Kept From the Hour

An excellent end-times teaching from Charles Cooper. If you believe in the pre-tribulation rapture of the church, as I once did, please be prepared to ask why you believe it to be true, and watch the video!

The Pre-Trib Rapture is Dead

From his site:

There was only one passage in the N.T. that forms the basis for it. This is the opinion of their greatest teachers. Now that Rev 3:10 no longer can be used as support for an explicit teaching for the Pretribulation rapture, the position has no scriptural support. There are no other passages that support it. The Pretribulation rapture doctrine is dead! Only those who do not want to be bothered with the facts can ignore it.

The Result of Disunity

Again, from My Word Like Fire:

Escape The Lie vanishes, so does M’Kayla’s interview

If you read Radio host exposes heresy on one station, promotes heresy on another (READ), you know some of the background to this.

M’Kayla of  the excellent M’Kayla’s Korner was a guest on Escape The Lie, and gave her testimony about escaping the false teachings of Bethel. After learning the Escape The Lie host owned a different site where  anti-biblical teachings and guests were given airtime, M’Kayla put up this disclaimer on her own blog, which had a link to her radio interview:

“It has been brought to my attention that his other site supports AA and 12 Stepping, Celebrate Recovery. I understand these practices to not be of God and I am not condoning or supporting them in any way. I believe Christ is enough. You will find links of supporting information against these programs from My Word Like Fire in the comments section for more info on these topics. It is only my intention, as it has been since the beginning of my blogging days, to support Christianity in it’s true form, as found written in the word of God.”

Shortly thereafter, the Escape The Lie website and radio show vanished from the web.

M’Kayla’s recorded testimony about “Bethel” vanished along with it. Hopefully she will have  opportunities to warn about Bethel, Bill Johnson, Word of Faith teachings, and much else on many other radio shows. Our thanks to M’Kayla for her strong stand.

Can two walk together except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3)

My most heartfelt thanks to My Word Like Fire for his support, conversation, prayer and friendship.

Exposing Heresy

This, and the post following, from My Word Like Fire will deal with Escape the Lie. I am sad and angered for the situation, and the loss of the interview media, but find it necessary to warn and protect the faith. I have talked with and prayed with John at My Word…and know without a doubt he has the best intention and that his writing on this topic has been done in love for the truth and for our Lord. We continue to trust God.

Radio host exposes heresy on one station, promotes heresy on another

Monty Meyer is host and founder of Escape The Lie Radio and website, which were created for “Exposing False Prophets, Lying Signs & Wonders Within The Body of Christ.”

The first scripture one reads on the Escape The Lie website is Galatians 1:8: But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed.

Unfortunately, on Monty Meyer’s other radio show and website, www.take12radio.com, another gospel is cheerfully preached and promoted. It is the gospel of Alcoholics Anonymous, where Christ is, at best, one higher power among many.

One of the daily broadcasts on Take12 Radio is Walking Through the Big Book. The Big Book is essentially the AA “bible.” Monty co-hosts with a well known twelve step speaker, as they thoroughly go through the Big Book from beginning to end.

Over on his expose-the-heretics show, Escape The Lie, Monty identified himself as a “conservative Pentecostal.” How, then, can he promote the AA Big Book, which boldly contradicts the teachings of Jesus Christ?

Hurting alcoholics who do not know the Lord learn, through the AA Big Book, that they do not need Christ at all in order to have a relationship with the Father:

“The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered our hearts and our lives in a way that is miraculous.” (AA Big Book, pg.25)

“[A]ll of us, whatever our race, creed, or color are children of a living Creator with whom we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable terms as soon as we are willing and honest enough to try.” (AA Big Book, pg.28)

The AA religion has excluded Christ as mediator. Alcoholics instead learn that no matter how they envision or understand their “higher power,” they have direct access to Him (or Her, or It).

For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

The Big Book also contradicts Christ’s warning in Matthew 7:13: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is BROAD that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

According to the AA Big Book, “We found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of the Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men. When, therefore, we speak to you of God, we mean your own conception of God.” (AA Big Book, pg. 46-47) (Bold mine)

If the Lord warns against the broad way of spirituality, why do we think we know better? Why would we even want to participate in such a thing, or give it credibility by approving of it?

