Noah and Lot Again

In Luke 17 and Matt 24 we see both Lot and Noah being rescued from destruction, in both cases there we see references that WE (those "in Christ") will be rescued just like they were. I find the comments about Lot particularly interesting. Notice what the bible says about Lot: for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their lawless deeds. I'm convinced that those in Jesus today should be vexed by the lawlessness around us just as Lot was. If people calling themselves christians are not vexed/troubled/grieved by all the wickedness and corruption around us (and it's EVERYWHERE) what does that say about them?

<< 2 Peter 2 >>
American Standard Version

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1 But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their lascivious doings; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not.
4 For if God spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them down to hell, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5 and spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, having made them an example unto those that should live ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their lawless deeds): 9 the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment;

They Come in Their Own Name

John 5
43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

More evidence that today's apostate world just does'nt get it. Behold:
Benny Hinn Ministries
Creflo Dollar Ministries
Joyce Meyer Ministries
Paula White Ministries
Kenneth Copeland Ministries
Jesse Duplantis Ministries

The list goes on and on and on and on...


those presenting themselves to men in their own name are received, while Jesus and the truth are rejected. Men do love their lies and self delusions, their is no love of the truth in them, which is why they perish.

Thoughts for 2008

Maybe......WE ARE OUTA HERE. Maybe not, regardless, time is short. How do I know those who are truly "in Christ" will leave BEFORE sudden destruction comes on this world? The Lord could'nt have been more clear about how He operates. Consider:

From the Luke 17 neighborhood....
until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all: 30 after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed.

The righteous entered into, or went out to safety, they DID NOT stay put and take the destruction in the face as some would have us believe. There is an escape for those who will obey and believe the Lord's command to be watching for His return and praying for escape from all that's about to happen. (Luke 21:36, Rev 3:10)

This year promises to be a bumpy ride for many people. Could one day this year be the day that puts us face to face with our beloved Savior? Maybe so...

The 10 Virgins

I was thinking this morning about what the Lord says to the 5 unwise virgins in Matt 25, here it is:

Matthew 25
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'

7"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'

9" 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'

10"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'

12"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'

13"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.


Many people believe (I'm one of them) that the unwise virgins are "so called christians", or christians in name only. They think they are ready, they profess that they are ready, they "go to church" and do all kinds of other things in the name of christianity, but what does the Lord say to them "I DON'T KNOW YOU." Wow man, that is some harsh harsh stuff, sobering stuff. I can't imagine having the Lord look at me and say "I don't know you" can you? What this means is we truly, truly, truly have to be faithful and obedient, watching and waiting for the Lord's return. Only the virgins who were ready went in. The Mid-trib and Post-Trib crowd have no reason to be watching for the Lord's return today (except that the Lord specifically ordered them to) but that's a dead horse I'll beat again another day. Keep the faith, grace and peace~D

WOW!

This morning I saw one of the most exciting things I've seen in quite some time.

Let's review a scripture first:

Mat 24:3-9 (NIV) As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me."

In the Bible (Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13), the disciples asked Jesus what the signs of the end times would be. Jesus told them that it would be like birth pains on a pregnant woman – meaning, earthquakes and other signs would occur slowly at first, but then like a pregnant woman about to give birth, they would speed up in rapid succession -- and in 2007, it appears that's exactly what's going on in the world. Events in the earth (earthquakes, floods, wildfires, and heatwaves) and in the heavens (massive storms) are happening faster, and in closer succession.

In Bible prophecy, the rapture of faithful Christians is the next event that will occur, as God's wrath on the nations unfolds, which will be devastating wars and natural disasters and the rule of the Anti-Christ.

Here's where the WOW factor comes in, this morning I saw a list of all the earthquakes that occurred around the world LAST WEEK ALONE, check it out:

MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km Region
MAP 3.0 2007/12/20 12:47:36 51.532 -178.676 35.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.3 2007/12/20 09:48:30 39.374 33.111 10.0 CENTRAL TURKEY
MAP 2.6 2007/12/20 09:30:31 35.697 -120.242 10.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 6.6 2007/12/20 07:55:23 -38.992 177.776 67.9 NORTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND
MAP 5.1 2007/12/20 07:42:54 -3.491 100.658 30.0 KEPULAUAN MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 3.6 2007/12/20 06:48:25 51.146 -179.170 15.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.7 2007/12/20 06:32:00 51.641 -178.969 62.4 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.9 2007/12/20 06:12:59 -17.308 -70.513 112.9 SOUTHERN PERU
MAP 2.7 2007/12/20 05:19:58 53.098 -167.554 49.3 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.4 2007/12/20 03:51:45 51.126 -179.353 35.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.2 2007/12/20 03:43:59 51.644 -179.508 73.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.6 2007/12/20 03:22:15 19.023 -64.484 77.8 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.9 2007/12/20 03:22:07 -32.613 -71.569 47.1 OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
MAP 3.5 2007/12/20 03:19:36 19.127 -64.540 67.3 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.0 2007/12/20 03:17:27 51.500 -179.493 74.4 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.3 2007/12/20 03:06:58 -32.637 -71.505 34.0 OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
MAP 4.9 2007/12/20 02:18:24 51.199 -178.991 49.4 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.7 2007/12/20 01:15:58 51.019 -179.397 0.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.8 2007/12/20 00:36:56 47.927 154.928 37.7 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 3.3 2007/12/20 00:04:13 51.480 -178.494 23.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA



