IS JESUS COMING BACK? PART ONE (copied from Y-Jesus.com) Forty days after His resurrection, Jesus took His disciples to the Mount of Olives, where He was lifted up into the clouds, out of their sight. While they were gazing up in bewilderment two men in white apparel (angels) told them: "Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has been taken away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw Him go, He will return." These angels weren't saying anything new, they were merely confirming Jesus' clear promise that He would return some day in power, glory, and judgement. Broken Promise? It has been nearly 2,000 years since Jesus left earth, and many wonder why He has taken so long to return. In his book "Why I am not a Christian," Betrand Russell accused Jesus of breaking His promise to return. Russell argues that Jesus couldn't have been "all wise" if He broke such an important promise. He certainly couldn't have been God as He claimed so frequently. Is it possible that Russell is right about Jesus breaking His promise?
The apostle Peter, predicted that scoffers like Russell point to Jesus' delay as a broken promise. He writes: "First I want to remind you that in the last days there will be scoffers who will laugh at the truth and will do every evil thing they desire. This will be their argument, 'Jesus promised to come back, did He? Then where is He? Why as far back as anyone can remember, everything has remained the same since the world was first created?' Perhaps Russell and other scoffers should have looked closer at Peter's words, as well as what Jesus said about the timing of His return, and the events that would precede it . Jesus did say that, although no man would know the exact timing of His return, certain clues would tell us that it is drawing near. Additionally, the Old Testament prophets and Jesus' apostles also provide insight about what the world scene will look like just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. Let's look briefly at a few of these clues to the general timing of Jesus' return. next post 6th December
(Mark Cahill's Book) Tenth Commandment Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's (Exodus 20:17) Coveting - desiring something that is not rightfully ours - opens up the floodgates for so many sins in our lifetime. We covet something before we steal, we covet someone before we commit adultery. We covet something and are tempted to disobey our parents or the law of the land to get it. Coveting involves craving to get life's possessions or life's circumstances - success, marriage, fame, - in a wrong way. Advertisers work on people's hopes and desires to get the to buy a product. If that hope is awakened in people they may begin coveting -being envious or jealous of what others have. The wrong next step is taking what you want, rather than earning or doing without. We slap God in the face and display disatisfaction over what He has decided to give us. God is looking at your heart. Have you ever in your life broken this Commandment? God tells us : But we are all as an unclean thing , abd all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; and we do all fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isaiah 64:6) Our sin has become a stench to God. We are all unclean. We could do
millions of good deeds, but they do not have the power to wipe away one sin from our life. Jerry Springer once said: "A lot of people are to heaven. Why Because if I go then everybody goes. Springer may want to joke about it, but it is not a joke. By saying this, he reveals that at least he knows that most people think that God's standard for going to heaven is that you have to be good - but he isn't taking that standard seriously. And now you know that standard, and the question to ask yourself is ; How do I measure up? Mark Twain said it wasn't the part of the Bible he didn't understand, but the part that he did understand, that troubled him the most! What a statement! None of us knows everything about God's Word. But when each of us looks at the Ten Commandments, God's Law, we find it most troubling, that even if we have broken just one of them, it is just as though we had broken all of them. What? Is that true? Here is what God has said about it: ......whosoever shall keep the whole Law !and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:10) Another point that may surprise you is that being religious, or doing good works, or being an active member of a congregation or denomination, or contributing to good causes has zero impact on whether or not we get into heaven. Here is what Jesus said about that; Not everyone 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 hath 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 you who work iniquity? (Matthew 7: 21-23) If being religious won't help us, what will? That passage from the Bible lets us know that hell is going to catch many people by surprise. Will you be one of those people? Our search for eternal truth is getting closer and closer to finding the right answer, next post 30th November
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY PART 61 (Mark Cahill's Book) Ninth Commandment Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. (Exodus 20:16) A headline in the Chicago Sun-Times read "The truth is -Everybody Lies!" Is that true? Some people claim that they have told "only white lies." But I really don't think God is impressed with the colour of our lies. Our entire justice system is based on the premis that witnesses "will tell the truth - the whole truth and nothing but the truth." Perjury, which is lying in court, is a felony for good reason. How can there be justice when the truth isn't known? Our survey found that 91% of all Americans admit to lying on a regular basis. Some may insist that they haven't lied - just stretched the truth a little. But how far do we have to stretch the truth before it becomes a lie? Leaving out part of the truth to benefit ourselves is also lying. We also lie when know untruth is being told and we just let it stand. And