Author: Dean Smith

Can’t buy or sell because of Conservative beliefs?

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Tucked within the Book of Revelation, a vision of the end times given the Apostle John, he saw a time coming when people would not be able buy or sell if they did not take the mark of the beast. 17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:17 NASV) Though there have been books written on the mark of the beast, we still have no idea what it involves, certainly I don’t. Some suggest it will be computerized chips that are inserted in our hands, but it’s doubtful a chip would be put on our forehead which is where John says it will also appear (Revelation 13:16). I don’t believe the mark of the beast has made its appearance yet, but the idea that people will not be able to buy or sell because of a person’s beliefs is already starting to show up. It involves the story …

Why did it take five centuries for the cross to be embraced as a symbol of Christianity?

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You may have seen the images circulating of how Notre Dame’s alter and cross survived the devastating fire that destroyed much of the church on Monday, April 15, 2019. Though this cross is making history, it is interesting to note that the cross was not fully embraced as a symbol of Christianity until around the fifth century. In his article, Jesus and the Cross, historian Steven Shisley states that the first sign that the cross had finally gained public acceptance as a symbol of Christianity was in its appearance on the doors of the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome in the fifth century. Until then, the cross had for the most part been down played and the reason for this Shisley claims is because of societal views on the cross. For the Romans, that cross was associated with the deaths of criminals and slaves, the despised of society. They used the cross as a form of execution because it was particularly brutal and painful. And it was also favored because it often took days …

Ultrasound of dangerous Mo-Mo pregnancy reveals two sisters fighting in the womb

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A video out of China has caught the attention of millions of people worldwide. According to an article in the Daily Mail, Mr. Tao, 28, provided a video that showed his identical daughters fighting with each other in the womb. The couple, from the city of Yinchuam, were at the doctor’s office for the wife’s prenatal check and Mr. Tao took a video of the ultrasound that showed the two babies in their fourth month seemingly kicking and hitting each other. When Tao uploaded the footage it went viral and within days had 2.5 million likes. The two identical girls had a very rare and dangerous pregnancy. They were sharing the same placenta and amniotic sack. In these type of births, referred to as Monoamniotic-Monochorionic or more commonly Mo-Mo pregnancy, there is a 50% chance one of the babies will die after 26 weeks because of the increased risk their umbilical cords will become entangled causing the mother’s blood supply to be cut off for at least one of the babies. In this instance both …

Catholic relics of Christ’s crucifixion saved from Notre Dame fire

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The world was captivated by the burning of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris yesterday, April 15, 2019.  It is unquestionably one of the world’s most famous Christian landmarks and it was not lost on many that it burned during the start of the Roman Catholic Holy week leading up to Easter. It is now believed that the fire was accidental, caused by the extensive renovations taking place in the Cathedral. But there was room for doubt because there have been dozens of attacks on churches in France in recent months including the setting of fires. In mid-March, 2019, a fire was purposely set at the Saint-Sulpice church shortly after morning mass. It is one of the largest churches in Paris, and the fire caused damage estimated at several million Euros. RELATED: Twelve French Churches Attacked, Vandalized in One Week: Breitbart Last year, nearly 875 churches were vandalized and it is continuing unabated in 2019. Perhaps the most vile, was the smearing of a cross made of excrement inside Saint-Alain Cathedral in Nimes on February 6th, …

Natan-Melech’s rise from obscurity: Archaeologist discover his bulla

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It was a remarkable find, mostly because of its obscurity. Archaeologists working in Old Jerusalem found a small, burnt, clay bulla with the name “Natan-Melech, servant of the king” estimated to be 2,600 years old. Signet rings or seals were used to impress the owner’s official stamp in clay or wax to seal a document. It not only spoke of the person’s status, but verified the item’s authencity. Archaeologists discovered it beneath a parking lot in an ancient administrative center of Jerusalem. The building that they were working on was two stories high and had suffered extensive damage due to fire probably during Babylon’s attack on Jerusalem in 586 BC. What is particularly amazing about this bulla is that it refers to a man mentioned only once in the Old Testament.It was like finding a needle in the haystack. Incredibly archaeology is verifying the existence of the most obscure people in the Bible. Though they are not absolutely certain that this is the same man, archaeologists working on the site are convinced it is. Even …

Credit: Hector Pierna Sanchez/Flickr/Creative Commons

Mysterious plague arrives in New York?

