A Word on The End of The World | ስለ አለም መጨረሻ አንድ ቃል

😇 የቭላድሚር ቅዱስ ሴራፒዮን († 1275)

የቭላድሚር ቅዱስ ሴራፒዮን እ.አ.አ ከ 1247 እስከ 1274 ባለው ጊዜ ውስጥ የኪየቭ ዋሻዎች ገዳም ሊቀ ጳጳስ ነበሩ ። ከዚያ በኋላ የቭላድሚር ፣ ሱዝዳል እና የኒዝኒ ኖቭጎሮድ ሀገረ ስብከት ሊቀ ጳጳስ ሆነው ተሾሙ ፣ እስከ ቀጣዩ የእረፍታቸው ዓመት ድረስ አስተዳደሩ። በወቅቱ የሀገረ ስብከቱ ግዛት የቭላድሚር ግራንድ ዱቺ እና የጎሮዴት ፣ ኮስትሮማ ፣ ሞስኮ ፣ ፔሬስላቭል ፣ ስታሮዱብ ፣ ሱዝዳል ፣ ኒዝኒ ኖቭጎሮድ እና ዩሪየቭ ርእሰ መስተዳድሮችን ያካተተ ነበር። የቅዱስ ሱራፒዮን አምስት ስብከቶች ተጠብቀው ቆይተዋል፣ አብዛኞቹ እንደ ተዋረዳዊው ዘመን እንደሆነ ይታመናል።

ወንድሞች ሆይ፣ የሚያስፈራው ቀን በድንገት ይመጣል፤ የኃጢአታችን ፅዋ ሞልቶ እጅግ አስፈሪ የሆነ የቅዱሱ የእግዚአብሔር ፍርድ ይጠብቀናልና የእግዚአብሔርን ፍርድ ፍሩ። በበጎ ምግባር ራሳችንን ካላዘጋጀን ራቁታችንን ቀርተንና እና ተቸግን በማይጠፋ እሳት እንቀጣለን።

ወንድሞች ሆይ ፣ እግዚአብሔርን በመፍራት ኑሩ ፣ የዚህ ሕይወት ጊዜ አጭር ነው እና እንደ ጭስ ይጠፋል። ከኃጢአታችን የተነሣ ብዙ መከራ ደረሰብን፥ ትንሽም ሐዘን አይደለም፥ የአሕዛብ ወረራ፥ በሰዎች መካከል መነሣሣት፥ የአብያተ ክርስቲያናት ረብሻ፥ በመኳንንት መካከል አለመረጋጋት፥ ሥጋን ብቻ የሚያስደስቱት አመፀኞቹ ካህናት ለነፍስ ደንታ የሌላቸው ናቸው። የመነኮሳት አለቆችም እንዲሁ። እናም መነኮሳቱ ስለ በዓላት መጨነቅ ይጀምራሉ፣ ግልፍተኛ እና ለፉክክር የተጋለጡ ይሆናሉ፣ እናም ለቅዱሳን አባቶች የማይመች ህይወት ይመራሉ። ሹማምንቱ በባለሥልጣናትና ኃያላን ፊት ይፈራሉ፣ በግል ጥቅማቸው ላይ ተመስርተው ይፈርዳሉ፣ ወላጅ አልባ ልጆችን ያሰናክላሉ፣ ለመበለቶችና ለድሆች አይማልዱም። በምእመናንም ውስጥ፣ አለማመን እና ዝሙት አለ፤ እና እውነትን ትተው ውሸት መፍጠር ይጀምራሉ።

በዚህ ዘመን ግን ማንም የሚፈልግ ቢኖር ይድናል፣ በመንግሥተ ሰማያትም ታላቅ ይባላል። በኖኅ ዘመንም እንዲሁ ነበርና፡ ይበሉም ይጠጡም፣ ያገቡም ያመነዝሩም ነበር ስለዚህ የጥፋት ውኃም መጣ ሁሉንም ስለ በደሉ አጠፋቸው። እንደዚህ ያለ አስፈሪ ክስተት ማየት እንዴት አሳዛኝ ነው! ኖህ ጌታ እንዳዘዘው መርከብን ሲሰራ ከህንድ የመጡ ዝሆኖች እና የፋርስ አንበሶች በጎች እና ፍየሎች ሳይጎዱ አብረው ተጓዙ; የሚሳቡ እንስሳትና አእዋፍ ኖኅ መርከቡን ወደሚሠራበት ቦታ አመሩ። ኖኅም አለቀሰ ሕዝቡንም “ንስሐ ግቡ! ጎርፉ እየመጣባህ ነው” አለው። እናም ይህን ሁሉ ሲያዩ፣ ቃሉን አልሰሙም እናም ትምህርቱን አልሰሙም የጥፋት ውሃ እስኪሸፍናቸው እና አስከፊ ሞት እስኪደርስባቸው ድረስ።

ወንድሞች ሆይ፣ እንፍራ፣ እነሆ፣ የተጻፈው ሁሉ ወደ ፍጻሜው እየመጣ ነው፣ እናም የተተነበዩት ምልክቶች እየፈተጸሙ ነውና። እና ከህይወታችን እና ከእድሜያችን ትንሽ የቀረ ነገር አለ።

ስለዚህ፣ መዳን የሚፈልግ፣ በትህትና፣ በመታቀብ እና በምጽዋት አሁን ይሥራ። ወዳጆች ሆይ፥ ማንም በወንበዴዎች እጅ ቢወድቅ ነፍሱ እንዲተርፍ ንብረቱንም በእነርሱ ፋንታ እንዲወስዱ እንዴት አዝኖ እንደሚለምን ተመልከቱ። ወንድሞች፣ ለመጥፎ ሕይወት ስንል ሁሉንም ነገር መጠቀማችን መጥፎ አይደለም፣ ነገር ግን ለመንፈሳዊ ጥቅማችን ግድ አንሰጥም? ለድሆች ስንሰጥ ለምን እንቆጫለን? ለምን ክፉውን ስራን አንተወውም እና ልባችንን ወደ ንስሃ ሕይወት ለምን አንመልስም?

😇 St. Serapion of Vladimir

St. Serapion of Vladimir (†1275) was archimandrite of the Kiev Caves Monastery from 1247 to 1274. He was then consecrated bishop of the Diocese of Vladimir, Suzdal, and Nizhny Novgorod, which he ruled until his repose the following year. At the time, the territory of the diocese consisted of the Grand Duchy of Vladimir and the principalities of Gorodets, Kostroma, Moscow, Pereslavl, Starodub, Suzdal, Nizhny Novgorod, and Yuriev. Five sermons from St. Serapion have been preserved, most believed to date from his time as a hierarch.

Brethren, fear the terrible and dread judgment of God, for that fearful day will come suddenly. If we don’t prepare ourselves with virtues, then naked and destitute we shall be condemned to unquenchable fire.

O brethren, live in the fear of God, for the time of this life is short and vanishes like smoke; and many calamities befall us for our sins, and no small sorrow: invasions of the heathen, agitation between people, the disorder of churches, unrest between princes, the lawlessness of priests who please only the flesh, taking no care for the soul. And abbots too. And the monks start to care about feasts, they become irascible and prone to rivalry, and they lead a life unbecoming of the Holy Fathers. The hierarchs cower before the powerful, they judge based on personal gain, they offend orphans and don’t intercede for widows and the poor. In the laity, there is unbelief and fornication; and abandoning the truth, they begin to create untruth.

But in such days, if anyone so desires, he will be saved and will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For so it was in the days of Noah: They ate, they drank, they married, they fornicated, and the flood came and destroyed everyone for their iniquity. How awful to see such a fearful phenomenon! When Noah was building the ark as the Lord commanded him, then the elephants from India and lions from Persia traveled together with sheep and goats without harming each other; the reptiles and birds headed to where Noah was building the ark. And Noah wept and told the people: “Repent! The flood is coming for you.” And even seeing all this, they didn’t heed his words and didn’t listen to his teachings until the flood waters covered them and they suffered a wretched death. O brethren, let us be afraid, for behold, all that is written is coming to an end and the signs foretold are coming true. And there is already little left of our life and age.

Thus, whoever wants to be saved, let him labor now in humility, abstinence, and alms. For if anyone falls into the hands of robbers, beloved, then see how tenderly he entreats that his life be spared and that they take his property instead. How, brethren, is it not bad that for the sake of a bad life we are divested of everything, but we take no care for our spiritual benefit? Why do we regret giving to the poor? Why don’t we abandon evil deeds and why don’t we incline our hearts towards repentance?

👉 Courtesy: Orthochristian.com

______________

UNBELIEVABLE! | Back in August 29, 2016 a Christian Lady Had a Dream About Houston Being Destroyed, Desolate, and Uninhabitable

This post was originally published August 29, 2016. It is being republished now due to hurricane warnings for Houston TX.

“Houston Will Be Destroyed, Desolate, and Uninhabitable.”

