Luke 17:26-37

“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”

“Where, Lord?” they asked.

He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

My husband and I have been steadily working our way through the gospels for quite a while now. As we came across this scripture the other night, I simply had to stop – my mind shut down because I knew there was something I didn’t understand. I have always been taught about the rapture of the church. My mother can’t wait for the coming of the day; there are now all kinds of books and movies guessing how it all might go down; countless preachers share their world-wide views, but me – I prefer to discern these kind of things for myself, using the bible as my guide and the logic and sound judgment that the Lord blessed me with.

To summarize where I’m getting stuck:

“one will be taken and the other left”

This verse alone has been used countless times to explain the rapture, but I think I have a legitimate concern…. Following this lesson from Jesus, the disciples asked:

“Where, Lord?”

So being logical, I think to myself, where what? The only possible answer is – where will they be taken? In any other circumstance, if you ask someone “where”, you are usually looking for something that is missing or lost. 

One woman will be left grinding grain and the other will be taken. Who looks for something that is left?  I have to admit, Jesus’ answer is somewhat vague, but I think we get the gist of the scripture – the one taken will die. So where does that leave the one left behind? If you are following my line of reason, you probably figured out that either Jesus is saying there will be no taking away of the church OR they will be taken away by death. Vultures gather around dead bodies, not spirits or souls. Vultures eat flesh.

Is that the fate of the church – to die and be eaten by vultures?

I don’t know – but the scriptures don’t really paint the rapture quite like society does. As a matter of fact the rapture is not mentioned anywhere in the entire bible.

Makes you wonder doesn’t it?

Matthew 5:14-16

You are the light of the world.
A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on its stand,
and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before men,
that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

I constantly tell my 9 year old to FOCUS. He’s a smart boy, but sometimes his head is so far into his dreams that he can’t see reality. I have a tendency to try and recognize traits in my children that I possess and ‘head in the clouds’ is definitely one of them. Sometimes I focus so intently on the ultimate goal that I lose sight of all the little things that are necessary to accomplish it. On the flip side of this fault, some people focus so much on the little things that they can’t even begin to comprehend the ultimate goal. Neither of these traits is really wrong, they are simply unbalanced and ineffective.

I would almost guarantee that no matter who you are, you have more iron’s in the fire than you can count. I can’t really say there’s anything wrong with that, but if you go to bed each night frustrated with what you were unable to accomplish, focus might be just what you need.

Just an example of what focus can accomplish, let’s examine the concept of light. Light by itself illuminates, which is a wonderful thing BUT light focused can cut steel. In each person there are lights within that we label as gifts. Most people have many different gifts, little lights that illuminate the air around them in various ways. When all the lights are on at the same time, the true power is diminished and eventually, some if not all of these lights burn out.

Jesus was the most focused person that ever walked the earth. He had divine wisdom of all the things that needed to be accomplished and yet he rushed nothing. How in the world did he not wake up every morning and say how am I going to do all that needs to be done today? He did it by focusing on the only thing that could accomplish what He alone could not, His Father, Our Father, God Almighty. 2000 years later the impact that Jesus made still resounds across the nations. He was rejected, ridiculed, beaten and crucified and yet with His dying breath, his focus was still on God. That focused Light of the World will continue to cut steel long after we are gone.

I pray that each of you evaluate all that you are doing and come to the core of what it is you want to accomplish. Analyze your gifts, refine them and dedicate them to the Glory of God. The Lord has a specific purpose for your life and you are perfect for the position He has created for you. Unless you truly focus on His Will, the world may lose the light you were intended to give.

May God bless you as you discover the Light within.

John 1:3-5

Through Him all things were made;
without him nothing was made that has been made.
In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness,
but the darkness has not overcome it.

As a young child, not more than four years old, I hid behind the refrigerator as my parents fought.  Quiet as a mouse, I waited until everything was silent, as my mother had told me to do.  After what seemed like hours in my childish mind, I peeked around the corner to see if he was gone.  My mother lay motionless on the floor in a rapidly expanding pool of blood.  Fighting panic I cried out for my sister who I thought was probably hiding as well.  After no response I walked through the kitchen to the door where my mother was laying, I walked through my mother’s blood and on to the other room.  Looking back I could see my own footprints across the kitchen.  Looking back now, I still see them as vividly as I did that day.  Even after 30 years, I still cry for that little girl.

Years later, I asked my mother why she didn’t leave.  Her answer will always haunt my heart,

“I didn’t have a place to go, and even if I did,
 how would I support you girls?
you were the reason I stayed”

Maybe a person has to live through abuse to truly understand the weight of that statement and how it affects not only the mother, but her children as well.  I’ve shared with you a vision that’s been in my head for 30 years, one I will never forget and I hope it will leave a lasting impression on you as well.

Matthew 10:28-31

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?
Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.
And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Statistics

By the time you finish reading this sentence, a woman has been assaulted and beaten. By the end of today, at least 4 of them will be dead. Each year, an estimated minimum of 3.3 million children witness domestic violence. These children are much more likely to develop drug and alcohol addictions, become juvenile delinquents and as adults become abusers themselves.  By the age of 5, most children that grow up in homes where domestic violence occurs are demonstrating signs of abusive behavior.

