Hello again, brothers and sisters!!!

Before we get into today’s discussion, I just want to briefly say “thank you” to those of you who have been regularly taking part in these discussions, as well as those of you who visit whenever you are able.  I would also like to thank all of our first-time visitors.  It is a blessing and a genuine pleasure to have you all here:-)

For today’s discussion, we will review the parables of the treasure and the goodly pearl.  While these two parables were a couple of the shorter parables that Jesus shared, they are certainly just as important as all of the other parables.  Jesus was speaking with His disciples when He shared these parables.  The parables are as follows:

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field;  the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” – Matthew 13:44-46 (KJV)

Both of these parables are making the same point, right?  Let’s break them down, shall we?

The man seeking treasure, and the merchant-man seeking goodly pearls, are played in real life by sinners seeking the truth, redemption, and salvation.  The treasure hiding in the field and the goodly pearl, represent the kingdom of God found through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is also the Living Word of God.  So with that being the case, why would we have to sell all that we have in order to buy our way into the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ?  Doesn’t that run contrary to salvation being a gift given freely by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior?  It sure does.  however, the point of these parables is not that we are “buying” our way into the kingdom of God. 

The point is that once we have discovered the kingdom of heaven by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we should value nothing else as much as this “treasure/goodly pearl”.  Beloved, when we find the kingdom of heaven through Jesus Christ and His word, we should value the Lord, His word, and His kingdom above anything else in our lives.  As obedient and faithful servants, there should be no price we are unwilling to pay in order to serve Him completely.  If we live in complete submission to the Lord’s will, then there is no room for competing interests.  Just as with the Apostle Paul, all former things we held dear we must be willing to count as lost once we are saved.  Why?  Well, once we are saved, serving the Lord is to be the focal point of our lives, and our vision is to be focused like a laser on doing so.

Interestingly, in these two parables that Jesus Christ shared with us we can also Him as the man/merchant-man seeking the treasure/goodly pearls.  Think about it.  Jesus gave up all that He had and suffered death on the cross in order to pay our sin debt.  In so doing, beloved, we were saved and purchased by His blood.  The treasure being “hid” in the field refers to those who live in Christ being granted access to the kingdom of heaven, which is a place that someone who serves sin cannot find or gain access to.  Once we belong to Christ, He protects us from the enemy.  We are effectively “hidden” in His protection, as once we belong to Christ Jesus, we cannot be snatched away from Him.  As Jesus said:

“I told you, and ye believed not:  the works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.  But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep, as I said unto you.  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me:  And I give unto them eternal life;  and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.  My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all;  and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.  I and My Father are one.” – John 10:25-30 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, let us rejoice that the Lord considers us His “treasure/goodly pearl” and was willing to pay everything in order to save us!!!  Praise God!!!  Thank you, Jesus!!!  Furthermore, let’s praise the Lord God Almighty for His lovingkindness and longsuffering, and let’s show Him that He is the only real treasure that matters to us, as well!!!  Beloved, do you know what the word of God, the truth, salvation, entrance to the kingdom of heaven, light, love, peace, life, faith, wisdom, and understanding all have in common?  I’ll tell you what.  We find and receive all these things when we find Christ and turn our lives over to Him.  Jesus is the Truth.  Jesus is the Living Word of God.  Jesus is the Prince of Peace.  Jesus is the Author and Finisher/Perfector of our faith.  He is the Way to the Father and the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus Christ is the Life.  The Lord is the Light of the world.  You get the point, yes?

Beloved, besides the praise we offer to the Lord in the form of prayer, song, and worship, we need to commit ourselves to praise Him through our lives and actions.  That we belong to Christ Jesus should be obvious to all not just by the words we speak, but also by the things we do.  It should not appear to others that we live for money, or for the approval of man;  rather it should be clear to all that we live to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Just as Jesus paid for us by giving up all that He had for our sakes, we ought to esteem our treasure, found in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, above any passing “treasure” that this world has to offer.  Remember, beloved, the treasure of this world lasts for a limited amount of time and diminishes.  The treasure of the Lord is forever.  Suffer any necessary hardships, persecutions, or trials in this world in order to serve the Lord obediently and faithfully.  By so doing, your treasure in heaven will be waiting for you, and increasing, and will be with you forever:-)

Beloved, the Lord will always provide for, and take care of, those entrusted to Him.  It is, however, up to each one of us to make the decision to seek the Lord and His kingdom.  If we are willing to walk through the thorns, rats, mice, and bugs, and other treacheries of the field in order to find Him, then we will find that our “treasure” is more than worth the jouney.  Remember, beloved, hidden treasure only has value to us once we find it.  In order to find it, we must seek it.  As Jesus said:

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness;  and all these things shall be added unto you.” – Matthew 6:33 (KJV)

Precious one, we cannot claim hidden treasure that is never discovered, because we have no idea where it is.  Once we seek and find our treasure in Christ Jesus, however, we have the greatest treasure of all.  This is real treasure.  Everything other treasure pursued yields only fools gold.  So often we allow the cares of this world to distract us from searching for our hidden treasure.  Jesus was telling us not to get consumed/wrapped up in the concerns of this world.  He was telling us that we should put our whole focus on seeking the Lord and His will.  We can do so while not being overwhelmed with thoughts of what we will eat, where we will live, or what we will clothe ourselves with, because God will see to our needs just as He does with the birds of the air and the grass of the field.

Please pray for all those who have no idea of the hidden treasure available to them.  Let’s pray that they go searching for it, willing to brave the trials of the journey, in order to find the only treasure that really counts.  Furthermore, let’s pray that once they find that treasure, they see Him for who He really is and turn their lives over to Him as their Lord and Savior.  Jesus Christ is our treasure.

If you are ready to discover your hidden treasure, and claim your eternal inheritance from the Lord God Almighty, you can do so by accepting Him as your Lord and Savior today.  If you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today, and be saved, please pray the following prayer with me:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You. Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Beloved, if you just prayed that prayer sincerely, then you just found your hidden treasure.  I would encourage you to find out what’s all in the treasure chest by exploring it through God’s word, through prayer with supplication and thanksgiving to the Lord, and by asking Him to reveal the fullness of the treasure to you.  The treasure you have, precious one, is priceless.  God set aside this treasure just for you through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  Welcome to the family:-)  The angels in heaven are rejoicing this very moment at your decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  Find out about this and much more by exploring God’s word that He had written just for you:-)  This relationship with Christ is the most precious and important relationship you will ever have.  Invest yourself in growing the relationship as much as possible.  Seek the Lord’s will in all things, and let your will be completely surrendered to Him.

Thank you for joining our discussion today.   I hope you are able to join us on Friday to pray over this week’s prayer requests. 

Remember, if you would like to order the new book “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God – Suiting Up For Spiritual Warfare), please visit my website at http://www.yourbrotherinchrist.com .  If you prefer to order by mail, you will also find the mailing address on that website.  This book is very valuable in helping people understand how to go about securely and effectively putting on the whole armor of God that the apostle Paul refers to in Chapter 6 of Ephesians.  We are praying that many people will receive this book and be blessed in their walk with the Lord by reading it.

Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day!!!  Walk in faith, knowing that you are loved by the Creator of the heavens, earth, and all life, and knowing that the treasure that you now carry in your heart and soul is priceless:-)

Have a happy, safe, and blessed Thanksgiving Day tomorrow!  Give a special thanks to the Lord for all that He has done for you and your loved ones.  Without Him, we’d be in a very bad place:-)

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Ein weiterer Arcade-Klassiker ist im Anmarsch: Missile Command (oder ursprünglich auch Armageddon) von Atari. Bereits 1980 erschien das Spiel und wurde sogar noch bis 2005 weiterhin auf insgesamt 24 Plattformen veröffentlicht, zuletzt auf dem Nintendo DS in einer Atari-Klassiker-Sammlung. Es erschien in der sogenannten goldenen Ära der Computer- bzw. genauer gesagt, Arcade-Spiele und gilt selbst darin als eines der erfolgreichsten überhaupt. Indiz dafür ist beispielsweise das Auftauchen im Action-Film Terminator 2 und in der Nerdserie Chuck wurde dem Spiel sogar eine ganze Folge gewidmet.

Ziel ist es Städte bzw. Raumbasen, welche am unteren Bildschirmrand auf einer Art Mond oder Planet stationiert sind, zu beschützen. Dafür stehen einem drei Abwehrraketensysteme zur Verfügung, die jedoch auf jeweils 10 Schuss begrenzt sind. Man muss pro Level also mit insgesamt 30 Raketen auskommen, um die von oben herabfallenden feindlichen Geschosse zu zerstören. Als weitere Schwierigkeit fliegen ab und zu Bomber und Satelliten über die Basis hinweg, welche ebenfalls mit Raketen ausgerüstet sind und die Stützpunkte dementsprechend angreifen. Diese Raketen gilt es mithilfe eines Fadenkreuzes anzuvisieren und zu beschießen, um die Städte bzw. die Abwehrbatterien zu beschützen. Aufgrund der Bewegung der Geschosse gestaltet sich das natürlich schwieriger, als man zuerst denken mag, aber mit etwas Übung hat man die Winkel schnell raus. Schafft man es allerdings nicht rechtzeitig einer der Raketen abzuschießen, muss man sich leider von einer Stadt bzw. Raketenbasis verabschieden und somit geht einem, zumindest bei letzterem, wertvolle Munition verloren. Am Ende eines Levels kommt der Beschuss zum Erliegen und die übrig gebliebenen Städte und Raketen werde zum Punktekonto addiert – bleibt nichts stehen, ist das Spiel vorbei. Beim Erreichen von 10.000 Punkte erhält man eine neue Stadt und dadurch auch ein Leben mehr. Jedoch bleibt auch der Schwierigkeitsgrad nicht unverändert: Die Geschosse fallen schneller herab und auch für andere Gemeinheiten ist im weiteren Verlauf gesorgt.

Im Gegensatz zur Urversion braucht man im Flashspiel nur noch mit der Maus über den Bildschirm fahren und klicken, wenn eine Abwehrrakete gezündet werden soll. Damals musste man sogar noch für die drei verschiedenen Abwehrbatterien den jeweils richtigen Knopf drücken und gesteuert wurde mit einem Trackball. Eine moderne Fassung namens Lunar Command findet ihr hier. Und zu guter Letzt natürlich noch das Video:

Earth IS staggering badly: News, Nature, Wars, Economy, H1N1, Recalls, Hate Crimes, Pope, Evang. Lindsey/Hagee, Goats Robbed, False Charges, FaceBook, Panic, Deaths

Prophecy’s Extra Oil Update 34: News of False Teachers, False Prophets

©copyright 2009 Bonita M Quesinberry

News 11/21-11/24: 3.5 days in “terrors of these end days;”
England, “many” missing in “worst storm floods ever recorded” ancient stone bridges collapse, 1000s homes flooded; UK opens investigation of soldier abuses at Abul Grae prison similar to US abuses; China, mine blast kills “scores” (104); India, train derail kills “at least” 29; Saudi Arabia, 4 pilgrims die H1N1; Indonesia, ferry sinks, “at least” 26 dead; Turkey floods, 4 dead; Pakistan, 20 Taliban killed; Philippines, kidnappers kill 21; Politically motivated massacre, 46 dead; Italy, plane crash kills 5; Afghan, Nov: US soldiers-15 killed; Iran, alliance talks with Russia/So. America; Canada, Stork Craft recalls 2.1-mil baby cribs due to deaths;

US, religion/sexual orientation hate crimes rising rapidly, “economy not as strong as believed,” people in deadly panic mode, 29 States’ job loss rates climbing, Senate debates Health bill; WA 5th storm, rivers flood, 3-ft snow, 7-in more due even lowlands, hail, wind damages, “at least” 11-k no power; OR bad weather, road rage shooting kills 1, wounds others/shooter kills self; Las Vegas, officer killed in his home by robber, military brother flies in from Iraq; FaceBook led to 12yo beating, Woman informed “stripped of Canadian disability due to F/B photos of her at Chippendale strip show”; (Uncle Sam also is watching and listening in on its people);

Mother and Daughters: POPE to meet Anglican leaders amidst rising tensions; Hal LINDSEY recently viewed, noticed distinct agitation in evangelist as he defined points of prophecy, albeit invalid, on his TBN show: formerly confident, the nervous fidgeting revealed his recognition of lies in God’s name. Hal Lindsey is not alone; many like him, i.e. Hagee, speak for harlot daughters despite knowing Truth;

TBN Sun 11/22, Rev. John HAGEE, fronting a poster labeled “Counterfeit Christianity,” urged Sunday attendance then robs audience of Truth by accusing all who obey God’s Doctrine as legalist cults, “counterfeits.” By sight/sound Hagee trains his goats to blame Christ’s sheep for causing global devastation— Revelation shows Apostle John shocked by a scene of what appeared to be Christ’s church persecuting Christ’s church.

