GOD IS IN CONTROL by Lehman Straus

God is the creator and controller of the universe and all that is in it, whether animate or inanimate. Any use or disposition He chooses to make of any part of His creation is His sovereign right. God is accountable only to Himself. He reports to nobody. He is not required at any time to give to any person any explanation for anything He says or does. He is the superpower above all powers in every area of His creation

We do not expect to understand fully the purpose for our trials until our Lord calls us home to be with Him. But we do know that He loves us too much to harm us, and that He is far more concerned with our welfare than we are. God’s choices are always right. He is capable of carrying out any project to a successful conclusion without the possibility of fault or failure. Nothing in His universe happens by chance or accident. For every effect there is a cause. God “worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory”  Ephesian 1:11-12. Yes, God is in control.

It was Wednesday, April 14, 1982. Eighteen days had passed since Elsie’s stroke. The neurologist in charge requested that I meet with him. I waited expectantly in the corridor outside Elsie’s room. When the doctor appeared his remarks were brief and pointed.

“We are making arrangements to move your wife to a rehabilitation center in San Diego.”

“What led you to this decision?” I asked.

He hesitated. I detected a bit of concern in his delayed reply. I was right. His words came slowly.

“There is nothing more that we can do medically for Mrs. Strauss.” He placed his hand on my shoulder and patted it gently. “I’m sorry,” he said, and he walked away.

For a few seconds I stood motionless, my mind almost blank. Then I walked slowly into the room, kissed Elsie, and sat in the chair beside the bed.

She spoke first. “What did the doctor tell you?”

“He said that you will be transferred to a rehabilitation center in San Diego.”

I took her hand in mine. Then I assured her that there was nothing to fear because God was in control.

But did I really believe that God was in control? The mere thought of questioning the sovereignty of God scared me. But then, the government of the universe is a question with which most of us have grappled at some time. We Christians affirm our belief in the sovereignty of God, but our faith is challenged in times of natural upheaval, national disaster, or personal affliction. Pain and poverty, disease and death, sorrow and suffering all tend to cause us to think seriously about God as creator and controller of the world of which we are a part. It is not always easy to believe that God is in control.

On that Wednesday in April 1982, my faith was being tested. At that particular moment my mind was not capable of rationalizing the majesty of God’s sovereignty. When I was told the seriousness of Elsie’s condition, I realized that some cherished plans would have to be canceled. Quite frankly, I could not understand God’s reason for this turn of events. But I knew that the Bible contains all we poor mortals need to know. Our Lord said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” Mathew 4:4. So I went immediately to the Scriptures for help.

God’s Sovereignty and the Scriptures

Although the words sovereign and sovereignty do not appear in the King James Version of the Bible, the fact of God’s sovereignty is its major message.

The word sovereign comes from the Latin word super. It conveys the idea of superior and supreme, primary and paramount, unequaled and unexcelled. The God of the Bible is eternal and self-existent. He is supreme in excellence and perfect in all His ways. He is the one and only autonomist, self-contained and self-controlled, with the right and power of self-government. God is infinite in His imperial independence. His capacities and capabilities far surpass the scope of human reasons.

After Elsie had her stroke, someone sent her a book entitled Yet Will I Trust Him by Peg Rankin. The book is nontechnical and nontheological, but we found it to be practical and helpful. It contains this brief definition of God’s sovereignty, “God can do anything He wants to do, anytime He wants to do it, anyway He wants to do it, and for any purpose He wants to accomplish.” Any use or disposition God chooses to make of any part of His creation, animate or inanimate, is His sovereign right. When God revealed to Abraham that He would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, the patriarch knew that many people would die. To that frightening revelation Abraham said, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Genesis 18:25.

In addition to being sovereign, God is righteous. This means that He can do no wrong. If God could do wrong, He would cease to be God. When those two cities were destroyed, God was in control. He was doing what He wanted to do, when He wanted to do it, in the way He wanted to do it, and for the purpose He wanted to accomplish. And in so doing, He did right.

The book of Daniel was written to teach the sovereign rule of God over all nations on earth. Read these excerpts:

–to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. (4:17)

–till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. (4:25)

–until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. (4:32)

And [Nebuchadnezzar] was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses; they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever He will. (5:21)

In each of the above passages the name “most High” or “most high God” is used. It is the Hebrew name El Elyon, and means “the possessor of heaven and earth” Genesis 14:22. The Holy Spirit guided the writers of Scripture to state emphatically that “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” Psalm 24:1; see also 1 Corinthians 10:26,28. God sent the plagues upon the Egyptians so that the people would know “that the earth is the Lord’s” Exodus 9:29. The universe is God’s by creative right. By Him were all things created and by Him all things consist (see Colossians 1:16-17 and Hebrews 1:3.

The apostle declared that God “worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” Ephesians 1:11. Civilizations have risen and fallen. Great leaders of nations have reigned and have been dethroned. And all the while, God has been in control. David prayed to the Lord, “Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all” 1 Chronicles 29:12. With the rise and fall of every world ruler, God has been in control. Yes, He has been doing what He wanted to do, when He wanted to do it, in the way He wanted to do it, for the purpose He wanted to accomplish, and using whomever He would.

