Aug 3, 2013

Extreme Weather Events, Earth Changes and Biblical Prophecy - July 2013



Richard Dawkins stumped by creationists' question (RAW FTGE)

Couldn't pass this one up.  Dawkins can't answer the question, so he takes a break.  When he comes back, he starts babbling about a completely different topic, never answering the question.  Who does this guy think he is, the President? 

By the way, the answer is:  There are no examples, anywhere, of a mutation leading to a gain in information.  Therefore, there are no examples of mutations leading to evolutionary advancement.

 

The Third Temple Prophecy: What’s Holding Back Its Fulfillment?

Interesting article here by Mr. Tim McHyde.  The obvious answer is "it's not God's time yet".  The more subtle answer is, prophecies must be fulfilled in order according to God's will.  Good stuff overall.
The temporarily blocked Eastern Gate of Jerusalem

Many Christians consider the rebuilding of the Temple and restarting of animal sacrifices not a prophetic sign, but an affront to Christ and the church (the "real" temple?). If you learn what the Book of Hebrews says is the actual purpose of the Temple and sacrifices, the plain prophecies about them coming again will make more sense. Discover what must happen first before Temple construction can begin, what prophecy may bring it, when it happens in relation to the 70th week, and what if anything you should do when you see the Third Temple rebuilt.

No Jewish Temple Since 70 AD

Since AD 70 when a rebel faction inside the Roman army disobeyed orders and destroyed the Holy Temple, the Jews have been without their central place of worship. A sole remaining Temple Mount retaining wall, the Western “Wailing” Wall, has been serving as Judaism's most sacred site in place of the Temple.  For most Christians, the absence of Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount is far from a problem. It is just as it should be, to them. After all, that's a relic of the Old Covenant. Jesus said something about him being the temple (John 2:21) and didn't Paul say that the church is the temple now (1Co 3:16)? Given those perceptions, most Christians are not expecting another temple to be built or perhaps for God to ever allow it. Especially—God forbid—one with renewed animal sacrifices that Christians imagine as an affront to Jesus' one sacrifice for all time.
 But for Jews, both religious and secular, the Holy Temple not only makes sense, a large segment of the population desire it. In a recent survey, one third of secular Jews and 43% of religious Jews were in favor of construction on the Temple Mount. What's more, there is real progress towards making it happen. The Temple Institute and dozens of other organizations are preparing for a Third Temple. They are making the priestly vestments, reconstructing the Temple's past ceremonial objects and furnishings (including the 200 pound golden seven branch menorah) as well as preparing for, yes, a renewal of animal sacrifices.  So who is right about God's will for the Holy Temple, Christianity or Judaism? Will the Holy Temple be rebuilt or is God really against it? What does Bible prophecy say?

Four Holy Temples in the Bible – All Literal

Christians who are against another Temple and renewed animal sacrifices in Jerusalem are probably unfamiliar with how many end time prophecies predict exactly that. Christians mostly just know about the past two temples:
  1. Solomon's Temple (destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II)
  2. Zerubbabel's/Herod's Temple (destroyed by the Romans)
They would be surprised to find out that there are not just one, but two more Holy Temples predicted by the Bible:
  1. The Tribulation Temple (taken over by the Antichrist2Thessalonians 2:4)
  2. Ezekiel/Millennial Temple (built under the Messiah – Ezekiel 40-46; Zechariah 8).
Even Christians who are aware of the passages above often see only one Temple among them, or none (by treating them allegorically). However, the context of both the Ezekiel and Zechariah Temple prophecies are millennial, making them distinct from the prophecies of an end time Tribulation/Antichrist Temple such as Daniel, Revelation and Second Thessalonians describe. Zechariah 8:12-13 names “the Branch” (Christ) as the builder of the Temple. (It's hard for him to do that until the Millennium, after he returns.) Ezekiel spends several chapters detailing the Temple dimensions, priestly chambers and duties, altar, animal sacrifice schedule and contributions from the people. It's difficult to sweep all that away as allegorical.
 The reason Christians are tempted to dismiss Temple prophecies in that way is because they do not understand the purpose of the Temple animal sacrifices. Most Christians think they served to take away sin until Christ came or only foreshadowed his sacrifice. However, the Book of Hebrews makes it clear that “the blood of bulls and goats never could take away sin” (Heb 10:4). It gives the true purpose of the sacrifices as being a “reminder of sin” (Heb 10:3). (Just a minor addition to the author's notes here:  the law was also a teacher, to teach right and wrong, order from chaos, and most of all, the price of sin.  Galatians 3:24-25) In other words, God in his love gave us forgetful humans helpful object lessons about sin through these sacrifices. As long as humans remain fallible as we are, we can benefit from both the foreshadowing in past sacrifices and the “backshadowing” (if you will) in future sacrifices at the Holy Temple. When Christ comes to set up his Kingdom over the whole earth, the Fourth Temple will become a center of worship of YHWH God again.  Still, just as some deny any rapture at all (pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation or post-tribulation), there are some that deny a Third Temple is predicted. Typically they point to what Paul said about the church being God's temple (1Co 3:16) as if the use of something in a metaphor denies the reality of that thing in its normal form. In other words, just as the animal sacrifices pointed to Christ' sacrifice and yet literal animal sacrifices will continue after Christ fulfilled them, similarly the Temple of God that foreshadowed the church of God will likewise continue on alongside that which fulfilled it! :)

