Foreshadow

Valerie Cullers Leave a comment

“Foreshadow – “a warning or indication of a future event.” Oxford Languages

As I look at current events happening around the globe, I can see that they are foreshadowing things to come. We are watching a story unfold right before our eyes that is filled with hints as to what we can expect in the future.

Take Israel and Iran for example. When I watched the attack on Israel by Iran on April 14th, I could see this as an event that foreshadows another war that will come against Israel in the future. The Bible speaks of a war that will happen to Israel in the latter days. Found in Ezekiel 38, a coalition of forces from the extreme north of Israel (possibly Russia or Turkey) plus Iran, Sudan and Libya will come against Israel. Did you ever think that Iran would dare to strike Israel? Well, it happened. Carefully orchestrated and announced ahead of time so that their missiles would not actually hit major population centers, Iran announced to the world that it is not afraid to strike Israel. A line was crossed and there is no going back. When Iran and her allies are ready, they will invade and attack Israel.

When the time comes, will any nations help Israel? Sadly, Israel will be on her own and we are currently watching the foreshadowing of this in cities around the world and on college campuses. Antisemitism is rearing its ugly head and even when these demonstrations stop and the war in Gaza is over, people will continue to hate Israel. This antisemitism has taken root globally and it will not easily be pulled out.

Not to worry, though. Even though men will not come to Israel’s defense, the Lord will strike the invading armies dead on the mountains of Israel. This will not be a pretty sight and will according to scripture affect the entire world when it sees this happen.

As we watch the foreshadowing of future events, what should our response be in this incendiary climate? For one thing, we must not be taken in by those who would hate the Jews because of the war in Gaza. We must do what we can to stand up for the people who are being persecuted in their synagogues and on college campuses. So much of this reminds me of what happened in Germany in the 1930s. Jewish hatred was whipped up within the population to the point that people believed they were subhuman. Once they were dehumanized they were systematically eliminated with little or no public outcry. We cannot let this begin to happen again, not on our watch.

Image by merandad. Courtesy of Pixabay.

Children of Regret

Valerie Cullers 11 Comments

As a society, we are hearing more and more from young adults who are detransitioning. We listen to their stories at hearings, on Youtube and TikTok. The National Institute of Health states that about 8 percent of people detransition temporarily or permanently at some point. That seems like a cause for a lot of regret. For those of us listening to their stories we wonder, “Why are kids allowed to have sex-reassignment surgery at such a young age when it is so permanent?”

My last post touched on the gender ideology that the kids are being exposed to at schools, but another big promoter of gender transition and sex-reassignment surgery is the medical industry. In August 0f 2022, the New York Post estimated that the market for this kind of surgery was about 1.9 billion the year before. Yes, that’s right…billion with a B. With that kind of profit margin, we find ourselves in an environment where those who should be speaking out to protect our children (doctors, psychiatrists, and hospitals) are not.

In an April 18, 2024 article on Fox News, Jamie Reed, a whistleblower who worked at Washington University Transgender Center of St. Louis Children’s Hospital, wrote an expose about her experiences while working there. Lest you think she is some kind of radical conservative, Ms. Reed is queer and married to a transgender person herself. She was previously in favor of sex-reassignment surgery for minors but after working at the Center, she has since changed her mind. When asked why she changed her mind, she stated, “We started to see patients who were experiencing very significant medical harms being rushed to the emergency room with lacerations requiring stitches. We had patients contact us who were begging to have body parts put back on within months of having surgeries.” When she stated her concerns to her superiors she was told, “This is how the industry works. If a child says they’re trans, there’s no questioning it.” No wonder she finds the industry “morally and medically appalling.”

I could go on and on with statistics about how the medical industry is profiting financially off our kids but what moves me the most are the young adults who are speaking out about what has happened to them. We are now listening to the first generation of young people who have gone through this experience and what it has done to them. This is a hot-button issue in our culture but as I see it, no child should be able to make permanent surgical decisions about their bodies that they may someday come to regret. If they still want to transition when they become adults, that is their right; but to not protect them from those who would profit from their youthful decisions is morally wrong.

photo by tobbo, courtesy of Pixabay

What If?