Likewise, the book of Amos teaches the sovereign control of God over all the affairs in heaven and on earth. The nation of Israel had willfully disobeyed God. Divine judgment came to the people in several ways: war, drought, famine, and plagues of grasshoppers. Read chapter 4 carefully and note the seven times God said to Israel that He was responsible for every disaster that befell the nation. Observe the use of the first person singular: “I also have given you . . . want of bread” (v. 6); “I have withholden the rain from you” (v. 7); “I have smitten you with blasting and mildew” (v. 9); “I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt” (v. 10); “I have overthrown some of you” (v. 11). God here informed the nation that He was the motivating force behind disease, death, drought, and destruction.

Now look at Amos 3:6, where the prophet asked, “Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?” The word evil here does not refer to moral evil, but rather a calamity. Through the prophet Isaiah, God said, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I, the Lord, do all these things” (45:7). Again the word evil denotes any kind of a natural disaster such as a plague, drought, flood, or earthquake.

Both Amos and Isaiah are telling us that nothing happens by chance or accident. For every effect there is a cause. God does what He wants to do, when He wants to do it, in the way He wants to do it, for the purpose He wants to accomplish, and involves any person or persons He chooses to use.

The supreme rulership of God is based upon the perfections of His divine being. This is the biblical concept of God, and Christians need to believe it and hold fast to it. God is the supreme dispenser of all events. “He ruleth by His power for ever” Psalm 66:7. He is “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” 1 Timothy 6:15. Our loving Heavenly Father is the sovereign ruler over all His creation. He is in control. This is the plain teaching of the Holy Scriptures.

God’s Sovereignty and Human Suffering

I am learning that there is a large gap between studying truth intellectually and knowing that truth by personal experience. This fact was made real to me as I reviewed what the Bible teaches about the sovereignty of God. Quite frankly, I confess to having had a bit of a problem on the day of April 14, 1982.

This was my problem: How does a child of God reconcile God’s sovereignty with human suffering and affliction? How does a Christian apply the sovereignty of God when his wife, whom he loves more than he loves his own life, lies helpless and suffering before him?

If someone had come to me on that day in April and said, “I would like to help you. What are your needs?” I wouldn’t have had any answer. My mind was too boggled. I was hurting. I needed time for in-depth study and personal application of the truth of God’s sovereignty.

Is it wrong for a minister and teacher of God’s Word to be perplexed? Although most of us don’t admit it, all of us at some time have been tempted to walk away from God. But when a hurting person takes his view of life from what he is experiencing, from what he sees and feels, that’s one time when he needs to draw near to God. As the apostle James put it, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you” James 4:8. Asaph was perplexed by what he saw in life, but he came to the right conclusion when he said, “But it is good for me to draw near to God” Psalm 73:28.

How do I draw near to God? I could pray. But at that moment I was affected emotionally to the point where I couldn’t articulate an intelligent prayer. Then too, what could I tell God that He didn’t already know? I needed to draw near to God, not to update Him on Elsie’s condition and our needs. I needed to draw near so that He could speak to me and give me the assurance that He was in control. I had just told Elsie that God was in control. But at that moment, I was being controlled by an experience that perplexed me. So I drew near to God through His Word.

The prophet Isaiah wrote, “And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction–” Isaiah 30:20. Yes, God does send adversity and affliction to His own. They are His gifts to us, “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth” Hebrews 12:6. This is a time of adversity and affliction for Elsie and me, but I will not dishonor the Lord by questioning His right to do what He wants to do.

I see no difference between a God who is not sovereign and no God at all. If I were to doubt now that the Lord of the Bible, the God and Father of every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, is in control over our lives, I would be no better than an atheist.

David stood before the congregation and prayed aloud to God, “Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all” 1 Chronicles 29:11-12. Take special note of that word reignest. Because it is in the present continuous tense, it tells us that God is reigning now. At this very moment God is in control.

I am comforted with the assurance that my Lord has a good and wise purpose to be served through Elsie’s affliction. Exactly what His purpose is in sending this trial into our lives I do not know at this time. Nor do I know if God will ever reveal His purpose to us in this life. The Lord said, “What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter” John 13:7. I do not want these words of our Lord to be lost on me as they were lost on Peter. One day Elsie and I will understand that which for the present is hidden from us. We can afford to wait. “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then, face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” 1 Corinthians 13:12.

Multitudes have suffered and died, and multitudes continue to suffer, without knowing the reason why. The Bible says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” 1 Corinthians 10:13. This is God’s promise that He will place a limit upon the severity of the trial and that He will give us sufficient strength to bear up under it.

We realize that we are not the only ones to suffer without knowing the reason. Job, for instance, who suffered great losses and bore heavy burdens, never did learn the reason the tragedies came into his life.

Recently, as I reread Psalm 119, I was greatly impressed and encouraged with David’s personal testimony of the blessings he received from the afflictions he suffered.

First, he bore witness to the sovereignty of God when he was afflicted. He said, “I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness has afflicted me” (v. 75). Here we have a clear testimony, given by divine inspiration, that God in righteousness sent affliction into David’s life and experience.

