THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY - CHAPTER 3

THE CHRONOLOGY:  FROM HERE... TO ETERNITY

notes:

-  signpost of end times is the abomination of desolation, takes place 3.5 years before Jesus establishes his earthly kingdom (mentioned by Jesus and Daniel, but no references as of yet)

-  prophecies concerning end times in chronological order... not written in scriptures

-  correction .... Rood says the only sure way to assemble the chronology of the end time events is to go to the book of Revelation

-  section called 'born again?' --- Rev 1:18, Rev 1:5, Nicodemus - born again, physical world = physical body, spiritual world = spiritual body to line in kingdom of heaven, 1 Cor 15:50 - flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven, Phil 3:21,

-  some people must be teaching that Jesus will secretly gather his people, Rood says this is a false concept

-  Jesus's followers will not need to go to him in the end, his angels will come gather his people

-  abomination of desolation detailed in verses 15 - 22 (Matt. 24???)

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DANIEL 9:27, 11:31, 12:11

The Sneeze of Musquodoboit Nova Scotia

They walked in tandem, each of the ninety-two students filing into the already crowded auditorium. With their rich maroon gowns flowing and the traditional caps, they looked almost as grown up as they felt.

Dads swallowed hard behind broad smiles, and Moms freely brushed away tears.
This class would NOT pray during the commencements, not by choice, but because of a recent court ruling prohibiting it.

The principal and several students were careful to stay within the guidelines allowed by the ruling. They gave inspirational and challenging speeches, but no one mentioned divine guidance and no one asked for blessings on the graduates or their families. 
The speeches were nice, but they were routine until the final speech received a standing ovation.
A solitary student walked proudly to the microphone. He stood still and silent for just a moment, and then, it happened. 
All 92 students, every single one of them, suddenly SNEEZED !!!!  The student on stage simply looked at the audience and said,
'GOD BLESS YOU'
And he walked off the stage...

The audience exploded into applause. This graduating class had found a unique way to invoke God's blessing on their future with or without the court's approval.
Isn't this a wonderful story? Pass it on to all your friends.........and
GOD BLESS YOU!!!! 
This is a true story; it happened at Eastern Shore District High School in Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia. 

Do you believe there is a God?

“God is not a belief to which you give your assent. God becomes a reality whom you know intimately, meet everyday, one whose strength becomes your strength, whose love, your love. Live this life of the presence of God long enough and when someone asks you, “Do you believe there is a God?” you may find yourself answering, “No, I do not believe there is a God. I know there is a God.”

~Ernest Boyer, Jr.

quote about education

"Education would be so much more effective if its purpose were to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they don't know, and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it."

-- Sir William Haley

“Unseen. Things Unseen. Invest in Things Unseen.”

I really LOVE this lady's writing.  This entry is truly wonderful.

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2010/08/when-your-trying-to-get-your-priorities.html

THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY - CHAPTER 2

I should mention the full title of this book is The Mystery of Iniquity:  the legal prerequisite to the return of the Messiah by Michael Rood.
http://www.amazon.ca/Mystery-Iniquity-Michael-John-Rood/dp/0882708783/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282417622&sr=8-1


NOTES FOR CHAPTER 2 called Prerequisite to the Rapture

-  God is bound by his nature to be just, righteous, and loving.  God cannot act in an unlawful manner to defeat Satan, even though Satan stands in absolute rebellion against God.

????  The mystery of iniquity, Satan's lawlessness, has been shrouded.   (is this true???)

-  ???? in the throne room of God, both Jesus and Satan have authority.  Satan as the accuser and Jesus as the advocate.   (where does it say this???)

-    hmmmm, I need to read/study 2 Thessalonians chapter 2

-   where is Satan now?   this author says "he is in heaven and must be expelled and his dominion terminated there before the victory in heaven is complete.  No one goes up until Satan is cast down."   I need to look up verses on Satan.

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I do not know a lot of the end times, I have no preconceived ideas about how things will happen.  I have never really gave them much thought because I trust in the One who knows what will happen, how it will happen and when it will happen.  Is there anything I MUST know about the end times?  This author is convinced there is.  I guess I will keep reading.    