telling even one makes us liars. In a teen survey conducted in 2000, seven out of ten students admitted to cheating on a test within the last month. In essence they lied by making it appear that they knew the information they wrote on the test. Sometimes we lie because we think it is easier than telling the truth. We think. But what does God think of lying? But the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolators, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (Revelation 21: 8) One of the things I realized as I went through the Ten Commandments, is that God takes sin much more seriously than I do. Jesus said: But I say unto you, every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shall be justified , and by thy words thou shalt be condemned (Matthew 12:36-37) Every idle word we speak will be held against us on Judgement Day. If idle words are to be judged what about cruel words? Profane words? Blasphemous words? The Bible tells us to keep our speech simple, and clear and honest But let your communication be, yea, yea; nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. ( Matthew 5:37 ) In the Bible one eyewitness could not convict someone of a crime. The witness might be lying or mistaken. So two or three witnesses were required in order to convict a person. And here is something even more interesting; If someone was given the death penalty - usually death by stoning - do you know who had to throw the first stones? The eyewitnesses! Why? To discourage witnesses from lying. God knew when He gave this law, that people who might be willing to lie about someone, - out of envy or revenge or for money, - would not be willing to stand face to face with them and throw a stone at their head, in an effort to kill them. And if they threw the stone half-heartedly, or seemed ashamed when they confronted the accused, then their testimony against the condemned person, would be brought into question, and the false accuser might find himself facing execution for attempted murder. God wanted true judgment not false. How are your words going to stack up on judgment day? God's Word warns us:
..... behold ye have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out ( Numbers 32:23). We often think we can hide our sin, but our sins will certainly find us out. Everything is laid bare before the eyes of Almighty God. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes with Whom we have to do. (Hebrews 4:13) George O'Leary, former football coach at Georgia Tech, was offered his "dream job," : head coach at the University of Notre Dame. You could see how excited he was by the look on his face at his press conference. Someone from his hometown wanted to write a positive piece on him for the local paper. So the reporter got his resume, started looking things up, and found a couple of discrepancies about his education. It turned out that O'Leary had fudged resume early in his career to get acoaching job, and had never changed it. By thetime the storm reached its peak just six days later, he resigned - due to something on a resume from thirty years earlier. Time does not forgive sin. We like to think it does, but it doesn't. If George had corrected the lies he would have been fine. Is there a way for us to correct our sins before God? Since we just read Revelation 21:8, which says that " all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone," we need to know if there is a way to correct our lies before then. Charles Spurgeon, the great nineteenth-century preacher, who, by the age of twenty-one, was the most popular preacher in London, and preached to thousands every Sunday, for more than forty years said: The very least offence against God is so intolerable, that if hellfire were to be put out, one sin would kindle it again. God takes sin very seriously. Do you? Ask yourself this question: have I ever told one lie in my entire life? If I have that makes me a liar in the eyes of Almighty God. next post 28th November
TWENTY SEVENTEEN PART 33 Hello Folks, It is now 7th August - Ruth goes to town to exchange wrong wiring for our solar system, at Builder's Warehouse. She also collects and takes medication to Natie who is in bed with flu My eyes are a bit better today. More tests for Jeff today - he is on a drip for feeding purposes and another drip for medication. Ruth has been having difficulty in giving Sally her insulin injections. She to have two a day and I think her neck is very sore because that is where she gets injected and so she now wants to bite. 8th - More tests for Jeff. 9th - Jeff is now allowed to eat soft foods, lile oats and yoghurt - he still brings some of it up. 10th - Jeff can go home today if he manages to keep food in his stomach. 11th - Friday - Jeff goes home today - he is not allowed to drink any alcohol. 12th - Today Danny has been gone two months - the pain is still unbearable . I don't know how I would ever have got through this excruciating time without the help of God. The power also still goes off daily. Late afternoon bi-polar rears its ugly head once more. Very nasty 13th - Amanda pays us a visit - she is really comical, you just cannot help laughing when she is around. Today I managed to do two new blogs. I have no energy and have to force myself. 14th August - Monday - Worked on my blog again today managed to complete one and a half posts. Charmaine doesn't want any food today she is fasting. 15th I sleep all day. 16th - Marieta's 75th birthday today - I phone her and she is well. I sleep all day again. Escom power goes off at 10pm 17th - The power is still off - Ruth charges my tablet on solar. 5pm power is still off.- while writing this line power tries to come on twice but just flickers. Now the water is also off as the pump for the water needs electricity and the emergency tank has now run dry. 18th Friday - power is still off - Ruth goes to town for water, gas and petrol for our generator. The power line is down on Beulah property. Power comes back on a 3pm, just after we connect the generator. The power was off for 41 hours.