Second, David testified that affliction was a learning experience for him. He wrote, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes” (v. 71). Suffering is a required course in God’s school, and it should be a great learning place for every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our trial has been for me an enriching experience. It has taught me some valuable lessons.

Third, David testified how his affliction benefited him spiritually. “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word” (v. 67). One of the proverbs reminds us that “whom the Lord loveth He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” Proverbs 3:12. The New Testament adds witness to this fact with the words, “For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth” Hebrews 12:6.

Yes, spiritual benefits are to be derived from trials and suffering. God has placed us on earth that we may glorify Him. “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf” 1 Peter 4:16. The suffering season of life is a beautiful time to glorify God. It provides us with a fresh incentive to grow in grace and to develop spiritually.

Every afflicted Christian should bow to the absolute sovereignty of God and surrender to Him the right to do what He chooses to do, whenever He chooses to do it, in any way He chooses to do it, for any purpose He wants to accomplish, and to use any person He chooses.

He Maketh No Mistake

My Father’s way may twist and turn,
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I’m glad I know
He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away,
But still I’ll trust my Lord to lead,
For He doth know the way.

Though night be dark and it may seem
That day will never break,
I’ll pin my faith, my all in Him,
He maketh no mistake.

There’s so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight’s far too dim;
But come what may, I’ll surely trust
And leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift
And plain it all He’ll make;
Through all the way, though dark to me,
He made not one mistake.

(A. M. Overton)

But the dark forces in this world have a plan as well and 2012 is a big year for them. What they are trying to bring about can only happen if the Lord allows it according to His will (they have tried several times in the past to no avail).

Click on the following link to read aabout the occult’s plans for 2012. Whilst i do not necesarrily agree with all that is written here i do believe that there is a huge occult movement to bring in their ‘christ’, the man of lawlessness, the Antichrist, that this world awaits.

2012

This world is under decay, and all the ‘bad’ things that are happening and that will continue to happen are signs of the soon return of Jesus!Hallelujah!!

So I say , ‘BRING IT ON’ and ‘Come Lord Jesus!’

Love in Jesus, Tony

If you claim to be a Christian who follows Jesus Christ of Nazareth as Lord, Saviour and God, then you need to leave any church or group that promotes or belongs to any of the following organisations, or teaches subjects such as ‘christ consciousness’, ‘meditative Christianity’, emerging spirituality, mysticism or holds to the belief that we are all gods that can seek higher levels of consciousness and make contact with the god within us etc etc. These practices lead to contact with what the new Agers call. ‘spirit beings’ or ‘ancients’ but which are really fallen angels or demons, masquerading as ‘angels of light’.

When you read about the New Age occult practices on the internet or in books it can be quite shocking. But, when you actually see it in action, it brings home to you that it is definitely real and here now.

The Findhorn Foundation is on our doorstep being less than 20 miles away and it has been called the world headquarters of the New Age Movement. They are very up front about what they do and in this respect I haven’t got a problem with them. Their ‘religion’ has been about for thousands of years (see Ezekiel 8 for example) and the Bible tells us that those following ‘doctrines of demons’ would increase as the day of Jesus’ return approached so I say bring it on.

What I want to do is to highlight a conference coming up at Findhorn in April 2012 entitled, ‘Into Christ Consciousness – Co-Creating Our Emerging Future’. This is how they advertise the course on their website.

‘In Findhorn’s 50th birthday year we invite you to join our co-creative Easter Gathering in the transformative field of consciousness emerging at this time, calling us to expand into the greater reality that has always been there and take a further step beyond fear and into Love.

Down the ages, mystics of the world’s spiritual traditions have awakened to this reality and now quantum scientists are re-discovering that there is a greater whole beyond our sense-bound perception. Human consciousness is evolving, and the process is speeding up – towards the realisation that there are no boundaries in Love, for what one is, all are. This reality calls us to birth and embody our inner divinity and, in so doing, embrace our universal humanity. This is Christ Consciousness.

Key themes include: ·

• the evolution of consciousness ·
• the active power of compassionate love –
• stepping beyond fear ·
• the inter-connectedness of all being, from cells to stars ·
• multi-dimensionality ·
• living from the level of soul ·
• owning the shadow and embracing difference ·
• the feminine face of the Divine ·
• active engagement in the magic of life’s flow

Join us in creating a group chalice. This will be a gathering created by group-synergy, not in the usual conference format. Participating together in silence and meditation, ceremonies of song and story, poetry and dance, in personal sharing, in exploration and in practical discussion, we join to open a channel for a consciousness that can meet a changing world with compassion and creativity.’

Now, you would hope that most discerning Christians will read this, see it for what it is, and steer well clear. But the descriptive ‘Christian’ has been hijacked by many different groups, and use of the word doesn’t actually mean anything anymore. There are Christian witches, Christian pagans, Christian mystics, Christian spiritists, Christian druids etc. and they even use the name of Jesus but it is a different Jesus. If you check out some of the links here you will see that there is the Jesus Christ of the Bible, the Jesus of Rome, the New Age Jesus, the Cosmic Christ, the Master Jesus and the Maitreya, just to name a few.

You may be even more surprised to know that Luciferians refer to Lucifer as Jesus. click here to read why.

