On Friday night, February 28, 2025, there was a planetary parade or as some described it, a celestial parade. One writer said “The planetary parade on February 28, 2025, is a rare celestial event where seven planets—Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—align in the night sky. This once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon will be visible in the USA and worldwide after sunset. Five planets will be seen with the naked eye, while two will require telescopes. Stargazers should find a dark location, use star apps, and check the weather for the best experience. With the next occurrence not until 2040, this is a must.” It always amazes me how they know exactly when these parades are happening with the next 2040, 2080, 2161 yet God, the creator of the universe, is not praised. Last week I mentioned Stephen Hawking who had lots of theories about the universe but now has met God (to make a point) the theory of everything, the creator of the universe, but no one will hear what Hawking has to say and like Hawking did, most will continue to deny God to their dying day, even though no theory they believe in comes even close to explaining what they are seeing.

    We are told Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” We are also told Romans 1:18 “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Most do not accept God as creator because creation cannot be explained, yet everyday most live this life in the midst of the unexplained and that is just what man has created as people use man’s inventions even though they have no idea how they actually work. Every day they also enjoy God’s handiwork, yet have no idea how it happened but instead of accepting scripture, they listen to the ridiculous ideas of man that actually take more faith than to just believe there is a God who created all things. Hebrews tells us Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” So, if you can’t 100% agree to “in the beginning God created,” then you will pick and choose what you believe and don’t believe in the rest of scripture. Scriptures states Isaiah 46:9 “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.” Isaiah 42:5 “This is what God the Lord says— the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it.” Isaiah 40:22 “He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. 25 “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” Isaiah 44:24 “This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself.” Isaiah 40:28 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” Even those who call themselves Christians are even looking for some explanation and don’t quite believe that God is the creator of the universe in six days as described in scripture.  They just can’t get past what the scientists are saying. Instead, Romans 1:25 “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” They choose to believe man over God, yet man cannot even come close to explaining creation.

    It is not just these great celestial events like these parades that declare the glory of God, but every day the moon and the sun do as they were created to do. That means every day we have hope in the midst of the chaos of this world and the deception and delusion that has taken place in the church. God gave David a promise that there would always be a remnant. He said 2 Samuel 7:15 “But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’” I was listening to a song the other day that talked about God never taking his love away no matter what, and suggested that no matter how you lived God would still love you but if you keep reading, Solomon lost his father’s kingdom, Israel and Judah were both almost completely destroyed except for the few survivors and most of those survivors were taken captive to Babylon. God’s love doesn’t mean God turns a blind eye to sin and rebellion. The promise given to David is that there would always be a remnant. Jeremiah 29:10 “This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” Scripture doesn’t say you can live however you want, follow a different Jesus and adhere to other gospels and expect God to bless you. God’s love gives us hope because in His great compassion, He allows us to turn from our wicked ways and return to Him. 

    When there is a remnant, that means those who survived and that means many do not survive. The good news is that God will not break His promise and there will be a remnant of survivors, even today. The abomination that causes desolation has decimated the church. Jesus said, Matthew 24:22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” God will not completely reject His people, but a remnant means that there will only be a few survivors. Jesus also said when asked, Luke 13:23 “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved? 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’” There will be many who hear those words when it is too late, even though when they were alive they were told their place in heaven would be secure. The problem is they did not test the spirits to make sure of their salvation and were deceived. 1 John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” 

    False prophets are everywhere in the church. Even so there is still hope. Each day, aside from events like a celestial parade, when you see the moon and the sun doing as they were created to do, that means the promise to David is still in effect and there is still hope. Jeremiah 33:19 “The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20 “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, 21 then my covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. 22 I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’” When it seemed that king Sennacherib was going to destroy Jerusalem, king Hezekiah cried out Isaiah 37:20 “Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are the only God.” God then responds, “35 I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant!” “31 Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above. 32 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” Obviously if you are still alive, there is hope but don’t take that hope lightly, as we should Matthew 10:28 “be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Yet, Romans 3:18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

    Many will hear those words, but it will be too late, so do not wait. Humility and repentance are key to seeing the promises of God. 1 Peter 5:5 “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” Jesus said Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” That time is now, and that doesn’t mean a specific date in time. Hebrews 3:12 “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. 15 As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” It’s today so don’t wait to humble yourself and repent because today may be the only day you have, as tomorrow may not come.

    Having said that about today, we are approaching the Lenten season starting this Wednesday, March 5, 2025. Yes, that is a date and time. This is a calendar event that occurs every year and year after year the church never truly repents and turns from wicked ways even though it is supposed to be a time of repentance. On a Catholic website they said, “Lent is a 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday. It's a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection at Easter. During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by giving alms; and we practice self-control through fasting. We are called not only to abstain from luxuries during Lent, but to a true inner conversion of heart as we seek to follow Christ's will more faithfully. We recall the waters of baptism in which we were also baptized into Christ's death, died to sin and evil, and began new life in Christ.” This ritual, just as baptism is a ritual, (most don’t check what they are being baptized into) is just that, a ritual that takes place year after year and just like the Jews, a veil covers their face. 2 Corinthians 3:14 “But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” By not turning away from traditions, reasoning and experiences and returning to the word of God, the veil remains. Traditions, experience and reasoning have all been placed equal to or even higher than the word of God. Not only does the veil remain, deception and delusion also prevent hearing and seeing truth. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”