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According to an article in the New York Times (NYT), a new and dangerous illness has arrived on the east coast of the US.  Called Candida Aurus, it is a fungus that has been showing up in other countries such as Venezuela and Spain, but has now hit America with deadly consequences. The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that there are 587 people with the infection including 309 in New York, 144 in Illinois and 104 in New Jersey. The disease is a bacteria and is considered both dangerous and mysterious. It is dangerous because there is no known cure. Antifungal medication typically used to combat this type of disease are ineffective. It is one of those superbugs that are resistant to modern drugs. Its symptoms that include fever and fatigue are particularly dangerous for  those with compromised immune systems. This can include newborns, the elderly, smokers and those with other health complications. One elderly patient who showed up at a Mount Sinai hospital in Brooklyn, New York died within 90 days. And …

Credit: Markus Kniebes/Flickr/Public Domain

What is the most important thing you can do in spiritual warfare?: PODCAST #18

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PODCAST NOTES: Hi my name is Dean Smith and in this podcast I want to talk about the most important thing you can do in a spiritual warfare. So what do you think is the most important thing to do? Some might say putting on the armour of god. Another might say prayer. And certainly these things are important, but I believe there is one fundamental principle that we need to embrace first in spiritual warfare and it will make our prayer and spiritual armour powerful and effective. And make no mistake we are involved in a spiritual battle. A few weeks back I read an interesting story about Greg Gordon. For those of you who don’t know Greg, he runs a website called sermonindex.net which is a collection of thousands of sermons of pastors and Bible teachers from different church backgrounds and nationalities. He also has a YouTube channel with over 145,000 subscribers and 7,000 sermons. These sermons have been viewed in excess of 35 million times. This is a significant ministry. But recently …

Chinese Communist Party's hammer and sickle appearing along side McDonalds Credit: Phillip McMaster/Flickr/Creative Commons

Just in time for Easter: Chinese city offers a Judas’ reward for citizens turning in Christians

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I have written several articles in the past how China has taken a sharp turn to the left under its latest president Xi Jingping. The communist trademark hammer and sickle is showing up in public displays around China. Now Asia News is reporting that the Chinese city of Guangzhou is offering rewards of as much as $1,500 US for people to turn in Christians to authorities. Over the previous couple of decades China entered an unprecedented time of prosperity and freedom. During this time, Christianity, that was flourishing in the underground church, moved above ground and this resulted in the construction of several mega churches. However, under Jingping this is all changing. The government is now cracking down on these churches. In early December, police demolished one of the the country’s largest church, The Golden Lampstand Church in Shanxi Province, using dynamite and heavy machinery. As a result of this crackdown, Christians are heading back underground where they flourished before Jingping gained tyrannical control of the nation. Now the leaders of Guangzhou want its citizens …

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The stones are crying out

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One my favorite stories in the Gospels involves what would be Jesus last trip to Jerusalem. A week later, the Romans would crucify Christ. Many churches celebrate Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem as Palm Sunday. In preparation for the trip, the Lord sent His disciples to Bethany to look for a donkey colt telling the owner that the Lord had need of it. As Jesus slowly rode into Jerusalem, people began throwing their cloaks on the road before Him while others threw down palm branches. This was an act reserved for royalty as we see happening when Jehu was declared King and people put their garments on the ground as he walked down the steps (2 Kings 9:13). Then people began shouting “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord” (Luke 19:38 NASV). The pharisees in the crowd understood what was happening and became very upset by what they were witnessing. They yelled out for Jesus to rebuke His disciples. But Christ answered them: “I tell you, if these become silent, …

"And the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, 'You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.'” (Luke 3:22 NASV) Credit: David Campbell/Flickr/Creative Commons

Peer-reviewed medical study reveals that God heals even if you don’t believe in divine healing

