tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60394894276561349012024-02-07T04:21:02.272-05:00Abigail and DolleyAbigail and Dolley is a record of the ponderings and interests of a Modern Woman. From faith, to hobbies, to political and social commentary; I share with you whatever is brewing around in my brain at the time. Thanks for reading!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger548125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-35041425754517225192023-01-28T11:14:00.008-05:002023-01-28T13:03:41.584-05:00Don't Be a Dried Up WormSome of my earliest memories are fishing with my grandfather. I could not swim, so he strapped me into an ancient, ill-fitting lifejacket that reeked of old fish. I hated it, but hanging out with my grandpa made wearing the wretched thing worth it. He taught me to cast a rod and bait a hook. I liked digging in the worm bucket, searching for the juicy ones, his term, not mine.<div><br /></div><div>So, worms don't freak me out, and I developed an unusual habit as an adult. If I see a worm on the pavement, I put it back in the grass because dried up worm carcasses are just sad.<div><div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ejwtqV2jyDYiT1ON3lEHnyv_T8hvCCU4C3fX7W1HvPT2VB3mbR14UietlC8X1aRKQQGunzjsDtAy_uwKx-O32n9HjLEqgYrKXIeTRc3ya1l0nKIvq6V-dNXrX17V_lzdmiOc7u2rzxg/s1600/Dried+Up+Worm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ejwtqV2jyDYiT1ON3lEHnyv_T8hvCCU4C3fX7W1HvPT2VB3mbR14UietlC8X1aRKQQGunzjsDtAy_uwKx-O32n9HjLEqgYrKXIeTRc3ya1l0nKIvq6V-dNXrX17V_lzdmiOc7u2rzxg/s640/Dried+Up+Worm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dried Up Worm</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br /></div><div>Today, I spotted a struggling worm, barely moving, and beginning to dehydrate. I stopped to pick it up but did not quite get a hold of it. To my surprise, it started thrashing like mad, which startled me. For a second, I considered abandoning it to its fate. But when I tried to pick it up again, it kept twisting, and I could not catch it. In the end, I scooted it back into the grass with my toe. It took a couple of tries, but the worm finally made it.<br />
<br />As I walked away, I realized the worm had no clue it was going to die if it stayed on the path it set for itself. It certainly did not know I was trying to assist. Instead of embracing the help, it viewed my intervention as an attack and fought to continue its journey to destruction. But I had a better view of what the future held and took care of the worm, whether it knew it or not.</div><div><br /></div><div>How often do we behave like the thrashing worm, and how much more important are we to God than a worm?<br /><br />Sometimes in life, God is like a loving grandfather who puts us in a stinky lifejacket for our safety. Uncomfortable or unhappy in our surroundings, He might be teaching us valuable lessons or giving us treasured memories. And when the time comes to go, instead of struggling when He picks us up, why not relax in the palm of His hand? If we thrash around, we will miss the view from above and never realize this is a rescue, not an attack. We will be back in the cool of the grass soon enough.</div><div><br /></div><div>Don't be a dried up worm. He's got you.</div><div><br /></div><div>(Originally published August 5, 2013)</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-86966402648398253042022-04-16T11:07:00.002-04:002022-04-16T12:25:21.574-04:00When God is Dead - Holy Saturday<br />The idea for this post occurred to me during the lowest point in my life, in a moment when God seemed to be gone, everything lost—Holy Saturday. I have never heard preaching on this subject, but there are powerful life applications for the believer.<div><br /></div><div>As you read, forget your knowledge of the Resurrection, forget you know the end of the story, go to the upper room with the Apostles and imagine... because minus the physical horrors of the Cross, <b>Holy Saturday, </b>when Jesus' body lay in the tomb, <b>is the darkest day in history.</b><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The Apostle John and the women at the Cross heard Jesus utter the most heartbreaking lament ever spoken, 'My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?' Those words must have shaken His followers to the core. <b>Had Christ been rejected by the Father?</b> From their perspectives, it must have appeared so.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let that sink in for a moment.<br /><div><br /></div><div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjat99H64kPIe5hsfejRSMZ-2MJIINHMJ74uB_6irYpmMs1tSfZDdg1lr1s5tOlQybQ10S_tEQE4Yned8frUFwUAPpIxMo1g_rqxHp51sQX2LuARPsPyOwEtGgEYoU-Pz9bq2z97M5MVN8/s1600/Holy+Saturday.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjat99H64kPIe5hsfejRSMZ-2MJIINHMJ74uB_6irYpmMs1tSfZDdg1lr1s5tOlQybQ10S_tEQE4Yned8frUFwUAPpIxMo1g_rqxHp51sQX2LuARPsPyOwEtGgEYoU-Pz9bq2z97M5MVN8/s640/Holy+Saturday.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Holy Saturday</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br /><div>After the crucifixion and Christ's entombment, the Apostles hide. Having witnessed the trial and execution of the most powerful man on Earth, they held no illusions about their future or the fate. Peter, the bravest and most faithful among them, did not deny Christ without reason; the Apostles knew the brutality of the Romans. But worse, with Jesus gone, the men who cast out demons in His name, realized Hell was coming for them. <b>Thus, they are defenseless, hunted, and terrified.</b></div><div>
<br />Judas Iscariot fell prey to the lies of the Devil and religious leaders. Despite everything, Judas was their companion, their friend, who betrayed them, as well as the Lord. When news of his suicide reached the upper room, they learned his body was hanging in Potter's Field, unattended, desecrated. For a Jew, this is particularly abhorrent. As the caretaker of the money, it is reasonable to assume Judas stole their funds when he left. His death destroyed all hope he would repent and return. Scripture says after the crucifixion, Christ's followers scattered, leaving the disciples with no one, and in the upper room <b>they are</b> <b>broke, with a price on their heads, trapped, and mourning </b>not only Jesus, but Judas.</div><div>
<br />Imagine their disillusionment. They gave up homes, business, and position in the community to follow Jesus. Scripture confirms their families thought they were crazy and condemned them for being irresponsible. On Holy Saturday, the Apostles faced the crushing possibility they were wrong and <b>wasted three years of their lives for nothing.</b><br />
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Jesus predicted His death and resurrection a number of times, but His words remained hidden, as if He had spoken in code the Apostles failed to hear or understand. Pentecost had not yet come, so without Christ or the Holy Spirit, they existed in total darkness, without hope Jesus would return from the dead. This is demonstrated by their disbelief on Easter morning and Thomas' rejection of the testimony of the ten.</div><div><br /></div><div>Holy Saturday buffeted the Apostles, forced them into doubt and reflection. By design, it brought them to the lowest point in their lives and prepared them for the work to come. <b>Holy Saturday demonstrates what Christianity would be without the Resurrection—dead.</b><div>
<br />We all encounter Holy Saturdays in our lives. We face betrayal, the loss of our loved ones, and the devastating fears financial insecurity brings. Enduring the death of dreams, hopes, and aspirations, we curl up in pain, mourning, and condemnation. There is nothing fanciful about Saturday; the experience is brutal.</div><div><br /></div><div>But take heart, Sunday is on the way, and there we find victory, new life, and resurrection! Praise God.</div><div><br /></div><div>(Originally Published 04/23/2011)</div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-50714858388625728232021-12-31T13:58:00.000-05:002021-12-31T13:58:19.243-05:00Revelation 17 - The Final RebellionIt has been years since I did an in depth bible study. Alas, the final three books of The Millennium Series required a return to Scripture to ensure the series culminated on strong biblical footing, and this week I dove back in.<div><br /></div><div>One challenge in writing about the Millennium is the lack of text and commentary to draw upon. The Millennium is two steps forward in the Biblical timeline, and as a result most scholars focus on the Rapture and Tribulation, leaving the Millennium as a mere footnote. I found myself fascinated by it in 2015 and wrote <a href="http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/search/label/Millennial%20Bible%20Study" target="_blank">The Millennium Bible Study</a>. If you are unfamiliar with the subject, I encourage you to check it out.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>Digging into Scripture for clues about the final rebellion at the end of the Millennium, I believe I have an interpretation of Revelation 17 that is both unique and doctrinally sound, surmising it is a Millennial prophecy. Most commentaries attribute the chapter to the Tribulation, understandable given the language, symbolism, and location in Scripture. However, a careful study reveals several key differences that set it apart.</div><div><br /></div><div>The primary texts used in this study are: Daniel 2 & 7, Revelation 12, 13, 17, & 20.</div><div><br /></div><div>I must admit after several years of writing novels, digging back into prophecy I was rusty. As such, a review of symbols and times became essential. With all the beasts rising, I found myself a bit cross-eyed, so here are some basic explanations of the terms:</div><div><br /></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Beasts - Kingdoms but also the Tribulation Trinity of Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet</li><li>Heads - Historical or coming kingdoms or kings</li><li>Horns - Kings</li><li>Diadems - Crowns</li><li>Mountains - Kingdoms</li><li>Seas/Waters - Multitudes of people, typically the unsaved Gentiles</li></ol></div><div>Discerning the difference between Tribulation prophecy and Millennial prophecy required a study of beasts, heads, and diadems, which all denote Satanic Kingdoms, both past and future. A big shout out to the folks at <a href="https://revelationlogic.com/articles/the-seven-heads-and-ten-horns/" target="_blank">Revelation Logic</a> for doing a ton of the legwork for this post, and while some our our conclusions differ, their work is well thought out and organized.</div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Seven Kingdoms</h2><div>We see in Scripture numerous references to the rise of evil kingdoms, both in the Old and New Testaments. Some are mentioned more frequently than others, but it is reasonable to extrapolate there will be seven Satanic kingdoms.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Revelation 12:3</b> Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Revelation 17:10</b> and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.</div><div><br /></div></div><div>I believe Revelation 12:3 is a depiction of Satan at the beginning of the Tribulation and Revelation 17:10 depicts his rise at the end of the Millennium, and I will attempt to walk you through the logic.</div><div><br /></div><div>To get started, here is a list of the kingdoms in order:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Egypt</li><li>Assyria</li><li>Babylon</li><li>Persia</li><li>Greece</li><li>Rome</li><li>Tribulation Government</li></ol><div>For my own edification, I mapped out the physical territory of the first six kingdoms, and while I am not a cartographer, the visual will give you the gist.</div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsFnTQorTDjpXZdx5vVTNAj31LKRNJTglx6yJHl4zqCkB7eIYAn9nT6pll_c1mOEel87eosh-crt_2jzWjk7lc6gYk0b_rFEbz36Csmxow-mlae_qO0eKcJ3tuT9Pvudhe8VA_MN7xO9RZlLS07mdCo-Gd9t7M9tged6n0nykN6wFCC37XwkMLiOOR=s2066" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1301" data-original-width="2066" height="405" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsFnTQorTDjpXZdx5vVTNAj31LKRNJTglx6yJHl4zqCkB7eIYAn9nT6pll_c1mOEel87eosh-crt_2jzWjk7lc6gYk0b_rFEbz36Csmxow-mlae_qO0eKcJ3tuT9Pvudhe8VA_MN7xO9RZlLS07mdCo-Gd9t7M9tged6n0nykN6wFCC37XwkMLiOOR=w640-h405" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egyptian Kingdom - First of the Five who have fallen</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh181FXyylK4dD_3mwxlVJhhLpWNYasXsfjsAXiU2cCP7lp1_VFBc5iZjJIKB0qDVvMjaAyBpwBAWfxR5y4LjqSmMjAJzskJT4yyJHBlNvpT0m9TFCcBivOJBW1N_q_HbQ7VcxoMnIogblc0UYVxkjW6BoW4hMK8oMEXNfmrOiyLRJno0iYlCN0OLbJ=s2066" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1301" data-original-width="2066" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh181FXyylK4dD_3mwxlVJhhLpWNYasXsfjsAXiU2cCP7lp1_VFBc5iZjJIKB0qDVvMjaAyBpwBAWfxR5y4LjqSmMjAJzskJT4yyJHBlNvpT0m9TFCcBivOJBW1N_q_HbQ7VcxoMnIogblc0UYVxkjW6BoW4hMK8oMEXNfmrOiyLRJno0iYlCN0OLbJ=w640-h404" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assyrian Kingdom - Second of the Five who have fallen</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3JB9hmIMU6Y-3j4iUWR0Oln1NcK5dX3Ra0Ch3VxpPSO7gV1yXbE1Xkbz-TtwTs52794vyXao8gr7O_hpxzMz95vnWbBFm28U5-ydNN469q65gP2m0RwSjcZ6SWVpBuq8vcBbyTuiZEgdmNY3C79Ne2-ExZ9jLiIlaZheWjplz0Eaoy4zSdf4nz_Nh=s2066" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1301" data-original-width="2066" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3JB9hmIMU6Y-3j4iUWR0Oln1NcK5dX3Ra0Ch3VxpPSO7gV1yXbE1Xkbz-TtwTs52794vyXao8gr7O_hpxzMz95vnWbBFm28U5-ydNN469q65gP2m0RwSjcZ6SWVpBuq8vcBbyTuiZEgdmNY3C79Ne2-ExZ9jLiIlaZheWjplz0Eaoy4zSdf4nz_Nh=w640-h404" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Babylonian Kingdom - Third of the Five who have fallen</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj70BXptDyfmDOwA5amWd9X_0XWYnA44hlVgUuxHt8SNCytULUj1ph1hrCfNVB1bk1d5HaMWjyj0Ug7K2v35T76xLR5rbjclSLvtE_jMlWlJM39ivDwgrPnxr4mcey6l-ft5s2b0BwKBWUgu0Ea0pAMPXcNh_NFngpQYmAPHOcKUhHL8YqkFcOXOVsk=s2066" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1301" data-original-width="2066" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj70BXptDyfmDOwA5amWd9X_0XWYnA44hlVgUuxHt8SNCytULUj1ph1hrCfNVB1bk1d5HaMWjyj0Ug7K2v35T76xLR5rbjclSLvtE_jMlWlJM39ivDwgrPnxr4mcey6l-ft5s2b0BwKBWUgu0Ea0pAMPXcNh_NFngpQYmAPHOcKUhHL8YqkFcOXOVsk=w640-h404" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Persian Empire - Fourth of the Five who have fallen</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQ4yo6bxIDvzAS_cnzNzvhDLg3BPlj3odLQBwnx4tebefIs9QfZfdh7NS4IvgTrQsYnGebS4K8JmCcq02YLGfWn3FYGKP2zs_ILq26X2Aa1MtoocSz-y4UCrl4YvXB1liglbUj0_JEp4jMqsEY44nUY5O3HG60iBAIA4l_vpZ0yzFgaGaJ8Jrb-dyp=s2066" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1301" data-original-width="2066" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQ4yo6bxIDvzAS_cnzNzvhDLg3BPlj3odLQBwnx4tebefIs9QfZfdh7NS4IvgTrQsYnGebS4K8JmCcq02YLGfWn3FYGKP2zs_ILq26X2Aa1MtoocSz-y4UCrl4YvXB1liglbUj0_JEp4jMqsEY44nUY5O3HG60iBAIA4l_vpZ0yzFgaGaJ8Jrb-dyp=w640-h404" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greek Empire - Fifth of the Five who have fallen</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfc4YE25XoEP9U0wR1izGKGL1KYhtTmmSQij3QzH13OggrB1QSeMY9AkfJI-qPNDzJdTmvv7J0DrsBy1UxqAi5ht-6AT9dniZ9s40ymqDzFK5A0PsSIE_d57Gnc_TaeZelkrAs9yRV4WtoaF7SHgIPD971X4uoUEKaaeRqAOtW1lvnyP8zFrtAFamw=s2066" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1301" data-original-width="2066" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfc4YE25XoEP9U0wR1izGKGL1KYhtTmmSQij3QzH13OggrB1QSeMY9AkfJI-qPNDzJdTmvv7J0DrsBy1UxqAi5ht-6AT9dniZ9s40ymqDzFK5A0PsSIE_d57Gnc_TaeZelkrAs9yRV4WtoaF7SHgIPD971X4uoUEKaaeRqAOtW1lvnyP8zFrtAFamw=w640-h404" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roman Empire - The Kingdom "that is" at the time John wrote Revelation</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div>Note, they become progressively larger. In Daniel 2, we begin with Babylon and the great statue of Nebuchadnezzar's dream:</div><div><br /></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Babylon - Head of gold</li><li>Persia - Chest and arms of silver</li><li>Greece - Belly and thighs of bronze</li><li>Rome - Legs of iron</li><li>Tribulation - Feet of clay and iron</li></ol></div><div><a href="https://gracethrufaith.com/end-times-prophecy/the-end-times-according-to-daniel-part-one-chapters-2-and-7/" target="_blank">Jack Kelly</a> notes, "While each metal is less valuable than its predecessor, indicating a decline in the quality of its rule, each one is also harder and therefore stronger, showing it to be more powerful than the kingdom it replaced."