The Third Temple Prophecies

Hopefully now having resolved any Christian prejudices that the reader may have had against another temple and animal sacrifices appearing one day, let's now look at all the passages on this topic with an open mind. We'll see that we have a “temple,” a “holy place,” and daily “sacrifices” all literally described in prophecies surrounding the final seven years.
Daniel 9:27 (HCSB) — He will make a firm covenant with many for one week [the 70th week], but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple, until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.”

Daniel 12:11 (HCSB) — From the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.
Daniel here says that the Antichrist puts a stop to sacrifices (and sets up the abomination) in the middle of the 70th week, or last seven years before Christ returns (1290 days before Christ returns, to be exact). This obviously means that sacrifices commenced sometime before this and implies that there is a Temple already constructed to go along with the altar. Jesus confirms this:
Matthew 24:15-16 (ESV) — 'So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place...then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.'

The usage of the term "holy place" in other NT passages corroborate that this refers to the Holy Temple (Acts 6:13; 21:28).
Revelation 11:1-3 (ESV) —1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there 2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. 3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”
Revelation tells us plainly that there will be a temple and altar standing by the time the Great Tribulation starts. However, it will be overrun by the nations (led by the Antichrist). If you want to know what they do with the Holy Temple, Paul gives us the most clear indication of a future Tribulation Temple:
2 Thessalonians 2:4 (ESV) — who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he [The Antichrist] takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
The Antichrist will take over the Holy Temple built by the Jews for worship of YHWH God and use it to proclaim to the world that he himself is God. Some commentators object that the “temple of God” could not refer to a temple built by the Jews under their Judaism and that it better fits the church (“the temple of God” as Paul said). However, although Judaism has its errors and faults, they still do worship YHWH God which is who the Temple would be dedicated to worshiping. It makes the most sense that it's referring to a literal temple with a literal seat in Jerusalem where we know the Antichrist conquers and sets up his headquarters (Dan 11:45=Lk 21:20). Otherwise, what sense can we make of the Antichrist figuratively “sitting” inside “the church?”

What's Stopping the Temple Today

The natural next question is when or how soon can this take place? The short answer is not right away. Despite what the prophecies say and the preparations already underway to make them happen, the Temple is still not ready to appear.  Some think the main barrier is that the Dome of the Rock is over the location of the First and Second Temples. Others dispute this and say that the right site is elsewhere on the Temple Mount. They suggest that a Third Temple could coexist on the Temple Mount without any harm coming to the Dome of the Rock.
 But this ignores the political reality and who is in control of the Temple Mount now. Although Israel regained sovereignty over Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War, the Temple Mount is not under Jewish control. It has been administered since the Crusades by the Islamic Waqf, a joint Palestinian-Jordanian religious trust. The Israeli government is secular and has preferred to maintain the status quo on the Temple Mount where the third holiest Muslim site sits. This includes their enforcing of rules forbidding Jews to pray, bow, kneel, prostrate, dance, sing or even rip their clothes on the Temple Mount. It's a volatile situation with frequent Arab rioting at the slightest sign of a religious provocation by the Jews.  With the delicate current political situation Israel faces surrounded by Muslim Arab enemies, it's understandable that the Israeli government is actually hindering the Third Temple. Many Jews believe that those pushing for a Third Temple are being irresponsible and putting the nation at risk. Thus, for the Third Temple to appear, an upsetting of the current political situation is required.

Another Prophecy That Can Unstop It

Bible prophecy may provide the answer to what will change this status quo. You may have heard of Isaiah's “Oracle against Damascus” (Isaiah 17) which appears to describe Damascus, Syria being nuked into oblivion. Or you may have heard of the Psalm 83 prophecy of an alliance of Arabs attacking Israel. (That turns out just as bleakly for the Arabs.) Israel's Arab neighbors have not made a major coordinated joint attack like Psalm 83 describes since the 1973 Yom Kippur war. When they finally are able to justify doing so, Israel will defeat them handily using her nuclear arsenal. Not only, Damascus, but probably several of the aggressor nations' capitals will be nuked. At that point, whether the Dome of the Rock is over the original site of the First and Second Temples, matters less. Perhaps the Dome will be a casualty of war either directly or through a rogue element like the Roman one that destroyed the Second Temple. With the Arab's power and influence greatly reduced, Israel will be able to do what they want with the Temple Mount. Perhaps a surge in nationalism after vanquishing their archenemies will swell and popularize support for the rebuilding of the Temple at last. Time will tell. All we know for sure is that the Temple must and will happen.