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A study published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, Complementary Therapies in Medicine, reports on the miraculous healing of a 16-year-old Christian boy. Even the title, Case Report of gastroparesis healing: 16 years of a chronic syndrome resolved after proximal intercessory prayer, reveals the key role that prayer played in this Divine healing. It is interesting to note, that though his Christian parents believed Jesus healed people in the Bible, they did not believe God still healed today. So what happened? Within a couple of weeks of his birth, the unnamed boy was diagnosed with gastroparesis. This is a condition where food is not properly moved out of the stomach and through the intestinal tract and as a results stays inside the stomach for an extended period. This can result in a number of symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and bloating, lack of appetite because your stomach feels full after eating little food, and malnutrition. There is no known cure and medicine can only help alleviate the symptoms. After being diagnosed as an …

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Britain can be a dangerous place for Christians

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A stunning story out of Britain reveals how dangerous it is for Christian in that country. It involves a Christian from Iran wanting to immigrate to Britain. Now to be sure it is not only dangerous for Christians in Iran, but particularly for any Muslims who convert to Christianity because they face the death penalty if they don’t renounce their new faith. But the British newspaper, The Independent, recently reported that an Iranian Muslim man who had converted to Christianity was denied asylum in 2016 by the British Home Office for a reason that can only be described as bizarre. While being interviewed by the British Home Office, the man explained that he had converted to Christianity because he was tiring of the violence of Muslim extremists.  In comparison, he described Christianity as a peaceful religion. However, when the bureaucrat in Britain’s home office rejected this asylum claim, the person brazenly stated that the man was being rejected because Christianity was not a peaceful religion and cited several passages as evidence. The bureaucrat wrote: “These …

Balaam confronted by Angel of God by Gustav Jager (1808-1871): Wikipedia

Archaeology confirms the existence of Balaam

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Despite the best efforts by secularists to discredit the Bible, archaeology continues to confirm that it is in fact an accurate record of historical events that took place in ancient Israel. Perhaps the most curious involves an archaeological dig that took place in 1967, when Dutch archaeologists discovered an ancient text on a wall in the Jordanian town Deir Alla confirming the existence of a seer called Balaam. For those unfamiliar with the story, Balaam, a pagan seer, was hired by King Balak of Moab to curse Israel as the nation sat on the other side of the Jordan river preparing to make its first unsuccessful attempt to enter the Promised Land under Moses (Numbers 22 – 24). However, when Balaam went to curse Israel, he instead blessed them saying he could only deliver the message he was given. Though unwilling to curse Israel, Balaam eventually gave the Moabite king the necessary information to defeat Israel. He told Balak to send women to entice the Israeli men into sexual sin. They probably did it in …

Greenland in 2012 Credit: aquartier78/Flickr/Creative Commons

Whoops this wasn’t supposed to happen, massive Greenland glacier is now regrowing

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There was stunning news about a glacier on Greenland. It has been happening for the past couple years, but kept quiet until the news was released in an article in Nature Geoscience. NASA is reporting that the massive Jakobshavn Glacier is growing. Some consider it the king of glaciers because it was once one of the fastest shrinking glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere and scientists are admittedly shocked by the recent development. Because of this melting, the glacier became the poster child of man-made global warming enthusiasts who warned that unless we stopped CO2 emissions the rising oceans would wash away New York City and other coastal  cities. Now it is true that since 2012, the massive glacier shrunk about 1.8 miles per year and those in the man-made global warming camp immediately attributed it to the rising CO2 emissions. But that melting suddenly stopped in 2016 when the glacier started re-growing at the same rate it was shrinking. Yes, it is now growing at a rate of 1.8 miles a year. But here is …

What in the world are territorial spirits? PODCAST #17

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PODCAST NOTES: Hi my name is Dean Smith, and in this podcast I ask the question: “What in the world are territorial spirits?” Territorial spirits involves the controversial Biblical concept that Satan has set demonic angels over each country, who the try to influence and control both the political and spiritual life of that nation. Several years ago, I read an unusual story in World Map, a missionary magazine, which caught my attention. It involved a missionary who was ministering in Uruguay near the Brazilian border. He was doing some tract distribution one Saturday morning in a town where the main street sat on the actual border between Uruguay and Brazil. The missionary started out on the Uruguayan side of the border and found people very resistant to the Gospel. They either refused the tract or if they took it after quickly reading it tossed in on the ground. But then something very strange happened! Since the missionary had spent a couple of hours with essentially no response, he decided to cross to the Brazilian …