More women suffer injuries from domestic abuse than from car accidents, mugging and rape combined.  In the past five years, more women have died from domestic abuse then the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam War.  2/3 of all marriages experience instances of domestic violence.  In most cases, their children are assaulted and beaten also.  If they try to leave, they are much more likely to die.  Half of them try to leave anyway but end up either homeless or as fugitives of the law for taking their children. The other half will stay with their abuser because they cannot support themselves and their children.  Mothers are 8 times more likely to abuse their children while they are being battered and yet, if they are investigated by child protection organizations, they are not considered victims.  The vast majority of abused women who use shelter services bring their children. In one study, 72% of the women brought children to the shelter; 21% were accompanied by three or more children.

Since 1 out of every 3 women is a victim of domestic violence,

you either know an abused woman
… or you are one.

Resources

Call someone TODAY if you or your children are being abused

National Domestic
Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
1-800-787-3224 (TDD)

·          ·        Support Network for Battered Women (SNBW)
Offers toll free hotline, resources, programs, volunteer information, and more.
www.snbw.org

 

 ·         Family Violence Prevention Fund
Works to prevent violence at home and in the community and to help those whose lives have been devastated by abuse, because everyone has the right to a life free of violence.
www.endabuse.org 

·         National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Dedicated to the elimination of personal and societal violence in the lives of women and their children. Site provides resources to local coalitions and other organizations.
www.ncadv.org  

·         Men Stopping Violence
Dedicated to ending the conditions that enable and perpetuate men’s violence against women, with a focus on battering in intimate relationships.
www.menstoppingviolence.org

·         Austin SafePlace
Merger of the Center for Battered Women and the Austin Rape Crisis Center. They are a domestic violence and sexual assault prevention center.
www.austin-safeplace.org

·         Silent Witness
Promoting peace, healing and responsibility in adult relationships in order to eliminate domestic murders by the year 2010.
www.silentwitness.net

·         Break the Cycle
Provides domestic violence prevention and early intervention services to youth, as well as education and legal services programs.
www.break-the-cycle.org

 ·        Battered Women’s Justice Project (BWJP)
Aims to promote change within community organizations and governmental agencies engaged in the civil and criminal justice response to domestic violence.
www.bwjp.org

Do not watch this if you believe America is safe.  Do not watch this if you prefer to ignore the situation in the Middle East.  Do not watch this if you turn off the TV at night so the kids won’t be traumatized.  Don’t watch this if you are easily frightened.  Do not watch this if you don’t care.

CNN:  Exposed:  The Perfect Day Part 1

CNN:  Exposed:  The Perfect Day Part 2 

CNN:  Exposed:  The Perfect Day Part 3

CNN:  Exposed: The Perfect Day Part 4

Daniel 2:20-22

…Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.

He changes times and seasons;
he sets up kings and deposes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.

He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him

My original thought was …

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid,

but fear is not from the Lord. 
Fear is not from the Lord.
Fear IS NOT from the LORD.

If you are afraid – who is in control?  Who will protect your children? You?

My husband and I watched this video together and I asked him what he would do.  Obviously outraged that anyone would dare TOUCH his children, he said there would be hell to pay.  Such a masculine moment, I had to indulge him. 

What would you do?

I’d bomb ‘em

Bomb who?

Them…

Who?

 

Isn’t that the million dollar question? 

The Muslims? The Middle East?  Palestine?  Iraq?  Iran?  Korea?  Russia?  China?  Venezuala?  Mexico?  Canada?  America?
Who exactly do you pinpoint that bomb on sweetheart?

I don’t know

Bombs aren’t going to win this fight,  We need to be prepared on the homefront.  We need to understand that America is in trouble.  If you say that outloud in polite society – trust me, they will scorn you.  America is great and strong and inpenetratable.  America is the land of the free, the brave and the proud.  Everything is possible in America.  So remember 911, look at the video again and say – Everything is possible in America.  Kind of takes a different tone doesn’t it? Pride goes before the fall.

Well they won’t get my kids

What will you do?

I’ll die first!!!

and then what will I, your wife, do?
what will your children do?
Who will be left to protect us
after you die in a blaze of heroistic glory?

SILENCE

In the silence – you need to listen.  God is speaking to so many people right now that WE MUST LISTEN.  Unfortunatly the people you need to listen to are being persecuted.  They are crazy and heretical.  They are not from God but from Satan.  They suck you into all this religious crap and that’s why all this is going on in the first place!  Right? RIGHT!

WRONG!!!!

Ask yourself why they continue – even under persecution?

I’ll tell you why – because they know the truth and it has set them free from fear.  IF you know the bible – you know WHO wins the last war, not only that – but you know how it plays out.  You know what to expect, how long it will last and what will happen when you emerge victorious. 

YOU KNOW THE TRUTH AND IT WILL SET YOU FREE!

It’s time to wake up America.

God is the only one that can save US in the coming times.

