"Wake Up!": Muslim Persecution of Christians, July 2015

• He was told that his daughter refused to change her religion, so she was buried from the neck down, and then stoned to death. — Nigeria.
• Nearly 300 Christian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram last year were being beaten, forced to convert to Islam, and indoctrinated into believing that their mission is to "slit the throats of Christians and to carry out suicide attacks." — Nigeria.
• Christians kidnapped and held for ransom continue to be slaughtered even after their ransom is paid. — Pakistan.
• "In most instances the victims are minors, young adolescent girls. They suffer sexual violence, forced prostitution, domestic abuse and even sold to human traffickers." — Sardar Mushtaq Gill, human rights lawyer, Pakistan.
• "If the West wants to do something about the present crisis, the most effective thing would be to support local governments, which need sufficient armies and forces to maintain security and defend respective populations against attacks." — Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch.

Not only is the Islamic State (IS) persecuting Christians but so are the U.S.-supported "rebel" forces in Syria, which the Obama administration assures are "moderate." According to a recent National Public Radio (NPR) report, "With backing from U.S. allies, like Turkey and Saudi Arabia, this [U.S. supported] rebel coalition fights both the Syrian regime and the so-called Islamic State, or ISIS. But the coalition has extremists in its own ranks who have mistreated Christians and forced them out of their homes"—just as IS has done.
In response, Mideast Christian leaders have made clear that, far from expecting the West to intervene on their behalf, they merely wish that the West would stop arming, supporting, or even facilitating the Islamic terrorists who are making their lives a living hell. The crisis was spelled out in an article in Christian Today, entitled, "Syrian Christian leader tells West: 'Stop arming terror groups who are massacring our people."
According to the Patriarch of Antioch, Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, "If the West wants to do something about the present crisis, the most effective thing would be to support local governments, which need sufficient armies and forces to maintain security and defend respective populations against attacks. State institutions need to be strengthened and stabilized. Instead, what we see is their forced dismemberment being fueled from the outside."
Another Christian leader had another message to the West. According to Iraqi priest, Fr. Douglas Bazi, once a torture victim who now takes care of thousands of refugees forced to flee Mosul since the Islamic State took over the city last year, the West needs to "Wake up!" During celebrations of St. Peter and St. Paul, the Iraqi priest further reflected that, "We cannot celebrate the feast of two martyrs without remembering the living martyrs of our time."
These martyrs are not limited to the Middle East. Among the many Christians slaughtered in Nigeria in July was a young girl who was stoned to death for refusing to renounce Christ and convert to Islam. Pastor Mark lost his daughter, Monica, in the Chibok abduction, in which almost 300 predominantly Christian girls were kidnapped at the hands of the Islamic organization, Boko Haram. He was told that his daughter refused to change her religion, so she was buried from the neck down, and then stoned to death.
The rest of July's roundup of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes, but is not limited to, the following accounts, listed by theme.

Muslim Attacks on Christian Churches

Nigeria: Dozens of Christian churches were attacked in the Muslim-majority northern regions, where Boko Haram is headquartered:

• Thirty-two churches and 300 houses were burnt when Boko Haram jihadis attacked Mussa community in Borno State. Thirteen people were also killed in the jihad.
• A female Muslim suicide bomber blew herself up in the Redeemed Christian Church of God on Sunday, July 5, in the town of Potiskum. The priest and a woman and her two children were killed. "People were just going to the church when the bomber entered, otherwise the casualty figure would have been higher," said a Red Cross worker. Earlier it was revealed that some of the nearly 300 Christian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram last year were being beaten, forced to convert to Islam, and indoctrinated into believing that their mission is to "slit the throats of Christians and to carry out suicide attacks."
• On Sunday, July 12, explosives planted at a church in Jos went off but there were no casualties; the bomb was detected by the church's security personnel.
• In response to a mosque explosion that killed 20 people—part of Boko Haram's "Ramadan killing spree"—rioting Muslims burned down two churches on July 6 in Jos. According to the report, the mosque attack "has revived historic tensions between members of both faiths in Jos. Christians in Nigeria now not only fear Boko Haram, but also attacks from their Muslim neighbors."

Some of the hundreds of Christian Nigerian schoolgirls who were abducted last year by Boko Haram. (Image source: Boko Haram video)

Iraq: The Islamic state blew up another Christian church under its authority, the Mother of Aid Church, which had stood in central Mosul for thousands of years. The blast also killed four children who were near the church at the time. IS also transformed the St. Joseph Church, an ancient Chaldean church in Mosul, into a mosque. Pictures of St. Joseph show that the dome has been painted black and the church has been stripped of all crosses and Christian symbols and images.
Egypt: Three church related attacks took place: The Fathers Church in eastern Alexandria was attacked on July 21 by unknown assailants who hurled Molotov cocktails and other homemade bombs at the church. No one was injured, although the facade of the church was damaged. Security services discovered a bag with more firebombs on the scene from where the assailants had fled. According to El Watan, the incident created a "state of panic" in the area, especially because the Fathers Church is considered the most important church for the Coptic Catholics of the region.

