Only One Way Through

The Truth of God’s word and Christian morality are under attack from the ‘woke’ mob as never before! Common sense and logic, reasoned argument and the recognition of right and wrong, are fast disappearing under an avalanche of vilification from the politically correct brigade.

With a seeming inability recognise that all of us have our faults and that we have no right to judge past history by woke political correctness spewed out by virtue signalling left -wing atheists, truth and justice are being trampled underfoot, and anyone with conservative Christian ideals becomes a target for hate -filled protesters like a pack of rabid wolves.

Spurred on by our left -wing media, including the ABC and especially the SBS, which we pay for, even commerce and industry have been pushed into adopting ‘progressive’ polices which only a generation ago would have been roundly condemned as ridiculous, perverse and evil.

SBS, proudly Viceland, continually pushes to the forefront all the corruption the rainbow has come to stand for, and broadcasts advertisements encouraging our youth to pursue them, while our churches remain silent, fearful of offending the anti- Biblical activists.

Before long you will see legislation against teaching  Biblical Truth, and Christians will be persecuted and then jailed.

Satan will have achieved his goal, and led all of us into the Great Tribulation, from which few of us will escape. Revelation 12:9, “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”

Isaiah 24:5-6, The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.

We have already begun to suffer, but invasion, slavery, and destruction will be only the beginning of the Great Tribulation which God will bring upon us for our evil choices. Only the repentant may escape, but not those who gamble that the Bible is untrue, at the cost of their lives.

 

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS ARE FROM PAGANISM

An argument against the celebration of Christmas as it has been done for years is the claim that many of the traditions found in the celebration of Christmas were brought over into Christianity from pagan practices. These include the yule log, the tree, special feasts or meals, and mistletoe. How can we justify these things? Isn’t it just like celebrating Halloween?

SOME HISTORICAL FACTS ABOUT OUR TRADITIONS

The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible says:

Gradually a number of prevailing practices of the nations into which Christianity came, were assimilated and were combined with the religious ceremonies surrounding Christmas. The assimilation of such practices generally represented efforts by Christians to transform or absorb otherwise pagan practices.

The Feast of Saturnalia in early Rome, for example, was celebrated for 7 days from the 17th to the 24th of December and was marked by a spirit of merriment, gift giving to children and other forms of entertainment. Gradually, early Christians replaced the pagan feast with the celebration of Christmas; but many of the traditions of this observance were assimilated and remain to this day a part of the observance of Christmas. Other nations, the Scandinavians, Germans, French, English and others, have left their mark .

Concerning these ancient elements, The Christian Encyclopedia says:

Various symbolic elements of the pagan celebration, such as the lighting of candles, evergreen decorations, and the giving of gifts, were adapted to Christian signification. Later as Christianity spread into northern Europe, the Celtic, Teutonic, and Slavic winter festivals contributed holly, mistletoe, the Christmas tree, bonfires, and similar items.

 God says:  “Do not worship the LORD your God in the way these pagan peoples worship their gods.”  Deuteronomy 12:4, New Living Translation.

“Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise… “     Deuteronomy 12:30-31.

To combine the worship of God with the practices of other false religions is called syncretism. Should Christians do this?  Many do, and at the same time reject the Holy days Christ and the early Gentile Church kept, as they  are today, which the Bible says will still be kept in the coming Kingdom of God!

 

British Australia

Why is this nation so attractive to so many who would love to live here?   Well, despite what some would claim, it is really because of the civilisation brought here by the British, a word made up of two Hebrew words, “covenant ” and “man”.

Way back at the time of Israel’s King David, Israel was made up of 12 Tribes, only one of which was the Jews. Ten Tribes were later carried away in captivity for their idolatry and only a tiny minority ever returned over later centuries. Their captors, the Assyrians, were defeated by the Babylonians and at that time Israel was freed. It was at exactly the same time that the “Scythians” appeared in history, about whom Rawlison states, ” There was a strong conviction on the part of those who came into contact with the Parthians, that they were Scyths”.

When Rome ruled the Mediterranean region Parthia ruled Asia, with the Euphrates as their border. The “Wise Men” or “Magi” who arrived to worship after Jesus Christ’s birth, were Parthian royalty who recognised their common ancestry, from David.

The Parthians were eventually pushed West by the Sassanian Persians, and migrated through the Caucasus Mountains, becoming known as Caucasians, though the Romans called them Goths. They merged with the Celts , early Israelite/ Phoenician colonists of Europe and the British Isles.

The Roman Empire was gradually conquered and supplanted by these Parthian refugees, who settled in NW Europe as the Angles, Saxons, Danes, Jutes and Normans, building the nation of Israelite Britain , or “covenant-land”, fulfilling all of the magnificent promises in the covenant made by God to Abraham and His family.