    For years now, I have used this time to focus on a subject and encourage repentance. This period of time is just an opportunity to focus on a subject more intently. Each day starting Wednesday, I will write and post it to the blog. I am not promoting the ritual of Lent or the days that fall on the calendar during that time, I am promoting a turning away from the powerless manmade church and returning to the word of God and the power that is available. The reality is most rituals are messed up. For example, the Lenten season starts with Mardi Gras / Pancake / Fat Tuesday. The original idea, Shrove Tuesday was supposed to be a time of self-examination, preparation and confession but became a time of indulging and revelry before the fast started. So, these next 46 days (40 days plus 6 Sundays) our focus will be on the power of God. The celestial parade is just a small example of God’s power, but most have rejected the power of God and desired the ways of man instead and the church remains powerless. This is also the time that Muslims observe Ramadan. Ramadan "is a time for Muslims to come together, focus on their spiritual and personal development and spend time giving charity and gathering with their community for prayers and events." So, we have two groups basically doing the same thing, but whose God is more powerful. Right now, there is no difference and sadly as Pew Research said, “In North America, Muslims and followers of “other religions” are the fastest-growing religious groups,” and Christianity is declining. Obviously, that is not how it was supposed to be, but when the church decided to follow a different Jesus and other gospels, deception, and delusion led to desolation and defeat.

    Now, today is the time to return to God’s word, yet most do not think they have turned away from God’s word as they are totally committed to the distinct teachings of their particular church. You can’t say you follow Jesus and not follow His word. John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The words of Jesus are not just the red letters. If you reject God’s word and add to them or take them away, you are rejecting Jesus and following a different Jesus and other gospels. God spoke that celestial parade into being, yet most will move on with a veil over their eyes and continue to miss out on the truth.

    The power of God is available today because nowhere does the bible say it is not available. What the bible does say is power becomes unavailable when we turn away from God’s word to go our own ways. Defeat always follows disobedience, but obedience leads to God’s power becoming available once again. Zechariah 1:3 “Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. 4 Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord.” Going through a ritual is not returning. The church is supposed to be Christmas, Easter and Pentecost every day and every day proclaims the Good news, leads people to repentance, heals the sick and casts out demons. When John’s disciples inquired if Jesus was the Messiah, Matthew 11:4 “Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” This is still supposed to be happening. James 5:14 “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

    What we saw Jesus and His disciples do is what the church was supposed to continue doing today in the same power and authority. Matthew 4:23 “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.” Mark 6:7 “Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. 12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” Acts 8:5 “Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.” That was what the church was supposed to look like and be doing on a daily basis. John 14:12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

    The god the church serves is not the same God we just read about. As Paul said 2 Corinthians 11:4 “For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” Galatians 1:6 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” This has caused the abomination that causes desolation to decimate the church, leaving the church defeated, powerless and the survivors in captivity. As Jesus said Matthew 24:22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive.” This assault on the church has been devastating.

    To survive, the church must return to the one true God. 2 Chronicles 15:3 “For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. 4 But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them.” Sadly, the church does not know enough to be in distress. When talking about idolatry, Jeremiah said Jeremiah 10:6 “No one is like you, Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. 7 Who should not fear you, King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise leaders of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you. 8 They are all senseless and foolish; they are taught by worthless wooden idols. 10 But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath.” Following other gospels is the same as idolatry and following other gods but that is not how it is supposed to be, as following anything manmade is useless. Instead, we are to follow the one true God who created the heavens and the earth. Isaiah 45:18 “For this is what the Lord says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— he says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” As Jesus prayed, John 17:3 “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” 1 John 5:18 “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” The good news is Revelation 11:15 “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” That was how it was supposed to be. Paul thanked God for the Thessalonians when he said, 1 Thessalonians 1:4 “For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” 

    Paul had said 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore I urge you to imitate me.” Paul did as Jesus did because he was obedient and would not waiver no matter what and the church was to continue doing as Paul did. Acts 26:18 “to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Acts 19:11 “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” Power did not stop after Paul because it was no longer needed, that’s ridiculous. Just take a look around and you will see why we need that same power and authority. The power stopped because the church went after other gods and rejected the word of God. Paul warned us, Acts 20:29 “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” It is satan deceiving people into believing that power is not available and yes satan is speaking from the pulpit in the church. 2 Timothy 4:1 “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 “He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” Paul also said 1 Corinthians 10:1 “For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” As Peter said 2 Peter 3:17 “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.” Many have fallen from their so-called secure positions but sadly they will not know it till it is too late.

    The church followed the wrong example and never tested the spirits and were deceived and deluded into believing that all was well with their souls, when it was not. Thus the church ended up powerless and in captivity and most do not even know it. For most, the Jesus they think they are following is not the word that became flesh, the great I Am, Creator of the universe. Jesus was given all power and authority and He gave that same power and authority to the church at Pentecost. Luke 24:49 “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Matthew 28:18 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Mark said it this way. Mark 16:5 “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” 19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” That is still supposed to be happening, but it is not.