Beware Apollo’s Priests

What strange days we’re in. Who would have thought 18 months ago we’d be facing these trials?

This year, 2021, is “the year of the vaccine.” I warn you not to take it. The reasons based on science and data are on my other blog. I recommend you read the testimony from Dr Sucharit Bhakdi and Dr Michael Yeadon. I’ve spent months looking into the heart of darkness to get the information out to people. Fortunately, or unfortunately I’ve had the time to do this evidence based study while I’ve been going through cancer treatment.

Recently I learned of the sad death of my healthy, 36 year old dentist from a massive brain haemorrhage after taking the vaccine. He died on the 23rd June 2021. The worst part is it was a needless waste of life. There’s no Covid in my country and the so-called vaccine doesn’t prevent you from catching or spreading it.

Be aware, this is not a conventional vaccine – mRNA is injected into the human body to tell the cells to create spike proteins, and it’s competing with the immune systems that God gave us. The spikes are not staying in the arm, they’re getting into the bloodstream creating things like blood clots, strokes, uncontrolled shaking, bleeding under the skin, and myocarditis.

This is genetic manipulation and it’s going to become the norm for vaccines. I did wonder why some people are fine after having the shots and others like my dentist not?

Dr Michael Yeadon explains the process. It’s a multi-step thing like an Apollo rocket. There’s four or five steps involved. Some will not be affected very much, but some may get loads of the vaccine taken up in large quantities, expressed at high amounts, in dangerous parts of the body. And he thinks that’s why some people are fine, and other people get blood clots.

As for our governments, they are appointed by God and they’re supposed to be God’s ministers to us for good. This genetic manipulation was presented to us as a vaccine with the words “safe and effective.” We weren’t given an informed choice by our leaders. It’s their crime. Those who have sinned are the ones with the agenda who knowingly put us in harm’s way.

If you’ve had the vaccines, just be thankful you haven’t been harmed. Dr Sucharit Bhakdi warned against booster shots. He said if you get a third shot, write your will.

I believe in medicine. Chemo was used in my cancer treatment and it didn’t do me any harm, apart from losing my hair. People everywhere prayed for me. But this gene editing is playing God, and we’re not being warned about their practices. Right now the whole world is undergoing an mRNA experiment and no-one knows how it’s going to end up.

Will those who refuse the vaccine be persecuted for their choice?

I was praying about what to do if the Covid vax becomes mandatory and God replied with this Bible verse; “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

The temptation which is common to man is to follow the crowd, to fit in, to be a team player. Our prime minister even mistakenly calls us New Zealanders her “team of 5,000,000.”

The temptation with the Covid vax is to take it so we can be free to travel again. We may be required to take it for work. We’re promised that if we take it life will go back to normal.

Do you really think we’ll be going back to normal?

Let’s turn our TVs off and look at this thing. Do you see the serpent that’s wrapped itself around the pole? Thanks to globalism, the World Health Organisation and GAVI (the powerful Global Vaccine Alliance), that serpent is now wrapped around the world, choking the life out of our freedoms, our economies and our livelihoods.

Do you feel constricted yet?

The name Satan is written with three Hebrew letters: The letter Shin, which means to consume or destroy, the letter Tet which means a snake, or to surround, twist, entwine and ensnare, and the letter Nun, which means life. So Satan means ‘the snake which surrounds, ensnares, consumes and destroys life.’

In Revelation 12:9 the snake is defined as “that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.”

Yes the snake on the pole is a medical symbol. It’s commonplace, we’re used to seeing it. It relates to Asclepius, a son of Apollo. Medicine and healing are associated with Apollo, whether it’s from him or mediated through his son Asclepius. The mother of Asclepius is Coronis.

Apollo is a god of plagues. He delivered people from epidemics, yet he is also a god who caused them. Apollo could bring ill-health and deadly plague with his arrows. The invention of archery itself is credited to Apollo. He’s usually described as carrying a bow and a quiver of silver arrows.

He is a high ranking demonic prince.

In Revelation 6:2 we see the first horsemen to ride out in the seal judgements. He’s carrying a bow and it’s unusual – in that the Greek word for bow is ‘toxon’ and it’s only mentioned once in the Bible. The word toxon has its origins in the Greek “toxikon pharmakon” – the lethal poison that the ancient Greeks would smear on the points of their arrows.  Toxicon was the arrow and pharmacon, poison.  In today’s usage pharmacon is defined as a medicine or drug; also, a poison.

Does this signify the beginning of the apocalypse? No I don’t believe so, but we can hear the hoof beats.

