Is Such Hurricane Gustav Prophecy Of God?

As you may know, we currently have Hurricane Gustav moving toward the Texas to Florida coastline. With the memory of Hurricane Katrina, people in New Orleans and elsewhere are watching Gustav closely.

Yesterday, I was given the following (in part):

Concerning the prophecy the Lord God spoke about the 7 spirits, the 7 witches and the 7 hurricanes: The foundation of these hurricanes have been laid. The 7th hurricane began as a tropical storm named Gustav on August 25th 2008 at 2:00 pm EST. Gustav means "staff of God ". August 17th 2008 Kathy and I were on the mountain praying when I had an open vision. I saw the staff of God striking the earth. In this vision I saw the "staff of God", which looked like a pillar of fire, coming out the heavens like one huge mighty staff as it struck America. As this staff struck it exploded into a huge pillar of fire and looked like a nuclear explosion. This staff continued to strike America and the earth several times (it seemed like 7 times). Every time it struck there was a massive explosion. (In 1998 the Lord God gave me the prophecy of Katrina hitting Louisiana and as I spoke it out they mocked God's word which was sent through His prophets. God spoke to me in November 2007 and said He would send judgment which will be 10 times greater than Katrina. Could Gustav be what the Lord God is speaking about? Woe unto you Louisiana and the Gulf Coast!)

After the vision and as I pondered what I had seen I sensed the Lord speak to me and say "Gustav will be a sign to America and to the nations as it is the 7th hurricane and there are many more devastating hurricanes to come behind this one. As Gustav develops it will be a sign of the striking blow to America, for the Lord God is about to strike America with His staff, His power and authority beyond anything America has ever seen". Tell my people to repent and get ready for we have 1/2 hour left. "I will cause America and the church of America to make them see my mighty arm of judgments. Remember, you must be tried through the fire; purified and made white. Just as America will be made to drink the cup of my wrath so shall I make the church drink the cup of my judgment? I will rain my judgments down upon the righteous and the wicked. My prophets will proclaim my judgments and they will strike the earth as often as they want, according to my will and my word.

I will be honest and say that I am not one to eagerly embrace any new modern day prophecy as such, but because of the people who presented it to me I did go and search out the links. First, I found that the quote appears on a questionable site, in my opinion, and can be viewed here. You will have to scroll down to see that it was posted by one going by the name Anonymous Coward. So, why not by Matthew Stephen, the author?

What I also find odd is even if you visit (at least yesterday and today) Matthew Stephen’s website (here) the link to this supposed prophecy is unreachable. Under Urgent: The Eight Letters, items 6 through 8 cannot be found. Why?

A couple of things I would like to note in just the above two paragraphs:

The author apparently claims the name Gustav means ‘staff of God’, but according to Wikipedia.com it means ‘staff of the gods’, and ThinkBabyNames.com seem to agree; whereas BabyNameCollection.com claims Gustava (female, notice extra ‘a’) means ‘staff of the gods’ where Gustav (male) means ‘royal staff’.

Notice the author poses the threat ‘God spoke to me in November 2007 and said He would send judgment which will be 10 times greater than Katrina,’ then turns right around asking us ‘Could Gustav be what the Lord God is speaking about?’ Surely the prophet must know the prophecy he claims to be foretelling from God.

The author mentions that ‘you must be tried through the fire; purified and made white. Just as America will be made to drink the cup of my wrath so shall I make the church drink the cup of my judgment? I will rain my judgments down upon the righteous and the wicked.’ A quick search will return Zechariah 13:9 and 1 Peter 1:7 speaking of God’s people being ‘tried by fire’, though both of these speak of God’s grace of bringing His saints through such things not beating them down with such. We also know by Scripture that we are not purified and made white by our own works, but by the blood of the Lamb (the works of Christ). We also find in Revelation it is those who oppose God that must ‘drink the cup of [his] judgment’ not the saints (i.e. His church), though He does chastise us. Is there not a difference between discipline and wrath?

Now, I will admit, there is some ‘truth’ in what the author has written (in the full article not posted above), but that alone does not make it prophecy of/from God in part or in full. Most will admit that hurricanes can be devastating, destroying many things in their paths. Some will give credit to nature, others to God, but there is no doubt that they can cause many people to perish or to lose homes and possessions. Even causing America to weep and be generous with their help to others, so what in this prophecy could one find that would prove it is prophetic by the very source of God and not merely generic thoughts that could come to pass with any hurricane at any time?