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MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km Region
MAP 4.9 2007/12/19 23:21:54 37.484 72.032 205.7 TAJIKISTAN
MAP 2.7 2007/12/19 23:09:50 59.304 -153.025 87.4 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.9 2007/12/19 22:50:45 51.462 -178.413 22.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.2 2007/12/19 21:58:56 62.234 -150.143 4.4 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 2007/12/19 21:36:45 51.654 -178.474 35.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.0 2007/12/19 21:27:06 51.526 -178.674 45.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.1 2007/12/19 21:16:08 52.007 -179.219 18.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.7 2007/12/19 20:51:22 51.064 -179.209 47.4 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.0 2007/12/19 20:27:50 59.591 -152.880 100.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.8 2007/12/19 20:26:45 52.429 -174.274 97.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.1 2007/12/19 19:26:38 60.141 -152.919 100.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.2 2007/12/19 19:13:22 51.164 -179.416 25.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.1 2007/12/19 18:16:56 51.020 -179.101 25.4 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.7 2007/12/19 17:48:24 51.281 -178.652 4.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.7 2007/12/19 17:22:29 51.350 -179.359 43.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.0 2007/12/19 17:02:56 63.495 -161.954 0.2 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.3 2007/12/19 16:54:02 51.585 -179.134 36.4 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.8 2007/12/19 16:18:33 50.488 -179.323 24.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.6 2007/12/19 16:04:34 13.592 125.290 10.0 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.2 2007/12/19 15:00:42 51.641 -178.835 34.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.3 2007/12/19 14:51:36 51.275 -179.528 35.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.1 2007/12/19 14:31:21 51.014 -179.318 12.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.8 2007/12/19 14:04:42 51.152 -179.237 48.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.2 2007/12/19 13:57:34 59.859 -153.610 100.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.7 2007/12/19 13:46:27 50.965 -179.220 5.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.6 2007/12/19 13:41:45 51.593 -178.514 0.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.6 2007/12/19 13:41:18 32.683 -115.392 14.6 MEXICALI-CALEXICO URBAN AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 2007/12/19 13:37:01 32.724 -115.411 15.0 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 2007/12/19 13:28:13 32.702 -115.405 14.1 MEXICALI-CALEXICO URBAN AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 2007/12/19 13:26:58 32.716 -115.410 15.5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.2 2007/12/19 13:18:37 54.959 -162.947 90.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.5 2007/12/19 13:15:39 32.693 -115.397 14.5 MEXICALI-CALEXICO URBAN AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.6 2007/12/19 13:04:20 51.004 -179.196 45.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.4 2007/12/19 12:30:52 51.233 -179.263 42.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.0 2007/12/19 12:14:09 34.156 -116.982 10.2 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.3 2007/12/19 11:46:39 51.080 -179.509 18.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.5 2007/12/19 11:35:01 -7.064 155.741 83.8 SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAP 4.5 2007/12/19 11:15:23 51.124 -178.957 22.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.5 2007/12/19 10:56:41 51.200 -179.857 45.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.5 2007/12/19 10:24:35 51.502 -179.488 39.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.7 2007/12/19 10:05:39 51.328 -179.259 48.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.1 2007/12/19 10:01:05 51.273 -179.247 50.4 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.3 2007/12/19 09:55:08 51.249 -179.244 37.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.3 2007/12/19 09:46:54 51.163 -179.204 78.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.3 2007/12/19 09:44:23 51.261 -179.187 50.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.5 2007/12/19 09:39:01 38.805 -122.740 2.8 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 7.2 2007/12/19 09:30:31 51.495 -179.473 56.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.6 2007/12/19 09:06:23 36.478 -121.058 7.7 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 2007/12/19 08:33:18 19.142 -64.551 65.1 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.3 2007/12/19 08:18:24 19.299 -64.611 14.8 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 2007/12/19 07:36:46 19.084 -64.502 70.3 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.9 2007/12/19 06:48:06 51.575 -179.932 41.4 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.9 2007/12/19 06:23:51 50.811 -178.195 29.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.3 2007/12/19 06:12:21 -9.214 124.041 10.0 TIMOR REGION
MAP 3.3 2007/12/19 05:54:04 19.236 -64.641 8.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.9 2007/12/19 05:48:31 19.131 -64.691 45.8 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.9 2007/12/19 05:38:10 18.921 -64.384 80.8 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.2 2007/12/19 05:25:29 19.598 -65.513 25.2 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.1 2007/12/19 05:23:51 19.130 -64.540 66.8 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.9 2007/12/19 05:08:42 19.195 -64.555 64.3 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.8 2007/12/19 05:06:14 19.078 -64.570 65.7 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 2007/12/19 04:43:59 19.111 -64.525 67.3 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.5 2007/12/19 04:41:56 19.231 -64.628 15.0 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.6 2007/12/19 04:40:58 19.011 -64.343 84.3 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.1 2007/12/19 04:25:04 19.200 -64.603 55.6 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.2 2007/12/19 04:14:48 19.107 -64.494 71.6 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.4 2007/12/19 04:07:58 19.124 -64.459 76.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.6 2007/12/19 04:06:41 19.080 -64.482 75.8 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.6 2007/12/19 04:02:12 19.163 -64.568 55.4 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.6 2007/12/19 03:58:51 19.173 -64.575 63.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.4 2007/12/19 03:57:15 19.187 -64.669 45.8 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 2007/12/19 03:55:07 19.202 -64.662 23.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.8 2007/12/19 03:53:23 19.166 -64.561 73.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.7 2007/12/19 03:51:27 19.178 -64.714 5.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.8 2007/12/19 03:50:51 -3.663 138.191 79.3 PAPUA, INDONESIA
MAP 3.2 2007/12/19 03:32:32 19.231 -64.675 24.7 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.5 2007/12/19 03:26:18 19.371 -64.459 99.3 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.8 2007/12/19 03:24:18 19.012 -64.505 71.8 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.8 2007/12/19 03:23:17 19.134 -64.543 61.5 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.1 2007/12/19 03:21:50 19.162 -68.298 129.7 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP 2.7 2007/12/19 03:21:20 18.813 -64.386 76.8 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.2 2007/12/19 03:18:03 19.161 -64.652 37.7 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.5 2007/12/19 03:14:32 18.878 -65.007 35.0 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.6 2007/12/19 02:55:18 19.107 -64.582 58.2 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.1 2007/12/19 02:48:52 19.188 -64.703 5.6 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 2007/12/19 02:47:38 19.148 -64.648 54.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.0 2007/12/19 02:46:08 19.070 -64.493 73.1 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 2007/12/19 02:44:34 19.149 -64.652 49.6 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 2007/12/19 02:42:47 19.186 -64.619 53.4 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.6 2007/12/19 02:40:00 19.001 -64.499 69.7 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.5 2007/12/19 02:38:06 19.018 -64.501 67.0 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.1 2007/12/19 02:35:52 19.134 -64.591 55.0 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.1 2007/12/19 02:34:46 19.034 -64.516 69.5 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.3 2007/12/19 02:32:38 19.019 -64.471 73.6 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.2 2007/12/19 02:31:03 19.130 -64.617 55.0 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.4 2007/12/19 02:29:16 19.264 -64.593 36.4 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.9 2007/12/19 02:14:23 55.561 -159.438 58.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.2 2007/12/19 02:13:51 19.058 -64.497 71.6 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.8 2007/12/19 02:08:10 19.301 -64.611 24.4 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.6 2007/12/19 02:04:47 19.239 -64.559 43.1 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.8 2007/12/19 01:59:49 19.289 -64.610 16.5 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 5.4 2007/12/19 01:57:24 19.100 -64.700 39.0 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.8 2007/12/19 01:41:51 19.428 -155.621 2.6 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.6 2007/12/19 01:01:19 57.963 -142.906 10.0 GULF OF ALASKA

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MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km Region
MAP 4.8 2007/12/18 23:33:58 -9.845 160.733 53.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAP 2.6 2007/12/18 23:26:49 19.502 -156.338 12.2 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 3.9 2007/12/18 21:50:15 31.855 -115.895 17.9 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.5 2007/12/18 20:48:46 55.023 -162.024 35.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.7 2007/12/18 17:12:19 5.760 126.799 100.8 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.8 2007/12/18 16:37:45 59.586 -151.973 35.0 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 4.2 2007/12/18 14:35:25 51.530 -174.334 49.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.7 2007/12/18 13:25:26 55.249 -160.845 32.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 5.0 2007/12/18 12:41:09 11.467 -87.878 10.0 NEAR THE COAST OF NICARAGUA
MAP 2.6 2007/12/18 09:41:46 61.797 -149.377 89.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.5 2007/12/18 07:31:53 18.765 -68.308 119.5 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP 2.7 2007/12/18 06:20:31 60.019 -151.449 19.6 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 5.0 2007/12/18 05:56:19 30.739 69.792 26.5 PAKISTAN
MAP 3.6 2007/12/18 04:33:55 18.916 -64.650 61.7 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.5 2007/12/18 03:22:54 51.004 -176.321 26.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.5 2007/12/18 03:20:32 32.510 -115.275 31.0 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 4.7 2007/12/18 01:38:59 -26.057 -177.742 266.8 SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS

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MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km Region
MAP 3.1 2007/12/17 23:17:28 51.098 -176.396 2.4 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.7 2007/12/17 22:23:50 14.475 -89.985 243.4 GUATEMALA
MAP 2.5 2007/12/17 22:11:30 46.104 -74.902 9.0 SOUTHERN QUEBEC, CANADA
MAP 5.2 2007/12/17 20:12:33 -19.464 169.268 139.7 VANUATU
MAP 2.8 2007/12/17 19:00:45 32.496 -115.266 30.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.5 2007/12/17 17:43:37 32.507 -115.264 29.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.6 2007/12/17 16:04:48 51.580 -178.466 44.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.5 2007/12/17 14:44:16 2.297 129.166 35.0 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
MAP 4.5 2007/12/17 14:29:56 -23.391 -70.402 54.9 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE
MAP 2.5 2007/12/17 13:48:21 51.850 -178.845 26.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.3 2007/12/17 13:40:16 51.690 -178.827 31.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.6 2007/12/17 13:35:11 51.515 156.732 137.7 KAMCHATKA PENINSULA, RUSSIA
MAP 5.2 2007/12/17 12:46:14 -10.852 113.427 10.0 SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA
MAP 2.5 2007/12/17 11:59:22 34.154 -116.427 10.1 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.9 2007/12/17 09:26:39 -32.793 -70.610 85.7 VALPARAISO, CHILE
MAP 2.8 2007/12/17 09:15:24 51.800 -178.677 25.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.1 2007/12/17 09:09:47 51.793 -178.832 25.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.1 2007/12/17 09:04:48 51.267 179.562 51.1 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.9 2007/12/17 09:03:20 51.274 179.585 51.3 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.6 2007/12/17 07:30:48 39.644 74.891 52.4 SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA
MAP 2.6 2007/12/17 06:36:26 40.758 -121.764 4.9 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.7 2007/12/17 06:29:56 -32.690 -71.605 53.1 OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
MAP 2.5 2007/12/17 04:41:15 39.057 -123.134 4.8 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.7 2007/12/17 02:53:30 -9.057 67.267 10.0 MID-INDIAN RIDGE
MAP 2.5 2007/12/17 02:20:54 62.925 -150.665 97.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 2007/12/17 02:09:28 63.102 -150.465 99.9 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.4 2007/12/17 00:09:37 -9.326 112.329 47.1 SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km Region
MAP 2.5 2007/12/16 22:34:48 60.750 -146.402 18.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 2007/12/16 21:04:21 63.508 -149.169 12.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.7 2007/12/16 19:11:46 44.320 -129.301 10.0 OFF THE COAST OF OREGON
MAP 2.6 2007/12/16 18:44:21 34.440 -118.606 2.8 GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.8 2007/12/16 17:34:53 62.583 -151.291 100.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.6 2007/12/16 15:31:56 51.803 -176.975 91.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.8 2007/12/16 15:22:13 -26.017 -177.701 166.5 SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
MAP 4.6 2007/12/16 11:06:11 14.698 -91.798 97.1 GUATEMALA
MAP 2.9 2007/12/16 08:52:18 51.960 -174.159 34.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.6 2007/12/16 08:10:34 18.839 -69.528 160.0 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
MAP 6.7 2007/12/16 08:09:19 -22.914 -70.060 57.8 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE
MAP 3.0 2007/12/16 07:02:48 19.097 -66.005 6.3 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.8 2007/12/16 05:15:44 40.147 144.802 18.4 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 3.2 2007/12/16 03:24:31 19.261 -65.129 25.0 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.8 2007/12/16 00:06:16 -23.419 -70.659 35.0 OFFSHORE ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km Region
MAP 4.2 2007/12/15 22:45:35 66.569 -141.345 3.2 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.9 2007/12/15 18:38:08 63.765 -147.326 4.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.9 2007/12/15 18:22:29 -32.681 -71.472 32.2 OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
MAP 4.6 2007/12/15 14:55:05 1.158 97.491 35.0 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 2.9 2007/12/15 13:41:47 51.309 -176.581 17.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.5 2007/12/15 13:31:38 59.041 -153.790 9.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.0 2007/12/15 11:19:55 -23.044 -70.357 28.6 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE
MAP 4.7 2007/12/15 10:19:53 12.195 -86.476 152.0 NICARAGUA
MAP 6.4 2007/12/15 09:39:48 -6.623 131.173 14.6 KEPULAUAN TANIMBAR REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 4.8 2007/12/15 09:01:02 52.436 160.433 39.4 OFF THE EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA
MAP 6.0 2007/12/15 08:03:17 -7.544 127.492 186.0 KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA
MAP 3.0 2007/12/15 03:45:58 41.003 -123.521 28.8 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.0 2007/12/15 02:46:03 -19.087 -176.218 35.0 FIJI REGION

