An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about gender blurring. This follows this post about journalists. This follows this post about Zika. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.

Gender Blurring in Pagan Worship

 by Tom Robinson 2 commentsListen Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

MP3 Audio (5.13 MB)

Crossdressing existed in ancient pagan worship—prominent being that of the Babylonian Ishtar, goddess of love, war, fertility and sex, called Inanna in Sumerian. The Israelites in their apostasies worshipped this goddess under the name Ashtoreth and by the title “Queen of Heaven.”

Maulaff via Wikimedia Commons

Statue of the Roman goddess Venus

Ishtar was the prototype for the Greek Aphrodite and Roman Venus and a host of other deities—and was identified with the planet Venus as the morning and evening star. The Bible equates the worship of pagan deities with the worship of demons (Deuteronomy 32:16-17; Psalms 106:35-38; 1 Corinthians 10:20). And it’s intriguing to see that Scripture refers to Satan in his rebellion as Lucifer, the morning star (Isaiah 14:12). The devil is the real personage behind the false deity.

https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/gender-blurring-in-pagan-worship

Did God take Enoch and Elijah to heaven?

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about Enoch and Elijah. This follows this post about Syria in the Bible.  For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

Did God take Enoch and Elijah to heaven?


The Bible talks of Enoch being "translated" and Elijah being taken up in a chariot of fire. What do these passages mean?



Answer:



Hebrews 11:5By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.



See All... tells us, "Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death." The verse continues with a quotation from Genesis 5, saying that he "was not found." The wording implies that someone was looking for him to cause him harm, and that God protected him by removing him to a safe place. Some assumed that God took him to heaven, but the verse does not say that. "Taken away" ("translated" in the King James Version) is from the Greek word metatithemi and it means "to transfer to another place" ( Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words , 1985).



What of Elijah—did God take him to heaven? Without reading the full account of the history of Judah and Israel, one might easily assume that 2 Kings 2:11And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.



See All... reports the death of Elijah and his subsequent removal from earth to heaven. Actually, the prophet did not die, as is borne out by the astonishing record of a letter that he wrote some years later! You can read this letter in 2 Chronicles 21:12-15 [12] And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,

[13] But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself:

[14] Behold, with a great plague will the LORD smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods:

[15] And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day.





See All....



What was the "heaven" to which Elijah was taken? Scriptures speak of three heavens:



•The first, the atmosphere that envelops the earth (Genesis 1:8And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.



See All...).

•The second, what we call "space" (Genesis 15:5And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.



See All...).

•The third, the location of God's throne (2 Corinthians 12:2I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.



See All...).





The prophet was supernaturally transported to a different location—through the "heaven" of earth's atmosphere—allowing his associate, Elisha to step into the office of the chief prophet to Israel.



The Bible teaches that "no one has ascended to heaven" (John 3:13And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.



See All...). What we find in Acts 2:29Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.



See All... and 34 clearly illustrates this fact. It says that righteous King David was still in his grave about 1,000 years after his death! Remember Jesus' comment in John 10:35If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;



See All..., "the Scripture cannot be broken." That is, its teachings are consistent throughout. The biblical teaching is that heaven is not the reward or the destiny of the saved.



A more complete explanation of all that the Bible teaches about the afterlife is available in our booklets Heaven and Hell: What Does the Bible Really Teach? and What Happens After Death?

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Did Jesus Christ have brothers or sisters?

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/  about Jesus Christ. This follows this post about France's malaise.  For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.



Did Jesus Christ have brothers or sisters?


What does the Bible say about Mary being a perpetual virgin? How many siblings did Christ have?



Answer:



Yes, the Bible says Jesus Christ had brothers and sisters. When the Jews of Jesus' hometown heard Him speak, they were indignant. Matthew records their contempt for Him, born of familiarity: "Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?" (Matthew 13:55-56 [55] Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

[56] And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?





See All...).



Jesus' neighbors knew His family intimately. From their comments, we know that Mary had four other sons and at least two daughters (because the Bible says "sisters" instead of "sister," we know there were at least two). This also shows that Mary was not a "perpetual virgin."

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Lourdes, Fatima and Medjugorje Show Modern Attraction of Signs

An interesting article from www.ucg.org on the attraction of signs and miracles. This follows this post endtime lying signs and wonders. For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632!

Lourdes, Fatima and Medjugorje Show Modern Attraction of Signs






article by World News & Trends staff





In today's skeptical world, and on the most secular continent, there is still evidence of man's innate attraction to signs and miracles. Consider three European sites that attract millions of visitors.



In today's skeptical world, and on the most secular continent, there is still evidence of man's innate attraction to signs and miracles. Consider three European sites that attract millions of visitors.



Lourdes, a small town in the foothills of the Pyrenees in southern France, attracts some 5 million tourists and pilgrims a year because of the visions seen by a 14-year-old girl nearly 150 years ago. Bernadette Soubirous first saw visions of a woman in white at a remote grotto on Feb. 11, 1858.



Within months, visitors were claiming healing from the waters of the grotto, and of approximately 7,000 who have felt they were healed and sought confirmation, nearly 70 have been declared scientifically inexplicable miracles by the Lourdes Medical Bureau and by the Catholic Church.



In Fatima, Portugal, three shepherd children saw six visions of "Our Lady of Fatima" between May 13 and Oct. 13, 1917. They told of three secrets that were revealed to them, and the second has been seen as predicting World War II and the "immense damage that Russia would do to humanity by abandoning the Christian faith and embracing Communist totalitarianism" (http://www.vatican.va/ ).