Hagee’s sermon cited God’s wrath on US—economic crisis— then said “pray to return god to America and its demise can be stopped:” it is not the god whom Christ’s sheep follow, as Hagee later implied. It is too late to turn the tide, so he leads his flock to certain destruction: God said, “Satan slays his own.” Hagee’s end comments about the true sheep were to prepare his goats’ minds to fault the Elect: unbeknownst to them God views these acts as cursing God (Rev.). It is the same brainwashing methods used to create terrorists, some of whom will kill anyone they believe the Bible or Quran call “infidels,” unbelievers— God noted, “They think to do it for God.” NOT!

Sound like Muslim extremists? Hagee and others are urgently preparing their goats for exactly the same extreme behaviour as that of Islamic terrorists. Mark this word: their rage and indignation against Truth Speakers has been occurring for some time but only in verbal or written trickles; now their emotions are about to erupt in deadly rage. More frequently and more heatedly than any time in history, we are hearing these accusations from harlot daughters’ myriad denominational pulpits and televised evangelists: earth’s hourglass about to run out of sand. Increasing twists of God’s Word then heavily laced with lies and pointing fingers at the Elect, while speaking in angry tones, reveal Satan’s last effort to take down with him as many people who will allow his nasty power of them.

Be well-armoured, beloved sheep, that you may stand without fear of whatever attack they might bring against you; if it be verbal, say nothing or calmly respond as the Spirit leads, with a statement not for debate; or, if it be threat of a first death, face it as Jesus spoke of it— a blessing from God sparing you the worst to come: Christ will raise us up to join Him in the clouds. According to God, a “few” brethren must die as a sign of Christ’s quick return: those few join Christ’s martyrs killed long ago and who are crying out from beneath the altar, “Lord, when will you avenge us.” Do not expect mass slayings of Christ’s true sheep: rather, look for many to be beaten and/or falsely imprisoned with just a few deaths of God’s few 7th seal messengers known worldwide.

The sheep know the world is collapsing and will not recover, per God’s Holy Word; thus, a break from daily travesties is called for and prompts no indepth news for a while. We do suggest watching local news and CNN at least in the evening; be sure to notice CNN’s ticker tape at the bottom screen, which provides even more news in bits and bites.

TSaS will focus on recalls of vital Bible studies, respond to member questions, post prayer requests and comments members might have, or post summaries of documentaries answering to horrors we are witnessing around the globe during the most exciting time in man’s history. Pray— pray unceasing for the world and its leaders, for all who believe a lie and will die twice for their misguided ways.

Please WELCOME new member Jennie of Wisconsin! To all members, keep in mind that TSaS Post Archives and Files contain a wealth of God’s knowledge and wisdom: peruse them freely, print them out if you choose; most of all, share them with everyone you know, whether saved or not. You never know when you might “literally snatch one from God’s fiery wrath.” It only takes one for you to be “called great in heaven.”

Sister Debbie on Extra Oil Update 33— “I have watched a few of those survivalist programs. They are the in-thing lately. It truly saddens me how foolish and lost these people are. There will be no place to hide when Christ returns. All will know who has come and why. His saints will be leaving and the rest will find their shelters are not to be. All we can do is pray they come to Christ and soon. Time as we know it now will cease to exist . . . in just a twinkling of His eye.” 

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Identifying False Teachers and Prophets

Truth Gathering, ©copyright 1998-2003 annotations by Bonita M Quesinberry, the world’s only AKJV exhaustive Topical Bible, excerpts chapters 2 and 12: Many moons ago, TSaS member Albert asked, “How can we discern false preachers, pastors, prophets, theologians, and brethren from God’s true disciples?” See post archives for original post that includes member responses. Update ©copyright 2009—

There are two AKJV Bible passages that, in God’s considered opinion, clearly define God’s true from Satan’s false: Isaiah and Daniel’s description of false teachers and prophets who would appear on the scene after Jesus ascended to heaven, the same of which Paul warned the true sheep. The following are paraphrased for clarity:

Isaiah 8:16,20— Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. They speak God’s Law and His testimony, for there is light in them. If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Daniel 7:25— [False teachers and prophets] speak great words that are against the most High’s [Words], wearing out the saints of the most High, and they changed God’s times and Laws, [teaching their own for God's]. {recall Jesus chastising, “You teach man’s commandments for God.”}

See also Romans 1:1-6; Galatians 1:6-10. Jesus lived and taught the Doctrine of God; and, His Apostles preached the gospel of Christ, which was God’s. What was said in the New Testament was first said in the Old. There is nothing new, nothing changed; save and except the fact Jesus became the ultimate sacrificial lamb in place of a literal lamb of the temporary sacrificial ordinances.

All who truly believe must obey as a Jew, else be not grafted into the Jewish Tree of Life; and, all Jews who did not obey were cut from the Tree of Life. Paul admonished, “You heathens are grafted in but God can easily cut you out for the same reasons He cut out two of the tribes. Do not set their same examples of unbelief.” The two tribes cut out had turned deeply into pagan practices and rituals, just as Papal Rome and myriad Christian denominations did and continue to do today: which is to teach lies in God’s name.

Sadly, the vast majority of people foolishly believe their denomination of choice teaches all 12 of God’s Commandments, “as given in the beginning,” which Paul stated. “In the beginning” refers us back to Moses and the stone tablets, cited in both Exodus c.20 and Deuteronomy c.5: other Old Testament books state the two royal laws of love long before Jesus came reciting those same two “upon which depend the Ten.” The harlots teach that we really can’t obey all the Law— we are human after all— so we are not to worry about it: Jesus will forgive us each time we knowingly sin, thousands of times.

NOT TRUE! Once having repented of all known sins, and never repeating them again, Christ will forgive sins of which we are not aware or do not yet fully understand— UNTIL we understand. For instance, many today do not know they are violating all the Commandments by not obeying the fourth. When they have been given the truth of this matter, then continue to disobey that Law, they will not be forgiven nor bear the Seal of the One True Living God; effectively condemning themselves to eternal death.

Leviticus 19:18, Deuteronomy 6:5, 10:12-13, 11:1,13, 13:3-5, Joshua 22:5 and Nehemiah 1:5,9 clearly cite God saying, “Love the Lord thy God with all your heart and soul and with all your might; and, love your neighbor as yourself.” Deuteronomy 13:5 added, “IF YOU DO LOVE GOD, YOU WILL OBEY HIS COMMANDMENTS.” Then, of course, the Apostles said, “We know we love God because we obey His Commandments.” Does everyone understand that God’s Twelve Precepts ARE His Holy Doctrine, the same Jesus magnified by living it, the same Jesus made honorable by teaching others to obey?

Jesus came speaking no new commandments, albeit false teachers say He did give two new precepts; rather, He cited the same two royal laws God had given and added that upon them hang all the law and the prophets. To “hang upon” means to “depend upon.” Therefore, Christ was saying the same as what God had said: one cannot hope or even be motivated to obey the Ten Precepts unless they truly love God in order to obey the first four precepts, and truly love their neighbor thus obeying the last six laws. Jesus included the ancient prophets in His statement simply because they truly loved God thus both obeyed and spoke God’s testimony and Law just as Christ did. True love for God and neighbor compels a desire to obey God’s Law: written on the fleshy table of our heart.

Following Jesus’ ministry, the Apostles then taught the same message of obedience through faith: faith that obeying those Laws are in one’s own best interest and in the interest of those around them, and in faith that in doing so will prompt God to fulfill His promise of everlasting life. When Israel obeyed, it was because they feared God’s wrath instead of obeying His Law because they loved and trusted that God required it in their best interest; therefore acknowledging that God knows and understands more than they did or that we do.

This is exactly why God’s Ten Precepts also have alternate Biblical titles: Statutes of Life, Law of Righteousness, Law of Blessings, and Law of Liberty; for in our obedience by faith and love, we will be blessed many times over AND spared a second death: provided, of course, we also truly believe Jesus is God’s Son. The harlots teach that we are set free of THE Law; when, in fact, we are set free of only the condemnation in the Law: which condemnation comes into play only when Law is violated: i.e. man’s law says stealing is a crime punishable by imprisonment. If you do not steal, then you are not condemned to prison; thus, to avoid condemnation you must obey that law. See how we are “set free” of only condemnation within God’s Law? If Christ set us free of the whole Law, then why will that same Law “stand forever, even in the new earth and heavens?” 

In reality, false disciples teach almost exclusively the two royal laws— citing them as new commandments issued by Christ to replace the Ten, and the only ones that count in the end— “Love is Love and Love Is All That Matters.” Ironically, they do, from time to time, mention 12 precepts yet reduce one to third position to read simply, “Keep thou the Sabbath holy” while persuading their goats to be in church every Sunday. It would be difficult for them to urge Sunday attendance if they quoted the true fourth Precept: unless people have no concept of which are the first and last days in a week. Read the whole:

Exodus 20:8-11— Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger [heathen] that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it [made it holy].

Jesus then came adamantly stating, “I also am Lord of the Sabbath!” This should lend a hint of something quite special about this seventh day. If nothing else, it identifies God and His Christ as the ones whom true believers serve. And, by their observance of God’s Sabbath, in the manner He prescribed in Isaiah 58:6-8,10,13-14, they are identified as both God’s and Christ’s servants, sheep, the elect.

Additional scriptures state, “Blessed is the person who obeys God’s Sabbath, Jew or heathen, and cursed are those who do not.” To observe any other day as God’s Sabbath reveals a different god and identifies that god’s followers as goats, putting them in danger of being judged twice dead.

Therefore, the seventh day Sabbath is both God’s and Christ’s seal of authority to enforce God’s Laws over those who observe and keep holy the day as well as God’s remaining Statutes of Life. After all, within Exodus 20:8-11 appear all four criteria required for a valid seal of authority, whether corporeal or spiritual; and, in Ezekiel 20:12,20 God clearly tells us that the seventh day Sabbath is His SEAL— sign, seal, mark, and token being synonymous words— indicating that all who bear God’s seal have been sanctified by Him or by His Christ. Christ’s claim to the same seal makes perfect sense: He is the Son of God, thus He expects the same obedience to the day He shares with His Father. After all, Jesus said, “Do my Father’s Will, obey my Father’s Doctrine.”