Genesis 23:16-18, “And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time, saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies. And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Genesis 27:28-29, ‘May God give to you the dew of heaven
and the richness of the earth—
an abundance of grain and new wine.
May peoples serve you
and nations bow down to you.
May you be the master of your brothers,
and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed,
and those who bless you be blessed.”

Genesis 35:10-11, ‘And God said to him, “Though your name is Jacob, you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your name will be Israel.” So God named him Israel. And God told him, “I am God Almighty.  Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”

Australia is part of that ‘company of nations’.

From the source book: “Parthia, The Forgotten Ancient Superpower And Its Role In Biblical History.”    By Steven M Collins , Amazon.

If the Shoe Fits?

You would think that folk in the universities and government have to be pretty smart. Think again! It doesn’t  take much nouse to remember what happens when you get into bed with a nation that tramples on its neighbours, bullies smaller countries and helps themselves to the territory of others. You only need remember back as far as the 1930’s.

How can we trust a nation which has no God but the State and its lifelong leader, who stamps on those who do believe?  Its President would have us accept that it has no expansionist plans, but has laid the infrastructure for invasion under our noses as the ‘belt and road’, and even more blatantly in the South China Sea.     2nd Corinthians 6:14, ‘Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?  Or what fellowship has light with darkness?’

It is not that it is shy about its growing power either. It is arrogant in its aggression and expansionist track record  in Asia and the Indo-Pacific. Proverbs 22:24, ‘Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people.’ NLT

Yet, even though its coercive forces are attempting to control the South China Sea to our North, our short sighted, unscrupulous universities are selling out our future security and well-being for their money, while our government has foolishly permitted them to gain a foothold in the port of Darwin and elsewhere, and invited their army to experience the Australian outback by joining in war games! Even Hitler did not get so lucky! They must be laughing at our gulability!

So , how should we react? The Bible wisely tells us to walk away from  dealings with them  under those circumstances, especially as their leaders angrily refute Australia’s rights to freely express its sovereignty. We should stop trading with them altogether until they learn that gunboat diplomacy belongs in the last century. It will be painful for both parties, but if others take courage from our example, an important lesson may be learned.

The Two Extremes

It is interesting to contrast the progressive liberalism  of Britain with the authoritarian dominion of China, and learn how not to govern a nation.

There was a time when Britain, even as recently as the last world war had great unity, moral standards, freedom and respect for the law, and was predominantly “Christian”, at least in name. China  was only just beginning to accept Communism, which sounded good to the millions  who had never had freedom or rights, and liked the idea of a classless society where the State would look after them.

But look at them now. Britain is thoughtlessly tearing itself apart, and so struggling with covid, has lost all moral standards, their freedom subject to evil “human rights’ laws, and “Christians” are disappearing rapidly. China has dragged itself out of the Middle Ages, but the Emperor has been replaced with a dictator and his elite, self serving supporters, just as we saw in Russia, so the classless  society never arrived, and the cost of Communist ‘care’ is no freedom or genuine individual rights, with an overpowering state controlling every move.

Neither country is a place most of us would chose to live. It all reminds me of my crusty old history teacher in his civics class, who, in relating the various forms of government, said: “The best form of government is a benevolent depot”.     Well, in modern language that is a King who loves and carefully rules his subjects entirely for their benefit rather than his own advantage.

The good news is that the governments of both Britain and China will soon be overthrown and be replaced with just such a ruler, the returned Jesus Christ, this time in great power and glory, who will govern the whole world with the help  of His  Saints in His Kingdom, – those who have proved their dedication to service.

Zechariah 14:6-7, ‘On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward….. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.’

Revelation 20:4,  ‘I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge…….   they came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.’

The atheists will laugh at that, but they won’t be laughing when the whole world receives a miraculous, earth-shaking, advance warning, projected  graphically into their minds to encourage them to repent and avoid the Great Tribulation, God’s wrath because of our sins. Revelation 14:6-7, ‘Then I saw another angel flying overhead, with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. And he said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and the springs of waters.

Further good news is that you will not experience the Great Tribulation which will  take almost all life from the earth, at all, if only you will recognise your sins, ask God for forgiveness, be baptised and receive the Holy Spirit.

 

 

This Subtle Brainwashing

Never before has the world faced the lockdowns and Covid restrictions we are experiencing, but no-one asks, “Why?”

Why, in this modern age have we had to fall back on the biblical command of  quarantine to stem this pandemic?  Maybe we should have taken more note of the penalty  God promised  if we failed to keep His Commandments and  Laws,   Deuteronomy 28:15, 60-61,  “But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you……       And he will bring upon you again all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. The LORD will afflict you with every sickness and plague there is, even those not mentioned in this Book of Instruction, until you are destroyed.”