• Muslims suspended prayer in a church in the village of Arab Asnabt in Abu Qurqas, Minya, and called for demolishing it in an effort "to prevent Coptic Christians from practicing their religious rites."
• Dozens of "incensed" Muslims congregated before the house of a Christian on the accusation that he was trying to use his home as a church. Security services arrived in time to disperse the angry Muslims. Coptic Christians trying to—or merely being accused of—turning their homes into churches in Egypt is not uncommon, and, in accordance with Islamic law, ultimately reflects the difficulties Christians face in building or even renovating existing churches.

Niger: Approximately 70 Christian churches and an orphanage continue facing a lack of resources and difficult conditions in attempts to rebuild them, six months after thousands of Muslims had attacked and destroyed them. The onslaught was in "revenge" for the offending Muhammad cartoons published by the satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo—a secular magazine based in France that also mocks Christianity. "Since these incidents, it is as if life had stopped," said Baptist pastor Jacques Kangindé. His home was also destroyed during the riots. Recalling the destroyed church, the pastor said: "I felt very bad, such an indescribable feeling when I saw my ripped-up Bible on the ground. For a pastor, it was like my entire life was torn apart. I could not stop shedding tears."

Muslim Violence and Slaughter of Christians

Nigeria: Boko Haram jihadis shot and killed 29 people in two Christian enclaves of northeast Nigeria. Most people in Dille village ran, but those who could not were gunned down and many homes were set ablaze. Separately, at a busy market in northeastern Damaturu town, a woman suicide bomber blew herself up, killing 15 people and wounding 50. And in Maikadiri village, at least 14 people were killed and 500 cows were slaughtered.
Iraq: Christians kidnapped and held for ransom continue to be slaughtered even after their ransom is paid. The body of Quais Abdul Shaya was returned to his family—after they had paid the demanded ransom of $25,000 USD. Saher Hanna, who worked at the Ministry of the Interior, was also killed after his Islamic abductors received his ransom. Killing Christian hostages, including children, after receiving payment is not limited to the Islamic State and occurs in other Muslim nations such as Egypt.
Libya: Unconfirmed reports, including from the Libyan Herald, say that the Islamic State executed another Egyptian Coptic Christian it had seized. Bekhit Nageh Efrank Ebeid, a 25-year-old laborer, was kidnapped along with two other Christians, Kofi Frimpong Sekyere from Ghana and Ibrahim Adeola from Nigeria.
Egypt: An unknown man attacked a Coptic nun in the Muslim-majority nation. According to Fr. Abdel Quddus, "An unknown person stalked a sister in the diocese of Fashn, Beni Suef, and attacked her last week with a bladed weapon while she was outside her residence. He then hit her head against the wall and fled." And Wadie Ramses, a Christian who was kidnapped and held for 92 days by Islamic militants in the Sinai desert, managed to escape. During his time in captivity, he was blindfolded and handcuffed, beaten and abused. According to his account, the most terrifying moments came when he would overhear his Muslim kidnappers debating whether to behead the Christian doctor or keep him alive to ensure a ransom. The police, though given many opportunities, never made any effort to rescue him, said the Copt.

Apostasy, Blasphemy, and Proselytism

Uganda: Muslims once again tried to kill a Muslim convert to Christianity. Last year, Hassan Muwanguzi, a former Muslim Sheikh, now born-again Christian, survived a poisoning attempt by Muslim relatives, but, in a separate attack, lost his twelve-year old daughter. Recently, Muslims broke into his house with knives and clubs in another attempt to assassinate him. Muwanguzi was at a prayer meeting at the time, but the assailants stole thousands of dollars' worth of his possessions. Despite Uganda being a majority-Christian nation, Muwanguzi lives in a majority-Muslim region, and faces regular death threats (read more here).
Pakistan: Muslims again used the "blasphemy" accusation to persecute Christian minorities:

• Two Christian women and the husband of one of the women in the Punjab were tortured by Muslim villagers. Afterwards, they painted the women's and man's faces black, put shoes around their necks as "garlands"—shoes are considered ultra-degrading symbols in Pakistan—and paraded them around the town on donkeys, while the Muslim mob continued to taunt and beat them. The two women, identified as Rukhsana and Rehana, were accused of committing blasphemy after they got into an argument with a Muslim woman who wanted to buy a carpet for a low price, which the Christians refused. The Muslim woman then accused the Christians of committing blasphemy; she said that the carpet had images of Holy Books and Koran verses on it. The remark prompted the mob to drag the Christians out of their homes and beat them.
• Another Christian couple was nearly lynched by a Muslim mob after they were accused of "blasphemy." The illiterate couple were using a banner that also allegedly carried scriptures from the Koran. After a local barber and two clerics denounced the couple, they were beaten and about to be hanged when police intervened. A few months earlier, another couple was thrown into an oven and burned to death when they too were accused of blasphemy.
• Two Christian brothers, Qaisar and Amoon Ayub of Lahore, were arrested on blasphemy charges after one of them was accused of posting on his website material supposedly offensive to Islam. According to Qaisar, he closed his account in 2009 but one of his Muslim colleagues, Shahryar Gill, somehow managed to restore the website, while ownership remained in Qaisar's name. Apparently in revenge for some office quarrel, the Muslim framed the Christian, reported the "blasphemy" to the authorities; the two brothers fled Pakistan. Years later, thinking things had cooled down, they tried to return to their wives and children, only to be arrested.