When We See the Third Temple Built, Then What?

For prophecy fans, it will be exciting to actually see the fulfillment of prophecy when the Temple is completed and animal sacrifices are performed daily. But will it be a useful sign of the end? Unfortunately not. It will not tell us how close we are to the end. Nor will it signify that believers need to do anything when they see it.  It is simply unclear in prophecy when the Temple is rebuilt in relation to the 70th week. All we know is that it must be complete along with daily sacrifices before the middle of the 70th week when the Antichrist sits himself (and his image) in it. It may happen several years before the 70th week even begins. We just are not told by the Bible. (One thing for sure, in answer to what someone asked me, the 144,000 will not be building the Temple. They come at the 6th seal months before the Great Tribulation and have a very different mission.)  Thankfully, by the time it happens we will probably not be limited to just what we can figure out from the our Bibles. A real prophet for the end times is prophesied by Malachi. This “Elijah” will come and teach the Gospel of the Kingdom (Mt 24:14) and how to turn to God (Mal 4:5). If you are looking for a better sign of the end that will be able to tell us how much time we have left, watching out for the end time Elijah prophet would be the way to go. He'll be able to tell us about the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation and what we need to do to escape both them and the terrible deathstar Wormwood that precedes them.
 

Brannon Howse Threatens To Sue Over Debunking - When People Call Themselves Christians but don't Act Like Christians

Two topics near and dear to my heart pop up in this video.  First, the pre-trib rapture error, the one that says you or I might be "snatched away" at any moment is simply not true, and needs to be called out for what it is.  Secondly, when Christians disagree, they should work it out.  If that's not possible, the more gracious will always back down.  Why would someone who claims to be a Christian teacher threaten to file suit against another Christian simply for an educated disagreement?  Perhaps they aren't what they claim to be...


 

Aug 2, 2013

Healing Scriptures from the Christian Bible Old and New Testament

Whatever the original intentions, if you are looking for healing today, you can't go wrong by reading and meditating on the scriptures the Lord has given us concerning healing.  It's amazing what the Lord will do when we believe...


 


 

The Restless Church (Part 9c - We Love Our Traditions Too Much)

I would add to the truths included herein, that the larger the church, the less likely the leadership of that church is to look favorably on any change.  In America, bigger is better, right?  Unfortunately for the church in America, God always favors quality over quantity.  Always...

Aug 1, 2013

Gnosticism - Good Fight Ministiries

Gnosticism is the power behind all non-monotheistic faiths, like Buddhism, Hinduism, animistic religions, ancestor worship, etc.  It is also beginning to corrode the monotheistic faiths (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) from the inside.  Gnosticism flips the story of who is good and bad and turns the story upside down.  In Christianity, God (Yahweh) is the bad guy, Lucifer (the light-bringer) is the good guy.  Eventually the common idea among them all is that good and evil alike must be accepted and integrated into our lives.

Whether this is related symbolically in the yin/yang Eastern patterns or on the black and white checkered floors of the Masons, the idea that evil is a "necessary" part of us is a lie, and the pinnacle of this lie is the claim that the evil within us must be combined or integrated with the good for us to attain our highest spiritual state.  Just the kind of lie you might expect from a serpent....

Is Satan A Fallen Angel? - Eric Hovind & Bodie Hodge



The Temple Mount

I should add here that there is some considerable debate as to whether the "wailing wall" is actually part of Herod's Temple (the second temple complex) at all, or actually a wall of the Roman prison that was attached on outside the Temple on the grounds.  We know from Josephus that Herod's Temple was razed to the ground with not one stone left on another.  That would seem to indicate that the western or wailing wall was not actually any part of the Temple, unless it was part of the sub-foundation.

Jul 31, 2013

Forgiveness of Sin - Ron Matsen



Are You Smarter than an Eighth-Grade Student - A Century Ago? Take the Test

I think many have said it better than I can here, but our educational system in the U.S. has been steadily "dumbed-down" (that's not even correct English:) over the decades.  I've seen straight A students in recent years who don't know basic vocabulary, especially as it relates to the Bible, and don't know simple places.  I'll never forget a young man, now studying to be a lawyer, who made straight A's his final year of high school, telling me that "Greece and Rome are the same place...aren't they?"  The truth is horrifying...an uneducated public is much easier to manipulate, isn't it?  

By Daily Mail Reporter




A general examination to test eighth grade students in Kentucky's Bullitt County school system in 1912 has stumped some adults and ignited a debate over the intelligence of children today.

The arithmetic, geography, civil government, physiology, grammar and history questions range from 'What is a personal pronoun?' to 'Who first discovered Lawrence River?' and 'Define Cerebrum'.

Posted on Lew Rockwell, the type-written test has promoted some adults to try and answer the questions, and caused some parents to critique the U.S. school system.

