Good News Press

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December/January 2014
A Message From Good News Press
Good News Press is an outreach publication. The Christian message is often
referred to as the "Gospel," which means
"good news." Specifically, it is the good
news about Jesuswho He is, what He
has done, and what He offers. Essentially,
the message is that Jesus was God in the
flesh, that He came into the world to reconcile humanity to Himself, and that his
salvation is freely offered to each person
who will respond in faith. The Gospel
message explains that salvation is only
possible through the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus. Through his sacrifice,
Jesus paid the price for our sinfulness
(rebellion against God), thus offering us
forgiveness. Then through his Resurrection He conquered death, removing it as
the penalty for our sin and replacing it
with the offer of eternal life that is only
available from Him to all those that place
their faith in Him.

Gods Greatest Gifts to Us

By Connie Woods

what would be if he never created us? Well thank God that

This holiday season, Christians he did because we benefit from
celebrate, with lots to be thank- and enjoy all that he has made.
ful for. Were reminded just
how much God loves us, as we What a wonderful gift to be created and have life.
ponder how He has richly
.
blessed believers through his
2. God Loving Us & His Other
Son. This Christmas, as we
worship and celebrate, our Sav- Attributes
ior and Lord Jesus Christ, and 1 John 4:19 - We love him, because he
first loved us.
as we enjoy holiday parties,
gather with family and friends, A God that loves us is just as
and shop for gifts, lets remem- about as good as it gets. We
ber that the best gifts in life are should be bursting at the
the ones that God has already seams with joy to have a God
given and promised to us.
who truly cares for us and
wants our best. He has the
9 Great Gifts From God
ability and power to take care
1. Creation
of us and meet every need. We
Genesis 1:1,27 In the beginning God
created the heaven and the earth.
serve a God whose attributes
27 So God created man in his own imare beneficial to us- omniscient
age, in the image of God created he
(all-knowing), omnipotent (all
him; male and female created he them
powerful) merciful, longsuffering, holy, just, merciful,
Have you ever thought about
and on and on.. And lets
Gods awesome creation, and

not forget he loved us even

when we were sinners.
3. Sent his Son Jesus Christ
to Save Us
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life.

4. His Spirit Indwelling Believers

Acts1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that

the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be
witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all
Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost
part of the earth.

What a miracle, to have God

living on the inside of us. To
have him with us constantly,
guiding us, leading us, talking
to us, and we with him. The
Holy Ghost is an amazing gift,
that God gave us. God living in
us, empowers us and gives us
Continued on Page 2

Plan of Salvation:

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever shall believe in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt
be saved.

Good News Press - 2

Gods Greatest Gifts Contd from
Page 1 by Connie Woods

the ability to live an

overcoming life that
pleases him. His
Spirit causes us to
bear fruit, while the
gifts of the Spirit he
give us is to build up
the body of Christ.
5. Relationship
With Him
James 4:8 - Draw nigh to
God, and he will draw
nigh to you. God de-

6. The Word of God you: and ye shall be witPsalms 119:105 Thy word is
a lamp unto my feet, and a
light unto my path.

What another treat.

To have Gods word
means we dont have
to walk in darkness,
but can know Gods
will and plan for our
lives.
7. Promises of God
God gave us an avenue through faith in
him and belief in his
word to have all our
needs and desires
met.
8. Power
Act 1:8 But ye shall re-

sires us to have a
personal relationship with him. We
pray (talk to God),
read his word, and
obey his commandments, and seek him ceive power, after that the
Holy Ghost is come upon
continually.

nesses unto me both in

Jerusalem, and in all Judaea,
and in Samaria, and unto
the uttermost part of the
earth. God has given

us power to do
whatever it is he
calls us to do.

9. Eternal Life & A

Glorious Future

These things I have written to you who believe in

the name of the Son of
God, that you may know
that you have eternal life,
and that you may continue to believe in the name
of the Son of God. (1
John 5:13). What a

glorious future we
have in Christ Jesus.