Sudan: Two imprisoned Presbyterian pastors are on trial and facing a possible death sentence. Rev. Yat Michael and the Rev. Peter Yen Reith of the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church are being charged with espionage and blasphemy under the Republic of Sudan's Islamic laws. Other church leaders say that Christians are often targeted for their faith, and that the government's accusations are pretexts: "This is not 'something new' for our church. Almost all pastors have gone to jail under the government of Sudan. We have been stoned and beaten. This is their habit to pull down the church. We are not surprised. This is the way they deal with the church," said Rev. Tut Kony.
Egypt: Three young Christians were arrested in Alexandria on charges of "contempt for Islam." The previous evening, the Christians had been seen handing out bags of dates to Ramadan fasting Muslims. Some Muslims reported them to authorities; they said that the pamphlets contained "the teachings of Christ" were found in the bags of dates. They were all arrested and charged with contempt for Islam. The three Christian youth pled that the pamphlets were for their own personal use and not meant to be placed in the bags of dates. They were ordered to pay 10,000 Egyptian pounds and released.

"Dhimmitude": Islamic Contempt, Hostility, and Abuse of Christians

Pakistan: Christian girls continued to be abducted and raped in the Muslim majority nation. A new report indicates that every year 1,000 non-Muslim girls are abducted, raped, forced to convert to Islam or "marry" their abductors. Cases reported in July include:

• Tarfa Younis, a 12-year- old Christian orphan girl, was sold to a 55-year-old Muslim man who "repeatedly raped" her for over a year; the man's nephew also abused her. The traumatized girl managed to run away and reach the home of an uncle. According to The Voice, a human rights organization involved in the case, "the practice of raping and forcing Christian girls into marriage continues in Punjab, especially in suburban areas."
• Fouzia, a 25-year-old married Christian woman and mother of three children, was abducted on July 23 by Muhammad Nazir, another 55-year-old Muslim man. He forced her to convert to Islam and become his wife. Her family asked Muhammad for her return, but he insisted that she had voluntarily converted and married him—and that if they made any trouble "there would be serious consequences." According to human rights lawyer Sardar Mushtaq Gill: "Usually episodes like this proceed in the following manner: the family of the victim presents a complaint. The abductor lodges a counter-complaint affirming that the woman made a voluntary decision. In most instances, the victims are minors, young adolescent girls. They suffer sexual violence, forced prostitution, domestic abuse and even sold to human traffickers." Gill concluded that it is rare for such cases to end with the return of the girls to their original families.

Indonesia: A group of Muslims attacked and disrupted a Christian scout camp that had brought together thousands of young people. The camp had been organized by a Protestant group in Yogyakarta, central Java. The Muslim assailants argued that the Christian group was not authorized to organize any public activity—especially as it was Ramadan and public activities that violate the Islamic nature of the month are forbidden. On the second day of the event, local Muslims stormed the site and brought everything to a halt. As a result of the raid, thousands of Christian participants from around the country were forced to leave the area. According to the Christian camp manager, "organizers said they had official permission [to hold the event], but suddenly scores of radical Muslims arrived ordering everyone to clear off." Commenting on the expulsion of Christians, Muhammad Fuad, head of the local branch of the Islamic Community Forum, expressed satisfaction that the Christian event was shut down: "It is good because everyone should understand how to behave towards the Muslim community."[1]
Iraq: The Islamic State issued a call to its members at the University of Mosul to burn all books written by Christians—whether researchers, writers, or academics—that are found in the Central Library at the University of Mosul.

Obama set to deport 12 Iraqi Christian refugees

 

 More than half of the 27 Iraqi Christians the Obama administration has been holding for the past six months at an ICE detention center in Otay Mesa, California, are set to be deported in coming weeks, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced earlier this week

CHRISTIAN LIVES MATTER NEEDS YOU!!!

Can you hear the blood of Christian...? God hears the cries over innocent Christian children in mid-east, whose blood crieth out from the ground, saying, “UNJUST WAR, RAPE, BEHEADING, TREASON and MURDER!”

 

 

The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.

 

God heard the cries of the innocent victims. God always hears the cry. God's ears NEVER miss one single cry, even the faintest of cries are heard by the most high God, heard with the utmost of divine attention.

We must open our hearts, and our doors, but we must also call upon our government to ensure that a sizable portion of these migrants are Christians.

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

 

LET US STAND TOGETHER AS ONE IN CHRIST:  HELP THE CHILDREN!!! SAVE THE CHILDREN!!!

When: The Rally will be taking place during the CNN Presidential Debate being held at the Ronald Reagan Library on September 16th, 2015 at.

Where: We will be uniting at the corner of Madera RD. and Presidential Dr. in Simi Valley California, just outside the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Time: 1:30

 

let`s  stand together and stop Christian Genocide..

 

Join us!!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calm Before The Storm or Silence Before The Thunder  Part3

We see seven churches listed in the book of Revelation, and how it speaks of the birth, growth, death of the church and her resurrection as a whole. It deals with her shortcomings and lack as well as her complete victory and fullness in Christ. After the seven judgments of seals, trumpets, angels, etc., and the seven Spirits which minister life, New Jerusalem comes in full manifested glory from the heavenlies.

 

The impact of seven when applied to God's creation is profound. It ultimately brings completion/fullness/perfection of His mystery to everything that sees, hears, or is touched by it.