It is an historical fact that the seventh day of the week is Saturday; always has been and always will be. Look to the Jewish faith for confirmation; of which Christianity is supposed to be a mere extension. Nonetheless, over the last 6000 years, calendars have undergone a number of changes: both the Jewish as well as those of pagans, changes which affected only the number of days in a year or in a month as well as the number of months in a year or which month would represent the first month of the year: Jewish and pagan finally settling on 12 months of 360-365 days in a year.

There have been several attempts to change the line up of week days— specifically to get people to accept Monday as the first day and Sunday as the seventh, making a blasphemous day appear to be God’s true Sabbath— but, each time it was met with strong opposition thus never accepted. This is no surprise, for our Lord stated, “I preserve My Truths.” Ironically, the United States federal government and its armed forces do use calendars showing Monday as the first day and Sunday as the last weekday. Sunday always has been the first day and Saturday the seventh. But, what about “times?”

Genesis shows God establishing a day as extending from evening to evening: because the world began in darkness; thus night came first, then He created light for the daytime hours. For example, Sabbath begins at sundown Friday and ends at sundown Saturday, the next day beginning at sundown and so forth. False speakers changed a day to begin at midnight, which comes straight out of paganism.

In the last decade or more, some denominations have begun holding services on Saturday evenings, due to some members’ concerns regarding God’s fourth Statute, erroneously leading people to believe they are observing God’s true Sabbath by attending church on Saturday nights; in fact, it’s already Sunday by God’s time standard. Obviously, these same people have no idea what God calls a day, short of reading Genesis for themselves.

The above move also is an effort to bring Sabbath keepers into their deadly synagogues: which is to walk right back into that which God said to “come out of.” Even daylight savings practices cannot affect God’s true Sabbath: the sun will rise and the sun will set according to His timing, regardless of mankind’s mechanical clock settings.

Further, false speakers interpret God’s prophecies to suit the desires of the world as well as altering timelines of each prophecy they’ve discerned by the world— as opposed to spiritually— therefore grossly leading their people astray and leaving them totally unprepared for Christ’s quick return. To be unprepared is to be left behind very “dead from one end of earth to the other end and the eagles are called to feast upon them,” while Christ’s sheep are “escorted to the sure, safe haven of heaven for 1000 years.”

False speakers teach some prophecies having been fulfilled in part, with the remainder to be fulfilled thousands of years later: setting God and His Word wholly out of character. This maliciously directs people to seek signs today that were long ago fulfilled— in essence, causing them to believe Christ won’t come until they see those signs. There are numerous ways in which false prophets have misinterpreted God’s prophecies, while at the same time earning billions of dollars through the promotion of their lies by the use of various medias: books, television and movies. Lies are about money, tons of it.

God, Christ, Holy Spirit, and the Apostles made it clear that even “one falsehood amidst God’s truth renders the whole a deception.” So let us suppose the only lie being taught among various denominations is that of God’s Sabbath: Sunday exchanged for Saturday. This being the case, how can anyone believe anything else they teach? If they will promote even one lie— let alone the greatest lie ever perpetuated— there is absolutely NO assurance people are getting any of God’s Truth! Besides which, this particular falsity renders the one who believes the lie without God’s Seal upon his or her forehead: instead, twice dead by Satan’s Mark.

The fact is, and for any number of reasons, there is not one denomination coming even close to fitting the Biblical description of Christ’s church; which clarifies exactly why Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, so shall I be.” This also accounts for the description of His flocks as being “small” in number.

Our Saviour condemned all false preachers, pastors, theologians, and prophets of His time as well as in the generations to come; saying instead that those who are NOT schooled in man’s Bible seminaries— babes, as it were— would perfect praise and teach Truth. Despite His declaration, the vast majority of people continue to believe and blindly follow only ordained ministers and their trumped up prophets: the very ones “who slay their own people for lack of truth.” They reign by way of persuasive power strengthened by certificates of ordination from man’s schools of theology and, in exchange for your loyalty and money, they promise wealth, peace, and happiness now and in paradise they cannot guarantee.

Last, there are people who will believe only those preachers, pastors, theologians and prophets who are related to them: mother, father, brother, sister, uncle and so forth. Just because someone is a family member who just happens to be in a ministry does not guarantee he or she speaks God’s Truth. Nor can one be assured they are not false ministers and prophets. Else Christ would not have warned that those who will turn against His sheep are those of his or her own household, family as it were. Further, Paul revealed the deceit of Satan’s synagogues: “Why are you surprised Satan can manifest himself as an angel of light and that his ministers can do the same?”

God’s consistent complaint with Israel, as noted in Isaiah 30:8-9, was their habitual return to disobedience of His Commandments; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 further advising us that the whole duty of mankind is to obey God’s Statutes. Then, in Romans 2:12-13,15,18, Paul states clearly that “those who sin without God’s Law will PERISH without His Law; and, those who sin aware of God’s Law shall be JUDGED by that law: therefore, the hearers of God’s Law are not justified; but, the DOERS OF GOD’S LAW SHALL BE JUSTIFIED. How much plainer must God’s requirements be stated in order that people turn to His total Law instead of mankind’s altered form of it? Revelation even confirms this same obligation three times— 12:17, 14:12, 22:14.

Yet, religious leaders say we are dead to the Law? The only aspect of God’s Law to which only the obedient are exempt is the condemnation built into the Law; this is to say, the penalty for violating God’s Law, which penalty is to be rendered twice dead. There is no scripture in existence saying we are dead to obeying His Precepts. After all, scripture tells us that to commit sin IS to violate the Law.

Isaiah 8, verses 16 and 20, make it abundantly clear who are false teachers versus who are Spirit anointed speakers: the latter speak the loving testimony of God and His Christ as well as teach only God’s Law, His Doctrine, because there is light in them. There was light in God’s various chosen ancient prophets, there was light in Jesus, there was light in His Apostles, save and except Judas, and there is light in the few truly anointed today: sadly, they go unheeded amidst the roaring flood of false teachers and prophets.

After all, false leaders can shout louder and have ample financial resources you’ve provided to surround the globe with their lies, masking truth speakers by their sheer strength and volume, accessibility to civil powers, as well as their exceeding numbers of supporting followers: these latter of whom are to be considered false brethren. False leaders and brethren alike are quick to denounce truth speakers as “legalists, blasphemers and doers of Satan’s work.” Their formal ordination causes people to believe them thus quickly denouncing truth speakers. As in Christ’s day, so it is today: only getting worse.

Do you still believe you are directed by God’s true disciples: the ones who lead your choice  of denomination? Or, has this article cast shadows on what you’ve believed, doubt of your leaders and those denominations Biblically known as Satan’s synagogues? There is much more light to be shed, for they know absolutely no boundaries for lies.

Therefore, the end-of-days’ instruction to Christ’s sheep is to be fully dressed in God’s Armor and keep your eyes on the clouds; for Jesus is even at the door and earth has been  “reeling to and fro like a drunkard” for almost 19 years now (Isaiah 24:19-22). Time is short; so, let this serve as a heads up to every professed Christian whom God deems cold or lukewarm (Revelation 3:14-22). Repent— repent— repent quickly, totally and today.

——Watch the clouds between mid-October to mid-November henceforth until no later than 2011. The book of Hebrews says Jesus will not be late. If not fully converted now, time is your enemy; total conversion must be instant, this day, TODAY: do not delay. Pray unceasing! Be watchful; stand fast even to death. WE HAVE GOD’S POWER. KEEP WALKING and TALKING, even when it seems useless: you might snatch one lost, lukewarm sheep from the flames and give the warmth of God’s Truth to a cold waiting for it. Saith the Lord, “Ye lukewarm await consuming fire.”

——TSaS post archives open to public; members access Bible Lesson FILES. TSaS ministry neither needs nor asks for money and never will: God provides our basic needs. We ask only for prayer and that you share God’s Truth with all who will hear/read and obey in “the instant.” Be good stewards of God’s Word: share Extra Oils, lead everyone to God’s Biblical Truth at — http://groups.yahoo.com/group/truthseekersandspeakers

Much Love in Christ, Sister BonnieQ

http://seventhseal.webs.com Unicorn Haven’s Seventh Seal Library

http://www.naturesanswer.com to order Asafetida, also correctly spelled Asafoetida: produced by Natures Answer; if not in product list send email to NA to ask about getting it (my local health food store orders it for me) This is one of the strongest fighter’s of virus in God’s herbal kingdom: His medicine works perfectly and with no side effects!

Also, remember God’s words about these times, “My people shall walk among them and be not touched.”

Just walked out of the theater after watching 2012. The director took the world through one horror after the other. It was like he had all these awesome (if awesome to you means the Earth biting the dust and then getting washed away in water) special effects and quickly put together a story.

Typical Hollywood fare. Divorced parents of two. Some animosity between the ex and the present hubby. Disaster. Family comes together to fight it. And in the end (spoiler alert!!!) after poor Gordon flies the family to China to board a sort of Noah’s Ark he is crushed in the gates. 

While the clever Americans knew exactly how long it would take for their safety zone to be hit and other such clever things they resurface after 27 days and head to Africa which is intact and the only continent  left standing.  If they could’ve figured that out they could’ve saved more than the rich folks and they need not have carried giraffes, rhinos, and elephants with them as Africa has plenty of those.

Deep Impact, Armageddon and now this. You’ve seen one you’ve seen it all.

Lots of natural disasters in recent times but Nature is more gracious than people and is not a  raging megalomaniac. Yeah sure, she has her bad days…

A lot of people say that yes, the world will end in 2012 but not in this way. The world as we know it will end and it can only be for the better. More awareness. More peace. More love.  And no special effects can get that message across. How can you replicate that feeling? The bigger you make it, it only grows smaller.

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!! 

Today we are going to discuss the parable of the ten virgins and the bridegroom.  Jesus was talking to His disciples about be ready for the last day when He shared the following parable:

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight there was a cry made, ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh;  go ye out to meet him.’  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.”

“And the foolish said unto the wise, ‘Give us of your oil;  for our lamps are gone out.’  But the wise answered, saying, ‘Not so;  lest there be not enough for us and you:  but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.’  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came;  and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage:  and the door was shut.”

“Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’  But he answered and said, ‘Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” – Matthew 25:1-12 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, the message of this parable is very sobering.  Let’s break this parable down and discuss the thrust of the message.

First of all, cast in the role of the bridegroom is the one and only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ.  The ten virgins represent us, believers and non-believers.

Okay, so now that we know the cast, what is the tie-in to the oil and the lamps?  That’s simple, actually.  Why do we need lamps?  Lamps help us to see where we are going, right?  We are blinded when we are surrounded by darkness.

The lamps, beloved, represent our spirits/souls.  Why do I say this?  Consider the following scripture:

“The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” – Proverbs 20:27 (KJV)

So if the lamp represents our soul/spirit, what does the oil represent?  The oil represents the Holy Spirit, which is attained through Christ Jesus.  Remember, beloved, that though Jesus is not present with us physically on earth anymore, He lives here in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.  This is the same Holy Spirit that God the Father filled Jesus, His only begotten Son, with after He was baptized by John the Baptist.  Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is also known as the Light of the World.  Having His light in us, we can rejoice in knowing that our lamps will be lit and shining brightly at the moment that Jesus comes for us.

