All posts filed under: z63

The Cassia plant source of one of the ingredients of the Holy anointing oil. Source: sylvan/Flickr/Creative Commons

Holy Anointing Oil

Published by

[by Helene Rudolph] Exodus 30:23-33 sets forth the instructions given by God to Moses concerning the making of the Holy Anointing Oil, which is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. Vessels were set apart unto God for sacred purposes, by anointing them with oil. With the mixture mentioned in this passage, Priests, Prophets and Kings were also consecrated for service to God, during the Old Covenant days.  (See I Sam. 10: 1- 6). “Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.” (I Sam. 16:13) The Recipe There were four fragrant ingredients added to the extra virgin olive oil namely myrrh, cinnamon, sweet cane (calamus) and cassia, to compound this oil.  Each of these fragrances carries a unique symbolic. Put together this oil carries a powerful message in and of itself.  The Holy anointing oil’s message speaks of sacrificial living, about walking righteously and upright according to God’s righteous standards and about judgments in humility. A Warning “And you …

The plume from the 2010 eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano. Credit: Gunnlaugur por Briem/Flickr/Creative Commons

Beware columns of smoke

Published by

Last week was a bit worrying for those living in and around Yellowstone Park. Last Thursday, the area experienced a 4.4 earthquake. Earthquakes of that size can be felt, but rarely cause damage. But it wasn’t the earthquake that caused concern, rather it was the 295 other earthquakes that took place in that region during that seven-day period — 60 on Friday alone (June 16, 2017). We know Biblically that a rise in earth quakes will mark the end times, something that even Jesus referred to (Luke 21:11). Though many are downplaying the danger associated with these earthquakes, others are not so sure. They are not so concerned about the earthquakes, as smaller earthquakes can be beneficial releasing pressure and helping prevent a larger quake. But what is concerning is that a flurry of earthquakes could be sign of a bigger problem if they are occurring around a known volcano. It could be a warning of a looming volcanic eruption. As magma builds beneath the surface, the resulting pressure can often cause smaller earthquakes. This puts …

Credit: Alan Cleaver/Flickr/Creative Commons

It All Begins with a Story

Published by

The Bible is a collection of 66 Books containing hundreds of stories.  It starts with, “In the Beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth” (Genesis 1:1), and ends with John’s vision of Jesus declaring, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last” (Revelation 22:13). These biblical stories record the history of mankind from Adam to Abraham and the birth of the nation of Israel.  It gives a chronicle of Israel from generation to generation.  It tells us of the birth, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, unto the early years of the church age. The Bible contains prophesies, some fulfilled within the context of the entire Bible, some fulfilled the past 2,000 years since the New testament writings.  Still others of these Biblical prophecies are being fulfilled today and some will be fulfilled in the future. More copies of the Bible has been sold or freely distributed than any other book in the world.  It is recognized world-wise as the greatest Book ever written.  It …

St. George Monastery (Orthodox Church) was constructed at a cave thought to be the place where the Prophet Elijah hid after fleeing Jezebel. Credit: Catholic Church of England/Flickr/Creative Commons

Under the wing of a prophet — schools of the prophets

Published by

A few years back, a person who functions in the prophetic told me how he moved into that ministry. A prophet was speaking at the church he attended and gave a prophetic word to the man stating he was called to the ministry of a prophet. This senior prophet had also been invited to minister at another church in the same city, so he asked the young man to tag along. He didn’t throw the young man into prophetic with the old sink or swim attitude. As the prophet ministered, he told the young man to sit, listen and try to discern a word for the people being prophesied over. Later the prophet asked young man if he received words similar to what the prophet gave when he ministered to the people. The young man said yes. This was the Holy Spirit training him to have confidence in the ministry God had given him. I think the prophet Amos referred to this when he said: “The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?” (Amos …

¿Un antiguo papiro habla de las plagas del Éxodo desde una perspectiva egipcia?

Published by

English version: Does an ancient papyrus speak of the Exodus plagues from an Egyptian perspective? Hay un antiguo papiro egipcio que algunos creen dice de las plagas que Dios envió a Egipto durante la liberación de Israel de esa tierra bajo Moisés. Curiosamente, el antiguo documento no ha captado la atención de muchos cristianos simplemente porque no encaja en su calendario de quien fue el Faraón del Éxodo en realidad. La mayoría cree que el Éxodo ocurrió bajo Tutmosis III o Ramsés II, pero este documento lo pone mucho antes que estos faraones. Pero encaja perfectamente con mi teoría de cuándo tuvo lugar el Éxodo y creo que este papiro, escrito desde la perspectiva Egipcia, describe los días caóticos y las plagas asociadas con la liberación de Israel. El documento oficialmente llamado Leiden I 344 está en exhibición en el Museo Nacional Holandés de Antigüedades en Leiden, Holanda. Fue descubierto en 1828, pero no fue traducido hasta 1909, cuando el profesor Alan Gardner descubrió que era un lamento hablando de un momento muy caótico en la …

Pop star Katy Perry reconciling with her Christian parents: Is God next?