Very unpleasant, uncomfortable week. Trust in the Lord and don't despair He is a friend so true. No matter what your troubles are Jesus will see you through Sing when the day is bright Sing through the darkest night
Every day, all the way Let us sing, sing, sing. Power off again 5pm - use generator again. Power comes on at 8.15pm - power had now been off for 44 hours in the period 16th to 18th.
PRAISING GOD PART 9 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and great in loving kindness The Lord is good to all and His mercies are all over His works All Thy works shall give thanks to Thee and Thy godly ones shall bless Thee They shall speak of the glory of Thy Kingdom and talk of Thy power To make known to the sons of men Thy mighty acts and the glory of the majesty of Thy kingdom Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom And Thy dominion endures over all generations
The Lord is righteous in all His ways I will bless and praise the Lord forever next post 2nd December
In my trouble I called to the Lord and He answered me. Deliver my soul O Lord from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue
What shall be given to you and what shall be done to you you deceitful tongue? Sharp arrows of the warrior With the burning coals of the Broom tree. Woe is me, for I sojourn in Mesheck For I dwell among the tents of Kedar! Too long has my soul had its dwelling with those who hate peace. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock Sing to the Lord a new song and His praise be in the congregation of His godly ones Let Israel be glad in his Maker Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King.
Let them praise His Name with dancing. Let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre For the Lord takes pleasure in His people He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation. Let the godly ones exult in glory Let them sing for joy on their beds Let the high praises of God be in their mouth Praise the Lord!
Eighth Commandment Thou shalt not steal (Exodus 20:15) Sometimes we don't consider that we are really "stealing " when the value of the item is small, but theft is theft, irrespective of value. Whether you stole $1 or $20 from mom's purse, back in your childhood, it was still stealing. If you cheated on a test in school, you stole an answer from someone else's test. You are stealing from the government if you cheat on your income tax. Stealing time from an employer is also theft. The Bible describes Satan as a thief, but all of us have done the same. Criminals steal. If I have stolen, it would make me a criminal - a thief. On the way to Florida
for a vacation during my college days, some buddies and I stopped to put gas in my car. I pumped the gas and went in to pay for it. When I got back in the car, one of the football players shouted at me to drive away quickly. I did, but as I drove, I asked him why? He said that while I was inside, he had gone into the storage area next to the convenience store and stolen a case of beer and put it in the car. My heart started to beat very fast as I sped away. Why didn't I turn around? Why was my heart beating fast? Everything in my system told me that what we just did was wrong, but still I drove on. The Bible says: "For when the Gentiles, which have notthe law, do by nature the things contained in the Law, these having not the Law, are a law unto themselves. Which shew the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts meanwhile accusing, or else excusing one another..... (Romans 2:14-15) Here God clearly states that He has written His Law onto the hearts of mankind, and our conscience (conscience = with knowledge) will bear witness with the knowledge of good and evil. Even though we don't like to admit it we do have knowledge of our sin. We know when we do something wrong. I once saw a video of a missionary who was working in Papua, New Guinea. The missionary stated that the people in that area had no written language. Everything was passed down by word of mouth. Interestingly, though, they had an oral code of conduct to live by. One of their rules was not to touch their neighbour's wife. This sounds like the seventh commandment to not commit adultery. Another rule was to not take other people's things. That is what the eighth commandment says when it tells us not to steal. Other rules were to not murder other people or tell falsehoods about them. Even though the villagers didn't have written communication the Law of God was written on their hearts, and they knew right from wrong. As I was talking with one young man in a mall I asked him whether he had ever stolen anything. He told me about an incident one day when he went to pick up his sister who worked at a gift store. When he walked into the mall he saw that the security guard was at the other end of the mall, and he knew that there were no security cameras in that store. While he was waiting for his sister, he noticed a Camaro key