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km Region
MAP 2.7 2007/12/14 21:02:37 63.054 -148.588 12.1 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.5 2007/12/14 20:08:55 48.173 154.406 52.7 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.1 2007/12/14 18:24:44 -26.598 -176.400 28.6 SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
MAP 4.7 2007/12/14 15:36:38 -25.861 -178.029 406.1 SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
MAP 2.7 2007/12/14 14:44:32 55.453 -159.997 44.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.7 2007/12/14 14:00:31 45.735 153.158 35.0 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.7 2007/12/14 11:18:31 59.704 -153.314 100.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.1 2007/12/14 08:54:08 -7.141 156.075 46.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAP 2.5 2007/12/14 08:53:55 35.548 -120.859 4.1 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.4 2007/12/14 07:15:35 51.276 179.387 62.3 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 2007/12/14 04:20:20 62.394 -148.494 16.2 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.7 2007/12/14 03:48:07 57.745 -153.002 4.5 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.2 2007/12/14 00:18:49 19.552 -70.580 10.0 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km Region
MAP 5.0 2007/12/13 22:54:52 53.188 -174.590 100.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.4 2007/12/13 21:03:48 19.116 -64.398 70.7 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.8 2007/12/13 18:06:25 39.102 33.024 16.7 CENTRAL TURKEY
MAP 2.8 2007/12/13 16:29:12 52.797 -168.083 31.0 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.7 2007/12/13 16:15:49 -8.087 118.335 25.0 SUMBAWA REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 6.1 2007/12/13 15:51:29 -15.178 -172.402 33.0 SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.5 2007/12/13 14:52:15 51.196 15.909 5.0 POLAND

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php

Wake up people, TIME IS SHORRRRRRRRT!

Thoughts For the Day

James 4:7
Submit(to give over or yield to the power or authority of another)therefore to God. Resist(to withstand, strive against, or oppose, to withstand the action or effect of,to make a stand or make efforts in opposition; act in opposition; offer resistance) the devil and he will flee from you.


The Lord gave me a nice visual picture of how this works. Picture in your mind a medieval fortress with multiple gates. You are that fortress. When you submit to God you open one of those gates to let the power of God in, His Spirit and His angels into the fort to guard the ramparts and gun down the enemy outside the gates. When you resist the devil you keep the gates closed to him and maximize your defensive posture. If you yield to the devil, he enters the fortress (through the gate you opened to him) and you have a battle inside the castle walls, something you absolutely do not want. Made sense to me :-)

Thoughts For Today

49Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

I am impressed daily with the shortness of time, I truly feel like any day, maybe today may be the last for us here on this earth until we come back with the Lord in victory. Live today as if it might be your last, it might be. Grace and Peace~D

Recent Thoughts

Helter Skelter and Normal Days Goodbye
Increased polarization of the population
the world reaching critical mass
--------------------------------------------

In Matthew 24 and Luke 17 we see that the Lord is coming back for us during NORMAL DAYS. I suppose normal is a relative word, however the Lord paints a picture for us of the day in which He will return: The characteristics of the day: 37 And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. 38 For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39 and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming of the Son of man.

and

And as it came to pass in the days of Noah, even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all: 30 after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed.

These passages tell us alot about what's coming. First of all, the characteristic of the day the Lord comes for us is normal stuff going on, buying, selling, eating, drinking, marrying, normal everyday stuff. There's NO language here that would in ANY WAY indicate the the poo poo had hit the fan yet....the other thing we see is both Lot and Noah were removed/taken out of the way of danger where destruction was going to fall. In the context of what's coming, the whole world is going to be hit, destruction is going to fall everywhere. If you read up on current events and do a little research on what the new world order folks have in store for the world's population you'll have a good idea that the days coming are anything BUT normal. We're talking about worldwide pandemic, concentration camps, martial law, anarchy, famine, plague, in a nutshell-not normal. This is a worldwide event that those who are ready and watching will be able to escape, so be ready, and be watching.... Luke 21:36-But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
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More and more we see a population that has no idea what's about to happen. They live oblivious of the wolf at their door. Many people believe that "something big" is about to happen, but they have no idea what it is. For some of us, the sense that the Lord's return is sooooooo close is almost overwhelming. I believe the Lord has given me some personal signs that His coming is right at the door. They are things pertaining to my life that only He and I talk about. Be watching, be ready we are out of here soon....
---------------------------------------------------
A look at the world today shows that things are quickly reaching critical mass and something is going to give out soon. Consider these things: the economy is about to collapse, the cold war has just resurfaced between Russia and the US, there are a number of different diseases on the brink of spreading pandemically, the bees are dissappearing which is going to lead to food shortages and more famine, the ice is melting exponentially at the poles which is going to lead to coastlines around the world to be underwater soon, israel and iran are at each others throats not too mention what's going on with hezzbolah and the palestinians. The pot's about to boil over friends, the "normal days" the Lord talks about are quickly coming to an end and some new and very bad days are going to be here soon. Be watching and be ready...

Brother D

Would You Invite A Thief Into Your House?

The average American has an addiction: television. We love to watch gorgeous celebrities, reality show personalities, gourmet chefs and athletes.

Like an obedient dog being given treats we salivate over flickering images. Clips of action, tenderness, conflict and sex fill the screen and rapidly affect our body and mind.

The power of these images is rarely examined by the average individual. However, due to its mind-altering nature we must make a rigorous assessment concerning the power of television.

Television is a thief. It robs the human spirit of creativity, achievement, originality and motivation. The brain becomes passive and the intellect dull.

According to scientists, after 30 seconds of watching television the brain produces Alpha waves are associated with a comatose state, whereby the brain suppresses mental activity.


The barrage of flickering lights puts the mind in this trance-like state. An excellent example of this was proven by Dr. T. Berry Brazelton by using a disturbing light stimulus.

After hooking babies up to electroencephalographs, Dr. Brazelton turned a bright operating room light on and off. During the fifteenth stimulus, sleep patterns appeared on the EEG, but the babies were not sleeping and their eyes were still taking in light. As a result of these disturbing stimuli the babies’ minds literally shut down, but this is not the only way the mind is affected by television.

The constant shifting of visual frames and the rapid changes in camera focus make the viewer’s reference shift every few seconds. This alters perceptual orientation so that the mind is programmed with a short attention span. If we apply this knowledge to the world around us we can see the effects of TV everywhere.

It must also be pointed out that our short attention spans alter our perception of how we perceive life. Leisure activities that were enjoyed in the past, such as reading and taking walks, are now considered boring and not worth pursuing.

According to Nielsen Media Research the average American home now has more television sets than people, while the average person watches four hours, 35 minutes of television each day. All this time spent in front of a television has translated into a sharp decline in the quality of life for the average American.

We are sleepwalking through life in a repetitive way, like passive machines, and in the process we have forfeited our humanity. The rabid TV viewer leads an existence that is lacking in the human contact that our higher nature thrives on. This has resulted in the
death of community life.

Franz Kafka, a Prague-born writer and author of The Metamorphosis, knew well in advance the mind-deadening properties of America’s favorite addiction. Kafka states, “Cinema disturbs one’s vision. The speed of the movements and the rapid change of images force you to look continuously from one to the next. Your sight does not master the pictures; it is the pictures that master your sight.”

Kafka was right! The images have indeed mastered us. Observe the average American and you will discover a person with a passive mind.

We watch so much television that we have become lazy physically, intellectually and spiritually. This laziness is diabolical because it has produced a mentality whereby we perceive ourselves as powerless.

We have made ourselves weak by the poor choices we have made. TV delirium is killing our souls.