2013 Christmas Canceled? Survey Finds

63% Of Shoppers Havent Saved a Penny
New data from GoBank-

ingRates.com shows most

Americans haven't budgeted for holiday gifts, while
40 percent plan to refrain
from spending this season.
PR Newswire-- According
to recent GoBankingRates.com polls, more
than 63 percent of respondents didn't allocate
any savings toward holiday
gift buying. Additionally,
more than 40 percent of
respondents said they
would not be buying holiday gifts this year at all.
To see study details, go to
http://bit.ly/1dzxIT3.

with children and grandkids, too," noted Casey

Bond, GoBankingRates.com
managing editor.
"Recent fiscal turmoil in
Washington may have suppressed optimism for holiday consumerism this year.
However, I would argue
that consumers are being
overly-optimistic about
their ability to resist holiday shopping," Bond added.

Survey Questions, Answers and Results

"How much money did you
save for your holiday gift
shopping?"
"While it's unfortunate so "Over $1,000" (11.6%)
many shoppers are putting "Between $500 and
themselves at risk of start- $1,000" (7.9%)
"$500 or less" (17.1%)
ing off the new year in
debt, what's really surpris- "None" (63.1%)
"Other" (0.3%)
ing is how many people
said they're not buying gifts "How much do you plan to
at all; it's not just the young spend on holiday gifts this
and broke it's people
season?"

"I'm not buying holiday

gifts" (40.3%)
"Less than $500" (37.4%)
"Between $500 and
$1,000" (14.6%)
"Over $1,000" (7.8%)
Additional Findings
Holiday Savings:
Respondents in the West
reported saving the most
money for holiday shopping, whereas respondents
in the South reported the
least savings.
At least 50 percent of respondents from each income level (ranging from
$0 - $24,999 to $150,000
+) reported no holiday
savings.
Holiday Spending:
Males were more likely
than females to report no
plans to buy holiday gifts.
However, male respondents more often stated that

Continued on Page 7

Religion News Headlines

Trinity Broadcasting Network Statement
Concerning the Health of TBN Founder Dr.
Paul Crouch

Trinity Broadcasting Network issued the following

statement concerning the health of TBN founder and
President Dr. Paul Crouch:
Dr. Paul Crouch, founder and president of the Trinity
Broadcasting Network (TBN), was taken to a Dallas
area hospital on October 22 due to shortness of
breath and breathing difficulties he experienced while
at TBN's Colleyville, Texas facility. Over the last decade, Dr. Crouch has been treated for a chronic heart
condition and last year he received a pacemaker. He is
resting comfortably while his doctors address his
health needs and as he continues his recovery in the
hospital.
Dr. Paul Crouch, Founder of TBN
Everyone associated with TBN, and especially Jan and
the Crouch family, want to express their deep and sincere appreciation for the
countless prayers and expressions of support and encouragement offered by TBN's
many friends and partners all over the world. At times like this we are reminded that
God is truly manifest through love, and the love and kindness so many have expressed has been a great blessing. Thank you, and may God bless each one of you.

Evangelist Billy Graham to Mark 95th Birthday with Message to America By Colleen Jen-

kins (Reuters) - Evangelist Billy Graham's voice is

softer and his body weaker, but the man who helped
transform Christianity in America and counseled
U.S. presidents will reach out to the nation on his
95th birthday in an effort to revitalize the church.
Graham, who has not preached publicly since 2006
because of frail health, has filmed a public message to
air on national television on his November 7 birthday, giving fans a rare and possibly final opportunity
to see the man dubbed "America's Pastor." .