This is not an attack on Monty Meyer as a person. Yet, if I can put it bluntly, Monty Meyer has no right to promote Escape The Lie, as he is giving a forum to many anti-biblical concepts over on his recovery radio site.

Pro-AA author Dick B., whose errant AA history has drawn many Christians into the twelve steps, has a weekly show on Monty’s recovery radio station. I spoke with him several years ago about Dick B.’s “No, really, AA has Christian roots” claims, but it made no difference.

It made no difference because Monty and Dick B. and many, many others are syncretists–their faith is a blend of Christianity and twelve step theology. While other movements may be examined biblically, as Monty does on Escape The Lie, Alcoholics Anonymous and the twelve steps will remain untouched.

This is because AA and the twelve steps have become an idol. No, that is not an exaggeration. Nor is it a particularly new offense.

And those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom, (Zephaniah 1:5)

Anti-biblical Meditation–

There is more research to do, but even a perfunctory investigation demonstrates that Monty has given airtime to those whose teachings oppose Christ. On the Step by Step Towards Emotional Sobriety program, Monty’s co-host introduced their guest, John Amodeo, author of Dancing with Fire: A Mindful Way to Loving Relationships.

Unfortunately, Amodeo’s book is full of advice about Buddhist and other anti-biblical meditation practices. Here is a Youtube video where Amadeo plugs his book. Please notice the labyrinth, the people meditating, etc.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23FsuLHPHvs

Another episode is titled The I to Thou Relationship: Introducing Martin Buber

But Buber advocated the silence of meditation. According to one website:

Silence, for Buber, plays a crucial part in dialogue. Indeed, it could be argued that ‘attentive silence’ is the basis of dialogue (Avnon 1998: 42-3). This is an idea that may seem strange at first sight, but is fundamental to the experience of groups such as the Quakers.

In silence which is active, the Inner Light begins to glow – a tiny spark. For the flame to be kindled and to grow, subtle argument and the clamour of our emotions must be stilled. It is by an attention full of love that we enable the Inner Light to blaze and illuminate our dwelling and to make of our whole being a source from which this Light may shine out…. Speech has no meaning unless there are attentive minds and silent hearts. Silence is the welcoming acceptance of the other. The word born of silence must be received in silence. (Lacourt 1970: 9, 26) http://infed.org/mobi/martin-buber-on-education/

I feel for all the unsaved AA people who rely on this station for support. They don’t know any better.  But Monty should know better. The Bible tells us:

Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; (Ephesians 5:11)

If you are in a discernment ministry, or have a testimony about coming out of deceptive darkness, please beware: Escape The Lie is not a program you want to help legitimize–not when the host is promoting deception on his other show.

Related: Dick B. finally admits AA co-founder Bill W. was NOT a Christian–READ

QUACKING away…

The following story came in as a comment from just1ofhis a short while ago. I loved this little story so much I wanted to give it a special place here. Enjoy!

Quacking away…

This is off topic just a bit, and I know M’Kayla has answered it before on this site. For those who want to label us as judgmental, it is something to consider. For those who post on this site, I hope it makes you smile.

We have a small flock of ducks on our property. Last winter, a weasel dug into the duck pen and killed all but two of our ducks. Ducks are very gentle and have no real defense other than flight. They are a lot like sheep that way. My ducks couldn’t get away. They were trapped in that pen. All of our drakes (males) were killed. Those drakes got in the way to protect the ducks and were the first to be killed. Had they not done this, we would probably have lost all of the birds.

Anyway, this female was gravely injured. We brought her into the house and cared for her for a few weeks; and, to our amazement, she rallied. Though she limped around the yard for months, she has now fully healed. She has become our warning signal in the yard. If anything is wrong, she starts just a quacking away. She is always on the watch. If another duck wanders off, you’ll find her in the yard just quacking and quacking. She is awesome!