Photo of the Milky Way from Argentina Credit: Luis Argerich/Flickr/Creative Commons

The silence was deafening, but not the explosion

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According to a report by BBC, around noon on December 18, 2019, a large meteor/small asteroid exploded over the Bering Strait. The Bering Strait is the body of water separating Russian and Alaska and the explosion took place closer to the Russian side near the Kamchatka Peninsula. It was first reported by the US Air Force who caught the explosion with a military satellite and passed the information on to NASA, that was given the responsibility of tracking near-Earth asteroids by the US government in 2005. However, this one had completely escaped NASA’s notice. The asteroid, that was several meters in size, was traveling at 20 miles (32kms) per second and exploded about 26 kilometers above the Bering Strait. Though it safely exploded over water, there was concern because it was near commercial airline routes. The explosion, estimated at 173 kilotons, was ten times the power of Hiroshima and was described as “historic” by Lindley Johnson who works with NASA’s planetary defense division responsible for tracking asteroids. Johnson said it was the the second largest …

Tornado touches down near Elie, Manitoba In June 2007 Credit: Justin1569/English Wikipedia/Creative Commons

40 pre-schoolers sing “Jesus Loves Me” as violent tornado slams into their church

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After a tornado ploughed through Paducah, KY on Thursday, March 14, 2019, Sheriff Matt Carter told the West Kentucky Star: “The Almighty hand of God has provided safety to our community. The destruction path is approximately five miles long… This could have been an extremely high fatality rate and we’re very fortunate and blessed to only report that one minor injury.” That one injury involved a man who received a small cut when a grain bin hit his vehicle flipping it over in the ditch. But easily the biggest miracle involved God’s protection of 40 children and their teachers attending a Christian pres-school at Mt Zion Baptist Church as the tornado ripped off most of its roof. When the storm erupted, the teachers rushed the children into an inner room which in the end was the only area of the church not damaged by the massive tornado. While the children waited out the storm, they sang worship songs including “He’s got the whole world in His hands” and “Jesus loves me.” It reminds me of …

Sundial in Glasgow, Scotland Credit: AskMeAboutLoom/Flickr/Creative Commons

Was Jesus referring to another time dimension?

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I am not going to pretend for a moment I understand this, but researchers from the US and Russia claim they have reversed time. No this did not involve Back to the Future’s DMC DeLorean time machine, it was part of an experiment involving the bizarre world of quantum physics. We live in a linear world. We all chug down the same path getting older. We can’t stop that process. We can’t reverse time and get younger. But it seems that the rules that govern our world don’t apply in the world of Quantum physics involving the bizarre subatomic world inside atoms. Their experiments, published in Scientific Reports, involved “wave” study. Basically subatomic particles travel out like waves do on water when you toss in a rock. The more time that passes, the further away the waves are from their original starting point. This same rules apply to particles. However, in their experiment the group was able to reverse this process, and have the particle appear at its starting point instead of where it should …

Shekel overlaid on a model of the Temple: Source Wikipedia/Juan R. Cuadra

¿Por qué Jesús pagó el impuesto del templo?

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English: Why did Jesus pay the Temple tax? Hay una historia interesante en los Evangelios que implican a Pedro y los cobradores de impuestos del templo. Se arrinconado el apóstol y preguntandole si él y su amo – Jesús – habian pagado el impuesto del templo. Bajo presión Pedro, expresó “sí” sin pensarlo ( Mateo 17: 24-27 ). ―Tu Maestro, ¿paga impuestos? 25 ―¡Claro que los paga! —les respondió Pedro—, e inmediatamente entró a la casa a hablarle a Jesús sobre el asunto. (Mateo 17: 24b-25 NBV) Los sacerdotes habían instituido un impuesto anual para el temple de dos dracmas (medio siclo). Fue modelado después de impuestos similares pagados en el Antiguo Testamento. Moisés instituyó un impuesto de medio siclo del santuario para ayudar a financiar el tabernáculo ( Éxodo 30: 12-13 ). Sin embargo, este impuesto sólo se recogió cuando Israel llevó a cabo un censo nacional. También había un tercio de impuestos siclo instituido anualmente para el templo en los días de Esdras y Nehemías ( Nehemías 10:32 ; Esdras 6: 8 ). Pero …

Credit: Serita Vossen/Flickr/Creative Commons

¿Qué significa cuando Jesús dijo que los mansos heredarán la tierra?