Could you pass this test? A general examination to test eighth grade students in Kentucky's Bullitt County school system in 1912 has stumped some modern adults and ignited a debate over the intelligence of children today
Could you pass this test? A general examination to test eighth grade students in Kentucky's Bullitt County school system in 1912 has stumped some adults and ignited a debate over the intelligence of children today


'I performed poorly,' wrote Jezebel's Laura Beck. 'But to be fair/excuse my stupidity, some of the answers, especially history, are very different now that we know more of the truth.'

Some questions are specific to Bullitt County, such as 'name five county officers in your region,' while
other aspects of the test are antique
.

What is a 'pennyweigh', for example? The measurement is approximately 1.56grams, and the term derives from the weight of an English penny during the time of King Henry III.

There has been no shortage of claims in recent years that education within America has declined.

In 1995, the U.S. ranked second after New Zealand in terms of college graduation among 19 countries with comparable data. In 2010, it ranked 13th among 25 countries with comparable data.
Testing memory: The arithmetic, geography, civil government, physiology, grammar and history questions range from 'What is a personal pronoun?' to 'Who first discovered Lawrence River?' and 'Define Cerebrum'
Testing memory: The arithmetic, geography, civil government, physiology, grammar and history questions range from 'What is a personal pronoun?' to 'Who first discovered Lawrence River?' and 'Define Cerebrum'

But many parents argue that the children in 1912 who took such tests were no smarter than the children of today.
One commenter noted: 'Most of these questions are memorization-based. They prompt memorized answers with specific words that would have been used in classes back then.
'There are very little critical thinking questions or any other questions that require more than rote memorization to complete.'
Another woman, under the name of Leah Jaclyn, agreed, writing: 'Often people who think our kids are dumb fail to realise that rote memorisation is a skill that is not often required anymore.'
Mark of intelligence? Posted on Lew Rockwell, the type-written test has promoted some adults to try and answer the questions, and caused some parents to critique the U.S. school system
Mark of intelligence? Posted on Lew Rockwell, the type-written test has promoted some adults to try and answer the questions, and caused some parents to critique the U.S. school system

But several commenters put emphasis on the value of learning certain things by rote.
One woman explained: 'Is it a bad thing to memorize basic geography? Doing so allows me to read a newspaper article and understand where it is taking place. Memorizing historical facts allows me to interpret that article and put modern day occurrences into context.
She continued: 'I work with a lot of "smart" kids who might read about the situation in Israel/Palestine, but can't find those places on a map, and have no idea about their basic history. Thus, no context, rendering "smart" somewhat irrelevant.'
Some people deemed the entire test irrelevant in comparing past and present intelligence of children.
The numbers: Bullitt County Census Data from 1910 shows there were 845 white and African American children aged ten to 14 attending school, out of a possible 1,032
The numbers: Bullitt County Census Data from 1910 shows there were 845 white and African American children aged ten to 14 attending school, out of a possible 1,032

'This test may have been used in 1912 to determine if someone has passed the 8th grade, but it was not an achievement test to determine the learning level of all 14 year olds,' one man commented on the Huffington Post.
'The poor and less bright children would have already left school and were working by age 14 (if they started school at age 6, then they would be 14 in grade 8). In 1912, most of the children (poor and lower-middle class) started work before the age of 12. Many worked in textile mills.

'The children who took this test were probably children of the upper-middle and upper classes or children who were so smart that someone noticed their potential and sponsored them.'
A Bullitt County 1911 school report, written by superintendent, Ora L. Roby, reveals that teachers advocated for children to stay in school, even though that was not always the case.
Eighth grade equivalent to university? Comparatively, the number of children aged 15 to 17 attending school in 1910 was just 268 children, out of a possible 523
Eighth grade equivalent to high education? Comparatively, the number of children aged 15 to 17 attending school in 1910 was just 268 children, out of a possible 523

'The compulsory school law, I think, is a step in the right direction,' wrote Ms Roby. 'But we find it defective, in that there is no jail sentence attached.
'Most of the people failing to send children to school are parents too poor to pay a fine and no property on which to make it, but in this county the attendance increased 75 per cent the past term.'
Bullitt County Census Data from 1910 shows there were 845 white and African American children aged ten to 14 attending school, out of a possible 1,032.
Comparatively, the number of children aged 15 to 17 attending school in 1910 was just 268 children, out of a possible 523.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2381482/Were-children-smarter-century-ago-Test-eighth-graders-Kentucky-dated-1912-ignites-debate-kids-intelligence-today.html#ixzz2ab8JPeFP

Iran: Armageddon at hand, prepare for war

By Reza Kahlili



(Courtesy Fars News Agency) Ali Larijanie, Islamic Republic's Speaker of the Parliament at the 9th international conference on Mahdism Doctrine
 
Iran is again asserting that Armageddon is at hand and that the Islamic regime’s followers, indeed all of Islam, must prepare for a monumental change in the world.

Officials of the Islamic regime last month held their annual conference on the Mahdism Doctrine to prepare for the coming of the last Islamic messiah, the Shiites’ 12th Imam, Mahdi.