I think that’s what a lot of the posters on this blog are like. We were trapped in a “pen” of false teaching. When the weasel got in, we couldn’t simply fly away. So we were gravely injured. We know the pain of it, and we hope and pray to help others avoid it. Praise God, that He got us all through it!

So now we quack away. It is a warning. I, for one, plan to keep quacking and quacking…not like those in the “Toronto barnyard”, but like one equipped with the Word of God…rebuking, correcting, encouraging. To those who find it offensive, I pray for you and accept that criticism like “water off a duck’s back.” I believe that’s what “turning the other cheek” is all about. Thank you, M’Kayla, for a platform to “quack”.

pearls to pigs and them dogs

Matthew 7:6 Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

There is some interesting word usage going on here and so had the opportunity to pick them apart with a friend of mine.

The first to consider are the words “do not”, which implies a command, not a suggestion. Do not, kindred to the very well known thou shalt not as used in the 10 commandments, very serious word choices.

What is holy? Strong’s identifies holy as 40 h’agios – properly, different (unlike), other, otherness, holy; for the believer, likeness of nature with the Lord because different from the world.  It implies something “set apart” and therefore “different (distinguished/distinct) because special to the Lord.

Mark 6:20…Herod was afraid of John (the Baptist), knowing that he was a righteous and holy man.

2 Timothy 2:21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.

We know that through Christ we are separated, set apart from the world, used by the Lord to be an influence to the lost and dying. This is why we separate ourselves from worldly things, desires and influences to be counted as holy and righteous.

Do not give what is holy to dogs. Strong’s 2965 k’yon explains dogs as scavenging canine, a spiritual predator who feeds off others.  Huh? A spiritual predator who feeds off others. A true “selah” moment. A loose dog was disdained in ancient times – viewed as “mooch pooch” that ran about as a scavenger.

“Mooch Pooch” – fitting, I like it. We’re coming back here.

Philippians 3:2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh

The dogs are evil workers, who put their confidence in their flesh, in whatever they have conceived in their own fleshy minds to be true. They go about from place to place taking what does not belong to them, they are beggars and liars using their fleshy lies to seduce money and fame from the untrained, the unsuspecting, those who are bent by emotion rather than by fact.

2 Corinthians 11:12 But what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

The plan is to waylay the works of satan by cutting off those – the mooch pooches – who seek fame and admiration from their followers, those they have deceived. This has been an ongoing process as Paul is pointing out that what he does, he will continue to do. Sound familiar to anyone here?

There is more here in this scripture that needs to be looked at. Paul is going after false apostles, those who have disguised themselves as apostles of Christ.  In Matthew 24:5, Christ warns His disciples – “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.” The “mooch pooches” use the name of the Lord all over their wares, just as liberally as a southern person uses sugar for their iced tea. Yet, there is no sweetness to be had, it is all rancid, putrid, crawling with flies. They have come in His name, yet know nothing of Him.

Paul continues that these false apostles are of satan in that he also disguises himself as light. I am reminded the words of Jesus in Matthew 8:44 “”You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”  There is a distinct connection between satan and his followers – the truth is not in them – and we are seeing how to make that connection and how to handle these men and women once they are identified.

So now that we can see more clearly, Matthew 7:6 tells us do not give what is set apart for God to those who have no regard for Him. Some will be disguised as apostles of Christ, those who cling to no end to their lying doctrines of demons. Others will simply be those who will not hear the truth of the gospel. We will know them because they will be the ones without ears to hear.

To continue, do not throw your pearls before swine. It is of no surprise to anyone here that pearls are of great value. I prefer gemstones, especially the blue ones, but many ladies like the pearls, and that’s ok.  The Lord has regard for them as we see in Matthew 13:45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. This is what we do, as we lay down our lives, giving over our will and maybe all that we have – our homes and families – for Christ, the pearl of great value.

This is the fun part and I do love my pork, but the bible, especially the old testament and those who follow the strict dietary laws of the middle east detest it. And here we have it used symbolically for what it used to be, that forbidden, cloven-hooved, dirty animal – the swine.  It is common knowledge that pigs can become quite viscous in their pens when given food. The scripture is telling us not to throw – toss, make sudden motion – our belief, our pearls to those are considered like swine, those who upon hearing the truth have no regard for it, and instead trample our words, and turn to tear us apart. Sometimes this is verbal, having spiritual affect, and for others it is to literally take their lives.I have to point out, that in many of the verbal attacks against me I have noticed an increase in the viciousness, murderous intent of their words. Maybe you have too.

