Thursday, March 29, 2012

Butterfly!!!!!!!!

Hey...The following report is excellent! I couldn't have said it better myself!


Special Report: Caterpillars Can't Fly
In Defense of the Faith
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Jack Kinsella - Omega Letter Editor
The Bible identifies four intelligent, sentient (self-aware) spiritual creations of God. The first of the created beings are the angels.

"Praise ye Him, all His angels: praise ye Him, all His hosts. . . Let them praise the name of the LORD: for He commanded, and they were created." (Psalms 148:2,5)

The Bible further teaches that their home is in heaven (Matthew 24:36), their activity is both on earth and in heaven (Psalms 103:20, Luke 15:10, Hebrews 1:14) and their destiny is the Eternal City of Revelation 21:12.

"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. . ." (Hebrews 12:22)

Angels are unique creations of God, not to be confused with any other of God's created beings. Even though some fall, as was the case with Satan, the fallen angels remain angels throughout their existence. Their numbers are constant; they neither propagate nor die.

The second sentient creation of God was man. Man was created in perfection in both body and spirit and remained in fellowship with God until the Fall.

Adam’s physical descendents were known as Gentiles, from the Hebrew word “gowy” a word which means figuratively, “a troop of animals.”

Gentiles are born with both a living spirit and a sin nature. As soon as the sin nature comes to the forefront with the first deliberate sin, the spirit dies and must be reborn, or ‘born again.’

“For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.” (Romans 7:9)

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” (John 3:7)

The spirit of a newly-born baby cannot knowingly sin, but it is “born of the flesh” – with a sin nature. When he is old enough and mature to understand sin and knowingly sins anyway, his spirit dies and must be “born again.”

Every person from Adam to Abraham was born a Gentile, albeit sinless, yet estranged from God at birth, at first too young to have fellowship, and then too sinful – alive in the flesh only, like a gowy, an animal.

As to their estate, from Adam until Christ, the Gentiles were:

"without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." (Ephesians 2:12).

God created, through Abraham’s grandson Jacob, a new class of spiritual being out of the existing spiritually-dead Gentile (animals of flesh) stock that we know now as the Jew.

For 1500 years, they were known as the Children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) or ‘Israelites” until the Kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians, leaving only the descendants of Judah and Benjamin in Judea.

Judea’s inhabitants were captured by Nebuchadnezzar and were known henceforth as ‘the Jews.’

They are the Children of the Promise – that ‘Promise’ being that God would take them out of the world of the Gentiles and make them a great nation, separated unto Himself that He would personally redeem in the last days.

A Jew is not born a Gentile – he is born a Jew. A Jew cannot become a Gentile, even if he changes his religion or abandons it altogether. Not only will God not allow it, neither will the Gentiles.

A Jew is always hyphenated, even in Israel. An Israeli-Jew is different than an Israeli-Arab or other Gentile.

There are German-Jews, Irish-Jews, English-Jews, Russian-Jews; about the only nationality that doesn’t automatically hyphenate Jews are Americans (who hyphenate everything else; African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Japanese-Americans, etc.)

A Jew can even become a Christian – but he is still hyphenated; as a Christian in the Church Age, he becomes a Messianic-Jew.

So different is this race of spiritual beings that some five-sixths of Scripture bears directly or indirectly on the Jews. The destiny of the Jews is traceable through the Millennial Kingdom and into the new heaven and earth which follows.

In this present Church Age, all Divine progress in the national and earthly program for Israel is on hold; individual Jews have the same opportunity as do individual Gentiles for salvation by personal faith in Christ as Savior.

But Scripture is clear that, when the present age concludes, God will again turn His full attention to the national, rather than personal, redemption of Israel.

Note that each of these spiritual entities is a direct creation of God. Adam and Eve were not created as spiritually dead human animals (Gentiles) – they were created spiritually alive.

The Gentile race was created by God as a result of spiritual death and the curse(s) imposed thereby; sin, work, sweat, childbirth, illness and death.

“And He will lift up an ensign to the nations from far. . . (Isaiah 5:26)

The Jews were created by God to serve as His ensign, or His symbol, like the flag on a ship. When a ship is flagged with a national ensign, it is deemed to belong to that nation. The ensign of the Jews God Himself – they are a unique spiritual creation of God, created neither as angels nor Gentiles.

Finally, the Scriptures reveal a new spiritual creation of God, neither Jew nor Gentile, but reborn out of both. That new creature is a Christian.

