"...the whole world is under the sway of the evil one." 1 John 5:19

Be Prepare:

"Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints...." Ephesians 6:10-18

The Word of God declares "Israel Will Be Restored" --- but before that time arrives, the Jews must pass through a season of sore trouble and affliction, during which God severely chastises them for their sin of disobedience.

Dreadful indeed have been the past experiences of "the nation of the weary feet" but a darker path yet lies before them. Their cruel bondage in Egypt, their captivity in Babylon, and their grievous handling by Titus, were but a faint foreshadowing of what they shall yet be called upon to undergo.

"And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the Time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it." Jeremiah 30:4-7

But our LORD will not only discipline Israel, but all who have disobeyed His commandments, rejected His Word and chosen to walk their own way. Do not expect Godly grace if you have filled your hearts with worldly wisdom. Do not expect His acceptance when your days and nights have been filled with...

“Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord, “who carry out a plan, but not Mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for My direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation.
For though his officials are at Zoan and his envoys reach Hanes, everyone comes to shame through a people that cannot profit them, that brings neither help nor profit, but shame and disgrace... For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord;” Isaiah 30

Will you pass through your season of sore trouble and affliction, being severely chastised for your sin of disobedience? That is up to you ---

"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him." Isaiah 30

Written by the 18th century pastor and hymnist Robert Robinson. Robert Robinson penned the words at age 22 in the year 1757 -

Quoted here in their original text, I pray these words will stir within the reader a sense of praise at all that He has done for us and a sense of urgency to draw ever closer to our LORD.

Time is short -- we must be about our Father's business.

'Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

2. Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I'll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer [I Samuel 7:12];
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

3. Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

4. O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

5. O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.'

If, as claimed, Calvinism is a very "high view" of Scripture, then it is no wonder that God first proclaimed his message of salvation to peasants tending their sheep. Once the highly 'educated' got a hold of the extremely straightforward and uncomplicated message of salvation, they turned it into a highly philosophical ideology tainted by bits and pieces of other religions and philosophies, to say nothing of man's assumptions and presumptions. The resulting concoction bearing little resemblance to the original message.

In view of the fact that God 'wrote' one book that not only detailed His plan of salvation, but threw in the entire spiritual history of man from beginning to end, how could anyone in their right mind believe that the volumes of writings that John Calvin devoted to various facets of this one topic could possibly have anything to do with the simplicity of the Bible's message.

Although Calvinism is all too often characterized by narrow-mindedness and doctrinal superiority, it is nothing more than a system of “baffling, almost mystical theological complexities and contradictions piled one on top of the other”. It flies in the face of everything we know about our God and every ounce of common sense we have been given as individuals, but seem to ignore so much of the time. If we do not wish to abide by the old acronym K.I.S.S. "keep it simple and straightforward" or, if you prefer, "Keep it simple, Stupid!" Let us at least endeavor to not get so carried away that we ascribe "logical clearness" where there is none. Let us not assign "keen intellect and systematizing genius" to influences that were wrong about almost everything else. And finally let us not attribute "deep knowledge of Scripture" to a new convert.

Let us not attempt to replace the fluff that all too commonly emanates from modern pulpits with complex bewildering ideas that, equally, find no basis in Scripture for all that they are presented with a deluge of words, intricate arguments and endless repetition.

Visit the website http://www.inplainsite.org/ for additional information on Calvinism.

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" [2 Corinthians 11:3].

"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” John 10:1-5

Powerful words from our Saviour, Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach, Emmanuel - G-D with us, and yet far too many do not hear His voice but walk boldly - following a stranger - in the wrong direction.

One need only to watch a few minutes of "Christian" television or listen to a radio broadcast to understand why. We are offered It's Supernatural, Your Best Life Now, The Prophetic Whisper, Changing Your World..... Harold Camping via radio and soon to be billboards across the land proclaim the Rapture will occur on May 21, 2011 with the end of the world following in October. We are also promised if we will give enough money and give it NOW - we will receive our blessing albeit our healing, a financial miracle, whatever we want - just name it and claim it.

Catholics, Muslims, Mormons, Christians all worship the same god they preach- so come together - unify- and help fight hunger and poverty around the world - aka the social gospel. Millions is spent on books, Cd's and DVDs to teach "christian' Yogi, the deliverance ministry or how to build a seeker friendly church - meet the needs of the people they say - the carnal needs that is. While ignoring the spiritual needs of the masses thousands are dying daily without hope, without peace without God.

The gospel has been so watered down and few read and study the Bible that many do not even realize they are being deceived. Touting the praises of The Shack, and Purpose Driven using it in Bible Study on Sunday morning, selling it in their bookstores, running to see the latest "christian" movies, Avatar, Twilight, Harry Potter...

While many stand gazing upward - awaiting the Rapture.??.

We MUST get our lives aligned with His, We MUST study to show ourselves approved - a workman that need not be ashamed, We MUST seek to be conformed to His image -

WE MUST.!.

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you... If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you... because they do not know Him who sent Me." John 15:18-21

Only by His wonderful grace can we see from His perspective, rejoice always, and continually give thanks. Only by His life in us can we walk in humility and live together in the victory of His cross. Only by His Spirit in us can we obey His Word and follow His ways. Therefore we can thank Him -- not only for the sunny days and happy moments -- but even more for those things that show us our need of Him and help us draw closer:

- conviction of sin which exposes our need for His salvation
- weaknesses that show our need for His strength
- difficulties that can keep us close to Jesus
- hardships that keep us hidden in Him each moment
- earthly disappointments that set our hearts on eternity

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16

Thanks to Berit and Andy Kjos for these pearls of wisdom -

'Genuine, uncompromising Christians will be despised by tomorrow's leaders and global managers. We don't fit their vision of unity, solidarity and upside-down tolerance. Like the ancient rulers who demanded conformity with "the custom of the Romans," a new breed of rulers -- like those in ancient Rome -- are beginning to trumpet the "profound danger" of Christian resistance to their rising global empire.

The times ahead will surely bring a time of purification to the Church -- a separation of what the Bible calls wheat and tares: a division between those who truly belong to God and those who prefer to identify with today's adaptable, emerging church.'

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil: for thou art with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord FOREVER!" Psalm 23:3-6