Speculation abounded about the third secret, which was not released by the Vatican until Pope John Paul II's visit to Fatima May 13, 2000. There, the third secret's description of a bishop clothed in white making his way among corpses of those who were martyred and being shot himself was explained as being fulfilled in the May 13, 1981, assassination attempt on John Paul II.



Then there is Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where six people began seeing visions 25 years ago on June 24, 1981. Since then, some say more than 30,000 messages have come and more than 30 million people have visited the site, though these pilgrimages are not encouraged by the Vatican.



With such interest in visions and secrets seen by a few, is it any wonder that millions more will be convinced by incontrovertible miracles seen with their own eyes? WNP

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Signs and Lying Wonders: Will You Be Deceived?

An interesting article from www.ucg.org on endtime lying signs and wonders. This follows this post on the way Mary of Nazereth is viewed throughout Christianity. For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632!

Signs and Lying Wonders: Will You Be Deceived?



article by Mike Bennett





Bible history and prophecy show that not all miracles are from God. At the end time, there will be counterfeit miracles to deceive the nations and, if possible, even God’s people.



In our modern age, many people are skeptical of claims of healings, miracles or any supernatural events. The miracles of the Bible are looked at as quaint fairy tales developed by primitive cultures to explain the mysteries of nature. Today, science claims to give man the godlike ability to explain those wonders, and the rational mind believes all phenomena can be explained by nature—without God.



Yet there remains something just below the surface of the modern psyche that is tantalized by the mysterious and unexplainable. UFOs, ghosts, magic and witchcraft are still incredibly popular. And the mystical elements of various religions attract myriad new converts every year. Sites like Fatima, Lourdes and Medjugorje draw millions of pilgrims each year.



The Bible foretells a time when religion will play a major role in places like Europe, where religion was written off many decades ago. How can church again dominate state in such a secular wasteland? It seems the prophesied miracles will play a major part in bringing about this change in the "zeitgeist" (spirit of the times) of the Continent.



First, can supernatural wonders really come from a source other than God?



Lying wonders



Even those with a passing knowledge of the Bible have heard of the Exodus and the parting of the Red Sea . Before the pharaoh was willing to let his Israelite slaves go, the Bible records 10 devastating plagues God brought on the stubborn Egyptian ruler and his people.



Interestingly, the pharaoh's magicians were able to duplicate, on a smaller scale, the first two plagues, making water appear as blood and making even more frogs appear on Egypt than those God had sent (Exodus:7:22And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said. and 8:7). They were also able to make their rods change into snakes (Exodus:7:11-12[11]Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.[12]For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.). Whether these were tricks and illusions or actual supernatural miracles from an evil spiritual source, they had the intended effect. They hardened the pharaoh's heart, meaning they cemented his resistance to the demands of the Israelites.



Eventually, though, the magicians admitted they were outclassed and could not duplicate God's third plague. "This is the finger of God," they said (Exodus:8:19Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.).



Because of the existence of false miracles and false prophets, God warned Israel to reject any miracle worker who denies Him or speaks contrary to His laws and teachings (Deuteronomy:13:1-3[1]If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,[2]And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;[3]Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.). God says just because someone's prophecy happens or a miracle occurs doesn't mean we should follow that person.



These warnings continued to apply in the New Testament. "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits," Christ warned (Matthew:7:15-16[15]Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.[16]Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?).



Those fruits obviously went beyond whether the prophecies occurred or the miracles happened. Christ described some who cast out demons and did many wonders in His name. "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness" (Matthew:7:23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.). Denying God's laws remains a fruit of the way of darkness (Isaiah:8:20To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.).



End-time warnings



In a prophecy for the end times, Jesus the Christ warned, "False christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect" (Matthew:24:24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.).



The apostle Paul expands on this in 2 Thessalonians 2, with a warning about "the lawless one" who comes with "all power, signs, and lying wonders" (verse 9). Paul says it takes a love of the truth—the Bible and God's law—to avoid being deceived by this man of sin, this lawless one (verse 10).



The apostle John also expands on this warning in Revelation 13. This chapter starts by talking about a "beast" representing a great end-time empire—a government that will rule much of the earth. Then in verse 11 it talks about another beast with two horns like a lamb—meaning he tries to appear like Christ, the Lamb—but who speaks like a dragon, Satan. This is the same one who is called the False Prophet in Revelation 19, who we believe will be a religious leader in Europe.



Revelation:13:13-14 says: "He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived."



For more about the meaning of this prophecy and the framework of end-time prophecy, read or request our free booklets The Book of Revelation Unveiled and You Can Understand Bible Prophecy at www.wnponline.org/litreq.



What this means for us



Someday in the not-too-distant future, miracles will occur that will be widely publicized and that will convince even many of the skeptical people of our day. Perhaps supernatural fire will destroy enemies, or other spectacular miracles will occur. Will they convince you to follow the ones who perform them?



The antidote to lying wonders is to know what the Bible teaches and be prepared. Those who fall for the "unrighteous deception" of the "lawless one" are those who "did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (2 Thessalonians:2:9-10[9]Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,[10]And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.).



God's people, on the other hand, are those "who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation:12:17). But even to the Church Christ said, "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain…Hold fast what you have…anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see" (Revelation:3:2, 11, 18).



The biblical description of God's Church compared to the counterfeits is laid out in detail in the booklet The Church Jesus Built, also online at www.wnponline.org/litreq.



Examine the fruits. Are the miracle workers teaching God's laws and fulfilling His will? Or are they using miracles to trick people into supporting a government and a religion that are actually opposed to God's law and His plan? Many people will believe that the miracles they see are of God. Study God's Word; examine the fruits.



Don't be deceived! WNP

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