Since I was a little girl, I have had dreams and visions, so seeing things is not new for me, but hearing words from the Lord is. I first started hearing words from Him in 2011. When He speaks to my heart, He sometimes confirms it with scriptures, dreams, or visions, but mostly scriptures.

When I was young, my mom’s friend in Christ prophesied I was a prophet. We never talked much about it, but my mom would tell people, “My daughter sees things”. I just look at it like, that’s how the Lord communicates with me.

For the past six months, the Lord had been telling me I needed to prepare for what was coming. I wasn’t quite sure what He meant, so I just ignored him. I know that sounds bad, but each time I would try to focus on it I would get distracted. I knew His preparation included fasting and asking Him exactly what He wanted me to do. I knew it had to do with the economy. However I got lazy and honestly I was a bit afraid at what it really was. So I danced around the issue.

Well on Tuesday May 24 2016, this is what happened. I got off work at 6 am and I was really tired. I ate something, got in bed with my son, and said a short prayer that went like this, “Papa Yahweh, in the name of Yahshua I repent. I ask that your will be done with me and Zion (my son) as we sleep. I pray for divine safety and divine protection. Amen.”

I hadn’t been praying heavy like I should, but in this small prayer I said Yahshua I repent. Well, I turned my head towards the wall and I hadn’t even closed my eyes for a minute before I instantly saw a vision.

I suddenly found myself up in the air in the city of Houston TX. It was daytime. It looked like it was around 10 am. In front of me I could see about four tall gas tanks and other normal things you would see in the city. I live outside of Houston, but I don’t know where the oil tanks are. As I zoomed in on the gas tanks I could see they all had thick black smoke coming from them and one had caught on fire. I thought it was strange to see tall gas tanks in the city because I mostly see them in industrial areas.

Next to the gas tanks was an apartment complex that looked like it was about four or five stories high. All of the sudden, the fire that was on one of the gas tank jumped onto the apartment complex!

All of a sudden the oil tanks caught on fire and, when they did, there was an apartment complex next to them that caught on fire as well. Then the whole apartment building just collapsed. I was in utter shock.

Then out of the corner of my right eye I saw a wave of water that looked around five feet high from where I was up in the air. So it was not as tall as the buildings, but enough to cause severe damage. After that it was like a ripple effect. When I saw the water, I said, “Where did this water come from?” I wondered because I was in the city, nowhere near the beach.

Then the Holy Spirit said, “The water represents judgment. Judgment is coming to Houston and it will be destroyed, desolate, and uninhabitable.”

Again I was stunned! Houston was being destroyed! I got scared because people were screaming and there was nothing anyone could do because it was happening so fast.

I closed my eyes and said, “Yahshua!”

I think the wave of water is what did it for me. Then the water retracted, but then it came back again with force and strong winds. The water was destroying everything in sight. Cars were being flipped over and everything was catching on fire.

When the winds came it moved me in the air and that was when I began to panic because until then I thought I was only seeing a vision. I began to hear people screaming and I suddenly realized none of us were not going to make it. So I began to think, “Oh no!” And I started yelling, “I Repent, I Repent.”

I closed my eyes and said Yahshua several times, then I finally came out of the vision. I opened my eyes and I was in my room, shocked at how real everything was I had just seen and so relieved I didn’t wake up in hell. I was made to understand that if you are in Houston on that day you will not survive. The sky was clear, so nobody was expecting it.

When I came out of the vision, I said to the Lord, “I don’t live in Houston, I live in the Woodlands.”

He said, “Where you are, you are not safe.”

So I prayed and asked Him, “What are my instructions?”

After that prayer, I went to sleep for real. I was so tired, I didn’t dream of anything, but when I woke up, I heard God say to me, “Tell them to seek me and I will tell them where to go for safety. Tell the church three things they need to do.”

This is from the Lord and the instructions that came after the vision.

1. Take your secret sins to God so He can help. He wants to reveal things to people because He has instructions, which are different for each of us.
2. Stock up on food and supplies, but not in Houston. Go where He directs you to go. Stocking up food in Houston won’t help.
3. Make sure all documents are laminated.

I was not given a time frame for when this event will take place. The devastation was so terrible, it will definitely affect the surrounding areas of Houston.

I shared this vision with my sister in Christ, Mena Lee Grebin. I asked her what was wrong with Houston Texas. I didn’t really see anything significant about Houston that would make Yahshua destroy it. She said Texas had allowed a lot of sin to come in on its’ soil. She referenced former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, a homosexual, but I didn’t think that would make Yahshua destroy a place and make it uninhabitable.

So then I decided I didn’t care what the reason was. What I saw was so scary, I don’t want to be here when it happens. So I started praying about when I needed to be out of Houston. So I was like, I’m just gonna fast and pray because this is serious and I may not have much time. So the next day, I thought about it and I was like, well I guess since I have been given this vision, which is amazing since I haven’t been praying like I should, maybe I should find out why Yahshua is destroying Houston.

I wanted to be responsible with these visions. So I went on YouTube and typed in Satanic worship. I didn’t know what to look for because I’m like I don’t know what’s unique about this place. As I was searching, the Holy Spirit said, “Abortion.”

I was like abortion… okay? So I’m like, what’s unique about abortions. They are everywhere, in every city. So I looked up Planned Parenthood in Houston. I was like, maybe Houston has the biggest one…IDK. Then I came across this article from Life News. The Holy Spirit said, “Look at the date.”

I’m like, “Ohhhhhhh snap. May 24th! Thats the day I had the vision.”

Then He said, “Read the article.”

I just kind of skimmed through it, but when I got to the part of “selling body parts of aborted babies” the Holy Spirit said, “That is why judgment is coming!”

I was stunned! He said, “It is part of it.”

He wanted me to know that part. I was so shocked, but also thankful that He had given me a reason and to learn Houston has been heavily involved in this demoic murderous act.

Then he said, “I don’t do anything unless I reveal it to My prophets first.”

I joked and said, “God, am I a prophet?”

LOL, I thought we were just talking! LOL… so that’s what the Holy Spirit told me. I got this explanation on May 25th, the day after the vision.

Thanks and God bless.

Source

______

People of The West Should Humble Themselves & Repent or Else be Destroyed

KEEP YOUR FINGERS AWAY FROM ETHIOPIA and HER PEOPLE

ITALY WILL BE NEXT

Two weeks ago, I felt something unusual when I read the story on the tragedy in which 11 people were killed by a falling tree during a religious festival on the portugese island of Madeira. Local reports said the 200-year-old oak tree had come crashing down on the crowd outside a church on the hills of the village of Monte, overlooking the capital of Funchal. Children were among the victims who were struck in an area where candles were being sold for the Festa da Senhora do Monte festival. The Festa da Senhora do Monte festival brings thousands of visitors from across the world to the island of Madeira and marks the Assumption, or entry into heaven of the Virgin Mary. Madeira in portuguese = Wood.

The hurricane struck between Corpus Christi, which is Latin for “The Body of Christ”, and Victoria, which is Latin for “Victory”. Harvey means “Blazing Iron”. Citizens of Corpus were told to evacuate and many heeded the warning (the Body of Christ was evacuated). In Revelation 12:5 we discover that the victorious Body of Christ will rule the nations with a rod of iron (see also Rev. 2:26-27) after evacuating earth to a place of safety as a ferocious dragon tries unsuccessfully to devour them (see here, here, and here)

What is interesting is that the hurricane comes from the golf of Mexico, stays in between Corpus Christi and Victoria (snatching up Christians, just thinking here:)) and goes back to the Golf where it almost disappears (‘dropping off’) comes back to the land and vanishes and continues it’s work with the left behind. The Lord is unique and amazing.

First The Eclipse, Now The Hurricane

This past Monday, August 21, 2017, God Almighty sent a sign of Biblical proportions as a warning to what history has dubbed “The Greatest Nation on Earth”.

Historically, solar eclipses are a sign of doom to the Gentile nations. We now know that the very same sign- a solar eclipse- was sent to the people of Nineveh to warn them- REPENT! Or be destroyed! The people of Nineveh heeded the warning- they were remorseful for their wicked ways. As a nation, the people of Nineveh repented of their wickedness. Because of their repentant hearts, God showed the people of Nineveh His Mercy and they were spared from destruction.

Monday’s eclipse was a warning to the people of America- REPENT! Or be destroyed! Unlike the people of Nineveh, who fasted to show their remorse, America chose to do the exact opposite- eat, drink, and be merry! All across the nation, many of the towns and regions along the path of totality threw viewing parties, organized “epic” festivals, and hosted a wide range of other public events and activities in celebration, from live entertainment, various exhibits, food vendors, and memorabilia vendors hawking their celebratory wares to a very unsuspecting public.

As usual, there are the mockers. While it is expected that the world will mock the God of heaven and earth, it is somewhat of a shock to realize that the majority of the body of Christ have no idea that the eclipse is a warning from God and a call to repentance. Even more disheartening is how the church, which is called to be salt and light to this depraved world, largely scoffs at the warning God has sent to this nation. Sadly, in many churches today, the heart of the Gospel message has shifted from sin and redemption to social justice. Second Peter 3 speaks very clearly of this, warning that it will be BELIEVERS who scoff at the notion that Jesus will soon be returning, choosing instead to “follow their own evil desires”. The overall mood in the church today is “come, Lord Jesus, but not too soon!” Others are mocking all aspects of Bible prophecy. Sadly, the disturbing truth is that the “blessed hope” of the Rapture has become the “blasted hope”.