Matthew 7:6 Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

I believe the gospel is for every person ever born on this earth and that Jesus died for all of us, and that it is the will of God that all would come to Him in repentance as sinners. I believe that through Christ we are given forgiveness and a relationship with the Father God, to one day live forever in His kingdom. I also believe the blessings given to us in this life are wonderful, yet nothing to be compared with what awaits us in “that day”. I believe we are called to spread the gospel as the Lord leads and not to hold back simply because of threats made against us, whether they be implied, verbal or physical.

But, here the bible is giving is clear distinctive instruction, even commands on how to handle people who are not willing to hear or even consider the truth set before them. It is giving us information to identify them and how to handle them and their false teaching. Knowing who to approach and how comes with discernment and guidance only the Holy Spirit can provide.

All of this has been for one purpose, to decide when enough is enough in dealing with people overcome with false doctrine. I’ve read, and certainly been a part of the endless debate and commenting, the urging that seems to go on and on without result – that one person who just will not see no matter the scripture set before them to prove otherwise.  The answer is truly simple –

Titus 3:10-11 Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, 11 knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self condemned.

2 John 9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the Suffering of Violence

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12

I heard a voice say to me, “Everything will be used against you.” Later, while sitting at my vanity table I considered those words for a time and then from my make up drawer, I chose a dark purple eye pencil and wrote them down on the glass top of my vanity table –“Everything will be used against you.”  I considered them again.

Were these words of an attempted scare-tactic by the enemy, or were they a warning from the Lord in how thing were going to go for me, a kind of prophecy?  I did not like they way the words sounded in my head as I considered these options. I did not like the sound they made or the ominous sense of fear that seemed to rise from them. Uncertainty, the fear of the unknown. I didn’t like that word “everything” and what did that mean, exactly? Again, I looked at the words I had written in my own script, the color of purple eye liner now looking more like black, and thought how fittingly so that color! Still, one part of me did not like those words, yet another part of me seemed to draw a strange kind of strength from them.  I got up and walked out of my walk-in closet, snapping off the light as I went, leaving those words to themselves in the darkness.

This morning I read a post written by a dear friend Line Drawn in the Sand. The opening words seemed to be so profound and I wondered,“wow, why can’t I write things that say that?” As I read, I began to laugh out loud, because I realized they were my words.

“…will you be a follower of man, or will you risk all – your ministry, your reputation, your friendships, and one day maybe even your very life to follow Christ? These are becoming perilous, dangerous times to be called by His name.”

This was a question I had posed in 2009, when I first set up my blog, “M’Kayla’s Korner”.

Then and there I was hit with the impact of all that has happened in my life over the last six weeks or so, and again I wondered at the prophetic sound of my words and the words uttered from the voice, “Everything will be used against you”.

I read the words of my Lord and coming from Him, somehow it all seems to make better sense, at least for this moment.

Matthew 10:34 Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  

35 For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, 36 and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.

37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 and he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of me.

39 He who finds his life will lose it and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

Psalm 32 Maschil

Psalm 32

A Psalm of David. A Contemplation – Maschil

 

BLESSED is he whose transgression is forgiven,

Whose sin is covered

2 Blessed is the man whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,

And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

 

3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old

Through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;

My vitality was turned into the drought of summer.     Selah.

5 I acknowledged my sin to You,

And my iniquity I have not hidden.

I said. “I will confess my trasngressions to the Lord”,

And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.      Selah.

 

6 For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You

In a time when You may be found:

Surely in a flood of great waters

They shall not come hear him.

7 You are my hiding place;

You shall presever me from trouble;

You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.     Selah.

 

8 I will instruct and teach you in the way you should go;

I will guide you with My eye,

9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule,

Which have no unerstanding,

Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,

Else they will not come near you.