</div><div><br /></div><div>In Daniel 7, we see the kingdoms through a vision God gives to Daniel.</div><div><br /></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Babylon - First beast, a winged lion</li><li>Persia - Second beast, a bear</li><li>Greece - Third beast, a leopard</li><li>Tribulation Government - Fourth beast, unlike the others, more terrible than any before it</li></ol><div>In Daniel 8, we see two of the seven.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Persia - The two horned Ram</li><li>Greece - The fast Goat</li></ol></div><div>You may note that Egypt and Assyria are not listed specifically, but if we can include them in this list because they fit the profile and because they meet the criteria of "five have fallen", which means they must have predated Rome. </div><h2 style="text-align: left;">What are the characteristics of a Satanic Kingdom?</h2><div><ol><li>Harlotry - both sexual and in worship, seductive, leading many astray.</li><li>Idolatry - worshipping beings or things as supreme other than God.</li><li>Hostility toward the Jews - they ALWAYS occupy Israel.</li><li>Great evil</li><li>Military power and conquests</li><li>Striking terror in the hearts of men</li><li>For a time, they seem invincible but crumble under the weight of their own wickedness.</li></ol></div></div><div>Egypt and Assyria meet the above criteria.</div><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Phrase that Caught My Attention</h2><div>My first novel, <a href="https://amzn.to/2QwL7JI" target="_blank">M1-The Black Key</a>, opens with Revelation 20. After editing for three years, listening to the Audiobook a dozen times, and creating videos that included the Scripture, I can recite it in my sleep. But when I came across similar wording in another verse, it grabbed my attention.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Revelation 17:10</b> and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain <b>a little while</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Revelation 20:1-3</b> Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for <b>a little while.</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Looking up the original Greek, we see that while the English is translated the same, the original text uses different words.</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Revelation 17:10 the word is <i>Oligon,</i> which translates to puny, neutered somewhat.</li><li>Revelation 20:30 renders the phrase <i>mikros chronos, </i>which translates to small, little, brief period of time especially in view of a sequence or succession of moments.</li></ol></div><div>It struck me that the Tribulation is well defined in dozens of places, from Daniel's 70th week onward, we have a precise calculation of dates, durations, and markers, yet the most cataclysmic period on Earth is never rendered as a "puny" or "neutered" event.</div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Missing Crowns</h2><div>The next thing that struck me as different was the lack of "diadems" in Revelation 17. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Revelation 17:3</b> And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Compare the above to the rise of Satan at the beginning of the Tribulation.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Revelation 12:3</b> Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Revelation 12, his is the great red dragon and his kingdoms have crowns. In Revelation 17, he is the scarlet beast and has been stripped of his crowns.</div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Endurance of the Saints</h2><div>The next clue that Revelation 17 might be describing the final Millennial rebellion and not the Tribulation was the outcome and the domination of Satan against God's people. Compare these passages:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Revelation 13:10</b> If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Revelation 17:14</b> They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.</div><div><br /></div><div>We know from <b>Revelation 20:9 </b>the final rebellion is not a long protracted war... "and they did go up over the breadth of the land, and did surround the camp of the saints, and the beloved city, and there came down fire from God out of the heaven, and devoured them."</div><div><br /></div><div>Basically, at the end of the Millennium, the Lord runs out of patience for this nonsense.</div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Who Was, Is Not, About to Rise - The Eighth</h2><div><b>Revelation 17:8</b> The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.</div><div><br /></div><div>The above text is quite definitive, and I believe provides the key to anchoring Revelation 17 at the end of the Millennium. "Who was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit," to a Millennial audience, Satan was once on the Earth, he has been banished (he is not), and is about to rise from the bottomless pit. <u>Satan is bound in the bottomless pit during the Millennium, not before</u>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Revelation 17:11-12 </b>As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>The above indicates that Satan attempts to establish a final kingdom, an eighth, but he is unable to attain former dominance and the ten kings give him power for "one hour" in the final rebellion. Compared to the Tribulation, we know exactly how long it will last. Using Daniel's 70 week timetable, one hour could be as little as 30 days.</div><div><br /></div><div>It also appears that unlike the Ten Kings during the Tribulation, the Millennial Kings see the folly of their ways. <b>Revelation 17:17</b> for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.</div><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Great Prostitute</h2><div>It is quite interesting to note that the only "female" character in Revelation or Daniel is the Great Prostitute, Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations. And while neither she nor the scarlet beast wear a crown, she arrays herself in gold, jewels, pearls, and royal robes. Most scholars agree this character represents the false religions born out of Babylonian worship, and I agree with this interpretation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Consider, of the seven kingdoms, six will fall to utter defeat, yet one endures, one survives, one morphs and changes: Rome.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Revelation 17:10, it is the kingdom "that is", and in <b>Revelation 17:18</b> John clearly identifies her, "And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth." Note the use of the present tense in the verse, not will have, has dominion.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, we see her fate <b>Revelation 17:16</b> And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, </div><div><br /></div><div>The kings AND the beast hate her and turn on her in the end because God has put it in their hearts to do so.</div><h2 style="text-align: left;">And Then The End</h2><div><b>Revelation 20:7-10 </b>And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.</div><div><br /></div><div>A fitting end, don't you agree?</div><div><br /></div><div>I would be remiss, not to invite you to visit my new website, <a href="http://Alanthia.com">Alanthia.com</a>, if you are so inclined to go on an adventure, I promise you will not regret it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maranatha, my friends.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-2155046106623726282021-02-21T09:56:00.002-05:002021-12-31T09:13:08.241-05:00New Adventures - Small BeginningsThree years... I can't believe, but it has been three years since I blogged regularly. Have I stopped writing? Oh <i>contraire</i>. That is all I do, other than sleep a little and go to my job (the one I actually make money at). In October 2017, I finally committed to writing a novel that floated around in my head for six months. The process began after a snarky comment from a nasty client, but beauty came from the ashes, and there are now nine novels in The Millennium Series.<div><br /></div><div>It is a joyous thing to discover your true calling, your passion, and reason for being. But would I have had the courage to write if it weren't for this little blog? Likely not. To learn, you must write. There are 500+ original posts here, although I cannot read them because my inner editor cringes. But you have to begin and accept that you will make mistakes. Scripture admonishes us to not despise small beginnings, the Lord delights to see the work begin.<div><br /></div><div>I printed "M1–The Black Key" two weeks after "finishing" it. I cannot look at that either. Three full versions, twenty professional beta readers, countless edits, and hundreds of hours have gone into the final product. But I started, I began.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2M5PA5r7qKhgPILJpDt9HokKXZSUMqLsgmPRGEwkOEDUo3ZxmR0R1cZVY_j99_xqsKM5WwCD5KtuM_qA_aabocfQO0Tz6uaDuQ1BO0yJI1YbnApbrO_Dn7tpu46ZDv1xN_vD_l4Lb88c/s2048/M1+Book+Cover+Final+ebook.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1285" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2M5PA5r7qKhgPILJpDt9HokKXZSUMqLsgmPRGEwkOEDUo3ZxmR0R1cZVY_j99_xqsKM5WwCD5KtuM_qA_aabocfQO0Tz6uaDuQ1BO0yJI1YbnApbrO_Dn7tpu46ZDv1xN_vD_l4Lb88c/w402-h640/M1+Book+Cover+Final+ebook.jpg" width="402" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M1–The Black Key Cover</td></tr></tbody></table><div><div><br /></div><div>In January, I committed to publishing, to finally launch, and in the process acclimate to small beginnings. Opening my <a href="https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B08VHRDZYD" target="_blank">Author Page</a> on Amazon, beginning a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWhxbrfEr0djyMbOGzlimDQ" target="_blank">YouTube</a> channel, revamping the <a href="http://www.alanthia.com" target="_blank">website</a>, everything starts minuscule... that does not mean we have to be small.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LhpL1oGxiNLDG7MEHfzLxUwZNOaRqWCwyfcyYIdwI-Ba3EuoACozQPLuvq6gl44otAHskZYtll8slb4cfwxV-XxkvG1DP1_LDs5ZM20w4upRXQwe3_dLsTivvMHNQfOBtqX7_TGsVGU/s1033/Millennium+Series++Book+Covers.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="www.alanthia.com" border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="1033" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LhpL1oGxiNLDG7MEHfzLxUwZNOaRqWCwyfcyYIdwI-Ba3EuoACozQPLuvq6gl44otAHskZYtll8slb4cfwxV-XxkvG1DP1_LDs5ZM20w4upRXQwe3_dLsTivvMHNQfOBtqX7_TGsVGU/w640-h406/Millennium+Series++Book+Covers.png" title="The Millennium Series Book Covers" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Millennium Series Book Covers</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Beginnings do not have to translate to poor quality, shoddy work, or lack of commitment. Work, learn, and improve; recognize we control the effort, not the outcome.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dreaming big is safe when you are doing nothing to achieve those goals, but "one day" never comes if you do not have the courage to embrace small beginnings.</div><div><br /></div></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKuSz_sVuidQpZu_UlcFyNwk9NikHYl0B4vwzSGAsfPxTTvED7N9XRYYpSV0v8yZa5AbPqoOk7r_8Em8Ee2nXXrtJxS6xN1ERWPlv2br6qIH4wTjM951XqlsO1slsLcGz63BT0_9lk3yk/s2048/M1+Book+Cover+Final+Audible+Cover.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKuSz_sVuidQpZu_UlcFyNwk9NikHYl0B4vwzSGAsfPxTTvED7N9XRYYpSV0v8yZa5AbPqoOk7r_8Em8Ee2nXXrtJxS6xN1ERWPlv2br6qIH4wTjM951XqlsO1slsLcGz63BT0_9lk3yk/w640-h640/M1+Book+Cover+Final+Audible+Cover.jpg" title="M1-The Black Key Audible Cover" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M1-The Black Key Audible Cover</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>"<a href="https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B08VHRDZYD" target="_blank">M1–The Black Key</a>", debuts May 1, 2021, eBook, paperback, hardback, and Audible. Take my hand; I am going to tell you an amazing tale.</div><div><br /></div><div>(As of this writing, only the eBook is available for pre-order. I am wrestling with KDP, Ingram Spark, and Bowker for their systems to talk, and Audible only lets you pre-order 14 days prior to release. Like I said, small beginnings.)</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-12072450154413772552019-04-23T22:32:00.001-04:002019-04-23T22:32:05.624-04:00Millennium is Coming<div>
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I am pleased to announce the official launch of my fiction author's website and home to the upcoming epic series, <a href="http://www.alanthia.com/" target="_blank">Millennium</a>. Readers are captivated by this dynamic series. <div>
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The next great age is foretold, written on the hearts of man, and rapidly approaching; Millennium, is coming.<br /><div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oQZ6bUM-4CUTOgMPadaS9GfLppOH3OVwuEQwB6TXcYXwdna713rngYyoRRrOhnD3qDlsuPCFiEkKAtJE9pgdLh9nrIeJfPH7z07cjRbK7uYMTtHBJxiomOUF6ynw5JS55M1T6A2ax88/s1600/Golden+City.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oQZ6bUM-4CUTOgMPadaS9GfLppOH3OVwuEQwB6TXcYXwdna713rngYyoRRrOhnD3qDlsuPCFiEkKAtJE9pgdLh9nrIeJfPH7z07cjRbK7uYMTtHBJxiomOUF6ynw5JS55M1T6A2ax88/s640/Golden+City.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Golden City</td></tr>
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The first novel, <i>The Black Key</i>, is a fast-paced epic journey, delivering heart-pounding action, adventure, and romance.</div>
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Paradise is shattered by brutal betrayal; one brother sacrifices the other. Two young princes discover the truth, one must flee, the other is left behind. More than murder taints the Palace, ancient evil, bound for a millennium breaks free. Princes Josiah and Peter travel paths they never imagined, caught in a web of deceit, intrigue, and rebellion. Davianna and Astrid protect a dangerous artifact with the power to destroy paradise. Lives and hearts collide in epic adventure, as they battle evil, and run from all who covet, The Black Key.</div>
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To become a beta reader and receive your free copy of The Black Key, please visit: <a href="http://www%2Calanthia.com/" target="_blank">Alanthia.com</a> and sign up!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-84683090615924764402019-04-22T09:10:00.001-04:002021-02-21T10:17:00.952-05:00A Child's Drawing(Originally published 10/28/11)<br />
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Yesterday, as I was driving to work, I was in prayer. I surrendered my day and asked Him to use me in any way He saw fit. As I sat at the stoplight, I realized how inadequate and fallible I am, even in the midst of obedience and faithfulness. In my human skin, this is the best I am going to get. I am <i>doing</i> all the things He direct Christians to do. I am praying, reading my Bible, going to church, surrendering my will to His direction, and humbly worshiping; yet I am still full of sin.<br />
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He gently stroked my head and brought this image to my mind. As a parent, your small child will present you with a drawing. Perhaps it is a card or a picture they sat at their table and lovingly made something special. They present their work of art, proud and hoping you will love it. It was the best they could do. You smile broadly and gush over how beautiful it is; you hug and thank them for the wonderful gift. You do not judge it for what it is not, for it is not the Mona Lisa. You recognize the offering is precious because they are incapable of doing better, and you love them and the picture, exactly the way it is. That is the way God sees us and our offerings to Him, not as a critic, but as a loving parent. I am so grateful for that.<div><br /></div><div>We must try to remember, when we look down at our little offerings, that we should not be critics either. For one day, we will stand before the King, and the offerings we gave Him will be more magnificent than any artwork ever created by human hands. His hand will have perfected us and the gifts. We will rejoice together in this marvelous thing He has done.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1Kt5Ktp1fwRKNMmjbau2cYDvGjx-ZohjncCRDPShLHHOrUaHxxVcpZD2f8330t3M5lxhUMwF3aqlbok1FF7TQJcNqO7XgVlZRxnscAbcAIXuSwEbO_LnXzNqrcqd6ciKB4byQPk0X14/s1600/childs+drawing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1Kt5Ktp1fwRKNMmjbau2cYDvGjx-ZohjncCRDPShLHHOrUaHxxVcpZD2f8330t3M5lxhUMwF3aqlbok1FF7TQJcNqO7XgVlZRxnscAbcAIXuSwEbO_LnXzNqrcqd6ciKB4byQPk0X14/s640/childs+drawing.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-36639208487736625112019-03-17T20:31:00.003-04:002021-03-15T12:06:45.855-04:00Bring Forth in a Day<br />