Now that the eclipse is gone and all but forgotten, the parties are over, and America is back to business as usual. In what has now become the “new normal” in this upside down world we live in, evil is called good, and good is called evil. Just two days after the eclipse, the Washington Post published an article blaming Christians for all the woes in the country, all the while defending and cheering satan, claiming satan is the champion of ‘modern culture, science and secular values’.

This is the epitome of Isaiah 5:20: “How terrible it will be for those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute what is bitter for what is sweet and what is sweet for what is bitter!” How terrible it is for this country, for she brings judgment upon herself!

We know that God is not willing that ANY should perish, so, just as any good Father would do, He is warning His children. In His Grace, Mercy, and undying Love, He is pleading with humanity to stop all the foolishness. Things have gone on long enough, and His Mercy is nearing its end. Judgment is coming, and it’s coming swiftly and fiercely. While the nation as a whole is destined to receive judgment, 1 Peter 4 tells us that judgment begins in the house of God.

Unless you are living under a rock, you are probably aware that there is a massive hurricane hitting the southern coast of Texas. Do you realize that this hurricane appeared out of nowhere? With headlines declaring: “Hurricane Harvey Is Something We’ve Never Seen Before”… ‘You will remember this storm for the rest of your life’ , the real story begins: with 40 inches of rain pouring down, bringing catastrophic flooding to Southeast Texas, it’s an eerie reminder of “the days of Noah” when God judged the wickedness with floodwaters. While we know that God has promised never to completely destroy the earth again by flood, this historic storm has the potential to cause widespread destruction that would challenge citizens and emergency managers to the maximum degree. Sadly, there are still those who chose to stay and celebrate with “Hurricane Parties“… eating, drinking, and merrily watching the storm rather than using common sense and seeking higher ground. Isaiah 5:21 warns: “How terrible it will be for those who are wise in their own opinion, and clever in their own reckoning!”

God sent an eclipse to warn America, but she has not heeded His warning, so, just “as in the days of Noah”, He is sending a flood. He is starting with His house, warning the body of Christ to become battle worthy warriors, but she is captivated and ensnared in the toils of her love for wickedness, substituting darkness for light. The truth is, since no one is heeding His warning with the eclipse, His hand of judgment is now upon this nation, and His judgment has started in the body of Christ- Corpus Christi, Texas. Hurricane Harvey is striking at virtually the center of the nation, where the most church congregations in the US are located, and where the most megachurches in this country are found, which, just like the church of Ephesus, have forsaken their First Love- Jesus Christ. Body of Christ, “Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” Just “as in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

Will this judgment be enough to wake up the body of Christ? Or will He have to pour out more judgments upon our land?

“… many are invited, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:14

Source

— Stealing The Rainbow Posted by addisethiopia on August 4, 2013

______

Christian Orthodox Leader Calls on Erdogan to Repent and Convert from Islam or Find Himself in Hell with Mohammad

Greek Orthodox Bishop, Metropolit Seraphim of Piraeus caused a controversy this week when he wrote Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and urged him to convert to Christianity.

Seraphim told Erdogan to make Vladimir Putin his godfather in a 37 page letter.

He warned Erdogan he may find himself in hell with Mohammad.

Neoskosmos reported:

Greek Orthodox Bishop, Metropolit Seraphim of Piraeus has caused controversy by urging Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to convert to Orthodoxy with Russian President Vladimir Putin as his godfather. And no, it’s not a joke.

In a 37-page letter to Erdogan written in Greek, Metropolit Seraphim asks the Turkish leader to denounce his Islamic faith and be baptised in the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

“If you want to save yourself and your family you should convert to Greek Orthodox Church, the only real faith,” Seraphim writes, reports Keep Talking Greece.

“We propose and we advise you to come to the arms of the Greek Orthodox Church before the end of your life on earth.

“Otherwise, you will unfortunately find yourself, your family and your people in the same place where Allah, Muhammad and his followers are, ie. in the place of suffering, eternal and unending hell.”

He calls on Erdogan to “repent, cry, be humble and believe in Christ,” and claims that “the Holy Trinity of God will open the arms for you”.

Selected Comments:

Now that’s how priests used to talk.

Orthodox Christians are typically bold, which is why Muslims hate them so much

Onward Christian soldiers! At last, we’ve found a fearless leader of the faith!

Wish the Pope was half as good as this Bishop.

I could never imagine Pope Francis Obama speaking this way. He would rather be loved by his fellow man than deliver the word of God.

This Guy Is A Boss.

I like this guy. You can tell he is strong in his belief of eternal life and that he thinks much less of his temporal life. God bless him.

Refreshing! We need more Christian leaders like him to speak up and speak out.

This is what a real Christian leader looks like. Not these silly “interfaith dialogues” you see today. The “Pope” should take notice.

What role do we have in this world other than the Great Commission?

Notice how we do our convert or suffer work? We send letters of truth and wisdom. We don’t go in raping and killing to force submission.

How ironic that picture is, none so blind as he who will not see. I just trust in the Bible and the gospel of Christ. Did he not say, there would be those who would come AFTER Him, flee from them , for they are FALSE prophets!!??

Source

— Turkey’s President Erdogan Drops Plan To Pray At Hagia Sophia?

___

WATCH! 3 Minutes of Clinton Arrogance vs. 3 Minutes of President Park’s Humbleness

Hillary finds herself in a scandal that looks almost identical to South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s. 

Mixing politics with business: Killary has proven completely arrogant and insane, and she is more tainted in every thing than President Park.

While, tearful South Korean president says scandal of friend’s influence is ‘all my fault’, Hillary continues blaming others for her dirty laundries.

The question is: Will Hillary behave in such a diminutive and repentant manner — like the current South Korean President — for the first 100 days of a possible Hillary Clinton administration ?

__

Prophet Jonah: Three Thousand Years Later The Story Still Significant

The Fast of Nineveh (Jonah’s Fast)

In the Name of The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit, One God Amen.

My Note: When I read this timeless and great story about Prophet Jonah, I think of those 12 Christians who were thrown in the Mediterranean sea by Muslims overboard last year – killing them – because they were Christians.

As many are aware by now Jonas/Jonah was the prophet that delivered the message of coming judgment to the capitol city of the Assyrians—Nineveh.

Three thousand years later, if we compare Jonah’s Mariners who were commanded by Jonah to throw him into the sea to the Muslims on that boat we would be able to see two totally opposite groups of people: the gentile Mariners – though they believed in other gods – they were humble enough to seek The Lord. They asked Jonah to pray to his God so that they may not perish, and they believed Jonah when he said “I am a servant of the Lord, and I worship the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land” Yet, the Muslims on the boat first told the Christians to stop praying to their God, and then mercilessly killed them so that they could reach alone the shores of ‘Christian’ Europe without the hated Christians. Like Jonah’s Mariners the Muslims too believe in a different god from The Judeo-Christian God, but, unlike the Mariners, their stubbornness doesn’t allow them to seek The True God – on the contrary, they’re unrepentant, willing to fight, kill and die for their god, aka Satan. We know that by their fruits, everywhere their actions speak for themselves. Look what they have done to the Jews and Christians of Nineveh (now called Mosul) – where have all they gone? You think God will be silent forever when His children are raped and murdered in their ancestral homelands?

Let’s think for a minute, here we are all in a boat together, but we find out that there is a band of people in our boat which seeks to throw the rest of us overboard, to kill us, to sink and drown us, to eliminate us, because we are different from them. The Muslim attack on Christians in a migrant boat crossing the Mediterranean is a powerful sign of our times, a dark symbol and metaphor for a future which is rapidly beginning to come into focus: The fate of the murdered Christian migrants is the image of our future, unless we too come together in prayers and fasting to resist our evil attackers.

I would like to ask my readers to join me and those Mediterranean Martyrs Monday – Wednesday in a fast for the persecuted Christians (February 22^nd – February 24^th)

It should also be noted that the brunt of the winter storm/blizzard which was named, “Jonah” hit America’s capital – Washington D.C, – exactly a month ago, on 1/22/16.

America, be wary and leery of Bernie & Hillary!

The Story of Jonah

Jonah was a prophet of the Lord, a man of God. We know about Jonah that He was the son of Amittai, and from Gath-Hepher (2Kings 14:25). Scholars tell us that Jonah, is also the son of the widow of Zarrapeth whom Elijah raised from dead (1Kings 17) Jonah followed Elijah, served him and received the grace of prophesying.