You see, beloved, the Holy Spirit is the oil that shines brightly enough that all can see our light, which is the presence of the Lord in our hearts.  How can people see that light?  Well, let’s look at the type of light that the Holy Spirit emanates, as described by the Apostle Paul:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance:  against such there is no law.” - Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV)

You see, beloved, when we live in Christ, we are to be faithful and obedient servants of that which He blesses and graces us with.  Frankly, the manner in which we live should be a strong witness for Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Remember, brothers and sisters, as His servants, our lives should be lived in such a manner as to reflect to others our service to our Lord and Savior.  That means we are to let the Lord’s light shine through us for all to see.  Jesus said the following about this:

“Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;  and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16 (KJV)

Beloved, the 5 virgins that heed the Lord’s word, and live by it, are those that He will find doing His work when He returns for His bride, which is the church.  The church is comprised of all those who have accepted salvation given by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Only those that have Christ in them will be called home to be with the Lord.  Those that do not have Christ in them have souls/spirits filled with darkness instead of light.  Since there will be no light found in such people, they will be passed over when the believers are called home.  Consider the parable of the ten virgins, and listen to what Jesus said would happen when He calls His servants home:

“Then shall two be in the field;  the one shall be taken, and the other left.  Two women shall be grinding at the mill;  the one shall be taken, and the other left.  Watch therefore;  for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.  But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.  Therefore be ye also ready:  for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.  Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.  But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, ‘My lord delayeth his coming’;  and shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;  The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites:  there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” – Matthew 24:40-51 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, no one knows when Jesus will return.  Jesus Himself said that only the Father knows the appointed hour.  The point is that we are supposed to constantly live our lives doing the work of our Lord and Savior so that in that “twinkling of an eye” when Jesus does return, we are found as faithful and obedient servants, diligently doing His work and will.

Unfortunately, beloved, there are many that live without Christ in their hearts.  They do not have the oil of the Holy Spirit burning brightly within them and emanating His light in their lives.  This, brothers and sisters, is all the more reason for us to constantly have our lamps lit with the oil of the Holy Spirit.  By sharing, embracing, and living the Lord’s word and love, we will be more effective in shining His light through the darkness in order to reach those that are presently lost.  Just as we were once lost before being found, we are incredibly blessed with the opportunity to help gather many of our Shepherd’s lost “sheep” by lighting up the path that will lead them home to Him.  This is our mission, beloved, and the time is now to carry it out.

No one should take for granted that the Lord will not come back for “x” amount more time.  We simply do not know the Lord’s return date and time, as only the Father knows.  Jesus could return in 5,000 years, 5 months, 5 weeks, 5 days, or in the next 5 seconds.  Regardless of how long it is until Jesus returns, we need to commit ourselves to doing His work every single day of our lives.  When He returns for us, let’s bless and glorify Him by meeting Him with as many well-oiled lamps as possible!!!

I would like to ask each and every person taking part in today’s discussion a few questions.  If the Lord Jesus Christ were to return in the next few seconds, would you be ready?  Would the Lord find your lamp lit brightly by the oil of the Holy Spirit?  Just as importantly, are you confident and assured that all of your family, friends, and loved ones would be found ready if Jesus were to return in the next few seconds?  Are you confident that hte majority of people in this world are ready to meet the Lord?

Let’s be honest, beloved.  There are a great many people that are not yet ready to meet Jesus Christ.  If Jesus were calling His faithful servants home today, an incredibly large number of people would be among those left behind.  Evidence of this can be found all throughout the world today.  Just turn on the 6 o’clock news, or go for a drive through the city, and you will see that much of humanity is spiritually lost and adrift at sea, without boat or life jacket.  This, brothers and sisters, is the urgency of our mission.  Just as with the 5 foolish virgins, those who are not ready to meet the Lord when He calls His faithful home will find out the harsh reality that the time for making the decision to commit their lives to Him has passed.

Beloved, ask the Lord for the endurance, strength, perseverance, and courage to work tirelessly to share His love and His word with as many people as possible.  The Lord will give you the words and the guidance you need through the Holy Spirit.  The time is now, beloved, for us to increase our staffing levels of faithful and obedient servants to take part in the Lord’s harvest.  Let’s get to work!!!

If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you would like to, please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Beloved, if you just prayed that prayer then you can rejoice in knowing that you now have the presence of the Lord in your heart.  While you will still face trials and tribulation in this world, you will never again face it alone.  Nurture your new relationship with the Lord and grow that relationship by getting to know Him better.  You can do this by studying His word (the bible), while also making talking to Him continually through prayer made with thanksgiving and supplication.  All you have to do to find out what the Lord had in mind for your life when He made you is to ask Him to shape your life in manner in which serves His will and then embrace the changes that He makes in you and your life.  Welcome to the family, beloved!!!  You are precious in your Heavenly Father’s eyes, and the angels in heaven are rejoicing in your decision to accept Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior:-)  We are happy to have you!!!

Thank you for joining us for today’s discussion.  I hope you will be able to join us for tomorrow’s next discussion.  Now, go enjoy this day that the Lord has made, and make the most of it.  Be glad, and rejoice in it!!!  Share the Lord, His love, and His word with as many people as possible, doing so just as freely as the Father shared His only begotten Son with us:-)

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Desteni Productions
Video Response to BlissWeaver
Part 2
November 18, 2009

Hey! This is part 2! Darryl with Desteni Productions, and this another clip in regards to Cari AKA BlissWeaver, who had a problem with the 2012 ascension prophecy that we made a couple days ago.

Right. Okay, Cari, again, this is not an attack on you. This is not something that insult or humiliate of offend you in any way. I hope not, anyway. This is just a point; some responses to what you’ve said, and they’re directed at the response [made by BlissWeaver to the Desteni 2012 clip], okay? All right.

One thing that you said, is something that I have heard a million times from these people who profess “love” and “life” and “positive” and “beautiful” metaphysical feelings and emotions – is that suffering is “useful” for “learning.” Or, suffering is what people have “chosen” to endure. Or, suffering is vital to “provide lessons.” I do not know why the people who profess “Love,” “Light,” “Higher Consciousness” would have such a callous disregard to other people’s suffering.

You know, the same people who have the Candy Land Metaphysics of “Everybody is One,” “We’re All One,” “We’re all thoughts of God,” “We’re all the same,” “We’re all One Entity, one gestalt of being, one great chain of being,” “We’re all One, we’re all beautiful, bright, radiant things.” But, these same people disregard the suffering as something beneath them. Something that can’t reach them. Something that they have “spiritually evolved” out of. It’s like, “Oh, I’ve made it! God loves me! Oh, you guys will have to stop suffering and come up here with me!” I mean that’s just silly. It’s selfish. It’s silly. And it’s callous. And it’s like these people have both polarities – they the polarity going of callous disregard and “Oh, Love and Light.” And they’re the same thing. I find it disgusting, actually, that whole point of suffering. As the comment you mad, Cari – the comment’s disgusting – that you said: “To think that one can relieve another’s suffering is Ego-Trip.”

So if I can extrapolate that point: Martin Luther King was on an ego-trip. Abraham Lincoln was on an Ego-Trip. Mahatma Gandhi was on an Ego-Trip. Nelson Mandela was on an Ego-Trip. Jesus was on an Ego-Trip. Mother Theresa was on an Ego-Trip. Mother Theresa. Maybe she was. If we’re gonna be on Ego-Trips, we might as well try to alleviate the suffering of others.

As long as we’re going to spit in the faces of people, of beings that tried to alleviate the suffering of others, we might as well call it an Ego-Trip. If we can just spit in their faces or rub what they’ve done or accomplished or what they tried to do in the dirt, as long as we can do that, we should just call it an Ego-Trip. Just to complete the whole point, there, just to put a cap on it.

I think what an Ego-Trip is actually, what I think an Ego-Trip is actually, is professing “Light” and “Love” and “Beauty” and disregarding the “Ugly.” Disregarding the Grotesque, disregarding the Rejected, Disregarding the Dark, Evil Places that can’t find acceptance anywhere – that’s an Ego-Trip, to think that you above or Better than anybody else, Better than people who suffer.

I know you don’t think that. I know you don’t think you’re better than people who suffer. And I know you don’t think that you’re better than people who are concerned about other people’s suffering. But to say, “To think that one can relieve another’s suffering is an Ego-Trip,” I would have to ask you, do you really believe that? I don’t have to wonder that, because you don’t believe it – it’s just a statement, like al the other statements you’ve made. But this statement, you denigrate and sully the accomplishment of people who did actually – got off their butts and did something about it.

Now, take that for what it’s worth. What we are doing as Desteni, are producing people… raising awareness – and these people that we’re producing will stand as the point of common sense. We want our Principles acknowledged; the Principles of Life and the Principles of what is best for all: Equality and Oneness. All these things you’ve read about and seen on the videos. We’re not just going to make videos about – we’re gonna do something about it. And Expect that you will Spit in our faces while we are trying to correct what needs corrected. We don’t care. You know, we’re not gonna take it personally when you spit in our face. We expect a lot of people who like things the way that they are, to have the same reaction. We’re not going to be stopped. And in the end, you’ll thank us. So I think that’s all I have to say.

We have an odd and rather morbid fascination with the apocalypse. It seems that every year, there’s at least one blockbuster movie playing up the “World is at an End” motif. Just off the top of my head: Terminator 2, Independence Day, Armageddon, Deep Impact, End of Days, The Day the Earth Stood Still, 28 Days Later, The Matrix, I am Legend and so on and so on and so on and so on.

This year is no different with the release of “2012” based on the Mayan prediction that the world will come to an end on December 21^st, 2012 (12-21-12).

If memory serves me correctly, there’s been a few times in my brief life when the world was supposed to end.  There was Y2K of course, when computers were supposed to rise up and eat us.  There were those crazy Zetas, who warned that the Earth would stop rotating on its axis in 2003.  Most recently, a British group by the name of “The Lord’s Witnesses” promised that a final World War would destroy Earth on March 21, 2008.

These nuts have real balls.  If I were a delusional Nostradamus wannabe I’d pick a date like 2505 when I know for sure I wouldn’t be around. These Zetas and Lord’s Witnesses…what do they do now?  Did they all go back to their alpaca farms? Were they like…”Woe to you Jupiter’s moon! My life has been one big lie!” How many do you figure broke into investment banking, realizing that they’ve got to shine it on for just a while longer than expected?

The Book of Revelations promises signs for the coming apocalypse (see The Four Horsemen).  I’m a Christian, but at the same time I’m a skeptic.  Not about God’s ability to send us real and discernable signs. No, I’m skeptical about all those loonies who see the image of Jesus in their McSkillet Burritos.

But I have to admit that with 12-21-12 quickly approaching, I was a bit rattled when I heard the following news (as sure a sign of the apocalypse as I’ve ever seen):

The Oprah Winfrey Show to End September 2011

Said Winfrey: “I love this show. This show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when it’s time to say goodbye. Twenty-five years feels right in my bones, and it feels right in my spirit. It’s the perfect number—the exact right time. So I hope that you will take this 18-month ride with me right through to the final show.”

Winfrey continued, “So, the countdown to the end of The Oprah Winfrey Show starts now, and until that day in 2011 when it ends, I intend to soak up every meaningful, joy-filled moment with you.”

And so the countdown to the end of days has begun. So allow me to make MY predictions

On that fateful day, a couple things will happen. As soon as the curtain drops on her final show, Oprah will be beamed up to a spacecraft waiting to take her to New Earth located in the EL-RAM X System.

The rest of us will devolve into something like the following (just imagine a horde of dazed and purposeless women in place of the zombies).

Fill your canteens now, people.  Nuclear winter is coming.

