Post by Ralph Lauretano

I don’t know why I’m doing this. You’ll probably think I’m nuts. It is not usually like me to get up on a soapbox and preach to the masses, but something forceful is moving in my soul & spirit this weekend, and I can’t seem to resist it’s urgings. It is a little scary for me to write this and pass it on to you, considering the nature of the subject, and the usual cautions to not speak about politics or religion. But I cannot seem to help myself. Please bear with me and read this to it’s hopeful end. I guess it’s just that I care for you so much that I am taking a chance of offending someone…………………

End Times are upon us…………………with wars and rumors of wars and civil unrest in places like Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Pakistan, (not to mention Greece, North Korea, Venezuela, Russia & China), the entire middle-east, all of the arab-muslim nations surrounding the one holdout for true democracy in that part of the world, little Israel.

click below to keep reading…
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And what we call “Natural Disasters”, i.e.: floods, tsunami’s, earthquakes, land-slides, volcanic eruptions, droughts, fires, famine, tornadoes, hurricanes and typhoons are happening, more and more, all over the world in places like Japan, Haiti, South America, Iceland, Australia, Russia, Europe, America, the Pacific rim, and the Rift Valley in Africa, etc., etc.

All this is, and has been, foretold in the Holy Bible, both the old and the new covenants, for centuries. And now it is all coming to the forefront as we watch the daily events unfold before us continually. Biblical prophesy can be seen happening and coming true every day in the news.

We need to be aware of the truth of it, and be as ready as we can be for what comes next, as it will surely do so in our lifetime. The horror of ‘the end’ is rapidly descending upon us and there is nothing we can do to stop it. What must be, will be………….

Some very few examples of the many, many Biblical warnings about these times are noted below:

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Mark 13:7-8 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

Mark 13:29-30 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

Mark 13:32-33 , 35(A) & 37 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. What I say to you I say to everyone: Watch!

When the words in the Bible are capitalized, and emphasized with exclamation points, it is very serious. God is warning us and telling us that it is time to get ready for His final judgements that are to come upon the earth and all who still dwell in it.

If anyone chooses not to bow their knee to honor God, in fear and trepidation, and accept and recognize Him and His representatives, the Son and the Holy Spirit, then they will be doomed to go through the most awful, hellish of times ever to be visited upon the earth. There will be no saving them who refuse to acknowledge & accept the Word of God, and give praise and honor to Him.

“Truly believing” Christians, (of any and every nationality, race, [denomination] and tradition), will be saved from it all, while the rest will have to suffer through it, and many will die, horribly, in their sins and disregard for God’s love and offer of salvation.

It’s so sad and such a useless waste of the free gift of eternity with God in heaven, in return for such a simple thing………which is to believe, accept and confess Him to all whom you are in contact with. The time we have left is so short. There is not much time remaining to “get right with God”. Please don’t be left behind………………..if I’m wrong, you’ve lost nothing by giving it a try. But if I’m right, you’ve lost everything by remaining stubbornly in denial of the truth………………………

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It’s your choice where you will spend the rest of your eternal, spiritual life after your physical body dies. You will either be with God and any of those you love who are with Him already, or you will suffer an agonizing separation from God and an eternal, devastating loneliness in the outer darkness and burning fires of hell forever and ever. The choice remains with you. Will it be in the smoking section? Or the non-smoking section of eternity?

Once the final judgment comes, there will be no recriminations allowed. You have been given your free choice by God, for He is a gentleman, and will not force Himself upon anyone, although His arms are open wide to anyone who will come to Him, right now, and just as they are. He loves you and will take you “as-is”. He’ll clean you up afterwards, and once in your new, “forever” bodies, you will wear brilliant white robes that have been washed white as snow in His most Holy, precious blood that was shed on that rough Roman cross for you & I. All are welcome, but few will choose to come to the wedding feast of the Lord, foolish as that sounds.

I pray that no one rejects His free offer of eternal bliss in the arms of the Lord. Make your decision today, to be with Him forever, in peace, love and true joy. Accept Him into your heart, confess your sins to God, and turn away from those actions that are keeping you separated from Him. We need to live as He wants all of us to live, using Christ as our example of God’s love for ourselves and one another.

There really is no other choice that makes any sense at all. Please deeply consider this heartfelt missive sent to you out of a caring love for all of God’s babies. What do you have to lose?