Supreme Court to Consider Religious Prayer at Government Meetings Lauren Markoe

Evangelist Billy Graham

(RNS) -- In a case that could determine restrictions on expressions of faith in the

public square, the Supreme Court on Wednesday (Nov. 6) will consider religious
prayers that convene government meetings. At issue in Greece v. Galloway is whether
such invocations pass constitutional muster, even when government officials are not
purposefully proselytizing or discriminating.
Can a town council, for example, open its
meetings with prayers invoking Jesus Christ, as
happened repeatedly in the town of Greece,
N.Y.? ..more at www.religionnews.com

Selena Gomez to Kick Off Salvation

Army Red Kettle Campaign

(Salvation Army USA) We are thrilled to announce that Selena Gomez will return to her
hometown of Dallas, TX to kick off The Salvation Armys 123rd annual Red Kettle Campaign
Salvation Army & Dallas Cowboys name
with a musical performance during halftime of
Selena Gomez as Thanksgiving performer.
the Dallas Cowboys game on Thanksgiving Day.
In its 17th year, the Red Kettle Kick Off show hosted annually by the Dallas Cowboys will launch yet another great season of giving. Last year, the American public
donated a record $148.7 million to The Salvation Armys red kettles, allowing the
organization to serve millions of Americans with food, shelter, clothing, financial assistance and toys for children. Giving back is so important, and I am looking forward to kicking off the iconic Red Kettle Campaign and getting those bells ringing.

Good News Press - 3

Parents Demand Safer Option To
Facebooks Public Option For Teens
-- This
month, Facebook, the most
dominant social media network on the planet with
nearly 1.2 billion members,
relaxed its privacy settings
rules to allow new teenage
members to share their posted information with anyone
on the Internet.
This change affects teen users
13 to 17, a prime demographic for advertisers. Teens previously had been limited to
sharing posts and photos only
with their friends or friend
networks. Now, they have
the option of switching their
settings so that whatever
they share will be accessible
by the general public. Facebook will warn teens that
they are exposing their information to a wider audience,
and the default settings will
remain friends-only.
It remains to be seen whether teens understand how
sharing their thoughts or pictures of their activities to a
potential audience of millions
can come back to haunt
them. But this is what Steve
Woda, CEO of uKnow.com - a firm that provides social
media monitoring of kids'
accounts -- tells the blog Inside Facebook recently:

with the privacy settings. We

see time and time again, teens
making mistakes with regard
to such settings. And it's difficult, right now, for a lot of
parents to know if their kids
are online. We constantly
deal with parents trying to
get a handle on this."

nationwide.
"[Smart Shepherd is] giving
parents power and control
again with a device that, quite
candidly, has created a whole,
private and separate world
out there," says Davis, the
creator of Legacy Technology
Group. "The statistics show
60 hours a week [spent] on
these phones. That's more
than a full-time job on these
little smart devices that
you've got to absolutely
[monitor] as a parent."
Smart Shepherd allows a parent to monitor all real-time
phone activity on their child's
phone from their own
smartphone, including incoming and outgoing calls, text
messages, emails, social media
activity, pictures and videos
viewed, and all Internet activity. Smart Shepherd also provides a Panic Button, a unique
feature installed on the child's
phone that automatically
sends a text notifying the
parents of an emergency situation. The feature also provides a map to the child's
location while simultaneously
taking photos of the area and
uploading them to the
parent's portal.
Smart Shepherd offers affordable and robust protection,

Woda tells Inside Facebook

many parents don't understand social media sites well
enough to follow all of their
kids' activities. The new option policy for teens not only
can keep such parents away
from their children's pages,
but the online savvy will understand how to access them.
Parents must have a means of
countering the potential
threats to their children engaged on the Internet: cyberbullying, "sexting" content,
even online predators. The
latest release of a service
from a company called Legacy
Technology Group and its
founder, Damon Davis, can
give parents that ability.
Davis' creation, Smart Shepherd, is powerful new software, downloaded as easy as
an App, that allows parents
to remotely monitor and
control their children's online
activity. Smart Shepherd has
quickly become a trusted
"I find teenagers are not great level of security for youth
Continued on Page 7

Veterans Day - Many Restaurants Honor

Veterans With a Free Dinner
This Veterans Day, restaurants across the United States
are holding an event to honor
former and present military
personnel. As a token of gratitude for their service, they
are offering veterans a complimentary dinner.
Veterans Day gives all Americans the oppor-tunity to
thank veterans for their service and their sacrifices.
The day shouldn't be confused with Memo-rial Day,
which honors those who lost
their lives in military service.