Most people falsely believe that passivity and powerlessness are new phenomena that have been brought about by the conveniences and luxury of the modern age. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Henry David Thoreau wrote over 150 years ago, “There are thousands who are in opinion opposed to slavery and to the war, who yet in effect do nothing to put an end to them; who, esteeming themselves children of Washington and Franklin, sit down with their hands in their pockets, and say they do not know what to do, and do nothing.”

Just like previous generations we have rationalized away the notion that we can change ourselves and the world around us. This is a false deduction.

What then is needed in order to correct this errant belief? The answer is the knowledge that we have been endowed with the power of self-determination. Armed with this knowledge we should commit ourselves to managing and balancing our needs against our desires.

For many of us, the ever-seductive world of television is a lure too hard to resist. What is lacking now more than ever is an individual commitment to pursue activities of a higher nature. To that end, the individual who is oriented toward watching television will always live in a lower state.

Civilizations are built by cognizant individuals and they must be carefully cultivated like a garden if they are to flourish. TV watching does not foster the kind of deep thinking needed to keep a civilization functioning much less flourishing.

We are in an abysmal state and we must awake from our stupor. There is much freedom and empowerment to be gained if we choose a life of higher purpose and reject the path of least resistance.

When we become enlightened with the power of our own self-determination and apply this enlightenment to our free will, we are capable of creating a mature, progressive society that can leap past the selfishness, pride and illusions that are the enemies of
truth.

Annell Fontenot is the Assistant Editor and Publicity Coordinator at Harbor House in Augusta, Georgia. A graduate of Louisiana Tech University with a BA in English, Annell edits manuscripts, promotes Harbor House and its authors, and assists in overall book production.

http://www.bestcyrano.org/THOMASPAINE/?p=433#more-433

Less Than Satisfying Encounters With Humanity

God has given man somewhere in the neighborhood of 6,000 years to make a statement on this earth, to show each other what they could make and how great they could become. The term "evolution" comes to mind, another term to try to push God out of the world and magnify man. Here's a hearty congratulations for what you've become without God:

2 Timothy 3:2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3:3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 3:4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- 3:5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them

Sounds like a great bunch of people to live with does'nt it? Drive into work each morning and these are the people around you. What has apostate christianity done to stem this tidal wave of walking human misery? Not much considering that in every measurable statistical category, apostate christianity tracks with the world, because...well....they ARE the world. The only thing keeping the place from collapsing in on itself is the salt and light of the Holy Spirit in the world within true believers, who of course are VERY FEW. Wake up people, come out from among them.

Good Article-Enjoy

“We Americans are the product of free market ideologues, religious zealots, and vulgar experiments in social engineering. We are being led to slaughter, and to be slaughtered, by dark and foreboding forces bent on the destruction of all that is decent, just, and beautiful.”

By Charles Sullivan

11/6/07

It seems inexplicable that so many of the American people can be so dazed and confused, while moral degenerates ransack our nation, piss and defecate upon the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and brazenly loot the public domain, making a mockery of the rule of law and societal norms; whatever they may be.

Incredible lies are routinely passed as truth and the world as we know it is unraveling, as we prepare to invade and occupy yet another country, perhaps igniting World War Three. We go on with the insipid routine of our dull lives: we go shopping, and bombard our senses with mind numbing entertainment, telling ourselves that it–fascism–can’t happen here, even as its poisoned blossoms unfold before our astonished eyes and fill our lungs with their noxious fumes.

We refuse to believe what we are seeing and we dismiss it as too preposterous to be real. We no longer wholly trust our own senses or follow our most innate instincts, failing to recognize that they are all that is true; all that allow us to survive the wretched madness that pursues us like rabid dogs, and relentlessly nips at our fleeing heels.


Increasing numbers of us move through this world with a sense of impending doom but we do not fully comprehend its origins or the breadth of the disaster it portends. We sense not only that something is wrong–something is terribly, irreconcilably, sickeningly, wrong. We do our utmost to repress those feelings, telling ourselves that our worst fears, our darkest nightmares, are irrational, unfounded phantoms of the imagination; so many ghosts lurking under our beds.

We have been programmed to believe that we are the greatest nation to ever emerge from the mists of history, that everything about us as a people is exceptional and exemplary. Despite a history of endless provocation and war and countless other forms of self mutilation, we claim that we are a peace loving people–god’s own children, animated by divine stirrings.

But perhaps our state of confusion, our disorientation, and our shock at what the government is doing in our name–all of which seems to be occurring at the blinding speed of light–and our refusal to believe that which is so blatantly obvious to all but those who wear mental blindfolds, or the criminally insane, is a form of psychological shock and awe that has been deliberately imposed upon us not only by depraved politicians vying for wealth and power, but by our every societal institution.

We have arrived at our place as a result of an educational system that does not teach us how to think, but to follow rules and obey authority; to bow to self policing peer pressure and group think: a system that prepares us to pass math tests but not those of citizen and neighbor. We dutifully recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag but we hold no allegiance to the world’s people, or its stunning biological and cultural diversity, or to truth. We were led to the precipice by religious institutions that operate by the same principles as “for profit” corporations, encouraged by Zionist and Christian fundamentalists with visions of Armageddon dancing in their crazed, bigoted heads. We are here because we pay attention to a media monoculture that does not inform, but lies and deceives for money.

We are here because we are morally lazy, uninterested, distracted, overworked, over burdened with debt, and apathetic to a fault. We confused the symbols of democracy with democracy itself; and we foolishly thought that democracy could somehow magically move of its own accord, without our participation as citizens. Too many of us believed that all that was required of us was to vote in elections in which the outcomes were preordained by the candidate’s access to wealth. We told ourselves this is democracy, but we were tragically mistaken. And now it is too late.

The rush to Armageddon will occur quickly; it must happen, like the passage of the Patriot Act, before the people have time to digest what is being done to them, before they can concoct an intelligent and rational response to shock and awe; before the people can organize against the premeditated murder and mayhem that awaits them.

We Americans are the product of free market ideologues, religious zealots, and vulgar experiments in social engineering. We are being led to slaughter, and to be slaughtered, by dark and foreboding forces bent on the destruction of all that is decent, just, and beautiful.

Yet many will continue to believe that the president and his henchmen are sane and just people. Some will even ordain them devout Christians and extol their dark virtues as enlightenment and courage. Others will continue to believe that the sycophants in Congress will awaken at the eleventh hour to save us from our own delusions and excesses, not recognizing that we are alone and have only one another. It has always been so; but rather than uniting against our tormentors–we fight amongst ourselves.

Events may already be in motion that have acquired an unstoppable momentum, like a hulking meteor streaking in deadly silence toward the earth in precise accordance with the laws of motion. But like all tempests, they too will eventually blow themselves out and, better people than us will someday attempt to rebuild the world anew. I wish them luck and amazing grace, the kind of grace that is so conspicuously absent in us. In the words of labor organizer, Joe Hill, murdered by the state before a Utah firing squad: “Good luck to all of you.”

No more can we enjoy the sight of soft summer sunsets in tranquil settings, accompanied by the singing of the wood thrush, and choirs of chanting insects embracing the darkling twilight; but forever more the rocket’s perpetual red glare and silent, distant death. We are nearing road’s end. The time is fast approaching to mount the nearest hillside, to hold our loved ones close; to sip some vintage wine, and watch the fireworks that are even now hurtling their way toward Armageddon. The time is nigh to watch the world as we knew it wink out of existence, and to say goodbye. It’s been good to know you.

http://www.bestcyrano.org/THOMASPAINE/?p=421#more-421

Interesting Reading

Ok, this has only strained connection to christian apostacy but it was good reading none the less. The subject is the coming US economic collapse and one of the solutions being DIY-independance. Enjoy


Slide [27] Certain types of mainstream economic behavior are not prudent on a personal level, and are also counterproductive to bridging the Collapse Gap. Any behavior that might result in continued economic growth and prosperity is counterproductive: the higher you jump, the harder you land. It is traumatic to go from having a big retirement fund to having no retirement fund because of a market crash. It is also traumatic to go from a high income to little or no income. If, on top of that, you have kept yourself incredibly busy, and suddenly have nothing to do, then you will really be in rough shape.

Economic collapse is about the worst possible time for someone to suffer a nervous breakdown, yet this is what often happens. The people who are most at risk psychologically are successful middle-aged men. When their career is suddenly over, their savings are gone, and their property worthless, much of their sense of self-worth is gone as well. They tend to drink themselves to death and commit suicide in disproportionate numbers. Since they tend to be the most experienced and capable people, this is a staggering loss to society.

If the economy, and your place within it, is really important to you, you will be really hurt when it goes away. You can cultivate an attitude of studied indifference, but it has to be more than just a conceit. You have to develop the lifestyle and the habits and the physical stamina to back it up. It takes a lot of creativity and effort to put together a fulfilling existence on the margins of society. After the collapse, these margins may turn out to be some of the best places to live.
http://www.energybulletin.net/23259.html

Raining FIRE in California

Genesis 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

C. GALMES: We believed the whole day of Monday that the house was gone, because when we left, the smoke alarms were going on and also it was raining fire.

ROBERTS: Raining fire?