FOUR THINGS YOU CAN'T RECOVER

Four things you can't recover:

The stone.........after the throw.
         
The word...........after it's said..

The occasion........after it's missed. 

The time.........after it's gone.

HOW FRIENDS SLIP AWAY

Wow.... this pulled at my heart strings and made me think.


http://www.loneprairie.net/2010/06/slip-away/

These are some of the thoughts from the article:

"When you need your friends the most, you’re the least likely to ask for their help. This is a vicious truth."

"What is a friend, anyway?

Proverbs 18:24 says a friend sticks closer than a brother.

The worst thing a person can say to someone who is experiencing hardship in life is to say “if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.”"

"Do you hand the drowning person a length of rope and tell them to throw it back to the boat when they decide it’s time to be rescued?"

"Realizing someone cares about you is another chance at life, even if only a day at a time."

SET APART.... BY GOD, FOR GOD

Devotional for today is about being set apart (set apart = holy = set apart by God, for God).

http://www.thehighcalling.org/Library/ViewLibrary.asp?LibraryID=5682&DID=2898&T=H&SID=15305

You can be sure of this:
      The LORD set apart the godly for himself.
      The LORD will answer when I call to him.

Psalm 4:3

Gracious Lord, first of all, I thank you today that you have set me apart on the basis of your sovereign grace, not because of anything I have done.

And thank you as well for setting me apart for you, not just for your work, but first of all for relationship with you. 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Do you think of God as having set you apart for himself? Why or why not? How might this idea make a difference in your life if you really believed it? 

I do think of myself as set apart for God, especially after having looked deeper into the word holy, and knowing that we do not choose God... God chooses us.  I used to think our job on earth here is to convince others to follow God, to become "Christians".  But a few years ago I learned that we could talk till we are blue in the face, use our best sales pitch or witnessing package BUT unless the Holy Spirit was working in this person's life and speaking to them, what we say won't matter.  First God's work has to happen in them and THEN we may be used by God to help them on their journey in following Him.  What a weight lifted off my shoulders... no more guilt for not witnessing, or being too scared to witness.  So really all we need to be doing is listening for the Father's prompting in every moment and He will let us know when we need to be there for someone.  

Even as a child I believed in God.  I cannot pinpoint a time when in one moment I all of the sudden believed.  God was always with me.  Even the story of my birth shows signs of God's hand in my life.  

I remember as a teenager really wanting to have that "fireworks" conversion testimony that was very popular at my church at the time.  Everybody had an AMAZING GRACE experience of Jesus saving them.... and by golly I wanted that too.  I tried to make it happen on many occasions, but I never got it.  For a few years I thought it was maybe because God didn't want me.  I didn't have a spiritual mentor at the time to go and discuss this with but that didn't stop me from believing in God.  I continued to go to church.  It wasn't until I was older I came to realize that my story was never to have the fireworks conversion story because God had always been with me, we were already connected.  :o)

One other experience that sticks out in my mind is a Wednesday night bible study and prayer meeting that I went to as a teen.  I don't quite remember how old I was at the time.  Anyway, after the Bible study the pastor invited the group to the front of the sanctuary for prayers.  We were standing in a circle and he was in the middle praying and then he started to go to people in the circle and pray over them.  This was also one of my first experiences of someone praying in tongues (not the pastor, but a congregation member).  Well as the pastor was going around the circle, and stopping at certain individuals to pray, I was saying to myself - "please don't stop at me, please don't stop at me!".  You see I was very shy and did not like any attention in my direction.  And guess what happened????  Pastor Dave stopped in front of me, put his hand on my shoulder, and started praying.  I was mortified!!!  But his words have always stuck with me.  He said that God was going to do a mighty work through me.  What?  Who me?  Really?

Well those words have always stuck with me.  In the last few years I have seen glimpses of God working through me, and I wonder if this is what He meant all those years ago?  Maybe, but I don't dwell on those words waiting for them to happen, but instead just continue to put one foot in front of the other, listening for any instruction He may have for me, looking for where He wants to use me.