In family worship, we have been reading from the book of Ezekiel. There are many deep and awesome truths found in that book, some of which unlock other mysteries that we have yet to understand. Throughout the coming weeks, I will write about the book of Ezekiel based on various points my family members bring out each night. I pray that you will blessed. The prophet is taken in the Spirit of the Lord to a valley - a valley of dry bones. These bones did not just appear yesterday. Whoever owned them had been dead for quite a while, and their bones had been exposed to sun and wind for some time as well. As he walks about in the desolate valley, looking on the multitude of bones, the Lord asks, "Ezekiel, can these bones live?" Could they? "You know, Lord." The next words from the mouth of the Most High are these: "...Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, 'O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unt...

"The tarry of Jacob and his sons at Shechem ended in violence and bloodshed. The one daughter of the household had been brought to shame and sorrow, two brothers were involved in the guilt of murder, a whole city had been given to ruin and slaughter, in retaliation for the lawless deed of one rash youth. The beginning that led to results so terrible was the act of Jacob’s daughter, who “went out to see the daughters of the land,” thus venturing into association with the ungodly. He who seeks pleasure among those that fear not God is placing himself on Satan’s ground and inviting his temptations." --Taken from Patriarchs and Prophets , p. 204

On a hill long ago, Someone died for doing nothing at all. In being obedient to his Father's will, He showed His Father's love. And thousands of years before His arrival to our dying planet, God painted a picture of what that love would look like. You see, His Son would become flesh and dwell as Deity among humanity. But the Father -- His losses would be less tangible in the eyes of His creation. So rather than using reams of paper and additional doctrinal points to show us His side of the sacrifice, He gave us a story. Abraham was another father; Isaac another son. The mother in this story is distant, almost nonexistent. There was another mountain far away from their home. It was a new place. There was another pile of wood, another willing son tied to it; another group of two men on the same journey, yet not called to the same fate. There were another father's tears; another son's prayers; another story of love and self-sacrifice. And it started in the beginning*...

My new favorite statement. It is so powerful, and fills me with awe and wonder that God would be so serious about His people. What does it mean to be so close to God? It means that we will be the first ones who He examines before taking us to glory. And should we not be ready? Should we not afflict our souls that we may be found worthy of the bounties of heaven? This little graphic depiction of Scriptures helped outline for me all of the parables that were going through my head. "And begin at my sanctuary..." My mind was flooded with different portions of Scripture; and here they all are for YOU . I believe that no Scripture is of any private interpretation. Is my parallel accurate? Are there any discrepancies? Does it match all the way across the Bible? I pray that this work will be a result of God's Holy Spirit; and I also pray that this work will reach and touch your heart, and guide you into all truth. "And Begin at My Sanctuary..." by Gab...

What is the fear of the Lord?  It is the beginning of wisdom. What does that look like? It looks like awe.           When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, we will realize just how wonderful He really is. We will be unable to fathom His greatness; and as we stand in complete silence, with no words to utter, we will feel the sheer awe of the Beauty of Holiness. Let's look at Job. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~           Yet there was a missing link in Job's connection with God. Does Job know who God really is? Nope, not yet. By the time we reach chapter forty-two, he does know; but not before.            You see, Job's view of God was along the same thought process as Jonathan Edwards. God was someone to be feared, too big to mess around with -- too big to mess up with. God was -- and is -- the judge of the earth. "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me...

"The Bible is its own expositor. Scripture is to be compared with scripture. The student should learn to view the word as a whole, and to see the relation of its parts. He should gain a knowledge of its grand central theme, of God’s original purpose for the world, of the rise of the great controversy, and of the work of redemption. He should understand the nature of the two principles that are contending for supremacy, and should learn to trace their working through the records of history and prophecy, to the great consummation. He should see how this controversy enters into every phase of human experience; how in every act of life he himself reveals the one or the other of the two antagonistic motives; and how, whether he will or not, he is even now deciding upon which side of the controversy he will be found." Taken from Education, p. 190

This quarter -- July to September, 2012 -- PlugIn2God put the focus on prophecy. "History Revealed" covers that end which has been revealed by God before it has even taken place. When John writes it, hardly any of the events of Revelation had taken place. Sure, five emperors of Rome had reigned (Revelation 17:9-11); but that is only one of the few key aspects of the book that had already occurred. Now, to us readers in the twenty-first century, many of the events have taken place; and we await very little of the conclusion of the fulfillment of the prophecy. I would, however, like to apologize. Unlike the first two quarters, the third quarter did not provide a study booklet. It did not provide supplementary material. The web page was not even updated. There were many factors that caused this. But ultimately, Satan stepped to ensure that the correct material was given. But God is faithful. "For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth enduret...

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death" (Revelation 12:11). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Everyone says that exercise is good for me. I mean me . Whenever I complain about exercising, people tell me, "Nope, you are wrong. It would do you well." It leaves me chagrined most of the time.  Today, however, I actually tried. I went and took the time to willingly take a simple walk on our hill. Do you know what the best part was? I can testify to the usefulness and value of exercise. Because I experienced it, it now has meaning for me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The principle of Christianity is the having of an experience. It is growing in grace. It is coming to a knowledge of our Lord and Savior. It is my  experience. "He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true"   (John 3:33). Testimonies are a significant form...

Note: The following article is appropriate for all ages, and should be read with family and friends. Before our earth was created, a war began and is still going on in our world today. This war is called   the Great Controversy . The word  controversy  (pronounced " khan -tro-verse-ee") is taken from the Latin word  controversus  (pronounced "khan-tro- were -sus")   meaning disputable or, more literally, turned against . Between whom is this controversy? It is between Jesus Christ and His enemy, the Devil. So who is turned against whom? The Devil is turned against Jesus and is opposing Him. And what exactly is being disputed? The Devil thinks that Jesus is not as powerful as He claims to be. "And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God , command this stone that it be made bread" (Luke 4:3 KJV). " And the LORD said unto Satan, 'Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none...