September 5, 2021 – End Times Prophecy Report

A Few Thoughts on PAIN

Because EVERY man has–at one time or another—experienced PAIN, a great many feel that this experience qualifies them as EXPERTS on the topic of “PAIN.”

HOWEVER, just because someone has experienced pain does NOT mean that person’s experiences make that person universally qualified to expound on pain.

Pain:

a: (1) a localized or generalized unpleasant bodily sensation or complex of sensations that causes mild to severe physical discomfort and emotional distress and typically results from bodily disorder (such as injury or disease)- also: the state marked by the presence of such sensations
//was in constant pain

(2) a basic bodily sensation that is induced by a noxious stimulus, is received by naked nerve endings, is associated with actual or potential tissue damage, is characterized by physical discomfort (such as pricking, throbbing, or aching), and typically leads to evasive actio

b: mental or emotional distress or suffering: GRIEF
//the pain she had felt at those humiliating words— Morley Callaghan

HOWEVER, as the reader perhaps understands ALL TO WELL: NOT being qualified as an EXPERT on a subject does NOT–in ANY manner–mean that person will remain quiet when the conversation turns to the aches and pains suffered by someone else–or ESPECIALLY if the conversation turns to those pains suffered by the would-be expert.

And so–keeping all of that in mind and with a RECENT conversation centered on that topic serving as the main springboard–the following thoughts are offered on PAIN.

1- Describing PAIN as a ‘sensation of DISCOMFORT’ does NOT mean that this description makes the describer an advocate of PAIN.

“Discomfort” and “unpleasant” are ways of DESCRIBING PAIN–not announcements that PAIN is in any way to be desired.

2- Despite a sizable group of “hurts so good” proponents, MOST humans will flee the unpleasant sensations caused by PAIN.

3- There are several LEVELS of pain.

There is PHYSICAL pain, which is primarily PAIN which affects the victim PHYSICALLY.

There is MENTAL pain, which primarily affects the mental state or functioning of the victim.

There is EMOTIONAL pain, which primarily affects the emotions of the sufferer.

There is SPIRITUAL pain, in which a person’s SPIRIT suffers primarily.

4- Most people treat ALL PAIN as if it were PHYSICAL.

Perhaps this is because the most common pains in life seem to be PHYSICAL ones?

5- There are certain substances offered for relieving PHYSICAL PAIN–primarily pharmaceuticals.

While it appears that these substances reduce primarily pain of a PHYSICAL nature, they do NOT reduce ALL physical pains.

Does the reader find this to be odd?

6- These pain-reducers or ‘pain relievers‘ will NOT also work for PAIN other than the PHYSICAL type.

Perhaps that is why NO ONE will advise someone suffering a messy divorce to take a few aspirins?

7- PHYSICAL PAIN seems to be the easiest–or at least the most heavily-promoted–type of pain which is treated.

Pain of a mental, emotional or spiritual type appears to be NOT treatable presently, EXCEPT for the sedating of that person.

8- Many so-called ‘remedies’ for pain consist of so heavily sedating a person that it mentally incapacitates that person.

While this ‘relief’ may stop the sufferer from feeling pain, it also renders the sufferer UNABLE to function otherwise.

9- While there are ‘remedies’ available for PHYSICAL pain, it has become increasingly harder for the sufferer to access these ‘remedies.’

This appears to be because of the HEAVY, unfavorable publicity during the past 10-20 years over OPIOIDS.

10- One of the most effective–though many feel is too ‘slow-acting–is TIME.

IN FACT, the world has a saying for this thought.

“Time heals all wounds.”

The passing of TIME allows a person suffering from INTENSE pain to address a pain (which was unthinkable to contemplate AT THE TIME) to be studied LATER; in hindsight.

11- God’s Word mentions that there will come a time when God Himself will soothe and relieve pain or ANYTHING causing discomfort–including those woes which are mentally- or emotionally- or spiritually-based.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
–Revelation 21:4

There were a number of OTHER thoughts on the subject–mostly having to so with those people said to be ‘self-medicating’ their pains.

We will–God willing–address these other thoughts in the near future.

HAS the reader ever suffered from PAIN of one sort or another?

WHAT relieved that pain?

It is not YET too late: there is still a little time to change direction (repent), place your faith (hope) for the future entirely on Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.

DOES the reader believe he is saved?

Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival

DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?

Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ”
–1 Corinthians 15:1-8

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16

A Reminder: The Gospel is Simple

MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

[Portions of this piece appeared originally in End Times Prophecy Headlines: September 3-5, 2021.]

MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

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by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier

image: Image from OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay.com

© Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report, 2012-21. © Mondo Frazier and End Times Prophecy Report, DBKP 2007-2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Link Disclaimer: inclusion of links to other blogs/websites is not necessarily an endorsement of all content posted in those blogs/websites.

[NOTE: The following articles are from a service. We neither endorse nor at times have much control over them–although we do, of course, enjoy articles originating from this website on this service. Some articles illustrate points made in ETPR articles; some are merely for the reader’s edification or education.

Why Do So Many in the Churches Appear Unhappy?

[A few years ago, ETPR published an article (Fake Christians: Wearing the Mask of a Strict, Joyless Life) about the pretenders in the churches acting so unhappy. At the time, it was decided that there was MORE to add to this topic at some later point. That ‘later point’ is NOW. And so, it was recently decided to revisit that thought.]

FIRST, a few old thoughts.

To summarize the important parts of that previous article, we present the following.

1- The world insists that a life lived without sin is a life without “FUN!“

These counterfeits have presented a public face of strict, austere coldness as “proof” they are “good people.” The idea, apparently, is that these counterfeits have forsaken the “fun” things of life here on earth and are living proof that sin is a provider of fun, glee and all of the wonderful things in life.

2- Unhappiness demands conformity–and that conformity demonstrates to the world that there is NO ‘fun’ in being a Christian FUNdamentalist.

Prude, prig, puritan: these words accurately describe those who have demonstrated their “goodness” by making life miserable for others.

They accomplish this NOT by preaching the gospel.

They accomplish this (most usually) by insisting that those around them adhere to the same set of rules and regulations by which the counterfeits supposedly live their cold, hard lives.

Their aim?

To bring reproach to the name of Jesus Christ.

FINALLY, a few NEW thoughts on the topic.

One would think that the churches would be FILLED with happy, joyous folks.

After all, the churches are supposed to look like THE CHURCH. (This is NOT to say that there are NO joyous folks in the churches: there are. But the joyous folks appear to be the exception, rather than the rule.)

“The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
–Psalm 19:8

1- Nearly every waking moment of the REAL Christian’s life is colored by the realization that he is actually going to heaven; that the blessings of eternal life are his.

It’s like the Christian has won some GREAT, cosmic lottery!

This gives the REAL Christian a reason to be ever JOYFUL.

However, pretend Christians know NOTHING of this JOY.

IN FACT, pretend Christians cannot even imagine such joy: because pretend Christians are deceived, they write off such joy as the product of an over-active imagination.

IN FACT, the world of the pretend Christian seem to be populated by Gloomy Gus and Debbie Downer.

2- Because so FEW church folk (who are NOT active workers of iniquity) are acquainted with REAL Christians, they are sucked in to the fable that to be a Christian is to be unpleasantly cheerless. Therefore, a certain percentage of the church folk believe this dismal melancholy is part of the ‘Christian lifestyle.’

3- The church folk DO partake in some ‘acceptable’ behaviors which are contrary to God’s Word.

EATING (or rather, OVER-eating) is one of these.

So many church social events appear to promote a meal or eating as the feature event of the evening.

Apparently, GLUTTONY appears to be an ‘acceptable’ behavior among the tares and their followers.

4- NOWHERE is it demonstrated in the churches that the pretenders have undergone the transformed life which comes from being reborn spiritually.

IF they were reborn spiritually, they would KNOW true joy.

IF they WERE reborn spiritually, they would be pretenders no longer.

“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
–John 3:1-7

5- Those in the churches who pretend to be Christians are largely OUTSIDE the scope of God’s great mercy.

IF those in the churches who pretend to be Christians were reborn spiritually, they would not only experience the joy of KNOWING their eternal destination, they would be provided with many infallible proofs of God’s great mercy.

KNOWING that God’s great mercy has touched their lives would be reason enough to exhibit great JOY–not austere cheerlessness–to their fellows.

6- God’s mercy begins with the putting of one’s faith for the future in the hands of Jesus Christ.

7- Putting one’s faith in the future securely in the hands of Jesus Christ begins with a fervent belief in the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ.

DOES the reader believe that church attendance is a necessary part of end times life?

DOES the reader look forward to these various church events OR are they a ‘necessary evil’?