Science editor Mark Henderson has a story on the Times Online’s blog Eureka about what could be the largest representative action ever filed in the history of the world.  The complaint, filed with the UN Human Rights Committee, seeks to save every inhabitant of the planet (and perhaps the entire solar system) from what could be imminent annihilation if CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Switzerland creates micro-black holes when it begins to smash subatomic particles together at near light speed this month.  The complaint was filed by a group calling itself ConCERNed International, who seeks to enjoin the project until CERN’s scientists can prove that there is no chance that the collider will pose a danger in the form a “mass production” of “microscopic black holes.”  The UN Human Rights complaint follows an unsuccessful civil lawsuit last year filed in Federal Court in Hawaii attempting to enjoin operation of the collider.

For those about the run into the streets screaming in panic, the LHC has been the subject of a comprehensive safety study, and physicists agree that there is little danger of world destruction by black hole, strangelets, magnetic monopoles, or anything else.  Henderson paraphrases Michio Kaku in saying

there is a chance that the LHC could produce a black hole, but only in the sense that there is a chance that it could produce fire-breathing dragons.

 

The prospects of success in the case are probably worse than the chances of either black holes or fire-breathing dragons.  As far as I can tell, even assuming that creating a risk of global destruction by black hole is considered a violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,  the Committee does not appear to have authority to enter or enforce any kind of injunction that would shut down the LHC.

For now, the there is no true global forum for claims of global concern, even those of apocalyptic proportions.

I stopped working on this about a year ago. It’s based on a combination of the suits from Alien, and Armageddon. Click through to see how detailed I got.

Jeg var inde og se den fantastiske effektfulde film: 2012. Wow.

Så fik jeg ideen lige at lave en liste over fede katastrofe film. Der er naturligvis film som jeg har vurderet ikke hører til katastrofe film eller hvor katastrofen ikke er stor nok til at kvalificere sig til listen. Film beskrivelsen er hentet fra bloggen: Om livet i al almindelighed – the jules rules og fra Scope.

2012.

2012

Forskere opdager at jorden snart vil gå under, og klodens ledere lægger i al hemmelighed planer for at redde sig selv og så mange andre som muligt. Jackson er på ferie med sine to børn, da han tilfældigvis opdager sandheden om den forestående undergang, og inden han får set sig om, er den hyggelige ferie ændret til en kamp mod elementerne og egoistiske samfundsspidser.

Titanic

Titanic

James Camerons romantiske storfilm – der vandt 11 Oscars – om det unge par Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) og Rose (Kate Winslet), der trods forskellige baggrunde forelsker sig få dage inden Titanic synker.

Outbreak

Outbreak

Indbyggerne i den lille californske by, Ceder Creek, bliver syge unden varsel. Ramt af en virus, som er mere smitsom og dødelig end pest. I et hæsblæsende kapløb med tiden – og hans overordnede i militæret – kæmper Dr. Sam Daniels for at finde smittebæren – og modgiften. Med bl.a. Morgan Freeman, Dustin Hoffman og Rene Russo.

Armageddon

Armageddon

En tidlig morgen forsvinder rumfartøjet Atlantis fra NASA´s skærme, og nogle få timer senere falder en meteorregn over jorden. Men det er desværre kun begyndelsen. Med en hastighed på 35.000 km/t er en gigantisk asteroide på størrelse med Texas på vej mod jorden. Rammer den, vil det betyde jordens undergang. Med bl.a. Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler, ben Affleck og Billy Bob Thornton.

Deep Impact

Deep Impact

Hvad vil du gøre, hvis du vidste, at en gigantisk komet om få dage vil ramme jorden og hele menneskeheden blive udslettet?? Nedtællingen til dommedag er i gang i dette altødelæggende overraskende brag af en filmoplevelse. Mimi Leder intruerer en række stjerneskuespillere som Robert Duvall, Tea Leoni, Elijah Wood, Vanessa Redgrave, Maximilian Schell og Morgan Freeman.

Kina Syndromet

The China Syndrome (1979) – (Kinasyndromet)

Jack Lemmon, Jane Fonda og Michael Douglas medvirkerii Kina Syndromet en uforglemmelig advarende thrilleriom faren ved atom spaltning og TV nyhedernes enorme magtfaktor.

The Day After Tomorrow

The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

Klimatologen Jack Hall´s research peger på, at den globale opvarmning kan udløse en pludselig og katastrofal ændring af Jordens klima. De iskerner, som han har boret ud af Antarktis beviser, at det er sket før, for ti tusinde år siden. Og nu advarer han myndighederne om, at det kan ske igen, hvis de ikke griber hurtigt ind. Men hans advarsel kommer for sent. (naturligvis, ellers var der jo ikke nogen film…) Dernæst følger en række stadigt alvorligere vejrkatastrofer rundt omkring på kloden: hagl på størrelse med grapefrugter hamrer ned over Tokyo; orkaner af hidtil usete vindstyrker hærger Hawaii; der falder sne i New Delhi, og så pisker en række alt ødelæggende tornadoer igennem Los Angeles. Snefri fra skole? Det tror jeg nok!

Independence Day

Independence Day

Den engelske forfatter H.G. Wells har ikke levet forgæves. Hans over 100 år gamle sci-fi roman Klodernes Kamp har tydeligvis dannet forbillede for denne opdaterede filmudgave, instrueret af Roland Emmerich. Verden står over for en trussel fra det ydre rum i form af en hær af gigantiske rumskibe fyldt med væmmelige, gopleagtige aliens, der bestemt ikke har gode hensigter. Will Smith og Jeff Goldblum er to barske gutter, der står klar til at tage den ulige kamp op. Og det gør de godt, hvis du spørger mig.

Dante's Peak

Dante’s Peak

I den fredsomlige by Dante´s Peak frygter ingen af indbyggerne at den store vulkan, som ligger tæt på byen, skal gå i udbrud. Videnskabsmanden Harry Dalton, som er på besøg i den smukke by, kan dog mærke, at noget er galt. Helt galt. Kommunekontoret nægter at hjælpe – en redningsaktion er for omkostningsfuld, siger de. Ingen lytter dog mere til Harry Dalton end den kvindelige borgmester, men snart får de dog meget andet at lytte efter – lyden af eksploderende lava! I rollen som manden der kæmper mod naturen og de forstokkede kommunalpolitikere, ses Pierce Brosnan. Den kvindelige borgmester, Rachel Wando, spilles af Linda Hamilton.

Twister

Twister

Huse bliver flået i tusinde stykker. En brølende ko kommer flyvende gennem luften. Traktorer falder som regndråber. En 8 tons tankvogn bliver en flyvende bombe. En kilometer bred og 300 km i timen hurtigløbende naturkraft af total og fuldstændig ødelæggelse kommer imod dig.Twister er på vej til dit hjem. Helen Hunt og Bill Paxton spiller to videnskabsfolk, der forfølger den mest destruktive naturkraft, der har hærget gennem Amerikas Midvesten i 50 år. Ved at udsætte en beholder fuld af små sensorer umiddelbart foran skypumperne, håber tonadojægerne at de bliver suget op, så man kan kortlægge skypumpernes anatomi. Men for at få placeret beholderen rigtigt, bliver de to tornadojægere nødt til at komme helt tæt på, så tæt at de næsten kan røre ved deres gigantiske og lumske modstandere.

Volcano

Volcano

Los Angeles. Hjemsted for de rige og berømte. Hele verdens underholdnings-hovedstad. Englenes by. Men underneden rumler et skoldhedt helvede – nu er det klar til at bryde ud. En sprække i jordens skorpe åbner for en altødelæggende kraft. En endeløs strøm af hvidglødende lava bliver til en flod af uundgåelig død, der nu begynder at strømme gennem verdens tættest trafikerede gader mens ildkuglerne regner ned fra oven. For byens katastrofechef er det hans værste mareridt, der er blevet til virkelighed. Han har ikke set det værste endnu! Med bl.a. Anne Heche, Tommy Lee Jones og John Corbett.

Poseidon

Poseidon

Nytårsaften bliver den gigantiske luksusliner Poseidon ramt af en flodbølge af de store og vender bunden i vejret. En lille gruppe overlevende bliver fanger dybt inde i skibet og må arbejde sammen for at slippe ud af skibsvraget, der langsomt fyldes med vand. Opgaven gøres ikke lettere af, at alt er smadret og vendt på hovedet.

war of the worlds

War of the Worlds

Filmen er endnu en moderne fortolkning af H.G. Wells’ klassiske science fiction-roman, der omhandler en fantastisk kamp for selve menneskehedens overlevelse, set gennem en ganske almindelig families optik. Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) må flygte for at redde sig selv og sin familie fra en skræmmende hær af trebenede rumvæsener, der udsletter alt på deres vej. War of the Worlds er et actionspækket eventyr, der nærmest eksploderer med spektakulære specialeffekter! Men for mig bliver filmen noget ødelagt af ret dårligt skuespil og en meget irriterende hysterisk pige, der skriger hele filmen igennem. Ja, du er nok kun 10 år, men hold dog kæft, så de der rumvæsener ikke kan finde dig!!

The Towering Inferno

The Towering Inferno (1974) (Det tårnhøje helvede)

For at fejre opførelsen af verdens højeste skyskraper, holder holdet bag en fest på øverste etage. Desværre har elektrikeren brugt dårlige materialer for at spare penge. En kortslutning sætter ild til 85. etage og pludselig er festdeltagerne på 135. etage fanget. Brandmajor O’Hallorhan og arkitekt Roberts forsøger sammen at redde gæster fra ilden.

World Trade Center.

World Trade Center

Politimændene John McLoughlin og William Jimeno er på arbejde en stille dag i New York i september, da terrorister flyver to fly ind i Word Trade Center. Sammen med andre redningsfolk kommer betjentene de indespærrede til undsætning, men ender med selv at blive fanget under murbrokkerne. Chancerne for at overleve er ikke store, men John og William nægter at give op.

The Core.

The Core

Golden Gate broen styrter sammen. Pacemakeripatienter falder døde om, ingen ved hvorfor. Fuglene mister deres stedsans. Årsagen skal findes i jordens indre – kernen er holdt op med at rotere! Det har den skræmmende konsekvens, at det magnetiske felt, som jorden er omgivet af, er ved at gå i opløsning. Et hemmeligt sted i Utah arbejder en gruppe videnskabsfolk med tiden som deres værste fjende. De får kun 3 måneder til at bygge et fartøj, der skal kunne rejse ind til jordens kerne med en atombombe, som skal genstarte kernens rotation. Som astronauter- nu terranauter- er det den kvindelige Major Beck Childs (Hilary Swank), der skal styre besætningen sikkert ind til jordens kerne og tilbage igen.

Hard Rain

Hard Rain

Byen Huntingburg trues af en oversvømmelse. Sheriffen evakuerer befolkningen samtidig med at en havareret pengetransport bliver overfaldet af en røverbande. Men transportens chauffør, Tom, stikker af med pengene, forfulgt af banden og politiet, der ikke er så retskafne som de burde være. Undervejs får Tom uventet hjælp af Karen, der prøver at holde vandmasserne ude fra den kirke, hun er ved at restaurere. Men langsomt strammes nettet om de to unge…

Daylight.

Daylight

Den underjordiske tunnel mellem Manhattan og New Jersey styrter sammen. Nogle få overlevende finder sammen i tunnelens midtersektion, der endnu holdes oppe. Men hvordan skal de komme ud? Heldigvis er der en modig taxa-chauffør (Sylvester Stallone), der ved lidt om tunnelkatastrofer og ikke står tilbage for at tage på en redningsekspedition under jorden!