When one becomes a Christian, the Bible says;

"For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek [Gentiles - ed]: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him." (Romans 10:12)

A Christian is a NEW creature that is reborn out of the old man, either Jew or Gentile, in much the same way a butterfly is ‘reborn’ out of a caterpillar. Caterpillars can’t fly, but butterflies can.

A caterpillar has to endure a kind of ‘death’ in the cocoon before being transformed, and the transformation is not merely beautiful, it is permanent. A caterpillar, once reborn as a butterfly, cannot by an act of his own will, turn himself back into a caterpillar.

A Christian is a Gentile or a Jew who dies to himself and is reborn in Christ.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2nd Corinthians 5:17)

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." (Galatians 6:15)

The Christian, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, is a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20), having been raised WITH Christ (Colossians 3:1-3) and are so different than any other created rational being that Jesus says of the Christian;

"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." (John 15:19, 17:14,16)

The Scriptures which direct a Christian in his walk with the Lord are adapted to the fact that the Christian is no longer striving to secure a standing before God, but is already 'accepted in the beloved'.

"To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1:6)

Christians, by their existence, have already attained every spiritual blessing;

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ . ." (Ephesians 1:3)

Obviously, no human effort can bring a person to fulfill God's standard of sinless perfection. God, anticipating the believer's inability to walk worthy of his high calling, freely bestows His empowering Spirit to indwell each believer.

Scripture also promises that when their elect number is complete, as unique citizens of heaven, they will be removed from the earth at the Rapture.

The bodies of believers who have died will be raised and living saints will be translated. (1st Corinthians 15:20-57, 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18)

At the Bema Seat in glory, believers will be judged as to their rewards for service. (1st Corinthians 3:9-15, 9:18-27, 2nd Corinthians 5:10,11), the Body of Christ will be wed to the Bridegroom, (Revelation 19:7-9) and return WITH Him to share as His consort during the Millennial Reign.

This new creation, like angels, Gentiles and Jews, can be traced into eternity future, but they are unique from the rest. They are promised no land, no house, no earthly capital or city, no earthly kingdom and no earthly king.

Scripture promises that the Jews will inherit the earth. The Gentiles will inhabit it with them as a subordinate people. But the Church does not share in that inheritance.

"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:17)

The Church inherits what Jesus inherits and the Age of Grace concludes at the Rapture. The Body of Christ – the Church – is complete.

The Tribulation Period is the final seven years of the Age of Law, under which God will judge a Christ-rejecting world. During this period, some Gentiles will become believers, but, unlike during this present age, they are not indwelt by the Holy Spirit, Whose earthly ministry also concludes at the Rapture.

During the Church Age, believers are promised to 'resist the devil and he will flee from you,' because 'greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world. (James 4:7, 1st John 4:4)

During the Tribulation, without the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to resist the devil, with the promise that 'he will flee from you' – the Bible says that is no longer true.

How else could they be 'overcome' by him as Revelation 13:7 says the Tribulation saints will be?

It is not POSSIBLE for Church Age believers to play a role in the Tribulation, other than as recipients of God's justice for sin, although believers, by definition, have already been judged and found righteous at the Cross.

Consider the Promises of Jesus, given the Church, in the context of the horrors of the Tribulation Period sent to ‘try them which dwell upon the earth.’

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:26-27)

If the destiny of the Church is to partake in God's judgment against the world, then my heart should be troubled indeed. And I should be very, very afraid. But I'm not afraid.

"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1st Thessalonians 4:16-17)

When the bottom falls out, caterpillars can't fly. Butterflies can.

Christians and Israel

In recent months, the intensity with which Christians have increased their rhetoric against Israel has been astounding...I have known all along that as the time of the return of Jesus grew near, there would be a greater hatred spewed towards God's Chosen People, but even the level that we are witnessing is disconcerting; and to know that people who name the name of Jesus Christ are part and parcel joining this barrage of criticism and hatred is alarming...the following article by Jim Fletcher really shows what is happening and as Christians who love God and His people, we should certainly be aware:

Israel’s Christian Enemies

My heart is grieved. Frankly, I would imagine my ideological enemies would smile about that, since I’m talking about the myriad attacks against Israel. I write again this week about American Christians’ efforts to marginalize both the Jewish state, and its supporters in the evangelical world.

I am discovering more and more that the vast majority of even those who support Israel are not aware of much of this. Who knew the attacks would come from evangelical ranks?

This week, I bring you news from three fronts (though each dovetail with each other, since anti-Israel evangelicals are superb networkers): The diabolical “Christ at the Checkpoint” conference in Israel; the Palestinian Authority’s clamping-down on religious freedom—you won’t hear Christian Palestinianists talk about this; and, more from the Leadership Network.