(Originally published 03/17/15,)<br />
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Abigail and Dolley was never intended to be much more than an outlet to write about whatever was on my mind at the time. At the launch in 2009, I did much of what new bloggers do to build a following but quickly realized that building a blog is like building a business, and I have one of those. So over the years, I shared with you what was on my heart not focusing on the stats. Recently though, I feel like God has been teaching me and giving me revelations about His word that are important.<br />
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This is frustrating because, while loyal, the audience I reach is small. I am small. In the world of Bible teachers, I am the definition of a nobody. I don't even teach a Sunday School Class. There are no women teaching eschatology. My influence in this world is limited to a few people, even people that know me and love me, don't understand what I teach - they don't walk the same path, and if I've heard once, I've heard it a hundred times, "I'm just not that deep, Dolley." I feel as if I am going to explode with these new revelations and there is nobody to share them with; I miss my Dad.<br />
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Tonight, troubled in spirit, I sought the Lord on a walk - seeking what He would have me do. Questioning if I am doing what I am supposed to do. Asking if there is something more that I should be doing and am not - most of all, questioning why me? Why show me things in His Word and then have 15 people read the most important posts of my life? What do you want me to do? I seemed to have more questions than I was getting answers.<br />
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Then, I walked by a tree in my yard. I'd taken a picture of it yesterday. It reminded me of a story. One day, after my Dad moved into his new house, we were shooting baskets. I asked him what kind of tree was by his driveway. He laughed and said, "I have no idea, but these cool fuzzy buds looked promising." The turned out to be a tulip magnolia. When we moved in this house, he gave me one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzenon0eLwn52MRXglcECPje2N45pC87fmFc_OmeegVr0hevWyw1g1y9uIwmrKHVlYBUy4RTaCoPAeXAxHnWVNoPzYMGvZMSKDferqmkZZP325L54cuU30HcY0mX9iip9omoi-yHWlcRA/s1600/Tulip+Magnolia+in+Bud.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzenon0eLwn52MRXglcECPje2N45pC87fmFc_OmeegVr0hevWyw1g1y9uIwmrKHVlYBUy4RTaCoPAeXAxHnWVNoPzYMGvZMSKDferqmkZZP325L54cuU30HcY0mX9iip9omoi-yHWlcRA/s640/Tulip+Magnolia+in+Bud.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tulip Magnolia in Bud</td></tr>
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Tonight, as I was finishing my walk, not having received answers to the questions that sent me forth, I noticed the tree. The same tree that 24 hours earlier had a half a dozen open blooms looked like this:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5jTgCgcrGhFh2WflX2s7WC26EaEZb4qCjRmkg7VVPxzeZLEBILoGhyphenhyphen1IVrOsz2hG6wA5xU9YtTb4X4zvGtdNNFS60XAG5NRCi6Xp4b_qlZrDj0skA6pwMWUxcccQaO7DOzuEYgrepRE/s1600/Tulip+Magnolia+in+Bloom.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5jTgCgcrGhFh2WflX2s7WC26EaEZb4qCjRmkg7VVPxzeZLEBILoGhyphenhyphen1IVrOsz2hG6wA5xU9YtTb4X4zvGtdNNFS60XAG5NRCi6Xp4b_qlZrDj0skA6pwMWUxcccQaO7DOzuEYgrepRE/s640/Tulip+Magnolia+in+Bloom.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tulip Magnolia in Blossom </td></tr>
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I felt the Lord whisper in my heart, "I can change things in a day. I can bring forth all the buds in one moment."</div>
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I realized then, that I was called to keep going, to keep teaching, to keep writing, and to leave the day of the blossom to Him. In our lives, we often look around and see buds everywhere, but it's God that brings forth the flowers and the fruit and he can do it in a day.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-3501930962058841632018-01-06T19:06:00.001-05:002021-12-31T09:12:26.438-05:00Millennium: Book 1 The Black KeyAbigail and Dolley readers I have sadly neglected my little blog these last few months, but it is not because I have not been writing. On the contrary, that is ALL I have been doing for the last three months. I am pleased to say that I have finished my first polished novel. I've written one or two before but never got through to the final edits, never had something I wanted to put out there with my name on it. This one... well, this one is special. Much of the work and the background and the research that is behind the novel was fleshed out on these blog pages. In Particular, the Millennium Series that engulfed me in 2015.<br />
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Below is a bit of text I am going to use in pitching the novel to agents and publishing houses. Please say a prayer that the Lord blesses the work.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perfect Garden</td></tr>
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Milton wrote of Paradise Lost, Millennium is novel of Paradise Found and Lost Again.<br />
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The next Great Age is foretold in all the world’s sacred scriptures and texts, prophesied and rapidly approaching; Millennium is coming.<br />
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It is a time of perfect prosperity, peace and harmony; a literal return to the Garden of Eden, except this time without the Tempter. There is no war, no disease, no natural disasters; the King returns and rules in righteousness. The Millennium is Paradise; for one thousand years, Heaven on Earth.<br />
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As the generations pass, the wonders of technology and innovation from the prior age are forgotten, lost to history; forbidden. The last generation awakens and rises up to demand freedom, to demand their own way, they demand technology! They revile the King, no longer beloved and righteous, they shake their fist and name him oppressor, dictator, slavemaster.<br />
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In the end, man rebels and chooses a new leader, the original rebel, that old Serpent from Eden. He emerges from his prison to find an Earth ready for him and the final battle.<br />
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Our story begins, at the start of the rebellion with a foul sacrifice that shatters global peace and sets two Princes on paths they were never meant to travel. One exiled and shamed, one the usurper’s son, both caught in a web of deceit, intrigue and murder. Each desperately searching for a mysterious key; to save themselves and their kingdom.<br />
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Two innocent girls, stranded amid global chaos receive an ancient artifact, to hide and protect. Yet temptations, to explore mysteries from the last age, are powerful and they succumb, whereby cracking the door to the pit of Hell. They flee, using their wits and cleverness to escape the forces of evil who covet the key.<br />
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Their journey is fraught with danger; who to trust, where to go, and how to fight the men and the unseen beings who hunt them.<br />
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Davianna and Astrid, Josiah and Peter; four Millennial souls caught up in the great drama of the last age. Each must overcome fears, obstacles, and failures if they hope to survive and embrace their great destinies. Along the way, they encounter insurmountable danger, supernatural wonder, intense grief, and wild passion; every once in a while, great joy and laughter. A journey for the heart, the mind, and the soul: Millennium.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-71185544467669999762017-10-16T10:33:00.001-04:002017-10-16T10:33:55.509-04:00Weak Side - Surprise Attacks<div>
In sports - a weak side is defined as the side of the field where there are fewer players to defend the ball. In life, it's where we are vulnerable.</div>
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I was ill this weekend. Not seriously but enough to keep me in the house and on the couch, doing nothing. My neck hurt so bad it caused a headache and as tired as I was, I could not sleep. My weaknesses all amplified by an illness. I chalked it up to excessive travel and a grueling work schedule; I thought I was just exhausted.<div>
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This morning, I found out a colleague I'd traveled with last week was also sick, her symptoms a bit different but it had attacked <i>her</i> weak side. My son was sick this weekend, different symptoms but it had attacked <i>his</i> weak side. Coincidence? Maybe, or just maybe we'd all been hit with a virus that went manifested where we are weakest.</div>
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Isn't that how spiritual attacks go? The enemy zeroes in on our weak side. Our most vulnerable is where the attack comes in. Our children, our health, our jobs, our self-esteem, our security... that is where we can expect to be attacked. The strategy is brilliant because it can go undetected, we expect to be attacked there, life is hard. I'd ask you to take a moment though and look deeper, is it everyday life or is this an assault by the enemy? If it is, then friends, you must stay strong and pray in the Spirit. Pray the full armor of God and go to battle against the enemy.</div>
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If you are feeling defeated, I'd ask you to prayerfully consider that the Devil understands not only your weak side but the weapons of warfare. He employs his own countermeasures against us, if you are struggling, please read <a href="http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/2013/08/counterterrorism-in-spiritual-realm.html" target="_blank">Counterterrorism in the Spiritual Realm.</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-5683421142678255162017-09-19T18:14:00.000-04:002018-02-02T00:33:40.790-05:00A Letter for Those Left Behind<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Psalm 39:4 “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The saddest thing that will ever occur is a soul that dies without Christ. There comes a point in every person's life where they either accept or reject the free gift of Salvation that was purchased for them at the cross by the blood sacrifice of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There was a time limit on this Age of Grace. We do not know the exact hour or day when it will end, but the ancient Scriptures are quite clear about the signs. Careful study shows that we are in that time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Age of Grace is when mankind could freely receive the gift of salvation and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, it coming to a close. As I write these words the hour is late.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I am not a prophet and I do not claim to have secret knowledge or insight into the vast mysteries of the Lord. I am a simple woman who inherited a love of Bible prophecy and was given a modicum of talent for writing. As such, I felt compelled to prepare a letter for my friends who would be left behind at the Rapture of the church. I did this originally in 2015, but given that so much has happened in the last two years, I have been compelled to update it. I share this with you today, in the hope that you might print and share a copy as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dear Friend,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If you are reading these words, we are gone. Peace be with you. You will need that peace to carry you through what you are facing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jesus tells his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I pray for you: “Lord, please comfort my Friend. Please send your presence upon them now, please open their eyes and enable them to read and understand the words you have had me write. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Please do not worry about where we are, we are safe and secure with the Lord Jesus. No matter what you are being told, hold fast to that truth, your eternal soul depends on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This letter is going to be the most straightforward and frank piece that I’ve ever written, for the time has passed for smooth words that cajole and coddle. You are in dire straits and the words I am about to write are the only way to save your eternal soul. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.0pt;">The Church and with it the restraining goodness of the Holy Spirit on this Earth is gone. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.0pt;">A Pure, Righteous and Holy God is about to begin the Judgement of His Creation. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.0pt;">The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is giving the Nation of Israel one last chance to return to Him.</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.0pt;"> <br />You must pick a side</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.0pt;">.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I am sure that the world is spinning in chaos now with the disappearance of so many people. Whatever you have heard, do not believe it. Jesus has returned to take His people to Heaven and the much-anticipated Rapture has occurred as was foretold in the Scriptures thousands of years ago. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Great Disappearance</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 because the Lord himself, in a shout, in the voice of a chief-messenger, and in the trump of God, shall come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we who are living, who are remaining over, together with them shall be caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in air, and so always with the Lord we shall be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 Corinthians 15:51-52 lo, I tell you a secret; we indeed shall not all sleep, and we all shall be changed; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, in the last trumpet, for it shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I am deeply sorry that you were not with us, I cannot imagine the fear and chaos that has come upon the world after millions of Christians and all the babies and small children have instantly disappeared. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Your Last Chance</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Have no doubt, these events have been established by God since the foundation of the Earth was laid. He has a specific purpose for His Creation and you have just witnessed the <b>greatest sign</b> and <b>obvious fulfillment of prophecy ever given to mankind.</b> You can either accept it or reject it, the choice is yours but do it now because if the window is open, it will close quickly<b>; this letter may be your only chance.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If you have heard and rejected the Good News of Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ before the disappearances, you are in the gravest peril imaginable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There is a chance, it is already too late and that these words I am writing to you are in vain but I must try. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In your heart, you did not believe that “for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Jesus will not die but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">God</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> will be sending a powerful delusion to those who have heard and rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 2:11) If you do not repent and accept Jesus and your savior, you will believe the lies. You will not be able to resist. <b>Once that happens, you are lost forever.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It is not scriptural, but there is an old Jewish tradition called the <a href="http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/2013/08/days-of-awe.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Days of Awe</span></a> which says that on Rosh Hashanah the Lord will write the names of the Redeemed in the Book of Life. People whose names are not written in the book have a grace period of ten days, to repent and profess their faith in God, and by their actions of faith to "appeal" the verdict. The final determinations are made and the book is sealed on Yom Kippur. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Many Christians in the prophecy community look for the Rapture of the Church to happen on Rosh Hashanah if that timing were to happen on that day then perhaps God in His mercy will grant this brief time for repentance for those left behind. I pray that He does.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Why Has This Happened:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">To truly understand what you are facing, you must go back to the beginning. In the time before recorded Scriptures, there was a rebellion in Heaven. This rebellion was led by Lucifer, who recruited one-third of the angels to fight with him against the Almighty. At some point afterward, God created the Heavens and the Earth as it exists today. He created a perfect, sinless paradise and populated it with an image bearer, Adam and Eve. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Among the perfection of Eden; enter the Deceiver; the Hater of all that is good and pure and wholesome. This envious monster loathed Adam and Eve with an unmatched fury because he hated the Almighty. He looked upon the earth and coveted it. He could not take it by force, his war in the Heavens had taught him that, but he could steal it.<br />