The instigator of this brainwashing is the ‘prince of the power of the air’, Ephesians 2:2,  ‘in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,’  and he uses that power to reach into our lives through the  media of TV and Radio, as w ell as by other methods, turning people from God’s way to his way, by gradually reversing good and evil, right and wrong.  Isaiah 5:20, ‘Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!’

Ironically, one of his main instruments is our own ABC, as is the BBC in England. One would think that the CEO of the ABC here in OZ, Ita Buttrose, would have got the message by now from all those who complain that the service, for which we pay, is dominated by the progressives, the left wing, and the greens. I cannot think of one conservative commentator on the ABC or BSB, (Viceland) except the odd one on ‘Countrywide’!

One letter writer to the press, an ex ABC reporter for more than a quarter of a century, wrote:    “The ABC’s first chairman, Richard Boyer, defined its role. “It is our hope that national broadcasting may stand solid and serene in the middle of national life, running no campaign, but presenting the issues freely and fearlessly for the calm judgement of our people.”

The writer continued,  “Instead we have a decent into trivia, value judgements and loaded adjectives inserted into facts, with free rein given to undisciplined performers to ride their hobby-horses to death.  All the ABC needs is to return to first principles. That means strong editorial discipline to insist its guidelines are met.”

Another summed this brainwashing up:  “Twenty -five years ago the ABC was highly respected across the nation, its political coverage was considered centrist,  its interviews were tough but fair, its commentary balanced. Most importantly,  it didn’t take positions  on social or economic issues. Those days are long gone.  In the ABC today all issues  are approached from a green-left perspective. It’s there in every part of the organisation, not just political reporting.”

Daily brainwashing works, and our nations are paying the covid penalty. If we don’t learn to control the ABC it will get worse as perversion and evil are presented as the norm through comment, subject matter and visual emphasis! Waken up Ita!

China, Oh China!

It is ironic that we associate China with the dragon, because there is a dragon who is God’s great enemy, and that dragon is determined to destroy mankind. ‘Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.’  Revelation 12:7. This is yet future, but only just.

Of course China has no idea that they are being beguiled by that dragon to help unseat God and destroy His plan for mankind, but that is what is happening, and you can guess who will be the losers, including a great army from the East totalling 200 million!.. Revelation 9:16, The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number.’!!!

 You guessed right. The dragon is Satan, and He will rejoice to see many more that die in defeat at Armageddon, but from those figures we can gather that China is not going to change its ways as a bare faced bully. We can learn from this that Australia and the West are facing a Chinese threat, the like of which has not been seen since the 1930’s. Unashamed expansionism, coerciveness, refusal to abide by accepted legal and economic rules, cyber theft, and a total lack of respect fo the human rights of smaller nations, while criticising those who dare to call out these things, does not bode well for world peace.

It was only with the advent of Trump, with his forceful bluntness, unpredictability and willingness to ignore convention that the Chinese met their match. They will rejoice to see Biden replace him.

In a recent stand-off in the Himalayas between China  and India, the Chinese military had no qualms about showing their true colours, by using microwave weapons to force Indian troops to retreat. “We solved the problem beautifully” bragged one Chinese professor, and “turned the mountain tops into a microwave oven, ‘ he said. “In 15 minutes those occupying the hilltops all began to vomit.”

Obviously, the Chinese leaders will not think twice about using any weapon to gain what they want and what they want is pre-eminence over ALL nations. Sound familiar? Why was China so keen to install the ‘Belt and Road’ infrastructure leading west into Europe, and its bases in the ‘South China  Sea’,  while the nations repeat the mistakes  of the 1930’s and do nothing?

Revelation 9:13-19   ‘Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the colour of fire and of sapphire and of sulphur  and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulphur came out of their mouths. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.’ 

Cf. Revelation 16:12.

Take a look at China’s coal fired ‘steam trains from Hell’ at joanenova.com.au/ steam engines from Hell.   Ominous.

The Progressives’ Error

You may have noticed  the increasingly common use of the word  ‘progressive’ as it is claimed by many who feel they should lead society. It is no co-incidence that most claiming to be progressive,  are of the left – the Greens, the media,  the ABC, though they repeatedly and fraudulently claim to represent the interests  and beliefs of the majority.

Anyone who is not “progressive” must, in their eyes be inherently stupid or uneducated, unable to see  the obvious need for government action to correct past history, and the wrongs  of our ignorant forebears.

It is not surprising  then  that God is not in favour of this radical activism – in fact He wants us to do just the opposite!

Jeremiah 6:16,’This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ He wants us to think twice before entertaining such ‘progressive’ ideas, Proverbs 14:12, ‘There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.’