Valerie Cullers 12 Comments

As a young child with five brothers, sometimes I wished I was a boy. No, I didn’t want to be a male, I just wanted the freedom that the boys had. I was the one who had to come in early, take a bath and get ready for bed. They were allowed much more leeway as to how long they could stay outside and play. What if I had gone to school and some teacher would have been talking about gender identification. What if she asked, “Would any of you like to be a boy?“

I cringe to think what would have happened to me. For sure, I would have been singled out and sent to a psychologist. What if, as a young child, I was unable to share my feelings about freedom? No way did I want to actually be a boy…they were smelly, played in the dirt and had burping contests. I loved my new dresses and shiny shoes. Would I have been labeled non-binary? Would I have been made to go to counseling?

When I was in the fifth and sixth grades, my restrictions got tighter as my brothers’ loosened. They could go out for sports, and go to movies by themselves. In the summer, they got to work outside and I had to stay inside, clean, and pretend I wanted to learn to bake. I envied my brothers even more. If I had been talking to a counselor, I would have expressed my frustration. Would I have still been on a gender-related path…possibly dysphoria? I don’t know but I dread to think about it.

By the time I was in Junior High, things began to change. My brothers had to mow the lawn in the summer and shovel snow in the winter. If we had a flat tire, one or two of them had to go outside and help my dad. They inevitably came in dirty. At that point, I still envied their freedom, but no way would I ever say, “I wanted to be a boy.”

Perhaps my thoughts about the subject are out of proportion to what would have happened to me. Would I have been properly diagnosed early, even if I wasn’t able to express myself? I don’t know. Last week, I listened to a young woman talk about her experience. She was put on hormones after only three visits with a psychiatrist. She deeply regrets the changes that have happened to her body and now we know that some of those changes are irreversible. She was talking about hormones, not surgery. I shudder to think about the young people who have decided they made a mistake after they had their wombs or testicles removed.

I recently read some statistics in an article written by Lindsey Tanner for The Associated Press. In her article, “younger, new guidelines say,” she states, “The World Association for Transgender Health“ said hormones could be started at 14, two years earlier than the groups previous advice, and some surgeries done at 15 or 17, a year or so earlier than previous guidance. The group acknowledged potential risks but said it is unethical and harmful to withhold early treatment.”

Different states have their own laws about gender reassignment surgery and treatment. It seems to me that we should protect young people as long as possible from making irreversible decisions they may one day come to regret. What if we took a step back and reevaluate our educational systems focus on gender identification and left it out of the curriculum of our primary and secondary schools? It would take this malevolent ideology away from the educators and let children and their parents deal with any real form of gender dysphoria.


Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

The Brou Ha Ha

Valerie Cullers 5 Comments

“Brou Ha Ha” – A noisy and overexcited response to something.” Oxford Languages

Were you distracted this Easter weekend by the brou ha ha that went on because of the proclamation the White House made? I made the unfortunate decision to check the news before I went to bed on Saturday night and I saw it. Do you wonder why the President’s staff made such a decision? If they had to make a proclamation for that Sunday, surely they could have chosen Easter. After all, it is no longer a religious holiday but a secular one with eighty-one percent of Americans celebrating it. To many people, it is just about the Easter bunny, coloring eggs and chocolate.

I listened to the talking points of why the White House chose that particular proclamation but they truly rang hollow to me. They made a deliberate decision to disrespect Christians in America and say, “We’re here. We want the attention. Notice Us!” I’m sure they said to themselves, “How many news cycles will we have to endure pushback?” and the answer was, “Two maybe three.” And of course, they were right. Not many subjects stay in the forefront of the news for more than a day or two.

Hopefully next year we won’t have to deal with all the nonsense. Many will say that the outrage was because the proclamation was about Transgender Day but you can bet there would have been a lot of blowback if they had chosen National Bunsen Burner Day, Oranges and Lemon Day, National Tater Day, Prom Day, Crayon Day, Cream Cheese Frosting Day or Neighbor Day, all of which fall on March 31st. (These are actually national holidays.)

For those of you who were worried about the Lord, don’t be. He has his own view of those who like to shake their fist in His face. One only has to read in Psalm 2: “Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure.“

Next time some politician or prominent person makes a point of exalting themselves or their agenda above the Lord’s, don’t worry or be distressed by the brou ha ha that follows. Remember the Lord just laughs at them and holds them in derision. He is still on His throne and nothing can change the truth of that.

Photo by GoldJJ courtesy of Pixabay.

He’s Alive!

Valerie Cullers 2 Comments

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Jesus ~ John 11:25

Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday!

Photo by Gerd Altman. Courtesy of Pixabay.