<br />He would have to make the man rebel. Satan knew that if the man sinned against God that the glory and protection that allowed Adam to walk with God would depart. Subsequently, God would not be able to be near Adam without destroying him. God would have to leave the Earth and the Devil could take over.<br />
<br />His plan worked. God is a just God and I believe that Satan knew enough about God's ways and justice to understand what was at stake and how God would HAVE to react. Satan understood the rules; I don't pretend to but this is what I think.<br />
<br />I believe that by causing man to sin, Satan did not receive the Earth, but some type of lease on it. Some say this is a 6000-year period, but it is clear Satan is allowed to rules for a time. He is described as the prince of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) and Jesus does not refute his claim when He was being tempted in the desert (Matthew 4:8-9). Thus, in a manner of speaking, Satan has a lease on the Earth, but leases end.<br />
<br />Satan received a lease to this planet, the lease is up and the true and rightful owner is taking the Earth back. Christ redeemed not only mankind at the cross, but God’s claim and dominion of the Earth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Blood Sacrifice and the Cross<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We do not have any concept of blood sacrifice but it is fundamental to God’s justice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Since we have been talking about the Garden of Eden, let me pick up where we have left off, after the fall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We know that when Adam and Eve sinned, they realized they were naked. I believe it is because the glory of the Lord no longer covered them, they were ashamed and tried to hide and cover themselves with leaves. They were trying to cover their sin, yet mere leaves and their own efforts could not protect them from what they would face. That is why your efforts to be a good person have found you in the quandary you are in now, you could not cover your own sin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Bible says that God himself killed an animal and fashioned clothing for them, thus the blood covered their sins. A sacrifice of blood covered their sins but did not restore their former glory to them. They were still alive, but no longer had fellowship with the Lord. Their sin had caused death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Between Eden and the cross, the Lord instructed His people to sacrifice animals as an atonement for their sins. The Old Testament rituals were very important because it was a legal and spiritual act that the priests were performing, but it was imperfect and had to be repeated over and over. We see that in the garden, the sin was covered but the glory was not restored; we were still cut off from God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In God's perfect way, He provided the sacrifice. A perfect man, fully God and fully man, to redeem mankind and redeem the Earth. So He came to the Earth, he lived this painful life of a man in a fallen and hurting world. He allowed himself to be beaten, scourged, and crucified that each precious drop of His blood was the sacrifice perfect justice demanded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that who so ever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For 2000 years, this invitation has been open to all mankind. A gift bought at a great price, but there was a time limit on the Age of Grace and that time ended with the Rapture of the Church. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now the Judgement Begins.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This seven-year period known as the Tribulation is set aside to bring the Jews back into relationship with God and to judge the nations over how they have treated Israel. This is also the judgment of Satan and his fallen angels and their eviction from the Earth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If you value truth, believe what I say to you. Perilous times are ahead. The painful fact is that most people that remain on the earth today will die over the course of the next 7 years. Odds are, you and your family and friends that remain will not survive to the Second Coming of Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What is coming upon the earth is well documented; from the time Israel signs the peace treaty with the man of sin, the clock will start on the final 7 years. There may be a lag time between the Rapture and the treaty, but we are told in Scripture that this period will be the most horrific ever recorded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Pray this Prayer to be Saved:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">To avoid eternal damnation in the fires of Hell and get to Heaven, you must pray this prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus - I am sorry that I have hardened my heart to you, I am sorry that I did not believe that you came to save me. I am sorry that I have tried to find you with my own righteousness. I am a sinner, please forgive me, Lord. I confess that I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son, that He died on the cross for my sins, and was raised on the third day. I believe that there is no other name under heaven or on earth by which we can be saved. I ask for you to come into my life, to come into my heart, and I ask you to seal me with your mark. Lord strengthen me for the trials to come. Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. In my own strength, I can do nothing but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hold on Tight</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If you have prayed this prayer, memorize it and pray it often. You have been sealed by the Holy Spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">You must hold tight to your salvation. For unlike the church age, this salvation demands obedience, vigilance, and faith. “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matt 24:12-13). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Persecution and great danger will follow, “This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/2015/04/parable-of-ten-virgins-is-not-about.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Parable of the Ten Virgins</span></a> in Matthew 25 describes what will happen to believers who survive the Tribulation. <b>Half of them</b> were found to have not retained their salvation. Oil in that parable is the Holy Spirit, whom you have received a portion of if you prayed the above prayer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This will be no easy task and many will not make it, I pray you are among those that overcome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Truth Will Come From Israel <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">You will need to study the Bible, it is logical to determine that an understanding of the Scriptures you will need to survive this time may have been hidden from us in this Age will be revealed by the Holy Spirit now. Great teachers that will emerge from Israel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Bible prophecies that the Lord will raise up 144,000 Jews from the Nation of Israel (Rev 7:4) who will proclaim the Word of the Lord. They will be the truth tellers and the teachers and will understand and proclaim what people must do to retain their Salvation during this time. They will be the great evangelists and will be protected from the perils to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Revelation 11 tells us of two prophets that are sent to Israel that will prophesy at the Temple for 1260 Days. If anyone tries to harm them they will spew fire from their mouths and consume their enemies. When their time is finished, the AntiChrist will be allowed to kill them, their bodies will lie on the ground for 3.5 days and all the world will celebrate and give gifts to one another. Then the Lord will breathe life into their bodies and they will be raised to life in front of the entire world. He will call them back to Heaven and a great earthquake will shake the city.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Deception Planned for Thousands of Years</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Apostle John is the first to use the term Anti-Christ in <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nlt/1%20John%202.18" target="_blank">1 John 2:18</a>, <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nlt/1%20John%202.22" target="_blank">1 John 2:22</a>, <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nlt/1%20John%204.3" target="_blank">1 John 4:3</a>, and <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nlt/2%20John%207" target="_blank">2 John 7</a>. It is interesting to note that the term, is only used four times and never in Revelation. We can see from the above Scriptures that the spirit of Anti-Christ was on the Earth in the 1st century. This tells us that since the resurrection, the Devil has had a plan in place. Do you think for a moment that the Rapture of the Church would have caught him napping and not ready to fight his last battle? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The world will have many stories; Satan and his minions will come with many lying signs and wonders, (2 Thessalonians 2:9) they have prepared for this hour since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden when they received the <a href="http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/2010/01/earth-lease.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">lease to planet Earth</span></a>. Revelation Chapter 5 starts with the breaking of the seals on this lease. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">These fallen angels are powerful beings and will amaze mankind with their tricks, Scripture says that if it were possible they would even fool the very elect. They will have elaborate explanations as to where we have all gone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Who They Really Are and What They Will Do</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The old Enemy Satan and his demons will demonstrate amazing power and spin false tales. Satan always tries to counterfeit God. We see it throughout Scripture but especially in the Book of Revelation where he mimics the Triune God of the Bible with the Beast, the False Prophet, and the Anti-Christ. Often overlooked are the “disciples”, described in Scriptures as the 10 kings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A benevolent New World Government will emerge from the chaos. The Bible says they will organize themselves into Ten Kingdoms (Rev 17:12). They will claim to be the good guys, they are not. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We meet these nefarious 10 kings several times in Scripture, (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nlt/Dan%202.31-35" target="_blank">Dan 2:31-35</a>, <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nlt/Dan%202.40-45" target="_blank">Dan 2:40-45</a>; <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nlt/Dan%207.7-8" target="_blank">Dan 7:7-8</a>, <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nlt/Dan%207.19-24" target="_blank">19-24</a>; <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nlt/Rev%2013.1-2" target="_blank">Rev 13:1-2</a>; <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nlt/Rev%2017.3" target="_blank">Rev 17:3</a>,<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nlt/Rev%2017.7" target="_blank">7</a>) but most explicitly in <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nlt/Dan%207.24" target="_blank">Daniel 7:24</a> and then again in <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nlt/Rev%2017.12" target="_blank">Revelation 17:12</a>,<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nlt/Revelation%2017.16" target="_blank">16</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The imagery of Revelation requires an understanding of the symbols, a horn in ancient culture was a symbol of royal power. It is why today, crowns have spires resembling horns. The 10 kings, the False Prophet, and the Anti-Christ are all subservient to the Beast who is Satan. Thus, we have the counterfeit 12 Apostles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A leader, the Anti-Christ, will emerge from them that will be the most amazing orator, peacemaker, and problem solver the world has ever known. He will inspire the world and they will fall at his feet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It is smoke and mirrors, he is an evil man and midway through the Tribulation will seem to take a fatal wound to the head. When he rises from the dead, there is no other than Satan possessing him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In 600 bc, the prophet Daniel wrote: <b><i>"Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all." </i></b> Since the prophet makes sure to include that the man does not desire women, it is reasonable to conclude that this new leader will claim some sort of androgynous status. His identity remains veiled during the Age of Grace when I write these words but you will soon know of whom the prophet spoke.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A New Religion<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The False Prophet will emerge and proclaim the AntiChrist has been raised from the dead and is god. He will erect a statue to him that will move and will direct the world to worship this leader. Anyone who refuses will be murdered. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Commerce and the Mark of the Beast:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">All will be required to receive a mark, either on their forehead or their hand that will allow them to buy and sell. Anyone who refuses the mark will have their body killed, anyone who accepts it is damned to hell forever. (Rev. 14:9-11). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Given the revelations of the Equifax massive security breach, roughly half of the American public has had their full credit history, their Social Security numbers, their addresses, and their birthdays stolen. Couple that with millions of disappearances and there is no conceivable way for the financial institutions to know if you are who you say you are when you go to the bank to claim your money. Thus, this will be the rationale for a new identification and worldwide payment system and financial system; the Mark of the Beast. Under no circumstances take this mark, it will doom you to eternal fire and damnation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Prepare For The Future</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I suspect that reference material, books, websites, and bibles will be systematically eliminated. Find a Bible and keep it with you. Take it, use it, read it - it will be your most important weapon moving forward. Go to gracethrufaith.com and print off as much as you can about what is coming down the line, the doctrine and teaching on this site is solid. RaptureReady.com was designed to survive but recent events even call that into question as they were brought down recently. If they are up, they will have articles and research. If you do not understand something, ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Information will be quickly shut down and controlled. We see this now, Google controls the internet, the satellites, the flow of information. Facebook has facial recognition software for just about every human on the planet. Amazon will quickly control commerce. Our phones have tracked us everywhere we have gone, our cars GPS's pinpoint our exact locations. The media companies are owned by less than a dozen companies and the entertainment world is poised and ready for propaganda the likes of which has never been seen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">How it Ends:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now for the Good news, God wins. He will triumph over Satan and will usher in His glorious millennial kingdom. The earth will be restored to its original perfect state, justice, kindness, goodness, and prosperity will blanket the inhabitants. Many that survive the Tribulation will not die but will have their bodies healed and renewed. There IS hope.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Weapons of Faith</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">You can do this and the Lord will help you. You are no longer on your own, the Holy Spirit will guide you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Memorize the Lord’s Prayer:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Matthew 6:9 After this manner, therefore, pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">11 Give us this day our daily bread.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Memorize the Full Armor of God: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ephesians 6: 10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle, you will still be standing firm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I wish I could tell you all that I know but I feel this letter drawing to a close. I have not gone into detail of the consequences of not choosing the path I’ve laid out for you, I trust that you will not choose foolishly. Know this, everyone lives forever - this puff of smoke we call life determines whether you will spend it in paradise or whether you will be tormented in the fire, sulfur, and violence forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There will be only one source of truth, the Bible. Cling to it for your life, guard it, protect it - if discovered, it will get you killed but it will save your soul.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sadly, every day it will get worse. The Judgements to come upon this Earth will get more severe. Gather as much, food, water, and medicine and medical supplies as you can. Download and print as much survival information on how to build shelters, ovens, and purify water. Stash supplies in varied hiding places; much destruction will befall the world. You are going to have to be a bad ass to survive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Make no mistake, you are still here because you chose to be. There is no one to blame but yourself, don't blame God, and don't blame me. He has sent you one last lifeline, I've written it, it's up to you to act upon it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At some point during the Judgements to come, everyone will believe in God but most will hate Him. Revelation 16:11 says, "and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to God." You see He will make Himself known to everyone that none will have an excuse. I beg you now, to choose the right path. I love you and I have prayed for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In Christ,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Your Loving Friend</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-88910733409917370252017-09-16T16:28:00.000-04:002018-02-02T00:34:15.338-05:00Why Can't I Move a Mountain?<br />
As a very small child, I believed in "magic". There was no line between the natural and the supernatural. In my basement playroom, the black and white TV perched on a rolling metal cart showed me Jeannie and Samantha and of course, I wanted to be little Tabitha on <i>Bewitched</i>. I'd make a grand entrance through the gold and brown plastic "jewels" that hung in the doorway. and escape to my secret hideaway in the corner that to the untrained eye was a blanket fort strewn between folding metal chairs. Down here I went to Neverland and joined the flying children in <i>Peter Pan.</i> Some days, I'd go to Paris and listen to swinging Jazz with the <i>Aristocats</i>. Then I'd head off to London and laugh with Uncle Arthur and <i>Mary Poppins. </i>These grand adventures and tales of wonder spun from my Close and Play Record Player, I'd close my eyes and imagine!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jesus with a Little Girl</td></tr>
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My Bible picture books and Sunday School coloring pages told me the fabulous stories of Red Seas parting, giants slaying, and fire called down from Heaven. Loved and adored by my strong Daddy, the pictures of Jesus surrounded by little children were as natural to me as breathing. I was His and He was mine.<br />
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There was no prayer this good Jesus would not answer, no miracle He would not do, He was wonderous and magnificent and the magic was everywhere. I believed with all my heart and did not doubt. So when I heard Mark 11:22-24: “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours." This Scripture was tailor-made for a child like me!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All I was Missing Was the Pixie Dust</td></tr>
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It didn't work, none of it. I thought "happy thoughts" while listening to Peter Pan but no matter how I ran and jumped, I could not fly. I crossed my arms, put my hair in a ponytail, wore my gauzy green nightgown and robe (my Jeannie "costume") closed my eyes and nodded my head as hard as I could but I never shrunk down into the Chianti bottle covered in different color candle drippings (my Jeannie bottle). I realized that the shows and the records were pretend but Jesus was <i>real. </i>So why, when I believed with all my heart, did Jesus words not work either? My Uncle did not walk again and no matter how hard I prayed my Aunt still got a divorce. Therein lies the rub.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Where magic dies, Faith must fill the void.</b></span></div>
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How many little children grow into cynical adults because their innocent prayers went unanswered? How many angry skeptics shake their fists at Heaven and declare, "I prayed to you and my Mother still died!" How many watchers stop watching because "<a href="http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/2015/10/we-are-still-here.html" target="_blank">We are Still Here</a>!" </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shadows of the Beauty to Come</td></tr>
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<a href="http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-god-speaks-through-ages-millennial.html" target="_blank">During this Age</a>, there are no booming declarations from above, no pillars of fire leading the people forth in the Wilderness, no feeding of the 5000, no parting of the Red Seas. There are no overt public miracles, no true healing ministries, no flying mountains! Jesus himself ushers in the Age, with the last beatitude, John 20:29:</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">"Blessed are those who have believed and not seen."</span></b></div>
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This is where childlike imagination has to re-engage; like I did listening to those records. We can read the words, we can hear the music, but we can not see. The Lord is quiet, gentle, subtle. He woos us with kindness and gentleness. It is the <a href="http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/2013/07/listening-to-still-small-voice.html" target="_blank">Still Small Voice</a> and the Word that we must rely upon; not emotions and miracles. We wait in faith and hope without His physical manifestation. In return, He fills us with the Holy Spirit and seals us with the greatest power in the Universe, Himself.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">He is the Magic. He is the Power. He has Promised to give His power to us.</span></b></div>
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Does that make you tremble? Does that shake you to the core? Does the weight of your wicked sinful nature desire and fear such a thing? It should. Only as an innocent, would a human in the flesh desire such power. It is for exactly this reason that we have never fully manifested the Power that He promised; <i>we do not move mountains</i>!<i> </i>Then why does the Bible tells us we should be so much more?</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps because the Church has not Actually Been Born?</span></b></div>
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Call it what you wish, born, raptured, glorified, sanctified... one day the Church will be fully and completely aligned with the perfect will of God Himself. We will do nothing contrary to His wishes. Listen to Jesus prophecy below: John 14:12-14<br />
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“I tell you the truth, anyone <i>who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works,</i> because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!"<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warrior Bride</td></tr>
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Maybe that is what Jesus meant in Matthew 18:3 when He tells believers to have faith like a child, find that place of wonder, remember when <i>you</i> believed in the magic, imagine what awaits us. Maranatha. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-89090473659774016532017-09-09T12:02:00.000-04:002017-09-09T12:02:47.652-04:00The Equifax Hack - Laying the Foundation for Something Sinister<div>
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Could the Equifax breach be something far more sinister?</div>
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The <a href="https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/consumer-notice/" target="_blank">Equifax</a> revelation that the personal information of 143 million Americans has been stolen by hackers is a catastrophic event.</div>
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In perspective, that is 44% of the United States citizens.</div>
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Right now, Social Security numbers, birthdates, addresses, and full credit history of almost half of the country is in the hands of criminals.</div>
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In my household, my husband and my teenage son are among the number. My child will face the threat of identity theft for the rest of his life... unless some fundamental change is made to identify and control credit, that is.</div>
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What better rationale and logical reason to put forth than to "protect" people from identity theft? Simply have this invisible tattoo or chip on your hand... then you can buy and sell in complete safety. </div>
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The implant technology is there, it simply faces resistance from the public in what a recent Fortune <a href="http://fortune.com/2017/08/02/implanted-chips-vs-biometrics/" target="_blank">article</a> called, the "Ick Factor". What is more likely is some sort of biometric security mechanism that faces none of the public angst that implants do (<a href="https://www.cdesolutions.com/2017/08/consumers-embrace-biometrics-over-implants/" target="_blank">source</a>). Afterall, how many iPhone users scan their thumb print dozens of times a day?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPI0DmrPY7kV0h8v29sdLwhOmReg7UTsOV_OFlKasOSTSb-C-D2q88rSElL0forMqnYyeSRysNqTCRLD4n9qaxp1e6B23Yg5lhC6vhTNs5bfCI-TGICHTckjNpYOndL7fK9Qc0Xd56po/s1600/Biometric+Security+Implant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPI0DmrPY7kV0h8v29sdLwhOmReg7UTsOV_OFlKasOSTSb-C-D2q88rSElL0forMqnYyeSRysNqTCRLD4n9qaxp1e6B23Yg5lhC6vhTNs5bfCI-TGICHTckjNpYOndL7fK9Qc0Xd56po/s640/Biometric+Security+Implant.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biometric Security Implant</td></tr>
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Imagine with me for a moment, a world which is thrown into financial chaos with the disappearance of millions of people. Identities have already been compromised and with millions gone, there is no conceivable way to know if the person standing before the bank teller is the real Mary Smith or if Mary Smith is one of the millions who has disappeared. </div>
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It just doesn't even seem far fetched any longer.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-81112883417143109822017-09-02T15:40:00.001-04:002019-04-25T20:25:47.713-04:00The Cautious WatcherThe Prophecy Watchers have been on alert for the last 20 years. We have read the Scriptures, we have watched the Heavens, we have deduced the times. We have correctly identified thousands of significant prophetic events, compelling numerical distances between dates, extrapolated Hebraic meanings from those numeric dates, and correctly concluded that we are indeed living in the last days.<br />
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With the publication of the Harbinger, the discovery of the blood moons and their historical significance, and the availability of free Stellarium softwarem the Watcher community has been on heightened alert since 2008. As the book of Daniel has opened, our understanding of the Scriptures of the End Times has multiplied at a breakneck speed, the Holy Spirit has poured out the anointing on His Servants far and wide.<br />
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An example of this is the knowledge of the fulfilled Spring Feast at the first coming of the Lord Jesus. Those of us who have been at it for a while take that revelation for granted these days but I have to stress that a mere 7 years ago even the most ardent and learned of Watchers was unaware of this amazing fact. I was blown away in 2013 by the <a href="http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-rosh-hashanah-rapture.html" target="_blank">Rosh Hashanah Rapture</a>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9dhyP2fw4FlcA9ZuM0PC0yHzgJ3xg75KEKFtPzJwElSU93ObUKSAWYoc-3kGAYpyJark6B_CuRet1rm6RwetibScrwzLZ6tifzP2a47vRGfDDv6SzI-l0RkchSk2K5p6omZWZodPQBA/s1600/Feasts+of+God.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9dhyP2fw4FlcA9ZuM0PC0yHzgJ3xg75KEKFtPzJwElSU93ObUKSAWYoc-3kGAYpyJark6B_CuRet1rm6RwetibScrwzLZ6tifzP2a47vRGfDDv6SzI-l0RkchSk2K5p6omZWZodPQBA/s640/Feasts+of+God.jpg" width="576" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feasts of God</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Prior to the Fall Feast in 2013, the Watcher Community went into overdrive. I was absolutely part of that movement, albeit on this little blog, but I have a loyal following and regular readers and so many of you will remember when that journey began in earnest. I could effectively compile a list in 2013 of why the Rapture could occur on the Feast of Trumpets that year. The same held true for 2014. In 2015, the <a href="http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/2015/06/blood-moons-and-more-why-september-2015.html" target="_blank">comprehensive list</a> was so long that it became one of the most visited blog posts in the history of Abigail and Dolley. We so eagerly awaited Rosh Hashanah 2015, I had a countdown on my computer. I did a great <a href="http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/search/label/30%20Days%20of%20Birth%20Pangs" target="_blank">30 Days of Birth Pangs</a> series. My <a href="http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-letter-for-your-rapture-box.html" target="_blank">Rapture Box</a> was full, my unbelieving neighbor had a letter and a key to the house (in case the animals don't get Raptured) and we were ready to go!<br />