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English: What does it mean the meek will inherit the earth? ¿Qué quiso decir Jesús cuando dijo que los mansos heredarán la tierra ( Mateo 5: 5 )? Dependiendo de como se utiliza el diccionario, la palabra Inglés mansa deja diferentes impresiones – suaves, sumisas, obedientes, sin espinas, humilde y tal vez incluso un poco cobardes. Pero es esto lo que Jesús quiso decir? No estoy seguro si la palabra mansa es la traducción correcta en Inglés de la palabra griega “praus” que se utiliza en este verso en la traducción King James.. El Diccionario HELPS describe la palabra “praus” de esta manera: 4236 praotes – correctamente, templados , que muestran la mezcla correcta de la fuerza y de reserva (dulzura) . 4236 / praotes ( “fuerza en dulzura”) evita dureza innecesaria, pero sin comprometer o ser demasiado lento para usar la fuerza necesaria . La palabra “ manso “ representa una persona con poder, que sabe cuándo usarlo y cuándo no. También describe una persona que “evita la dureza innecesaria.” Pero “praus” no describe a …

Cuando el Espíritu Santo cayó sobre mí mientras pasaba la aspiradora

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English: When the Holy Spirit fell on me while I was vacuuming Mi marido había salido a tomar un café con un amigo y yo tenía la casa para mí sola. Los dos somos jubilados y es un gusto a veces tener la casa para mi sola. Así que cuando se cerró la puerta detrás de él, un pacífico silencio me envolvió como una manta caliente. Tenía las siguientes dos horas siguientes a mí misma. Por lo tanto, ¿qué decidí hacer? Aspirar la casa, por supuesto! Pero el Espíritu Santo tenía otros planes! Mientras me inclinaba para recoger la manguera de la aspiradoraa, sentí un empujón. Era como un ligero viento en mi espalda. Al principio, pensé que era el silencio y la paz de mi casa llenando en ese momento. Entonces, despues sentí un viento que soplaba sobre mí. Y de inmediato, hubo una agitación en mi espíritu . Había como una llama prendida dentro de mí Y sentí como el Espíritu Santo me envolvía. Levanté mi cuerpo, levanté mis manos y empecé a bailar …

Byrde's whale off the coast of Thailand Credit: morningdew/Wikipedia/Creative Commons

Jonah, Rainer and the whale

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Rainer Schimpf, 51, is a diver and tour operator from South Africa who for nearly 15 years has filmed the ‘sardine run’ that takes place off the Agulhas Bank located off the Southern tip of Africa. Billions of sardines gather at this point and begin a northern run along the eastern coast of African continent. Of course, the sardines attract hundreds of predators including sharks, dolphins, birds and whales. This year as Schimpf was photographing a shark in the feeding frenzy, a Byrde’s whale accidentally swallowed him. Named after Norwegian whaler Johan Byrde, the whale can grow to nearly 50′ in size and weighs up to 28 tons, but tend to be more elongated than other whales. Because they eat fish as well as plankton, these whales gather at the annual “sardine run.” A photographer on a nearby boat caught the whale swallowing of Schimpf (see video below). Schimpf told Barcroft TV, that he knew the whale had swallowed him when everything went completely dark and he felt pressure around his hips. Schimpf said: “Nothing …

Statue of Christ at the bottom of Lake Michigan Credit: petoskeyarea.com

Why is a life-sized statue of Christ resting at the bottom of Lake Michigan?