Back to Findhorn and the Christ Consciousness conference. It is when you look at the groups working in collaboration with the Findhorn Foundation and actively promoting the above conference that alarms bells should sound because many of them claim to be Christians.

This is what the website says:

‘This Gathering is an integral part of an emerging process. Organisations actively supporting it include CANA (Christians Awakening to a New Awareness), the Wrekin Trust, Contemplative Fire and Friends of Iona. CANA and the Wrekin Trust are collaborating with the Findhorn Foundation in creating an interactive website for exploration, Into Christ Consciousness. Offering features, resources and a mailing list, the site aims to support people in linking with others on a similar journey. We offer the Gathering as an event in which we join to work actively, both for the transformation of our own consciousness, and in service to the whole. All who come are contributors’

CANA, Christians Awakening to a New Awareness, was originally ‘Christians Awakening to a New Age’ and a visit to their website will tell you amongst other things that:

‘Those who join CANA see their starting point as Christian but are open to the moving of the Spirit to seek and explore God and the spiritual dimensions of life, in a way that is open-ended and free from the boundaries that most religious frameworks and structures have imposed.

CANA exists to give those seeking a deeper spiritual awareness a safe place to experience, share and develop their vision’.

That all sounds fine doesn’t it but the next part gives us a clue as to what they are really all about.

‘CANA recognises that we are all one through that of God within us from whatever background we come’.

There you have it! The ‘God within us’, not a Christian concept at all. Further delving into the events advertised on the CANA website show courses on ‘DISCOVERING INNER WAYS TO TRUTH’. They quote the scripture shown below, state that Jesus wants us to become like Him (all true) but then go on about Inner and outer teaching, how Jesus prepared the way for our evolution in awareness and mentions exploring the ‘Essenes and Christian Mystery School teachings of Elizabeth Mac Donald Burrows (described here as a Christian Mystic & International Spiritual Educator, she was was raised a Christian but was visited and guided by the unseen Masters of the angelic regions from her early youth. Check out her website and you will see clearly what the Mystics and New Agers believe). This is most definitely not Christian and they are not writing about Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Lord, Saviour, God and man of the bible, that’s for sure!!

Here’s how they describe the course.

‘And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” (Matthew 13: 10-11.)

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do. (John 15: 12.)

There has always existed an Inner and Outer Teaching. However, no longer is the Inner Teaching available only to the few. In these times, the Inner Teaching is available to all who seek it. Jesus’ wish for us is that we should become like Him, for which purpose He prepared the way for our evolution in awareness.

We shall explore sources of the Inner Teaching, readily available to us today, e.g. the Essenes and the Christian Mystery School teachings of Elizabeth MacDonald Burrows. There will be experiential sessions to show how practical the Inner Teaching is for our development as spiritual beings.’

 CANA states that their ‘numbers continue to grow, attracting both laity and clergy who are refreshed by being amongst people who are exploring faith in an open way’.

A look at the ‘Useful Websites’ page shows more groups involved with CANA, again many of them claiming to be Christian’.

PCN Britain (Progressive Christian Network). The Progressive Christianity Network Britain works to promote and support open and contemporary Christian understanding. www.pcnbritain.org.uk

The Modern Churchpeople’s Union. MCU are a mixed bunch of people, that share an open-minded and thoughtful approach to Christian faith. They wish to offer a safe space for people to explore doubts, further their spiritual journey, and take a critical approach to certainties. www.modchurchunion.org

Sea of Faith Network. The Network explores the implications for spiritual, social and ecological issues that arise from embracing the provisional nature of religious insight. www.sofn.org.uk

Bede Griffiths Sangha. Father Bede Griffiths, who died in 1993, was one of the great spiritual leaders of the 20 th century, and a charismatic man who emanated unconditional love. The Bede Griffiths Sangha (the Sanskrit word for community) is an informal network of people who have been touched and inspired by his life and teachings. www.bedegriffithssangha.org.uk

The British Teilhard Association. The British Teilhard Association promotes the work and vision of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. www.teilhard.org.uk

Catholics for a Changing Church www.ccc4vat2.co.uk

Contemplative Fire. Contemplative Fire is a movement, a community and an adventure, celebrating life in all its fullness on the Way of Christ. www.contemplativefire.org

Anglican Boatrockers Boatrockers is not an organisation -it’s a human dynamic to catch the wind of the Spirit that rocks the boat – not to make it sink, but to keep it on course! www.anglican-boatrockers.net

Wrekin Trust. The Wrekin Trust and Wrekin Forum have their roots in the work established by Sir George Trevelyan and those that worked with him. www.wrekintrust.org

GreenSpirit. Green Spirit is a network of people who celebrate the human spirit in the context of our place in the natural world and Earth’s own evolutionary journey. www.greenspirit.org.uk

Jerusalem Peacemakers. Jerusalem Peacemakers is a network of independent interfaith peace-builders dedicated to encouraging understanding and reconciliation in the Holy Land. www.jerusalempeacemakers.org

Just a word on the Contemplative Fire movement. Their website says this:

‘It was founded in 2004 by Revd Philip Roderick and authorised by the Diocese of Oxford. It is registered as a ‘Fresh Expression of Church’. Philip Roderick is on the Fresh Expressions national team of Associate Missioners, mandated by Archbishop Rowan Williams. Whilst Contemplative Fire also attracts those from different Christian (or non-faith) backgrounds, it is accountable to and in creative conversation with the Church of England. Wherever Contemplative Fire establishes itself as a praying, liturgical community, the blessing of local church leaders is sought.’