In the Book of Jonah, we read that the Word of the Lord came to Jonah, son of Ammttai saying “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness (Jonah 1:1-2). Jonah is not heed the word of the Lord, and instead desires to flee the presence of the Lord and decided to take a boat to Tarshish instead. Seeking to escape the Lord, Jonah enters the lowest parts of the boat and goes to sleep, as the winds and the sea rage against the boat and all those who are in it. The mariners on the boat begin to pray to their gods and find Jonah sleeping. They wake him; ask him to pray to his God, that He may save them. The Lord reveals to them that Jonah is in fact the reason why the winds and the seas rage. With this revelation, Jonah commands the men to throw him into the sea. Against their best efforts to save Jonah, the men finally agree and throw Jonah overboard. The winds and seas calm immediately, the men believe in the One True God, and the Lord prepares a whale to swallow Jonah. Jonah spends 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the whale

In the belly of the whale, we are with Jonah as He offers up a prayer of petition, repentance, thanksgiving and praise. Jonah completes his 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the whale, and the Lord commands the whale to release Jonah back onto the shore.

The word of the Lord then comes to Jonah again, as it did the 1st time, with the same command. This time Jonah obeys. He journeys to Nineveh, a 3 day journey from where he stood, in less than a day and delivers the message to the people “yet three days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” (3:4) The men of Nineveh believed, proclaimed a fast and repented before the Lord. The Lord accepted their repentance and saved the people of Nineveh, much to the displeasure of Jonah.

In the last chapter, Jonah expresses his displeasure with God for saving the people of Nineveh. God reveals His compassion for all people and His desire to save His entire creation by utilizing nature (A tree, a worm, the sun, and wind), to expose Jonah’s anger. The book of Jonah ends as we read God say “You have had pity, on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow which came up in a night and perished in a night. And shall I, Myself not take pity upon Nineveh, that great city, in which dwell one hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know either their right hand or their left –and many livestock?”

How the Coptic Church started fasting the Fast of Jonah

The fast of Jonah (fast of Nineveh) actually began in the Syrian Orthodox Church. In the 6th century, a plague inflicted the Northern regions of modern day Iraq or what was called at the time, Nineveh. The plague was devastating the city and the villages surrounding it, and out of desperation the people ran to their bishop to find a solution. The bishop sought help through the scriptures and came upon the story of Jonah in the Old Testament. Upon looking at the story the bishop therefore ordered a 3-day fast to ask for God’s forgiveness. At the end of the 3-day fast, the plague had miraculously stopped, therefore, on the 4th day the people rejoiced.

In the 9th century, Pope Abraam, the 62nd Pope of Alexandria, one of three Syria popes in the history of the Coptic church, agreed for the Coptic Church to participate in the fast of Nineveh, if the Syria Church would participate in the fast the Week of Hercules (the week before lent.) The Copts agreed due to the piety of this great Pope. (It is also of note that Pope Abraam was on the Patriarchal Seat during the time of the Miracle of the Muqatam Mountain, in which the church fasted three days to be spared from annihilation, if they could not move the mountain. The Lord accepted the fast of the people, the mountains were moved with their prayers, and the people of Egypt were spared.) It was agreed that the Copts would observe this three-day fast fifteen days prior to the Great Lent following the strict dietary rules of the Great Lent.

Contemplations on the Book of Jonah

The Book of Jonah has a message of Salvation.

1) God sends Jonah to the people of Nineveh. The People were Gentiles, thus showing God’s desire to save all mankind.

“When you see the only begotten Word of God was due to be made manifest to human beings in his human nature and to enlighten all the nations with the light of the knowledge of God, even before His own incarnation, He gives the nations a glimpse of His divine care so as to confirm what would happen from what went on before, to teach everyone that He is God not only of Jews but also of nations, and to bring our the relationship of the Old and New Testament.” – Theodoret of Cyr

2) God uses Jonah to save the mariners on the boat. These men were also Gentiles, but we can see that they were men seeking the Lord:

a. They prayed to their gods before taking any actions (1:5)
b. They asked Jonah to pray to his God so that they may not perish (1:6)
c. They believed Jonah when he said “I am a servant of the Lord, and I worship the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land” (1:9-10)
d. They desired to save Jonah’s life by rowing harder, even after he told them to throw him in the sea (1:13)
e. They prayed for forgiveness from the true God (1:14)
f. They feared the Lord and offered Him sacrifices (1:16)

“They were endeavoring to find God’s will in order that they might carry it out. When the sea ceased its raging by their throwing Jonah into it they were assured of the presence of God in the matter. They believed in the Lord, offered Him a sacrifice and made vows. In their belief in the Lord they not only believed that He was God but by offering Him a sacrifice they professed their belief in the propitiation of blood.” – HH Pope Shenouda III – Contemplations on the Book of Jonah the Prophet

3) God uses the whale to save Jonah

a. God prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah (1:17)
b. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights (1:17)
c. Jonah Prayed to God
d. Jonah put out on dry Land

He did not prepare it to destroy him but to preserve him. The great fish was not a punishment but a shelter. Jonah was safer and more comfortable in the belly of the whale than if he were still in the ship struggling against the waves and the sea, and against fatigue, cold and wind. This whale was sent by God to carry out the Divine will entrusted to it – HH Pope Shenouda III – Contemplations on the Book of Jonah the Prophet

For even as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth – Matthew 12:40

Since the Holy God has promised those who hope in him a means of escape from every affliction, we, even if we have been cut off in the midst of the seas of evils and are racked by mighty waves stirred up against us by the spirits of wickedness, nevertheless endure in Christ who strengthens us. – St. Basil the Great

Hence He is tempest tossed, and falls asleep, and is wrecked and aroused from sleep, and taken by lot, and confesses his flight, and is cast into the sea, and swallowed but not destroyed by the whale – Gregory of Nazianzus

That whale acted with great discipline according to an assuring predestined Divine plan. It appeared in the proper time and at the right place in order to carry Jonah in its belly. It was as though this prophet was being taken from an open ship liable to being covered and drowned by the waves, into an enclosed and protected ship invulnerable to water and waves. In due time the whale vomited Jonah onto dry land at the place, which God defined. There it left him unharmed after it had fully completed its errand. – HH Pope Shenouda III – Contemplations on the Book of Jonah the Prophet

4) God saves the people of Nineveh

a. The Lord commands Jonah again to go to Nineveh
b. Jonah prophecies the destruction of Nineveh
c. The Ninevites repent

And as Jonah was first commanded to preach to the Ninevites but his prophecy did not come to them till after the whale had vomited him out, so the prophecy made to the Gentiles did not come to them until after the resurrection – Augustine

I want you to marvel at the philanthropy of God, who was satisfied with three days of repentance for so many transgressions. – St. John Chrysostom

Nineveh freed itself from death by fasting – Ambrose

Do you see how vexed God is when fasting is treated despitefully? Learn how delighted he is when fasting is honored. Like a heavenly power overseeing Nineveh’s charge, fasting snatched the city from the gates of death and returned Nineveh to Life – St. John Chrysostom

In uncertainty the repented and obtained certain mercy – Augustine

5) God saves Jonah from his obduracy and pride

a. Jonah was still egocentric
b. Jonah enjoys the plant that God gave Him
c. Jonah laments over the plant that God takes from Him
d. God reveals his mercy and compassion through the plant

Jonah’s thinking, however, was of a more serious type. He was still thinking of his dignity and of his word, which was not carried out. It was the same thinking of old which had formerly induced him to flee from the presence of the Lord. Due to that thinking he deprived himself of the fellowship of heaven’s exultation. He separated himself from joining the hosts of angels in their joy over Nineveh’s salvation. He proved by his anger that his way of thinking was subjective and not spiritual, and proved that his will was incompatible with the will of the heavenly Father “who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). – HH Pope Shenouda III – Contemplations on the Book of Jonah the Prophet

In Nineveh, Jonah by his preaching was working with God in spreading His kingdom. And outside Nineveh, God was working for Jonah to save his soul and deliver him from his misery – HH Pope Shenouda III – Contemplations on the Book of Jonah the Prophet

Yet the salvation of the penitent nations is preferred to Jonah’s suffering and the shade that he loved. – Augustine

May the prayers of the Prophet Jonah and the blessings of this holy fast bring to our hearts, minds, and spirits the true love, mercy, long suffering nature, and compassion of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Let us do like the Ninevites, and use these three days to offer repentance from our hearts, seeking the forgiveness of our sins. Let us do like Jonah, and give thanks to the Lord who prepares our way for us through all tribulations and trials, as He prepared the belly of the whale for Jonah. Let us put ourselves before our Lord, as humble obedient and faithful servants of the One True God, seeking to hear the message that He desires to give to the world through us.

Source

__

Spiritual Crisis in The West: The Beheaders of Christians Get Asylum and Preferential Status

Do you feel the heat? It feels as though judgment is soon coming upon the earth. This next time it will not be a flood but fire. Warning signs are flashing everywhere. Alarm bells are ringing everywhere, but far too many self-professed Christians in the West are dazed or asleep.

Of course, these things have happened in the past, there is nothing new under the sun; ancient Israel repeatedly refused to obey God, to keep His commandments and statutes.

