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One thing that I really appreciate Hollywood Jesus and kept my subscriptions with HWJ is simply because you see the good in everything just as Jesus has done to the people around Him.
And so in this film, I see a lot of spiritual parallels as well.
I am talking about rapture. That God will give us a new body to house our reborn spirit. Yes it is a second birth in spirit but I am particular interested in the closing scene of the movie when Jake actually go through the same ritual to 'transfer' his soul/spirit from his old body to his Na'vi body and it is his new body that he gets to fly, to run (when he lost the ability to run, I can sense immense and intense joy when he first uses his alternate body's legs) and to do much more than the old human body can do.
Oh yeah, and to 'feel' your 'ride'. That would be the dreams of drivers and fighter pilots.
The message is clear. The environment is of paramount importance and the people in the environment, no matter how primitive, is important as well. For the movie to come out during the closing of the UN copenhagen talks, means the planned impact the movie wants to portray. Still everyone can sense the disappointment of the talks.
And I also agree, to love the earth is what we are supposed to do as keepers of God's creation. As sin has done to our lives, this aspect of stewardship is also less than ideal.
As Jake is the 'type' that shows how Christ comes to earth so that HE can tell us what is to become of us if we still live under the old covenant. Jake is also the messenger to save whatever he could save.
The best part is when Jake conquers the 'big bad red bird', which I think is a representation of satan and the act itself confirms his standing as a great leader to the Na'vi.
And the act on the cross, and the resurrection confirms Jesus' standing in the eyes of God and of Men as the firstborn of the new creation. The parallels is indeed very very obvious and I do not think Cameron is a devout Christian to make his vision of 10 years in the making, a Christian movie.
In my book, there's no such thing as coincidence and Avatar is no coincident. And so is the Book 'Left Behind', the movies 2012, 'Armageddon', 'The Final Impact' and all other disaster movies.
All point towards the imminent return of Christ and pop culture has in some ways confirms both the claims of the Bible about the End Times as well as harking the 2nd coming.
Maranatha!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Monday, December 07, 2009
And Again A Proclaimation of Judgment From Shekinahtoday.org
Today I read 2 very different news articles. One deals with the planned ordination of a openly gay priest to be an assistant bishop and the other article proclaiming doom and gloom for the house of God especially with regards to the pulpit.
Those who knows me understand that I do not subscribe to the notion of 'lucky' nor 'coincidence'. There are things that are, no doubt, bad and if we are to understand God's way of doing things and His motivation to do certain things, the bad things will be used for the ultimate aim for our good.
That's why it is call God's grace. We screwed up doesn't mean God is not for us. And if God is for us, then it is our eternal hope (the very meaning of hope is the positive expectation of good) that on the account of Christ, we shall and will and at the moment, received THE BLESSING (Brother Copeland's message) at no account of our behaviour. So if God is for us, who can be against us?
Now in view of the proclaimation of the judgment of the pulpit due to hidden sins and with the understanding of who Abba really is then this I would have to say.
Those on the pulpit are not saved. They may have the knowledge of being priests or being lay leaders or being 'spiritual' but they know not God the Father. If they are, they would have abhorred at the notion of same sex marriage and relationship.
If one is really the under-shepherd of the Lord, then do consider the notion that if same sex relationship is enough, why God did not make another male to become Adam's helper and instead Abba decided to introduce a female? And if the female is not important, Abba would not have created a female in the first place too.
So my above statement underscores my belief that a female can be a leader of the church as there was a female Judge in the history of Israel. And the reason that are 2 sexes reflects how God views the sex issue.
And there is also the report that the African nations of 'prosperity' gospel has wrecked havoc in the Christian community. Being in a Church that was always being accused of worshipping money, it is easy to see the indignition when the Church leaders have misplaced God's real intention to bless everyone and then gorge themselves mad with the offerings & tithings from their flock.
Then I have to turn to the Temple practices in the Bible. The question are:
- Were the priests given the fat of the animals to eat by God?
- Were there poor people in the midst of the worshippers?
Both are yes and it is a reflection of what we do see in Church also. But can we safely judge that the preaching of Shalom, that is the fulfilment of all things good in the lives of believers, is bad?
It cannot be.
The message is a good message: That God is out to Bless everyone and out of that Blessings, the congregation is able to tithe faithfully and offer more financially to help the Church's work. As much as people want to dumb down the Blessings message, they have mislabel it as 'Prosperity Gospel'.
Some may be out and out operation in money grabbing and I will definitely support any action against preachers who do not have the heart for God and for His people to be corrected. But the message of God's Blessings through Christ MUST be preached. Blessings of Christ is the Blessings of Abraham's seed and Abraham's nation and is ordained by God to be passed to His people and the Blessings are to be given to those in need.
Hence the congregation has given out of their plenty and more are out of their poverty but God will definitely know what to do who has given out of their poverty. As Jesus has praised of the poor woman's contribution to the temple, He will know what to do to help.
So the clutch of the issue is the leaders who HOARD the Blessings from the Congregation and NOT the message of the Blessings. It is this HOARDING that caused the congregation to see the greed and they follow the example. May God, in His wisdom and Love, help the leaders but if they are not of God, then the proclaimation of judgment will be true for them as well.
However all these points to the 'falling away' that the good book has predicted all along. It is another chapter in the history of mankind in the eyes of the God of the Jews and Christians that this world is indeed falling apart; in morals, in the physical and in the spiritual and this paves the way for the current age of Grace to end.
So when will this judgment come?
My view is that the 'salt of the world' will be taken away really soon and the very action of this 'taking away', as the mass media has now known as 'The Rapture', will provide the backdrop for God's judgment to take place.
Why not now?