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Then the Lord sent the <a href="http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/2015/09/rethinking-fall-feast-in-relation-to_26.html" target="_blank">largest dust storm</a> in modern Israeli history and totally screwed up everyone's "count down" clocks. We waited, we watched, we moved the countdowns... we kept looking up and then we got through the whole Fall Feast Season 2015 and we were still here. I do not know of a single, reliable teacher that actually "set the date" but boy oh boy we all sure did hope and pray. It was hard and disappointing. Many of us were in a funk for quite a while!<br />
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The events have continued to unfold, prophecies are still being fulfilled. Even the <a href="http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/2016/09/jubilee-2016-what-we-might-have-missed.html" target="_blank">2016 Fall Feast</a> had a glimmer and good reason behind a rapture that year. The 2017 Fall Feasts have as many "proof" texts and signs in the Heavens behind them as the 2015 Season did, maybe more. I love the excitement, I love reading about the Blessed Hope but I am very cautious these days. The Revelation 12 and Birth of the Child being the Church is an interesting and compelling interpretation of Scripture, the times, and is perhaps a unique revelation for such a time as this. Perhaps, it is not. It is worth noting that this particular season is marked with a vitriol and division I have never seen within the body of Christ and the Watcher community.<br />
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This is where we must be very cautious! No mystery interpretation should divide believers. We must not be dogmatic about anything other than the core of the Gospel as expressed in the <a href="https://billygraham.org/answer/what-is-the-apostles-creed/" target="_blank">Apostles</a> and <a href="https://www.gotquestions.org/Nicene-creed.html" target="_blank">Nicene</a> Creeds<br />
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The thing is, the lists we put together in all these years are STILL valid, they still mean something, just like the current signs, interpretations, writings, theories, and hopes do for a final fulfillment in 2017 do. Friends, I have to encourage you, if we are celebrating Thanksgiving 2017 on this Earth and not hanging out at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, that will be okay, too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-70065019889818876812017-08-19T13:20:00.004-04:002017-08-19T13:20:53.824-04:00The Key to Understanding Why the Left is Melting DownAbigail and Dolley readers I was thoroughly confused over the uproar over the President's initial statements about the violence in Charlottesville last weekend. I thought the statements were dignified, appropriate, and diplomatic and just could not understand the hysteria around them. Until I realized that there is a fundamental difference in how both sides view the <b><i>moral</i></b> role of the Presidency and Government, everything fell into place, this revelation is the key to understanding what has happened in our current polarized political landscape.<br />
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Liberals (who are reasonable rational people that I can discuss things with and enjoy talking with) and their extreme counterparts Progressive Leftist (who are now rapidly evolving into violence) fundamentally believe that the government is a force for good. Thus, the head of the government, the President is the moral head of the nation. The President must be above reproach and as long as he/she is a liberal can do no wrong in their eyes because their motives come from a place of purity, the ends justify the means. Thus, examples of lawlessness by Obama or the Clintons are excused by them (and their media). Like Greek gods, their failings are seen as part of their charms but make them no less worthy of reverence.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dVwD8OsQ013tE9ag6UKeLY-I8OiYGGAfhZssSjlHyezJWFacU8FzusWAqxFOl3vg0oc1LMJk3O6WnKVC3nsHw0Va0lCb7HXN9t25QWcZ4hK4NOLG9GPX32HycBWNaGx03RxlwJteBMs/s1600/Saint+Obama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="500" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dVwD8OsQ013tE9ag6UKeLY-I8OiYGGAfhZssSjlHyezJWFacU8FzusWAqxFOl3vg0oc1LMJk3O6WnKVC3nsHw0Va0lCb7HXN9t25QWcZ4hK4NOLG9GPX32HycBWNaGx03RxlwJteBMs/s640/Saint+Obama.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saint Obama depicted with Halo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Conservatives fundamentally believe government is a necessary evil. It should be small and contained. They distrust politicians and power and do not look to political figures to be a moral compass of the Nation. In general, they look to God to serve that role in their lives and the lives of the Nation. They elect politicians they believe will be effective in making government more effective in the limited role they want it to play. As long as a candidate seems capable of fixing issues that are important to them, conservatives will overlook personal faults. Based on these criteria, conservatives will vote for a person they would not personally want to be friends with if they feel they are the best person for the job.<br />
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Consider the "thrill up my leg" worship the leftist media had for Obama and why they were completely unconcerned with Hillary Clinton's misdeeds. Think about the visceral hatred the left had for George W Bush who governed along the same lines as Bill Clinton. Obama's hectoring lecturing style always made me want to vomit and the Holy Spirit inside of me recoiled at him, yet millions of people nearly worshipped him. In their eyes, he could do no wrong. Those same eyes view everything Trump does as evil.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevvytWfb5jm6hYTWvFMuy8L1iKUc5OkUB5MesQT-ZTo5gQeEQt85U6AAisE16aTZQBh-yg1foVd3VNmMbiIbXmGdqDGN6jOVQbzIIOnnflRFGxT8xSKqk0oWaSKaVdRF40zrbBtzosdE/s1600/Trump+Election+Night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="938" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevvytWfb5jm6hYTWvFMuy8L1iKUc5OkUB5MesQT-ZTo5gQeEQt85U6AAisE16aTZQBh-yg1foVd3VNmMbiIbXmGdqDGN6jOVQbzIIOnnflRFGxT8xSKqk0oWaSKaVdRF40zrbBtzosdE/s640/Trump+Election+Night.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trump Election Night</td></tr>
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So in a moment of crisis, after the Charlottesville violence, the Left wants Obama, their moral leader, who will condemn the things they hate. What they got was a law and order and equal protection under the law statement from a President who never campaigned or wanted to be the Nation's moral leader, and they completely fall apart. While the Right is scratching their heads and wondering what the heck is going on with the lunatic on TV tearing down statues and crying and wailing about Trump being a Nazi. It all makes sense if you consider how they view the Presidency.<br />
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It truly now all makes sense to me! The whole, "Not my President" thing. The hero worship of Obama. The violence, the wailing, and the angst all come from a place of disillusionment and fear so the false narratives have begun! First, it was the Fake News sites created a racist environment that made all the Trump voters come to the polls because we were anti-women and the "fake news" had told lies about virtuous Hillary Clinton. Then, it was the Russians who installed their puppet and stole the election. Now, were are back to Trump being a racist. It is fascinating. They are living in a mass delusion.<br />
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Men are made to worship and adore God, when they reject the true and living God, they will find a false substitute.<br />
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There is only one true moral person, only one who lived a perfect life, only one to which to put your faith. He loves you, He died for you, He waits for you to put your faith in Him. Jesus Christ is the moral leader of the world. Don't look to anyone else, ground yourself in this truth and everything else falls into place.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-36648775519352367092017-06-10T09:36:00.000-04:002017-06-10T09:36:33.918-04:00Laws or Men - Who Do You Want to Be Ruled By?<div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is the very foundation of our Republic, that we are a nation governed by laws and not ruled by men. </span></div>
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This is also at the very heart of the issue we see played out before us on the nightly news because one side of the political spectrum embraces this and the other side uses it as a shield to hide the fact that they actually believe the opposite. Let me explain. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oKIuQCbpOj4ttdfufzy0lTBzMQXfSFtKOagK2mzdbM7uSDIsFASmalHYgwFYVi9UJhNPmd-W0gj2ycAU_6ASJgCnQbfj78ynRx3A34m4SJqrs4UUmUtIltKlY6mlRPMLS9WPLjh6Qdg/s1600/John+Adams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="600" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oKIuQCbpOj4ttdfufzy0lTBzMQXfSFtKOagK2mzdbM7uSDIsFASmalHYgwFYVi9UJhNPmd-W0gj2ycAU_6ASJgCnQbfj78ynRx3A34m4SJqrs4UUmUtIltKlY6mlRPMLS9WPLjh6Qdg/s640/John+Adams.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In the US, equal justice under the law means that all men are held to the same standards and judged and prosecuted under the same laws. Being popular or being loved has no bearing on the application of the law, social status or position has no deterrent to the equal treatment under the law.</div>
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In a society ruled by Men, leaders are above the law. The laws apply to others. These leaders can break the laws if they choose to. If these leaders are beloved, well, if they break the laws they must have a good reason. Their fans and the power bases that they hold - Law Enforcement, Judges, Media, Academics, Religious Leaders all excuse the behavior of the benevolent leaders and will seek to bury and hide the story, cover it up, or deflect it. </div>
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What about if in a society ruled by Men, if the leader is wicked? Well then, if he breaks the law there is no one to hold him to account. He is free to do whatever he wants. There is no difference between the wicked and righteous man in a society ruled by man, for the judgment of such things in the setting of a civil government are flawed and subject to interpretation. I might think that Mike Pence is a righteous man but my Muslim neighbor would prefer the Ayatollah Khomeini. </div>
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This is the most dangerous type of rule on the planet, billions have been murdered, robbed, raped, tortured, and starved to death under the Rule of Man.</div>
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The Modern Left longs to be ruled by Men. They were perfectly happy to be ruled by the perceived ultra cool Obama. They excused every scandal, every blatant violation of the law perpetrated by his administration from Fast and Furious to the illegal ransom payment of cash to Iranians. The list of outrageous acts that came out of the White House was vast and met with a collective yawn from his supporters and the media. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrJ1fRAy9TGUxEp6J7kzRmnQ1Eq3y3ilTHQkooclDWylq63CeTQGaTUWRLzmvYgcqzb7S8tak5YXFmLuHhmxX-iY49uFJ_4WjgoutvYQoA5haaqYt5-fXFXX5NaRVkA4bdTQpr0GOEUk/s1600/iran-ransom-gate-e1471593991498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrJ1fRAy9TGUxEp6J7kzRmnQ1Eq3y3ilTHQkooclDWylq63CeTQGaTUWRLzmvYgcqzb7S8tak5YXFmLuHhmxX-iY49uFJ_4WjgoutvYQoA5haaqYt5-fXFXX5NaRVkA4bdTQpr0GOEUk/s1600/iran-ransom-gate-e1471593991498.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iranian Sanctions and Laws Against Ransom Made this Highly Illegal</td></tr>
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Using the same logic, of being ruled by Men, the Modern Left has become absolutely unhinged over the election of Donald Trump. Their visceral hatred of the man and their confusion over our system of government has led them to the conclusion that he is so wicked that he must have committed a crime for which they can get rid of him. Thus, while they operate under their belief that we are ruled by Men they try to apply the rules of law to anyone that disagrees with them. They are manufacturing crimes that never occurred to feed a narrative that he will be gone soon. It is insane.</div>
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All the while, those who maintain that we are still a nation ruled by laws and not men, continue to stew over the abuses we have seen in the last eight years. So many crimes have gone unpunished, so many people have abused their power and broken the law for their own political gain with impunity that the right has within it a pressure valve that is building daily as they are assaulted with 24 hour news coverage of crimes that never occurred while actual crimes are shrugged off and ignored. It is a volatile situation indeed.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-23053112340493815282017-05-13T10:16:00.001-04:002017-05-13T10:42:25.073-04:00Shocking Cure for My Mystery Fibromyalgia Muscle Pain<br />
I have been in pain for years! My Dad called it being "Muscle Bound". The muscle soreness symptoms fit all the markers for <a href="http://www.afsafund.org/fibromyalgia.html" target="_blank">Fibromyalgia</a>. Sports journals identify it as delayed onset muscle soreness (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7830383" target="_blank">DOMS</a>). My natural doctor said my body was inherently tight and suggested that I increase my yoga, we also identified several foods that were increasing inflammation (nightshades and wheat) and causing pain. The physical therapist said the surgery scars and scar tissue were impeding natural movement and that was creating imbalances throughout the body.<br />
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They were probably all right but none of the above totally captured what was going on and neither did a single article on the internet (that I could find), so I here is the story and the surprising way I've received relief.</h3>
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I begin at the beginning for a couple of reasons, first to demonstrate that this goes back a very long time, second because my Father and Grandfather had the same symptoms so no one thought this was out of the ordinary, finally in all of the possible causes above most of them are adult onset, so we had a mystery. This aspect is particularly troubling because both of these fine men died in their early 60's of heart failure, could there be a link? This <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7830383" target="_blank">study</a> raises the troubling possibility.<br />
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At about 5 years old, I began having terrible pain in my legs at night. My Dad called them shin splints and growing pains, he'd rub me down with Ben Gay and put a heating pad in the bed so I could go to sleep. When I was about 8 years old, I had a particularly hard gymnastics workout. Two days later I could not straighten my legs and could barely walk. My Dad put me in a super hot bath and then made me "jog it out".<br />
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Exercise regimes were difficult because they caused disproportionate muscle stiffness and soreness that lasted upwards of a week and required massive doses of ibuprofen to function. The older I got the worse it became. An hour of light weeding in the garden = one week of pain. Five Sun Salutations = three days of back pain. It is almost impossible to motivate yourself to exercise when the result is such agony.<br />
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Was it hormonal? I began looking at "relaxin" the hormone produced largely to relax muscles while you are pregnant. One researcher has focused on this in relation fibromyalgia pain but his results have been <a href="http://fibrofriends.typepad.com/fibro_friends/2009/07/what-didnt-work.html" target="_blank">inconclusive</a>. Hormone research is in infancy so breakthroughs on that front are still to be discovered.<br />
