A Great and Dreadful Day

Malachi wraps up the period between the Old Testament and the New. I tells two stories: 1) The destruction of Jerusalem and 2) a prophecy of the end of time!  Between this time and the time of John the Baptist is 400 years. God revealed nothing new to man in between.

Malachi 4:5 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."

The destruction of Jerusalem was in 70 A.D., but much happened in between! Firstly, "Elijah" came:

 Matthew 11:10 "For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias (Elijah), which was for to come."

Forthwith the return of Elijah, Malachi's prophecy is to come. Was John the Baptist Elijah? Certainly not! The Bible teaches "resurrection", not "reincarnation". There's a big difference! "Resurrection" is when the same body is restored to its original form. "Reincarnation" is the falsehood that the soul is "restored" in another body.  As Jesus was resurrected (the same body even with the scars of death), we too will be resurrected. Our ashes will be gathered, as was Adam's, from the ground, and we'll be reassembled perfect, alive and with mind, body and spirit intact!

If we look further we find that John the Baptist was not Elijah!

John 1:19 "And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias (Elijah)? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No."

Since John himself confessed that he is not Elijah, then Elijah was certainly not reincarnated, but why did Matthew say that John is Elijah? "Pictures" are of extreme importance in the Bible!  John the Baptist was a type of Elijah or looking at it from the other direction, Elijah was a picture of John the Baptist.

First off Elijah was described as such:

2 Kings 1: 8 "They answered him, “He was a hairy man with a leather girdle 2bound about his loins.” And he said, 'It is Elijah the Tishbite.'"

And look at how John the Baptist was described:

Matthew 3:4 "And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey."

The same reference is used to describe Elijah and John. Based on appearance, John was a type of Elijah. However, a stronger picture was that Elijah vanished in a whirlwind without dying as his ministry ended. His ministry was carried on by Elisha who was ordained by God and appointed by Elijah. Likewise, John the Baptist prophesied another one coming even more powerful than himself:

Luke 3:16 "John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier (Jesus) than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire..."

After "Elijah" (John the Baptist) came, then came Jesus. The Temple of his body was destroyed yet he was resurrected. Likewise, the Romans destroyed the Herod's Temple in 70 A.D., but the remnant of Christ lived on!  Christianity has spread to the entire world! Not only does Christ live on, but the Spirit of Christ flourishes to this day.  However, just as the "the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord" came with the destruction of Herod's Temple, then also Jesus second coming is the same "day of the Lord". Although some of the remnant will be saved (ala the destruction of Jerusalem) most will perish on "the day of the Lord". It will be a "dreadful day" for many when that time comes!

The ministry of Jesus is salvation so that those who believe are saved from that "dreadful day of the Lord". Jesus came not only to save, but to judge the wicked. He sends nobody to heaven, but by wrong choices most will choose eternal death. They shall perish of their own accord!  That will certainly be a dreadful day! Malachi saw it coming! Do you?  Malachi also calls it "coming of the great day of the Lord". How great it shall be for the redeemed when they are told "Well done good and faithful servant!" (Matthew 25:21) And what must we do to be called "good"?

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."

Those who choose to perish fail to accept this! The wise are saved and this they believe. A simple act of faith saves and eternity of punishment. Avoid that dreadful damning day of destruction. Just "believe"!

What is your Purpose in Life?

On an episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond" the young daughter's question was "Why are we here?" That confounded Raymond. He had no idea!

Anything of any value has utility. Humans are to be useful. Our usefulness is our purpose! Why am I here? Why are you here?

Trying to set an example, I picked up Timothy and Anthony to take them to work with me to learn a little bit. On the way, Anthony said "Timothy is lazy!" to which Timothy responded "I'm not lazy!!!!  I just don't like to work!"  Tim's purpose in life was living the life of a sloth. Sloths are animals which do little more than eat tree leaves and literally hang around. They are pretty much parasitical to foliage! We have a purpose in life, but as Timothy, that purpose is not realized.

Hebrews 6:11 "And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: 12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

We're to do things that the righteous do!   What do they do? As the disciples have faith and worship so are we. Is that our purpose in life?

1 Corinthians 6:19 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

I believe we are getting close here!  We are here to glorify God. We're to love, honor and lift up God. We are to do that because we owe God. Glorifying God is what we do in return for his gift of eternal life for us which was bought by his own death on the Cross. That's called "works". That's what we do to pay the debt of thanksgiving to Jesus for dying in our place! I see many who claim salvation, but I really don't see much glorification in thanks. Are we fulfilling our purpose in life?

Our "purpose" is identified in terms of magnifying Christ in the dispensation of grace. What was our purpose when under the first dispensations? We look to the "dispensation of innocence" for that answer:

Genesis 2:15 "And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."

Here we have man's purpose: It was to dress and keep the garden. That's why Adam was created and why we live! We're to dress and keep the garden. No, that doesn't mean that we glorify God by tilling the soil. It must have a deeper meaning. How can we tend the garden? We must look at what was in the garden:

Genesis 2:9 "And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil."

We can see if we read the passages which precede these that God provided the soil, light, water and everything to nourish the whole garden, but in these verses he specifically mentioned two trees in the midst of the garden. One tree was to just to be left alone, not even eating of that tree, but the other must have been for dressing and keeping it!  Man was created to tend the "Tree of Life" since God took care of all the others and focused on this tree in the midst, being the center of the Garden!