Published by

Mega pop star Katy Perry, 33, made some interesting statements in her interview with Dr. Siri Singh, on Viceland’s program The Therapist that aired the weekend of June 10, 2017. According to the Christian Post (CP), in the interview Katy talked about the pressures involved with being the pop star Katy Perry instead of who she really was Katherine Hudson. She expressed a desire of being her “authentic self.” But what I also found interesting is Katy’s discussion about God and her parents. Katy’s parents, Maurice and Mary (née Perry) Hudson, are Pentecostal pastors. As a child Katy accepted Christ. She was even filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. As a teenager, she sang gospel music and initially tried to make a career singing gospel. But today as one of the world’s top pop stars, for the most part Katy has rejected her parent’s Christian faith. But I saw signs in the interview that there is potential for things to change. First Katy talked about having suicidal thoughts after breaking up with …

Credit: Stefan Georgi/Flickr/Creative Commons

Raging Billboards

Published by

Someone put a religious message on a sign beside a freeway near Indianapolis. You can see what they wrote in the picture. The message is a summary of some things conservative Muslims believe about their founder. In the twenty-first century, these ideas don’t look good, but people are outraged that the sign is critical and hateful. There are some lessons for us in this story. You can’t win against the critics: Every human organization or movement has skeletons in the closet, historical things we wish would go away; and the Internet lets the critics dig out those facts and tell the world. In Canadian and Australian history, people who called themselves Christians forced native children into residential schools, away from their families. Today this is a national embarrassment. The Mormons have many things to explain. In the U.S. the Democratic Party was the political base for slavery, segregation, and ugly racism. They are trying to do better now. The message on the sign was skillfully written and researched. If the author is sued, he will …

The Peruvian desert, one of the driest places in the world. Credit: Mariano Mantel/Flickr/Creative Commons

A rose in the desert

Published by

We were in shock. We had just been pulled off a bus by two armed soldiers.  I thought it was the last time I would see my husband. Terrified, we stood as they searched our passports and found what they were looking for.  A small piece of paper stuck in our passports stamped with our entry date to Peru. We had no idea how important that inch-sized paper was. It was all that stood between us returning to the bus or jail. The soldiers motioned for us to return to the bus and we sat in unbelief about what had just happened. The terrain around us was all desert. Tall, barren mountains hung over us as we traveled on to our destination. Two hours later we entered a valley. Suddenly there was vegetation as the landscape turned green. This valley had been irrigated and the small town in its midst survived because of it. The desert in Southern Peru is one of the driest places in the world. We learned later it hadn’t rained there …

Hillary Clinton Credit: Aaron Webb/Flickr/Creative Commons

Is a prophecy about Hillary Clinton coming to pass?

Published by

Prior to America’s recent presidential election, several Christian prophets predicted that Donald Trump would become the next president of the United States. One of those was Kim Clement who hinted at Trump’s presidency in 2013. Trump would not officially seek the Republican nomination until June 2015 and most considered the chances of him even winning that nomination as very remote, much less the US presidency. Kim died on November 23, 2016, two weeks after Donald Trump won the presidential election. But Kim Clement, who had gained a reputation in Charismatic circles as  a prophetic worshiper, also had a prophecy for Hillary Clinton. He gave that prophecy back in 2006: “And some of you said, when the Spirit said, ‘Hillary Clinton,’ some of you shouted out, ‘yes!’God said, ‘I have already dealt with her heart, not to be president of this nation, but to be president in a Christian world. She will have a testimony second to none and will eventually come out with it and make declaration that Christ Jesus saved her marriage, saved her …

Credit: Richard Carter/Flickr/Creative Commons

A tale of two worlds

Published by

There are two worlds in Christianity. One where the Holy Spirit leads and guides believers through spiritual gifts and the other that has basically rejected the Holy Spirit playing such an active role in a person’s life. I recently read a story involving the wife of a Southern Baptist minister who had publicly rejected the ministry of Beth Moore. Beth Moore is a Charismatic teacher popular not only among women of a Pentecostal persuasion but apparently even Southern Baptist women who are less enamored with the Holy Spirit and His gifts today. In her testimony provided to Pulpit & Pen, Lauran, who leads a woman’s Bible study at her husband’s church, admitted that Beth Moore had been a favorite teacher for years. She used Beth’s materials for her Bible studies and even attended conferences where Beth was speaking. But that changed about five years ago, when Lauran became concerned that Beth believed God spoke to her — that the Holy Spirit was giving her direction. She cited one revelation that Beth received where she prophetically …