chain hanging on a display rack. His mother had a Camaro and he wanted to get her that key chain. What was this item worth .... around $1.99? Yet he put the key chain in his pocket and began to walk away from the key chain rack. He admitted that all of a sudden his heart began to race and small beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. I asked, "what did you do?" He said that he quickly turned around and walked over to the rack, took the key chain out of his pocket and hung it back on the hook. At that point his heartbeat began to slow down and his perspiration stopped. No man had to tell this young man that stealing was wrong. His whole system was sounding the alarm - which is just the way God said He had designed us. He has written the Law on our hearts! Ask yourself this question: have I ever stolen one thing in my life, small or large? That would make me a thief, in the eyes of a holy, righteous God. next post 27th November
IS JESUS RELEVANT TODAY PART 10 (Copied from Y-Jesus.com) Colson discovered that his questions, "Who am I ? Why am I here?" and "where am I going?" are all answered in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul writes: "It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for." (Ephesisans 1:11. The message) When we enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, He fills our inner void, gives us peace and satisfies our desire for meaning and hope. And we no longer need to resort to temporary stimuli for our fulfillment. When He enters into us, He also satisfies our deepest longings and needs for true, lasting love and security. And the staggering thing is that God Himself came as a man to pay our entire debt. Therefore, no longer are we under the penalty of sin. Paul states this clearly to the Colossians when he writes: "You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now He has brought you back as His friends. He has done this through His death on the cross in His own human body. As a result, He has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault." (Colossians: 1: 21-22) Thus God did what we were unable to do for ourselves. We are set free from our sins by Jesus' sacrificial death. It is like a mass murderer going before a judge and being granted a full and complete pardon. He doesn't deserve a pardon, and neither do we. God's gift of eternal life is absolutely free - and it is for the taking. But even though the pardon is offered to us, it is upto us to accept it. The choice is yours. Are you at the point in your life where you would like to accept God's free offer? Perhaps like Madonna, Bono, Lewis and Colson, your life has also been empty, Nothing you have tried satisfies the inner void you feel. God can fill that void and fill you in a moment. He created you to have a life that is flooded with meaning and purpose. Jesus said, "My purpose is to give life in all its fullness." (John 10:10) Or perhaps things are going well for you in life but you are restless and lack peace.You realize that you have broken God's laws and are separated from His love and forgiveness. You fear God's judgment, Jesus said: "I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and of heart. And the peace I give you isn't like the world gives." So, if you are simply tired of a life of empty pursuits or are troubled by a lack of peace with your Creator, the answer is Jesus Christ. When you put your trust in Jesus Christ, God will forgive you of all your sins, past, present and future and make you His child. And as His child He gives you purpose and meaning in life on Earth and the promise of eternal life with Him. God's Word says, "to all who believed Him, and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God." (John:1-12) Forgiveness of sin, purpose in life, and eternal life are all yours for the asking. You can invite Christ into your life right now by faith through prayer. Prayer is talking with God. God knows your heart and is not as concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer: "Dear God, I want to know You personally and live eternally with You. Thank You, Lord Jesus for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Saviour and Lord. Take control of my life and change me, making me the kind of person You want me to be." Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If so, simply pray the above suggested prayer in your own native language. When you make a commitment to Jesus Christ, He enters your life, becoming your guide, your counselor, your comforter, and your best friend. Furthermore, He gives you strength to overcome trials and temptation, freeing you to experience a new life full of meaning, purpose and power. Chuck Colsen discovered that new purpose and power. Colsen readily admits that before becoming a Christian, he was ambitious, prideful and self-centered. He had no desire or power to love others in need. But his thoughts and motives radically changed once he committed himself to Christ. next post 22nd November
