Petition of Peace

I would like to encourage everyone to sign this petition!! And to pass it on to friends and family. Blog about it, email it, surely we can get a lot of signatures on it.  You can find the person’s who wrote the petition here, and the petition itself here. 

I won’t go as far as saying that the pledge is my religion, however surely peace is what any religion should stand for.  In the Christian Bible, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9 

In my endeavor during the last year, I have seen plenty of people who do not believe in peace, or even that a certain religion calls for peace.  Some have even gone as far to say that certain religions, or all religions should be banned altogether.  But I have also met people that do and are peacemakers, and that share that belief, from every Abrahamic religion and non-religion.  Do you think that, that’s what Jesus was talking about??  I have always been taught that God is love, I believe that.  Too bad we all can’t. 

To Christians;  As we head into this holiday season, may we all remember what Jesus was sent to earth for, and to learn to be more Christ like. 

My main question in regards to the petition is, does that mean food as well??  Because, I am a great steak lover lol. 

http://towelianism.wordpress.com/2007/10/15/sign-this-petition-principles-of-peace/   

Israel, Prophecy, and The End Times 1

  

Time to delve into some of the bigger issues.  From here on, it is very important that you read each post.  They won’t always be in order, as I will have to go back and forth, trying to keep it in some order without giving it away to soon.  I won’t be leaving anything out, so as before, give me time to get it in first.  Also, understand that everyone doesn’t believe the same way and I will be going over some of that as well. 

When you talk about the End Times and prophecy, there is one prophecy that can’t be left out.  We have already talked about a lot and we have lots more to go over but for today we will look at just one.  The State of Israel.  I know that most, if not all Christians know of this prophecy but for the benefit of those that don’t, and in addition to what the Bible says about Israel, I have put up some of what the Quran says. There will be more on this subject in future posts, as Israel is a prominent player in all Abrahamic faiths.

And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.  And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find [him], if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, [even] in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God [is] a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. Deuteronomy 4:27-31

And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.  Isaiah 11:11-12

For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. Jeremiah 30:3

For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and [for] my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.  Joel 3:1-3

In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: Amos 9:11

For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause [you] to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities [are become] fenced, [and] are inhabited. Ezekiel 36:24,33-35

I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: [but] they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto [that] shame; and [their] abominations were according as they loved. Hosea 9:10

One basket [had] very good figs, [even] like the figs [that are] first ripe: and the other basket [had] very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad. Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for [their] good. Jeremiah 24:2-5

The fig tree is used by Hosea and Jeremiah to refer to the Jewish people.

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.  Matthew 24:32-34 

Israel the fig tree has put forth its leaves and been reborn as a nation therefore the coming of Christ draws near.  Luke 21:32 also states that a generation would not pass.  A generation is between 70-100 years, Israel was established again on May 15, 1948.  Jews are still immigrating back to Israel from nations far and wide, just like the Bible said they would.  Now lets look at what the Quran has to say about Israel.

2:47 Children of Israel! call to mind the favour which I bestowed upon you, and that I preferred you to all other nations. 2:122 O Children of Israel! call to mind the favor which I bestowed upon you, and that I preferred you to all other nations. 7:137 And We made the children of Israel, who were considered weak (and of no account), inheritors of lands in both east and west, – lands whereon We sent down Our blessings. The fair promise of thy Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel, because they had patience and constancy, and We leveled to the ground the great works and fine
buildings which Pharaoh and his people erected (with such pride). 17:104 And We said thereafter to the Children of Israel, “Dwell securely in the land of promise”:
10:93 We settled the Children of Israel in a beautiful dwelling-place, and provided for them sustenance of the best: it was after knowledge had been granted to them.

20:80 O ye Children of Israel! We delivered you from your enemy, and We made a Covenant with you to give you the right side (the blessed side) of Mount Sinai, and We sent down to you Manna (special food) and quails.

26:59 Thus it was, but We made the Children of Israel inheritors of such things (the promised land)

45:16 We did aforetime grant to the Children of Israel the Book the Power of Command, and Prophet hood; We gave them, for Sustenance, things good and pure; and We favored them above all other nations.

44: 32 And We have chosen them (the Children of Israel) above the ‘Alamîn (mankind, and jinns) and our choice was based on a deep knowledge.