Veterans Day is a different

type of celebration. It honors
living veterans of American
wars. It's a day for us to honor and appreciate them.
For veterans themselves, it
can be a very pleasant day.
They may gather at veterans
clubs or get together with
men and women they served
with. They often swap mostly
funny stories about what
happed during very serious
and dangerous times. Or they
can just enjoy a family outing
held in their honor.

It's important that we know

why we celebrate Veterans
on November 11 so that we
can honor our former service
members properly. Veterans
Day was originally set as a
U.S. legal holiday to mark the
end of World War I, which
officially took place on November 11, 1918. In 1954,
after having been through
both World War II and the
Korean War, the 83rd U.S.
Congress changed the name
to Veterans Day. It became a
day to honor American veterans of all wars.

Romans Road To Salvation

Romans 3:23 "For all have
sinned, and come short of the
glory of God."

Every person who has ever lived on

Earth has sinned and fell short of
Gods expectations, except for the
Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:23a "For the wages of

sin is death..."
We were all on our way to Hell because there is a price to be paid for
sin. It is a physical and spiritual death
and eternal separation from God.
This eternal separation also includes
sinners being eternally lost and cast
into the Lake of fire.

Romans 6:23b "...but the gift of

God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord."
The good news is we can be saved
from this death and separation from
God. Eternal life is a gift from God
but only available through the Lord
Jesus Christ. He is the only way.

were not righteous but we all were

sinners. But God loved us so much
that while we were yet doing our
things, going our own ways, deep in
sin, Christ died for us. He bore the
penalty for all of our sins.

Romans 10:9,10 "That if thou

shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in
thine heart that God hath raised
him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved. For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation."
Confess the Lord Jesus and believe in
your heart that God raised him from
the dead, so that God can save you.
He doesnt care about what sins you
have done in the past. He loves you
and wants to save you. Jesus Christ
paid the complete price, taking all of
mankinds sins unto himself on the
cross. We have to no longer be
slaves to sin and death.

Romans 10:13 "For whosoever

Romans 5:8, "But God comshall call upon the name of the
mendeth his love toward us, in
Lord shall be saved."
that, while we were
yet sinners,
Christian
Ministry
Declines
Exemption
Call on theTax
Lord and
ask him to save
Christ died for us."
you. God wants to. He loves you!
Man was not deserving of God, we

Good News Press - 4

Bay Area Holiday Food Resources
Alameda County Food Bank,
7900 Edgewater Drive, Oakland, CA, 94621. (510) 635FOOD (3663).

Holiday Toy and food baskets.

Residents of an Leandro, San
Lorenzo, and Castro Valley.
http://davisstreet.org/
The Food Bank operates an auto- index.php/supporting-ourmated Holiday Food Helpline in
holiday-program/
November and December for referrals to holiday food programs. Tri Valley Haven, 418 JuncEmergency Food Helpline:
tion, Livermore, CA 94551.
(800)-870-FOOD (3663)
925-449-1664. Holiday Food
Website: www.accfb.org/holidayfood-assistance/

Glide Memorial Church, 330

Ellis St. San Francisco, CA.
94102. 415-674-6000. Serves
over 5,000 meals on Thanksgiving. Breakfast is served 78:30 am; Thanksgiving dinner
is served 9-2pm. Same times
for Christmas meals as well.
Glide offers a toy giveaway on
Dec. 21, 2013.

Alameda Food Bank, 1900

Thau Way, Alameda, CA
94501. 510-523-5850.
Offers Thanksgiving food baskets on the Tuesday before
Thanksgiving and Holiday Certificates in December: Every
year the Food Bank provides
gift certificates to a local grocery store for households to
purchase their holiday
meal. The Food Bank recently began offering certificates
to accommodate the many
cultural preferences amongst
our recipients so that everyone is able to have the meal
most appropriate to their customs. Must be Alameda resident.
http://alamedafoodbank.org Homeless eating Christmas Dinner Americanspirit |
Dreamstime.com

Centro de Servicios, 525 H

Street, Union City, CA 94587. 510
489-4100.
Distributes Holiday Food Baskets
prior to Thanksgiving and Christmas, on Nov. 21st and Dec. 19th
to Union City Residents only. First
come, first served.