The psalmist (Psalm 78) mentions that Ephraim (meaning Israel at large) did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law, and forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them. . . . How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert! Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power. . . . Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God, and did not keep His testimonies.

The proportion that a society goes against the will of God, that is the same proportion that God withdraws His hedge of protection and blessing from that society. The more a nation or society as a whole turns its back on God, the more the presence of God withdraws. And the more the presence of God withdraws, the more room that gives to the Devil to come in and do his thing

In the past, Western nations of the cold and dark geographical regions of planet Earth got the blessing from God because their forefathers worked harder (spiritually) to find and know God. Despite natural disadvantages, despite sunlight- (the source of life) deficiency (malillumination) people in the north were able to get God’s blessing for their desire to get closer to the Almighty. After many years of lawlessness, disastrous wars and destruction, He showed them His works and wonders, gave them peace, prosperity and power. However – like the ancient Israelites – “white nations” too abused these blessings by tempting, provoking, grieving and angering Him.

In our time, before our very own eyes, the character of he West has dramatically changed. People in the West now seem to have rejected The Lord, and installed their own laws. As we observe everywhere in Europe and North America, those human laws call for the tolerance of evil and the installation of sin as part of the constitution. They anger God, thus He no longer protects them. Truly, if they do not repent immediately they will not only lose those precious things given to them, but they will be enslaved by the new-barbarians.

Today, Western nations are seeking to push God out of the public square and ignore the will of God, choosing to do things like sanction same sex ceremonies, kill babies miraculously made in their wombs, and so forth. They also are fighting hard not to let Christian refugees into their countries – they call them “illegals”, give them a bad name in order to shot them. In an African migrant they always fabricate a bogeyman, a scarecrow to frighten their brainwashed populations. Even though 90% of all the immigrants are from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Bangladesh they permanently talk about African “illegals”. Pay attention to your TV-screen and newspapers, whenever they show Africans it’s the “young, healthy & scary” male ones – yet, among the Syrians and Afghans it’s the “weak” – women and children who are often displayed. Even the Rohingya (Bangladeshi) invaders of Myanmar are portrayed as needy, innocent and persecuted, while Africans are labled as “illegal criminals” The message here is clear; create fear and antipathy towards the tiny number of “invading” Africans, but empathy and sympathy towards “victimized” Middle Easterners and Muslims. The world upside down!

According to International Organization for Migration (IOM), 86% of migrants that have died in the Mediterranean voyage have been from Sub-Saharan Africa. While Syria was the top producer of migrants in 2014.

There is a vast human tragedy unfolding along the shores of the Mediterranean. According to figures released Friday by the international Organization for Migration, an estimated 2,300 migrants have died in the Mediterranean this year. Think about it, 2,300 dead / killed! Two years ago the Mediterranean tragedy used to spark outrage, but now, either we’re conditioned by the media to accept the ongoing horror, or this tragedy is accepted, even approved and justified by the European nations.

Every sane person should honestly ask why so many human life is lost in close proximity to the ‘rich developed’ nations of Europe, across the very busy and tightly-controlled Mediterranean sea, while no death is reported concerning Asian boat people in the huge Indian ocean surrounded by “poor and underdeveloped” nations?

Helga Zepp-LaRouche commented on this situation as follows:

“I see here in one glance, in the reactions to this situation, two completely different systems, two completely different paradigms. One, is really a form of a new fascism. One really has to see the absolutely cynical manner in which the EU replaced this Mare Nostrum program, maintained by Italy alone for the past year, with a program which no longer makes the attempt to save refugees from the Mediterranean Sea, but which rather says with complete cynicism, “The more of you who drown, the more the terror for those who will then be too frightened to come.” That is really the total moral bankruptcy of this EU…. We knowingly let thousands of human beings drown, to defend Fortress Europe somehow.”

The Very Key Calais “Experiment”

Self-observation doesn’t mean self-glorification – so, I am thoroughly convinced to say that this world will be judged by the way it treats Ethiopians – as The Lord Egziabher is sending them all over the world to see how they are approached and treated. I don’t think even the Eritrean Orthodox preacher at Calais knows that he and his brothers and sisters in Christ are there on a special mission, a Godly mission. I think The Lord (the commanding unit) is working miraculously by sending those Eritrean/Ethiopian Christians to help the spiritually dying populations of Europe, perhaps to save them from themselves, to wake them up. Irrespective of their reason for migration, there could be some Angels, even Jesus amongst them. Indeed, if we would have found Jesus at teatime on a Sunday, it wouldn’t have been in a nice sleepy church, it would have been in the migrants’ camp, so that’s where the Church needs to be.

But, the Europeans don’t seem to get it, they’re blinded. Isn’t it a clear sign of spiritual corruption that they refuse to see Christians through Christian lenses and accept them accordingly? What other reason could there be for them to allow the persecutors and murderers of Christians into their countries? It’s unbelievable, the humble sheeps are out and ”left”, the stubbornly proud Goats are in and “right”. It’s like feeding a pet crocodile which will eat them when it grows up. But on the Last Judgment and end times it will be quite the opposite. [Matthew 25:31-46].

Read this mind-boggling stories:

— ISIS jihadist dubbed ‘Mrs Terror’ who wants to BEHEAD Christians lived on church aid in UK

— Muslim criminal gangs have taken control of 55 “no-go zones,” according to a report released by Swedish police

Western Blindness

Jesus said: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the

image of God.” [2 Corinthians 4:4]

There are two worlds; the visible, and the invisible. Our mortal physical eyes can only see physical reality. Every eye is limited to seeing physical things: the sun, the moon, the stars, cars, people, buildings, planes, dogs, grass, pollution, microbes, trees, books, computers. These things are all physical, and they are the only part of reality accessible to our eyes. On the other hand, our eyeballs are completely useless when it comes to perceiving spiritual reality. The spiritual side of life is just as real as the physical side; we just can’t see it. Please don’t make the mistake of thinking that the spiritual is less real. Many are mistaken, it is not. It is just as real, only we can’t see it. But it’s there and as real as eyeballs in our head. In fact, the spiritual world is infinitely more wonderful and beautiful than the physical.

Our spiritual eyes are even more valuable. We must use them if we want to live a life that finds its satisfaction in God. Every human being has spiritual eyes. God gave them to us so that we could apprehend the spiritual realities of life. Sadly, those who have not trusted Christ are completely blind spiritually. With their mortal eyes, they are not capable of distinguishing between The Holy Eyes and evil eyes. Many in the West see things 2dimensional – black and white, often unable to look beyond skin color, and tempted to look upon God’s creation. To look upon God is to die. It is to have the full glory of God exposed upon us, and if we are not united with Him, then we will die fully. So God keeps Himself hidden for a time, giving us a chance of repentance.

“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing, among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God” [ 2 Corinthians 4:3-4]

History repeats itself when others fail to learn from it

When Western nations decided to kick God out of their country, look what came swarming in: the Islamic plague, aka Muslim grasshoppers. Every rational person should also honestly ask why big and rich Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia do not accept Muslim refugees who share their culture, language and faith?

Seldom, but I find the thoughts of Martin Luther, the father of Protestantism on Islam interesting. As early as 1518, Martin Luther had identified the Islamic faith as the “scourge of God.” For the rest of his life Luther believed that the Muslims were God’s punishment upon a sinful Christendom who had, among other sins (ingratitude, toleration of wicked sects, worship of the god Mammon, drunkenness, greed, and the split of Christendom which had provoked His wrath)

How ironic — it looks a though, the West is now reaping what its Protestantism has sown in the spiritual world and is becoming a haunt for demonic activity. The Muslims have become a scourge in the hand of God to plague Europe. What I am talking about is called an invasion. What usually follows, is war – and everywhere it already has started to burn.

For God raises up cruel nations to punish sin as Isaiah states. Those Christians who have become martyrs for His kingdom will reign forever in His presence – His Home, for you all know that everyone dies. It is not a matter of if, but rather when and how. Therefore those who ignore the One who has reign and absolute sovereignty over eternity do so to their own peril. Those who suffer now will be vindicated in not having put their comfort ahead of His Truth.

The below stories perfectly illustrate how wicked, self-contracting and self-destructive Western nations have become. Please pay attention the many wicked and ignorant comments. Look at how “light-skinned” Syrian and Iraqi Christian migrants are welcomed by the populations of the West, and by the governments of the East, while “dark-skinned” Eritrean and Ethiopian Christians are mocked, despised and rejected. These blind and wicked folks who prefer a light-skinned Muslim to a dark-skinned Christian think that Jesus Christ would come in white skin.

— Is this what we pay our licence for?’ Fury as BBC Airs Songs of Praise in Calais‘

The priest in charge of the makeshift church at the heart of Calais’s migrant camp has refused to appear in a controversial episode of the BBC’s Songs of Praise because he fears it will endanger his family in Africa.

His remarks could put the episode in jeopardy after he disclosed that he and his flock do not want their faces on television in case the governments from which they have fled recognize them.

The BBC’s decision to film Songs of Praise inside the church has led to complaints, with one MP accusing the broadcaster of turning the migrant crisis into a political issue.