 

 For it is in God's foreordained purpose for all men to see and fellowship the mystery which has been hidden since the foundation of the world. It has been the plan of the ages which God formed in Jesus Christ, and we expect it to be expressed without much more delay. (rf. Ephesians 3:9-12). Since this seems to be next on God's agenda, we can count on the trumpet to be sounded and to know the reality of what it brings.

 

The groaning creation is standing on tiptoe, waiting for this sound. And God is raising up a people not content to remain in the old, any more than Jesus could have been content to stay in Nazareth. What will the manifestation of God’s sons be like? I don’t fully know what it will be like, any more than the early disciples knew what the day of Pentecost would be like when they went into the upper room with their Lord. I do know what it will NOT be like! It will not be like any move of God, any revival, any experience, or anything we have seen in our life-time! The move of God on the day of Pentecost and the new order of the church age was as different from the old order of Israel and the law as anything could possibly be. It is a new sound and the sons of God are on standby, waiting in the wings to hear the sound. Because there is silence in their heavens, they have been given the wisdom and understanding to distinguish the sound and to move at once when it is proclaimed.

 

That reality, however, will not come until there is an open declaration in the earth by God's own sons; but lest we get ahead of ourselves, we must keep in mind—silence comes before thunder and the trumpets.

 

"And when he had opened the seventh seal,  there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour." Revelation 8:1. Every member of that heavenly realm was seen in holy awe and humble reverence in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. The opening of the seventh seal makes a way for the seven Spirits of God, the seven messages of God, the fullness of God to be manifested. All who see Him, first those round about His throne, and those throughout all the subdued heavens, shut their mouths at the presence of His majestic glory. Crowns are cast at His feet; for none are found worthy to wear them but Him. Mighty is He in all His splendor, and His beauty to behold is beyond compare.

 

There is no clamoring in this place, no vying for position, no competition or jealousy, no desire to be seen or heard; for unless He is seen and unless He speaks, there is nothing worthy to do or of value to say. And the silence does not end until the seven angels are prepared to sound! When the inner preparation is complete in the Lord’s people and the conditions are right for the seven spirits of God to be revealed out of them, the silence will be broken. It will be broken by a mighty blast of God’s breath!

 

“And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.” Revelation 8:6.

 

That is what the word sound in this verse means—to trumpet, to sound a blast. It is neither a mellow sound nor an appeasing sound. It is far from being a gentle murmur, a suggestion, or a quiet whisper in the mulberry leaves. When the fullness of the revelation, glory, and power is to be known, the thundering trumpet sounds within and without the sons of God. The sudden blast will not tarry. There will be a great voice sounding from heaven. It will transform the sons of God and empower them with irrefutable authority. The sound will also shake the nations of the world and kingdoms of men. The thundering trumpet of revelation will come with resounding overtures, and it is in the bed of silence where it is conceived.

 

Ah, silence in heaven. All the messengers of God, the living creatures, and all the saints of fire are in such awe that they reverently hold their peace. Not a word is spoken for half an hour. It is a time hold back their thunder. There is no sounding of the trumpet. Although the hour of a new message is drawing near, it cannot be proclaimed until our voices are released to thunder His sound.

 

We know how to continue trumpeting and thundering the sounds of Passover and Pentecost; is it not better to be still in the utter silence of God’s awe than to keep on blowing the trumpet of a dying age? If a trumpet must be blown for this old age, let it be Taps and not Reveille.

 

The hour of a new day is upon us that will bring a wonderful change. Things will be vastly different. We believe that the hour is swiftly approaching for the silence to end, and the new will swallow up the old as surely as the dawn swallows up the night. When the old has been brought to its conclusion, the new becomes a reality! There has come upon us a deep and marvelous work in the elect during this silence. It is a transition in the apprehended ones of their Father, and the new move of God will break forth within each vessel when the silence has finished its purpose. Many things are being hushed within His body, for the Lord will not permit the new sound of the Kingdom to be mingled with the old sounds that are passing away. If that happened, it would be giving an uncertain sound. It would be confusing. But this sound will be clear and certain in the ears of God’s firstfruits.

 

In the presence of Deity comes the silence of our souls—our minds, our wills, our wants, our emotions. Every particle in the heaven between our ears ceases its stirring. That is the heaven wherein there will not be a word uttered or even a thought to rise when the seventh seal, the floodgate of perfection, is opened, and we will minister from that high and Holy Place of God. We neither need nor are we appeased by the sounds coming from the heavens of soulish fervor. Neither can we become one with the Amens nor praises from the heavens of the outer-courts, especially from loud and disruptive religious spirits. There is no place in the Holiest of all for self-serving people, whether ministers or those being ministered to. Nor is a party spirit welcomed therein. It is an offense to the somber place of God.

 

 When one enters the Most Holy place and ministers from therein, he will refrain from inciting the people to worldly laughter. Although joy is one of the basic elements of the Kingdom of   God, it is joy in the Holy Spirit, not joy in the spirit of drunkenness. Laughter will heal hurting souls; but the carnal wit of Adam has no place in the Holy sanctuary of God. The people may be lifted into the roar of laughter by it; however, the wine of intoxication will keep men from ministering unto the Lord. Ezekiel said that "Neither shall any priest drink wine when they enter into the inner court." Ezekiel 44:21. The inner court, whether the holy place or the Most Holy place, is not a place for drunkenness. It is solemn. It is serious. It is a place that demands silence from all flesh and the soulish heavens round about. When those of honor become too humorous while ministering, they can become, as it were, court jesters which are as dead flies in the apothecaries ointment as noted in Ecclesiastes 10:1.