Second Thessalonians 2:3 warns: “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition [Apoleia; Apollyon, Apollo]”

Beware of Apollo’s priests. I believe this so-called pandemic was caused by people in league with the devil, and they promise to deliver us from it. They created the problem, caused a reaction, and now they’re offering a solution. Are they into the occult? In the Merriam-Webster dictionary the definition of the word occult means to shut off from view or exposure : cover, eclipse. It’s not revealed, it’s secret, hidden from view. There’s a hidden agenda.

Jesus said, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!  Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:24-29

I wish people had a fear of God rather Covid. The fear of the Lord leads to wisdom. That’s what we need right now with this so-called vaccine. Who are you going to put your trust in?

The devil has a counterfeit for everything that God has provided for us. Before the invention of Asclepius, God provided the symbol of the snake on the pole for the Israelites in the desert who were bitten by the serpents sent among them. If they looked at this symbol, they would live. Numbers 21:8-9

After the Israelites reached the promised land, it became an idol called ‘Nehustan,’ meaning “a worthless thing.”

Jesus referred to it when He said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:14

In the face of temptation, remain faithful. This is a test.

James the brother of Jesus wrote, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12

Jesus wrote to the church of Smyrna saying, “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10

To the church of Philadelphia He wrote, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.” Revelation 3:10

So hold on tight to your genes. And keep the faith.

---

Notes / Links

Apollo, Apollyon, Abaddon is a high-ranking Satanic prince. His name means “to destroy.” The Greeks most often associated Apollo’s name with the Greek verb ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi), ‘to destroy’.” And “Apollyon is the active participle of apollymi (ἀπόλλυμι, ‘to destroy’)”.

Dr Michael Yeadon, former chief scientist of Pfizer research division speaks out : “I’m not a religious person, but I decided I was looking into the face of evil.“

Dr Sucharit Bhakdi, Blood Clots and Beyond : “What is happening now, I fear is the immune system is being trained to do something that it would do very well on it’s own – and now if the real virus comes in, or a virus that is related, it is ready to attack.”

2020 vision

Hello from second lock down.  Yes, I am deprived of my liberty again.  What a year.  There are lots of jokes about 2020.  I’m sure we’ve all got some.  Here are my favourites …

All jokes aside, I see 2020 as the dawning of a new era – the day of world government which must come before Jesus returns.

It’s an evil day.  The world government is being aided and abetted by the World Health Organisation.  Did you notice it has for its logo a snake on a pole?  It signifies Asclepius, a son of Apollo.

In Revelation 12:9 the snake is defined as “that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.”

The serpent has different names according to the culture where it was worshipped.  In Egypt it was Uraeus, the sacred serpent.  In 2018 a sculpture called Uraeus was installed at the Rockefeller Center in New York.  It consists of a gigantic open book with eagle’s wings 30 feet in span, both made of lead, on top of a 20-foot-tall lead-clad stainless steel column. Clustered around the base of the column are further outsize lead books, while a large snake coils up the column.

Does it remind you of anything?

I see that serpent wrapping it’s coils like a python around each country, constricting us in the name of health, and choking the life out of our economies and our livelihoods.

After this vision, I learned that Satan is written with three Hebrew letters: The letter Shin, which means to consume or destroy, the letter Tet which means a snake, or to surround, twist, entwine and ensnare, and the letter Nun, which means life. So Satan means ‘the snake which surrounds, consumes and destroys life’.

It’s time to put on our armour and make a stand.

The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
Romans 13:12-13

My brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Therefore put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Ephesians 6:10-13

We are up against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.  The principality making itself felt worldwide is in Geneva, where the headquarters of the World Health Organisation and GAVI are.

GAVI is the Global Vaccine Alliance that Bill Gates started in 1999.  It’s a mix of private-public partnerships, i.e. government and big pharmaceutical companies.

The WHO is a United Nations organisation.  Bill Gates is the second biggest donor, which gives him an inordinate amount of influence. Neither he nor the head of the WHO are doctors. Gates wants to marry a universal biometric ID with vaccines, as part of Agenda 2030.  The initiative is called ID2020.  You can check it out on my other blog, the one I use for warning people.  I began warning about this in November last year, and again in January, before the Covid thing kicked off.

The UN has an agenda for us all.  As part of Agenda 2030 the World Health Organisation intends to use vaccines to replace our God-given immune system with theirs.  The goal is called Immunisation Agenda 2030.  That’s why you’re now hearing about “global health.”

Who is behind the WHO?  Satan is described in the Bible as the god of this world, or of this age.  I believe it’s his symbol on the WHO logo.

The serpent on the pole is a counterfeit healer.  The devil can also perform miracles, but Jesus was the one who was lifted up on a pole; “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:14

The account is in Numbers 21, where the Lord sent venomous snakes among the people who spoke against God and Moses.  The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”  Numbers 21:8

The snake god is ancient, and the Lord took it on in Egypt.  The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.” 

