Apocalyptic Carols reblog from THE CHRISTIAN PUNDIT

December 30, 2014December 29, 2014Allen Frederick Leave a comment

I had just finished an article on why we should be celebrating the return of Jesus during our Christmas celebrations and then I ran across this post at another blog and thought it fit quite nicely with my dissertation.

There was a time in the not so distant past where Saints of old would remember that the coming of Jesus during the first Advent was proof that he would return a second time to usher in the Millennial reign of the Lord and King. In fact some of the old familiar carols alluded to this truism and it was the author’s intent to remind the church of Jesus’ true purpose in the fulfillment of scriptures.

Many of these verses have long been discarded since they are not as popular as some of the other verses of these hymns but none-the-less they were included in the original scores.

Apocalyptic Carols « THE CHRISTIAN PUNDIT.

What do Christmas carols make you think of? Luke 2? Manger scenes? Candle-lit Christmas Eve services? Turkey dinners with family? That’s what they do for most people. Few of us think, “Oh, Christmas carols = the sky being peeled back and saints being caught up in the clouds.”

It is true that the nativity is the main theme of carols. Several carols also point to Calvary: “Then let us all with one accord/ Sing praises to our heavenly Lord/ That hath made heaven and earth of nought,/ And with his blood mankind hath bought” (“The First Nowell”).

But some of the best-known carols refer to the second coming. They tell us that Jesus was “born to raise the sons of earth,” so that Christians “need not fear the grave: Peace! Peace!/ Jesus Christ was born to save!/ Calls you one and calls you all, to gain His everlasting hall.” Because of Jesus’ incarnation and crucifixion, “He rules the world/ With truth and grace,” and comes to “open wide our heav’nly home;/ Make safe the way that leads on high,/ And close the path to misery.” One day, “Saints before the altar bending/Watching long in hope and fear/ Suddenly, the Lord descending, in His temple shall appear.”

The first coming—Christmas—was tangible, crucial proof that God was keeping His promises to His people. The first coming—the incarnation—was evidence that God was executing His plan of salvation. But it was the first: we have been promised a second. Christmas should not only remind us of what did happen, incredible as it is. It should also remind us that because of what did happen, we can look forward to what will happen. The second coming will finish the work that the first coming established. A good Christmas carol will remind us that looking back is only spiritually useful if it spurs us on and points us forward to the day when Jesus will again come to earth incarnate. Then the plan of salvation will be complete. The glory that Christ’s birth began will be consummated when He comes again, with glory:

“Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in heaven,
Set at God’s right hand on high;
Where like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around.”

A Violent Purge

August 23, 2014August 22, 2014Allen Frederick

1 John 4:3 (AMP)
³ And every spirit which does not acknowledge and confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh [but would annul, destroy, sever, disunite Him] is not of God [does not proceed from Him]. This [nonconfession] is the [spirit] of the antichrist, [of] which you heard that it was coming, and now it is already in the world.

persecuted The recent violence in Gaza has drawn attention away from the continuing extreme actions by ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Having conquered much of northern Iraq, ISIS is busy persecuting Chaldean Christians in the area. The city of Mosul, for example, has been purged of Christians, perhaps numbering 100,000. As one commentator observed, “Our worst nightmare is confirmed. Christianity in Mosul is dead, and a Christian holocaust is in our midst.” The goal of the radicals is to create an Islamic state with no room for dissenters. Christians are being forced to convert to Islam, face death, pay a fine or leave.

What many do not know is that Islam was the driving force behind the original Jewish Holocaust that brought about WWII. Hitler was urged to purge the Jews by Islamic leaders of the day. Nazism and Islamic extremism are blood brothers.

The battle in Israel is the same battle being waged around the world. China removes crosses from churches, Obama covers-up crosses when he gives a speech at a religious building. The ACLU and Freedom from Religion organizations are suing cities and towns across the country to remove roadside crosses. Recently there was a lawsuit to keep the ground zero cross out of the ground zero museum, where the court recently ruled that the cross could be included and indeed should be.

Since the time of Eden Satan has waged a war against God and anything that resembles God on earth, thus this purging of Christians and Christian symbolism along with the constant attack on the Jewish people, are all symptoms of the same spirit, the spirit of the Antichrist.

VA More Concerned with Removing Religious Symbols From Chapels then Healing Vets

May 31, 2014May 31, 2014Allen Frederick 1 Comment

See on Scoop.it – Eagle Views

The Department of Veterans Affairs may be embroiled in a healthcare scandal — the severity of which led to the resignation of VA head Eric Shinseki — but pockets of the VA health system seem to be focused not on improving healthcare for veterans,…

EagleWings‘s insight:

With the sorry state that the VA is in they need all the prayer they can get, but once again the PC police as struck with a vengeance against Christ and his followers. Not wanting to offend the small minority who might take offense to seeing Jesus on a cross or a statue of Mary, the VA as put in place regulations that shield the small but vocal minority who may cry foul.

I am really growing weary of these cry babies whining everywhere they go and complaining about religious symbols in places of worship. If you do not want to be confronted with the cross then stay out of the church and the chapel. But if you enter a church or a chapel right-minded individuals would expect to find Christ there.

There are a million and one places you can go if you want to avoid any mention of Christ, but if you venture into a CHRISTIAN facility you will be presented with a CHRISTIAN MESSAGE in word and symbol. and if that offends you then do not attend such places.

Why are there chapels in VA hospitals you may ask? Because many vets and families of vets like having a place to go pray to their Lord. If you are not of the Christian faith and want to have a place where you too can go to pray to your god or goddess get to work on setting up a place of your own or perhaps even ask the Chaplin nicely if he/she will allow you to use the chapel and he/she may even VOLUNTEER to cover-up any offensive symbol, but REQUIRING Christians to remove symbols of their faith is not INCLUSIVE and COMPASSIONATE nor is it TOLERANT.

See on www.theblaze.com