Davis Street Family Resource

Center, 3081 Teagarden Street,
San Leandro, CA 94577.
510.347.4620.

Bags for Thanksgiving and

Christmas, as well as gifts for
residents of Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin, and Sunol. Must
fill out application at office.
www.trivalleyhaven.org
Bay Area Rescue Mission, 123
MacDonald Avenue, Richmond, CA . 510-215 45555.
Distribution of Holiday Food
Bags. Must be a resident.

Acts Full Gospel Church

Youth Dept. Debutante Program
Bishop Bob Jackson, Senior Pastor
Sis Pinn, Youth Director
1034 66th Ave, Oakland CA
www.actsfullgospelchurch.org
510-567-1300
Contact: Sis Sandy Bradley-Claybrooks,
Program Director For More Info

Phone: (925) 565-0195

Acts Full Gospel Church,

1034 66th Avenue, Oakland, CA 94621. 510-5671300.
Distributes food baskets to
needy families. Must be on
their list. Call for more info.
Christmas toys given out
after morning Christmas
Service on Dec. 25.
Faith Lutheran Church,
20080 Redwood Rd, Castro
Valley, CA.
Must sign up at the church
on Thursday Oct. 31st, Nov.
7th, or Nov. 14th at 6:457:30 pm to receive a basket
on Sat. Nov. 23rd, 2013.
Does not have to be a resident of Castro Valley.

Salvation Army, 620 East Tregallas Rd., Antioch CA 94509.

925-778-0303. Food Assistance
and Thanksgiving and Holiday
Food Baskets & Toys.
Concord Community Church,
3950 Clayton Road, Concord,
CA. 925-676-6180. Thanksgiving and Holiday Food Baskets
& Toys..

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Good News Press - 5

Advice from the CDC:

Holiday safety and health
for families
Wash your hands often
Keeping hands clean is one of the most
important steps you can take to avoid
getting sick and spreading germs to others. Wash your hands with soap and
warm water for at least 20 seconds. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue
when you cough or sneeze.
Stay warm
Cold temperatures can cause serious
health problems, especially in infants and
older adults. Stay dry, and dress warmly
in several layers of loose-fitting, tightly
woven clothing.

across the country, take steps to ensure

that your trip is safe. Wear a seat belt
every time you drive or ride in a motor
vehicle. Always buckle your child in the
car using a child safety seat, booster seat,
or seat belt according to his/her height,
weight, and age.
Watch the kids
Children are at high risk for injuries. Keep
a watchful eye on them when they're eating and playing. Have potentially dangerous toys, food, drinks, household items,
choking hazards (like coins and hard candy), and other objects out of kids' reach.
Learn how to provide early treatment for
children who are choking, and make sure
toys are used properly.

Prevent injuries
Injuries can occur anywhere and some
occur around the holidays. Use step
Manage stress
stools instead of furniture when hanging
Keep a check on over-commitment and
decorations. Keep candles away from
over-spending. Balance work, home, and children, pets, walkways, trees, and curplay. Get support from family and friends. tains. Never leave fireplaces, stoves, or
Keep a relaxed and positive outlook and candles unattended.
get enough sleep.
Don't use generators, grills, or charcoalburning devices inside your home or garTravel safely by car
age.
Whether you're traveling across town or

Involve Your Children in Holiday Prep

spend 38.1 minutes a
week in meaningful conjust to be with you versation with their children. For
working
parents,
those
minutes
can be
hard to
find.
Christmastime
offers
some
great opSo-called quality time is portunities to interact
nice, like taking your
with kids, who are enchild to the zoo, but the chanted by the celebratruth is that kids don't
tion. Shopping, tree decreally want quality time, orating, baking and table
they just want time,
decorating, all offer time
your time and lots of it. to interact with children.
A report by A.C. Niel- Clifton Chadwick, a unison Co. shows parents

What kids want:

versity education professor, says housework and

car-pooling are important times to talk
with kids. Parents can
also establish a family
meal and involve kids in
food preparation and
conversation.
Dads can make time, for
instance, involving kids
in any routine household
activities such as washing the car or making
repairs.
As children grow and
have homework, sports,
friends and activities,
established family activities can keep relationships warm.