Cloverfield

Cloverfield

En hyggelig fest for at fejre Robs afrejse til et fedt job i Japan afbrydes pludseligt, da jorden i New York begynder at ryste. Forvirrede og bange styrter folk op på taget af bygningen, hvor de ser en ildkugle fare gennem luften. Så rystes bygningen igen, strømmen går, panikken bryder ud. Hud har fået til opgave at lave en videooptagelse som en farvelgave til Rob, og han lægger ikke kameraet. På den måde får vi et øjebliksbillede af, hvordan panikken breder sig, når husene rystes og gaderne fyldes af støvskyer, når skyskrabere synker i grus. Hud følger en lille gruppe på flugten, men da Rob over mobilen får fat i sin elskede Beth og hører, at hun ligger fastklemt i et af de sammenstyrtede huse, ændrer han retning. Mod bedre vidende går han mod centrum af Manhattan, hvor noget stort og dødbringende er på spil. Og mod al sund fornuft går Hud og et par af vennerne samme vej. Uhh!

Supernova

Supanova

En astrofysiker har opdaget, at verdens undergang er nært forestående. Solen vil snart eksplodere og Jorden vil gå under. Mens et hold af forskere kæmper mod tiden for at forhindre, at hans dommedagsprofeti skal gå i opfyldelse, forvandles verden til et sandt inferno. Med bl.a. Luke Perry og Tia Carrere.

Sunshine.

Sunshine

Solen er ved at dø og sker det, vil det selvsagt få katastrofale konsekvenser for jorden og menneskeheden. Det største rumskib der nogensinde er blevet bygget, ICARUS II, bliver derfor sendt ud i rummet med en enorm atom nyttelast ombord, hvis formål er at gendanne de dele af solen, der allerede er gået ud. Ombord på rumskibet er en besætning bestående af otte astronauter. De kommer alle til at stå ansigt til ansigt med deres værste frygt.Sandsynligheden for at missionen lykkes synes mere og mere usandsynlig som de langsomt nærmer sig den frygtindgydende og overvældende kraft fra universets største og mest imponerende enkelte objekt – solen!

After the book fair yesterday, we went to watch 2012. Some of my students had already seen it and told me it was great with excellent special effects. The story has quite a few holes in it but the effects were excellent, it has to be seen of the big screen to enjoy them. We went with our friends Tim and Laura, Tim told us his students didn’t like it but when the film finished everyone was cheering and clapping. It’ll be a film to get for sure on Dvd when it comes out, right along with Star Trek

After a year of being down for repairs, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN is starting to, like, smash protons together again. According to the AP today:

The aim is to hurl protons into each other at close to the speed of light in order to simulate conditions shortly after the Big Bang — which scientists think marked the creation of the universe billions of years ago.

Due to delays and glitches, the higher speeds of particle acceleration (the speeds that could, theoretically, cause mini-black holes when particles collide) probably won’t start happening until January, 2010. Still, the energies that the LHC is going to be working with, even from the start, will be something in the range of four times greater than the highest particle collisions achieved so far.

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!!

Today we are going to discuss the parable of the wedding banquet.  This is a parable that Jesus spoke to the chief priests and Pharisees of the temple.  The parable is as follows:

“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, whcih made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding:  and they would not come.  Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, ‘Tell them which are bidden, ‘Behold, I have prepared my dinner:  my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready:  come unto the marriage.”  But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:  And the remnant took his servants, and intreated them spitefully, and slew them.”

“But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth:  and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then saith he to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.  Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.’  So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good:  and the wedding was furnished with guests.”

“And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there was a man which had not on a wedding garment:  And he saith unto him, ‘Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?’  And he was speechless.  Then said the king to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness;  there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  For many are called, but few are chosen.” – Mattew 22:2-14 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, let’s break down the parable, staring with the cast.

The king of the parable represents God the Father.  The son that the king has arranged a marriage for is Jesus Christ.  The bride to be is the church of Christ, which is all who live in the Lord.  The servants that were sent out to invite the guests represent the prophets.  The first group of guests that was repeatedly invited was the Israelites, God’s chosen people.  Remember, that though many prophets were respected and revered for a time, they usually ended up being persecuted/killed by the very people they were trying to reach with God’s message.

The second group of guests are the Gentiles, or the non-Jews.  When the Jewish people repeatedly rejected the Father, His word, and ultimately Jesus Christ and the Gospel He shared, the Gentiles were blessed with the opportunity to receive the Gospel and to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior while also receiving the gift of salvation that is found only in the only begotten Son of God.

Why was the one guest in the parable cast into outer darkness for not having on a wedding garment?  The answer is simple.  Do you know what the wedding garment is that the guests were to be clothed with?  Consider the following scripture:

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God;  for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” – Isaiah 61:10 (KJV)

You see, beloved, in order to attend the marriage of the Lamb of God, we must be attired appropriately.  We know that the only person we can get the appropriate attire from is Jesus Christ.  Why?  Through Jesus our sins are washed away, our hearts are purified, and we are clothed with the robe of righteousness.  The person in the parable without the robe of righteousness was a person that had not given their life to Jesus Christ, and was subsequently not wearing the necessary robe of righteousness.  Therefore, the inappropriately attired guest offended the king (God the Father). 

Brothers and sisters, there are people in this world who call themselves Christians, yet Christ is not found anywhere in them.  Such people often assume that going to church, periodically praying, and sometimes reading the bible and quoting chapter and verse is sufficient.  These are usually people that rejoice in sin Monday through Saturday, while attempting to live a Christian life on Sunday.  These are referred to as Sunday Christians, or Convenient Christians, and they do not have a place at the Lord’s table.  Why?  Beloved, Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior 365 days/year and 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Likewise, we are to be His servants at all times as well, living obediently and faithfully in serving Him.  Unfortunately, some are not sincere in their service to the Lord.  Jesus spoke of such people when He said the following about the day of judgment:

“Not everyone that saith unto Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;  but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?  and in thy name have cast out devils?  and in thy name done many wonderful works?’  And then I will profess unto them, ‘I never knew you:  depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” – Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV)

You see, beloved, while we can fool our fellow man into believing that we are someone we are not, God always knows who we are.  God knows our hearts and knows all there is to possibly know about us.  A few acts, or a few words, do not make a faithful and obedient servant in Christ.  A faithful and obedient servant of the Lord lives in service to Him at all times, while also having the Lord in his/her heart at all times.  We love His word, regularly study it, and He writes it into our hearts.  We take every opportunity to share the Lord’s love and word with anyone we can reach.  We are never ashamed to confess to others that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, and Jesus is not ashamed of presenting us to the Father and speaking on our behalf.  Beloved, let’s live Christ in our lives all day, every single day.  Let’s study His word regularly as diligent students, and let’s do His work always as faithful and obedient servants are to do.  The Lord has already given us everything by blessing us with the gift of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Let’s show Him how much we appreciate His sacrifice, His love, and His forgiveness by doing His work and will unceasingly and with a glad heart.

Beloved, if you have not yet received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you would sincerely like to, then please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray. Amen.”

I you just prayed that prayer, honestly seeking the Lord, then you are now saved.  The robe of righteousness is now available unto you, and though you will still face adversity in this world, you now have the Lord with you to face and overcome anything that comes your way.  Nurture your relationship with the Lord by talking to Him often through prayer with thanks and supplication, while also studying His word.  Ask the Lord to guide your every path, and follow the path that He sets before you.  You no longer serve the sins and lusts of this world.  Your chains that tied you to the things of this world have now been broken.  Serve the Lord with all your heart, and always seek His will in all things.  Welcome to the family:-)  Know that the angels in heaven are rejoicing at your decision to give your life to the Lord!!!

I want to thank you all for joining in on today’s discussion.  I hope you will be able to join us for tomorrow’s next message.

I hope you have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day.  Remember, you are loved by the very Creator of earth, the heavens, and all life with a love that is perfect, complete, and powerful beyond our present ability to fully comprehend.  Precious one, He made you in your mother’s womb, and you are very special to Him:-)

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Do you really want the lowest bidder? A question you must ask yourself, especially in situations like this one:

Here are my thoughts on the matter, for all PMs having to go through bidding processes, unless of course you are following the first rule of government spending…

As project managers, one of the legs of our triangle is “cost”, so, obviously, we would like that the lowest possible. Which brings us to the widely used and accepted bidding process – you generate a scope and/or bill of materials, bid it out, get the results and select the lowest bidder. (Ok, so I simplified it a bit – but usually, cost is that which rules all others).

My question here is – is choosing the lowest bidder really getting you the lowest cost?

I would like to challenge that.

I’m sure that if you’re reading this, you can come up with a few ways of how cheap can become expensive, probably (and sadly) based on your past experience… The lowest bidder didn’t fully understand the scope, planned to use lower grade materials, planned on using low-cost inexperienced labor, forgot to quote parts of the scope – or all of the above and other things not mentioned here.

Here is where I want to offer some suggestions to help you pick the RIGHT bidder for your project (It’s of course assumed your company policies and your country laws allow the use of these methods…):

1. Know your bidders – before adding bidders to your list, see their work, talk to their customers and see if they do quality work and have happy customers. if not – well…
2.  Know your project – is your bidder capable of performing the work fully? will he need to take additional subcontractors? do you want that? when trouble arises – will you be pointed to the sub sub sub contractor for solutions?
3.  Create a matrix – Evaluate and compare your bidders based on several factors, not just cost. The more sensitive the work, the more weight should be given to past experience, quality etc.
4.  Grow a “home” contractor, but always challenge him – Its’ great to have a contractor you always work with who’s quality you like and you know you can trust – but don’t stay complacent – make sure you challenge your home contractors to make sure they stay competitive.

Alex

I hate, hate, hate people who look at movies–especially older movies–as just a step in the line to the movies we have today.  It’s a slap in the face to life, by extension, and I will explain why. (Foswi, this is primarily for you.)

I am a staunch historian, and I thoroughly believe in the value of studying history.  If you do not, you might as well stop reading this blog.  We’ll just never get along.  To that extent, is it useless to study ancient warfare in a modern context?  Are there no pracitical applicable lessons to be learned from tactics that defy era, technology, or weaponry?  I think you out there in someplacewhereyou’restaringatacomputerscreen should be thinking to yourself, “No, there is value in knowing that stuff…”  Because  you’re right.

Or, let’s think of this in terms of books.  Does it make sense to stop reading  Hamlet, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, The Lord of the Rings, Black Boy, Brave New World, Romeo and Juliet, The Giver, etc. just because there are the Harry Potter series, the Twilight books, the Time Traveler’s Wife, and various James Patterson and Stephen King books topping the New York Times Bestseller list?  Should we leave the past behind and only allow only what is new and pretty and shiny to be let in?

I think not.

The problem is the genre of film allows this to easily happen.  And many people who watch movies (or passively read about movies) tend to think only the little that is said without thorough investigation into the actuality of history.

Point 1: Michael Bay is awesome…but not really.

The Island

Michael Bay, as many know, is the champion of all things pretty, and mind-numbingly explosive.  After all, you don’t make a name for yourself with blockbusters like Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, The Island, Transformers, and Transformers II (directed all by Bay) without some level of skill.  I mean, seriously.  That’s an impressive list of movies, with impressive DVD sales, and everything.

But let us be honest.  The movies star nice looking people, blow a lot of things up, include heart-racing, adrenaline pumping, action and car chases (or meteorite destroying drill malfunctions, what have you), and fun technological advances.  They’re like James Bond films…just without James Bond.