Very simply. Just see where Jesus has said with regards to His first coming and His Church age (which is now). In Luke 4:16-21 He comes to the synagogue and open the book and Isiah and read
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.’ And He closed the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon Him'
And if one were to look through the book of Isaiah and read through the whole passage that Jesus was reading (which was Isaiah 61:1-2), the Lord did not mention "And the day of vengence of our God".
This is wholly significant and sets the tone of how we should share the message of judgment on the internet and in emails and on the pulpit of the Church. If we are of Christ, hence we are called Christians, then we follow what Jesus Christ has been preaching in His synagogue. That is to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and stop at the message of vengence.
So I am always sad when Christians keep preaching judgment without the even handedness of the message of God's salvation.
God has not come to judge now; He has come to save.
How can people turn over a new leaf when we keep pressurizing them about the coming punishment without the message of how to avoid the punishment?
Time for us to stop preaching doom and gloom like what Moses has done by striking the rock instead of speaking to the rock (NUM 20:8). In the process of proclaiming judgment, we have misrepresented God the Abba as a judge instead of a loving Father in Heaven.
There is definitely a distinct difference between 'correction' and 'condemnation' and judging is definitely a form of condemnation which can only be correctly and fairly executed by the all knowing God.
Those who knows me understand that I do not subscribe to the notion of 'lucky' nor 'coincidence'. There are things that are, no doubt, bad and if we are to understand God's way of doing things and His motivation to do certain things, the bad things will be used for the ultimate aim for our good.
That's why it is call God's grace. We screwed up doesn't mean God is not for us. And if God is for us, then it is our eternal hope (the very meaning of hope is the positive expectation of good) that on the account of Christ, we shall and will and at the moment, received THE BLESSING (Brother Copeland's message) at no account of our behaviour. So if God is for us, who can be against us?
Now in view of the proclaimation of the judgment of the pulpit due to hidden sins and with the understanding of who Abba really is then this I would have to say.
Those on the pulpit are not saved. They may have the knowledge of being priests or being lay leaders or being 'spiritual' but they know not God the Father. If they are, they would have abhorred at the notion of same sex marriage and relationship.
If one is really the under-shepherd of the Lord, then do consider the notion that if same sex relationship is enough, why God did not make another male to become Adam's helper and instead Abba decided to introduce a female? And if the female is not important, Abba would not have created a female in the first place too.
So my above statement underscores my belief that a female can be a leader of the church as there was a female Judge in the history of Israel. And the reason that are 2 sexes reflects how God views the sex issue.
And there is also the report that the African nations of 'prosperity' gospel has wrecked havoc in the Christian community. Being in a Church that was always being accused of worshipping money, it is easy to see the indignition when the Church leaders have misplaced God's real intention to bless everyone and then gorge themselves mad with the offerings & tithings from their flock.
Then I have to turn to the Temple practices in the Bible. The question are:
- Were the priests given the fat of the animals to eat by God?
- Were there poor people in the midst of the worshippers?
Both are yes and it is a reflection of what we do see in Church also. But can we safely judge that the preaching of Shalom, that is the fulfilment of all things good in the lives of believers, is bad?
It cannot be.
The message is a good message: That God is out to Bless everyone and out of that Blessings, the congregation is able to tithe faithfully and offer more financially to help the Church's work. As much as people want to dumb down the Blessings message, they have mislabel it as 'Prosperity Gospel'.
Some may be out and out operation in money grabbing and I will definitely support any action against preachers who do not have the heart for God and for His people to be corrected. But the message of God's Blessings through Christ MUST be preached. Blessings of Christ is the Blessings of Abraham's seed and Abraham's nation and is ordained by God to be passed to His people and the Blessings are to be given to those in need.
Hence the congregation has given out of their plenty and more are out of their poverty but God will definitely know what to do who has given out of their poverty. As Jesus has praised of the poor woman's contribution to the temple, He will know what to do to help.
So the clutch of the issue is the leaders who HOARD the Blessings from the Congregation and NOT the message of the Blessings. It is this HOARDING that caused the congregation to see the greed and they follow the example. May God, in His wisdom and Love, help the leaders but if they are not of God, then the proclaimation of judgment will be true for them as well.
However all these points to the 'falling away' that the good book has predicted all along. It is another chapter in the history of mankind in the eyes of the God of the Jews and Christians that this world is indeed falling apart; in morals, in the physical and in the spiritual and this paves the way for the current age of Grace to end.
So when will this judgment come?
My view is that the 'salt of the world' will be taken away really soon and the very action of this 'taking away', as the mass media has now known as 'The Rapture', will provide the backdrop for God's judgment to take place.
Why not now?
Very simply. Just see where Jesus has said with regards to His first coming and His Church age (which is now). In Luke 4:16-21 He comes to the synagogue and open the book and Isiah and read
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.’ And He closed the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon Him'
And if one were to look through the book of Isaiah and read through the whole passage that Jesus was reading (which was Isaiah 61:1-2), the Lord did not mention "And the day of vengence of our God".
This is wholly significant and sets the tone of how we should share the message of judgment on the internet and in emails and on the pulpit of the Church. If we are of Christ, hence we are called Christians, then we follow what Jesus Christ has been preaching in His synagogue. That is to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and stop at the message of vengence.
So I am always sad when Christians keep preaching judgment without the even handedness of the message of God's salvation.
God has not come to judge now; He has come to save.
How can people turn over a new leaf when we keep pressurizing them about the coming punishment without the message of how to avoid the punishment?
Time for us to stop preaching doom and gloom like what Moses has done by striking the rock instead of speaking to the rock (NUM 20:8). In the process of proclaiming judgment, we have misrepresented God the Abba as a judge instead of a loving Father in Heaven.
There is definitely a distinct difference between 'correction' and 'condemnation' and judging is definitely a form of condemnation which can only be correctly and fairly executed by the all knowing God.
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