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake.  Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts:  Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. Exodus 7:8-12

As God’s ambassador, Moses staff was more powerful than those in the court of Pharaoh.

The magicians’ names were Jannes and Jambres.  Their names crop up again in the last days, when Paul warned there will be perilous times in the last days.

Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth.”  2 Timothy 3:1-9

Society is going to be very divided.  There are churches who have abandoned God’s eternal truth in favour of a social justice gospel.  Their ministers are false teachers, wolves in sheep’s clothing.  Do you think they’ll help if people are forced to take mandatory vaccines?  Will they warn about not-so hidden agendas if people start trusting the World Health Organisation for their health and healing?  When people put their faith in a counterfeit, it’s called idolatry.

How do we stand?  How do we battle this thing?

First, we should submit to the government as far as we can.  Now that’s a radical idea, but in Romans 13:1-2 we’re commanded to be subject to the governing authorities, unless their laws demand that we disobey the Lord.  When that happens we can practice civil disobedience.

In the name of Covid-19, we’ve been forced to put a Ministry of Health Covid-19 tracking app sign on the entrance to our business.  Do I like it?  No – but I have to obey the government.

Second, we need to pray for discernment.

The image of the serpent on the pole that Moses had made was supposed to prepare Israel for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross – but when the people turned away from God and started worshipping the image instead, it was destroyed.

You can read it in 2 Kings 18:4:  Hezekiah the king of Judah broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. 

Nehustan

The serpent on the pole was called Nehushtan, which in Hebrew meant “a worthless thing of brass.”

Third, we need to turn away from the worthless thing, stand on the Word of God and shield ourselves with faith in His Word.

Psalm 91 promises that “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  In verse 3-6 we read, “Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.  He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler (small shield.)  You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.” 

Verse 9 promises, “Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.” 

The shield of faith is one of the six pieces of the armour of light.  So put your faith in Jesus, be wise, and don’t listen to those who employ deception.  Turn off the TV if you have to, it’s broadcasting fear.

Jesus said, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” Matthew 10:16

Third, we need to remember this while making our stand, “owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8

In New Zealand, our Socialist prime minister Jacinda Adern urged us to be kind in the so-called Covid-19 pandemic, while setting up a police line to dob in our neighbours if they were seen to be breaking the government’s restrictions.

Teddy bears in windows aren’t a substitute for kindness.  Jordan Peterson said that “Kindness is the excuse that social justice warriors use when they want to exercise control over what other people think and say.”

The snitch line is another thing I chose not to use, because we’re told in 1 Thessalonians 4:11 to make it our ambition to lead a quiet life: we should mind our own business and work with our hands, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that we will not be dependent on anybody.

So what do we have to do to make a stand?

#1 Submit to the authorities, but not if they contradict what God says,  #2  Pray for discernment, #3 Turn away from the snake on the pole and trust Jesus instead, and #4 Love one another.

---

Links

---

People will betray each other in the last days.

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 2 Timothy 3:1-4

New Zealanders begin to devour each other while Jacinda Ardern smiles and waves at the nation she’s put under house arrest

Ardern minions have filed “4,200 reports to police”, reporting on their neighbours who breach New Zealand’s house arrest rules. As The N.Z Herald quipped, “curtain-twitchers outing members of the public crashed the new police reporting site within an hour of it going live yesterday.” Neighbour devouring neighbour under a cloud of suspicion and fear, in an eerie echo of the kind of public denouncing, carried out by Soviet Stasi, and Nazi Gestapo, collaborators.

---

And, more about Jannes & Jambres: Watch Out For Jannes & Jambres

---

The serpent: Satan – Hebrew Word Study

The imposter: Satan is out to counterfeit what Jesus did.  My book “The End, The Wayfarers Guide To The Apocalypse” describes how the devil does it.

---

Know that we have the power of Christ’s blood, and in his blood is immunity: “Did you know there is proof for the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ?  We even know his blood type, from the cloth wrapped around his head. 

The cloth, called the ‘Sudarium’ is kept in a Cathedral in Oviedo, Spain.   And here’s something from the evidence room:  The blood stains match those on the Turin shroud … 

from AB-solute proof, the blood that speaks

Trust Jesus. He is Jehovah Rapha, our healer.  

A prophecy from 1986

ow are you doing during the Covid-19 lock down?  New Zealand goes to level 3 tomorrow.  My sister forwarded me this prophecy from 1986 by David Wilkerson (deceased) the founder of  Times Square Church in New York and author of the Cross and Switchblade.  

I found it very interesting, as David Wilkerson could be speaking right now of the current coronavirus.  As with anything on the internet it needs verifying.  I have checked it out and I believe it.