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On top of Corcovado Mountain, overlooking Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, there is a 30-meter high statue of Jesus. Called Christ the Redeemer, the 635 metric ton statue was installed on the mountain in October, 1936 and has become a cultural landmark for Brazil. And at the bottom of Lake Michigan, the second largest of the Great Lakes that straddle the Canadian-American border, there is a life-sized statue of Jesus on the cross, sitting 21 feet beneath the surface of the water. It is located about 800 feet out in the middle of Little Traverse Bay, just off shore from the town of Petoskey. The marble statue is 11 feet high and weighs 1,850 pounds. The sculpture of Christ is 5’5″ tall. Though it is nowhere near the size of Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer, when the conditions are right, it draws hundreds of people. People are only able to view the statue when Lake Michigan freezes over thick enough to walk on, as it did this year. When the conditions are right, town’s people cut a …

Credit: Nikolai Vassilieve/Flickr/Creative Commons

Does God still heal today? An Interview with Andy Becker: PODCAST

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PODCAST NOTES: Hi, my name is Dean Smith and in this episode I am interviewing Andy Becker and asking the question: “Does God still heal today?” Andy is lead of Lighthouse Ministries, an outreach ministry that provides hot soup, friendship and a church service to people of the core area of Regina. He is also a writer and speaker and I’ve been wanting to interview him about a healing experience that he had in April, 2016. Dean: Welcome Andy ANDY BECKER: Thank you for inviting me here. Dean: So can you tell me a bit about yourself and what was going on before you were healed? ANDY: Sure. First perhaps a bit of background on me though might be useful to help your listeners gain some perspective. I worked as a counselor for a a long time and at one time I was an Acting Clinic Coordinator for an addictions program. Then I also worked for Insight for Living Ministries, which is Chuck Swindoll’s radio program. My last position was as Executive Director for a …

Peter Ruben's (1577-1640) painting of the women at the tomb. Perhaps fitting of her reputation as a prostitute, Ruben's had Mary of Magdalene wearing a red dress.

Mirando por segunda vez la reputación de Mary Magdalene

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English version: Taking a second look at Mary Magdalene’s tattered reputation Fue durante un sermón predicado por el Papa Gregorio 1, en 591 dC, que la reputación de María Magdalena escandalizó al público por primera vez y nunca se recuperó por completo. En su homilía, el Papa Gregorio dice que María Magdalena había sido prostituta. Y es un punto de vista que ahí se quedó . Se basa esta conclusión en un par de cosas. En primer lugar según los Evangelios, María Magdalena tenía siete demonios echados fuera de ella ( Marcos 16: 9 , Lucas 8: 2 ). El Papa Gregorio sugirió estos siete demonios implicaron siete pecados capitales que incluían la lujuria. E Papa Gregory añadió que la mujer pecadora sin nombre en Lucas 7: 36-50 , que ungió a Jesús con un perfume muy caro, no fue otra que María Magdalena. Se creía generalmente por la reacción de todo el mundo que la mujer inmoral era probablemente una prostituta, pero incluso eso no puede ser cierto. Pero, sin embargo, Gregory llegó a una conclusión: Ella que Lucas llama a la mujer pecadora, a …

Newcastle, Northern Ireland, home to another verified miracle. Photo: Newcastle harbour. Credit: Phil Rogers Flickr/Creative Commons

La curación del cáncer desafía a los médicos en Irlanda del Norte

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English version: Cancer healing challenges doctors in Nothern Ireland En 2004, los médicos diagnosticaron Sharyn Mackay de Newcastle, Co Down en Irlanda del Norte con un tumor canceroso en su riñón. Sharyn y su esposo William, quien en ese momento era un pastor metodista, tenian cuatro hijos. Después de tomar una biopsia del cáncer, el cirujano de Sharyn del Hospital Área Craigavon ​​envió una muestra a los especialistas de la Universidad de Harvard, porque su forma de cáncer era muy raro. Ella le dijo al  Belfast Telegraph : “Me dijeron que era sarcoma de células fusiformes que normalmente es cáncer de hueso. Yo era uno de sólo 10 casos conocidos en los que se había convertido en un tumor renal “. En una entrevista con Stuart Chalmers publicado en YouTube, Sharyn dijo que después de enterarse de su cáncer habian muchas personas en las cuatro iglesias que su esposo pastoreaba orando por ella. Pero en ese momento, Sharyn dijo que su confianza estaba en los médicos que le trataban a ella su enfermedad. Sin embargo, …

Jesus wants to heal the broken hearted Credit: Diego Sevilla Ruiz/Flickr/Creative Commons

