MAY 16, 2011

If you’re a new Christian, or read through the story of the rich man and the Kingdom of God recently, you might have some questions about being rich and entering heaven:  Can the rich even get into heaven? – or – Do I have to sell all my possessions before I can get into heaven?

The famous verse from this passage is found in  Matthew 19:24: “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

But, before we build an opinion around one verse, it’s important to take into account the entire story.  Here are the fifteen verses of the passage that should be read in context with the verse above.

The Rich and the Kingdom of God | Matthew 19:16-30

¹⁶ Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

¹⁷ “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

¹⁸ “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

²⁰ “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²² When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

²⁷ Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

http://www.faithandfinance.org/2011/05/eye-of-the-needle-will-the-r...

Bible Teaches Conspiracy! From Genesis to Revelation

The Bible teaches that Satan will conspire against God, especially in the Last Days, to attempt to impose his plan upon the world, rather than allow God to establish His Divine Plan.

We will show you now that the Bible does teach such a conspiracy, that Christians should be expecting one to develop, and that the conspiracy of which the Bible speaks will be treasonous!

Let us begin by defining the term "conspiracy".

Definition of Conspiracy: "A planning together secretly, especially for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason." Now, let us define "Treason".

Definition of Treason: "Violation of the allegiance owed to one's sovereign or state."
(Both quotes taken from Webster's New World Dictionary, 1970)

Either a person believes that historic events occur as the result of a Plan or that events occur randomly and by chance. The Bible is quite clear that God controls world events. Therefore, a Christian must hold to the belief that world events occur a result of God's intervention and control, which He performs so that His Plan for the world is carried out, rather than Satan's plan.

Consider the following Scripture:
1. Isaiah 46:9b-11
"I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end and the result from the beginning and from ancient time the things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure and purpose...' I have spoken and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed it and I will do it."
2. Proverbs 16:33
"The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly of the Lord-- even the events [that seem accidental] are really ordered by Him." (Amplified Bible Commentary).
This insight is truly incredible. God even controls the seemingly accidental working of the casting of lots, or the rolling of the dice. Nothing is outside God's control, even the smallest detail.
3. Revelation 17:12-13, 17:
"The 10 horns that you observed are 10 rulers...who are to receive power and authority for a single hour, along with the beast. These have one common policy (purpose), and they deliver their power to the beast...God has put it into their hearts to carry out His own purpose by acting in harmony in surrendering their royal power and authority to the beast, until the prophetic words of God shall be fulfilled. (Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary)

Take special note of the words, "acting in harmony". Since the Bible is very literal in fulfillment of its prophecies, we should literally expect that the final leaders of the End of the Age will be "acting" according to a very well-planned script, a global play in which each actor or actress is simply following proscribed lines, the end result of which will be Antichrist appearing on the world scenme.

Indeed, a major New World Order book, "The Armaggedon Script", tells us boldly that the leaders at the End of the Age will simply be following a very well prepared script. We print out this passage at the end of this article. But, bear in mind, the leaders of today are not only conspiring, they are following a script.

Since Revelation 17:12-13, 17 occurs in the during the Great Tribulation, we are being told here that the kingdom of Anti-Christ will occur as the result of a planned, concentrated conspiracy. This insight is gained by carefully considering the words, "one common policy or purpose" and "acting in harmony". A common policy or purpose and acting in harmony in human affairs does not occur unless a detailed plan has been created and agreed upon.

Satan aspires to be like God and to overthrow God (Isaiah 14:12-14). His attitude and rebellious action constituted history's first authentic conspiracy. The conspirator, by definition, is trying to overthrow the existing governmental structure to establish his government. He cannot carry out this overthrow openly, because the leaders of the current government would discover the plan to depose them and would move to crush the conspirators. Thus, the plan, or the conspiracy, to overthrow the existing government must be carried out in great secrecy and with even greater deception, un til the moment is reached when the existing government is no longer powerful enough to resist the overthrow; certainly, these plans would be illegal, for their purpose is to overthrow the legal government.

This, by definition, is conspiracy and treason.

Since the Tower of Babel, God's organizational Plan for the world is to divide the world into sovereign nations, while Satan's plan is to abolish sovereign nations in favor of a one-world government. Therefore, Satan will attempt to abolish the present make-up of 170+ sovereign nations, replacing them with a One-World Government. As Satan begins to reorganize the world, he will be struggling against national leaders who have been born and raised according to God's Plan of sovereign governments. Satan will have to overthrow those existing governments.

Also, the peoples of the sovereign governments would demand that this terrible plan be thwarted. Therefore, Satan's men would have to carry out their plan in secret. 

This, by definition, is conspiracy and treason. 

But, let me allow the leaders of the New Age Movement to have the last say, as they have boldly published their Plan to the world. They have "shouted from the rooftops" that they are following a script! Listen to their own words:

"Their script is now written, subject only to last minute editing and stage-directions. The stage itself, albeit as yet in darkness, is almost ready... The last-minute, walk-on parts are even now being filled. Most of the main actors...have already taken up their roles. Soon it will be time for them to come on stage, ready for the curtain to rise. 

The time for action will have come."
(From "The Armageddon Script", by Peter LeMesurier, St. Martin's Press, 1982, New York, N.Y., p. 252.)

 

"When we come into our kingdom...who will ever suspect that all these peoples were stage-managed by us according to a political plan which no one has so much as guessed at in the course of many centuries?"
(From "Behold A Pale Horse", by Milton William Cooper, Light Technology Publishing, 1991, Sedona, AZ, p. 303, quoting from The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion)

So, you see, this scenario to the New World Order is carefully scripted, with actors adhering to written,scripted lines. This is the most carefully planned and executed play ever written, but that is exactly what it is. In fact, this play has been in the process of being acted out since 1776. If the planners for the New World Order admit that their plan is well-scripted, and if the Bible declares this to be the case, why are you still unwilling to admit that events of our present time are scripted?

The major events are as planned as man can make them, aided by Super-Natural Satan. Do not be deceived by those people in the media who would attempt to disarm your defenses by making fun of the concept of a conspiracy. The very fact that such a concen-trated attempt is now being made to discredit the idea of a conspiracy argues forcefully that the final planned events which will finally move the world into the New World Order are very close, indeed.

http://www.cuttingedge.org/news/n1855_Conspiracy.html