This prophecy came from sermon notes made in 1986 by Mike Evans; author, journalist, commentator, and the head of several international non-profit organizations in the U.S. and Netherlands – perhaps for such a time as this.

David Wilkerson said that before the great awakening, there will be a great shaking.  His messages are relevant to now.  I hope a great awakening does come out of this, to awaken the world to truth and prepare us for what’s coming.

 

---

I have received this verification: Ted Shuttlesworth, who knew Wilkerson personally, said, “me and Reg Wilkerson remember it.”

Here’s the clip:

www.facebook.com/revstephenpowell/videos/506151720050928/

Crying wolf

For me, the year 2007 was the year of inheritance, where the Lord handed a baton to me from my ancestor and told me to run my race.  He also warned about the Prosperity Gospel.  I didn’t know what it looked like.  We were soon to learn. 

In 2010, our church was absorbed into an Auckland mega-church in a merger. It was more like a corporation than a church. We were referred to as “tithing units”.  And they didn’t have to give an accounting of where the money went.

“Who wants to give?” we’d be asked, bailed up like cornered sheep.  The pastor totally believed in tithing, even though he sneered at what a small amount 10% was.  Being on a six figure tax-free salary, it was negligible to him.  Everyone else was struggling.  He said the reason we were all struggling was because “we were under the spirit of mammon.”  Because we had house mortgages, in what has become the most expensive housing market in the world.  I get the feeling he wanted the money to go to “the house” rather than the banks.

Every service, we had a 10 minute mini sermon about money from the local pastors, and then we’d watch the senior pastor on the big screen, streamed to us live from the Auckland “campus”.  In March, there was “heart for the house, home for the harvest,” where the congregation was asked to give over and above, sacrificially.  That netted them an extra $100,000 – which was a lot for our small “campus” of the mega church.  A few months later the church was asked to give another gift to “honour the pastor” and on it went.

The pastor and wife frequently went to conferences overseas, although never in the third world.  They hold conferences themselves in Auckland, where speakers fly in from overseas.  At the end of the conferences, the pastor would take the preachers out fishing on the big boat he owned.  Now, he and his wife aren’t the only ones with flashy life styles.  There are two other Harley motorbike riding pastors heading up big churches in Auckland.  They’re all friends.

One night we were invited to the Life Business Group.  A business man said he was tithing to a missionary, and the pastor told him the tithe had to go to “the house” instead.  He called the mega church “the house” to tie it into the verses in Malachi.  Now I’m Kingdom minded.  I felt really sorry for that missionary and felt the money should have stayed with him rather than go to them.

We didn’t feel the love there.  They didn’t get much of our money as we didn’t have it to give.  But under that preaching the freedom I’d previously enjoyed disappeared when I went back under law believing I had to earn God’s love with my giving.  In 2011 we suffered a bad financial attack.  We had tenants that wrecked our house in Wanganui, our old home town six hours south of our current location.  After sacking the property manager we had to go down country every third weekend to sort the mess out.  It kept us out of church.  When we were home, we usually didn’t want to go.  We had enough pressure from running the business and fixing up the house without getting any more from the church.

When we got the house sorted out, we were invited to join their business group.  It was led by the Pastor’s son who looked like a mini-me younger version of his father.  I didn’t see the nepotism at the time, but I didn’t have any peace about going.  My husband said if we commit to that, we need to commit to the church.  God stepped in at this point.  After praying for God’s will I got directed to a website by Chris Rosebrough, a theologian who doesn’t mince his words about this kind of thing, nor suffer fools gladly.  He is sarky but truthful.  He called the pastor a charlatan and huckster, fleecing the sheep. Not one passage was handled correctly, he said. Where was the gospel, he asked.

We left after telling them why.  We’re now at a Kingdom minded, Bible Believing Church where the Pastor knows us and there is no emphasis on money.  Every year, financial statements are produced for the congregation, and we are asked to go to the AGM.  We get to serve with our gifts and give freely of our money.  And we’ve learned about important lessons about stewardship.

I am offering my story here in the hope it might help others who are or have been in a similar situation.  I haven’t named the pastor because I don’t want to make it about him, I want to get at the false teaching.  You can see and hear him from the links I’ve provided.

You can hear the pastor here, and Chris Rosebough’s response.
http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/2010/09/christian-thug-life.html

Here’s a link that talks about the methods the pastor employed; How Pastors Get Rich.

God bless, and may you give freely, not under compulsion.

The pastor from our previous church is second from left. Picture is from hillsongchurchwatch.com/tag/wolves/

That poor widow

As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.” Mark 12:38-43

How many of us have heard the story of the widow’s mite as an example of sacrificial giving?  Jesus made the observation that she gave more than all the rich people.  He did not commend her for that.  He just stated a fact after warning about the Teachers of the Law, who liked to devour widows houses!  (Mark 12:38-43)

When he did talk about commending people, he used the example of the unjust steward! (Luke 16) Really?  How does that work?  I asked the Lord for his wisdom on that, because it appeared he was being contradictory.