Philip Roderick is a speaker at the ‘Christ Consciousness’ course at Findhorn and their website describes him like this.

‘Philip Roderick is founder-director of the Quiet Garden movement, community leader of Contemplative Fire and advisor in spirituality to the Bishop of Sheffield. His drum, chant and bodyprayer ministry is called Sheer Sound. He was the first to suggest a conference on Christ Consciousness at Findhorn.’

The Quiet Garden Movement lists the following patrons.

 We are grateful to the following Patrons of the Quiet Garden Trust

• Richard Foster, writer and speaker on prayer and spiritual discipline
• Gerard W. Hughes, S.J. writer and speaker on spirituality, peace and justice issues
• Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia Assistant Bishop, Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain
• Margaret Magdalene Evening writer and spiritual director
• The Most Revd Vincent Nichols Archbishop of Westminster
• The Rt Revd John Pritchard Bishop of Oxford
• Professor Sir Ghillean Prance former Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
• Esther de Waal international speaker and writer on spirituality

Just a word on Archbishop Rowan Williams. This man is head of the Church of England and if you click here you will see that he is also a druid. He would probably call himself a Christian Druid, but you really can’t be both. Druids are pagan and are not Christian. Click here to see what they believe.

So you will see that the blatantly up front New Age Findhorn Foundation are now joined by all sorts of ‘Christian’ groups from what I call mainstream denominational churches, eg. Catholics, Anglicans, Church of England as well as Muslims, Jews, Greens, ‘save the planet’ organisations and inter-faith humanitarians. If you delve more deeply into the websites listed above you will see there are more and more ‘Christian’ churches or groups getting involved in this deception, called the ‘great falling away’ by the Apostle Paul.

And all this comes from looking at just one New Age organisation near where I live. The rest of the UK, Europe and the world is absolutely crammed with New Age occultism – it is absolutely everywhere, and it is here NOW!

DO NOT BE DECEIVED! CHECK THESE THINGS OUT FOR YOURSELF AND ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO SHOW YOU THE TRUTH BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!

The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow by Constance Cumbey, albeit 30 years old, is an excellent book on how the New Age Movement has infiltrated the church

‘Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders’. 2 Thessalonian 2:1-9

Biblical prophesies are happening before our very eyes and I truly believe the time is very near when our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ will return in the clouds and take His chosen ones to be with Him in heaven, and will then punish the world.

‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words’ 1 Thessalonains 4;16-18

With the ‘elect’ out of the way the Antichrist will then unleash mayhem on this world and there will be much strife, suffering and war that has never been seen before.

 The time is indeed short and the Lord is even now calling His people.

 ‘And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues’. Rev 18:4

 Billions will follow this man of sin. Millions of ‘Christians’ will be deceived into following this man just as Jesus told us -  ‘many will be deceived’. Mathew 24

 Just take a look on the God TV channels. They are a mishmash of distorted teachings from the bible, false prosperity and word of faith teachings, doctrines of demons, and an emphasis on meditative Christianity, New Age teaching and a return to the ancient ways of the Gnostics and church fathers who isolated themselves and listened to the inner voice within etc. This is not Christianity!!

 ‘Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils’. 1 Tim 4:1

 Is your church teaching Biblical truth or have you been unwittingly led along the slippery path of deception without even knowing it? You need to read and study the Bible (KJV only) for yourself and ask the Holy Spirit to take the scales from your eyes so you can see the truth.

 I was heavily involved in an Anglican church in England and attended many Pentecostal, Charismatic ‘Christian’ events and services for a number of years. But I never did fit in and in my spirit I just knew there was something wrong!  It seemed that nearly all denominational churches were coming together behind false teachers, who were preaching a false Gospel and announcing a ‘new move of God’ and it became more alarming when all ‘religions’ began meeting for ‘inter-faith’ services and the like.  What I didn’t know then was that this was all part of the Satanic ‘New Age Plan’ for this world and that they have been planning it for many years.  You can read about is by clicking on the ‘Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow’ link on the right side of this page.

As I searched the Scriptures it became clear to me that we are to separate ourselves from those who preach a different Gospel or who cause division or who call themselves Christians, yet are fornicators or idolators, and we should expose them.

‘If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received. Let him be accursed’. Gal 1:8-9

‘Now I beseech you bretheren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them’. Rom 16:17

‘If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is a partaker of his evil deeds’. 2 Jn 10:11

‘And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them’. Eph 5:18

When we (me and my wife Pat, also one of the elect) moved up to Scotland in 2005 we began looking for a ‘church’. The Lord had called us out of organised religion a few years earlier but like most stubborn ‘children’, we weren’t getting the message, and the yearning to belong somewhere was driving us. We attended quite a few ‘churches’ but after a while we just couldn’t stay in any of them. This is because of the false teaching and the false gospels that are being preached today. We have not been able to find one church in our part of the world that hasn’t been led astray, and we have now stopped looking because we feel the Lord has called us out, to stay out, until His return.