Good News Press - 6

Understanding Angels
By Greg Hanson
Society holds a fascination for angels. People
want to know: What do
angels look like? Does
each person have a
guardian angel? How
many angels are there? Is
it possible to see an angel? Is it proper to pray
to angels? Does a person
become an angel after
they die?
Everyone has their own
opinion about angels.
And most have a mental
image of what they think
angels look like. They
may even collect ornaments of angels (or rather, ornaments of their
perception of angels).
But despite this fascination, there is a lot of
confusion and misunderstanding surrounding
angels. And thats probably because of where
people turn to get their
information.

Landon as an angel trying

to earn his wings. These
may have been good
wholesome shows, but
still not the most reliable
sources to teach about
angels.

So to clear up some of
the confusion, consider
some of the things angels
are not.
What Angels are
NOT:

Ancient mythology and

antiquated works of art
also contain representations of angels. But unfortunately, they are not Angels are not cute
portrayed very accurate- chubby babies with
ly or consistently.
bows & arrows.
And the result is a pretty
mixed-up understanding
of angels, including a lot
of light and fluffy beliefs
drawn from all kinds of
contradictory sources.
Its no wonder there is
so much confusion.

Even within the Church,

there is a lack of information about angels.
Back in 1975, the respected evangelist Billy
Graham said, When I
Like the movies. Angels
decided to preach a serare portrayed in films
mon on angels, I found
such as City of Angels
practically nothing in my
with Nicolas Cage,
library I soon discovDogma with Ben Afered that little had been
fleck and Matt Damon,
written on the subject in
Meet Joe Black starring
this century I have
Brad Pitt, or even the
never heard anyone
Christmas classic, Its a
preach a sermon on anWonderful Life. Those
gels. Which prompted
movies may be entertainhim to write a book of
ing or even inspiring, but
they are also misleading his own on the subject.
when it comes to angels.
Television is another
source. Touched By an
Angel was a long-running
show watched by many.
In the 1980s, Highway to
Heaven starred Michael

authority on angels, he
described the topic as
the most remarkable
and difficult of all.

Karl Barth (pronounced

Bart) is considered to
be one of the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century.
As a theologian and an

Cupid, draw back your

bow This is one of
the many images of angels. But this image originated from works of art
during the Renaissance,
and has nothing to do
with reality.
Angels are not what
people become after
they die.
This is one of the more
popular beliefs about
angels, but its wrong. At
funerals people often
make comments such as,
Hes an angel now, or,
God needed another
angel in that heavenly
choir! Its a sweet
thought, but its not true.
Angels and humans are
completely different creations.
Angels are not allknowing, all-powerful,
or all-present.
Those are attributes that
belong to God and God
alone. Angels, on the
other hand, are confined
by time and space. They
are smarter, more pow-

powerful, and faster than

we are, but they are not
on par with God.