Shiites, whose clerics rule Iran with an iron fist, believe that at the end of times, Mahdi, a 9th century prophet, will reappear with Jesus Christ at his side, kill all the infidels and raise the flag of Islam in all four corners of the world, establishing worldwide Islamic governance.
Ali Larijani, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, said at the conference that, “I hope (Iran’s) Islamic Revolution is that of the righteous government before the coming,” according to Fars News Agency, the regime’s media outlet run by the Revolutionary Guards.

“Righteous government” is a key to Mahdi’s return, the Shiites believe.

“It has been stated in the Islamic hadith that a wave of uprisings (such as the current upheavals in the Arab world) … takes place before the main uprising and that the righteous government (takes place) before the coming, which I hope (Iran’s) Islamic Revolution is that.”

The speaker said that metaphysics and modern technology have diminished human spiritualism, causing a sense of nervousness in which people have lost hope, and that this effect will reach its maximum before the coming.

“All mental crises are rooted in hopelessness and despair in life,” Larijani said, “and from a society point of view, this is because the big powers of the world are pushing for a culture that has no identity and with their power give their illicit desires a legal aspect. With the help of their media, they explain away the biggest corruption.”

Many regime officials participated in this year’s conference, including military commanders, and several guests spoke of the importance of the Shiite ideology on Mahdi’s coming and the need for jihad for the final battle. The Mahdaviat conference is convened annually to prepare for the coming.
A high Iranian politician said recently that he believes the Syrian revolution could be the catalyst for sparking a worldwide conflagration that will usher in an era of Muslim domination of the world.
Become a part of the investigative reporting team uncovering the truths about Iran, and get author Reza Kahlili’s “A Time to Betray” about his life as a double agent inside Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

“One can smell from the crisis in Syria the coming … of the end of times and the coming of the last Islamic messiah,” said Ruhollah Hosseinian, a member of the Islamic regime’s parliament. Hosseinian has served as deputy of the Intelligence Ministry and a member of the board of trustees of the Islamic Revolution Document Center.


(Courtesy Fars News Agency) Islamic Republic's officials at the 9th international conference on Mahdism Doctrine
 
Based on hadiths by Muhammad and his descendants, the Syrian revolution is a start to the coming of Mahdi, Hosseinian said in a speech quoted by Fars News Agency.

Hadiths from Ali, the Shiites’ 1st Imam, also state that a sign of the coming will be the fall of the walls of Damascus.

Hosseinian told the audience that they should prepare themselves for war.

“The coming of his highness is assured … the prophet has promised that people from the east, which according to the hadith means Iran, take power and prepare for the government of Imam Mahdi.”

Despite the Islamic regime being under crippling U.N., U.S. and EU sanctions, it has refused to stop its illicit nuclear program. Over a decade of negotiations with talks as recent as April with the 5+1 world powers have failed. The West hopes that it could restart negotiations once Iran’s new president, Hassan Rowhani, takes office in August.

The room in the Jamkaran Mosque located in the City of Qom, leading to the well where the regime officials believe, Imam Mahdi, Shiites 12th Imam is awaiting re-appearance
However, a former intelligence officer now defected to a Scandinavian country said the West must understand that even the election of Rowhani was by design by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, only to buy time so that the regime could reach its goal of becoming a nuclear-armed state. Some analysts believe that Iran’s drive for nuclear weapons is to facilitate the coming.

Any new negotiations must be prompt and serious, making the Islamic regime understand that there will be no wasting time, said the source, adding that the world’s balance relies on how the West handles the regime’s nuclear ambitions.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/07/iran-armageddon-at-hand-prepare-for-war/#rvZlXtwZuB2Ekb8k.99

The Unseen World - Chuck Missler

Great stuff here.  I don't recall if I've written about this here.  I know I've spoken about this, but the verse Missler starts out with, Deuteronomy 32:8, was blatantly changed in the Masoretic text (as opposed to the Septuagint, the scriptures Jesus and the disciples used) to state "sons of Israel" as opposed to the divine beings, likely archangels that were originally stated in the text.  Daniel confirms this when he speaks of the "prince of Persia" and the "prince of Greece".  (Daniel 10:20)

Just a brief primer here, the Masoretic text was used as the document from which the Old Testament was translated by Luther and later the King James version.  (The Masoretic text was begun in roughly 100 A.D. and continued through about 600 A.D. before reaching it's final form.  The Septuagint, the scripture used by Jesus was translated around 200 B.C.)  It's alterations were then repeated through most modern versions. 

The reason for this was a concerted effort by those Jews who rejected Jesus as the Messiah to steal some of the authority and power of "Old Testament" prophecies from the early Christian church.  While the alterations were not massive in number, they were significant in stealing some major truths pointing to Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Savior for Israel and the Church.

I think it's plain from the scriptures that God placed the government of the world (kosmos in the Greek) of this age in the authority of these principalities.  And most of these principalities chose to follow the Serpent rather than the Lord.  The free will of angels is a topic for another article.  As Missler mentions here, it is quite probable that the United States of America had a principality that governs it.  Fascinating stuff to begin a study of the spiritual realities that govern our world.