C. GALMES: Yes. Our children had...

P. GALMES: Sparks all over.

C. GALMES: ... sparks all over their hair. It just was going into the -- when they were going into the car. So we believed that the house was going to be burned completely.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0710/24/ltm.02.html

People on the ground said it was RAINING FIRE. How was Sodom judged? RAINING FIRE

California State Senate Passes Transsexual-Bisexual-Homosexual Indoctrination Bill

SB 777 turns every government school into a sexual indoctrination center

http://www.savecalifornia.com/getpluggedin/news_details.php?newsid=79

Raining Fire, Millions displaced, Making it the law in California to promote an abomination, The Judgement of Sodom.....hmmmmm coincidence?

Problems with KJV Bible

I have problems with the KJV bible. The biggest problem is it's systemic perpetuation of the Nicolaitan system that Jesus hates. This is the manmade clergy/laity system. It also perpetuates and attempts to support participation in pagan holidays. There are other bibles (pretty much all new translations of the bible) that have problems, but there's a bunch of people out there who call themselves the "King James Only" crowd, as if the KJV is perfect. There are entire websites setup dedicated to worshipping "KJV only" I've read their arguments as to why the bible does'nt say what it clearly says, and the arguments don't hold water. I'll only give three examples, but they are all stakes in the heart of KJV "perfection."

<< 1 Timothy 1:12 >> KJV
And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;

American Standard Version
I thank him that enabled me, even Christ Jesus our Lord, for that he counted me faithful, appointing me to his'service;

Above we see the blatant mistranslation, that is stated in such a way to perpetuate the Nicolaitan system Jesus hates. "into THE ministry" strongly suggests this seperate class of special people (clergy) that do not exist the the true body of Christ. We are all (true believers) priests with direct access to the Father through Christ Jesus.

Now we'll look at the apostate translation that includes the celebration of pagan holidays (easter)

King James Bible-Acts 12:4
And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

American Standard Version
And when he had taken him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to guard him; intending after the Passover to bring him forth to the people.

The Greek word which is translated "Easter" in Acts 12:4 is the word "pascha". This word appears twenty-nine times in the New Testament. Twenty-eight of those times the word is rendered "Passover" but somehow MAGICALLY the 29th time, all of the sudden, it's translated as EASTER? Same word? Yep. Sound Fishy? you bet, in fact its blatant mistranslation perpetuating the apostacy/heresy of the nicolaitans.

Another grievous error is the KJV exchange of the word "charity" for "love" Sorry, love goes so far beyond charity it's not worth debating, this is another sickening example of KJV error.

I've read the KJV only crowd's rebuttal's of these errors but they don't even come close to holding water. They spend page after page after page constructing deceitful webs to attempt to make the bible say something that it does not say.

In the end, men must decided for themselves what truth is, and discern error. We are not alone in this task. The Holy Spirit who lives within us points us into all truth. Grace and peace~D

It's Called Judgement

You could also call the Southern California wildfires as a preview of coming attractions.

SAN DIEGO - Faced with unrelenting winds whipping wildfires into a frenzy across Southern California, firefighters conceded defeat on many fronts Tuesday to an unstoppable force that has chased an estimated 1 million people away.

Unless the shrieking Santa Ana winds subside, and that’s not expected for at least another day, fire crews say they can do little more than try to wait it out and react — tamping out spot fires and chasing ribbons of airborne embers to keep new fires from flaring.

“If it’s this big and blowing with as much wind as it’s got, it’ll go all the way to the ocean before it stops,” said San Diego Fire Capt. Kirk Humphries. “We can save some stuff but we can’t stop it.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21431682/

Southern California is probably as close to the heart and soul of the beast as you can get. When you stop to ponder the amount of spiritual and mental sewage that the movie studios, the television and music industry and the associated lifestyles that Southern California represents, this kind of fiery catastrophe seems most fitting. Trouble is, most people will not turn to God as a result of this, they will harden their hearts. The book of Revelation gives us some insight into this:

Rev 9:13The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns[b] of the golden altar that is before God. 14It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.

17The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

20The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

How Close to the End Are We?

Luke17:28 Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all: 30 after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed. 31 In that day, he that shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away: and let him that is in the field likewise not return back. 32 Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whosoever shall seek to gain his life shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose his life'shall preserve it. 34 I say unto you, In that night there shall be two men on one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 35 There shall be two women grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 36 There shall be two men in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 37 And they answering say unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Where the body is , thither will the eagles also be gathered together.

The bible says to look for days like those of Lot (think Sodom) and Noah to know "the day that the Son of man is revealed" Well, how much does the U.S. look like Sodom (the days of Lot)?

From todays news:

An official with the World Congress of Families says it was a surprise when California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a measure into law that many believe is a blatant attack on the natural family.

SB 777 prohibits any instruction or school-sponsored activity that would promote discrimination against gender. That means terms like "mom and dad" and "husband and wife" cannot be used in California textbooks because they suggest that heterosexuality is the norm. And under the new law, teachers and students who oppose same-sex "marriage" or who express disapproval of cross-dressing or sex-change operations could face disciplinary measures.

Dr. Alan Carlson says the measure -- which he describes as "very insidious" -- is absurd. "This is a huge step in an anti-family direction," he asserts. "This basically turns the public schools of California, in effect ... into indoctrination centers for alternative household arrangements, alternative sexual arrangements."

According to the global coordinator for the World Congress of Families, the measure is proof that the homosexual lobby is not interested in non-discrimination, but in forcing its views on an unwilling public. "It's clearly designed to make defenders and advocates of the natural family ... something like thought criminals, essentially," Carlson says.

The World Congress of Families says although some may find it unbelievable, the new law even allows students who identify with the opposite gender the freedom to use restrooms and locker rooms of the opposite sex. Carlson says parents who do not want their children to be subjected to "gender indoctrination" now have no alternative but to withdraw their children from California's public school system -- a system he points out parents will still be required to fund through their taxes.

SB 777 is currently scheduled to go into effect January 1, 2008. A coalition of conservative and pro-family groups, SaveOurKids.net, has begun the process of collecting the signatures needed to turn the referendum into a valid ballot measure for the state's voters to consider. (See related story)
http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/10/new_california_law_labeled_ant.php

Pastors (more)

We now consider the matter of the "plurality" of elders. No one man has the responsibility to shepherd a congregation. It is given to two or more men jointly. A man can be an elder but never the elder. To use another term, that a man can be a pastor but he can never be the pastor --the term "pastor" being properly used for an elder of the church not for the preacher or evangelist. Wherever we read about elders in the scriptures, there is always a plurality of elders in a congregation, never just one.

Occasionally someone will raise an argument to the effect that a plurality of elders, while desirable, is not mandated, and a church may have one elder where only one man is qualified. The argument is that the plural "elders" can accommodate the singular, one elder. So this is the main matter for our attention on this page.


DOES "ELDERS" INCLUDE ONE?
I'll be the devil's advocate for a while and give you an "argument" to the effect that the plural term "elders" can accommodate the singular one elder.

THE ARGUMENT TO BE ANSWERED

If I tell you that in my street there are telephones in every home, cars in every driveway, and garden gnomes on every lawn, I am not saying that every home has more than one phone, every drive has more than one car, every lawn has more than one gnome. I am using accommodative language which does not exclude the possibility that here or there a drive might have only one car, a house only one phone, or a lawn only one gnome. If someone asked me, "Are there children in every household?" and I answered yes, I would mean that each household includes at least one child. Likewise, in the term "elders in every church" there is nothing (just in the term itself) to exclude the possibility of a church with only one elder. The plural accommodates (includes) the singular.

Now if Paul had said, "Appoint elders in the church at Phoenix," or if Luke had said, "They appointed elders in the church at Iconium," we would be justified in saying that means "a plurality of elders" were appointed in those particular churches. But Paul refers at once to several churches. "I left you to appoint elders in every city." Luke's terms are similarly generalized: "They appointed elders in every church." Because the one generic statement covers several churches, then we must regard the plural as accommodative of the singular. So the argument runs.

We have no right, continues the argument, to change the inspired term "elders in every church" by adding words of our own, thus making it read "a plurality of elders in every church." By itself, as it stands, the term "elders in every church" may be taken as meaning one or more elders in every church. We have no right to make it exclude the singular by adding qualifying words.

REPLY TO THAT ARGUMENT

We must acknowledge that this argument would have merit, indeed would be conclusive, were there no other scripture but the statements of Paul and Luke referred to. If all we had to go on were the statements in Titus 1:5 and Acts 14:23, we could not insist on a plurality of elders in every church.

However, we find other scriptures that show that churches had a plurality of elders, and we have no scripture to demonstrate that any church ever had but one elder. So, to answer the argument above, we will look now at the extra information that shows that there should be a plurality of elders in each congregation of Christ, and, in the case of "elders in every church" the plural does not accommodate or include the singular.