I was at work, so he gave me an example from my business.  Say I order a really expensive computer part, but the customer doesn’t follow through on the order and I can’t return it.  I’m going to be in trouble with Bert, my husband and business partner, because I didn’t get a 50% deposit and it has to go in stock.  I decide to sell it at cost.  I tell the next customer that I’ll give them a 30% discount on it.  I’ve lost my profit on the item but Bert is happy because he’s got the money back, and the customer is happy.  That’s what the unjust steward did after getting into trouble with his master.

Jesus said the master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; “For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.” (Luke 16:8)
He certainly wouldn’t have been commended if he’d used the master’s money to curry favour for himself.

We’re told to use unrighteous mammon (worldly wealth) to gain friends for ourselves, so that when it is gone, we will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.  But we’re not to serve mammon.

How can the use of unrighteous mammon welcome you into eternal dwellings?  Well, if it’s used to build on God’s foundation, the builder will receive a reward, when the day brings our work to light.  1 Corinthians 3:10-15.

When Jesus warned you can’t serve two masters; God and mammon, he said to lay up treasures in heaven; Matthew 6:19

The Bible warns about being exploited by false teachers who will make merchandise out of us.  They are ferocious wolves, not sparing the flock.  You’ll know them by their fruit.  They will look like sheep, nice guys who identify with the common people – but they’ll love money, just like the Pharisees of old.  Listen to what they’re preaching, and have a look at their lifestyles.

The historian Josephus (himself a Pharisee) claimed that Pharisees received the full-support and goodwill of the common people, apparently in contrast to the more elite Sadducees, who were the upper class.  (Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharisees.)  The Pharisees loved money. (Luke 16:14).

With feigned words they’ll make merchandise of you.  They talk about the law of sowing and reaping.  Money doesn’t grow on trees and I haven’t seen a harvest after people “sowing” it.  If you sow money into their ministries you’re sowing your talent into the ground, where it’s not going to yield any fruit.  Well, it will yield fruit for them in the form of cash.  There is a proverb that says “From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.”  Proverbs 18:21

They trot out Malachi 3:8, knowing that it’ll work.  After all, no one wants to rob God!  They should be reading the previous chapter Malachi 2:1-9.  The one that starts “And now, you priests, this warning is for you.”

Here’s what the New Testament has to say about sowing and reaping;
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.  Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  Galations 6:7-8.

So if a person sowed for financial abundance, they’re sowing to please their flesh.

Another verse about sowing is in the parable of the talents, (Matthew 25:14-29) where the master came and settled accounts with his servants. The one who’d only had one talent had buried it in the ground.  He sowed it, so to speak. Through fear!  Because he thought the master was harsh.  What was he afraid of?  Robbing God?  But Jesus pointed out that this master does not obey the law of sowing and reaping!  “He reaps where he has not sown and gathers where he has scattered no seed. (Matthew 25:24-26, said twice)

Did you know Baal is the god of prosperity?  I believe the devil is trying to get believers to sow into the natural (the flesh) so they’ll build on a foundation that is not Christ, thus affecting their treasures in heaven (spiritual inheritance).  And it will frustrate God’s purposes by diverting funds away from the Kingdom of God.  And THAT is robbing God.

Now who do you think encouraged the poor widow to give?  The Teachers of the Law!  Oh by the way, true religion is taking care of widows and orphans.  James 1:27.  What’s wrong with this picture!

Now I’m not against giving.  I’m for being wise, being a good steward of my money, and having the freedom to give joyfully.  I love investing in the kingdom of God.  Did you know you can even loan God money?
Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.  Proverbs 9:17

But I’m not going to allow religious leaders to take away my freedom, or my riches in heaven.  We are not under law when it comes to our giving.  Anyone who references the Old Testament law to compel giving is a Teacher of the Law.  Watch out for them.  And don’t “sow” into their “ministries”.

God bless.  I’d love to hear your comments.  Next chapter, I’m going to tell of my own experiences with the tithing and sowing doctrine.

A time for war

Mar Mattai (St Matthews) Monastery Iraq

This week a priest visited the churches in my small community, along with the elders of the Assyrian Church of NZ.  His name was Father Fadi.  He needed an interpreter as he did not speak English, he spoke Aramaic – the language of Jesus.  He was dressed in a black hassock with a black and silver skufia (soft cloth cap).  Why was he so far away from his homeland? 

Father Fadi was forced to leave Iraq.  His wife and children are still there.

I had never before seen a member of the persecuted church, and we all listened to him very carefully.  He carried the hurt of his people.