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Years ago, <a href="https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bill-phillips-back-to-fit-12-week-trainer.html" target="_blank">Bill Phillips</a> developed a product called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/EAS-Phosphagen-Fourth-Generation-Creatine/dp/B000P0ZOFQ" target="_blank">Phosphagen Elite</a> and it worked amazingly well for me, but alas Bill sold his company and the product is no longer available.<br />
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Was it allergies? Avoiding <a href="http://www.diagnosisdiet.com/nightshades/" target="_blank">nightshades</a> and wheat certainly, plays a role. This is especially true for a body at rest but it was not the full story.<br />
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How about lactic acid? Most experts think this is the cause of DOMS. I made an off-hand comment to my natural doctor, "Is there some vitamin that you can give me to make the mosquitoes stop eating me alive?" He said, well, there actually is a product that will control the lactic acid which is what they are attracted to. <a href="http://supremenutritionproducts.com/TakesumiSupreme/index.html" target="_blank">Takesumi Supreme</a>. I took it prior to going into my garden and noticed that not only did the mosquitoes leave me alone but the debilitating muscle soreness seemed to be reduced. I mentioned it to him on the next visit and he confirmed he saw a decrease in his muscle soreness. This offered some relief but it wasn't the ultimate answer.<br />
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Vitamins and suppliments - there is no doubt in my mind that three years of loving care by my natural doctor helped to bring my body into balance. Of note, two suppliments seemed to make the biggest difference - Magnesium Citrate and CoQ10. Those are integral parts of my daily regime but neithere were they the magic element.<br />
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At the end of the day, the solution and the "cure" or at least the symptom manager came from the most unlikely place, amphetamines. Given to my Mother while she was pregnant with me to keep her weight down. Yes, dear friends, many of your Moms and Grandmothers were given speed to help them keep their weight gain to a minimum in the 1950's to the 1970's (<a href="http://prenatalexposures.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">read here</a>). The implications of this go well beyond what tradition science tells you - it goes deep into the <a href="http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-science-of-epigenetics-and-new.html" target="_blank">epigenome</a>. As I began my weight loss journey and my medicine regime I noticed immediately that I could exercise like a normal person. A small dose of phentermine changed everything.<br />
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Gone was the debilitating muscle pain, gone was the post work out stiffness, gone was the need for dozens of ibuprofen pills after a simple work out. Perhaps it is my specific biology, my specific situation, maybe it is just an answer to years of prayer but since I was never able to find anything online to help me, I thought it was worth a post. Peace and Love, Friends.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-80376060237008317762017-05-08T11:17:00.000-04:002017-05-08T12:47:10.686-04:00The Day the Lutheran Preacher Stunned His Congregation<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I was about 14, my Lutheran Pastor preached a sermon.</span></div>
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That is a statement because most of the time, he gave little inspirational sermonettes. A softly spoken, feel good, 15-minute talk designed to tell me how much God loved me and how secure I was in my position in Christ. It was a comfortable and affirming message; promptly forgotten over Sunday lunch at the Ryan's all you can eat salad bar. This message was different; decades later his words still ring true.</div>
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Our mild-mannered servant Pastor from the Mid-West lit into his complacent suburban congregation like a sweaty tent preacher. Stunned and wide-eyed, nobody moved. He convicted us for leaving the work of the church to him and to him alone. He visited the sick, he led the Bible study, he organized the food drives, he did the counseling, he did it all and we let him. </div>
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Being 14, I felt sorry for what he was going through, but I was a kid, I was not supposed to do those things. That was for the adults to do, then he hit me right between the eyes with this question:</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"When was the last time you told someone about Christ?"</span></div>
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I squirmed, I shifted - I could not recall ever directly witnessing to anyone. Apparently, I was not alone. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, estimates that only 2% of Christians actively share their faith. There are a myriad of reasons why and each believer needs to examine their own heart but at 14, I was afraid of rejection by my peers. I was afraid to be labeled as a crazy Christian, I was not brave enough.</div>
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Over the years, I began to understand that witnessing to someone is the most sacred and loving thing you can do for them. It takes courage. The alternative though is to leave hurting people without hope. To let people grieve without Christ, to face an uncertain future without eternal salvation, to risk tomorrow without the protection of the cross. How much of a coward do you have to be to let someone you love face eternal damnation in Hell and not tell them?</div>
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Every encounter is different, each circumstance calls for a Holy Spirit inspired approach. Sometimes evangelism is logical and fact based, others times it may call for discussions that are reasoned and scientific. Some simply need to hear that there is hope in Jesus Christ and hear of His love, some need to know there is a cleansing from their sin. Others need comfort when a loved one has died, some need to be shocked by the reality of hell. </div>
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Cowards and fools think that all Evangelism is street corner preachers screaming at people that they are going to hell. Do not let the judgment of cowards and fools keep you from telling others about Christ. Be the 2%.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-58560873175288363762017-05-07T08:57:00.000-04:002019-11-22T21:32:49.854-05:00Defining YourselfIn a perfect world, we operate in complete understanding and self-knowledge. We understand our motivations, we are rational in our decision making, and we do not allow emotions to override what we know to be an evidentiary truth. In this Utopia, we are grounded in the reality of who we are and focus not on our failures but the lessons we learned from the tough times and the positive results that were achieved by rising above. We are strong and self-confident, we accept praise from those we love and believe the good things they say about us. Critics, while they exist here, are to cause us to examine ourselves, to course-correct where necessary but never to let them determine how we feel about who we are. Likewise, those who reject us - employers, lovers, family, and friends are shrugged off as not worthy of us, not a good match, or unsuitable for long term companionship.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Unfortunately, in reality, the critic and the rejectors are often the very people we allow to define us to ourselves in our internal thought life.</span></div>
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We can allow the most hurtful insults, the most painful rejection, the lowest points of our lives to become the defining moments and characteristics that play over and over again like a broken record that refuses to stop. The rational part of the brain knows that this is not the truth, the people that love us and encourage us, assure us that this is not reality but there is something broken inside of us. Something that clings to the terrible. Deep inside, we believe the critic and the rejector.<br />
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As Christians, we recognize this is the sinful fallen nature, the flesh and the blackness of who we really are without Christ. Perhaps it is our way of punishing ourselves, definitely, it is a way for the enemy to keep us in condemnation, or at the very least it is something we do that is so buried that we do not really recognize that we are doing it at all.<br />
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There are studies that say that 80% of self-talk is negative. How much of that comes from letting the critics and the rejectors define who we think we are? How do these phrases that loop through your head at regular intervals frame your life?<br />
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Have you been fired from a job? Do you hear the words,<i> "I'm sorry but we are going to have to let you go." </i>over and over again?<br />
<i><br /></i> Rejected by a lover,<i> "I just don't love you anymore. You used to be fun, now you are so serious."</i><br />
<i><br /></i> A false friend,<i> "Sorry I haven't called, I've just been so busy. We'll get together soon, I promise." </i> All the while posting picture after picture of themselves and other friends at events where you were not included or invited.<br />
<i><br /></i> <i>"Why aren't you more successful like your Brother Harry?" </i>The cruel and judgemental parent asks.<br />
<i><br /></i>Overheard whisper at the family reunion, <i>"Yeah, the youngest one over there, nothing but trouble. In an out of rehab, drugs... I always knew that one..."</i><br />
<i><br /></i> The exasperated teacher,<i> "I just don't think you are going to be able to succeed in this class, Roland. I've made arrangements with the Special Education Teacher for her to come and get you and take you to her class from now on."</i><br />
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These events, phrases, and times can be decades old yet they still haunt our psyches. They still play over and over like a bad commercial, they still define who we think that we are. Only when we recognize the pattern can we be free of it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Consider for a moment, we take critics and rejection so personally because they are often rejecting the very thing that makes us unique - the thing that makes us who we are! </span> </div>
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If we try to remake ourselves into something we are not, we are not being true to ourselves. The critic will never take back their hurtful words, and new relationships that we might form are stymied because we are not being honest with anyone!<br />
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I have done this several times! I was fired from a General Manager's job and given a list of reasons why they let me go, mainly that I was not sales oriented enough, that I was too operations-centric. My next job? You guessed it, full-time sales. Several years later, I took another General Manager's job and was determined to do everything right - all the criticism the last company had levied at me, I made sure I did not do. In the end? You guessed it, they fired me for not being operations-centric enough and being too sales-focused! It was bizarre. I reeled.<br />
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In the end, we can not allow those who reject us to define who we are to ourselves. That inner self, the inner dialogue should be defined by those who love us. It should be filled with affirmations and love, not condemnation and regret.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-62614618734574913292017-05-06T10:12:00.000-04:002017-05-06T12:52:13.375-04:00Grief - Truth Serum for Toxic RelationshipsAn old good friend of mine died this month by her own hand. I have mourned harder than I expected, especially considering that we had lost touch many years ago. Events like that make you pause and examine your life, and your friends; they make you determine to draw closer to the ones that you love.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Grief has a flip side though, it peels back sentiment to reveal hidden truth.</span> </div>
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This is especially true for straight forward people who operate without agendas and subterfuges. Open and honest people, who take others at their word can go through life believing that people who they love, love them back - they say they do after all. Through grief, rose colored glasses are removed to wipe away tears; as the grieving person reaches out to loved ones, they can be shocked to find a sneering face looking back at them.</div>
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Shock envelopes the griever, both parties go through the charade, but for the first time, the griever knows it is an act. Having operated for years in subterfuge, the manipulator never knows they have been unmasked. </div>
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The honest emotion of grief sends the deceitful one scurrying away to the shadows where they have alway truly inhabited. Adulters, liars, manipulators, and self-absorbed flakes can never truly give unselfishly of themselves to comfort another person, they are too broken. The sad truth is, the only person they really love is themselves.</div>
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As the days and weeks go by, remembered conversations, flashes of memory, long forgotten events, small digs and subtle insults, hurt feelings, begin to come into focus. With the rose colored glasses removed, the truth about the toxic relationship emerges. Even in perfect times of peace and harmony, these relationships are selfish and one sided. The realization is often as painful as the grief that precipitated it but facing it and dealing with it are a vital part of emotional healing and restoration. </div>
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Every relationship has an emotional bank account. Each person makes deposits and withdrawals from the account as the relationship goes on. The depth of the relationship, the longevity, the closeness all contributes to the available funds. Those factors also contribute to the amount of "overdraft" protection the account has and how long an account in the red will be allowed to stay active before it is closed.<br />
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The most difficult thing we can do is close the account for someone we have loved deeply. To walk away from someone that hurts us, to leave that relationship in the grave with the grief that revealed it, is the most empowering and freeing things we can do for ourselves. Ironically, the person you are walking away from might not ever realize you are gone, but then again, that is exactly the point.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-59985040944148927172017-04-30T13:36:00.001-04:002017-04-30T13:36:16.690-04:00The Most Empowering Gardening Advice You Will Ever Receive<br />
From novice container gardeners to master gardeners, everyone who has ever donned a pair of gloves and held a small shovel with hope in their heart can benefit from this wisdom.<br />
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It came from Paul Gautschi, the inventor of the Back to Eden Garden method and an arborist by trade. It went something like this, "You are the gardener, you decide where things go. You are in charge. If you did not plant something, remove it. If something becomes overgrown or becomes an obstacle take it out. Unproductive and barren things will respond to pruning but dead things must be buried." <br />
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I spent about 80 hours in the garden this season, cleaning, moving, and being relentless in the application of this advice. I have to admit up until now I have been an Adam Smith "Invisible Hand" sort of gardener. If a plant self-sowed or the birds brought me a specimen, more often than not I was a "live and let live" kind of gal. The result was chaotic and a mismatched jumble of discordant plants, heights, and random black-eyed Susans scattered across a neglected perennial garden.<br />