REASONS FOR A PLURALITY OF ELDERS
When we look at passages that reveal the pattern of eldership, what shape is it? No elders, one elder, or a plurality of elders? The last in that list is the observed New Testament pattern of authorized church government insofar as it concerns elders. Wherever we find examples and references, we find a plurality of elders in a congregation. It follows, therefore, that we should try to achieve the same thing in our local church if we wish to be "a church after the New Testament pattern."

EXAMPLE CHURCHES

In the list of local churches below, there is a plurality of elders in each case.

Acts 15:2 Jerusalem,
Acts 20:17,28 Ephesus,
Php 1:1 Philippi,
1Th 5:12-13 Thessalonica.
Here we have examples of single churches with a plurality of elders. We have no examples at all of one-elder churches. Admittedly, the elders at Jerusalem might have been from "churches throughout all Judea" (Acts 9:31) and one might complain that there might have been only one elder in some of those churches. That "might have been" may weaken the Jerusalem example a little, but it does not strengthen the argument for single shepherd churches.

DISTRIBUTED MINISTRY

In Ephesians 4:11-16 and 1Corinthians 12:12-31, the congregation is conceived of as a body growing by means of a ministry distributed among several persons: some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, and so forth. There is no one ministry, and in any particular ministry there is no one minister. The pattern is clearly a plural and distributed ministry. The congregation is served by many ministers, including "some pastors" not one pastor.

SINGLE CHURCHES, SEVERAL SHEPHERDS

1Tm 5:17; Heb 13:7,17; Jas 5:14; 1Pe 5:1-5. These passages do not appear to have a number of churches in view, but rather have in view the circumstances within a local congregation. The concept in these passages is of folk in a church being subject to leaders (plural). The concept of a one-elder church, a flock with one shepherd, does not emerge. The writers have in mind that a member of a local church looks to several shepherds for leadership and help.

THE PRESBYTERY

In 1Timothy 4:14, the term "presbytery" or "eldership" is a collective noun, and by that we mean a noun like the word "flock". When we say "flock" we think of a group of sheep or by way of metaphor we think of a congregation of saints. In the same way, "presbytery" conjures up an image of a group, in this case a group of elders. Since the presbytery is within the local congregation, the congregation has a group of elders. The collective concept of the presbytery is carried into the symbolic visions of Revelation in which the four-and-twenty elders appear (Rev 4:4).

Author's note: There may somewhere be a New Testament church, which has among its meagre membership only one man who qualifies as an elder, a deacon, or an evangelist. That church might decide that appointing him is one step closer to the scriptural pattern of government, and that it is better to be a church with one official appointment than a church with none. The intention of that church is to grow toward a plural ministry and eldership. They may consider that having one appointment to an office, whilst still unsatisfactory, is nevertheless nearer to the goal, and more satisfactory than having no appointments at all. I have not addressed that approach on this page, but have simply stressed that the New Testament pattern of congregational government is not "no elders", nor "one elder", but "a plurality of elders".

http://members.datafast.net.au/sggram/f687.htm

Elders=Overseers=Pastors

Growing up, my understanding of the church was based purely on what I had seen. Every church, I figured, was just like my church—or, at least, it ought to be. And the reason I figured every church did things the way my church did them was because my church was all that I had ever really seen.


When I went to college, I faced a dilemma. None of my friends believed in the validity of infant baptism. And so, as the topic came up, the views I held from my upbringing were challenged. I was faced with two options: I could (A) cling tightly to what I believed simply because that is what our church had always done and it was all I’d ever known. Or, I could (B) turn to the Bible to see if it said anything about baptism.


That experience shaped how I would attempt to view the church. As the Lord called me to be a pastor, I realized that he had spoken in the Bible and therefore the Bible alone was my authoritative source for understanding God and people, the world and the church.


What that meant was that I did not have to cling what I had always believed or wanted to believe was right. Rather, God had spoken about reality and what he said is true, even if it doesn’t always line up with our philosophical and rational preferences. And, even more, God had spoken about the church—about things like pastors and deacons, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, congregationalism and membership. And, what God said was both true and healthiest, even if it didn’t agree with what I’d always heard, what I’d always seen and to “the way we’ve always done things.”


I resolved at that point to always make my best effort to bring every belief I held and every word I taught in line with the Word of God. I resolved to “throw every theological belief out the window,” unless it was founded on God’s Word. In a way it was scary. I didn’t know where that would lead. Yet, in another sense, it was refreshing and reassuring. I didn’t have to worry about defending what I wanted, I only had to read the Bible and believe what it said.


Where Do We Turn to Learn?

Every one of you has an idea about the nature of the local church and things like membership, the Lord’s Supper and baptism. Every one of you has an idea about pastors and deacons, who they are and what they do. And, every one of you probably bases that on one of two things—what you’ve always seen and done and were told, or the witness of the New Testament. I want to challenge you this morning to go back to the Bible on everything you believe—whether that be about salvation or deacons or our Savior Jesus Christ—and build your beliefs on the foundation our Lord has laid in his word.


It was April of 2006 that I preached at Northbrook in view of being your pastor. So, almost one year ago, many of you were reading over my resume, biography and philosophy of ministry. I introduced my comments on the pastorate with this sentence: “I believe that the New Testament (and not tradition, experience, pragmatics or preference) is the final authority on the role of the pastor in a New Testament church.” I italicized it because wanted to emphasize that Scripture alone was our final authority in deciding how to understand the office of pastor.


So, with that said, let us go to the Scripture to understand what the New Testament teaches about pastors.


Titus 1:5-9

In our passage this morning, Paul is writing to Titus to give him instructions about how to finish ordering the churches they had planted together on the island of Crete. In verse 5, Paul tells Titus, “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you…”


What are elders?

The word “elder” is used over 20 times to refer to an office in the local church. In this sense, we could define elders as follows:

The elders are a group of men, called by God and conformed to the Gospel in sound living and sound doctrine, who are set apart by the congregation to oversee and pastor the local church by teaching, ruling, caring for and equipping the saints, as loving and humble examples of Jesus Christ.


The Elders…Oversee and Pastor the Local Church.

I say that “elders…oversee and pastor,” because the terms elder, overseer and pastor are used interchangeably to refer to one office. The terms “elder” (or, presbyter), “overseer” (or, bishop) and “pastor” refer to the same thing. So, we would not separate elders, pastors, and overseers into three different groups with differing functions.


Scriptural Examples

In this passage, Titus (1:5, 7), Paul refers to “elders” being appointed in verse 5. In the following verses, he gives qualifications for elders, but in verse 7 he refers to “an overseer.” So here Paul uses “elder” and “overseer” interchangeably as two terms for one office.


The same is true with the terms “pastor” and “elder.” As far as I can find, the only place where “pastors” are mentioned using that term is Ephesians 4:11, where Paul writes, “he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds (KJV/NAS-pastors) and teachers.” The word “pastor” means “shepherd.”


In 1 Peter 5:1-2, Peter writes, “So I exhort the elders among you...shepherd (pastor) the flock of God that is among you...” Peter tells the “elders” to “shepherd.” That is the elders are the ones who “pastor” the flock of God.


In Acts 20, we find all three terms used interchangeably to refer to the same group of people. In verse 17, Paul calls together “the elders of the church.” Then, as he addresses these elders in verse 28 he says, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers…” Paul tells the elders to care for the “flock,” which indicates they are “pastors” (shepherds). And, he refers to the elders as “overseers.” So, we can conclude from several passages that elders, overseers and pastors are the same thing.


This is historically recognized in our denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention. In the Abstract of Principles, which is the first doctrinal statement ever adopted by a Southern Baptist body, we read, “The regular officers of a Church are Bishops or Elders, and Deacons.” Likewise, in the first Baptist Faith and Message, written in 1925, we read of the church, “Its Scriptural officers are bishops, or elders, and deacons.” Bishop and Elder are used interchangeably.


The Elders are a Group of Men.

The New Testament pattern is a plurality of elders for each church. That means that there was not “one pastor per church,” but several in every local congregation. There was not “a pastor” and a group of “elders” to assist. But a team of men, who were equally elders, each with equal vote.


One of the areas that I covered in my philosophy of ministry presented to Northbrook was my understanding of the office of pastor/elder, especially in regard to how many a church should have. I covered this, because it is essential how I understand the church. I wrote:

The pastors/elders are regularly referred to in the plural (Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:5; 1 Timothy 4:14, 5:16; James 5:14; 1 Peter 5:1, 5). When it is possible (that is, when gifted and called men are available), I believe it is expedient to appoint a plurality of pastors/elders to keep watch over the church, as Paul instructed Titus (Titus 1:5). When such men are not available, I believe it is a pastor's duty to look for such men and to train them for such ministry (2 Timothy 2:1-2). Most of these men will not be paid staff but gifted and called members of the congregation who are essentially permanent in their membership….I know that baptist churches differ in their pastoral structure. I am willing to work within different set-ups, though I will guide the church toward what I feel is a biblical model.


Plurality - How many ought there to be in a local church?

When the word “elder” appears in the New Testament and is used in reference to the church office, it appears most often in the plural.