 

Where the Vitality of the Beast that Was, and Is Not, and Yet Is Pulsates in Anticipation of His Final “Raising”

                                                        

In order for the agents of the prophetic dates 2012-2016 to materialize on time, certain wizardry and alchemical machines were required to invoke the coming of the destroyers.
The three-hundred-thirty ton Obelisk in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican City is not just any Obelisk. It was cut from a single block of red granite during the Fifth dynasty of Egypt to stand as Osiris’ erect phallus at the Temple of the Sun in ancient Heliopolis (Ἡλιούπολις, meaning city of the sun or principal seat of Atum-Ra sun-worship), the city of “On” in the Bible, dedicated to Ra, Osiris, and Isis. The Obelisk was moved from Heliopolis to the Julian Forum of Alexandria by Emperor Augustus and later from thence (approximately 37 AD) by Caligula to Rome to stand at the spine of the Circus. There, under Nero, its excited presence maintained a counter-vigil over countless brutal Christian executions, including the martyrdom of the apostle Peter (according to some historians). Over fifteen hundred years following that, Pope Sixtus V ordered hundreds of workmen under celebrated engineer-architects Giovanni and Domenico Fontana (who also erected three other ancient obelisks in the old Roman city including one dedicated to Osiris by Rameses III—at the Piazza del Popolo, Piazza di S. Maria Maggiore, and Piazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano) to move the phallic pillar to the center of St. Peter’s Square in Rome. This proved a daunting task, which took over four months, nine hundred laborers, one hundred forty horses, and seventy winches. Though worshipped at its present location ever since by countless admirers, the proximity of the Obelisk to the old Basilica was formerly “resented as something of a provocation, almost as a slight to the Christian religion. It had stood there like a false idol, as it were vaingloriously, on what was believed to be the center of the accursed circus where the early Christians and St. Peter had been put to death. Its sides, then as now, were graven with dedications to [the worst of ruthless pagans] Augustus and Tiberius.”[i] 
                                                                                                                
The fact that many traditional Catholics as well as Protestants perceived such idols of stone to be not only objects of heathen adoration but the worship of demons (see Acts 7:41–42; Psalms 96:5; and 1 Corinthians 10:20) makes what motivated Pope Sixtus to erect the phallus of Osiris in the heart of St. Peter’s Square, located in Vatican City and bordering St. Peter’s Basilica, very curious. To ancient Christians, the image of a cross and symbol of Jesus sitting atop (or emitting from) the head of a demonic god’s erect manhood would have been at a minimum a very serious blasphemy. Yet Sixtus was not content with simply restoring and using such ancient pagan relics (which were believed in those days to actually house the pagan spirit they represented) but even destroyed Christian artifacts in the process. Michael W. Cole, Associate Professor in the Department of the History of Art at the University of Pennsylvania, and Professor Rebecca E. Zorach, Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Chicago, raise critical questions about this in their scholarly book The Idol in the Age of Art when they state:
Whereas Gregory, to follow the chroniclers, had ritually dismembered the city’s imagines daemonem [demonic images], Sixtus fixed what was in disrepair, added missing parts, and made the “idols” into prominent urban features. Two of the four obelisks had to be reconstructed from found or excavated pieces… The pope was even content to destroy Christian antiquities in the process: as Jennifer Montagu has pointed out, the bronze for the statues of Peter and Paul came from the medieval doors of S. Agnese, from the Scala Santa at the Lateran, and from a ciborium at St. Peter’s.

[Sixtus] must have realized that, especially in their work on the two [broken obelisks], they were not merely repairing injured objects, but also restoring a type… In his classic book The Gothic Idol, Michael Camille showed literally dozens of medieval images in which the freestanding figure atop a column betokened the pagan idol. The sheer quantity of Camille’s examples makes it clear that the device, and what it stood for, would have been immediately recognizable to medieval viewers, and there is no reason to assume that, by Sixtus’s time, this had ceased to be true.[ii]
 
The important point made by Professors Cole and Zorach is that at the time Sixtus was busy reintroducing to the Roman public square restored images and statues on columns, the belief remained strong that these idols housed their patron deity, and further that, if these were not treated properly and even placed into service during proper constellations related to their myth, it could beckon evil omens. Leonardo da Vinci had even written in his Codex Urbinas how those who would adore and pray to the image were likely to believe the god represented by it was alive in the stone and watching their behavior. There is strong indication that Sixtus believed this too, and that he “worried about the powers that might inhabit his new urban markers.”[iii] This was clearly evident when the cross was placed on top of the Obelisk in the midst of St. Peter’s Square and the pope marked the occasion by conducting the ancient rite of exorcism against the phallic symbol. First scheduled to occur on September 14th to coincide with the liturgical Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross and not coincidently under the zodiacal sign of Virgo (Isis), the event was delayed until later in the month and fell under the sign of Libra, representing a zenith event for the year. On that morning, a pontifical High Mass was held just before the cross was raised from a portable altar to the apex of Baal’s Shaft (as such phallic towers were also known). While clergy prayed and a choir sang Psalms, Pope Sixtus stood facing the Obelisk and, extending his hand toward it, announced: “Exorcizote, creatura lapidis, in nomine Dei” (“I exorcize you, creature of stone, in the name of God”). Sixtus then cast sanctified water upon the pillar’s middle, then its right side, then left, then above, and finally below to form a cross, followed by, “In nomine Patris, et Filij, et Spiritus sancti. Amen” (“In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen”). He then crossed himself three times and watched as the symbol of Christ was placed atop Osiris’ erect phallus.
 