These movies have made millions.  They have loyal fans of adults, teenagers, and children alike.  They’re fun to watch, made millions in the movie theaters.  But they suck.  They have no deeper meaning, make me thoughtful in no way, and generally make me dumber, because I actually could have been learning something while I was wasting time watching pretty people run around.

Point 2: There is more to history than just history.

Citizen Kane

A friend of mine (after reading a former post of mine) responded thusly:

I’ll disregard the opinion of anyone who thinks Citizen Kane is great for anything more than its innovative transitions and camera angles.

While said tongue-in-cheek, there is, I know, a part of him that believes this to be true.  And this is why I am angry.  I love Citizen Kane, in the same way I love Schindler’s List.  Sure it’s a little on the long side, but the story is great, the acting is believable, the direction is flawless, and the overall impact: unforgettable.

The ease with which Americans, modern people, I’m not sure who this list should (or actually does) include, forget the past when it comes to movies is disturbing.  Yes, movies are more entertaining today.  Movie from yore are a little boring.

Except that’s not true.  I defy anyone to watch The Apartment and not be complete enraptured.  Peeping Tom is one of the creepiest movies I’ve ever seen.  (If you have a Netflix account, I believe it is streaming live.   You should go watch it now.  Better than Drag Me To Hell.  Creepier.  Stranger.  More interesting.)  And you know what, It Happened One Night is the quintessential romance that cannot be improved upon in a modern way.  There are just old movies that age well, and have stayed good for a reason.  Citizen Kane is one of them.  Beyond the transitions and camera angles. (We’ve all heard the “Oh my gosh, there’s a ceiling” reaction.)  But let’s talk about the role the dining room table plays in the movie.  Did you ever think about that? Or how about the scene where Welles types out the rest of a horrible review of his wife’s disastrous operatic debut?  The acting is top notch, better than Sean Penn in Milk.

I am struck by many things.  Here’s a short list:

• People today seem so averse to watching older, or just pain old, films.
• People tend to devalue the impact of older movies because modern counterparts tends to be more engaging, which they equate with “better.”
• People tend to devalue the fact that most older movies have a deeper theme than most modern movies, even modern movies based in classic stories.

This is why the market for older movies should be booming, not dying away.  This is why people should actually sit down and become their own movie reviewer.  If you take the time to watching a movie a week, you’ll watch AFI’s Top 100 movie list in less than two year.  Probably less than a year, considering you’ve seen a lot of them.

Why is it people are so ready to agree, or disagree with the statements of critics and film historians, but are so rarely willing to make their own original statements about the movies themselves.  People, you, staring at your own screen.  Say what’s on your mind.  Be willing to say Citizen Kane sucked, but don’t you dare say it’s boring without backing it up.  I’m not about opinion’s with no evidence.

Just have an opinion, and make it your own.

BBC News – Ride-on lawnmowers injure thousands every year.

The machines are rising! Instead of a nuclear holocaust, they’re starting small – by ambushing innocent gardeners. It’s just a matter of time…

Here's the real star of 2012.

(Columbia) John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, Thomas McCarthy, Liam James, Morgan Lily, Zlatko Buric, Beatrice Rosen, Johann Urb, John Billingsley, Jimi Mistry. Directed by Roland Emmerich

Nearly every culture has an end-of-the-world scenario, as does almost every religion. What would happen if one of them actually came to pass?

Dr. Adrian Helmsley (Ejiofor) is a junior geologist working for the U.S. Government. When he gets a call from colleague and old friend Dr. Tsurutani (Mistry) summoning him to India, he is happy to go but a bit mystified by the urgency. When his friend shows him figures regarding the temperature at the earth’s core, Helmsley immediately gets on a plane and crashes a fundraiser where presidential advisor Carl Anheuser (Platt) is holding forth. When Helmsley shows Anheuser the report, Anheuser leaves the fundraiser and informs Helmsley that he now works for Anheuser.

Flash forward several years later. Unsuccessful science fiction writer Jackson Curtis (Cusack) is resorting to driving a limo for an overbearing Russian billionaire (Buric). He gets a weekend off to take his kids – angry Noah (James) and incontinent Lilly (Lily) – camping at Yellowstone, where he and estranged wife Kate (Peet) once canoodled.

He meets a whacko end-of-the-world nutjob named Charlie Frost (Harrelson) who tells him why he and Kate’s favorite lake has dried up, and in the best conspiracy theory fashion, that the government not only knows about it but has been feverishly building spaceships to save the human race, the locations of which he conveniently has a map to.

Initially Curtis dismisses Charlie’s ravings but when they start to come true, he hightails it back to L.A. in his stretch limo and races against the earthquakes that will soon render the City of Angels a disaster zone, which might bring the property values down somewhat. From then on, Curtis and his family along with Kate’s nebbish plastic surgeon boyfriend (McCarthy) try to stay one step ahead of Armageddon.

Those special effects are absolutely worth the price of admission. Realistic and spectacular at the same time, we watch things in the words of the immortal Farm Film Report “blow up real good” and then blow up real good some more. Fleets of helicopters fill the skies as do flocks of hysterical birds escaping their impending doom. Waves crash over the Himalayas like they were pebbles on a beach, and we lap up every mind-blowing second of it knowing that it’s a little ghoulish but nevertheless we love it.

Cusack makes for an attractive lead. He’s not really suited for the action hero genre being much more of a hip indie sort but he soldiers on like the trooper he is. Ejiofor is one of those actors who I tend not to think about as a really compelling performer but every time I see him I notice how good he is – I think he’ll be on my list of must-see actors soon. Glover makes for a dignified president but compared to the Morgan Freeman presidency we got in Deep Impact doesn’t hold up quite as well, but still it’s nice to see him. Peet and Platt are two outstanding actors who take what they can out of a script that really doesn’t deserve them.

The big problem here is that the script is so predictable and cliché that after awhile you just long for a twist or a turn that you aren’t expecting. Also the movie at nearly two and a half hours is about 20-30 minutes too long. Still, these are things that get swept aside when you are in your special effects happy place.

Emmerich in that respect has become the Irwin Allen of his generation, and 2012 might just be his masterwork in that regard. He takes some pretty good actors who know well enough to just go with the preposterous dialogue and lets loose his digital effects subcontractors. The results are great entertainment and if that’s what you’re after then you’re in the right theater.

REASONS TO GO: Spectacular apocalyptic special effects overwhelm the many script deficiencies. John Cusack even in his weaker performances is worth seeing.

REASONS TO STAY: The script is predictable and riddled with clichés. Character development is nearly non-existent.

FAMILY VALUES: A good deal of disaster violence and some occasional salty language.

TRIVIAL PURSUIT: The character name of Jackson Curtis is the real name of rapper 50 Cent backwards (Curtis Jackson).

HOME OR THEATER: The eye-popping disaster scenes must be seen on the big screen to get the full experience.

FINAL RATING: 6/10

TOMORROW: Superbad

“Why don’t you stop talking and start fucking me.”

A young woman boards a subway on her way home from work at a mental hospital The train suddenly stops and all hell breaks loose as a homicidal cult gets there message of Armageddon. The fundies try to save everyone in their path with a painful stabby death.

Maurice Devereaux’s End of the Line is a flawed movie that may live on as a kitchy, cult classic.

I guess I’ll start with the bad. This is an ambitious indie pic and some of the acting plays out as such. Robin Wilcock is effective and slimy as the unbalanced Patrick but other than that it feels like a amateur theatre troupe.

Some of the writing is cringe worthy, wait for Mike and his “Creep-o-meter, which would have been a lame joke if they hadn’t spent 5 minutes explaining it, that made it painful.

A lot of the jolts and scares are cheap combination of loud noises and jump scares. I enjoy the feeling even if it feels like a cop out. One last criticism is the silly weapons the cult members carried, they were the most hilarious Mickey Mouse foam blades, ludicrously over sized.

This movie would have benefited from a few more subtle nods to secularism like the main character reading a Carl Sagan book and less irritating chicks singing atheistish rock songs loudly on the train.

The overall atmosphere and feel of the movie is tense and creepy. The cult members are a little to close to real life and it lends them an unsettling intimidation factor. I love the claustrophobic feel of the train cars and the tight confines of a dark train tunnel.

The movie a great example of budget film making and really enjoyable overall. The flaws I mentioned are forgivable and even improve the campy fun of the movie.

This is a definite rent. If you REALLY like it, buy it. For some reason it was excessively expensive most places it was available ($30+) if you can find it cheap, grab it.

Earth staggers like a drunk: News, Storms, 2012, Earthquakes, Health, Volcanoes, Tsunamis, Radiation, Magnetic Poles, N-S Poles, Climate, Caves? Survivalists

Prophecy’s Extra Oil Update 33: Man Cannot Fix It

©copyright 2009 Bonita M Quesinberry

News only worsens by the day, so no indepth news capsules today or for the next few weeks; other than, perhaps as in the opening below: a few short lines instead of several pages. Please WELCOME new TSaS member Millie. She is studying for a ministry and “hungry for all of God’s Word.” You have come to the right place, Millie; for here at TSaS we provide only God’s Word with understanding as given by the Spirit. We do so in parcel, not part. We urge you to share our posts with all who will “hear” or read.  

News 11/18-11/21: 3.5 days in “terrors of these end days;” Strong quake strikes Canada’s Pacific coast; Australia issues “catastrophic” fire warning; Pacific Northwest got hit with near hurricane force winds (60-80mph), flooding rains, heavy snow, damages and power outages, 3 more Pacific storms moving in back to back; Global deaths by myriad causes climbing; Insurance companies spend $600-mil to influence Health Care Reform debate; AOL to cut 1/3 work force; CNN: “9,000 suspects. 4,800 arrests. $200 million in assets. What seized is happening in China?”

The sheep know prophecy’s signs and plagues will not get better per God’s Holy Word: for this, the majority call us negative, doom and gloom preachers and liars “doing the devil’s work” that only scare others. Some even accuse us of “being in a panic.” Well, in a sense we are in a panic to get the Truth out to those waiting for it; after all, time is exceedingly short and that is the only reason for our sense of urgency.

If all those naysayers knew what we know, they would be as free of fear and as excited as we are about Christ’s “quick” return; also, they would see that we are the true survivalists: we depend on only God and Christ and their Words of Truth and promises never broken. Alas, naysayers live in abject fear, the extent of which is revealed in this week’s update. As God threatened ions ago, regarding today, “I will bring upon them all their fears.”

Today, TSaS presents four (4) documentary summaries about the horrors to come and the ones we are witnessing during the most exciting era of man’s history, highlighted in the one liner below. Pray— pray unceasing for everyone, for the world and its leaders, for all who believe a lie and will die twice for their misguided ways.

+++++++++++++++++++ Surviving 2012? Expensive Secrets! Man Cannot Fix It!

World Powers Prep for 2012

©copyright 2009 Bonita M Quesinberry

2009 DOCUMENTARIES: four have been viewed on History, Discover and SyFy channels in the last 2 weeks; each based in part on the Mayan 2012. By now, some may have seen the new movie “2012.” We know 2012 is not the year we look to for our Lord’s return and neither will total destruction occur with His sheep still on this planet; although, the movie did a fair job of providing visuals of what will be happening to the entire earth as Christ crosses the skies taking up His sheep: Praise the Lord! There will be no survivors, not even earth, save those in the clouds with Christ.

These 4 programs provided various speculations, theories yet myriad scientific facts. We do not bother with the first two, “just the facts” for us, as well as startling secrets revealed about earth’s largest world powers and the unmitigated depths of man’s arrogance.