There are many people in these churches who are simply deceived – just as Jesus repeatedly told us would happen! There are others in positions of leadership in these churches who have infiltrated the church with false teachings to steer people away from Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. And they do secretly worship Lucifer or Satan. To give one example. Many churches have early morning sunrise services on Easter Sunday. The congregation face the rising sun and praise ‘Jesus’. It all seems fine but they are unwittingly paying homage to Satan in doing this – and the false teachers (ferocious wolves) are laughing at them behind their backs. Check out Ezekiel chaper 8 and you will see that sun worship was around then, even in the house of the Lord, and it is still around now!

If you are one of the elect, the Bible tells us you cannot be deceived so my prayer is that the Lord will use this article to show you or start you on the path of truth.

‘They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error’. 1 John 4:5-6

When the Lord first started showing me the ‘deceptions in the church’ I felt absolutely sick to my stomach and couldn’t believe it! However, we are called to check the Scriptures to see if what we are hearing is true (see Acts 17:11) so that is what I did. I asked the Lord to take the scales from my eyes so I could see the truth. I studied the Bible (KJV only!! – to see why click on the link in my Blogroll, ‘Is your Bible Counterfeit?) and checked all this ‘stuff’ out for myself. As I studied the Bible for myself and sought the truth in this matter, the Lord showed me more and more deceptions, and He continues to show me more day by day.

‘And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many’. Mathew 24:3-5

‘Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity’. Mathew 7:13-23

DO NOT BE DECEIVED!!

I’d like to point out that you are splitting hairs and instigating dissension within the body of Christ via your demeaning post to Tony. Jesus called it “straining at a knat and swallowing a camel.” Even IF Tony was not entirely correct (which we have no way of knowing for sure as traditions in history often get confused), you still should be paying attention to the gist of what he wrote, not picking things apart. If some of his facts are incorrect, then out of brotherly love in Christ you could have corrected him. Having said that, however, his theology regarding the wrongness of Christians celebrating pagan holidays, is right on.

Here are some “facts” John, that haven’t been half-baked in anyone’s oven. Many of our supposed “Christian” holidays are anything but “holi” (Holy) days, at least not holy to our God. By deliberate design, most all of them are pagan in origin. For example Easter has nothing what-so-ever to do with the resurrection of Christ! Yet Christian churches celebrate “Easter Sunday” as the celebration of his resurrection. The dates set for Easter Sunday do not even correspond with the resurrection, they correspond with Spring Equinox or the pagan fertility rites of Spring (depending on who is celebrating it). If the Christian church wishes to celebrate Christ’s resurrection, they should at least set the date for the Sunday immediately following Passover, as Christ died and arose from the grave during Passover week.

Easter is a pagan holiday in celebration of the fertility goddess, Ishtar, Astarte, Ashtoreth, and other variations depending on which language or culture you are referring to. Easter did not originate with the Saxon Eastre or Eostre, as it was only a pagan minority of Saxons anyway who honored her, just as Wiccans today honor Ishtar (as Isis) during the Spring Equinox or Rites of Spring. Most of us are not Wiccans. Anyone who claims the Saxons (as a whole) knowingly worshipped her, are shooting in the dark without solid historical data. There is, however, abundant historical evidence to the opposite.

Ishtar, et. al, is a goddess who originated in ancient Babylon, and Christians are forbidden by God to have anything to do with this goddess or any pagan gods or goddesses. Furthermore, the “Mary” of Catholicism, who is esteemed as “being without sin” and actually prayed to in Catholicism, is actually nothing less than a Christianized name for this same ancient goddess, Isis, who was first known as Semiramus, before becoming the goddess. Constantine “Christianized” the pagan gods and goddesses of Rome by giving them Christian names.

This same “Mary” who was never the Biblical Mary (mother of Jesus), was also known as the Black Madonna, of whom “Madonna” the popular American singer, took her title. Madonna (who is Jewish, not Catholic), is a known Kabbalist, high priestess of Wiccan and Satanism, and, knows full well that the Black Madonna was Ishtar (Isis), et. al. of ancient Babylon. All these gods and goddesses came from ancient Babylon. In Hinduism the Black Madonna became known as the goddess Kali… And so it was with the gods and goddesses of Egypt, Rome, Greece, etc… All their religions began in ancient Babylon from the union of Nimrod and Semiramus, and Semiramus, by the way, was known as the “The Queen of Heaven!” Hmmm, where have we heard that title before?

If you don’t believe what I’ve written here, John, or what Tony has written in his posts, then I advise you to do your own research. Dig deep and go way back to the ancient mystery religions of Babylon, which have been revived today. You will be shocked at what you learn.

As for 95% of the world being “pagan” at the time of Christ. You cannot possibly substaniate such a claim. No one can. There are no substantiating documents or proof of a worldwide, synchronized, census ever being recorded, not even under Alexander… All were estimates at best. In Christ,

Kathy

Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.

Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:

 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

 Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

 Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.

 At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.

 They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.

 Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.

 He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.