It is not YET too late: there is still a little time to change direction (repent), place your faith (hope) for the future entirely on Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.

DOES the reader believe he is saved?

Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival

DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?

Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16

A Reminder: The Gospel is Simple

MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

[Portions of this piece appeared originally in End Times Prophecy Headlines: August 30, 2021.]

MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

MORE

RELATED ARTICLES

by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier

image: Photo by Ariv Gupta on Unsplash.com

Link Disclaimer: inclusion of links to other blogs/websites is not necessarily an endorsement of all content posted in those blogs/websites.

Confusion Over Remorse

“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
–2CORINTHIANS 7:10

There exists some CONFUSION over REMORSE.

So many moderns believe that if one feels “sorry” for their actions, then that is the same AS IF they had never done those actions at all.

IN FACT, many moderns seem to feel (at least from what they write on social media) that “being sorry” (or “REMORSE“) for having done something wrong or hurtful is the KEY to living a good life.

But is it?

God’s Word (as usual) has the last word on this behavior.

IF “remorse” is GENUINE–as opposed to merely being talk for observers (and bystanders rendering judgment on whether the person expressing “remorse” is a ‘good person’)–then it will cause the person expressing remorse to CHANGE HIS BEHAVIOR; to change the path on which he had previously walked.

This change of behavior is largely what is called “repentance” in the Bible.

When God commands man to repent, He is MOSTLY saying, “Change your ways, O man.”

Any confusion on the matter appears to cleared up IF the person expressing “remorse” is affected enough to “change his ways” (repent).

IF there is NO demonstration of repentance, any and all such “remorse” is nothing more than just words.

And ‘just words’ isthe sorrow of the world.

DOES the reader believe that it is very important for a sinner to express REMORSE?

DOES the reader believe that all of the showy displays of remorse are REAL GODLY SORROW or just displays?

It is not YET too late: there is still time to change direction (repent), place your faith (hope) for the future entirely on Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.

DOES the reader believe he is saved?

Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival

DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?

Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16

A Reminder: The Gospel is Simple

MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

[Portions of this piece appeared originally in End Times Prophecy Headlines: August 31, 2021.]

MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

MORE: NOT SORRY: The Non-Apology Apology

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by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier

image: Photo by Polina Zimmerman from Pexels.com

Link Disclaimer: inclusion of links to other blogs/websites is not necessarily an endorsement of all content posted in those blogs/websites.

End Times Advice: Are You An Old Dog? Learn New Tricks!

Whenever someone expresses surprise, shock OR anger at an end times event which has clearly startled the speaker, a popular phrase in these parts is to say to that bewildered one:

“You ain’t seen nothing yet!”

This phrase is meant to convey SEVERAL IDEAS.

1- Better buckle your seat belt because we live in the end times–and, things are just getting started!

2- IF the speaker read, studied and BELIEVED God’s Word, he would NOT be taken aback by the event which just shocked him.

IN FACT, someone once responded to the observation ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet!” with a lament–which was meant as a sort of justification for the responder’s surprise.

“But I’m an old dog. I’m too old to learn any new tricks!”

Which is not only an admission to failure NOW, it is an excuse for all future failures.

(And that is where that particular line of discussion ended–for some time.)

Some time after the remark about ‘being an old dog’ was made, someone came up with a good rejoinder.

“Hey! It’s the end times, buddy! Old dogs are gonna HAVE to learn NEW TRICKS to survive!”

(This is where that particular line of discussion is at present.)

And so, this is a good opportunity to remind readers NOT to get set in your ways.

The end times–the last days, in particular–will require a great many who desire to soldier on to do things in a manner which is fresh and NEW to them.

OLD TRICKS might include the world’s not-very-effective, physical preparations for what is to come: there is NO way for the reader to physically prepare for what is to take place. The ONLY preparations to be made are spiritually.

MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

And so, today’s advice might be:

“Old dogs: get ready to learn new tricks!”

Or rather

“Old dogs: have you learned any new tricks this week?”

DOES the reader believe that he is adept at adapting to unexpected circumstances?

HOW have the many changes which have occurred lately affected the reader?

HAS the reader been able to roll with the punches?

It is not YET too late: there is still a little time to change direction (repent), place your faith (hope) for the future entirely on Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.

DOES the reader believe he is saved?

Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival

DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?

Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16

A Reminder: The Gospel is Simple

MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

[Portions of this piece appeared originally in End Times Prophecy Headlines: August 30, 2021.]

MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

MORE