 

10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;

But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.

11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous;

And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

 

 – emphasis mine  🙂

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Maschil definition

Origin:
< Heb maśkīl lit., enlightened

instructing, occurs in the title of thirteen Psalms (32, 42, 44, etc.). It denotes a song enforcing some lesson of wisdom or piety, a didactic song.

dictionary.com – 1897 Easton’s Bible Dictionary/answers.com

Wearable Circuit Boards – Woe

The things we used to watch as kids, labeled as sci-fi entertainment and probably impossible have become today’s realities.  I believe some things are worth looking into.

Revelation 13:16  And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, 17 and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty six.

If you still think the prophesied mark of the beast and it’s warnings is from an old dusty book written for crazies, you may want to rethink that. There is a system setting up which has always been, one that is great and against God, against His Son and all things Holy. This is why our society has become so self-absorbed, more and more are against Christians, keeping prayer out of the schools and bible reading out of the workplace. This is why so many politicians come in the name of Christ, yet do unGodly things. Our world is becoming Godless, and America who was once known as a Christian nation no longer is. We see its preachers trading the truth of the gospel for fame and fortune, more willing to be well known by the masses than to be known by the name of Christ. America is so star-struck that the followers of these pastors don’t even see it right before their own eyes.

People laugh and think it’s no big deal to mark, tattoo and pierce the body, but the growth in popularity and its acceptance is a desensitizing process taking place. We are moving toward a cashless society at a great pace and one day it will not be so hard to accept an implant or a tattoo, or even a circuit board for ease in making purchases. We’ve already seen the technology of digital tattoos for healthcare. (see below) Consider Leviticus 19:28 You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead, nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves; I am the Lord. When He said “I am the Lord” it brings an implication that this practice involves worship or dedication of the self to another god. That was His warning. With a little research, this can be proved as we see so many other cultures doing this very thing. After all, that pierced nose with the ring through it originated from somewhere. You may laugh and say it does not matter that your tattoo is not to another god. Well, the Lord did not give you room for reason, He already said that’s what you would be doing.

We see a great unrest in the middle east, one that we have not seen before. Our world has great problems of hunger and disease, debt, terrorism – situations that cannot be solved through mankind. But there is a ruler coming that will claim ability to end all these things and he will be given the ability to bring about a peace for a time – 3 1/2 years. During that time the public will become so grateful to him they will actually worship and bow down to him. It will become a required practice and those who do not will be put to death. Taking the mark bearing his name will also be required of all people throughout the world- talk about loss of freedom. And those who take it will forever commit themselves to him. Those who do not will be put to death. Many will mistake him early on for Christ because they did not bother to learn the scriptures but remained proud in their lives and in their sin and did not repent of it. They chose to not listen to the warnings.

The real King is coming and He is Christ, the Messiah who laid down His life in place of yours. He is the one who will overthrow this coming world ruler who is all things false, an imposter of the real God.

Revelation 22:13 Behold I am coming quickly and My reward is with me, to render to every man according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

Listen to the warnings and the next time you see something like this on the news or the next time a character in a movie is given an implant, it may strike you differently, and be a little less cool.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Digital Tats

Thanks to: http://justworshiphm.blogspot.com/2011/09/mark-of-beast.html

2 Things

The separation of families is happening to many – See John 3:16-20 and 2 Corinthians 2:15-16

Many people are leaving churches, opting for aloneness or meeting in homes as a witness of false Christianity in its various forms is being revealed. The church, especially the westernized one has abandoned the reasons it was established in the first place.

2 Corinthians 4:7-??? be encouraged we are not alone, many brothers and sisters share and suffer in the same things.

Digital Tats…

There is a reason for the mass love of tattoos going on in our culture. There is a reason God told us not to do such a thing. (I didn’t listen either.) The day is coming when anyone who wants to buy or sell, eat, cash their paycheck, etc. will be required to take a “mark”. It is in worship of the beast, just as tattooing which came from other cultures is done as worship of their gods. The technology has been around for a while, but this tat with the use of an i-phone grabbed my attention. Yes, I love technology too, but we are being de-sensitized to accept everything that comes along. We will do will to think twice about the next thing that takes permanent residence on or under our skin. There will be no mistaking of the mark. It will be survival and will be in worship of the anti-Christ. Put your trust in God today. Salvation is found in Jesus Christ only.