Vatican Dome facing Obelisk
 
Yet if what Sixtus established in the heart of Vatican City gives some readers pause (numerous other signature events by Sixtus aligned the Sistine city with constellations sacred to Osiris and Isis, which we are not taking time to discuss here but that caused Profs. Zorach and Cole to conclude that, in the end, Sixtus wanted to remain in the good graces of the pagan gods), in Washington, DC near the west end of the National Mall, the Obelisk built by Freemasons and dedicated to America’s first president brings the fullest meaning to the nephilim-originated and modern porn-industry impression that “size matters.” This is no crude declaration, as adepts of ritual sex-magic know, and dates back to ancient women who wanted to give birth to the offspring of the gods and who judged the size of the male generative organ as indicative of the “giant” genetics or divine seed needed for such offspring. While such phallic symbols have been and still are found in cultures around the world, in ancient Egypt, devotion to this type “obscene divinity” began with Amun-Min and reached its crescendo in the Obelisks of Osiris. 
                                                                                                                
Throughout Greece and Rome the god Priapus (son of Aphrodite) was invoked as a symbol of such divine fertility and later became directly linked to the cult of pornography reflected in the more modern sentiments about “size.” This is important because, in addition to the Washington Monument being intentionally constructed to be the tallest Obelisk of its kind in the world at 6,666 (some say 6,660) inches high and 666 inches wide along each side at the base, one of the original concepts for the Washington Monument included Apollo (the Greek version of Osiris) triumphantly returning in his heavenly chariot, and another illustrating a tower “like that of Babel” for its head. Any of these designs would have been equally appropriate to the thirty-three-hundred-pound pyramidal capstone it now displays, as all three concepts carried the meaning necessary to accomplish what late researcher David Flynn described as “the same secret knowledge preserved by the mystery schools since the time of the Pelasgians [that] display modern Isis Osiris worship.”[iv] This is to say, the “seed” discharged from a Tower-of-Babel-shaped head would magically issue forth the same as would proceed from the existing Egyptian capstone—the offspring of Apollo/Osiris/Nimrod.
The greatest minds in Freemasonry, whose beliefs set the tone for the design of the capital city, its Great Seal, its Dome, and its Obelisk, understood and wrote about this intent. Albert Pike described it as Isis and Osiris’ “Active and Passive Principles of the Universe…commonly symbolized by the generative parts of man and woman,”[v] and Freemason writer Albert Mackey described not only the Obelisk, but added the importance of the circle around its base, saying, “The Phallus was an imitation of the male generative organ. It was represented…by a column [Obelisk] that was surrounded by a circle at the base.”[vi] 
 
Washington Dome facing Obelisk
In Egypt, where the parodies and rituals for raising Osiris to life through these magical constructs was perfected, Pharaoh served as the “fit extension” for the reborn god to take residence in as the “sex act” was ritualized at the temple of Amun-Ra. The all-seeing eye of Horus/Osiris/Apollo above the unfinished pyramid on the Great Seal forecasts the culmination of this event—that is, the actual return of Osiris—for the United States during or closely following the year 2012, and the Dome and Obelisk stand ready for the metaphysical ritual to be performed in secret by the elite. We use the phrase “performed in secret” because what the vast majority of people throughout America do not know is that the “raising” ceremony is still conducted inside the headquarters of the Scottish Rite Freemasonry in the House of the Temple by the Supreme Council 33rd Degree over Washington, DC for at least two reasons. First, whenever a Mason reaches the Master level, the ritual includes a parody representing the death, burial, and future resurrection of Hiram Abiff (Osiris). The world at large finally caught a glimpse of this custom when Dan Brown, in his book The Lost Symbol, opened with a scene depicting the start of the tradition:
The secret is how to die.

Since the beginning of time, the secret had always been how to die.
The thirty-four-year-old initiate gazed down at the human skull cradled in his palms. The skull was hollow, like a bowl, filled with bloodred wine.

Drink it, he told himself. You have nothing to fear.

As was tradition, he had begun his journey adorned in the ritualistic garb of a medieval heretic being led to the gallows, his loose-fitting shirt gaping open to reveal his pale chest, his left pant leg rolled up to the knee, and his right sleeve rolled up to the elbow. Around his neck hung a heavy rope noose—a “cable-tow” as the brethren called it. Tonight, however, like the brethren bearing witness, he was dressed as a master.