tion 5:11 even refers to

primary functions is to
thousands and millions of deliver messages from
God. As when an angel
angels.
told Mary that she would
Angels are not objects
give birth to Jesus, or when
Angels are invisible
of worship.
an angel informed the
spirit beings.
shepherds that Jesus had
Some people do worship
been born.
Angels exist as spirits, inangels and pray to them.
visible to the human eye.
But in his letter to the CoBut, every once in a while, So angels are Gods servlossians, the apostle Paul
angels do take on physical ants; they do not take orclearly discouraged this
form in order to make
ders from humanity. God
practice.
their presence known. We may assign them to serve
see examples throughout
or protect people from
Angels are not halothe Bible of times when
time to time, but its at His
wearing, wing-clad,
angels interacted with hu- bidding.
harp-players.
manity. Every time, they
appeared as young men.
Again, these images come
Angels battle for God,
But this does not necesmostly out of artwork,
protecting Gods peosary imply that angels have
some dating all the way
ple.
back to Greek and Roman gender.
times. But the Bible makes
The Old Testament (2nd
no reference to angels
Kings 19) contains an acThere were times when an
wearing halos or playing
count of King Hezekiah
angel would take on form
harps. As for wings, the
crying out to God for help
and the people would not
Old Testament prophets
when the Assyrian army
even realize they were
Ezekiel and Isaiah both
attacks. And God reinteracting with an angel.
refer to special classes of
sponds. He sends a single
And at other times, the
angels (cherubim and seraangel who slays 185,000
people would be struck
phim) that are portrayed
Assyrian soldiers. Thats
with a sense of terror. So
as having wings. But even
how powerful angels are.
it would appear that the
these seem to be simply
They are much more fierce
part of a vision and are not form they adopt varies.
than commonly thought.
meant to be a literal description of angels. Angels Angels may not be
are spiritual beings, and
what they appear to be. Which makes the idea of a
they do not have physical
guardian angel particularly
In the spiritual realm, there appealing. The notion that
bodies.
are good spirits and there a person is always being
are evil spirits. These evil
protected is compelling.
So with those misconcep- spirits (commonly known
But while God may periodtions out of the way, con- as demons or devils) are
ically assign an angel to a
sider these five realities
actually angels that rebelled particular person, there is
that the Bible reveals about against God. Paul wrote in no clear indication that this
2nd Corinthians about
assignment is permanent.
angels.
how these fallen angels
Nor is it implied that the
could disguise themselves same angel is assigned to
What Angels Are:
as servants of righteousthe same person every
ness. Their aim is to detime.
Angels are created beceive. Not every spiritual
ings.
So are angels a reality?
being is friendly.
According to the Bible,
Angels have not always
existed. They had a beginning. In Colossians chapter
one, Paul teaches that Jesus
created everything, including angels and the entire
the spiritual realm. And He
didnt just create a few
prototypes; He created a
massive number. Revela-

Angels are servants of

God.
Aside from those that are
fallen, angels do what
God wants them to do.
The word angel literally
means messenger, indicating that one of their

yes. They may not fit popular conceptions, but there

is a host of angelic beings
hidden in a spiritual realm.
They are under the command of God Himself, and
they are ready to serve
and battle at His discretion.

Good News Press - 7

Wake Up And Smell The Coffee By Grant Phillips
My parents loved their coffee
when they were alive. Ill never
forget waking up in the mornings
to the smell of coffee brewing on
the stove. As the coffee smell
wafted through the entire house,
it was like an alarm clock that
pleasantly tickled the nose and
woke us up for another day. I
didnt drink coffee at the time, of
course, but I so enjoyed that aroma. Coffee just hasnt smelled that
good since, probably because back
then it was percolated. My wife
and have a Keurig coffee maker,
and Ill have to admit; its fast,
convenient, and no clean-up. The
coffee tastes great, but lacks the
pleasant coffee smell of yesteryear.

Many others think they are prepared, but are not. They think
that just because they go to
church, they are a Christian.
Look, you could thread me on a
fish hook, but that doesnt make
me a worm.
And then there are the masses
who just dont give a hoot about
God or anything related to Him. I
can assure you, they are not
ready.
For more than forty years now,
great Bible prophecy teachers
have been warning a dying world
that Jesus will soon return. Some
have died and gone on to Heaven
while others are still here trying
to get people to listen. More and
more, people are turning a deaf
hear, even many who say they are
Christians.

tween thy seed and her seed; it

shall bruise thy head, and thou
shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis
3:15)
So, when will the Second Advent
(His return) take place? Only God
knows, literally.