The Exact Day

Valerie Cullers 4 Comments

This coming Sunday, the church will celebrate Palm Sunday, the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people were praising him, saying , “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest.” Matthew 21: 9 But did you know that Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem was predicted almost five centuries before?

The Book of Daniel was written around 530 B.C. In it, many prophecies were given to Daniel about the people and land of Israel. They are so accurate that many don’t believe he could have written it. Some scholars believe it was written in the second century B.C. I, for one, believe it was written exactly when it says it was written.

Daniel had been studying the book of Jeremiah to try to figure out how long his people would be in captivity in Babylon. He realized that Jeremiah had spoken about seventy years. As he was praying for his people the angel Gabriel interrupted him and gave him more prophecies concerning his people Israel. One of these prophecies specifically speaks to Palm Sunday. “Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty two weeks; the street shall be built again , and the wall, even in troublesome times.” Daniel 9: 25

Prophecy experts know that each week is a week of years, i.e. sixty-nine weeks equals 483 years. The Jewish year has 360 days so the total days would be 173,880 days. These numbers are certainly staggering. The decree went forth to restore and build Jerusalem by Artaxerxes Longimanus on March 14, 445 B.C. and Jesus rode into Jerusalem on April 6, 32 A.D. exactly 173,880 days later. (This includes 116 leap days and 24 days between March 14 and April 6. Information in this paragraph provided by Koinonia House, Chuck Missler 2004)

When you celebrate Palm Sunday this year, know for a fact that Jesus the Messiah’s entrance had been predicted centuries earlier to the exact day. Even though the people didn’t realize what was happening at the time, Messiah the Prince, did come to them on that very day.

This is just one example of predictive prophecy in the Bible. There were over three hundred prophecies that were fulfilled at the first coming of Jesus. You can be sure that the over two hundred prophecies that pertain to his second coming will be fulfilled in the same way. Nothing is random with the Lord. They will be fulfilled at the exact time on the exact day they are supposed to.

Illustration courtesy of the Orthodox Church.

Lost

Valerie Cullers 14 Comments

When our oldest son was about three, we met some friends up at a lake. I was standing on one side of the boat ramp and my husband and his friend were standing a few feet away on the other side of the ramp. Our son wanted to come over to where I was and my husband said sure. He took off and my hubby just assumed he was with me. He was busy chatting with his friend and since my I was in plain sight, he didn’t give it a second thought.

A few minutes later, my husband came over to where I was and he didn’t have Shawn with him. Shawn had walked right past me and was who knows where. Inside of me, I began to panic. There were lots of people at the lake that day which only added to my consternation. My friends took off down the path and I just stood there frozen. I could barely breathe. If something happened to my son, I knew I would not be able to live with myself. Second after second ticked by as I fought back hysteria. Thankfully a few minutes later, our friends found him following the path along the lake looking for me. To say I was relieved would be an understatement.

The Lord brought this incident back to my mind recently. When I think about the way I felt about my son being lost, it may in some small way reflect how the Lord feels when He looks down at His children and sees so many of them lost. I do not believe the Lord is panicked or hysterical but the thought of losing them forever must be heart-wrenching. Millions are looking for Him but because they are on the wrong path they will never find Him. They will just continue walking until they walk right past Him into a Christless eternity.

Luke 19:10 says: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” That means that if you are lost, if you are looking for some sort of meaning in this life, some sort of God, some sort of something but don’t know what; He is looking for you…right now. He wants you to stop, turn around and look for Him, Jesus, the One who can save your soul and give your life meaning.

He cares for you more than you can ever know and He has no desire for you to spend eternity without Him. He will be crushed to lose you, a precious part of His beloved creation. No matter where you are, what you have done or where your search has taken you, it is not too late to find Him, the One your soul is ultimately looking for. His name is Jesus Christ and He will more than meet you half way. Turn around while you still can, while you’re still safe and while you still have hope.

Photo by Pexels. Courtesy of Pixabay.

A Statistic

Valerie Cullers 7 Comments

Several years ago, I went to Portland for a seminar. At the end of the first day, my friends and I were walking to dinner after dark. We came to a street without a lot of traffic. They crossed ahead of me. I started out when suddenly the light changed and several cars began coming my way. I stopped in the middle of the street and froze. Time stood still. I knew at any moment I could be hit by a car, that I would soon be just a statistic. I waited a while and finally, the traffic stopped and the light changed. I was then able to cross. I will never forget how my life was spared that evening.

