Heleadethme

Amen brother, I'm blessed by that reminder about Anna and Simeon. And thank you for that about the same sign before Jesus' birth. What has been will be again and there is nothing new under the sun.......gives us a hint that we can expect that His second appearing will be a similar pattern as His first. Other similarities.....darkness and scattering of the sheep....and also another reason why Rome is on the radar, as well. For all of us, we should not be too surprised that there are signs in the heavenlies since Jesus said there would be.......to me it confirms how late the hour is along with everything else that is happening. As long as we don't get distracted by the signs, but let them remind us all how urgent it is to preach and share and witness the gospel while there is still a little time left. Just some thoughts, but I wonder if we sometimes confuse the tribulation with the wrath...? Some scriptures are describing wrath, some describe the tribulation, and I do not find it easy at all to rightly divide between the two. And it is possible there is some overlap as the time of His appearing approaches.....perhaps......it might be something to consider because it might also help explain some of the confusion.....like where it says "do not touch the oil and the wine" and Rev.9:4 "And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads." We will be taken up when He comes, having been purified in the tribulation, but kept from the hour of trial that will come upon the whole world (wrath). We are promised that in this world we will have tribulation, and if they persecuted our Teacher they will persecute us too because we are not greater than He.......but we are not appointed to wrath, it is the world which is appointed to wrath. We will not be touched by the vials of His wrath......which will be poured out as retribution so to speak for persecuting His saints (during the tribulation) Rev. 16:1 ".......Go your ways and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth." Rev. 16:6 "For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy." Also bearing in mind the book of Revelation is speaking highly prophetically, very much in spirit, so everything may not necessarily be in chronological order or the way that our natural minds think. And some of it may be applied on a personal level, too..

I hardly even know how to put this, and seeing it through a glass darkly, so I pray the Lord to help, and to help us see His lovely truth here. Recently I read something in Oswald Chamber's little book....My Utmost for His Highest. This part: "God puts His disapproval on human experience when we begin to adhere to the conception that sanctification is merely an experience, and forget that sanctification itself has to be sanctified. (See John 17:19) I have deliberately to give my sanctified life to God for His service, so that He can use me as His hands and His feet." John 17:19 "And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth." Sanctify means to set apart to God, to give something to Him. Not that Jesus needed to but for our sakes, He sanctified His life by giving it back to God on the cross. And even after His resurrection Jesus had to leave His followers to return (offer/give Himself) to the Father so that the Holy Spirit could come to them. "Lord, Lord, why hast though forsaken me."....the Father turning His face away only briefly so that Jesus' flesh could die. Imagine those disciples 10 days without either Jesus or the Holy Spirit, it must have seemed like such a bleak and dry desert time after all that had happened when Jesus was with them.....yet they remained faithful, and waited for the promise. This principle of sanctification (giving our gifts & sanctified life back to God, which was bought with the blood of Jesus) is echoed here: 2 Samuel 23:15-17 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate! And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD. And he said, Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men. The Lord is so amazing how He often speaks many things in one. Where Abraham offered Isaac to God on the altar is also a picture of this principle of sanctification too.......pouring out the promise (gift) back to God for His use.....sanctifying it, by dying to it ourselves.....even as we die to many things when we put them on the altar (cross) to be burned away. But the Lord gives back the promise, refined in the fire so to speak, wielded in spirit in His hands and no longer our hands of flesh. Like Jesus returned to the Father, but He came back to His disciples in His Spirit. (Just a thought, but I wonder if one of the problems with today's churches and ministries is that they have not been through the fires of sanctification, pouring out their drink (gifts) as an offering to the Lord........they are still wielding them in their own hands of flesh.)

Mystery Babylon......is a mystery.......it's a kind of spirit at work, the mystery of lawlessness, rather than a country. She sits on seven hills/mountains........which are the seven heads of the beast. Being a whore and mother of harlots......means she welcomes all lovers (faiths/religions/spirits) and teaches the same to her daughters/followers. Biblically, spiritual harlotry is suggestive of a woman unfaithful to her husband, so she carries the name of her husband and comes in his name, even while cavorting for gain with many lovers. Jesus warned us about the end times, regarding those who come in His name to deceive....and that is why, for the believer it is so deceptive. So since we are in the end times.......looking around, who fits the bill of these things? Rome stands out front and center.......the papacy is actively recruiting protestant churches and denominations, as well as pagan groups, to come into her fold.......she is offering her spiritual patronage to all, even to welcoming all sinners and practices of every kind. She also fits the bill of Babylon being a haunt for demons and a cage full of foul birds and filling up with sins and plagues.........her epidemic of pedophile crimes and cover-ups in her ranks is well known.......just recently the news reported a raid on an apartment in Rome where an orgy with homosexual priests was going on........as far back as I can remember I personally knew of Catholic nuns who were doing yoga and practising meditation dating back to the 70's........because of my former work in health care I happen to know of a Catholic psychiatric facility dedicated mostly to trying to "treat" Catholic priests and nuns of mostly sexual offenses, so it is a huge problem within the Catholic church.