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY PART 59 (Mark Cahill's Book) Seventh Commandment Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14) Most of us think we have not done this. But, again, the words of Jesus make this commandment a bit more interesting. "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman, to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Matthew 5: 27-28) If you have looked at anyone with lust, even once, you have broken this commandment, not by the letter, but by the spirit. And Jesus says we are going to be judged by the spirit, not the letter. So, it is not OK with God, for you to dwell on adulterous thoughts. Who will know? People can't read minds. But God can and God does. In addition, if you have looked at pornography at all, you have broken this commandment. Many different types of media, including music, can cause you to lust. And we can be so desensitized to evil thoughts that they can eventually lead to action. It has been said that the first look is not lust, but the second one is. It is not the glance that gets you, it's the gazing that does. How many times have you taken a second look at someone? That would make you guilty of the standard God has set. Every forty-eight seconds a rape is committed, in America. Sexually transmitted diseases run rampant, because of unbridled lust in our culture. Lust separates you from God, and takes you places that you really do not want to go. Ask yourself this question: Am I putting myself in danger with God, by the things I think about or look at? next post 23rd November
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY PART 58 (Mark Cahill's Book) Sixth Commandment Thou shalt not kill (Exodus 20:13) Traditionally this commandment is presented as "Thou shalt not kill," but the Hebrew words for "kill" and "murder" are different. In this commandment the word used is "murder." Why is that difference important? Because the Bible says we have the right to defend our lives, our families, our homes, and our nations. Even if we have to kill the people attacking us. It is not murder to kill someone who is trying to kill you. You are actually preventing a murder, by stopping the murderer. The first murder recorded in history occurred when one of Adam's sons killed his brother Abel. That was the first murder, but it certainly wasn't the last. There are an average of 44 murders a day in America. Up to 4,000 unborn babies are murdered by being torn apart (aborted) in America each day. Columbine High School, Hitler, Saddem Hussein. It is amazing the murder we see around us. We see tens of thousands of unjust killings during our lifetime, portrayed on T.V. in movies, and on video games. We see so many "acted out" murders in the media, that it doesn't seem to have much effect on us. We seem to have become desensitized to it all. The bar section of any town always draws interesting people. I was hanging out one night in the bar area of Denver, talking to people about God, and I walked up to three folks to get into a conversation. One of the guys wanted me to go into a liquor store, to buy some alcohol for the group. That wasn't going to happen, so he and the girl went looking for someone else to help them. But one guy stayed behind because he wanted to talk with me. During the conversation, I asked him if he had ever sinned. He told me "yes," but then he asked me "what do you mean by sin?" I said, " well like the Ten Commandments." "Oh, I've broken all of those. " "Have you ever killed anyone?" I asked. Very nonchalantly he answered "Yah." "Ten people?" He replied, "I don't know how many!" He told me that he had grown up in a gang, in Long Beach, California, and he truly didn't know how many people he had killed. When he was fourteen years old, he was shooting baskets in his driveway, when some gang members drove by and shot his girlfriend. She bled to death in his arms. " She was the one that I knew I was going to marry, and have kids with, and she died in my arms." Can you imagine having to go through that at fourteen years of age? Can you imagine not knowing how many people you have killed? Well that's something you won't have to worry about, right? Well let's see. Jesus said: "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment, and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hellfire. (Matthew 5 :21-22) And John writes of this : Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. (1st John: 3-15) Therefore if you have been angry or hateful toward someone, it is the same as murder in the eyes of Almighty God. Why is that? God checks our insides as well as our outsides. He sees our thoughts as well as our actions. That is why all of us are in trouble by this standard. Ask yourself this question, have I broken this commandment, by God's standard, by being angry or hateful toward someone, even once in my lifetime? Next post 21st November.
IS JESUS COMING BACK?