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Today, I look out across the beds and there is order from chaos and a satisfaction from a job well done. All the black-eyed Susans are regathered in a reasonable space, the tall verbena has been replanted along the back wall instead of in the border rocks and walkway. SIXTY feet of honeysuckle has been pulled out by hand and is relentlessly eradicated from a two hundred square foot section it had taken over. The random Autumn Joy Sedum is in the shade instead of withering pathetically in the sun. Those horrible bulbs that never bloomed, took up a ton of space, and always looked like they were thirsty? They are in the trash. The diseased raspberry canes? I was merciless in their eradication. The volunteer asparagus plant that sprung up at the entrance to the vegetable garden? Dug up and moved to the asparagus patch. Paul's advice is sound, in life as well as in the garden. You are in charge.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-71125775066542546332017-03-27T20:29:00.000-04:002017-03-27T20:29:10.434-04:00Dear iPhone Camera - An Open LetterDear Camera,<div>
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I'd like to say thank you for capturing those images of my loved ones that have gone on to be with the Lord. Thank you for documenting the growing years of my son and the passage of time and fun memories our family has shared. I'd like to say, though, that since you stopped being a real camera and became an iPhone, I don't like you as much. Yes, you are convenient but I find you aren't quite the truth teller or the beauty recorder that you used to be.</div>
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At first, I thought it was just me. My photogenic face was older and heavier and perhaps it was just the passage of time but then I began to see that almost everyone looked worse on that small screen. Images were distorted, corrections that the eye easily makes are beyond your limited facsimile abilities. </div>
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Your camera does not capture nuances, for example, the light and shade in hair. When I was a young girl, my hair was indeed monochromatic, brown with a reddish cast, your grandmother, the 35mm captured it beautifully. You are incapable of such subtlety and relegate the very interesting shades of dark brown, gold, umber, white, gray, and cinnamon to dull brown with gray at the temples. Nor can you see the texture, curl, wave, and style - nope, just a brown football helmet.</div>
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The eyes... the eyes of the young girl held dreams and visions of the future, the eyes that look back at me from the mirror hold the fulfillment and the abandonment of those dreams and life well lived. The eyes in the pictures you produce just look tired. They don't capture the sparkle, nor the promise of fun things still to come.</div>
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That picture of us laughing, it does not capture the joy in our hearts or the love we feel for each other, it only shows an old filling and a double chin. You can not hear the laughter nor the snort that followed the hilarity. Your picture does not tell the truth. </div>
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How many times will I let you change my memory of how I looked on a special occasion? How many times will I believe the false message you record rather than the image in the mirror? Worse yet, why would I trust you over the people that love me? For, in the end, it is they who really matter.</div>
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You remember the Back to the Future movies with all the video phones? The reason that no one uses is them is that we all look like crap on them, nobody likes you iPhone camera. </div>
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Sincerely,</div>
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All of Us</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-25014534797636889202017-03-20T11:04:00.000-04:002017-03-20T11:04:09.098-04:00The Hard Truth - Obesity is a Chronic Disease<br />
All my life, I have wanted to get the place and the weight where I could just be a normal weight and eat a normal diet. I am not an overeater or a binger or a snacker - I eat moderate portions of healthy homemade food! I knew if I could take off the extra pounds in a healthy, slow, deliberate way and exercise while doing it, once I reached my goal weight that I could continue my healthy lifestyle and keep the weight off. It never worked. Not once, not for a minute. Apparently, I am not alone.<br />
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As the video describes, the moment I stopped losing, my body started gaining. It took fewer and fewer and fewer calories to maintain the smaller size. In 2009, I estimated it took 800 calories a day for me to retain my weight loss. A slow half a pound at a time it started creeping back. Resolve gives way, life interrupts, jobs change, people die, and the last thing you can do is get in the gym and eat another salad....<br />
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Several concentrated and serious efforts were made along the way to halt the progress but like a creeping flow of lava, the weight would not be staunched.<br />
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The depressing and hard fact of life is that once an individual is overweight, they will struggle for a lifetime. Instead of viewing this journey as a destination, I have chosen to look at this as a concerted effort to get the symptoms of a chronic condition under control. <br />
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When I have lost the weight (again), I will look at it as if I were a malaria patient who was not exhibiting symptoms at the moment. A chronic disease is one that reoccurs and has to be managed, usually under a doctor's care, and one for which there is no known cure. <br />
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It's indeed sobering; at first glance very discouraging - but upon deeper reflection, like any truth, once looked in the eye is liberating. For the love of God, we should understand what we are up against! Know the truth and the truth will set you free.<br />
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As such, I have placed myself under a physician's care. I am taking appropriate medicine to help control my chronic disease. There is no shame in seeking help, I have tried to do this on my own. I have tried willpower, I have tried organic, I have tried homeopathic, I have hired personal trainers, I have read books, I have done every diet on the planet. I have tried everything on my own to get this disease under control and I can not. So Viva la Pharmaceuticals and a new way of looking at a lifelong struggle. <br />
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The one hope - the one glimmer, did you notice I put in the above sentence that there is no "known" cure? That means that we do not give up hope, we keep pushing, we keep striving, we keep trying.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-30897803094454154172017-03-19T05:30:00.000-04:002017-03-19T05:30:20.345-04:00Being Emotionally Ready for a Weight Loss Journey<br />
This series has been all over the place! Getting real with the image in the mirror, coming to terms with the different sides of yourself, discussing rock bottom and the freedom that comes from that place, as well as what you need to do to get ready for a Weight Loss Journey. <br />
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Personally, it is the paradox of being the healthiest, happiest, and fattest of Your Life! <br />
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Life is good right now. I have a great job, marriage, family, house and garden. I've been under the loving care of a holistic doctor for three years and we've solved a myriad of imbalances and health issues. I have learned how to cook, I mean really cook. Not just make recipes but technique and skill and nuance and I love it. I have friends, I like to host parties - life is good, except I am doing all of this wonderful stuff in stretchy pants with elastic waist bands and giant shirts that cover my butt.<br />
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In this frantic desire to take off the weight, I need to hang on to the things that I love about myself and my life. I don't know about you, but I have a tendency to remember the negative.<br />
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You have to do the same. Before you undertake any sort of journey - get right with yourself. Take stock of where you are and where you want to be. Get your head together. Get your marriage together. Are you sick? If you are, don't attempt a weight loss program! <br />
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Is your world falling apart around you? Go for a walk, eat good food, take care of yourself but don't try to lose weight.<br />
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This endeavor is only for the times when everything else is in place. When life can be put a little on the back burner so you can spend the extra time and energy to fully engage. If you ARE taking this journey then rejoice that you are in the place where you are free to do so and love the ones around you who aren't quiet there yet.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-72482891420844247792017-03-18T07:24:00.000-04:002017-03-18T07:24:44.879-04:00The Genetics and the Psychology of The Skinny You vs. The Fat You<br />
When I was in college I sought the help of a counselor to help me overcome some baggage I was carrying around. One of the very first issues that came up was my weight - yes, sadly it has been a life-long struggle. Through some probing, we discovered that I thought of myself as having two very distinctive personalities depending on my weight. The counselor asked me to bring in pictures and the difference was very very clear. There was a skinny Dolley and a fat Dolley - no two ways about it. <br />
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I'd like to tell you that those issues were worked out in the college campus counseling room but I don't think we even began to scratch the surface. Prior to considering the epigenetics of weight loss, I thought the phenomenon was entirely psychological but perhaps it is more complex than that. Perhaps it is the expression of genes that is different - not only physical genes but personality genes as well. </div>
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Get out your pictures and look closely. Do you have a thin you and a heavy you?</div>
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I'd like you to consider if this holds true for you. What do you like about each of them? How are they different? How are they alike? Do they like each other? Do you look like one side of the family vs. the other side depending on your weight? Is the Skinny side of you safe? Who makes better choices? Who is in charge?</div>
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Are the eyes different? How about the carriage? The clothing and the colors - do they look like the same person picked them out? Are they both worthy of love? Can they live together in a new Healthy You?<br />
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From my personal experience, there is a heavy biology on one side of my family. When I am heavy and expressing the "fat gene", I look like that side of the family. Strangely and rapidly, within a week of me beginning to loose weight, my face begins to change. I start to look like the thin biology side of my family. I used to think it was because I lost weight in my face first but I have begun to consider if it is more than a mere reduction of puffiness.<br />
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Fascinating to consider, isn't it? Does this hold true for you, too? <br />
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This is a complex subject on many fronts</div>
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These are all things that each of us has to delve into - I promised at the beginning that this wasn't going to be a diary or a "look at me" sort of thing. Simply a journey we could take together. This just happened to be around the corner.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039489427656134901.post-52461252166785355982017-03-17T13:50:00.000-04:002017-03-17T13:50:13.434-04:00The Science of Epigenetics and The New Frontier of Weight LossEpigenetics is a new scientific field, only discovered in the last 10 years, and it is blowing the doors off everything we thought we knew about... well, almost everything. For decades scientists believed that DNA was destiny, that we were hardwired for certain diseases or traits and there was very little to be done about it. Then along comes the discovery of genetic influences and triggers that seem to act as light switches that turn on or off certain genes and all scientific hell breaks loose.<br />
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From disease, to obesity, to learning disabilities, to addiction - the ability to influence haywire genetic signals from our bodies is revolutionary. To discover and treat genetic triggers that are not firing (methylating) properly through diet, exercise, therapy, drugs, electric shock, or whatever means necessary can change the way we approach cancer, for instance. Instead of trying to kill the cancer cell, we try to turn on the tumor suppression gene that is not turned on properly. An addict could potentially find true freedom from the addiction. Obesity could be cured.<br />
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Even more compelling and interesting is that these specific triggers are passed down from generation to generation. This was demonstrated in Dias and Ressler's <a href="http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v17/n1/full/nn.3594.html" target="_blank">study</a> on mice subjected to an electric shock when exposed to a cherry blossom smell. Their pups and their grand pups, reared completely independent of the initial subjects demonstrated the same fear of the smell as the original test group.<br />
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<a href="http://www.frontiersin.org/files/Articles/105911/fcell-02-00049-HTML/image_m/fcell-02-00049-g001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://www.frontiersin.org/files/Articles/105911/fcell-02-00049-HTML/image_m/fcell-02-00049-g001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Science of the genome is well above my expertise but I'll try to explain in common English what I've been able to glean. Epigenetics actually means above genetics. If our DNA is the hardware of a computer, then the epigenome is the software telling the hardware how to run. It can also be explained as words in a paragraph punctuated differently to change the meaning. The words are the same but the meaning is different. (Let's eat Grandma. Let's eat, Grandma.)<br />
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Scientists have discovered that the health and the well-being of the mother during pregnancy has a profound effect on the developing baby - not only at birth but throughout the life of the child. It is staggering to consider that stressed mothers have children that carry the genetic markers of their mother's stress through their lives.<br />
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I have lamented throughout my life that sometimes my weight loss efforts work and sometimes they don't. I've likened it to a perfect alignment of the stars, burying a toad by the October moon, and hopping on one leg 34 times while wearing a birthday hat. It turns out, I wasn't too far off the map. It turns out that there is indeed a switch, there is indeed an on/off switch, it's in my genetic material. They have discovered it is either on or it is off. There is no dimmer for overweight people, which would explain why we are either losing or gaining.<br />
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Part of our journey is going to be to discover what turns it on, how to keep it on, and what turns it off and how to recognize that. We are on a Quest!<br />
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For more about the Science, check out this video and others:<br />
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