Realising we were in the presence of an ancient church, one that had been persecuted for centuries, a reverential hush came over us.

St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church at Matakana coming home

It reminded me of the hush I witnessed when a church was moved on a barge from Snells Beach back to Matakana, it’s original community.  The waiting crowd had gone silent when the little church appeared around the final bend of the Matakana river.

This is also a church on the move, but there is no home for it.  Mosul (Ninevah) is a Christian area, always has been.  Father Fadi said things got progressively worse for them in Iraq after Sadam Hussein was deposed, especially since 2010.  He said that every day his heart had pain.

There were over 100,000 Christians living on the plains of Ninevah.  Isis forced the people out.  They had to leave their homes overnight and and have nowhere to go.  Some of them are sheltering under highway underpasses and the temperature has got up to 50 degrees C.

Father Fadi said that he wanted us to know that there was a church in Iraq.  St Matthews was his monastery.  It was founded in the 3rd century.  Its 20kms from Mosul, ancient Ninevah.  Now there are only two elderly monks left at St Matthews who did not want to abandon the monastery.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/10916613/Iraqs-beleaguered-Christians-make-final-stand-on-the-Mosul-frontline.html

Please pray for them.  What does God think of their plight?  Why has He been silent in the face of the slander, abuse and murder of His people?

For the past two weeks, I’ve been getting a verse from Amos;

The lion has roared—who will not fear?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—who can but prophesy? Amos 3:8.

I’ve been praying for a context.  Today He told me the Lord is a God who avenges, and one of His names is “The avenger of blood.”

We’re not used to that concept.  All we know is a God who has taught us forgiveness 70 x 7.  We know the Lamb, not the Lion.

It’s time for the church to rise up and pray.  There is a time for peace, and a time for war.  The church couldn’t stand by and turn the other cheek while Hitler was rampaging through Europe and North Africa.  In that time, God raised up intercessors like Rees Howells.  We need to intercede like that again.

What can we pray?

It can be hard to pray about the enemy.  I mean, I’d love to ask God to slaughter the Jihadists and leave their dead bodies strewn across the desert.  It would be justice, but then I’d be praying for them to go to hell.  A better prayer would be for God to thwart them, or make Himself known to them in dreams.  If you don’t know what to pray, pray the word.  Psalms are good for this purpose.  God delights in us addressing Him using His word, and it never returns void.  The devil can’t stop prayer from the word.  I used this I used the world from Psalm 94 to pray for His persecuted people;

Assyrian Christian Father Adda prays at St. Matthew monastery on Mount Maqloub, northeast of Mosul in Northern Iraq, Jan 12 2004

O God who avenges, shine forth.
Rise up, Judge of the earth;
pay back to the proud what they deserve.
How long, Lord will the wicked, how long will the wicked be jubilant?
They pour out arrogant words;
They crush your people,they oppress your inheritance.
They slay the widow and the foreigner;
they murder the fatherless.
They say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob takes no notice.”
The wicked band together against the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
Lord let the enemy know you do see,
Let the enemy see you are taking notice.
Let them see the futility of their arrogant words and empty boasts,
That they may come to fear you.
Lord protect the widow, the foreigner, the fatherless.
Become the fortress of your persecuted people,
the rock in whom they can take refuge.  Amen.

There’s a lot more to the Psalm than I’ve prayed here.  I recommend you read the whole Psalm.  I will write more about the Lion of God in the next post.

Links

Beleaguered Chritians make final stand on the Mosul frontline

The Lord’s Prayer in the Language of Jesus

 

Some things aren’t built to move

What do you think of same sex marriage?  The Church didn’t see it coming, and we’re left scrambling.  Some Churches see themselves as inclusive, and they will conduct gay marriages.  Other Churches are taking a “wait and see” approach.  The Church I belong to is sticking to what is written in the Bible, that marriage is between a man and a woman. I agree with my Church. 

Now you may see me as being an intolerant bigot.  No, I’m a repentant sinner.  There’s this saying I like; “Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes“, and I am going to.  Please hear me out.

Jesus was very clear about divorce, and marriage being between one man and one woman.  You can read it for yourself in Matthew 19:3-11.

My story “The Kingdom” began when I was a divorced woman with a married man.  At first, I didn’t regard that as being a terrible sin.  I mean, he was going to get divorced!  Do you see how messed up that was?

When I got to know God, He showed me that He regards divorce, adultery, and homosexuality as sin.  It was a struggle for me to trust God to get me out of all of that.  I got there with a lot of help from my friends and support from people in different churches.

After my divorce God in His mercy gave me a second chance, and I was able to leave all of that behind me.  I am now very happily married to a man who loves the Lord as much as I do.