To me, of all the signs the Lord

gave us, and there are many, the
two most important ones are the
reestablishment of Israel as a
nation, number one, and the apostasy that will reign in the last days.
A voluminous load of signs are
available, but these two are so
important, theyre top heavy.
Nothing but a colossal miracle
from God could have ever set the
Jews back in their own land and
Many today are still fast asleep
made them as powerful and sucand not waking up to the gentle
cessful as they are today. I do not
nudges God is providing us to
exaggerate. No power could have
wake up. Did I say gentle nudgIt is tragic that Satan has used
given them victory over the ates? I think shaking would have some real dunderheads to attacks against them since 1948,
been a better term.
tempt predictions as to when
except the hand of an omnipotent
Jesus
will
return.
This
has
turned
God, the God of Israel. Only God
God is shaking us every way posmany off to the Truth, and now
could have brought any of this
sible to wake us up from our
they just laugh off the message
about.
slumber. He wants us to know
that Jesus is coming soon. Oththat time is running out, and His
Apostasy, as prophesied, rules the
return is imminent. Yet, many are ers consider the message to be
day. Apostasy, in my thinking, is
the
same
as
the
little
boy
that
just hitting the snooze button and
an attitude basically of, I dont
cried
wolf.
ignoring the wakeup call.
care one way or another. We
And
as
it
was
in
the
days
of
Noe,
are neither cold or nor hot, and
I have never used the snooze
so shall it be also in the days of
this is the Church that is being
button on the alarm, but many
referred to! Jesus was speaking to
the Son of man. (Luke 17:26)
people do. I wonder how often
the Church at Laodicea. This is
they are late in arriving at their
Noah preached to the people of
the seventh Church period of the
destination because of it. Those
his day for 120 years that the
ages. It is the last age. We are in
who ignore the alarms now may
flood was coming, and no one
the last days of the Church.
miss the event entirely. What a
believed him outside his own
pity.
family. I image they all mocked
I realize that it is easy for people
him and got sick of his messages, to get lethargic about looking for
God is using many resources to
wake us up to the urgent message just as people today are mocking Christs return. We keep hearing
of His return. Whether you look and hating the message. Obviously it and hearing it, but so far, nothing has changed, but even our
at governments and governmental they never repented or we
wouldnt be finding aquatic fossils lethargy is a sign.
leaders, people, lifestyles, religions, the Church, crimes, nature, on mountains tops. What did they Knowing this first, that there
Israel (especially), weather, econ- do?
shall come in the last days scoffomies, etc., He wants us to know They did eat, they drank, they
ers, walking after their own lusts,
of His soon return.
married wives, they were given in And saying, Where is the promise
of his coming? for since the faPeople have asked me how long I marriage, until the day that Noe
entered into the ark, and the
thers fell asleep, all things continthink it will be for Christ to reflood came, and destroyed them
ue as they were from the beginturn. What does soon mean? I
ning of the creation. (2 Peter 3:3have stated many times that only all. (Luke 17:27)
4)
God can answer those questions. Someone may ask, Does that
I will dare adventure a definition
mean Jesus wont come for anoth- Jesus said, Watch therefore: for
for soon by saying that it is
er 80 years or so? since He gave ye know not what hour your Lord
imminent. That is the best I or
Noahs generation 120 years to
doth come. (Matthew 24:42)
anyone else can do. He can come repent? I dont know.
The coffee is on the stove. The
at any time.
Consider this though. He gave
aroma is working its way throughLet us not be so concerned about Sodom and Gomorrah no warning out every room. Its time to get
the when, but be more conthat I am aware of, and destroyed up. Dont hit the snooze button.
cerned about being prepared.
them the day after He informed
Wake up and smell the coffee.
Grant PhillipsEmail: grantphilMany people today are prepared. Abraham of His intentions.
They are called Christians. Yet,
Also, He told of His First Advent lips@windstream.net
even many of them are going to
to earth as mans sacrifice about
Pre-Rapture Commentary:
be surprised when they are trans- 4,000 years before it occurred.
http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
ferred to Heaven in the twinkling
And I will put enmity between
of an eye.
thee and the woman, and be-

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