It should not be too hard to recognise that such ideas  are divisive rather than harmonious and often are accompanied by anger and violence, as we saw in the ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests. In fact,  most of the causes espoused by the progressives stem from political correctness, the foundation of the ‘woke’ elite, and we know where that came from.   (Article 13, page 1)

For thousands of years our ancestors accepted the moral standards of God’s word. In the last just 70 years we have rejected those standards and claim to be progressive. We are in for the biggest shock the world has ever seen, as God’s  warning is projected into the minds of every man and woman on Earth, in the most graphic form, in just one day. To ignore that warning would cost your life, but 90% will be progressive enough to disbelieve.

Isaiah 6:13, ‘”And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.”

The way to Success

I was driving North through the  Pilbara on the Great Northern Highway accompanied by huge road trains with cargoes of machinery for the mines, the size of houses. To be honest I found the drive through the red dirt and bush to be monotonous and boring, and was looking for a place to park up the campervan for the night, fed up of dusty , uncivilised caravan sites which made even the bush seem attractive.

And then I saw trees up ahead, and a sign ‘Karalundi’, about 50 K’s north of Meekatharra, which led me to a green oasis in the red dirt and bush!

What was this miracle with palm trees and green lawns, clean facilities and a kitchen, with a very welcoming young lady? Apparently, it used to be a 7th Day Adventist mission, but Christian Missions fell out of favour as political correctness began to arrive, and it has to be admitted that some were patronising because they regarded aboriginals as benighted, in need of rescuing from their pagan, uneducated and uncivilised ways.

But I learned that this mission had a vision to advance  the education and conditions of the aboriginal children they served, by giving them the skills and abilities that would enable them to gain jobs and make progress in society. They also hoped that teaching Christian ways would benefit their charges by improving their lifestyle.

In the end, the challenges were too much. The farm, which was an important part of the mission, providing food, training and jobs, could never make enough to be self-supporting, mainly because of the hot, dry climate. Funding was scarce from the church, and bad choices were made, so that , in the end, the church sold up, feeling their efforts  to teach the children a better way of life were not appreciated and had failed in the face of political correctness –  the criticism of church missions in general.

For many years the farm gradually reverted to bush, and the buildings stood idle, but those kids who were educated there, were growing up, and low and behold, as they became parents, they wanted their children to enjoy an education like the one  they had, complete with the Bible and the Seventh Day Sabbath! So much for the political correctness which overcame missions!

These aboriginal parents, whose lives were so much better because of the mission, got together, bought the property, reintroduced the school, and asked the Seventh Day Adventist Church for guidance and help!   By the way I’m not a member!

Today it is a flourishing school, the environment has recovered its beauty, and is financially supported by the caravan site they have included, which is  quite  understandably popular.

Aboriginal children are once again having an education which includes the true Creator and His Laws, simply because  their parents recognised how valuable that had been to them in making their lives successful.

This has to show the politically correct ‘know it alls’ how the government should be working with aboriginal people to advance their inclusion in society; in fact it is an example of how it will be worldwide in the coming Kingdom of God, as all races learn the way of God, which produces harmony, prosperity, and happiness!

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.                   Psalm 1:1-3

 

 

Our Need of Faith

Jesus Himself said,  “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” It  seems that faith is going to be quite rare during the horrendous period of the Great Tribulation, the  years before Christ’s return.

Even today we are faced with serious challenges, and Bible students know of the growing dangers which lie ahead for the nations of ‘Jacob’,  the US and UK in particular.

The Corona virus has brought this home to many – hence the Google report of a huge increase in the number of searches about prayer, and yet, what we have seen so far is only  the “beginning of sorrows”, Matthew 24:8.

But, at the same time, very few, even of those called and chosen by God, really understand what God has prophesied, because they have been content to rely upon their church traditions, traditions which do not match God’s word, eg. Revelation 14.

Their faith is built on the sands of deception rather than the bedrock of God’s words, and so they are not even aware  of God’s instructions for us as the End-Time approaches. It is as though  they are blind to God’s plain commands, as their church leaders have been blinded by God because of their lack of diligence,  lack of looking directly to the Bible. Isaiah 56:10, ‘For the leaders of my people— the LORD’s watchmen, his shepherds— are blind and ignorant. They are like silent watchdogs that give no warning when danger comes. They love to lie around, sleeping and dreaming.’

God sees this lack of Faith amongst his people and so He blinds them to His words so that they are not guilty of disobedience to those End-Time Commands, but the result will still be what we read of in Revelation 7; those who experience the Great Tribulation! Revelation 7:14, ‘ I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’

It says ‘coming out of ‘ but some translations have it, “died in the Great Tribulation’ because the Greek word for ‘tribulation’ implies ‘no way of escape’. That is why we should take advantage of Mark 11:24.  ‘Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.’ 

Ask God for His Faith, Faith to do His will, for when God sees that we will do as He commands, He will open our eyes to His words which deliver His End-Time Commands, so that His will will be carried out! However, sadly, scripture indicates most will leave it too late and will miss  the First Resurrection!