 

Although unknown by many, we are experiencing silence today in His cloud of glory. It is a strange and difficult time for some; the quietness is unsettling. But others are anxiously resting. They are enraptured by its overwhelming peace. In humble repose, they view God's works which were finished at the founding of the world. Rather than looking for what He is going to do, they see what has already been done as the Son's glory beams upon those finished works. Heaven's Holy host is taken aback by the vista of flaming glory. With bated breath, the cloud of His saints anxiously abide in their place until the time for their thunder to break the deafening silence.

 

Then comes the awaited hour. The moment arrives when the seven thunders utter their voices, voices John heard resounding throughout God's high and holy realm, but was forbidden to write. Rather than making a record for others, He was told to hold his pen and seal up those heralds of truth. (Rev 10:4). We can, therefore, only speculate what he heard in our day and what will be its thundering manifestation.

 

This, no doubt, was akin to what Paul wrote about concerning the one who heard things that were inexpressible in human terms, things which would only become defiled when conveyed by the inquisitive mind of man. It was so foreign to the earthy that the natural tongue could say nothing to enlighten the elect.

 

In the presence of our Lord, when He is seen in His temple, in you and in me, what is there to say? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Unless, however, it is the hour for us to thunder the word of His earthshaking sound. Until then, we rest in utter silence. If we do not see Him high and lifted up, and He is not seen or heard—be hushed! Be still! For if you shout, holler, clamor, and run the aisles in heated fervor with hopes of raising His presence, all that will likely be raised is a dust cloud. Therefore, rest. Be at peace. Be still.

 

 "...Let all the earth be silent before him." Habakuk   2:20 NASB). There are no positions or places for untransformed particles of earth in His presence. Oh, but praise God! When religious demagoguery is quelled, when Babylon is fallen, and all of man's schemes are history—the earth can, and will, stand in awesome wonder before Him. It is then that "The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet..." And then "...they break forth into singing" Isaiah 14:7.

 

This is a perfect picture of today—the tooting of horns, the squeaking and squawking, the plucking of stringed instruments, the discordant tones that seemingly have no coherency; every man intent on doing his own thing, and this is alright if they are part of the orchestra; for it is the time of fine-tuning. We might not sound like much at the moment, but just wait a little while. After the silence of the Conductor's raised baton, what a sound will be heard reverberating from the Holy Cloud of Heaven!

 

Much of what we witness is doubtless part of the symphony that is tuning up. And some, sad to say, is the sound of people who feel they have to work up a religious fervor before the Spirit will come in, not realizing He is already in their presence. He is as much there as lightning is in the cloud before it strikes. We do not attend many meetings these days; but when we did in the past, at times we endured that which had been done the same for years on end. There was a lot of routine singing, clapping, loud voices, teaching, preaching, prophesying, or whatever else people did to "get in the spirit." And I say we endured, because a lot of it was exactly that, an endurance. Of course, it could be that they were members of the orchestra, and that was merely part of the tuning process; but it seems that a tremendous amount was the sound of men being busy about church.

 

We were so encouraged by what our friend, Alyce McPherson, said a few years ago concerning this sort of thing. She was relating about being in a "Kingdom" meeting and so much religious nonsense was going on. She asked the Lord, "How much longer must we endure this?" An immediate answer came, saying, "As long as you remain you will have to endure it, and as long as you remain—you give it life."

 

I fear that we have for much too long been feeding and energizing untransformed earthiness in the gatherings around the world. We don't want to be rude and walk out every time we don't feel the Spirit moving, or the meeting is not going the way we think it should; but neither should we simply endure the antics of flesh and children. Frankly, kindergarten, marbles, and mud-puddles have no place in the regal halls of God's Kingdom. They may be alright in certain places, at certain times, and with certain people, depending on their level of maturity and the order of the day; but let us be serious in the holy courts of God. Folly should not be seen where the elders cast their crowns in humble reverence.

 

It was sad to see in those days that some teachers and preachers were more like court jesters than ministers of the Lord’s word, and surely, the King was not humored by it. Some of the people may have been; but the King and His court were surely not. Reflecting on this reminds me of what Solomon wrote: "Dead flies make a perfumer's oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor." Ecclesiastes 10:1. The Amplified makes it little more clear: "Dead flies cause the ointment of the perfumer to putrefy [and] send forth a vile odor; so does a little folly [in him who is valued for wisdom] out-weigh wisdom and honor."

 

I am not suggesting that we should put on some sort of Pharisaical facade of somber faces, and mope around with no joy in our lives; but we should not replace ineptness with humor. If we do not have a life-giving word from the throne, then let us sit down and be silent! If our music and songs are merely for entertainment—stop it! If the featured speakers, the prophets, the healers, the singers merely  serve as talent shows—don't do it anymore.

 

 There were times when we would gather together and reverently sit in silence until there was something to be said or done by the Spirit. Although I do not think it happens much today, silence might be the only thing necessary at times. Or perhaps, just perhaps, the word is to be ministered first, and then the spirit of worship and praise could sweep over the people in anointed song, praise, and thanksgiving. We can, no doubt, find a few scriptures which will support our formulas for conducting meetings; but, brethren, WE should not attempt to be the conductors when we meet in the name of our Lord, and formulas fit very awkwardly in the Kingdom of   God.

