How We Know the End is Near

Evangelical Dismissed Amid Sex Scandal
Email this StoryNov 4, 9:39 PM (ET)By KIM NGUYEN

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - The Rev. Ted Haggard was dismissed Saturday as leader of the megachurch he founded after a board determined the influential evangelist had committed "sexually immoral conduct," the church said Saturday.
Haggard had resigned two days earlier as president of the National Association of Evangelicals, where he held sway in Washington and condemned homosexuality, after a Denver man named Mike Jones claimed to have had drug-fueled trysts with him. He also had placed himself on administrative leave from the New Life Church, but its Overseer Board took the stronger action Saturday.
"Our investigation and Pastor Haggard's public statements have proven without a doubt that he has committed sexually immoral conduct," the independent board said in a statement.
Haggard was "informed of this decision," the statement said, and he "agreed as well that he should be dismissed."

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20061105/D8L6KTV00.html

What bothers me the most is not that this leader of the apostate christian world was busted, it's that people still don't understand the lie that they've been fed and the lie they still believe. Today's apostate christianity has strayed so far from the way of truth because both the leaders and the followers have refused to believe the truth, instead they have willingly accepted the doctrines of devils because they have loved evil more that good. This is a wake up call, there won't be much longer to wake up. The 'evangelical' community knows how to smell the problem with Catholics and the priest sex abuse but when it happens in their own backyard, they don't know how to recognize the utter bankruptcy of their own 'religion.' People need to turn back to their maker and forget about the teachings of other men. There are still a handful of good people (as Jesus defines good) in this world. Problem is, the vast majority are corrupt. Only a few make it through the narrow gate that leads to life Jesus said. There's a lesson in there that many still need to learn.

How We Know the End is Near

Google 'will be able to keep tabs on us all'Alexi Mostrous and Rob EvansFriday November 3, 2006The Guardian
The internet will hold so much digital data in five years that it will be possible to find out what an individual was doing at a specific time and place, an expert said yesterday.
Nigel Gilbert, a professor heading a Royal Academy of Engineering study into surveillance, said people would be able to sit down and type into Google "what was a particular individual doing at 2.30 yesterday and would get an answer".
The answer would come from a range of data, for instance video recordings or databanks which store readings from electronic chips. Such chips embedded in people's clothes could track their movements. He told a privacy conference the internet would be capable of holding huge amounts of data very cheaply and patterns of information could be extracted very quickly. "Everything can be recorded for ever," he said.
He was speaking at a conference at which a report commissioned by Richard Thomas, the privacy watchdog, was launched. Mr Thomas has said Britain is "waking up to a surveillance society that is all around us" and that such "pervasive" surveillance is likely to spread.
Sir Stephen Lander, the head of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) and former head of MI5, defended surveillance by the government.
"Significant intrusion into the privacy of a small minority is justified to protect the safety and wellbeing of the majority," he said.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/humanrights/story/0,,1938474,00.html

How to Ensure You Can "Escape All These Things"

In order to hope to be able to escape all the things that are about to come upon the world it would wise to obey the Lord's commands. One such command is found in Luke 21:36
"Therefore be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Of course it will be quite hard for prewrath and post tribulationists to obey the Lord's command, since for them it would be quite foolish to pray that they may be counted worthy to escape anything. They are too busy arguing that they will go through all the things the Lord tells us to pray we shall escape from. The Lord clearly tells us we should be "watching" right now, are the prewrath/posttribbers watching for the Lord's return right now? Why would they?

Once we have prayed as we have been instructed in Luke 21:36, it is also important to look at Matt 25. Here we have the 10 virgins and the servants entrusted to be profitable with what they have been given.


Matthew 25 WEB
1 "Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom.2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.3 Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them,4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.5 Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept.6 But at midnight there was a cry,'Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!'7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.8 The foolish said to the wise,'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'9 But the wise answered, saying,'What if there isn't enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'10 While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.11 Afterward the other virgins also came, saying,'Lord, Lord, open to us.'12 But he answered,'Most certainly I tell you, I don't know you.'13 Watch therefore, for you don't know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. 14 "For it is like a man, going into another country, who called his own servants, and entrusted his goods to them.15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey.16 Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.17 In like manner he also who got the two gained another two.18 But he who received the one went away and dug in the earth, and hid his lord's money.19 "Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and reconciled accounts with them.20 He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying,'Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents besides them.'21 "His lord said to him,'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'22 "He also who got the two talents came and said,'Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents besides them.'23 "His lord said to him,'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'24 "He also who had received the one talent came and said,'Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter.25 I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.'26 "But his lord answered him,'You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn't sow, and gather where I didn't scatter.27 You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest.28 Take away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents.29 For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn't have, even that which he has will be taken away.30 Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

How can we be one of the wise virgins and one of the profitable servants?

'10 While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.

We have to be 1. watching, and 2. ready.....the virgins who were ready had oil in their lamps. Contrasted to the virgins who ran out of oil, the wise virgins came prepared to wait on the bridegroom whereas the foolish virgins made an appearance but gave no thought to what it might take to be ready for the bridegroom when He showed up. Bottom line: they made no preparations, put forth no/insufficient effort, and were found lacking when the Bridegroom showed up.

Likewise with the servants entrusted with the masters goods, the Master entrusted them with 'talents', some put them to use and gained more, others did not.

Luke 12:37It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.

are the prewrath/post trib crowd watching right now? NO, why would they based on what they believe?

To firm up this picture further and put it in absolute terms that we can clearly understand look here:

Matthew 3:8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

Matthew 3:10The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Matthew 7:19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Matthew 21:43"Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

John 15:5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Galatians 5:21-23
21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Ephesians 5:8-10
8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord.

James 3:17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

1 Corinthians 13
If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don't have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don't have love, I am nothing.3 If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don't have love, it profits me nothing.4 Love is patient and is kind; love doesn't envy. Love doesn't brag, is not proud,5 doesn't behave itself inappropriately, doesn't seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil;6 doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.8 Love never fails.

In order to escape all these things we need to love as it's described above.

2 Peter 1
3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And there we have it.

It's a worthwhile exercise to put your name in a statement like:

'your name' is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, 23gentle and self-controlled, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. If you can say that with increasing confidence each day you should be in good shape :-)This is what we're aiming for brothers and sisters.

For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

sounds like a winner to me, how about you :-)
~Brother D