Healing your broken heart

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In an interview with Psychology Today, a secular therapist based in New York City suggests that struggles we are having with cow0rkers may be a result of unresolved issues with our family. Maria Baratta said that certain actions of coworkers may be subconsciously reminding you of the behavior of family members and triggering your negative reaction. According to Baratta the key to dealing with this is to recognize what is happening as this is the first step of dealing with your negative reactions. However, Jesus went one step further. One day, Peter asked Christ how many times does a person need to forgive his brother and sister, and threw out a number of seven times? This suggests some family issue had popped up or at the very least a memory of an earlier incident. I suspect Peter thought he was being magnanimous when he suggested seven times (Matthew 18:21), because the Jewish rabbis taught that a person didn’t need to forgive more than three times and often cited Amos 1:3-13 as the basis for this …

Credit: James Wheeler/Flickr www.souvenirpixels.com/photo-blog/double-rainbow

Does a rainbow explain it?

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A few years back, scientists made an unusual discovery high in the Canadian high Arctic. They found the fossilized remains of a foot-wide, tropical Asian turtle. In fact, they have also found the fossilized remains of crocodiles, ferns and other types of tropical animals and plants. There is no way these could survive in the Arctic’s current climate. And in the much more inhospitable southern antarctic, they have found the fossilized remains of a giant forest and even the remains of dinosaurs underneath the land perpetually covered with snow. It is obvious at one point the planet was much warmer than it is today and somehow it was all taking place without the help of SUVs and man-made global warming. But surprisingly the Bible may provide an explanation as it describes a different world at creation than what we see today. Shortly after God judged the world with a flood, God made a promise to Noah that He would never destroy the earth again in this way: 13 I set My bow in the cloud, and …

Chongqing, China Credit: Ted McGrath/Flickr/Creative Commons

Is social credit monitoring and ‘deboosting’ paving the way for something more sinister?

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No one could have believed it, but we are starting to see the unfolding of an ancient prophecy given the Apostle John who had been banished on the Mediterranean Island of Patmos somewhere around 65-85 AD. In his vision of the end times, John saw a time coming when people would unable to buy or sell if they didn’t take the mark of the beast: 16 He also caused everyone (small and great, rich and poor, free and slave) to obtain a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. 17 Thus no one was allowed to buy or sell things unless he bore the mark of the beast—that is, his name or his number. (Revelation 13:16-17 NET) Though what we see happening today is not necessarily a direct fulfillment of this prophecy, it may be paving the way for what is to eventually come. An English newspaper, The Guardian, recently reported that as part of a “social credit” system being set up by the Chinese government, it is stopping people from buying and selling. Through …

Forgiving to forget: PODCAST

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  PODCAST NOTES: Hi my name is Dean Smith and in this episode I will try to answer the age-old question, does forgiving forget. I remember many years ago talking to a friend about forgiveness who replied “I can forgive, but I can never forget.” But is forgiving a key to forgetting? In 1967, the nation of Israel awarded Corrie Ten Boom, who died in 1983, the title of Righteous Among the Nations because she along with her family helped Jews escape the Nazi holocaust through a hiding place in their family home in Holland. However, on February 28, 1944, a Dutch Nazi collaborator turned the family in to the Nazis and they were arrested. The family was broken apart with Corrie and her sister Betsy ending up at the Nazi’s notorious Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. Though Betsy would eventually die from the brutal treatment at the camp, a clerical error in December 1944 resulted in Corrie’s unintentional release. After the war, God raised up Corrie to preach a message of God’s forgiveness throughout war-torn Europe. …

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Emails in sheep’s clothing?: Scam impersonates pastors

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It involved a high-tech play on Jesus’s ancient warning that there would wolves infiltrating the church pretending to be sheep or Christians (Matthew 7:15). In this case they were impersonating pastor’s emails. The Gaston Gazette is reporting that members of Venture Church and Bethlehem Church based in Dallas, North Carolina, received emails purportedly from the church’s two head pastors asking for money. What is even more amazing is that Dallas is small community of under 5,000 people. These are obviously not big churches. According to Venture’s associate pastor, Chris Mintz, the emails mimicked the church’s two head pastors using a fake gmail account. The scammers used dspargo.bethlehembc@gmail.com for  Bethlehem’s Senior Pastor Dickie Spargo and Austinrammell.daretoventure@gmail.com for Venture’s pastor, Austin Rammell. In separate emails sent in late February to members of the two churches, people were asked to immediately send money to help either a “supposedly sick child” or a person sick with cancer in the church. According to Pastor Mintz, in each case the people were specifically asked to send $300 by purchasing a Google …