Have you ever been in a situation like that? You know that without some kind of intervention, you would not have made it out alive? I bet everyone that has a few decades under their belt can recall such an incident. Do we write the experience off as dumb luck, the luck of the draw or perhaps something more supernatural? I believe the Lord intervenes in our lives to spare us from life-threatening situations. In fact, the Scripture says: “Our God is the God of salvation, and to God the Lord belong escapes from death.” Psalm 68:20 In other words, we can always attribute our rescue to the Lord when we have come through one of these experiences.

Does it surprise you that a loving God would look down on you and save you from something so lethal? I believe He loves each one of us and sends His angelic protection time after time to save us. More often than not, we have no idea that this is happening while we go about our daily lives.

What do we think that this loving God might want in return? When I was younger, I was taught that God wanted me to know Him, love Him and serve Him. That was pretty easy to understand even for my six or seven year old brain. But how do we do that, and where do we start?

Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” The first place we need to begin is to acknowledge the fact that there is a God and that He does indeed exist. Several years ago, that may have been an accepted fact in most circles, but not today. Statistics run the gamut from those who do believe in God (not necessarily a personal one) to those who believe in a Cosmic Force and then down the line to those who definitely fall on the side of agnosticism or atheism.

Where do you fall on the belief spectrum…personal God, impersonal God, Cosmic force, perhaps no God, or definitely no God at all? Wherever you fall on that spectrum, why not explore the possibility that there may be a personal God who cares for you? Think back over your life and think about the times you have been spared from some life-altering or threatening event? Perhaps there is a personal God who has looked after you all these years, One who is looking after you right now and who would like you to come to the place where you do indeed acknowledge or believe He exists. That would be a good place to start.

Delusion

Valerie Cullers 6 Comments

Delusion – 1. a false belief or judgment about external reality, held despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, occurring especially in mental conditions. 2. the action of deluding or the state of being deluded. Oxford Languages

I have had a deep concern lately about deception, especially about the deception that will be coming on the world in the near future. I have already talked about AI. The advancements it has made in the past year are staggering. I have recently seen videos that have been produced by AI that are realistic and almost impossible to tell they were computer generated. For a point of reference, think about the movies you have seen in recent years with their computer generated images. Didn’t the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park seem real? What about the scenes in Star Wars? Those movies were made decades ago and think about the advancement that has been made since then. Now with AI, soon you could watch a person on a newscast with a computer generated image give you the “news,” and you will not be able to tell if it is real or not. Sound too futuristic? Believe me, it’s coming.

Yes, yes, yes, you may say to me…so what? I would say to you that that is just one level of deception that is on the horizon. There is even a deeper level of deception, i.e. delusion, that will affect the people of the world. As many have rejected God and His word, they will be open to the delusion that God Himself will send upon them. As they have rejected the real Savior, they will readily accept the false Christ that is coming to “save the world.” As we read in 2 Thessalonians verses 9-12, “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

How scary is that…that a holy and righteous God will actually send people strong delusion to believe the lie? And what lie is this, you might ask? Well, there will be one coming who will look like a man of peace, a man who can solve all the world’s problems and people will believe him. At one point, he will declare himself to be the God and Savior of the world, and he will be satanically energized and show the world all power, signs, and lying wonders with all unrighteous deception. Sounds pretty far out, doesn’t it? But just think about it.

Already we have people searching for someone who can bring peace to the world; one who can solve all the world’s problems. At the moment, they are thinking in political terms. Where is the person who can bring peace to the Middle East, stop the war in Ukraine, solve the food shortages, put an end to the violence, and have a solution to the economic problems? I know people who are looking at certain political figures and believe their guy is the one who can do it.

When we are looking for a human to provide the world’s answers, we are only a step away from accepting the man who will come on the world scene, one who looks and acts the part. It is not too far out to think that people will fall at his feet. Think about what Paul – Henri Spaak, former Belgian Prime Minister and Secretary General of NATO said, “We do not want another committee, we have too many already. What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all people, and to lift us out of the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man, and be he god or devil, we will receive him.” He made this statement decades ago before the world was in the state it is in right now.

This man is coming on the scene, the world is looking for him. The Bible says he will come, and I believe he is alive today, waiting in the wings to fulfill his role in the end times. It is important that we know these things ahead of time so that we can make the right choices now while we still have the chance.

Photo by Gerd Altman, courtesy of Pixabay.