 

Back in the late 1970s and early 80s, we had Bible studies in our home, and I was the primary teacher, that is, until my Lord spoke to me. In essence, He said: “My body has more than one member, and each member has a truth and expression of me that no other can express. As long as you are the only speaker, everyone will be limited, and as long as you are their only voice, they will only express what you have taught them rather than me. Therefore, since all who attend the meetings are members of my body, give them the liberty to express me in their unique way of myself.”

 

This was shared with the others at the next meeting, and I told them that this would be the last time I would be the principle one to share, that everyone else who had something should share it as well, and this was expected to be the norm starting with the next week’s meeting. I also said that if no one had anything that there would be no reason to try and whip up something.

 

 Well, as you might have suspected, NO ONE, had anything to share when we met the following week, and since I had nothing stirring in my spirit, I said: “Ok! Since no one has anything, including me, let’s have some ice cream and cake.” That is what we did, and I waited to see what next week’s meeting would bring, and it was a remake of the former week. And I told the same thing. The third week was different. Everyone had something to share that was precious to them that they share, and after a couple of weeks more, they all had so much to express of the wonders of the Lord, I had a hard time sharing what was so real in my life, and it continued that way until the Lord spoke again to let me know it was time to stop the meetings so they could continue on in the journey in which they were called. This is not for everyone, since there are no molds or set ways to form the lives of the saints; but that was how He did it with us back then, and it was good.

 

There are those occasions in gatherings, of course, when the King of Glory comes among us in His Imperial presence, with the conductor’s baton in hand, and not a breath can be heard. Then there are those times when we should come together in humble reverence, quiet our heavens, silence our earth, and wait for the King. If He remains obscure or silent, then perhaps we should be a little more obscure and silently, go home, and continue in such. And again, it could be that after the space of half an hour, the trumpeting voice of thunder will be birthed, and we will be heard resounding from the clouds of heaven and raining/reigning God's glory, judgment, and restoration upon the earth.

 

Indeed, there is Calm Before The Storm and great wonders when it Thunders!

Calm Before The Storm or Silence Before The Thunder  Part 2

 

Notwithstanding, God’s thundering voice unveils and brings to pass excellent things. For instance, "In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when He shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished." Revelation 10:7. It is at the sounding of this mighty angel—Christ who is clothed with His cloud of many members—that causes the seven thunders to utter their voices from within their secret places. When the pealing thunder echoes through the heavens and sweeps over the earth, God's mystery will be finished and manifested openly to be seen by all men. Such a wonder is presently hidden from the world and the church system at large, but not from those to whom the heavens have opened and love is the essence of their lives. "That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the *full assurance of **understanding, to the ***acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Colossians 2:2-3. Therefore, since we are in Him, wherein the mystery of God, the finished work, resides, we should know somewhat of its treasures. It is after we have known silence, and have been imbued with this pristine laurel that the voice of the seven thunders can be uttered. Silence is a precursor to His voice, and without the sound of His voice, we are without a word to thunder.

 

*full assurance: plerophoria, entire confidence. From plerophoreo, to carry out fully (in evidence), i.e. completely assure (or convince), entirely accomplish. (Strong's)

 

**understanding: sunesis, a mental putting together, i.e. intelligence. (Strong's)

 

***acknowledgment: epignosis, full discernment (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance)

 

Once the sound of His voice streaks through His cloud, the mystery of God that is already finished in Christ*  will be manifested. Although unknown to others, being hidden since the dawn of the ages, its destiny is to be known by the elect, and it will be known as it is brought into the earth. It will not remain in the ethereal vapors of heaven forever. And we note that the finished product, the manifestation of the mystery of God, is after the Mighty Angel who is clothed with the cloud speaks, and the seven thunders and the seventh angel begin to utter their voices. Revelation 10:1-7.

 

   *“...In   Him were created ALL things — those in the HEAVENS, and those on the EARTH...ALL things have been created through Him and for   (eis, into) Him” Colossians  1:16, (The Emphatic Diaglott).

 

Seven   is very significant in the economy of God. It is the most frequently used number in the Bible. The Hebrew word for  seven is **sheba', which comes from   shaba', meaning, "to be complete... to seven oneself, i.e. swear (as if by repeating a declaration seven times)" (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance). Seven speaks of fullness, completion, perfection. Nothing can be added to or taken from it without it becoming superfluous or lacking while marring its perfection. The Hebrew word for sabboth is shabath and is derived from shaba', and means, to cease, desist, REST, and from this comes Shabbath, or SABBATH a DAY OF REST. Therefore, seven/sheba'/shabbath speaks of a completed work wherein rest is found.

 

**sheba': a prime cardinal number; seven (as the sacred full one); also (adv.) seven times...by extension an indefinite number (Strong's #7651)

 

It is Seven that stamps  spiritual perfection and completion to the things it is connected. With time it tells of the sabbath, and marks off the week of seven days. Seven completes the colors of the spectrum and the rainbow. Seven also satisfies in music the notes of the scale, with the eighth merely being a repetition of the first.