Brian Welch performing with Korn in Hockenheim, Germany in 2014. Credit: Sven Mandel/Wikipedia/Creative Commons

Brian Welch explains what Jesus said about his rock star look

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Prior to becoming a Christian in 2005, Brian Welch, 48, was a member of the mega grunge metal band Korn, that he helped co-found. After his dramatic conversion to Christ that resulted in him getting baptized in the Jordan River along with a group of Christians from the church he attended in Bakersfield, California, Brian  realized that he needed to leave the band to break free from his alcohol and drug addictions. He also didn’t want to raise his daughter in a drug and sex fueled environment. But when he left the band, Brian did not change his appearance. He still had his tattoos but kept his dreadlocks and rock star appearance and then began to produce Christian music with a similar sound. Then he sparked additional controversy in 2012, when Brian returned as Korn’s lead guitarist. Of course, it is easy for Christians, including myself, to question all this, but recently at the premier of Tim Tebow’s Christian movie, Run the Race, Welch shared what Jesus told him about his appearance. He said that …

Doctor admits Jesus healed Misty Burdette

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In 2007, at 32 years of age, Misty Burdette was diagnosed with breast cancer. But it was unusual, because according to the doctor it was a type of cancer that typically only older women get. But after receiving chemo treatment and two mastectomies, the cancer went into remission. But in 2015, a CT scan of her lungs, due to a persistent cough, revealed the cancer was back. After further testing, Misty was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that had spread to her pelvis, bones as well as lungs. Misty was a believer, but the news shook her to core and her cancer became so painful she prayed that God would either heal her or take her life. In an interview with Charisma News, Misty said God spoke to her saying that I needed to “get stronger in my faith.” In 2018, Misty came in contact with Brad Smith, pastor of Woodward First Assembly, an Assembly of God Church in Woodward, Oklahoma. After finding out that God had miraculously healed Brad of a mass on …

Cairo, Egypt where God speaks to Muslims through dreams Credit: Gwenael Plaser/Flickr/Creative Commons

Why dreams work?

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Open Doors USA is reporting on another remarkable conversion of a Muslim because of a dream. This one involved a young man in Egypt who was actually planning to kill his cousin after hearing he had converted to Christianity. Mostafa traveled to Cairo, where his cousin Mohammad lived, and when he found out his cousin was at church. Mostafa went to the service secretly sitting behind him. However as he sat through the service, the worship particularly impacted him. After the service, Mostafa approached his cousin and having now confirmed he was Christian, Mostafa said he should turn his cousin in to the family, but admitted the singing had affected him. For the next few hours, Mohammad shared the gospel with Mostafa, but in Egypt converting to Christianity is a dangerous decision. Not only do you face expulsion from the family, but Islamic extremists hearing about Muslims becoming Christians will murder them, as Mostafa was planning to do. Because of this Open Doors has Egypt listed as the 16th most dangerous country for Christian persecution. …

Ottawa Credit: Padraic Ryan/Wikipedia/Creative Commons

Why an Ottawa city councilor opposed Michael Olsen’s volunteer appointment

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It was a bizarre move, and some would argue a sign of the times, but a city of Ottawa councilor recently opposed the appointment of Michael Olsen to a volunteer position on the Ottawa’s transit board. With a population of nearly a million, Ottawa is the capital city of Canada and the city’s transit board has set aside one position for a member of the public. Over 92 people applied for the position on the board and it had been narrowed down to three and according to Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, he understood that Olsen was the transit commission’s top choice. So why did city Councillor Shawn Menard oppose Olsen’s appointment? Menard opposed it because Olsen, a retired Federal employee, is actively pro-life. A shocked Olsen told Lifesitenews, “What does this have to do with transit?” Nothing. Fortunately when Menard tried to thwart Olsen’s appointment, the city clerk, who also happened to be a lawyer, told city council that it couldn’t reject Olsen’s appointment because of his belief on abortion because it is protected under …