 They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.

 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.

 He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.

 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.

 The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;

 Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.

 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.

 He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.

 Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.

 The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.

 The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.

 Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.

 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

 So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.

 There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

 These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.

 That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.

 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

 The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.

 He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.

 I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.

So, although we both trust in the Lord, that all things happen for good to those who love Him, it, nontheless, has been a trying time!

Last week I took her to the hospital where she was to undergo an angiogram (they insert a tube and look in the heart)and then depending on the severity of the blockage, the surgeon inserts any number of stents into the artery (like hollow tubes) to allow the blood to flow – this is called an angioplas. Before leaving for the hospital we prayed once more for the Lord to heal her, in the name of Jesus, but according to His will and we set off at peace that whatever happened, our Father in heaven was controlling the situation.

I left her at the hospital at 8am and just after noon she rang me to tell me to come and pick her up. When I asked her what had happened she replied, ‘He’s done it again, they couldn’t find anything wrong’. Although I know that the Lord does heal us (he healed Pat about 2 years ago, completely removing a polyp from her ear and restoring an area of decayed bone), I was still gobsmacked and full of praise! I headed off to the hospital to pick her up, singing praise songs to the Lord on the way.

It transpires that the tube was inserted through a blood vessel in her arm into her heart and there was now no blockage showing. The surgeon was the same guy who had performed the scan and he and the nurses couldn’t believe it either. He wrote on the report, ‘ateries normal’ and he told Pat they were perfect! Wow!

The Lord doesn’t always heal us of our affirmities but when he does it is an absolutely amazing feeling, even when it is your wife! So we are just thanking Him and praising Him and giving Him all the glory! Hallelujah!

The Lord’s ways are not our ways and He does things in His own timing. not ours! Why didn’t he heal Pat 6 months ago? I don’t know! But Pat told me that while she was in the waiting room she spoke to an older lady who was waiting for the same procedure, and had an overwhelming urge to pray for her which she did. The Lord does work in mysterious ! I told her to imagine the following scenario. ‘Pat is dancing around the throne in heaven one day worshipping the Lord amongst a large group of us and she gets a tap on her shoulder. As she turns around she sees the lady from the hospital whom she had prayed for that day, whom the Lord had saved shortly afterwards.’ That would be cool wouldn’t it? Well worth all the pain and hassle!

So, our mighty God, the one true God, who knows and sees all things, and is in control of all things, and is worthy of praise for ever, has healed Pat’s heart. Hallelujah!

Love in Jesus, Tony

‘Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name saying, ‘I am Christ’, and shall deceive many’.  Mat 24:4-5 

He told us there would be a ‘falling away’ (2 Thess 2:3) and many would be following ‘doctrines of demons’ (1 Tim 4:1) hearing what their ‘itching ears want to hear’ (2 Tim 4:3-4) and ‘grievous wolves would enter in among you, speaking perverse things … to draw disciples after themselves’ (Acts 20:29-31).

He said, ‘MANY’ would be deceived! Who do you think are the, ‘MANY’?

He also said, ‘Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord,Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven………Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophecied in thy name? and in thy name cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity.’  Mat 7:21-23 

THIS IS A MOST STARTLING STATEMENT AND ONE THAT SHOULD CAUSE US TO THINK AND SEEK THE LORD AS TO IT’S MEANING.

 Who do you think Jesus is talking about here? Think about it!

He is not talking about unbelievers He is talking about church folk, ‘Christians’, who practise prophecy, cast out demons and do miracles in Jesus name. 

What group of Christians do these things and teach these things? It can’t be ‘high’ church or similar denominations that believe the gifts of the Spirit have ceased because they don’t prophecy or cast out demons etc. 

Well, I have to tell you that the Lord has shown me that these are those ‘believers’ engaged in what is called the ‘Charismatic’ or Evangelical church. You know, the ‘New Wine’, ‘Pentecostal’, ‘Vineyard’, ‘Fire’ and ‘the Annointing’, ‘Come Holy Spirit’ Brigade’, that we were amongst at one time, not knowing any difference then. To be honest, I was never at ease with all that ‘stuff’, and left it all behind once the Lord showed me the error of my ways.

It’s the same with all the so called ‘TV Evangelists’, people like, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Nicky Gumbel (yes, Alpha I’m afraid is part of the deception – truth alongside error!), Mike Bickle, Joel Osteen, Andrew Womack to name but a few. They are ALL ‘ferocious wolves’, (Mathew 7:15) leading millions astray with their ‘false miracles’ and false, ‘prosperity’, and ‘word of faith’ gospels.

The Apostle Paul tells us ‘But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed’ Gal 1:8

My friends, these men and woman, are evil people, serving their god, Lucifer, and they have purposely infiltrated the ‘Christian church’ to lead people away from Jesus. You need to know this! Check it out yourself. I will list a few websites at the end of this that you can visit for yourself. It is all part of the ‘New Age’ plan to prepare the way for the their ‘christ’, known by many names, the ‘Cosmic Christ’, . The ‘Matreya’, the Fifth Budda, Krishna, the Imam Mahdi etc or as we know him, the Antichrist!