Revelation 13:16-17 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Digital Tattoo Gets Under Your Skin to Monitor Blood

• By Alexander George
• July 26, 2011  |

Bioengineering doctoral student Kate Balaconis shines the iPhone reader against her tattooless arm.

Maybe tattoos aren’t just for Harley riders or rebellious teens after all. In a few years, diabetics might get inked up with digital tats that communicate with an iPhone to monitor their blood.

Instead of the dye used for tribal arm bands and Chinese characters, these tattoos will contain nanosensors that read the wearer’s blood levels of sodium, glucose and even alcohol with the help of an iPhone 4 camera.

Dr. Heather Clark, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Northeastern University, is leading the research on the subdermal sensors. She said she was reminded of the benefits of real-time, wearable health monitoring when she entered a marathon in Vermont: If they become mass-produced and affordable for the consumer market, wireless devices worn on the body could tell you exactly what medication you need whenever you need it.

“I had no idea how much to drink, or when,” said Clark, reflecting on her marathon run. “Or if I should have Gatorade instead.”

Clark’s technology could spell out the eventual demise of the painful finger pricks required for blood tests — assuming users have an iPhone, which Northeastern bioengineering grad student Matt Dubach has customized to read light from the tiny sensors to collect and output data.

Here’s how it works: A 100-nanometer-wide set of sensors go under the skin, like tattoo ink — as for the size, “You can spot it if you’re looking for it,” Clark says. The sensors are encased in an oily agent to ensure the whole contraption stays together.

Within the implant, certain nanoparticles will bind exclusively to specific blood contents, like sodium or glucose. Thanks to an additive that makes the particles charge neutral, the presence of a target triggers an ion release, which manifests as a florescence change. The process is detailed in an article published in the journal Integrative Biology.

Dubach designed the iPhone 4 attachment to use the phone’s camera to read the color shift and translate the results into quantifiable data. A plastic ring surrounding the lens blocks out ambient light while a battery-powered blue LED contrasts with the sensors. The software uses the iPhone camera’s built-in RGB filters to process the light reflected off the sensors.

Why blue? Initial trials with lights that projected other colors were hindered by Apple’s built-in optical filter, but blue light uses the iPhone’s built-in RGB setup to process the data accurately. That blue light, powered by a 9-volt battery attached to the phone, works with the sensors’ red-shifted florescence because red shines well through skin.

As of now, the data collected with the iPhone still requires processing through a secondary machine, but Duboch says using the iPhone to do all the work is not far off, and that an app is likely on the way.

Clark hopes to see the work of an entire clinical analyzer done by nanoparticles interacting with smartphones, which would mean a major step forward for personalized medicine. Diabetics and athletes alike could adapt and measure their own statistics without dependence on big, pricey, exclusive medical equipment.

The testing is still in early stages, and hasn’t been tried on humans yet. Research on mice, who have comparatively thinner skin than humans, has shown promising results.

Readings of blood concentrations show up like this, with different colors indicating different sodium concentrations. Photo Courtesy of Matt Dubach.

When Apple’s next iPhone comes out, the project will benefit, said Dubach, citing rumors that the iPhone 5 will include a more powerful camera sensor.

“I’m holding out for the iPhone 5,” Dubach said. “More megapixels gives you more for the average,” meaning the higher-resolution camera provides more data for analysis. Even bioengineers are waiting for Steve Jobs’ next move.

The technology is still years off, but Clark and Dubach’s developments are bringing medicine closer to a time when diagnostics are minimally invasive. Real-time feedback through subdermal circuits and smartphone cameras means you could know exactly when to slug that water.

Researchers tested the iPhone attachment on this plate reader, which determines the nanosensors’ response to the reader. Photo courtesy of Matt Dubach

Alexander George is ambivalent about his New Jersey provenance. He currently lives in San Francisco and writes for WIRED.