Amen brother......and Jesus anointed for burial. His will be done, amen.

Well frienduff.....I don't think the law would allow us to bury you in our little backyard, there are rules about those sorts of things, bro. But we would do our best for you, I can promise you that. I think it is good in the sight of God to treat the dead properly, since we all are made in the image of God. Not excessive, but just simple with a little care and respect would not be out of order.......we are something a little more than a sack of old meat to toss out like garbage......and the poor we will always have with us. But as you say, we don't always get a say, though God is always watching over us and knows exactly where we will be come resurrection day...thankfully!

AMEN brother.......that is some glorious and deep truth, praise the Lord. Seeking and looking for HIS Day, affections and thoughts above........and Abraham was looking for a heavenly city, as well, not an earthly one.

For some reason, I've never been comfortable with the idea of cremation......nor autopsy for that matter......told my family when I go to please bury me in a simple wooden box, if possible, no embalming necessary, and no autopsy (unless it has to be done by law). The living sometimes want to visit a graveside to honour the memory of a person and if it helps their grief etc, that's fine with me. As far as the bible goes, since pagans burned their dead......and God's people did not because of looking forward to a resurrection, then that's good enough reason for me to forego cremation too. It might not matter.....as others are saying things happen to bodies due to war or accidents.....but then again when we have a choice, if there's any doubt about it at all I would rather err on the side of caution so to speak.

I think you are right, frienduff thalorde.........Jesus warned about those who would come in His name, and doing counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders to deceive.......this is the reason it is so deceptive to the believer, because it is under the guise of Christianity, not any pagan religion. He didn't warn us to beware of any heathen folks.

I wasnt' sure if I should mention it at first, but yesterday as I was leaving the house to go somewhere, I saw a huge hawk carrying away a little creature, probably a squirrel and I felt sad for the creature. It just seem similar to some of your dream.......but please don't let that discourage you......the Lord might also be preparing you for some sifting you are to go through personally, for your own refining and strengthening. If some attacks or shakings start to happen in your life, be encouraged you are in the hand of God and He will never leave you or forsake you, and He is working all things together for your GOOD. Be not surprised at the painful trial........you are precious to Him, Zoltan, and I will pray for you, as I am sure will others, and I just encourage you to seek the Lord about the dreams and bring any burdens to Him.

Bless you dear brother........for one thing your dreams are a reminder to us all to remember to pray for the coming time, for those who are going to go through the tribulation, so I thank you for sharing them. I don't know why, but sometimes feelings from dreams do linger, I have had feelings linger, both good and bad, for a whole day at a time. They seem to be just temporary though and it should go away. I don't know the reason.....maybe it is to emphasize the seriousness or truth of what God is showing, so that we don't forget, but that is just a guess. And evil is something we can discern and feel sometimes.......I was away recently and where I was I had a bad feeling the whole time, it made me out of sorts and uncomfortable, I believe having to do with the spiritual atmosphere of the whole place, because evil spirits are not welcoming to Christians. But you know it made me pray for that place, for the word of the gospel to be raised up and for labourers to be sent there etc. I read where someone posted a beautiful reminder of scripture on another thread recently that nothing but nothing can separate us from the love of the Father, and I think it fits perfectly here and hope it will encourage you: Romans 8:34-39 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Thank you Jesus, we praise your name.

Wow brother........I can't say anything about the specifics.........just that it kind of mirrors your first dream of the evil and characters being eaten up by the evil ones.........it gives an idea of the kind of battles and trials to expect in the coming tribulation, it will look from an earthly viewpoint as though the devil is winning..........but your victory and deliverance is summed up in your final statement........that is the stand you are to take.........God created me the way that I am, and I am not afraid of the pain. Humble ourselves under GOD's mighty hand.......because the devil can do nothing except the LORD allow it. Keep a heavenly perspective and be eternity minded, abandoned to the will of God, whether we live or die. Hallelujah, amen.