At the end of the author’s words, we find Christ supposedly calling unto his Bride (which Scripture declares is the church). Again, I find odd, where this prophet claims the church is to ‘seek wisdom, discernment and love’ he yet claims they shall be made to ‘drink the cup of [his] judgment’. Who shall they receive love from if not the Bridegroom?

Indeed the storm cometh and we may have to endure the storm’s wrath, but as for this prophecy I am just not convinced Matthew Stephen is a prophet of God. But, you are free to draw your on conclusions. Just remember in who and where your faith needs to be placed, in Christ Jesus alone.

Pray for the Family of David Glynn Case

A friend of mine from our Sunday school class at church passed away this past Sunday morning. Here is his obituary:

David Glynn Case
Our family chain is broken and nothing seems the same, but as God calls us one by one the chain will link again. David entered this world on Aug. 25, 1965, and departed to be with his Savior, Our Lord Jesus Christ, on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008, at age 42. Visitation at Seale Funeral Home, Denham Springs, on Wednesday, Aug. 27, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Visitation resumes in the funeral home chapel on Thursday from 9 a.m. until service at 10 a.m., conducted by the Rev. Gerald Martin. Burial in Evergreen Memorial Park, Denham Springs. David attended Fellowship Baptist Church and was a member of the Harmony Sunday school class. He was the collections manager with E-Federal Credit Union. David was an avid sports fan and loved playing golf. He always rooted for his teams, the Dallas Cowboys and the Oklahoma Sooners. David's loving and giving spirit continues to live on through his desire to help others by being an organ donor. David is survived by his wife, Nancy Matthias Case, who he lovingly called "Sunshine"; his two precious sons, Dillon and Brice; their mother, Shannon Voss; his parents, James and Linda Case; maternal grandfather, M.E. "Bud" Smith; an uncle and aunt, Mike and Judy Case; and two cousins, Chad and Alan Case. David was preceded in death by his brother, Paul Earl Case; paternal grandparents, Morris and Doris Case, who were of Brookhaven, Miss.; and maternal grandmother, Dorothy Smith. Pallbearers will be Chad Case, Alan Case, Randy LeBouef, Thomas Miller, Mike Smith and Jeff Lea. Memorial donations may be made to Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency, 4441 N. I-10 Service Road West, Metairie, LA 70006.

David professed Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, and we know all who put their faith in Christ go to be with Him forevermore when their time on earth is done. But as he embraces eternal life, I can’t help but think of the family who must continue steadfast in their daily walk with God and responsibilities of this life. Their life is not over and I am sure they are and will be faced with many questions and choices, where decisions will still need to be made, maybe even requiring them to do so, while things most likely seem at their worst.

I can’t imagine bearing the loss of my two children, expecting as a parent to pass away long before they should ever enter eternity. How does one grieve the loss of a son or daughter, and stay faithful to God and able to carry on, I scarily wish to consider.

Even now I must admit the loss of my father or mother would be a sadness that would cause my heart to hurt, but how much more so for two young boys who find comfort in the protection their father offered them at such young ages. Sure Nancy will love and comfort them, but children need that special way each parent shares their love differently with each child.

And what of Nancy, the loving wife who just days ago had one who she could confide in, rely on, love, hold and be held, finding security and companionship in David, but may now feel alone though in the very company of family and friends?

By the grace of God may we each be able to endure that which touches our lives, and be ready always to comfort those who carry such weights now. We have a security in Scripture that Christ is willing and able to save all who call upon His name, by putting faith in Him we may hope in the promise of eternal life whereby we may once again see our loved ones who have gone on before us in the name of the Lord.

Book Two: Daegsteorra - Completion

As some of you may know, last year I finished book one, entitled Ekleipsis, of my In the Land of Erde series. It was my first time to actually complete a fictional book of which I had started, though I have written a few other things.

I would like to say since my introduction of book two, Daegsteorra, I have decided to change the cover art. The book has been returned from my editor, and although it is already available for purchase, I have ordered myself a proof copy so that I may read through it once more in its entirety.