Recently reviewed were earth’s many volcanoes, of which 20,000 of the most active lie beneath oceans: one of the biggest is a wide trench over 200 miles in length, fondly referred to as a “volcano nursery.” The findings also covered “super volcanoes,” such as Yellow Stone National Park, which are the most deceptive and powerful of all volcanoes, able to unleash unimaginable power when predictable eruptions occur.

There are dozens of “super volcanoes” in the world, most beneath our seas. In addition to Yellow Stone is the Atlantic’s Qumre Vieja located near the Canary Islands off Africa’s coast. Currently, it has built up sufficient power to be equal to 1000s of mega ton nuclear bombs exploding simultaneously, instantly setting off tsunamis with 3000-ft waves taking out the entire US east coast and all of the European west coast.

What makes these super volcanoes deceptive is the fact they appear as mere depressions on land and ocean floors; instead of rising cones, they have many square miles of lava contained in bowls called calderas close to earth’s surface; people standing on a super volcano would not know it unless told. In the last several years all of them were elevated to the “red zone”: extreme danger of all erupting at once. This fact definitely correlates to The Revelation prophesying of these end of days, more specifically the day of Christ’s return. But, there is more going on in addition to volcanoes that caused one scientist to adamantly declare, “Man cannot deal with something this big.”

The first discovery about the condition of earth’s magnetic sphere was in 1948. Most people think the magnetic poles are the same as earth’s north and south poles. They are not. In fact, the magnetic poles are located hundreds of miles away from the literal poles. Stunningly, the findings of 1948 found the magnetic poles inexplicably had shifted to within 150 miles of the literal poles, likely much closer today. At the rate of shifting, a collision of the magnetic and literal poles will occur: if that happens— well, the result would be the same catastrophic events noted below but for much different reasons.

Consider what it will be like when all events occur simultaneously. Recently, scientists found a massive weakness in a large section of earth’s magnetic sphere, which serves two purposes: keep earth on track, keep our feet on the ground, and prevent harmful solar radiation flares and UV rays from reaching the planet. It was weakened by massive flares over the last few years— that we had not heard about— worse solar storms are expected within the next 2 years that easily could rip apart the weak area: “the sun is becoming increasingly charged and could deliver fatal radiation blasts any day but surely by 2012.”

Should a break occur in the magnetic sphere, the world’s power grid would be instantly fried and take up to 5 years to restore. No lights, no computers, no phones, no aircraft able to fly. This sphere is different from our ozone; which already has a massive hole in it that has been allowing dangerous UV rays to reach us and fulfill Rev. 16:8— the fourth vial upon the sun, giving it power to “scorch men with fire.”

This gets worse: a rip in the magnetic field would cause earth’s mantle to slide erratically around its molten iron core due to direct radiation hits— the core is tossing and turning even from indirect hits but on a lesser scale. Such an event might cause the planet to turn onto its side or even upside down, setting off massive quakes and volcanic eruptions. The first things to die from the radiation would be food for sea creatures, starvation rapidly spreading around the globe and many species instantly extinct.

On the bright side, most scientists don’t believe a magnetic separation will occur, though they admit such a breach could cause the lesser event of reversing earth’s rotation; which also would set off massive quakes and volcanoes. They did say the current, massive solar flares being seen are exciting earth’s core and changing its dynamic— contrary to Martha Stewart’s favorite saying— It’s NOT a good thing.

The core’s erratic movements are evident by the rash of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and deadly storms over the last 18 years (1991). Each year the frequency and devastation of events have continued to escalate wildly, just as God’s prophecy said it would. Some of you have read of these increasing events documented in “Bind Up the Testimony, Seal the Law”— written 1998, published 2003. Such occurrences are far worse today than they were when the research was conducted and prior to publication and, certainly, worse than at any time in earth’s living history in just the last 2 years: again, as God predicted.

Thus far, science is proving what TSaS has been warning its people of for all those years and to this day; but, our message wasn’t gleaned from science. It came from God. What a blessing if more people would listen, heed and repent; for man’s time is almost over and earth is about to suffer a massive, explosive heart attack.

The documentaries got really interesting here and revealed man’s utter arrogance in believing he can fix both man’s and earth’s enormous ailments compounded by his attitude of “spare no expense” to do so. God adamantly stated, “Who can prevent God?” No man can “fix” that which he destroyed but did not create; for it is far beyond any ability he “thinks” he has within himself: as the scientist above quite accurately said.

It seems the world’s most powerful nations, including the US, have been aware of and tracking the inevitable destruction of earth for hundreds of years; albeit, these regimes have been aware of and, through collaborative efforts, preparing for the Mayan portent of 2012 for far more years than laymen were even aware of a pagan doomsday omen. Their belief in this catastrophic event actually occurring was further solidified by the same prophecies of other groups: America’s Hopi Indians, ancient Egyptian records, even the Bible’s Revelation, and myriad pagan religions.

Revelation disagrees with those portents on a number of critical points noted in previous “Extra Oils;” the most important issues being: 1. There is no 7-year tribulation to cancel out 2012 or any other date provided; 2. Christ is not going to reign on old earth for 1000 years, then all is destroyed and made new; 3. All who are left behind on this dying planet will be left quite dead no later than 2011— and, 4. Earth’s destruction and the wickeds’ first death are witnessed by Christ’s sheep from where they join Jesus in the clouds for escort to “heaven’s safe haven.”

It gets better, rather more insane. Man seems to think it all will go his way to magically save the day while sparing no expense to prove it. Over the last 60 years, billions of governments’ dollars have been spent on plans to “prevent” such a catastrophic event while at the same time preparing for failure by building bunkers at earth’s north and south poles: massive units below icy surfaces with a tubular like entry above the ice. Inside, there are “sworn to secrecy” paid employees sorting seeds of every plant on earth, putting only the best in sealed boxes then into 28-deg refrigerated units. All of this was filmed!

Still, these powerful governments do expect failure of the world’s power grid, should they fail to “prevent” the disaster: a loss of electricity calls for plan B— the surrounding ice will maintain a 28-deg temp required to preserve those vital seeds. Ice? Wonder how ice will hold up to 6000-deg temps produced by molten lava covering the world?

The above plans also explain the billions upon billions of dollars spent just to find water off this planet in light of earth’s supply contaminated or nonexistent: NASA recently discovered it on our moon. The next countless expenses will be on how to get it to earth. Add to these billions of dollars should be also the costs of maintaining the international space station and numerous satellites aimed at earth and the universes beyond. It all begs the question, have governments really placed those satellites to provide advance warning of Christ’s arrival? By now, the expenditures are likely in the trillions. No wonder the world’s national debts cannot be paid off!

Now, do not jump on a plane for the North Pole thinking you can get into these bunkers: the most sophisticated security and well-armed guards bar the way and you “would freeze to death in the few minutes it takes you to beg entry.” While the bunkers are intended to house many people, they are reserved for the world’s politically and monetarily affluent, such as presidents and kings and the world’s richest billionaires along with key lay-people to rebuild earth: agriculturalists, engineers, architects, builders, electricians, scientists— no need for common folk like us.

Their fanciful plan is designed to replant and rebuild earth after all the chaos dissipates as a result of her massive heart attack, knowing full well they will have to remain bunkered for a very long time before outside air is cleared of smoke, deadly gases, and debris from her colossal explosions: the current scientific estimation is 100 years but we know it to be 1000 years. So, the bunkers include areas to grow food for occupants.

The only life not covered in the specific documentary, “2012: Startling New Secrets,” was a governmental solution for saving earth’s animals—all creatures small and large, which the private sector below does allow for— as well as the general populace for which there are no bunkers: world powers mean to sacrifice the masses for a critical few; then replant, rebuild, repopulate and man rules once again. Boy! This is beginning to sound like a science fiction movie in which the people do not matter. Truth: governments never have cared about the people they rule. Alas, man would be no wiser in his version of the future than he is right now. Speaking of seeds, perhaps storing DNA is their way of providing a “restored” earth with all creatures both small and large, though there was no mention of this inclusion. Still, talk about government waste!

Ah, but the masses already have formed “survivalist groups” all over the Internet, to which people have joined from all over the world and financially support their own plans for survival of either 2012 or a Biblical event: most, however, have fallen prey to 2012. Presently, they are communicating with the US Army Corps of Engineers about buying old, abandoned nuclear bunkers; massive installations that cover miles of underground facilities located in various part of US deserts and, surely, around the world.

While abandoned bunkers are in deplorable, dilapidated and rusted condition, the groups’ leaders inspected various sites and declared them doable. These are preferable because they are way down deep thus considered resistant to any and all catastrophic events. It is a matter of settling on a sales price the survivalists are prepared to pay, plus the enormous cost of restoring. Talk about waste from the world’s top regimes to the bottom of simple, unbelieving humanity functioning in Satan’s gift of abject fear. God said, “islands disappear and mountains fall flat:” it will crush bunkers, filling them with 6000-deg lava.

The plan is to convert the bunkers to house non-government people with areas set aside for underground farming and raising animals for food: sort of modern day Noah’s Arks. These misguided people intend to have restoration completed prior to 21 December 2012. However, they did not address the issue of potable water, breathable air and electricity for lighting those dark, dank bunkers: there will be no water left on this planet once the upheaval settles down and earth goes into her Sabbath rest. As for air contaminated severely by smoke, deadly gases and debris— it will not clear for 1000 years.

“The wicked fall dead at the brightness of Christ’s coming.” That brightness is described as equal to Orion, ten times the light of earth’s sun. Be reminded of another scripture describing earth’s final scene: the wicked are running and screaming, cursing God and trying to hide in holes and crevices and caves— might we call them bunkers? Thunders, lightnings, volcanoes erupting and earthquakes that sink islands and flatten mountains; these followed by God’s final assault of Rev. 16:21— “And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about 100 pounds: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.”

The Old Testament tells us what common sense already knows, “The wicked shall lie dead from one end of earth to the other end.” How much plainer can this picture be painted, how much simpler can the words be formed, for the world to see with spiritual eyes and hear with spiritual ears?

“My people shall walk among them and not be touched.” We do not know nor feel fear; for we live and die by faith in God’s promises never broken.

——Watch the clouds between mid-October to mid-November henceforth until no later than 2011. The book of Hebrews says Jesus will not be late. If not fully converted now, time is your enemy; total conversion must be instant, this day, TODAY: do not delay. Pray unceasing! Be watchful; stand fast even to death. WE HAVE GOD’S POWER. KEEP WALKING and TALKING, even when it seems useless: you might snatch one lost, lukewarm sheep from the flames and give the warmth of God’s Truth to a cold waiting for it. Saith the Lord, “Ye lukewarm await consuming fire.”

——TSaS post archives open to public; members access Bible Lesson FILES. TSaS ministry neither needs nor asks for money and never will: God provides our basic needs. We ask only for prayer and that you share God’s Truth with all who will hear/read and obey in “the instant.” Be good stewards of God’s Word: share Extra Oils, lead everyone to God’s Biblical Truth at — http://groups.yahoo.com/group/truthseekersandspeakers

Much Love in Christ, Sister BonnieQ

http://seventhseal.webs.com Unicorn Haven’s Seventh Seal Library

http://www.naturesanswer.com to order Asafetida, also correctly spelled Asafoetida: produced by Natures Answer; if not in product list send email to NA to ask about getting it (my local health food store orders it for me) This is one of the strongest fighter’s of virus in God’s herbal kingdom: His medicine works perfectly and with no side effects!

Creepy/funny ad for Daybreakers, a new vampire flick landing on Jan. 8, set in a future where a vampire plague has turned human beings into an endangered species. (Found on Topless Robot.)