One thing about dreams and visions, etc, or any manifestation of the Lord...........just that we must be careful not to depend on them or seek them.....that would be idolatry. But when we seek the Lord only, He will speak to us when and how He wills. (Not saying anybody here is doing that....it is just a general caution, because of seeing how it can be a temptation, and also have seen what making an idol of the things of God can do.) Zoltan, the Lord does speak to us in dreams and in other ways.......when it is a warning of a bad event, I believe He wants us to pray and possibly the bad event can be stopped from happening.....I think that is what he wants you to learn from what happened with your nephew, it was a minor thing, so you could just learn how the Lord is speaking to you....so in the future if you dream of things like that happening you will know to pray about it next time. Regarding the dream of the laptop etc........overall, we are to be encouraged that the Lord has foreseen and foreknown and is the one who is allowing the devil to have his way for a time......so that we will not despair when these things happen, but continue to have faith in God who is still ruling and reigning even when it seems to all outward appearances that He is not. He has shown you in your dream what is going to happen, before it happens, so that you will know and be assured that the Lord is still in charge, not the devil. I think the laptop is significant in your dream too......not long ago the Lord seemed to give me a glimpse that since the whole world is increasingly dependent on technology, it has become like a god.......everybody's entire life, from spiritual/religious, to banking, to buying and selling, to employment and resumes, to education to social to cultural, everything from recipes to how to fix things etc is on the internet......and through the internet people are being subtly pressured and educated in an antichrist mindset. Even Mark Zuckerberg recently made an announcement of his new vision for Facebook.....which goes beyond a simple business vision into essentially having a kind of role that the church used to. I'm seeing the internet being like a last days tower of Babel through which the whole world is gathered and united in a cyber-Babylon........the image of the beast will no doubt be broadcast on the internet and it might be tied into the mark of the beast too, that people won't be able to access the internet without the mark, meaning left high and dry as far as participating in any aspect of society and commerce, or even security (smart houses). People are already literally addicted to technology, computers and i-phones, social media, etc.......that is called slavery. Anyway, that is the kind of scenario I glimpsed, which seems to agree with your dream......maybe just keep it on a back burner so to speak and of course test it. For believers who refuse the mark and are trusting in God and not the technology of man or antichrist we will have only the Lord to protect and provide for us during a time of being impoverished outcasts and persecuted by the Godless. But this life is just a vapour anyway........we will keep trusting the Lord and be looking for His appearing, and if we die before He comes, we will keep our hopes above and eternity in our vision, knowing that as we are closing our eyes on this life, we are opening them in paradise.

Islam itself seems like a strong delusion, cult-like..........it holds its adherents captive to keep them from accepting the gospel. The devil's work to keep Ishmael and others from the love of Christ......it deliberately confuses the bible. Nevertheless, nothing is impossible with God......and many Muslims do come to faith in Christ, even by the Lord working sovereignly through dreams and visions. I wish we would hear of more Jews receiving Jesus too.....it's sad beyond words when Jews accept Jesus only to get taken captive to the false doctrines of our time.......which is all leading to antichrist sitting in the temple proclaiming himself to be the Messiah. Nevertheless, the Lord always has a remnant, and the way to life really has always been about the few, since ancient times. We will see the remnant of Israel turn to Christ in the end, when they look upon Him who they pierced, praise the name of the Lord. I always ask Him to make it a large remnant.

Amen, that seems to be how I am seeing it too (through a glass darkly). And Hebrews 4:12 might be understood to be talking about dividing between flesh and spirit. Rightly dividing the word is to understand and receive it in spirit and not leaning on our own understanding (fleshly mind).

We are in the world but not of it......citizens of another kingdom altogether. The kingdoms of the world follow the flesh........they are of Satan's kingdom which is divided against itself as Jesus said, and therefore ultimately cannot stand, hence they are temporal and one minute on top, next minute lost to the sands of time and history.......they are kingdoms of good versus evil, some parts good, some parts evil, some times more good than evil, other times more evil than good.........only the kingdom of God is above the kingdoms of the world, standing not on any righteousness (good) of flesh, but of Christ and God. Regarding the church....Jesus warned us to flee "Jerusalem" when we see it surrounded by armies, about to fall. That did not mean they sat on their suitcases damning Jerusalem, it meant they obeyed and followed the Lamb where He was leading. Righteous Lot was reluctant to leave Sodom, and had to be pulled out. Many who have left the churches likewise did so reluctantly and only after putting out fleeces and being very sure it was God's will. It's not business as usual at the end of the age, these are unique times, so we must be extra sure to be led by the Spirit.