A brief summary of book two:
Behold the Daegsteorra cometh, while the Darkness, even Jagare who now dwelleth in Temeto (once named Kirche), doth yet bathe in their sin and seeming triumphant victory over Erde. Pride has kept them from the truth, as they serve it willingly of heart, fighting yet against King Salvare and the very Creator of Heaven. Do they not yet know that the created cannot overthrow their Creator, nor shall evil overcome good?

You will find an introduction to book two, Daegsteorra, and spoiler of book one, Ekleipsis here.

Enjoy!

Whatever You're Doing - Sanctus Real

I realize that this is a contemporary style of Christian music, which some may not agree with. Such is why I chose this alternate accoustic version; for, I posted it more for the words than the instruments. Are we surrendering ourselves to God, while He yet works inside of us?

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It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

(Chorus)
Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something Heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Reevaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything I surrender...
To...

(Chorus)

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This is something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly
Something Heavenly

It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out

Original Sanctus Real here.

Don't Think Your Bible Is Enough...

...could be that you get to take a closer look at the Dead Sea Scrolls within the next few years on-line.

“The project began as a conservation necessity,” Ms. Shor explained. “We wanted to monitor the deterioration of the scrolls and realized we needed to take precise photographs to watch the process. That’s when we decided to do a comprehensive set of photos, both in color and infrared, to monitor selectively what is happening. We realized then that we could make the entire set of pictures available online to everyone, meaning that anyone will be able to see the scrolls in the kind of detail that no one has until now.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/world/middleeast/27scrolls.html

The Struggle of Sorrows

When my heart so full of sorrows, has no words to say
There I find you by my side, here with me all the way
Though sometimes silent yet I feel, you appear to me
As one who does not really care, my hurt do you not see
I cry out to you for answers, with my tears I call on you
To take the pain and sorrow, to let me start anew
Why can I not revisit the past, to change what I have chose
Redo a choice and make another, go down a different road
Could not I save myself from such, such difficulties now
Escorted by my present wisdom, I surely would know how
I know our lives we live here, are entwined with one another
But why must smiles be granted them, while I myself do suffer
It seems they have their desires met, though mine do fade away
As quickly as the sun appears, the clouds block out its ray
Moments here and moments there, bits of hope seem to appear
Only to be found once more, tossed alone in darkness drear
I grasp at you to pull you close, to drag you in my direction
Why must I bear all my troubles, I beg for your protection
My spirit’s weak, my body’s worn, my mind so full of doubt
I desire to run from all I know, I simply just want out
I turn to you for one last glimpse, with nothing left inside
I feel as though I should fall away, but you pull me to your side
You carry me from whence I am, yet not to where I’ve been
Through my sorrows gently walk, to a place for me to mend
Why did I not look to you, was it for the tears within my eyes
Why could I not hear your voice, was it for my deafening cries
The depths of sorrow, oh my soul, I did let draw me away
My only savior through the vale, he now leads me on my way
I know the path will not be easy, for I have to take it slow
I must trust him in my sorrows, and follow where I should go
Just above the mountains, I can see the bright sun break
Through the darkness of the valley, I shall again one day partake
Then shall what my sorrows be, but a moment of my past
Of lessons learned and wisdom got, from pain that did not last
For through it do I pray to come, by faith and hope and love
Not by my own strength for sure, but by the one sent from above

August 21, 2008

Scriptures in China: The Word Within And Without

According to a news article, apparently the ministry Vision Beyond Borders had about 300 Bibles confiscated by customs at the airport in Kunming. It appears that the organization was hoping to distribute the Bibles to those of this city in China.

According to the China Daily, here, Amity Printing factory (located in Nanjing, Jiangsu) is ‘China's biggest Bible producer, [and] has made over 5 million Bibles for Chinese churches in the past two years and exported about 5 million copies in roughly 75 languages.’ This agency claimed to have printed 30,000 copies of the New Testament (one picture shows English Standard Version) to distributed free during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Though, according to this report, China controls the printing of the Bible and only allows them to be used in government authorized churches and the larger hotels which accommodate tourists.

Just at a glance, this does cause one to ponder why such the fuss. If indeed, China has authorized the freely giving out of 30,000 copies of the Word within their country, why would they deny the entry of a mere 300 more copies of the Word for the same purpose? Version perhaps?