Speaking through a translator, Hagos Kesete, 31, from Eritrea, said: “People have a problem. They don’t want cameras. If our government sees us on camera, maybe our family will have a problem. I have so many reasons I cannot say. I have fear inside. I am not happy to speak on video,” he added.

“The BBC has not asked me. I won’t appear on video.”

A BBC cameraman and three other employees were seen walking around the camp Sunday afternoon.

Mr Kesete’s congregation is mainly composed of migrants from Eritrea and Ethiopia.

Yesterday, around a hundred migrants were seen pouring into the church, built from canvas and sheets of corrugated iron, removing their shoes before they entered.

Mr Kesete, who says he trained as a priest for four years in his home country, led the service.

A new generator was providing electricity for a music system and a pair of makeshift lights that hung from the church’s rafters. Worshipers said they had received £150 in donations from activists to buy the generator.

Inside, men and woman stood on opposite sides as they were led in hymns and prayers by two priests, of which Mr Kesete is said to be the most senior.

They prayed in front of images of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary that were attached to the church’s canvas walls with masking tape during the three-hour service, which is held every Sunday in the camp.

The building is part of “Jungle Camp,” a rapidly growing encampment of around 5,000 migrants who are desperately trying to cross the Calais border. Mr Kesete claims he has tried to cross the borders to Britain every day since his arrival at the camp around one month ago. Speaking to reporters outside the church last week, he said: “’It is very dangerous but we still try, even if it is difficult.’

A lay preacher who helped to build the church, and who gave his name as Solomon Grama, told The Daily Telegraph it was named after St Michael because he is a guardian angel who is “there to protect us all”.

The 39-year-old Ethiopian said: “Our church is designed for all those who want to thank God for their lives and to pray for the future.”

“I left my country because of political problems more than a year ago but never lost faith.”

After the service the priests gathered at a small table laden with two modest baskets of baguettes.

After breaking it up into very small chunks they passed around the baskets, received by a crowd which had swelled with curious passers-by – and the hungry – since the service began.

A priest whose church in a Calais migrant camp is set to feature in Songs of Praise plans to boycott the BBC’s production over fears that filming could endanger his family’s life.

Source

— About 70 worshippers gathered yesterday to sing Ethiopian psalms and prayers during a three-hour ceremony at the church.

Some of the negative, ignorant and hateful comments to this report:

“Just bulldoze these camps and end this nonsense”

“How about you just stay away from the UK . You are not welcome here. And take your flock with you!”

“Is it really Christian to abandon your family and flee?”

— Slovakia will take in 200 Syrian refugees, but they have to be Christian

Positive comments on the same Daily Mail:

“Good for Slovakia, showing some common sense. How many refugees has Saudi Arabia, or Iran taken in?”

“Considering that the Christians are the ones being persecuted, they are completely correct. Christians are not here for the economy, they are genuinely fleeing for their lives.”

“Good for them. Well done Slovakia. They must be learning from our mistakes in Western Europe.”

— Iraqi Christians held for months by ICE after crossing Mexican border in asylum bid

Some of the more sympathetic comments posted to this story:

“I will happily drive down and pick them up. Just a few hours drive. Not kidding. Would be happy to provide for them until they get on their feet. Hope they release them. Unbelievable that the US is treating them like this.”

“The government been letting in all these muslims from Syria & Iraq but ICE detains Iraqi Christians”

“Under our law and international law, these people are classified as “true” refugees, which invoke additional laws”

Sweden to Reward Returning ISIS Jihadists

The Swedish capital of Stockholm has released its new policy document for dealing with ISIS fighters returning to the city after having had their fill of rape and beheadings of civilians. At first blush it seems strange that such a document would be all of 9 pages.

I mean, “Shoot!” should only take up one page, even with a large font.

Oh well, let’s see how Stockholm intends to handle terrorist-trained and combat-hardened fanatics.

The city of Stockholm will make it a priority to provide the returning ISIS fighters with housing, free health care (physical and mental) and full financial support, until they have received earmarked jobs. All this of course fast-tracked past the line of law-abiding immigrants and indigenous Swedes.

Source

— Wow: Muslim beheads shopper in IKEA store; look what IKEA is doing in response

— Muslim criminal gangs have taken control of 55 “no-go zones,” according to a report released by Swedish police

— Sweden slammed for denying visa to murdered Bangladeshi blogger

__

PM David Repenting Like King David?

 

At an Easter reception for Christian leaders at Downing Street, Mr Cameron said he finds his “moments of greatest peace” at Eucharist services at his children’s church.

 

He went further in an article below, in which he said Britain should be unashamedly “evangelical” about its Christian faith and give churches a greater role in society.

 

“I believe we should be more confident about our status as a Christian country,” he said.

 

He said he had experienced the “healing power” of religion in his own life and insisted that Christianity could transform the “spiritual, physical, and moral” state of Britain and even the world.

 

“Christianity could transform the “spiritual, physical, and moral” state of Britain and even the world.”

 

Mr. Cameron seems to have done something right by upsetting these ‘public’ figures (AKA – homosexual militants, champagne socialist’s, Marxists, weirdo academics, Greens) they collectively accused the PM of sectarianism and division in a letter to The Telegraph last Monday.

 

These militant atheists should be grateful and thank God that they live in a Christian country. If the authors of the letter had tried writing it in Saudi Arabia, Iran or Pakistan, they would’ve quickly learned the benefits of living in a merciful, compassionate and tolerant Christian society.

 

Cynics might call Cameron, blatant hypocrite, after he officially endorsed the introduction of the so-called gay “marriage”, and expressed his willingness to promote it globally. How dare he call himself a Christian or even speak of the moral state of Britain when he passionate in saying, “I want London to stand alongside Dubai and Kuala Lumpur as one of the great capitals of Islamic finance anywhere in the world.” ?

 

Is the PM only making leap-service like Prince Charles? The Prince of Wales made last December the following statement, “I have for some time now been deeply troubled by the growing difficulties faced by Christian communities in various parts of the Middle East,” and, a month later continued prancing about in “Laurence of Arabia” garb as a charitable advocate for the Christian-persecutor Arabs when he performed a sword dance in Saudi Arabia.

 

After noticing his, mostly, anti-Christian actions in the past couple of years it is very difficult to understand why Prime Minister David Cameron is now saying what he is saying. His pushing for the re-definition of marriage has seemed to undermine the Christian cultural heritage of the UK, his administration and the militant “intellectual” atheist gangs are using the Islamic plague to exterminate the Jedeo-Christian identity of Britain, beyond repair. When we read the official report that in the Christian land of Britain, State schools isolate non-Muslims, we learn that it’s dangerous keeping this sort of people close, because it’s like keeping a crocodile as a pet and feeding it till it’s big enough to kill and devour you

 

I believe, a truly Christian society can forgive and give him the chance to correct his mistakes through acknowledgment and repentance. I don’t dare to compare PM David Cameron with our dearest Biblical King David. But it’s possible to draw some parallels in the lives of PM David Cameron and King David. I think, Mr. Cameron made many mistakes since he came to power four years ago. I also think that the elected PM is probably waking up because something tragic happened in his private life these past five years that might have forced him to go on a soul-searching mission like the anointed King David of Israel. There is something especially tragic about the death of a child. First, the PM lost his six-year-old son back in 2009, a year later, he mourned the sudden death of his father.

 

After becoming King of Israel, things were going very well for David, perhaps too well. He seemed to have the Midas touch — everything he touched turned to gold. God had given him success in all he undertook. Like Israel of old, David appears to momentarily forget that his success was the result of God’s grace, and not a tribute to his efforts alone.

 

David becomes more and more arrogant. This is most evident in 2 Samuel 11. Israel is at war with the Ammonites, and in the Spring (the time that kings go to war), David sends his army to besiege Rabbah, the capital city of the Ammonites, where the last of the Ammonite opposition has sought refuge. David does not go to battle with his soldiers, but stays at home in Jerusalem, indulging himself in the good life while his soldiers camp in an open field. David gets up from his bed about the time his soldiers (and others) usually go to bed. As he is strolling on the roof of his palace, David happens to see something that was not meant to be seen — a young woman cleansing herself, most likely a ceremonial cleansing ceremony done in keeping with the law. The woman is beautiful, and David decides that he wants her. He sends messengers to find out who she is. Their answer — that she was Bathsheba (House of Sheba), the Ethiopian, wife of Uriah the Hittite — should have ended the matter, but David had no intention of being deprived of anything he wanted. He sent for the woman and lay with her.

 

For David, it was all over after that one night of self-indulgence. He did not want another wife; he did not even appear to want an affair, just a night of pleasure. But God had other plans. Bathsheba conceived and eventually sent word to David that she was pregnant. When David’s efforts to deceive Uriah (and the people) into thinking Uriah had fathered this child, he had Uriah killed in battle with the help of Joab. After she had mourned for her husband, David brought Bathsheba into his home, taking her as his wife. Now at last, David hoped, it was over.