 

It is said that the every cell of the human body is replaced every seven years, yet each replacement is inferior to the one it replaces. This inferiority process, of course, is due to Adam's genetic code of death in all creation. Regardless of how many vitamins we take, the aging process marches ever onward; for down to the smallest atom, they are all embraced by the same genetic code.

 

 We find   shaba'   in Genesis 21:31, "Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware (shaba) both of them." This oath of Abraham to Abimelech was based upon the seven ewe lambs which were set aside (vrs. 28-30). This points to the idea of satisfaction and fullness in the oath. It was the  security, satisfaction, and fullness of the obligation, or completeness of the bond, which caused the same word to be used for both the number seven and an oath; and so it is written, "...an oath for confirmation is an end of all strife. " Hebrews 6:16.

 

   Seven,   as pertaining to fullness, can also be seen in the scriptures in conjunction with sin: An unclean spirit, upon finding the backslider empty, swept and garnished, brought back seven spirits worse than himself, and they entered him (Mat 12:45). Mary Magdalene had seven spirits cast out of her (Luke 8:2). Knowing the significance of this number, and that it was commonly used in the ancient Greek and Hebrew to express fullness, we can see that it was not speaking specifically of seven spirits in either of these two cases. With the backslider, Jesus was merely using an analogy to show the fullness of sin that would come upon Israel. The seven spirits cast out of Mary, the harlot, indicated the ultimate depth to which she had fallen, and in the midst of that unfathomable depth she was forgiven, delivered, and lifted into life by Jesus. Using her as a type of the Church, it would be speaking of her destiny in the fullness of sin, but eventually delivered. Whether referring to good or evil, holy or unholy, pure or profane, the number seven in scripture carries the thought of fullness, completion, totality, satisfaction, etc.

 

Calm Before The Storm or Silence Before The Thunder

 

 

“And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire....And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.” Revelation 8:1, 6 & Revelation 10:1, 3, 7.

 

We hear from quite a number who are concerned about the rarity of fellowship, as well as it being so quiet inwardly and outwardly. The word of revelation is not stirring in them like they once knew it, and we are asked: “What happened to the ministries who used to travel the country breaking new ground with the word of the Kingdom and sharing revelations from on high with the body of Christ? Why has there been such a stillness, such a hush from hearing our Lord’s voice? Other than The Pathfinder, and a couple of others that come by mail, why are we alone and without other sources? Just to read or be with one or two others who speak the same language would be wonderful. Where are they? The thunder and trumpets of revelation used to be the norm, but not now! Why is it so still and quiet? It is like a holy hush has settled over the body of Christ.”

 

We, of course, empathize with each of them; but we should be encouraged that although silence has swept over our lives, trumpets and thunder are coming.

 

Trumpets and thunder are two of the most awe-inspiring phenomena known to man. It goes without saying that when a trumpet sounds, all attention is given to it. Thunder can roll fiercely through the heavens with the deep roar of a lion and then wane into the muffled clouds as searching for its prey. In the scriptures, they both often represent declarations and some sort of judgment upon people and nations. Trumpets signify a clear declaration, a command, a revelation, or a message.

 

There is a thunder that comes from fiery channels of lightning streaking through the dark body of vapors, seemingly slicing it open and signaling the earthbound rain and hail to start their descent. "The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad. The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightning lighted the world: the earth trembled and shook. Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known." Psalm 77:17-19.

 

At times lightning bolts are never seen, other than illuminations from deep within the secret chambers of charged thunder clouds; but if one is near enough, the report of those secret conclaves can be heard.

 

Thunder can come as an instant clap, an ear-piercing burst that jars the heavens and set the earth ablaze, and every living creature scurries for cover in fear as the Psalmist wrote: "At Thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away." Psalm 104:7. The resound of thunder, symbolizing the majestic voice of God, who can silence it? It would be just as easy to chain the wind or stay the tide as it would to shut His mouth of thunder.

 

There are vast resources and treasures in God's heavens, and one of them is Thunder, and notably so; for it is often used in reference to judgment, change, and restoration. Although judgment is not pleasant to anyone who is contrary to God or who might be running from Him. For instance, I knew a man who loved to hear the word of the Lord. It excited him as revelation a chord in his spirit; but after a few weeks, he pulled back the reins, dismounted, as it were, and went back to his old way of life. I questioned him to see what caused this sudden change of direction. He said: “I came to the realization that the more I know the more I will be held accountable and responsible for. If I don’t know about it, I won’t be responsible for not living it. Therefore, I do not want to hear any more of the word.” I told him that if a bridge has been washed out by a flood, it is a good thing to know about it so you can be accountable and apply the brakes before plunging into the river. But, sadly he did not take heed, and he plunged into the metaphorical river. For he was tragically killed sometime later at the young age of forty-nine years old.