GET A CLUE
GET GOD

I’m not sure exactly how I stumbled across this site but I found it full of interesting discussions.  It is fascinating to me to watch this bend we are starting to see in science toward God (even if science doesn’t recognize it yet)  The argument of creation has been going on a while and personally, I don’t see what the big “Christian” fuss is all about.  If a person has faith that God is the sole creator of our universe, then they should also have faith that science will eventually prove intelligent design. 

Just an example from www.global-mindshift.org

”We all began in an amazing eruption of light. The Universe began in light.”

Well duh, says the Christian – “and God said ‘Let there be light’ and there was light.”  There are many more instances of science proving God scattered in the various videos and discussions on this website.  Of course, scientist won’t make those parallels because science will always be based on facts not faith, otherwise it would simply be another religion.  If you really take a deeper look at science (which to me reveals God in His purest form) you start recognizing the fact that we (humans) are not random freaks of nature.  We are complex, extremely intricate creations of a higher power.  Just like the universe itself, we are born from Light and will eventually return to Light.  People that believe in the bible are eons ahead of science, we know the beginning and we know the end – it’s just a matter of letting science evolve, not vice-versa.

This is just an honest question – so don’t stone me yet.  If we are living in the end times as many people believe – what does that truly mean about our existence?  According to the bible, we will return with Christ and live in his kingdom for 1000 years.  Does anyone personally see themselves worthy or fit to reign with Christ? 

So a mindshift – yes, I see it happening, it has to in order for bible prophecy to be fulfilled.  The tribulation itself will create a mindshift from all things material to all things spiritual.  I see it happening already, in nature and in humans.  Christ will bring with him a global community of spirit and it will battle against the global community of flesh, basically a battle of two opposing governments.  We all need to seriously question which government we choose to place our trust in.

Just my point of view – as always, take it with a grain of salt.  Living in this crazy world requires great discernment and it seems false prophets are coming out of the woodwork – but we must always remember that discernment comes by faith, not blindness. 

We are to test the spirits. 

In my own personal journey, this leads me to question everything, and also to try and understand the things which I am able.  It requires caution, yes, but at the same time, we can’t close our minds simply because things don’t fit in the puzzle like we expect them too.

Kids are pretty smart. A lot of people look at this new generation and shiver, but more and more I find myself admiring their way of learning and enjoying life. My sister for example is 22, and a lot of people shake their heads in wonder at her thinking process. She doesn’t want to go to college – period. I’ve had the opportunity to watch her grow, learn and educate herself over these past 4 years, and if you ask me, her logic makes perfect sense.

I think the problem with formal education is that it strives to produce what society needs. Society needs doctors, lawyers, politicians, teachers, nurses, soldiers, computer geeks, veterinarians, so formal education tries to steer people towards the advancement of our society. That’s a no-brainer and for the most part, it works. But what if you don’t exactly fit into what society ‘needs’, what then?

I think it’s very refreshing to see this particular brand of youth ‘finding themselves’ so early in life. My sister realized rather quickly that she didn’t ‘fit in” formal education. She tried, bless her heart, she tried, but there was nothing there she really wanted to do. She didn’t want to learn life, she wanted to experience it. So she moved out of her parent’s home, got her own apartment and got a job. We all shook our heads in grief and said “welcome to the real world baby girl”. But you know what? When you throw a fish out there in any kind of water, they only have two options, swim or die. Lesson number one in finding yourself.

Way to go girlfriend! I’m not saying it was easy for her. She struggled from one job to another, barely making ends meet. She learned about apartment leases, pet deposits and what happens when you don’t pay your electric bill on time. She got tired of fast food and learned to cook. She realized that late nights equal very long tomorrows, and above all – she learned that the dollar bill actually does have value. I know people well over the age of 40, still trying to learn these things.

The next thing she learned in life was that her parents were right; you really do need an education. I think this is where a lot of kids today get lost. They take a ride on this never-ending merry-go-round between who they are and who society says they need to be. College is the only place where you receive an education. This is such a false statement. Some fish simply won’t thrive in this environment and when they sputter for air and die – should you blame the fish or the water?

So my sister steered herself towards her heart’s desire, animals. She wasted very little time striving or pursuing occupations that didn’t meet the requirements of her heart. Even though that sometimes meant living without insurance, and the other benefits that define self-sufficiency, she shut her ears to the standards of society and did it her way. Standing up for who you are in this world can be a very hard thing to do, nobody will ever fully understand the way you do things and that’s okay. Lesson number two in finding yourself.

She is not finished with her education by any means. Lesson number three in finding yourself is giving up on the idea of perfection. This is not a perfect world and there is no such thing as a perfect person, so quit trying to be one. No matter how much you know, there is always more to learn. If you can open your mind and allow yourself to bloom where you’re planted you will eventually thrive, because the longer you follow your heart’s desire the faster you will learn. Desire is there for a reason, use it and be the best that you can be.

I know my sister’s not there yet, and sometimes I’m not even sure there is a ‘there’ to get. She may never go to college or she may find her way back some day, most of us do, but she will go wiser and more able to understand where she fits in. If you reflect on what she’s learned, as I have, you finally start getting it – no matter how old you are. I think this young and unique generation has plenty to teach us old-fogies, if we could just learn to listen.