 

This thing which David had done displeased God, however, and God would give David no rest or peace until he had come to see his sin for what it was and repented of it. After some period of distress (Psalm 32:3-4), God sent Nathan to David with a story, a story which deeply upset David. David was furious. He insisted that the rich man who stole the poor man’s pet lamb deserved to die! Nathan then stopped David in his tracks with the words, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7). As David heard Nathan’s recital of his sin, he broke, declaring to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13).

 

Nathan’s response to David’s confession was both comforting and disturbing. Although he deserved to die for his sins, David would not die because God had taken away his sin (12:13). What a relief these words must have been. But what followed would pierce David through: the son his sin had produced would die. It is David’s response to the death of this son that will be the focus of our lesson.

 

This is the first of a number of painful events David will experience as a result of his sin regarding Uriah and Bathsheba. In our text, David will suffer the loss of the child conceived through the sinful union of David and Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. Next, David’s daughter will be raped by one of his sons. In retaliation for Amnon’s sin, Absalom murders him. Later, David’s son, Absalom, will rebel against his father and temporarily take over the throne. In the process, he will sleep with some of David’s concubines, before all Israel, and on the roof of the palace from which David first looked upon Bathsheba. All of these things are directly or indirectly the consequences of David’s sin with Bathsheba.

 

The tragic death of David’s son is a consequence of David’s sin, but it is not the penalty David deserves for his sin. The penalty for adultery and murder is death, on each count. David deserves to die, on two counts: adultery and murder. But Nathan has made it very clear that David’s sin has been “taken away.” The death of this child is a painful consequence of David’s sin, but it is not punishment for his sin, per se. That punishment has been taken away, borne by the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

My faith in the Church of England

 

British Premier, David Cameron expresses his pride in its openness, beauty, social action, and pastoral care

 

LAST week I held my fourth annual Easter reception in Downing Street. Not for the first time, my comments about my faith and the importance of Christianity in our country were widely reported.

 

Some people feel that in this ever more secular age we shouldn’t talk about these things. I completely disagree. I believe we should be more confident about our status as a Christian country, more ambitious about expanding the role of faith-based organisations, and, frankly, more evangelical about a faith that compels us to get out there and make a difference to people’s lives.

 

First, being more confident about our status as a Christian country does not somehow involve doing down other faiths or passing judgement on those with no faith at all. Many people tell me it is easier to be Jewish or Muslim in Britain than in a secular country precisely because the tolerance that Christianity demands of our society provides greater space for other religious faiths, too.

 

Crucially, the Christian values of responsibility, hard work, charity, compassion, humility, and love are shared by people of every faith and none – and we should be confident in standing up to defend them.

 

People who, instead, advocate some sort of secular neutrality fail to grasp the consequences of that neutrality, or the role that faith can play in helping people to have a moral code. Of course, faith is neither necessary nor sufficient for morality.

 

Many atheists and agnostics live by a moral code – and there are Christians who don’t. But for people who do have a faith, that faith can be a guide or a helpful prod in the right direction – and, whether inspired by faith or not, that direction or moral code matters.

 

SECOND, as Christians we know how powerful faith can be in the toughest of times. I have known this in my own life. From giving great counsel to being the driving force behind some of the most inspiring social-action projects in our country, our faith-based organisations play a fundamental role in our society. So, in being confident about our Christianity, we should also be ambitious in supporting faith-based organisations to do even more.

 

That is why we are not just investing £20 million in repairing our great cathedrals, but also giving £8 million to the Near Neighbours programme, which brings faith communities together in supporting local projects. I welcome the efforts of all those who help to feed, clothe, and house the poorest in our society. For generations, much of this work has been done by Christians, and I am proud to support the continuation of this great philanthropic heritage in our society today.

 

THIRD, greater confidence in our Christianity can also inspire a stronger belief that we can get out there and actually change people’s lives, and improve both the spiritual, physical, and moral state of our country, and even the world.

 

I am a member of the Church of England, and, I suspect, a rather classic one: not that regular in attendance, and a bit vague on some of the more difficult parts of the faith.

 

But that doesn’t mean the Church of England doesn’t matter to me or people like me: it really does. I like its openness, I deeply respect its national role, and I appreciate its liturgy, and the architecture and cultural heritage of its churches. My parents spent countless hours helping to support and maintain the village church that I grew up next to, and my Oxfordshire constituency has churches – including some medieval masterpieces – that take your breath away with their beauty, simplicity, and serenity. They are a vital part of Britain’s living history.

 

I have felt at first hand the healing power of the Church’s pastoral care, and my children benefit from the work of a superb team in an excellent Church of England school.

 

Some fault the Church of England for perceived woolliness when it comes to belief. I am not one for doctrinal purity, and I don’t believe it is essential for evangelism about the Church’s role in our society or its importance. It is important – and, as I have said, I would like it to do more, not less, in terms of action to improve our society and the education of our children.

 

THE fact that, at a time of great economic difficulty, the UK has met the 0.7 per-cent target of Gross National Income on aid should be a source of national pride. Other countries have dropped that target, or failed to meet it. But every few seconds a child is being vaccinated against a disease because of the decision we have made in this country to keep our promises to the poorest people in the world.

 

The same is true of our Bill to outlaw the despicable practice of modern slavery. It is happening because we are actively working to bring all the legislation together, to toughen the penalties, and drive out this scourge that is still all too present in our world.

 

Some issues such as welfare are more controversial. I sometimes feel not enough is made of our efforts to tackle poverty. Of course, we have been through some tough economic times in turning our country around over the past few years. But it is through the dignity of work, the reforms to welfare that make work pay, and our efforts to deliver the best schools and skills for young people, that our long-term economic plan can best help people to a more secure future. And that is why today there are 1.6 million new private-sector jobs, unemployment is at its lowest level in half a decade, and there are more than 500,000 fewer people on out-of-work benefits.

 

So, I hope that, even when people disagree with specific policies, they can share in the belief of trying to lift people up rather than count people out. I welcome the debate with church leaders and faith communities about some of these issues, because in the end I think we all believe in many of the same principles. Whether it is the support people want to give their families, or the determination not to write anyone off, I believe these values and ideals are really important to all of us.

 

As politicians, I hope we can draw on these values to infuse politics with a greater sense of evangelism about some of the things we are trying to change. We see our churches as vital partners. If we pull together, we can change the world and make it a better place. That to me is what a lot of the Christian message is about – and it is a confidence in our Christianity that we can all reflect on this Easter.

 

Source

 

Would Human Life be Sacred in an Atheist World?

 

What was your reaction recently when it emerged that thousands of unborn foetuses had been burnt by NHS trusts? And that some had been put into ‘waste-to-energy’ incinerators and so used to heat hospitals?

 

Revulsion, I would imagine. But why? I would hazard that it is either because you are religious or because your customs and beliefs are still downstream from faith, even if you reject it. Because if you grant that an unborn foetus is not a life and that once aborted it could have no further use, there is at least an argument that these bodies might as well be put to use. Why not use unwanted babies to keep a hospital nice and warm?

 

It isn’t such a ridiculous argument. And it is time that atheists and non-believers began to take such stories — and their follow-on questions — as seriously as believers do. As Jonathan Sacks wrote in this magazine last year, when he was Chief Rabbi, atheists tend to imply that there isn’t much work to do after discarding God. On the contrary, after discarding God, all the work of establishing morals is still before you — just as after demonstrating mankind’s need for ethics, the work of proving a particular religion is true remains before you.

 

We continuously see the uniqueness of life being whittled away at all ends. With each year that goes by in increasingly post-Christian societies abortion becomes less and less of an issue. Too few atheists make arguments as passionate as those of believers over the aborting of unborn infants if they are of the ‘wrong’ sex, have some birth defect or a harelip. Even in America, which remains a significantly more religious country than ours, initially there was limited outrage at the trial last year of Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia physician discovered to have been carrying out ‘post-birth abortions’ — or child murder, as we might once have called it.

 

At the other extreme of life, we watch euthanasia become ‘assisted dying’ and the argument tilting in its favour. More and more it is about granting people a ‘humane’ end, rather than focusing on what such a move does to the significance of life as a whole. The treatment of bodies after death is another example. We have never cared less about what happens to our bodies after death. And this unconcern applies retrospectively. When digging up ancient burial yards, the fact that many of the bones being flung around come from people who went to their graves in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection isn’t enough to dampen our appetite for eviction if a property development is at stake. Does an atheist lack of concern for the physical body show a great devil-may-care attitude — or demean the significance of the vessels we spend our lives in?

 

And so it goes, on and on. Most obvious at the extremities of life, the decline of the Christian concept of the self can be seen everywhere, not least the concept of human love as a quasi-divine thing.

 

The more atheists think on these things, the more we may have to accept that the concept of the sanctity of human life is a Judeo-Christian notion which might very easily not survive Judeo-Christian civilisation. Those who do not believe in God and who stare over that cliff — which as Theo Hobson points out, very few atheists actually do — may realise that only three options remain open to us.