What do you think the Church is here for?  It’s to deal with sin.  We’re like a cross between a school and a hospital.  We teach the truth, and bring emotional, physical and spiritual healing to those who are wounded by sin.  That is what we do, knowing that we ourselves are sinners.  We are not perfect, we’ve been forgiven.

The church is there to help turn our lives around, so we can go the other way.  That is what we are.  We are like a lighthouse – an oil filled one.  Oil is a symbol for the Holy Spirit.  If your Church is offering same sex marriage – run.  It’s a Church without any oil.

Jesus told a story about a Bridegroom and oil in Matthew 25, the parable of the 10 virgins.  That Church is not interested in dealing with sin, or your spiritual condition.  The Church is supposed to deal with sin, not accommodate it in the name of “tolerance” or “inclusiveness”!

We can’t change the marriage covenant.  It would mean abandoning our faith to do it.  You might as well be asking for a lighthouse to move!  Here’s a clip about the USS Montana and a lighthouse.

The Gate Keeper

We’re in a war, and it involves our homes.  I should know.  I come from four generations of broken homes on my mother’s side.  I never knew my own grandmother.

The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.  Proverbs 14:1

I repeated the broken home pattern myself, but unlike my maternal grandmother I refused to abandon my children.

My children did not have an ideal home as the father was missing, but unlike the previous generations, I turned to God and he turned this family around.  He gave me strength, self worth, boundaries and a lot of practical help.  When the children reached their teenage years I was given a second chance at marriage.  The man I married is a good man who loves my children like they are his own.

I put two things on hold while I was raising the children on my own – dating and a career.

Did I earn as much money?  No. Did I have any romance?  No, just temptation.

Was it worth it?  Yes!  I still got to where I wanted to go, my children have safely reached adulthood,  happy and well adjusted.  They are navigating life for themselves now.  I pray to God that the unhappy pattern of divorces has been broken, to be replaced with happy marriages.

I now respect the home maker profession more than any other.  Although I’ve had two careers and now I’m a self employed business woman, I realise it is the most important job you ever get to do.

Satan targets women as they run the most important place – the home.   Mothers have the most influence on children – if a mother is broken and can’t raise her sons and daughters, he wins.

He will look for where you are most vulnerable, and tempt you there.  Be careful what you let into your home.

There are lots of sharks swimming in the sea of life, and you don’t always see their fins.

2 Timothy 3:1-9 gives you a list of them.

Here are some I encountered;

1) The narcissist who wormed his way into my home with charm, and destroyed it.

2) Religious wolves dressed as sheep – having a form of godliness but denying its power.  The ones that are easy to spot are the ones who turn up on your doorstep holding Bibles.  Not so easy to spot are the “apostles” who want a percentage of your income as “tithes”.

3) A friend of my daughter who was disobedient to her parents, unholy, and ungrateful.  She tried to get my daughter to shop lift.

4) A gossip who slandered a loved one.  Covered in an earlier post.

1) I invited in, 2) I did not invite in 3) My daughter invited her in 4) Got invited in with a group of people

Have nothing to do with them.

In 2 Timothy 3:1-9 they are described as “the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires …”

Ouch, ouch ouch.  I asked myself some tough questions in the next chapter of my story.

Weak willed?  If they gain control, you have been weak willed.

Loaded down with sins?  Is there stuff in your life or family of origin stuff that hasn’t been dealt with?

Evil desires?  Just look at what is on your TV that may sway you, or your child.

So watch yourself.   If you are a mother, you are the gate keeper of the home.  Its dangerous times we’re living in.

Psalm 101 is a great piece of scripture for a gate keeper.  My advice is make it intentional.  Learn it, memorise it, and use it.  If you put it into effect, it will save you a lot of grief.

Also, Gate Keepers need discernment.  You can ask God for this gift.

 

The confrontation

There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
         a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
         a false witness who pours out lies
and and he that sows discord among brethren.  Proverbs 6:16-19

Joanna wanted to tell Liang that someone had spoken against him. If the accusation was true, she needed to protect her little ones. If it was false, she wanted to defend Liang. She needed to find out the truth. 

Needing solitude and time to think, she withdrew from her friends. Liang did not know what had happened to her. She appeared to be very distant to him.   Liang went to see White Flower, who lived just two houses away. “She has thrown me out of the house” he said, jokingly.

White Flower, feeling for Liang, replied “Oh, I am so sorry – but I am sure she will find out that all of this is not true. Do you want me to talk to her?” Liang looked puzzled. “What? What are you talking about?” he asked.

Just then Joanna contacted White Flower, “Please do not say anything to him about the accusation, for I have not told him about it.”

“Oh” White Flower said, disconcerted.