32.23] And certainly We gave the Book to Moses, so be not in doubt concerning the receiving of it, and We made it a guide for the children of Israel.
[32.24] And We made of them Guiding Lights and leaders to guide by Our command as they were patient, and they were certain of Our communications.

[17:100-104]”To Moses We [Allah] gave nine clear signs. Ask the Israelites how he [Moses] first appeared amongst them. Pharoah said to him: ‘Moses, I can see that you are bewitched.’ ‘You know full well,’ he [Moses] replied, ‘that none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth has revealed these visible signs. Pharoah, you are doomed.'” “Pharoah sought to scare them [the Israelites] out of the land [of Israel]: but We [Allah] drowned him [Pharoah] together with all who were with him. Then We [Allah] said to the Israelites: ‘Dwell in this land [the Land of Israel]. When the promise of the hereafter [End of Days] comes to be fulfilled, We [Allah] shall assemble you [the Israelites] all together [in the Land of Israel].”“We [Allah] have revealed the Qur’an with the truth, and with the truth it has come down. We have sent you [Muhammed] forth only to proclaim good news and to give warning.”

Ha, bet you didn’t know that the Quran also prophesied that the Jews would return to Israel in the last days too, did ya .  Sometimes I really wonder about what people like Bin Lyin, who professes to be so pious, and yet would like nothing more than to kill every Jew in Israel.  I wonder how he gets around the fact that Allah said that the Jews were suppose to re-control Israel.   No doubt he probably thinks that the reason the Jews were brought back to Israel was so that they were centrally located so they can be killed .  I’m sure that this one little paragraph will be enough to cause me all kinds of grief .  If I was smart, I would erase it… be gentle with me please .

There are Muslims who have no problem with Israel, probably because of what the Quran says.  There are others, which we will be getting to, who feel otherwise. There is also more on Israel that we will be getting to, so no worries, I haven’t forgotten anything…yet.  I’m sure you’ll let me know if I do.    One more thing, can any of my Muslim readers tell me who the ‘We’ is, in your scripture??  When referring to Allah, it says ‘we’ a lot, and I was just wondering who the ‘we’ is.  Is it trying to say that Allah has a wife?? I firmly believe time is short and am trying to get this stuff out as fast as I can, as it is extremely important for all faiths and non-faiths to see.      

http://www.templemount.org/quranland.html

Christian Signs Of The End Times 2

  

Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and the end of the world?

OK, time for part 2 of Christian signs.  Again, they are not in any order and are not complete.  The ones omitted here will be added later.

False Christs, Prophets, and their cultic groups: The Falling Away 

And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here [is] Christ; or, lo, [he is] there; believe [him] not:  For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if [it were] possible, even the elect.  Mark 13:21-22  You can also find it in Matthew 24: 4-5 and Luke 21:8

How many false Christ’s or Prophets have we seen of late??  There was ‘Heavens Gate’ where they were convinced that if they killed themselves they could catch a ride on a space ship that was behind a comet.  You have to wonder why anyone would believe that.  There was Jim Jones who got more than 900 people to kill themselves and others for him.  There was David Koresh of the Branch Davidian’s who led almost 80 of his followers to their death.  Koresh thought of himself as a angel and an agent of God.  These are just 3 men who caused untold heartache to the families of the dead.  And only in the US.

Not that long ago there was a cult up in Canada where they committed suicide together, sorry I can’t think of the name right now.  There was the cult in Japan that set off gas canisters in the subway making many sick and killing some. 

The bottom line is this, any religion or religious leader who wants you to kill yourself or others in the name of that religion, should be considered suspect.  Actually you should RUN as fast as you can, away from it!!  I have already made my opinion clear on this subject, I don’t think that God wants us killing in His name.

There was a cult up in the Washington State area who poisoned salad stations in area restaurants, in order to have the population out sick on election day. Thus giving themselves the majority (saw it on court TV). And how could this section be complete without mentioning the so called Rev. Sun Myung Moon. What is up with this article?? And please don’t tell me you visit people like this. This is concerning as well, and this especially is. I could go on and on for days or weeks. But the main purpose is to point out the obvious, that we are moving rapidly towards the end. This small list shows exactly what was spoken of in the Bible, at least that is the way I see it.

The Falling Away:  “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” 1 Timothy 4:1  In Europe today very few go to church, and in America millions are forsaking their church’s or wandering after men who conform to this world rather than to the will of God.

