into the air over time we could see it travel around the world. It would settle for long periods in certain places yet will then travel again, caught in with water droplets it may eventually become embedded in the frozen ice sheets at the poles until released with the warmth of the sun once again to begin its journey anew.
It starts in the universities
Reading articles on the BBC news website shows that there is a huge spiritual battle raging through our universities about Christian Unions
Link to Archbishop Williams statement on BBC NEWS Education Evangelical students 'suppressed'
Link to the CU of Exeter University BBC NEWS UK Christian group take legal action
I remember reading books like Spycatcher whilst at school (when it was still banned during the late 1980's) and spies would recruit agents and helpers and other spies by trawling the corridors of well established universities such as oxford or cambridge to entice and recruit candidates for future spy programmes.
Now our universities are hotbeds of ideas and ideals, and they claim that all societies should become 'universal' and embrace and adopt the practices of our sad world to include those who practice homosexuality and all types of others.
There is nothing wrong with inviting these people to join in the discussions but the battle is for these people to also be invited to be the leaders of the Christian Unions should the opportunities arise. This is a far different matter entirely. The battle is here. If there is to be genuine Christian Unions with genuine values based on biblical principles then people who are not genuine in their belief should never be allowed to be leaders.
If this is fundamentalism then so be it.
The world is falling faster into the arms of the devil without many people even realising it. I think going back to basics and being fundamental is vital for the Christian church to survive even the next 80 to 100 years because without genuine young people being interested and taking up leadership positions and responsibilities basing their lives and values on the bible and the teachings of Jesus, then the church will fail.
Jude 17 - 23 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,that they were saying to you, "In the last time there shall be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts." These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.
Revelation 2 v 1 - 7 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: 'I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary. 'But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 'Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place--unless you repent. 'Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.'
Be strong in the universities and the church will remain strong.
May Jesus soon return.
Link to Archbishop Williams statement on BBC NEWS Education Evangelical students 'suppressed'
Link to the CU of Exeter University BBC NEWS UK Christian group take legal action
I remember reading books like Spycatcher whilst at school (when it was still banned during the late 1980's) and spies would recruit agents and helpers and other spies by trawling the corridors of well established universities such as oxford or cambridge to entice and recruit candidates for future spy programmes.
Now our universities are hotbeds of ideas and ideals, and they claim that all societies should become 'universal' and embrace and adopt the practices of our sad world to include those who practice homosexuality and all types of others.
There is nothing wrong with inviting these people to join in the discussions but the battle is for these people to also be invited to be the leaders of the Christian Unions should the opportunities arise. This is a far different matter entirely. The battle is here. If there is to be genuine Christian Unions with genuine values based on biblical principles then people who are not genuine in their belief should never be allowed to be leaders.
If this is fundamentalism then so be it.
The world is falling faster into the arms of the devil without many people even realising it. I think going back to basics and being fundamental is vital for the Christian church to survive even the next 80 to 100 years because without genuine young people being interested and taking up leadership positions and responsibilities basing their lives and values on the bible and the teachings of Jesus, then the church will fail.
Jude 17 - 23 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,that they were saying to you, "In the last time there shall be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts." These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.
Revelation 2 v 1 - 7 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: 'I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary. 'But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 'Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place--unless you repent. 'Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.'
Be strong in the universities and the church will remain strong.
May Jesus soon return.
Ice
I was reading an article this week. Don't ask me where from as I don't name sources, (apart from the fact I can't remember!). It concerned our body's ability to cope with the differing climates throughout the world. Medical boffins agree that our bodies are best suited for warm, temperate climates, rather than the cold ice and snow.
There are only a few differences (apparently) in degrees between what is good for us and what is not. Look at the following:
24C - top range of comfort
21C - recommended living room temperature
Less than 20C - death risk begins
18C - recommended bedroom temperature
16C - resistance to respiratory diseases weakened
12C - more than two hours at this temperature raises blood pressure and increases heart attack and stroke risk
5C - Significant risk of hypothermia
This is why in winter so many elderly and poorly people suffer so much. Checking the weather around the world today indicates some great temperature extremes in just the northern hemisphere. Winnipeg - 18C, Chicago -4C, San Diego +25C. Moscow +2C, Kiev -4C, Athens +21C.
What happens to the elderly in these towns? Our UK govt reports that they won't increase the fuel allowance for the elderly this year despite rapidly rising fuel costs, which then eat further into their meagre pensions, forcing some to withgo food just to keep a little warm.
God made us and created us to inhabit the Garden of Eden, a warm, temperate place, where no rain fell, yet was watered out of springs from the beneath the earth.
When sin entered the world and man was forced out from the Garden of Eden, and as sin grew exponentially, the came the first rains (Genesis 6) and also began to form the ice and the permafrost in the polar regions. I believe that Ice was not intended to be present on the earth. Imagine there being no cold climate, no frost to scrape away from our windscreens, no snow to clear from our paths, no skiing to watch or take part in. Our bodies cannot survive for long in the cold, yet there are those who dwell in the cold lands, the eskimos, for example, and the odd alpine skier!
Next time you shovel snow off your path, ask yourself, did God ever intend me to do this? It is clear the power of the effect of sin on our world.
I'll see you after I've moved to the mediterranean!
There are only a few differences (apparently) in degrees between what is good for us and what is not. Look at the following:
24C - top range of comfort
21C - recommended living room temperature
Less than 20C - death risk begins
18C - recommended bedroom temperature
16C - resistance to respiratory diseases weakened
12C - more than two hours at this temperature raises blood pressure and increases heart attack and stroke risk
5C - Significant risk of hypothermia
This is why in winter so many elderly and poorly people suffer so much. Checking the weather around the world today indicates some great temperature extremes in just the northern hemisphere. Winnipeg - 18C, Chicago -4C, San Diego +25C. Moscow +2C, Kiev -4C, Athens +21C.
What happens to the elderly in these towns? Our UK govt reports that they won't increase the fuel allowance for the elderly this year despite rapidly rising fuel costs, which then eat further into their meagre pensions, forcing some to withgo food just to keep a little warm.
God made us and created us to inhabit the Garden of Eden, a warm, temperate place, where no rain fell, yet was watered out of springs from the beneath the earth.
When sin entered the world and man was forced out from the Garden of Eden, and as sin grew exponentially, the came the first rains (Genesis 6) and also began to form the ice and the permafrost in the polar regions. I believe that Ice was not intended to be present on the earth. Imagine there being no cold climate, no frost to scrape away from our windscreens, no snow to clear from our paths, no skiing to watch or take part in. Our bodies cannot survive for long in the cold, yet there are those who dwell in the cold lands, the eskimos, for example, and the odd alpine skier!
Next time you shovel snow off your path, ask yourself, did God ever intend me to do this? It is clear the power of the effect of sin on our world.
I'll see you after I've moved to the mediterranean!
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