She turned to Liang. “I am sorry; I cannot tell you what I am talking about. You had best talk to her.”

“What is this about?” he asked.

“Think of your worst nightmare and it will be that” she said gravely.

Liang went back to Joanna with questions.

She told him what had happened, “Unless it is substantiated, I am going to treat it as slander.  But we need to stop seeing each other while I get this mess sorted out. The King did request that I step back from you for a time, and I ignored Him, when I should not have.”

The Bright One revealed that the slander had come from his friend Andrew, who said he heard it from his best friend.

“I want the name of his friend” Joanna demanded.  The Bright One was not forthcoming.  Undeterred, she asked White Flower to pay a social visit to Andrew’s unsuspecting wife.

“I need that name” she said.  White Flower was happy to oblige.

While having a cup of tea with Andrew’s wife, White Flower made conversation.

“You have not been married long, have you?” she asked disingenuously, “I would love to see your wedding dress.  Do you have some wedding photos?”

As she leafed through the wedding album, admiring the dress, she pointed to Andrew’s best man, and in all innocence asked “I’ve think I’ve met him somewhere.  Is he a local?  What’s his name?”

Later, armed with the name, she went back to Joanna with a satisfied smile.

Liang was calm in the face of the attack, but when he learned from White Flower that the accusation had come through the Bright One, he was angry. He confronted the Bright One saying “Look, I do not dislike you, but I dislike this! If you will not tell me who it was who spoke against me, then he needs to come forward.”

The Bright One agreed, “I am going to confront Andrew, the brother who made the accusation. Do you want to come with me?”

“Yes, I think that it is best if we tackle him together” she said, as she pulled on her armour.  She had already contacted Andrew’s baffled friend who did not know Liang.

They knocked and walked into the house of Andrew, the slanderer.  Andrew who was busy sanding gib-board, looked up but did not stop.  White dust filled the air and clung to him.  He looked like a ghoul.

The atmosphere grew tense as Andrew ignored them and carried on working.  Sensing trouble, Joanna grew very uncomfortable at being in this old house.  It was a dragon’s den.  Finally the Bright One politely interjected in the conversation Andrew was having with his father, and asked to talk about the accusation.

Andrew did not want to talk, but the Bright One calmly stood his ground and insisted it be resolved. Feeling himself pushed into a corner, Andrew weighed his options, his face expressionless.  He did not like being confronted.

Without warning, he snapped and lunged for the Bright One.  Andrew’s father stepped in to separate them.  A tall Maori, the Bright One could easily have decked Andrew, but he chose not to hit him.  Assisted by Andrew’s father, he held him off.

A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.  Proverbs 18:6

Again and again Andrew attacked the Bright One.  White dust filled the air.  The Bright One allowed himself to be pushed out the door.

Joanna grimaced at Andrew’s father and bolted out the door after them.

After the scuffling had ended and they were a safe distance from the house Joanna  looked at the Bright One, and laughed at his appearance.  His light olive skin was covered in white powder, his black hair stood on end, and he sported a torn shirt and cut lip.  She was still laughing shakily as they walked away.

The Bright One threw a droll smile at Joanna and said “Well sis, I guess we got our answer.”

“I already knew.  I talked to his friend and found out it wasn’t true” she confessed.  The Bright One was puzzled.  How did she know who Andrew’s friend was?  She told him about the scheme hatched with White Flower.

The Bright One shook his head at their conniving.  “Women!  You girls are tricky!” he said aghast, his face a flaming mixture of amazement and dismay.

“I am sorry, but I acted out of necessity” she said, as if the ends justified the means.  “What do we do now?” she asked, wanting to move on.

“We’ll do what the King said to do in circumstances like this, and tell it to the church” he replied.

“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”  Matthew 18:15-17

Later, they called in the pastors of Andrew and the Bright One, explaining what had happened.  As the circle of friends was an informal group, belonging to many different churches, there was no formal oversight.

The pastors knew the group as they had come along to their meals as visitors.  They listened carefully, asked questions and sought the Lord, their prayer echoing her own “Lord, let justice be the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line.”  Isaiah 28:17

Joanna left the matter in their hands.  Whether they applied church discipline to Andrew, she did not know.  Andrew’s wife had not been involved, and was still welcome with the circle of friends.  She did not get upset at Joanna and White Flower’s machinations, but chose to stay, even though Andrew was now excluded from the circle.

The Kingdom – Beware of wolves

The man I was in an abusive relationship with upped his efforts at control, and got religion.  There is a proverb that asks; Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?  Proverbs 20:6

This man was not faithful. 

The King warned;

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?  Likewise every good tree bears good fruit,      but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” Matthew 7:15-17

By their fruit you shall know them.

A chapter of the Kingdom, The Warning, details what happened and the warning I received in a dream.