According to Vision Beyond Borders’ website, they acknowledge:

In China and other countries closed to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Bible has been valued over life in some instances. Knowing they need God’s Word in order to be spiritually free, people endure imprisonment, beatings, and loss of life to keep God’s word alive in their country. Hundreds of people may share the same Bible, spending countless hours hand copying it.

It appears that Klein is no stranger to the spiritual warfare surrounding the spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ through the written Scripture since he has been involved in missions for over twenty years according to the website testimony, and his Vision Beyond Borders’ ministry began in 1994 (though originally under the name Asian Vision).

I am not here to promoted Patrick Klein, for I do not personally know him or his ministry, but I am happy to hear that such a ministry exist in the reaching the world with the precious gospel of Jesus Christ. I am also happy to hear that even inside China, there is being Bibles produced and distributed. Even if they are not as freely and available as we would like, every copy of the Word opens the door to unfathomable potential that can be used by the Holy Spirit inside of China.

May we be mindful of the spiritual battles that constantly take place in the material realm, putting our faith in Christ, obeying the moving of the Holy Spirit, trusting God will have His will and way in all matters. Though it sometimes seems the evil one may have his way over us, be of good cheer, for we know our great King has overcome him at Calvary. True, our lives and ministries are not empty of set backs, but may we press on finding hope in Christ and not in ourselves, knowing that souls in this world need the message of the Savior.

So, whether it is the printed Word within China, or the Word printed from without China making its way in, may the Spirit of God grant it safe passage to the hearts of those who desperately need Christ.

The Church: May Reach Out To The Homosexual, But Cannot Embrace Homosexuality

Ref: Peggy Campolo, 'Gay Christians can't wait any longer '

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To me, it appears that Peggy Campolo wishes to move the church into acceptance of homosexuality, not simply witnessing to the homosexual. The church cannot and should not embrace homosexuality, especially those that practice such, just like Paul rebuke the Corinthians for the fornication they had in their church. In fact, he tells them ‘to deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh’ which sounds pretty tough judgment to me.

She writes, ‘Dr. Gushee is right on the mark when he states that the problems of gay Christians cannot be properly addressed without the church clearly defining the meaning of sex and marriage, and I think he would agree with me that those who reduce marriage to "plumbing and baby-making" are the ones who demean marriage’ but ‘sex and marriage’ is already clearly defined in Scripture and surely in most churches. It appears she is actually calling for a redefining of such, which would be unbiblical and unchristian.

She further states, ‘The current problems of *straight* people, as well as those facing God's gaychildren, cannot be solved until the church of Jesus Christ clearly defines for its people the meaning of celibacy, sex, marriage and what constitutes a family’ and although sin is sin, homosexuality is a sin that Scripture claims God turns ones over to a reprobate mind, and again ‘the meaning of celibacy, sex, marriage and what constitutes a family’ is pretty clear in Scripture already. We need no redefining. Notice the use of [*straight* people] versus [God’s gay children].

She notes, ‘Those children of God, those who do not happen to be straight, are the reason that I, and so many others who love Jesus and believe in the Bible's message of grace, demand justice for them NOW,’ but does she really want ‘justice’? Do any of us want righteous justice for our sin? And ‘who do not happen to be straight’, how about choose not to be straight. Sure we can argue all day whether some are born with homosexual tendencies, but this writing seems to be speaking of practicing homosexuals, which is a choice just like every other sin.

I hate to hear that there are those which are committing suicide because they feel rejected while living in homosexuality, but we are commanded to repent, believe on Christ, and live.

Yes, I have heard the claims that we hate some sins and ‘accept’ others, but this does not mean we ‘accept’ the other sins also, we merely need to repent of ‘accepting’ the some.

Just my thoughts and I am sure some may disagree.

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Note: This is not saying that I believe we should hate homosexuals or not allow them to visit our churches. I am saying that practicing homosexuality is a sin, and should be viewed and treated as sin within the church just as we should other sins. Sin needs to be repented of, and faith needs to be put in the finished work of Christ that He will continue to help us grow away from sin and closer to righteousness.

Prayer For The Learning And Wisdom Of Our Children...

As we walk through the month of August, our elementary to college family and friends will begin a new year of studies. They will hopefully be given a learning of knowledge and wisdom by their teachers that will be important to both their further education and future opportunities. Though secular understanding is not all they need.