The assembly of brothers encircling him all were adorned in their full regalia of lambskin aprons, sashes, and white gloves. Around their necks hung ceremonial jewels that glistened like ghostly eyes in the muted light. Many of these men held powerful stations in life, and yet the initiate knew their worldly ranks meant nothing within these walls. Here all men were equals, sworn brothers sharing a mystical bond.

As he surveyed the daunting assembly, the initiate wondered who on the outside would ever believe that this collection of men would assemble in one place…much less this place. The room looked like a holy sanctuary from the ancient world.

The truth, however, was stranger still.

I am just blocks away from the White House.

This colossal edifice, located at 1733 Sixteenth Street NW in Washington, D.C., was a replica of a pre-Christian temple—the temple of King Mausolus, the original mausoleum…a place to be taken after death. Outside the main entrance, two seventeen-ton sphinxes guarded the bronze doors. The interior was an ornate labyrinth of ritualistic chambers, halls, sealed vaults, libraries, and even a hallow wall that held the remains of two human bodies. The initiate had been told every room in the building held a secret, and yet he knew no room held deeper secrets than the gigantic chamber in which he was currently kneeling with a skull cradled in his palms.

The Temple Room[vii].
While such drama makes for excellent fiction, The Lost Symbol turns out to be at best a love fest and at worst a cover up between Dan Brown and the Freemasons. However, one thing Brown said is true—the Temple Room in the Heredom does hold an importantsecret. We’ve been there, stood inside and prayed for protection under our breath, because according to our sources (who provided facts that have not been denied when we were interviewed by a U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator, and even a 33rd-Degree Freemason on his radio show), in addition to when a Mason reaches the Master level, the ancient raising ceremony is conducted following the election of an American President—just as their Egyptian forefathers did at the temple of Amun-Ra in Karnak—in keeping with the tradition of installing within him the representative spirit of Osiris until such time as the god himself shall fulfill the Great Seal prophecy and return in flesh. 
                                                                                                                
In the prologue of 33rd-Degree Freemason Manly P. Hall’s book, The Lost Keys of Freemasonry, detailed recounting of the underlying and familiar story of Hiram Abiff (Osiris) is told, who sets out to construct the temple of the Great Architect of the Universe, but is killed by three spectres. This story, impersonated every time an initiate reaches the level of Master Mason, is by admission of Freemasons a retelling of the death-epic of the god Osiris. In Lost Keys, Hall narrates how the Great Architect gives Hiram (Osiris) the trestleboard for the construction of the great temple, and when he is killed by three ruffians, the Great Architect bathes him in “a glory celestial,” as in the glory surrounding the all-seeing eye of Osiris above the pyramid on the Great Seal. The Great Architect follows this by charging those who would finish the building with the task of finding the body of Hiram (Osiris) and raising him from the dead. When this has been accomplished, the great work will conclude and the god will inhabit the (third) temple:
Seek ye where the broken twig lies and the dead stick molds away, where the clouds float together and the stones rest by the hillside, for all these mark the grave of Hiram [Osiris] who has carried my Will with him to the tomb. This eternal quest is yours until ye have found your Builder, until the cup giveth up its secret, until the grave giveth up its ghosts. No more shall I speak until ye have found and raised my beloved Son [Osiris], and have listened to the words of my Messenger and with Him as your guide have finished the temple which I shall then inhabit. Amen.[viii]
 
Thus the appearance of the uncapped pyramid of Giza on the Great Seal of the United States echoes the ancient pagan as well as Masonic beliefs concerning the old mysteries and the prophecy of the return of Osiris/Apollo/Nimrod. In Rosicrucian and Masonic Origins, Hall, who had said in The Secret Teachings of All Ages that the Great Pyramid was “the tomb of Osiris,”[ix] explains that Preston, Gould, Mackey, Oliver, Pike, and nearly every other great historian of Freemasonry were aware of this connection between Freemasonry and the ancient mysteries and primitive ceremonials based on Osiris. “These eminent Masonic scholars have all recognized in the legend of Hiram Abiff an adaptation of the Osiris myth; nor do they deny that the major part of the symbolism of the craft is derived from the pagan institutions of antiquity when the gods were venerated in secret places with strange figures and appropriate rituals.”[x] In Morals and Dogma, Albert Pike even enumerated the esoteric significance of the Osiris epic at length, adding that lower-level Masons (Blue Masonry) are ignorant of its true meaning, which is only known to those who are “initiated into the Mysteries.”[xi] Pike also spoke of the star Sirius—connected to Isis and at length to Lucifer/Satan—as “still glittering” in the Masonic lodges as “the Blazing Star.” Elsewhere in Morals and Dogma, Pike reiterated that the “All-Seeing Eye…was the emblem of Osiris”[xii] and that the “Sun was termed by the Greeks the Eye of Jupiter, and the Eye of the World; and his is the All-Seeing Eye in our Lodges.”[xiii] 
 
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