 

The first option is to fall into the furnace. Another is to work furiously to nail down an atheist version of the sanctity of the individual. If that does not work, then there is only one other place to go. Which is back to faith, whether we like it or not.

 

Continue reading…

 

 

The Return of God: Atheism’s Crisis of Faith

 

When we talk about morals, we end up back talking about religion. That’s a good thing

 

Like any movement or religion, atheism has ambitions. Over the years it has grown and developed until it has become about far more than just not believing in God: today atheism aspires to a moral system too. It comes with an idea of how to behave that’s really very close to traditional secular humanism, and offers a sense of community and values.

 

But as pleasant and rational as this all sounds, the new atheists are now hitting the intellectual buffers. The problem that confronts them is as stark as it is simple: our morality has religious roots. Put another way: when God is rejected, the stakes are gulpingly high; the entire moral tradition of the West is put in question.

 

This was the insight of Friedrich Nietzsche — and for all the different atheist thinkers and philosophers since, it remains just as true today. It’s all very well to say that blind faith is a bad idea, and that we should move beyond it to a more enlightened ethical system, but this raises the question of what we mean by good and bad, and those ideas are irrevocably rooted in Christianity. Nietzsche saw this, and had the courage to seek a new ethos amid the collapse of all modern systems of meaning. Did he find one? Yes, in pagan power-worship — the sort that eventually led to fascism. We think of him as mad and bad — but he was brave. Imagine Ed Miliband trying to follow in this tradition, gazing into the abyss of all meaning, the dark crucible of nihilism.

 

The trouble is that too many atheists simply assume the truth of secular humanism, that it is the axiomatic ideology: just there, our natural condition, once religious error is removed. They think morality just comes naturally. It bubbles up, it’s instinctive, not taught as part of a cultural tradition. In The God Delusion Richard Dawkins tries to strengthen this claim using his biological expertise, arguing that humans have evolved to be altruistic because it ultimately helps their genes to survive. But in the end, he admits that no firm case can be made concerning the evolutionary basis of morality. He’s just gesturing with his expertise, rather than really applying it to the issue at hand.

 

The new atheism has reached the limits of what it can achieve because it is attempting to renew secular humanism in anti-religious terms. This cannot be done. It’s a paltry and dishonest attempt, because it avoids reflecting on the tradition of secular humanism. Such reflection is awkward for it, due to its muddled claim that morality is just natural, and so no special tradition is needed. And yet — felix culpa! The atheists have unwittingly raised the question, which we generally prefer to evade, of what secular humanism is, how it is related to God. By tackling this big issue ineptly, they have at least hauled it onto the table.

 

Continue reading…

 

 

China on Course to Become ‘World’s Most Christian Nation’ Within 15 Years

When I see Chinese and Ethiopian laborers respectfully work side by side in the streets of Addis Abeba, my immediate thought was, „no European dared in the past to clean our streets alongside „dirty Africans“ but, the Chinese seem civilized enough to swallow that empty, primitive pride the vast majority of European folks demonstrate – I don’t ask their motives but, I was positive that these folks could one day be somehow blessed or rewarded” This is what’s gonna happen: the ‘proud’, wicked and ungrateful Europeans, who seem to have decided to get rid of Christianity that keeps Europe from being a hell on earth, are now unconsciously throwing down the ladder by which they themselves have climbed. There are some signs now that The Holy Spirit is departing from the West to the East, in the direction of China, and there is no reward more expensive and precious than the Christian faith.

 

„I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you“ [Genesis 12:3]

 

The number of Christians in Communist China is growing so steadily that it by 2030 it could have more churchgoers than America

 

It is said to be China’s biggest church and on Easter Sunday thousands of worshipers will flock to this Asian mega-temple to pledge their allegiance – not to the Communist Party, but to the Cross.

 

The 5,000-capacity Liushi church, which boasts more than twice as many seats as Westminster Abbey and a 206ft crucifix that can be seen for miles around, opened last year with one theologian declaring it a “miracle that such a small town was able to build such a grand church”.

 

The £8 million building is also one of the most visible symbols of Communist China’s breakneck conversion as it evolves into one of the largest Christian congregations on earth.

 

“It is a wonderful thing to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It gives us great confidence,” beamed Jin Hongxin, a 40-year-old visitor who was admiring the golden cross above Liushi’s altar in the lead up to Holy Week.

 

“If everyone in China believed in Jesus then we would have no more need for police stations. There would be no more bad people and therefore no more crime,” she added.

 

Continue reading…

 

__

 

UK Floods’ God’s Judgment on Brits?

[Jonah 1:14]

“So, crying to the Lord, they said, Give ear to our prayer, O Lord, give ear, and do not let destruction overtake us because of this man’s life; do not put on us the sin of taking life without cause: for you, O Lord, have done what seemed good to you.”

David vs David! The other David (Attenborough) who recently said, ”If you were living in Ethiopia, you might be justified in thinking that the natural world is already stopping it by starvation”, probably wouldn’t like this particular story.

Prime Minister David Cameron’s support for gay “marriage” is the reason why England is suffering from so many “storms and floods,” said UK Independent Party councilor David Silvester, who stressed that the PM’s actions were contrary to the Gospels. The letter here

Silvester is the city councilor for Henley-on-Thames, which is about 37 miles west of London. In a letter to his town’s newspaper, the Henley Standard, Silvester wrote, “Since the passage of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act, the nation has been beset by serious storms and floods,” reported the newspaper.

“One recent one caused the worst flooding for 60 years. The Christmas floods were the worst in 127 years. Is this just ‘global warming’ or is there something more serious at work?”

“The scriptures make it abundantly clear that a Christian nation that abandons its faith and acts contrary to the Gospel (and in naked breach of a coronation oath) will be beset by natural disasters such as storms, disease, pestilence and war,” said Silvester.

Prime Minister David Cameron, also the head of the Conservative Party in England, pushed through the same-sex “marriage” law in 2013 despite strong opposition from many members of his own party and more than 600,000 British citizens who had signed a petition defending marriage between one man and one woman.

Queen Elizabeth gave her Royal Assent to the homosexual “marriage” law in July and it officially goes into effect later this year. After the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act became law, Cameron boasted that he was “personally proud of this” and wanted to “export” it “around the world,” reported the Daily Mail.

In his letter, Councilor Silvester further said, “I wrote to David Cameron in April 2012 to warn him that disasters would accompany the passage of his same-sex marriage bill. But he went ahead despite a 600,000-signature petition by concerned Christians and more than half of his own parliamentary party saying that he should not do so.”

“Now, even as Cameron sheds crocodile tears on behalf of destitute flooded homeowners, playing at advocate against the very local councils he has made cash-strapped, it is his fault that large swathes of the nation have been afflicted by storms and floods,” said Silvester.

“He has arrogantly acted against the Gospel that once made Britain ‘great’ and the lesson surely to be learned is that no man or men, however powerful, can mess with Almighty God with impunity and get away with it, for everything a nation does is weighed on the scales of divine approval or disapproval,” he said.

Silvester had been a member of the Conservative Party but switched to the UK Independent Party (UKIP) last year because of the gay “marriage” issue.

The UKIP defended Silvester’s remarks on Sunday, stressing that they were his own personal views and did not represent the party. However, on Monday, the UKIP suspended Silvester, saying that “Silvester has acted contrary to party requests and continued to court the media in order to promote his own personal beliefs,” reported the Henley Standard. “This has caused significant offence to many people and goes against the core principals of UKIP.”

Nineveh Update: Blown away! Flood-hit Britain is battered by 100mph ‘Wild Wednesday’ storms causing chaos across road and rail networks

__

Rev. Franklin Graham Says ‘Sin-Sickened’ America Must Repent

My note: The Rev. said, “the media has been focused on “Fiscal Cliff”” He is right; it is utterly mind-boggling for the populations across the planet to remain silent while their “representatives” and mainstream-media collaborators are engaged in a conspiracy to deceive the world about what really is happening around us. Day-in, day-out, all the attention is given to nothing else but,“MONEY’, Monday through Sunday, January to December, 24/7 it is all about Business, Finance, Banks, Capital, Market, Trade, Bailout, Austerity, Fiscal Cliff…

These are things only for our body. Yet, human beings (souls) have two other important facets—SPIRIT and MIND. When do we get enough TIME to take care of our spirits and minds? May be the teachings of the“prosperity gospel” movement of Protestantism are responsible for all this?!

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit61 set their minds on the things of the spirit. (6) To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace.” [Romans 8:5-6]

Franklin Graham says America is living in “dark days” morally and spiritually as more same-sex couples get married, marijuana cigarettes are lit up in public places, and television is awash in blatant immorality.

The “sin-sickened” state of America will have far greater consequences than a “fiscal cliff,” the evangelist warned.

“For the past few weeks, the media has been focused on what has been termed as the nation’s ‘fiscal cliff.’ Our country’s financial problems, however, are nothing compared to the spiritual and moral cliff that is far more destructive to our nation than any economic concerns,” Graham said in a public letter last week.

Continue reading…

__