I know that many of you on my list already feel the same way I do, and have accepted the Lord as your savior, so please feel free to forward any part of this to anyone whom you think may benefit from it’s content.

In His love,

Ralphie, the sinner redeemed, (hopefully)

Week 12

March 19-25, 2011[1. The notes, summaries and points on this page are intended as bookmarks of important matters which are covered in this week’s readings. They are not intended as complete summaries of readings. Please forgive me if some of my summaries are not 100% on point. Read the manual–i.e. Bible–so that you will get a more clear understanding of the material. Thank you.
–Tom Truex]

This is the “One Year Bible Challenge:” to read the entire Bible in one year. Assuming a normal reading level, this can be done by spending about 10-15 minutes per day, each and every day. It is NOT TOO LATE to join the Challenge! Start with today’s reading and keep reading with us through the end of this year. You’ll have to read a bit more at the beginning of next year to finish. See ReadTheWholeBible.COM for more information. If you would like details so you can join us, or if you have any other questions, please call Tom Truex. Or send an email by using the CONTACT form on K-Line.ORG.

Themes and stories: God specified the offering for Passover, Pentecost, Festival of Trumpets, Day of Atonement and the Festival of Booths.

God told the Israelites not to break their promises. A woman was responsible for her promises only if her father (if unmarried) or husband heard the promise and did not express disapproval when he first heard it. A widow or divorced woman was responsible for her promises.

God told Moses to conquer the Midianites in battle. A thousand men from each of the 12 tribes (12,000 total) prepared for war. The Israelites killed every male Midianite, including their kings and Balaam, who owned the talking donkey. The Israelites took the women, children, and cattle and as captives. They burned the Midianite’s towns. Moses was angry with the leaders of his army for allowing the women to live. So at Moses’ command, they killed the male children, and all of the women, except virgins. The warriors got to keep half of the spoils of war. The rest of the Israelites split the other half.

Two tribes among the Israelites, the Reubenites, and the Gadites asked Moses if they could settle on the land they had already conquered, rather than in the land of Canaan. Moses was angry. He thought they would not help conquer the promised land; and would discourage the rest of the Israelites. But the leaders of the Reubenites, and the Gadites assured Moses this was not their intent. In fact they offered to leave their cattle and children in the land they wanted; and they would lead the Israelite attack, until they had conquered the promised land. Only after their victory would the return to their land. Moses agreed to this arrangement. In the end, Moses gave the Reubenites, and the Gadites—plus the half tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph—the lands that were conquered from King Sihon and King Og. Two and a half tribes agreed to settle in land before the promised land, though they must help all the Israelites fight in the coming battles.

God told Moses that when the Israelites enter the promised land they must get rid of all signs of the previous inhabitants. Destroy their idols and other religious symbols. Drive out all of the people. God warned them that any people who were not driven out of the land would be a source of trouble to the Israelites in the future.

God told Moses how Canaan would be divided amongst the remaining Israelites. The Levites were to get 48 towns—6 of them cities of refuge. A city of refuge was a place where a person who had accidentally killed someone could go.

Moses was again asked to address the matter of the inheritance of Zelophehad’s Daughters. He previously addressed the issue of the four daughters whose father died with no sons in Numbers 27:1-11.

Deuteronomy. Moses reviews what God has done for the Israelites. He reminded them of the twelve spies sent out to the Land of Canaan. They reported it was a good land, but the Israelites lacked faith. They were afraid of the people who inhabited the promised land, because they were big and strong. Due to their lack of faith, only the two men who advocated taking the promised land, would live to see it be done. They were Caleb and Joshua. The Israelites were obliged to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. Moses also reviewed the battles the Israelites had fought.

Moses told the people to obey God. Moses emphasized the prohibition against idols. Throughout history, people have worshiped other gods, but none of them have performed the signs and wonders of the one true God, who the Israelites worshiped.

Psalms: Psalm 62:1 – 68:18
Proverbs: Proverbs 11:18 – 28

Themes and stories:
Jesus was about 30 years old when he began his work. But first, Luke traces the ancestor’s of Jesus back to “…Adam, son of God.”