Oh boy here’s some good ones . 

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, [and commanding] to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God [is] good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.  1 Timothy 4:1-5

Here is the NIV version: 

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

Outbreak of demonic and occultic activity:

How many of us teach our children that this is good??  From TV to books to movies, all of a sudden its hip to be a Witch.  Speaking of Harry Potter, I wish I could find the story now, but I did hear that the number one requested book at Guantanamo is Harry Potter.  What about this, who ever heard of a Pagan pride parade??  Leave it to San Francisco.  I would be very careful dealing with this kind of stuff.  You may just end up channeling the devil himself, and he may decide to stay. Parents remember what the Bible said about training up your child in the way he should go, and in the end he will not depart from it.  What are you training your child to be??

Here is what can happen if you immerse yourself in the occult.  The Columbine High School massacre was committed by two teenager’s who were heavily involved in occult practices and Satan worship. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold professed faith in Satan and Nazism frequently and were not taken seriously – that is until after their killing spree. Hal Lindsey, who wrote ‘The Late Great Planet Earth’, said “Satan never wanted a world that did not believe in the supernatural. He wants a religious world that will believe in Him. And for this He will supply all kinds of supernatural experiences to lure in those who reject God’s truth.”  I have to say, I agree with him.

Tribulation and Persecution of Christians: Matthew 24:8-9

Christians are under attack throughout the world today.  In the United States Christians still enjoy freedom to worship God without suffering much more than ridicule, hatred, or discrimination at work and school.  However in many other countries such as China, Sudan, Africa, Saudi Arabia, Korea, Russia, and many Muslim nations, Christian suffer much greater persecution and often times death for their faith.  During the tribulation this suffering will be worldwide and will continue even to the point of martyrdom.  There are some today calling for doing away with all religion because it is, in their eyes, the root of all fighting in the world.  

There will be even more of this during the tribulation, I will go over it in the future when we get to that part of the series. 

We have covered a lot of bad stuff in regards to the Christian signs, but there is also some good, so lets get some of that now.

The Outpouring Of The Holy Spirit and The Gospel Preached Through out the World

And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.  Joel 2:28-29

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.  Matthew 24:14  also Mark 13:10 says: And the gospel must first be published among all nations.

This isn’t new, its been going on for quite some time.  And it has done great in keeping our kids interested in God and Church.  It seems to me that the youth movement in the Christian faith has really taken off some years ago, an appears to be continuing today.  When I was a kid, it wasn’t nearly as big, there wasn’t much in the way of others to socialize with at school.  Everyone knows how huge peer pressure is, so the fact that our youth today have so many of their peers to look up to is great.  Some communities even have Churches geared towards youth alone.  I would encourage them to go to Church with their parents, but if not, then by all means, go to the youth Church. 

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.  Matthew 24:14 

This prophecy has already been fulfilled through television, radio, missionaries, the translation of the Bible into many languages, and the Internet.  People all over the world now hear the message of Christ from missionaries who have the means to travel the globe, and via technology that allows us to communicate with people on the other side of the world right from our own homes, churches and offices.

Increase of Knowledge – The Prophet Daniel was instructed that in the last days knowledge and travel would greatly increase: “Be thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Daniel 12:4) It is evident that in the past century both education and travel have exponentially accelerated. In 1991 Knowledge doubled every 10 years.  It now doubles every 22 months.  

Billy Graham was quoted as saying, “ninety percent of all the engineers and scientists who have ever lived are alive today.”  Air travel, space travel, DNA research and human cloning are all examples of the rapid increase in knowledge in our generation. 

OK, so far we have covered the following: 1) Wars and Rumors of War; 2) Famine; 3) Pestilence/Plague; 4) Earthquakes; 5)  2 Tim 3:1-5 which is a whole list of stuff; 6) Fearful and Great signs and sights from the heavens; 7) The Falling Away; 8) False Christs Prophets, and their cultic ways; 9) 1Tim 4:1-5, another list; 10)  Outbreak of demonic and occult activity; 11) Persecution of Christians; 12)  The Out pouring of the Holy Spirit; 13) The Gospel preached through out the world; 14) Increase of knowledge;

Please let me know if you want me to go further on any of these subjects. I’m saving some of the best for latter.   

My next post I will write some on Islam’s signs of the end times.  Then we will start on the good stuff.