Scripture doesn't say that explicitly that I know of.........and "forming" a soul is probably not even the right word. I was just looking at some possible clues. Our minds of flesh like to compartmentalize things instead of understanding by the Spirit......I am not sold on the idea of our soul being a separate "part" of us, but involves our spirit and it's tabernacle together. Not something I would argue about though.

Yes, for sure the Lord speaks to us in various ways, and dreams are one way that He speaks. Maybe it is different for other people, but one way I know when a dream is from the Lord is that the dream is very clear, orderly and to the point, so to speak, and I easily remember them......whereas my own dreams tend to be rambling and all over the place as though my mind is just hashing things out, and often I forget what the dream was about as soon as I awake. Some dreams from the Lord have left me with almost lingering physical sensations, like taste, smell or a feeling, though they are usually not emotional per se, except sometimes joy. Though again it might be different for different people too, for example I have heard of some people dreaming in very vivid colours, whereas for me I don't notice colours, they are just natural colours in my dreams. I can't recall off the top of my head having any specific dreams forecasting of physical events, my dreams tend to be like the bible........spiritually instructive, spiritual warnings and encouragements, promises, etc, some of which have come to pass, others still in waiting. A couple of dreams having to do with buying and then selling a house, were the most 'practical' kind of dreams I have had....just a matter of obeying the Lord's instruction.

Just some thoughts in case it is helpful, by no means authoritative....... but it seems as though the spirit needs to be housed/clothed in a body in order to form the soul, that is why in the Father's house are many dwellings/rooms/mansions for our spirits to dwell in. God breathed His spirit into Adam's body in order for Adam to become a living soul. Apart from having a body (either of flesh or a glorified body), I believe we are just a spirit.........like where it talks about the spirits of just men made perfect in Hebrews 12. Also where Jesus said to fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell......is another example of body and soul being linked together. When He gave our body a spirit and thus we became living souls. Eccl. 12:7 says the dust of our body returns to the ground it came from and the spirit returns to God who gave it. But at the resurrection we will receive an imperishable body for our spirits to live in.

If you were of Christ you would point to Him, and not to yourself. He alone is the Head of His Body.

Amen, that is a wonderful verse to be reminded of.........and so shall we ever be with the Lord after we are caught up in the air with Him. And Jesus said to pray that God's will be done and that His kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven......which will begin at the reign of Christ, when New Jerusalem cometh down out of where..? out of HEAVEN.

Yes, the world is promoting euthanasia........being without God the world is a culture of death anyway. Don't let ourselves be pressured by the medical profession who have their own agendas and perspective. But as followers of Christ we should have a heavenly perspective on all things.......and seek to be led by the Spirit in every situation.

The waters of the flood is a figure of baptism as it explicitly says in 1 Peter 3:21.......and the ark itself is a figure of being in Christ and the mercy seat........but the flood is mainly a figure of the wrath of God and day of judgment (2 Peter 2 and 3) , not tribulation as such......though we do go through the waters of tribulation, as a kind of baptism in itself. The Lord does not keep His flock from tribulation........Jesus promised that in this world we shall have tribulation.......and it is appointed unto us to suffer for His name.....but it is His wrath that we are not appointed to. Believers will be resurrected and along with those who are alive and remain, will be caught up to be with Him in the air, and not on the earth for the wrath of God......we will be like the angels, as Jesus said. During the tribulation, the world fills up the cup of His wrath as it were, transgressors waxing to the full.......like the Lord waited for the Canaanites to fill up the cup of wrath before turning His hand against them with the Israelite conquest of the Promised Land.

Praise the Lord, there is light in the darkness.......amen.

Amen.

Isn't the world a nasty place........I pray that it's not hard to see why Christians should have nothing to do with starving people to death, or building up military machines for the purpose of killing and maiming. We are here as ambassadors of another kingdom to show the mercy and love of Christ. When we talk about places like North Korea, many times the civilians are already victims of their own governments who are happy to kill, imprison or starve their own people to death whenever it serves their self-interests. I just pray the Lord comes soon.