For example, in Philippians 1:1, Paul and Timothy write to “all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.” In 1 Timothy 4:14, Paul refers to the “council of elders” that laid their hands on Timothy. And, in 1 Peter 5:1, Peter address “the elders among you.”


In our passage, Paul tells Titus to “appoint elders in every town.” That means Titus is to appoint more than one. One could argue that there were multiple churches in every town and that Titus was to appoint an elder in each church in each town, thus “elders in every town.” I think that is doubtful. However, this verse by itself cannot lead us to certainty whether a church should have one elder (a single pastor) or a plurality of elders (a group of elders governing that body).


Fortunately, the evidence from the rest of the New Testament, when carefully considered, gives us the understanding that it is the New Testament pattern for there to be a plurality of elders in every local congregation.


In Acts, elders are always mention in the plural (cf 11:30; 15:2, 4, 6, 22-23; 16:4; 21:18). Here are a few important examples:


In Acts 14:23, we read that as Paul and Barnabas visited the disciples in several cities, they “appointed elders for them in every church.” We do not read that they appointed elders in all the churches. Nor do we read that they appointed “an elder” in every church. But, they appointed “elders” (plural) in “every church” (singular). They appointed a plurality of elders in every congregation.


In the same vein, we read in Acts 20:17 that in Ephesus Paul “called the elders of the church to come to him.” Paul did not call “the elder” of every church. Nor did he call the elders “of the churches.” Rather, he called the “elders” (plural) of “the church” (singular). There was a body of elders in that church.


In James 5:14, James writes, “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” Notice, James does not say to call for “the elder” of the church or for the elders of “the churches.” Rather, he refers to “the elders” (plural) of “the church” (singular).


Plurality & Baptist History

The idea of each congregation having a plurality of elders also has roots in baptist history. When the Southern Baptist Convention formed, they elected as their president Dr. William B. Johnson. In 1846, Dr. Johnson wrote a book on local church government [1] in which he concluded, “It is worthy of particular attention, that each church had a plurality of elders…” And, he wrote, “A plurality [of elders] is of great importance for mutual counsel and aid, that the government and edification of the flock may be promoted in the best manner.” Seeing that having a plurality of elders was the biblical model and the best model for caring for a flock, he encouraged churches to follow this pattern.


Benefits of plurality

Not only do I think that having a plurality of elders is the biblical model, I think it is the best for a congregation. While a group of sinners will always have problems, I think there are several benefits to a plurality over a single pastor model. That is also why I wrote in my philosophy of ministry:

From my experiences, both in pastoring alone and in observing a church with a plurality of elders, I feel an elder team holds many advantages, aside from following the pattern of Scripture. It provides accountability, support, counsel, and assistance in the exercise of pastoral duties. It also gives the church permanence in leadership and continuance in ministry that is not upset if the “staff pastor” should be called away. I know my gifts and weaknesses and therefore know that I will minister best as part of a team.

As another author points out, a plurality of elders: rounds out gifts, makes up for deficits, supplements judgment, creates support, prevents unjust criticism, makes leadership more rooted and permanent, ensures continuity, removes tyranny, reminds the congregation to take responsibility for the spiritual growth of its own members. [2]


At this point, we might ask: What Kind of Men are We Looking for to be Elders?

The Elders Are…Called By God.

The Holy Spirit makes men overseers. When we look for elders, we look for men whom God has called to be elders. We can train people ourselves, but we cannot make an elder. In Acts 20:28, Paul says, “the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” So, what will these men look like?


The Elders Are a Group of Men Conformed to the Gospel

In this passage in Titus 1:5-9, as well as 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Paul outlines a loose list of qualifications for elders. Since Matt Sees preached through 1 Timothy before I arrived, I will not take you line by line through the requirements, but I will note that the qualifications for a pastor break down into two basic categories.


Elders are not required to be perfect or to be Supermen. Don Carson points out that these lists are notable only for not being very notable. He means that every quality listed is expected of every believer (except being able to teach and not being a new believer). The standard is not “higher” for elders, so much as this means that elders should live lives that model what every believer should be. Elders must be known for living out what it means to be a Christian.


…in Sound Living

An elder must live a life of godliness, evident even to the surrounding culture. In Titus and 1 Timothy, Paul says that elder must be “above reproach.” He should be “a man of one woman;” that is, his relationships with women should be “above reproach.” An elder should be “sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable” and a man who does not get drunk, get violent, get into quarrels, or love money. He should be a good manager of his household, since he is responsible for overseeing the household of God.


…and Sound Doctrine.

In addition to his living, an elder must have a firm grasp on the essentials of Christian doctrine and be able to communicate them in order to instruct, defend and correct.


In 1 Timothy 3, we are told an overseer must be “able to teach.” Here in Titus 1:9, we are told an elder must “hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” Elders must be biblically grounded in essential Christian doctrines and the distinctives of their church. This means an elder should be able to explain from Scripture what the Bible teaches on central issues. He must be able to rebuke and correct those who contradict it.


This does not mean they all must be able to preach publicly. There are many ways in which the word is taught—from the pulpit and sitting in a member’s home. However, a man who is not comfortable teaching and defending from Scripture the faith once for all delivered should not be appointed an elder.


We do not follow the world’s standards in selecting our leaders.

We are not Israel looking to have a king “like the nations do.” We are like God, looking not on outward appearances, but on the heart.


Therefore elders are not simply successful businessmen, older men, long-time, involved members or nice guys.

Rather, elders must:

§ Embrace and be skilled in teaching/defending the central aspects of the Christian Faith and the Doctrinal Distinctives of the Congregation.

§ Live out the Christian faith in all areas of life.

§ And, as we shall see, Love the congregation. At a minimum, this means that they attend the stated meetings of the church, they disciple younger believers, and they serve selflessly.


The Elders are…Set Apart By the Congregation.

We should note that have a plurality of elders is not a negation of congregationalism. The congregation remains the final court of appeals in the matters we mentioned. Therefore, my preaching that a plurality of elders is the biblical model does not mean that we will have one. That decision is left up to you. I will present (at a later date) some suggestions for how to implement this. But until the congregation says that we will do this, we won’t make this change.


However, there is a tension that must be recognized. The New Testament speaks of elders as leaders with spiritual authority over the congregation. We read that they are to “rebuke, admonish, rule, and exhort.”


However, while congregationalism stands, the church has certain responsibilities in how they respond to their pastors. The church must:

…disobey them when they contradict the Gospel. In Galatians 1, the congregation is held responsible for not rejecting false teachers. Pastors are never to be followed blindly.
…recognize their elders as gifts from God. In Ephesians 4:11, we are told that Christ “gave” the church pastor-teachers. They are gifts from God to equip and build up the church and should be received as such. If we ever find ourselves believing that our pastors are not gifts from Christ, we should remove them or remove ourselves.
(We should also be encouraged by this too. If ever we find ourselves without qualified men, we should ask Christ to give us some. HE gives pastors to the church! Therefore, we can and should ask for them.)

…give them heartfelt trust as their leaders and teachers.
Christians should honor, respect and highly esteem their pastors. In 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, Paul writes, “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.”

Likewise, when their leadership is biblical, Christians are told to submit to their leaders. Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.”


Likewise, the elders must recognize that the church belongs to God, not to them. In Acts 20:28, Paul tells the Ephesian elders to “care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”


This means that the pastor must treat the church like a bride—not his bride, but the bride of Christ of whom he has been made a steward and is accountable for. We have all seen situations in which pastors have used churches as vehicles of self-promotion and stepping-stones in a career plan. This is unacceptable and abhorrent.


This also means that the elders are not free to do whatever they want with the church. The church belongs to God, and therefore God has the final say. Therefore, a pastor must lead as God has led. He cannot say more than what God has said. And, he cannot say less than what God has instructed him to say in the Bible.


The Elders…Oversee and Pastor the Local Church by Teaching, Ruling, Caring for and Equipping the Saints.

The function of the elders is to oversee and pastor the church (1 Timothy 3:1; Acts 20:28; Eph 4:11; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-4). Acts 20:28 says they are to “care for the church.” This means that they give spiritual oversight to the congregation and its members and teach them God’s Word.


Ephesians 4:11-12 says that they are given “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.”


1 Timothy 5:17 speaks of the elders “ruling.” This word “rule” refers to a “soft” kind of ruling, not that of a monarch or dictator. It refers to someone who directs or leads.


Teaching is the primary means through which all the duties are carried out. Their oversight and ruling are not done through unilateral commands, but through authoritatively “declaring, exhorting, rebuking, teaching, admonishing, correcting and preaching” from the word of God (1 Tim 3:2; Titus 1:9; 2:5; 1 Thess 5:12-13; 2 Tim 2:24-25; 4:1-2).


Elders Oversee and Shepherd…As Loving and Humble Examples of Jesus Christ.

In all of these things, elders must serve as examples of Christ, who is the chief Shepherd.

1 Peter 5:1-4 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Jesus Christ lovingly and humbly served as a shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep. He died on a cross for their sins, in their place before being raised from the dead in glory. So elders, while they do not die for the sins of their people, patiently, lovingly and humbly must be willing to bear the burdens of the congregation. They must lay down their lives for the church in this world, so that they can receive an unfading crown of glory in the next.