We start with the Checkpoint goings-on. To refresh your memory, this is from a team of anti-Israel Christians (one wonders how much the PA is involved, behind the scenes) who have created a propaganda campaign against the Jewish state and her supporters.

Fortunately for us, researcher extraordinaire Dexter Van Zile attended (check out his work at www.camera.org) and gives us first-hand accounts. First, from Christian Newswire (which apparently doesn’t discern the sinister nature of this gathering):

“A major breakthrough in the evangelical world took place in Bethlehem through a gathering of over 600 international and local Christians, including renowned evangelical leaders. Organized by Bethlehem Bible College, the conference, under the banner ‘Christ at the Checkpoint,’ addressed the issue of how to find hope in the midst of conflict. The conference exceeded all expectations.”

Major breakthrough? This kind of activity has been going on for some time, and I wonder if most supporters of Israel get it. Here is another telling paragraph from the Newswire story:

“Conference organizers challenged the evangelical community to cease looking at the Middle East through the lens of ‘end times’ prophecy and instead rallied them to join in following Jesus in the prophetic pursuance of justice, peace and reconciliation.”

Do you see? There is a major movement underfoot to jettison the teaching of Bible prophecy from the American Church; sadly, in my view, it is succeeding at a breathtaking pace. A major component of the Checkpoint crowd’s propaganda:

“The Kingdom of God has Come.” Do you get it? This is a fundamental, ideological straw-breaker between us and them (and yes, it is “us and them”). These people believe at the core that their efforts have already brought the Kingdom of God to Earth. In their world, it isn’t necessary for Jesus to return to rescue a disintegrating planet. People can save themselves.

Now, to Dexter Van Zile’s piece in The Algemeiner. He has reported that the PA’s Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, has shut down Bethlehem pastor Rev. Naim Khoury; Khoury’s son Steven had told Van Zile that the PA is severely restricting the church from operating; the Khourys are courageous Christians who do not tow the company line in that region when it comes to Israel.

According to Van Zile:

“The irony, Steven said, is that the PA’s announcement comes right after the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference. This conference, which took place from March 5 through March 9, 2012 was a gathering of approximately 600 Evangelical Protestants from across the globe (mostly from the United States) to discuss the theology of Christian Zionism, which some Evangelicals believe increases the prospect of violence in the Middle East and gives support to Israeli policies that they do not like.

“During the opening night of the conference, Palestinian Prime Minister Fayyad told the assembly that his government respected the rights of Christians. Palestinians celebrate religious holidays together, PA officials attend Christmas celebrations and even attend Midnight Mass for Christmas, Fayyad said.”

Coincidence? Please. As usual, the “voices of tolerance” from the left, which is how I think the Checkpoint crowd would identify themselves if asked, bring out the fangs when it comes to pro Israel support. Their hypocrisy is mind-boggling.

You can read the whole account at: www.algemeiner.com/2012/03/13/exclusive-baptist-church-in-bethlehem-declared-illegitimate-by-palestinian-authority/

Now, it’s no accident that these efforts parallel those of Catalyst, the conference program spearheaded by the Leadership Network—begun by folks like Peter Drucker and Bob Buford, and advanced by Rick Warren and Bill Hybels.

In a recent Catalyst newsletter, I spotted a talk by Todd Deatherage of the Telos Group; the Telos website describes the group thusly:

“The Telos Group believes in the redemptive power of Jerusalem, despite the modern war being waged there by Israelis and Palestinians today. We believe, however, that the promise of Jerusalem as an exemplar of peaceful coexistence between the three great monotheistic religions will not be realized until the rights and viability of all of Jerusalem’s communities--Israeli and Palestinian, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim--are protected. We believe that the best way to protect the rights of all of Jerusalem’s communities is through a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a solution that is mindful and respectful of the faith communities’ needs and concerns.

“Telos Jerusalem brings the world’s top Jerusalem experts together in an unprecedented initiative to monitor real-time facts on the ground and to analyze how those facts impact the potential political resolution of the Jerusalem question as well as religious interests in and around the Holy City. Telos Jerusalem guides Telos leadership pilgrimages on complete tours of the Holy City, including the Old City, the Holy Basin, and Greater Jerusalem--exploring all of the communities and the full geopolitical impact of the modern Israeli-Palestinian conflict on this ancient city. Telos Jerusalem will begin releasing later this year a monthly newsletter, urgent updates, and occasional case studies with maps, allowing people the world over to explore modern Jerusalem in all of its dimensions.”

Deatherage’s talk at Catalyst revealed the fact that he works with such groups and people as Sami Awad and Lynne Hybels. His PowerPoint highlighted those who worked to produce the “Little Town of Bethlehem” film, now openly being used as a propaganda piece targeting unaware evangelical leaders.