Along with parents, Sunday school teachers, and pastors, seasoned Christians should also have a wealth of wisdom from both experience and meditation in the Scriptures through their life of serving God. We must ensure that we give these students godly examples concerning our Christian walk, to help them prove what is right from the Word of God. For, surely they will see a variety of morality and lifestyles in their fellow students, and possibly their teachers, this year.

May we all join in praying for each and every soul, that God would protect them from the evil of this world. Let us not dismiss the idea that from the youngest child to the mature college student, they do in fact face similar types of intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual warfare as we all do. By this, I mean the intellectual battle of their minds to believe or discount the things of God, the emotional battle of peer pressure and fitting in that may often go unknown to us, the physical battle of temptations along with protection from the desire of others to hurt fellow students, and the spiritual battle of doing that which is right even when it isn’t easy. All of these are extremely real, even though they may not be brought to our attention very often.

Should not our desire be that these may grow in the knowledge and wisdom of the Lord, bypassing many of the sins and pitfalls we have found ourselves in, that they may have a better Christian testimony and joyous life than we? May it be so.

Let us be mindful and prayerful of one another.

Wife, Co-pastor, Christian Draws Diversity of Thought

Removing myself momentarily from the discrepancies of their doctrines, I would like to make note of an interesting point in this article concerning Victoria Osteen. Victoria is the wife of Joel Osteen, but more importantly here she professes Christianity and is the co-pastor of Lakewood Church.

It is no secret that when those in the spot-light are seen doing something ‘wrong’, whether the whole world is guilty of the same, they are immediately brought before the judgment seat of the media and those who watch such. This is why those of us who claim Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior must be mindful of our actions regardless of the situation and our emotions that tend to lead us astray into sin.

I found it interesting that when polling for jurors, the article mentions a couple of types. We have those that [1] ‘had been to Lakewood Church and acknowledged holding the Osteens in high regard and being star-struck by them’ and then those that claim they [2] ‘didn't like preachers or televangelists and that ministers can lie.’ So, before the court proceedings can even begin, it would appear that there are those which are ‘for’ and those which are ‘against’ the Osteens (professing Christians) from the get-go.

Regardless of whether Victoria is guilty or innocent of the charges, this article simply shows the stigma that some have brought upon ‘religious beliefs, celebrity and the public's perception of preachers and televangelists’ by choices professing Christians in notable arenas have made. This does not free us that are not in the media light from guilt if we should cause others to ‘worship us’ by our pride or turn away from God by our sinful deeds, but merely means we should all be mindful of ourselves, our intentions, and our honest walk with God; for we may all fall at any time we take our eyes off the Son.

I just found the diversity of thought concerning the jurors over this one incident interesting. How does this story affect you? Have you also judged by whether you worship or despise them and their ministry, or has it caused you to take a moment to observe yourself to see if you too have such a sin as has been claimed to have happened here?

John Bunyan’s Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners

What a marvelous work did I happen upon in picking up John Bunyan’s Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. From the onset he describes his wretched soul, as we all as sinners have been. He tells of the dreams and warnings of the Lord which came while he was yet a child, which caused his heart to ponder such things of heaven and hell, though they soon faded as he continued in sin. He shares of finding a religious experience, which both intrigued him and shallowly gave him comfort, but in his sin was he yet still. We find that even through the rebuke of the lost to one another can change one in the flesh, yet their spirit may remain dead in trespasses and sin. Yet, through it all, the God of Heaven shares mercy and grace to a sinner who, blinded by the flesh and the devil, falls to the depth of believing there is no hope for them, for they are too much of a sinner to find forgiveness in Christ. Oh, how great a change may be shown by the religious and the hypocrite, yet merely skin deep, the heart and soul never truly knows of the conversion whereby we are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise. Trusting not in Christ for forgiveness, though His very Words were nigh even upon his lips and fingertips, he did strive to obey the law to earn that which may only be given: salvation. Though asking God for forgiveness, it was misplaced by mere thoughts of the flesh saying ‘I can do better’ instead of putting faith in His Son’s sinless life and taking our place upon the cross. Praise be to God that dear John Bunyan indeed found salvation by grace through faith, by the mercy of God he found it, and so may every sinner that turns in faith, at the moving of the Holy Spirit, away from themselves and toward the sinless Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.

I have just started this work, but would recommend this to any sinner desiring to know more about Christ, the new convert who has come to know Christ, and to the believer that he may remember the day they met Christ.