The Apostate church is here now! There has been a ‘falling away’ from the true Gospel of Jesus. Almost every church you go into will be linking with or promoting the false teachings of the likes of those mentioned above. Mysticism, or ‘Contemplative Christianity’ is the new thing. Many sincere ‘Christians’ have been and are being deceived just like Jesus told us would happen. 

The Lord says, ‘Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues’. (Rev 18:4)

We have ‘come out’ of organised religion (not without much stubbornness on my part I can tell you) and our ‘church’ is now in our house, just me, Pat my wife and Jesus, That’s cool. We have internet access to others around the world who have also obeyed the Lord and removed themselves from the false religion that is so evident today.

Jesus will be taking the first fruits of His ‘church’ with Him real soon – we will meet the Lord in the air and so forever be with the Lord! The harvest is upon us. And what we can see now is the separating of the wheat and the tares spoken of in Mathew 13. Those deceived or apostate churches, following false Gospels  are the tares! The Lord is gathering them into bundles to be burned! COME OUT OF HER!

The Lord Himself says He will send ‘strong delusion’ on those who ‘loved not the truth’ and believed ‘ a lie’ and that’s why so many cannot see the truth.

‘And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness’. 2 Thess 2:10-12

I am writing this with love in my heart in the hope that some will see the truth! But it is up to the individual what to do with it. Be a Berean! Check these things out! It isn’t easy leaving these ‘churches’ but we have to obey the Lord as our eternal future depends on it.

We have to let go of our pride, our self, our own efforts and trust FULLY in Jesus. Pat and me have both been ‘through the mill’ in the last few years but Jesus has never let us down, not once!

Please check out the web sites below. Read them and ask for revelation from the Lord.

http://watch.pair.com/ in particular the ‘Heeding Bible Prophecy’ section will show you what the New Agers etc have planned as opposed to the programme of God, who is in control of all things – any plan of the enemy can only occur if the Lord allows it!!.

http://www.letusreason.org/NAM20.htm this tells you what the New Age plan is!

http://www.atlanteanconspiracy.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talk6&action=display&thread=106&page=1  This thread is amazing. Check out the scripture, the Book of Enoch. and everything mentioned. e.g. Operation Paperclip, Bluebeam, Highjump, vimanas etc. Google these words, you can watch lots of short videos about them on the internet.

http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/page2.html many fascinating articles on the current deception

http://www.inplainsite.org/html/tele-evangelist_lifestyles.html check out the lifestyles of the TV evangelists

 http://www.share-international.org  just one site showing what the enemy is up to – there are many more if you google, ‘new age agenda’ or ‘new age plan’ or ‘the plan’.

Rick Warren is a major player even though he is masquerading as a Christian. Check this out http://dubroom.org/articles/003.htm

I realise there is a lot of stuff here. It has taken me years to get an understanding on what the lord has been saying to me. He has led me to others around the world who have received the same revelation, just a small ‘remnant’. Jesus said Himself , ‘Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?’ Luke 18:8

Not everyone will be saved! – only those whose name is ‘written in the Book of Life before the foundation of the earth’.  And that is a work of God, not man. This means that we can’t just say the ‘sinners prayer’ and ask Jesus into our lives. It just doesn’t work! It has to be initiated by the Lord!

I Peter 4:7 warns, ‘But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.’

Ask the Lord for discernment, that the Holy Spirit will reveal His truth to you, before it it too late!

Love in Jesus

Tony

And now, over a year later, I have returned to work and am 90% better – Thank you Lord!

We are simply living one day at a time, trusting in Jesus Christ. Our Father in heaven has and will continue to provide for us till Jesus returns, and He is returning real soon. End time prophecies are happening before our very eyes. The creation of the European Union!  The New World economic order (keep an eye on the G20) following the world financial crash is ever closer.  And keep an eye on America! This country’s economy is in the balance and the collapse of the US $ dollar seems imminent. The Apostate Church is definitely here now with almost all the ‘organised’ churches following ‘doctrines of demons’. Many have been deceived! False teachers and prophets are everywhere. The Lord has shown us that the ‘Christian Church’ has been  totally infiltrated by the New Agers and Satanists and that witchcraft is rife.

This world is spiralling dowwards at an ever increasing speed and just as in the times of Noah and Lot the LORD must act soon. He will return to punish the world and I believe this time is close at hand. And I say ‘Lord, bring it on!’ Evil men are in control of events in the world and it is going to get much worse. But whatever they have planned can only happen if God allows it and in His timing so if you are a Christian don’t despair.

The Lord is calling His people out of ‘organised religion’ with its deceptive prosperity gospels and the like. If you hear His voice today, then obey Him and ‘come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins’ (Revelation 18:4). It can be a lonely path but a blessed one! ’Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach’ Hebrews 13:12-13

The Lord Jesus is coming back soon! We are called to ‘Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man’ Luke 21:36

Are you ready? Ready to face tribulation and suffering for Jesus? Because that will be the case for many of us. But our blessed hope is to be with Jesus in heaven and then to reign with Him forever! 

‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord’ 1 Thessalonian 4:16-17.

‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away’ (Revelation 21:4)

This is our blessed hope and so I say, ‘Come quickly Lord Jesus’. Amen!