Interestingly, Deatherage began his talk with a photo of the famed garden cafĂ© at Jerusalem’s American Colony Hotel. I’ve been there, and it is a meeting place between Palestinians and Western media and leftist religious groups. So we know right off the bat where Deatherage is coming from.

Midway through his remarks, Deatherage said the following:

“Eschatology matters, in so many areas of life. What we think about the end helps shape how live and act today. So if we believe that violence and war and bloodshed in the Middle East is predetermined and necessary and maybe even a good thing, then how responsible would we be to Jesus’s call that we be peacemakers? How authentically Christian is any theology that makes us more perpetuators of conflict than agents of reconciliation?”

I think it’s obvious what is going on here. I spoke this week with a researcher who has studied the Leadership Network, and was told that the leaders of the group actively work to train younger leaders to let go of the “old time” teachings (my phrase) regarding eschatology. That means of course that anything relating to the Rapture, pro Israel support, and warnings of the tribulation coming are dismissed as the rantings of fringe thinkers and doom lunatics.

Notice that Deatherage regurgitates the lie that Bible prophecy teachers and students are basically warmongers who hope a soon-coming bloodbath in the Middle East triggers Armageddon.

As I’ve said before, I’ve never talked to or known a prophecy teachers who promotes that kind of agenda. Yet the straw-man has been constructed. And Deatherage’s allegation is still repulsive and false.

Deatherage went on to call the Israeli security fence—THAT HAS SAVED JEWISH LIVES—a “gross injustice.”

I will say here very clearly and directly: that statement is immoral.

Jewish lives are meaningless to most of the world, so the irony is that so-called peace activists and those working for “reconciliation” ignore threats to Jews. It’s not in their vocabulary or, more accurately, their talking points.

The Christ at the Checkpoint crowd is advancing its cause among young evangelicals in America. They are being helped by such as Mart Green’s EGM Films, the Leadership Network, and—drumroll—the PA.

All of them are of like-mind when it comes to Israel and especially Israel’s Christian supporters. The hostility is disturbing.

I urge readers to study groups like the Leadership Network, and its offshoots like Catalyst, along with the individuals who are being promoted/marketed through LN. Remember again that Warren and Hybels are big-time mentors, and this is trickling down (flooding, really) to guys like Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel. I’d dearly love to hear either of them really make a statement about Israel, eschatology, and the Palestinian conflict. Not likely to happen.

Often, readers of Israel Watch ask me how they can make a difference. A few things come to mind:

•Attend some of these conferences. Go to www.catalystspace.com. I know resources are tight, but think about attending the next Christ at the Checkpoint. Buttress this kind of attendance by also learning from the good guys. The Jerusalem Post is hosting an important conference in New York in April— http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/NYCAbout.aspx. A conference like this will cost you about a grand; I think it’s well worth it. Once you’ve attended one of these, let others know what transpired. Be a reporter. Learn. Pass it on.

•Most of you are pretty smart. You are savvy. Learn about these people and what their agendas are. For example, though it’s time-consuming (this is something a retired person might be able to do), you will find layer after layer of networks, and you will stumble onto important information. Study the Leadership Network and connect the dots.

•Consider a trip to Israel. Israel’s enemies often have more resources than the rest of us, so what for us is a huge sacrifice is provided for them. But press on and prayerfully consider going. Let me know if this is an option for you. Aside from your airline ticket (which admittedly can be considerable, especially in warmer months…around $1,500 or more), one can see the country relatively cheaply. It can be done.

And, don’t be intimidated. Just remember that the person you might dialogue with—someone on the opposite side of the fence—is coming at it from a different worldview, namely, they do not really believe in the authority of the Word of God. A person like this might say he does, but you’re smart enough to know whether that’s true or not. Study about the Middle East. Read Michael Oren’s book, Six Days of War. Read his other classic, Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East—1776 to the Present. Other books and articles. Armed with facts, confront the enemies of Israel…in a respectful way.

We stand on the edge of history. Israel is being surrounded. The warriors who defend the Land of Israel will do their jobs. And the Lord of History will do His, and it will be complete.

Those of us who love Zion—we who are not ashamed but rather lean our faces into the wind—will hold the line until the ultimate Cavalry show up: a single commander of unmatched majesty and power.

Until then, let us not concede an inch to Israel’s many enemies.

Especially those in the evangelical community. I decided a long time ago that an enemy of Israel is my enemy, as well.

There are a lot of them in the Church.

jim@prophecymatters.com