Black Man Beats Black Man; White Professor, Media Cry Racism              

        
There was a time when racial incidents required, at the minimum, actual racism. Now all that’s necessary is the prism of ideology. And a case in point is a recent altercation at the Whole Foods Market in Oakland, California.
“Witness Says Black Customer Bloodied After Attempting to 'Buy Groceries with his EBT Card,'” wrote San Francisco Weekly last Friday.
“Black Man Brutalized by Security Guard at Whole Foods for Trying to Buy Food,” reported Yahoo! News the same day. It was another example of “violence against black citizens,” as a witness on-scene put it, in, apparently, irredeemably “racist” America.
Except that the security guard was also black.
A clerk the beaten man had conflict with was black.
And the on-site store manager was black.
None of the last three points would normally be remarkable, especially in Oakland, except for the fact that numerous news organs emphasized the beaten man’s race, clearly leaving readers with the impression that his was a racial incident. Just consider the Yahoo piece’s opening line: “A black man was beaten to a bloody pulp by a security guard at an Oakland Whole Foods Thursday night after an attempt to purchase groceries led to an argument.” Yet nowhere in the story does Yahoo balance this with information about the guard’s race. Nor was it mentioned by any other mainstream media outlets this writer investigated

 
And all these sources relied on one witness, a white woman named “Dr.” Zoe Marks. Not only was she in the food store when the incident occurred, but, get this, she just happens to be an African Studies professor visiting from Edinburgh, Scotland (don’t say there’s never an African Studies professor around when you need one). In fact, she’s with the University of Edinburgh’s Centre of African Studies, also has a degree in “African-American” studies, and her bio lists among her fields of expertise “Gender and Development, [and] Gender and Violence.”
Professor Marks certainly made the rounds in the media. “It was a very asymmetrical one-sided attack by a much larger individual on a person that was just trying to buy some groceries,” she told KPIX news. She also posted her account to her Facebook page, writing, in part, “I'm sorry for more graphic images of violence against black citizens, but I was here and spoke to the victim (to keep him conscious), perpetrator, several bystanders, and cops.”
Perhaps she ought to be sorry, but not for the reason she thinks. In fairness, Marks did say the police called to the scene were polite, and the actions by the guard, assuming her account is accurate, may very well indicate an overreaction. Yet while she said she spoke to the “perpetrator,” she didn’t see fit to mention his race in her Facebook post and thus undoubtedly contributed to the media’s one-sided, pot-stirring reportage.
Moreover, that reportage often gives the impression that the shopper’s only crime was being a poor black man using an EBT card at an upscale store. As the notoriously left-wing Daily Kos’ headline put it, “Shopping While Black? Avoid Whole Foods. You May Get Beaten Bloody.” Yet there’s more to the story. Just consider this testimonial from a Yahoo! News reader who says she witnessed the incident:

I WAS THERE WHEN THIS HAPPENED. Here is the truth that the media isn't reporting. The incident took place at the Whole Foods store on Bay Place in Oakland. The man had a variety of items in his shopping basket. After the clerk scanned all the items the customer tried to pay with an EBT card. The clerk told him he has to pay for the household goods in his basket with cash, because they are EBT ineligible items. The customer had beer, soap, and cat food along with his food items.

The black man got very irritated and asked for a manager. A manager came to the register and told the man that it is illegal to use an EBT card for the purchase of the non-food items in his cart. The black man started swearing and throwing all the cat food on the floor, breaking one of the containers and spilling it on the floor. The security was called to escort him out of the store. The black man spit in the security guards face, and that is when the altercation took place. Fists were thrown and the customer got the #$%$ end of the stick. Not a single reporter or officer approached me for an interview. There were numerous cameras all over the area and I cannot wait until the footage is released.

And a reader at San Francisco Weekly (SFW) added his eyewitness account (reproduction of it found here). He says that the customer arrived drunk shortly before closing time, “sexually harassed several female employees,” slapped the cashier and spit in her face, spit in the manager’s face, and then repeatedly spit in the guard’s face upon being asked to leave.
For Marks’ part, she claimed while speaking to the Oakland Tribune that the customer “wasn't shouting at anyone. He wasn't violent or disruptive…. There was no threat from him to any of the customers or employees. (We) felt safe until the security guard attacked him." And she also clearly has a gun-control agenda. SFW reports her as writing on the Oakland Whole Foods’ Yelp page, “It's time to disarm your guards and put customers first.” And on Facebook she opined, “Armed private guards cannot be tolerated in our grocery stores and communities when this is what they do to paying customers.”
This is confusing. By “dis-arming” is she referring to amputation? After all, the guard is accused of beating the customer with his fists. (However, do remember that fists don’t hit people — people hit people.) What did guns have to do with it?
As to this, though, another interesting testimonial comes from Elise Ackerman, a journalist and Forbes contributor who shops at the Oakland Whole Foods and reports that Marks is staying next to her and has been giving interviews in front of her house. (Don’t ever say there’s never a mainstream-media reporter around when you need one to watch African Studies professors.) She explains why the store’s guards are armed: Crime in the area is rampant and “there was [a] period where armed thugs were holding up customers in the parking lot and coming inside the store and flashing their weapons,” she writes. In fact, Ackerman was robbed at gunpoint in the area herself in 2011.
Despite this, the Oakland Whole Foods has not only terminated the security guard and the contract with his firm, Admiral Security Services, but has said that henceforth no guards will be armed. It’ll be interesting to see the outcome of advertising the store as a “Gun Free Zone.”
As for the truth-free zone called the media, deceitful, race-baiting reporting is no small matter. The biased coverage of the Trayvon Martin and Ferguson incidents, for example, sparked “revenge attacks” on innocent people. And the Whole Foods partial story is already having its effect, as #BlackLivesMatter protesters shut the Oakland store down for a time yesterday. It’s just more proof that #MediaLiesMatter.