If you are an unbeliever, do not put your hope in a pastor. He is only an example—and an imperfect one at that. He cannot save you. Put your hope in the chief Shepherd, who is also the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.


If you are a pastor or believe that God has called you to be one, look to Christ first and foremost as the example of how to love His sheep.


If you are a church member—let us begin to consider how we might go about instituting a plurality of elders in our congregation. I will propose more at a later time, with opportunity for discussion. But, for now, let us begin with earnest prayer that Christ would bring and call and prepare elders to give to Northbrook for our upbuilding and His glory.


http://northbrookbc.org/sermons/manuscripts/070304am.html

Pastoral System of Idolatry

One Man Pastors, Just Say NO!

If anyone ever tells you that they have a "New Testament" church, ask them a simple question: "Who's the pastor?" If you get a title and a name in response (for example, The Right Reverend Holy Father John Doe), you may respond with sublime confidence: "Oh, no you don't have a New Testament church!"
We've got a surprise for you, folks. In the New Testament and in the early church up till about 150 A.D, THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS "THE PASTOR!" We highlight this bold assertion, because there is nothing in radical house church Christianity that offends the unscriptural American church order so much as attacks upon the holy, sacred, and venerable institution known as "The Pastor." But we want to hammer this truth home despite the difficulty that many will have with it. So, here it is again: in the New Testament and in the early church up till about 150 A.D., THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS "THE PASTOR!"

Ironically, radical house church plural-elders government is probably the one thing in our movement with which the status-quo church order has the most difficulty. Yet, the principal of plural-elders, no-one-man-pastor church government is the easiest thing in the world to show scripturally. We will do so in this issue. When we are finished, you will see that the case for plurality of elders is ironclad, ineluctable, and beyond cavil.

We will start with scriptural proof of plural-elders church government. We will then look briefly at the early church before about 150 A.D. We will finally look at the testimony of several scholars, all of whom are within the American church system, but who all agree that in the New testament and in the early church up till about 150 A.D., THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS "THE PASTOR!"


There ain't no such thing as "THE Pastor." There just ain't!!!

In studying the Scriptures concerning pastors, it is necessary to note first off that pastors are called by three different words in the New Testament: pastor (Greek: poimen), elder (Greek: presbuteros), and overseer (KJV: bishop, Greek: episkopos). All three words refer to the same office. A pastor is an elder. A pastor is an overseer. An elder is a pastor. An elder is an overseer. An overseer is a pastor. An overseer is an elder.

The above can be established by showing two fundamental identities in Scripture: first, ""elder" = "overseer;"second, "elder" = "pastor." Once these two identities are established, it is thus proven that "overseer" = "pastor," on the principle that two things that are equal to a third thing must logically and of necessity be equal to each other.

First, to prove that "elder"= "overseer." Paul instructs Titus to "appoint elders in every city" (Titus 1:5), and then tells Titus that the overseer must be above reproach" (Titus 1:7), thus proving that elder" = "overseer." (Cf. I Tim 3:2 with I Tim 5:17. Also, see I Pet 5:1,2; where Peter equates "elders" in v. 1 with "oversight" in v.2. In addition, see Philippians 1:1, where Paul addresses the "overseers" and "deacons," instead of "elders" and deacons. Paul obviously was referring to the elders of the church in Phil 1:1, and yet called them overseers." Also note that the eminent scholar Lightfoot states that "in every one of the extant commentaries..., whether Greek or Latin, this identity [of "overseer" and "elder" ] is affirmed."

Second, to prove that "elder" = "pastor."Note that in v. 2 "pastor" is often translated "shepherd." The Greek word so translated is "poimen," which means "to feed, to shepherd, to pastor."

Now, since we have proven that "elder" ="overseer," and "elder" = "pastor," it logically and necessarily follows that "overseer" = "pastor." Think about it: two things ("overseer" and "pastor" ) which are equal to a third thing ("elder" ) are necessarily equal to each other (i.e., "overseer" = "pastor"). This means that if you ever hear anyone say "I am an elder, but I'm not a pastor," you are justified in asking him to break out his Bible and please explain to you how such an erroneous statement could ever be justified scripturally.

Now that we have established the fundamental identity of "pastors," "overseers," and "elders," we ask the next essential question: how many of such men governed a local church? Here is where the fun begins. If you can show scripturally that the first church was governed by "pastors," (plural), or "overseers," (plural), or "elders," (plural), you have completely demolished the sacred cow of American institutional Christianity: the "one-man pastorate." We will now proceed to do just that. If you have any ecclesiastical or financial ties to the one-man pastorate, we suggest you stop right here, read the Surgeon General's warning, and put this copy of NRR down, because the arguments we are about to give are utterly unanswerable.


ONE BILLION DOLLAR REWARD!!!
For Scriptural evidence of:
one-pastor churches
Arguments Against a One-Man Pastorate
1. "Nowhere in God's word to we find anyone referred to by name as a pastor." (Watchman Nee)

2. Not one New Testament letter is addressed to "The Pastor." If you wrote a letter to a local church today, to whom would you address it. "Pastor So-and-so," of course. Wonder why they didn't do that in the New Testament? (Cf. Phil 1:1)

3. Look at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. Paul and Barnabas weren't received by "The Pastor," but rather, the "apostles and elders" there. Was "The Pastor" on a mission trip, or something? (cf. Acts 15: 2,4,6,22 to see how many times "elders" is mentioned, but not "The Pastor.") And quite interestingly, Paul went to the Jerusalem Council, but afterwards, reporting on it to the Galatians, Paul showed he didn't even know who "The Pastor" in Jerusalem was! In Galatians 2:9, he says that James, Cephas, and John were "reputed" to be elders. (Apparently, there were no titles for leaders, but we'll get to that in a later issue.

4. The apostles appointed "elders" (plural), not "The Pastor." (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5)

5. The poor-relief collection was brought by Barnabus and Saul to the "elders" (plural) of the church in Jerusalem, not "The Pastor." (Acts 11:30)

6. It's the "elders" (plural) who are to be rewarded with double honor for ruling well, not "The Pastor." (I Tim 5:17)

7. It's the "elders" (plural) who are exhorted by Peter to shepherd the flock, not "The Pastor." (I Pet 5:1,2)

8. This last argument is the clincher. It is the paramount plural-pastors proof. There ain't nobody that can dodge this one. You just have to remember two verses: Acts 20:17, and Acts 20:28. Remembering that "elder" = "overseer" = "pastor," read those two verses. In v. 17, Paul invites the Ephesian "elders" (plural) to Miletus. In v. 28, he tells these same "elders" (plural) that they are "overseers" (plural), and that they are to "pastor" the church of God. Since a "pastor" is an "overseer" is an "elder," and since "elders" and "overseers" are plural, it follows that there were plural "pastors" in Ephesus doing the "pastoring" (i.e., shepherding) in v. 28.

If someone tells you that his church only has one pastor, look at him as if he is entirely off his nut, and then innocently ask: "But, brother, where is that in the Bible?"
The Scripture is clear. What about the testimony of church history before about 150 A.D.? It is just as clear. There was no such thing as a one-man pastorate. Below are quotations from famous early church fathers.

The Shephard of Hermas (middle second century)
"Read it to this city [Rome] along with the ELDERS that preside over the church."
First Epistle of Clement (c. 95-97 A.D.)
Clement was one of the early elders at Rome. Eerdman's Handbook to the History of Christianity states of his epistle that there "is no trace of a single ruling bishop; instead the leaders of the church are called either bishops and deacons or ELDERS (presbyters)." (p. 125).
Polycarp's letter to Philippi (115 A.D.)
This letter was addressed to ELDERS.
The Didache ("Teaching of the Apostles")
"Appoint for yourself OVERSEERS and deacons. (Didache 14:1 - 15:1)
Let's beat the dead horse with the testimony of respectable scholars. These are mainstream people, they are not weirdos who meet for church in living rooms on Sunday mornings. (The emphases are mine.)

Philip Hughes
Philip Hughes (a Roman Catholic, for crying out loud!), A Popular History of the Christian Church, p. 14, footnote 3: "before that date [the end of the first century] it is likely that the churches were ruled by colleges of BISHOPS."
Unger's Bible Dictionary, "Elders," p. 296:
"Consequently we meet it [the presbytery] everywhere in the plural, and as a corporation at Jerusalem."
Robert L. Saucy, The Church in God's Program, a Moody Press publication), p. 148
"The evidence of the New Testament points to a plurality of ELDERS in a church. Each time the term appears it is plural."
If the evidence in this issue has not convinced you of the proper form of New Testament church government, than nothing will. However, it is entirely likely that many will ask: if plurality of elders is so obviously scriptural, why isn't everyone doing it? That's a good question. We'll take a look at that next issue. Meanwhile, if someone tells you that his church only has one pastor, look at him as if he is entirely off his nut, and then innocently ask: "But, brother, where is that in the Bible?


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