Luke 4:3-13 (RSV) – [3] The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” [4] And Jesus answered him, “It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone.'” [5] And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, [6] and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. [7] If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours.” [8] And Jesus answered him, “It is written, `You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'” [9] And he took him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here; [10] for it is written, `He will give his angels charge of you, to guard you,’ [11] and `On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'” [12] And Jesus answered him, “It is said, `You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'” [13] And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Jesus returned to Galilee to teach. Jesus was rejected in his own home town of Nazareth. The people couldn’t believe that Jesus, the son of an ordinary carpenter, could be anything special. Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country.” Luke 4:24 (RSV) They were going to throw Jesus off a cliff, outside town. But Jesus simply walked through the mob to leave.

Jesus went to Capernaum, in Galilee. He taught with great authority. People were astounded. Jesus cast out demons, and healed many people. The crowds grew. There were so many people that, in order to be heard, Jesus sat in a boat a little way off in the water, and taught the people on the shore. Later he told the fishermen who owned the boat to go back out to cast their nets. The miraculous haul of fish was so great that it almost tore the fishermen’s nets and swamped their boat.

Jesus healed a man with leprosy. The crowds grew. Some men brought their friend to be healed by Jesus. The man was paralyzed. Unfortunately, the crowd was so great, they could not get anywhere near Jesus. They cut a hole in the roof of the home where Jesus was teaching, and lowered the paralyzed man to him.

Luke 5:20-25 (RSV). [20] And when he saw their faith he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” [21] And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this that speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?” [22] When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? [23] Which is easier, to say, `Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, `Rise and walk’? [24] But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — he said to the man who was paralyzed — “I say to you, rise, take up your bed and go home.” [25] And immediately he rose before them, and took up that on which he lay, and went home, glorifying God.

The Pharisees did not like the what Jesus said. They were not looking for the truth; but for ways to trap Jesus. They also disagreed with Jesus’ practice of eating in the homes of sinners. Jesus told them, [31] … “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; [32] I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:31-32.

Jesus disciples picked wheat on the Sabbath—technically considered work, and a violation of the Sabbath, according to the Pharisees. Jesus also healed a man with a withered hand—also technically considered work and what the Pharisees considered a violation of the Sabbath. The Pharisees were more interested in justifying the status quo than in learning the truth about God’s law and God’s son. So they could not understand what Jesus tried to teach them in these matters.

Jesus chose his twelve disciples: “Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphæus, and Simon called Zelotes, And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.”

As Jesus was teaching and healing, he spoke on a number of things that were blessed. Jesus taught that we should love our enemies. He also taught about judging others–”Judge not, and ye shall not be judged…” Luke 6:37 (KJV).

You would not expect a Roman soldier to have faith in Jesus. Yet a Roman Centurion demonstrated great faith. The centurion’s slave was very sick. Jesus heard about his illness and started to go to the centurion’s house. But the centurion knew that Jesus did not have to physically see or touch the slave. Jesus’ mere word was sufficient to heal the slave. Jesus healed the slave without going to the centurion’s house.

Old Testament: When the Israelites defeated the Midianite army, the military commanders killed all of the enemy men and burned their towns. This sounds harsh, by modern standards, though common in the ancient world. Also common was the military commanders’ decision to take the women and children as slaves. Why did Moses command that the male children and women (other than virgins) from the Midianite captives be killed? Do we know if this order was carried out?
New Testament: Most of us were taught as children to stay away from the “wrong crowd.” So why was it OK for Jesus to associate with sinners. Are Jesus’ actions in this matter a blanket endorsement for us to associate with unsavory people in unsavory places?

The discussion notes ( PDF / TEXT ) for breakfast on Saturday, March 26, 2011 are now online — ”The ‘Wrong’ Element”. God’s rule with the Midianites was to take (almost) no prisoners. Literally. God did not want the Israelites to be corrupted by the sinful influence of the Midianites. Yet Jesus made a point of dining with sinners, because they needed to hear his word. What’s going on here? Should be a good discussion this week! Discussion verses: Numbers 31:7-18 and Luke 5:29-32

A women’s study group meets in Davie, FL on the 2nd Friday morning of the month. Contact Janet Truex, or use the Contact tab at CONTACT form on ReadTheWholeBible.COM.

The discussion notes ( PDF / TEXT ) for breakfast on Saturday, March 26, 2011 are now online — ”The ‘Wrong’ Element”. God’s rule with the Midianites was to take (almost) no prisoners. Literally. God did not want the Israelites to be corrupted by the sinful influence of the Midianites. Yet Jesus made a point of dining with sinners, because they needed to hear his word. What’s going on here? Should be a good discussion this week! Discussion verses: Numbers 31:7-18 and Luke 5:29-32