We know that God is the alpha and omega. He is unchanging. All dispensations are actually of grace. Since "The Word" (Jesus) was there in the beginning, so was grace!

Revelayion 2:7b "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God."

That tree in the midst of the garden, being a metaphor, is Jesus. Adam and Eve were to tend to Jesus. They were to "dress him and keep him".   Since God is unchanging, Jesus is the Word and he was with God in the beginning, and Jesus is the Tree of Life; just as Adam's purpose was to tend to that Garden (Jesus) so are we! We have the same purpose in life as did Adam, our antecedents and our descendants. We are to tend to Jesus!

How are we to tend to the "Tree of Life? We are to glorify it (him)! That's what Paul tells us when he said "glorify God in your body, and in your spirit".. We dress and keep the Tree by glorifying Jesus! That's why we're here!

Are you tending to the Garden? Are you a servant to Jesus, taking care of making that Tree honored and praised. Are you glorifying Jesus as your purpose?

Most of us are slothful. Rather than providing for ourselves, we take the delicious leaves of that Tree, but fail to honor what we've partaken of. Just as sloths eat of tree leaves and move on after the tree is stripped bare, we accept Jesus, but fail to thank him for his grace by becoming a servant to him. We just fail our purpose in life. We don't tend the Garden!

The Great Commission is the best way to glorify Jesus. We dress and keep the Tree by telling of it's beauty so that others can glorify it's beauty:

Matthew 28:16 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..."

There's how we're to implement "our purpose in life". We're to tell others about Jesus! That's how we "dress and keep" that Tree in the midst of the Garden!  We can tell if we're serving our purpose in life by how much fruit that Tree bears. By glorifying that tree we fertilize the seed from Adam and cause it to bear fruit for Jesus. Our purpose in life is telling others about the grace of Jesus! That's man's purpose from the beginning and that's why we're here!

Freedom... Where has it gone?

I was thinking of the freedom many of my ancestors fought for and where that freedom has gone. I felt strongly enough about this to write a letter to the editor of the Bowling Green Daily News. Here's the content:

Was the war for independence wasted? The "Declaration" states "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." What men died for our government holds in disdain!

Truth is now relativistic. Within the current administration it's a joke. Jay Carney is the "Liar in Chief". Accountability is a farce!

Hate laws, quotas and the administration makes some "more equal" than others. Lady Justice is permanently tipped toward bias. Those created slightly less "desirable" are murdered in the womb. Equality is for the fittest.

The Creator is a magical spark of energy which turned into the universe. God has become a demiurge spewing hate and intolerance. In spite of his love we can't worship him freely. An omnipotent God isn't even viable theory! The rights of those who worship him are more in jeopardy daily.

"Rights" are whatever the liberal elite chooses to allow. If we fail to think according to correct thought, those everywhere run in fear. Rights are an illusion. The apathetic watch as rights are eroded until it's too late to protect their own!

Among those rights "Life" is a joke! Babies are murdered in the womb and the Courts hold the knife. What once was cherished as gifts of God have become fetal tissue. Potential leaders have been destroyed in the womb. Planned Parenthood, the wicked witch, is worshiped as goddess of sexual freedom.

Liberty is snuffed out by the Democrats and abused by the Libertarians; evil twins walking different roads to the same destruction. The goddess of Liberty they worship is a two-headed dragon!

Happiness is the sole extent of our what's left. People live for pleasure, a cancer leading to the destruction of the nation. Pleasure in the absence of the Creator is hedonistic, a life-style which has destroyed the greatest nations!

The main culprits are the courts abetted by the deceitful president. Each are guilty of crimes against freedom! Voters clean the dirty knife of stupidity!

Memorial Day: Patriots get their due honor!

For thousands of years people have fought wars for various reasons. However, all reasons have the same root cause. Nations, as do individuals, fight wars because of unrighteousness. Some nations abuse others because their motives are wrong and others respond because wrong must be checked.  Wars are fought because nations still believe that good must triumph over evil.  Each nation oftentimes believe that what they stand for is what's right for global good. Even ruthless Soviet era communism and it's twin brother, National Socialism, were both establishing what they perceived as a "utopia" here on earth. They sought heaven without the clutter of Jesus!

There is one simple solution to ending war!  If everyone, every institution and all those in power exemplified the love that God shows each of us, then we'd love each other and evil would be defeated by the love of God and love of others. So simple yet so far removed! Mankind's heart is inclined toward evil!

James 4:1 "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not."

The NIV is a good commentary explaining this somewhat better:

James 4:1 (NIV) "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God."

Examining this closely it's easily seen that sin causes war. It's always a violation of a particular commandment. This one is "Thou shalt not covet". Sin compounds itself:

 James 1:14 "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."

James 1:15 explains James 4:1-2 perfectly! Coveting (desiring what is wanted) leads to war (death). Hence, one commandment begets another and the desires of the heart brings on war! If we had ample faith then we would not covet and hence we would not sin. War is because of sin, but our weak faith in  God opens the door for sin to enter in. This all goes back to love. War is because love is lacking and because man places desires (pleasures) above love. This is exactly the same reason that Eve did wrong in the beginning. It's always goes back to "original sin"! God is undermined!  This notion applies to nations as well as individuals.

Ecclesiastes 3:8 "A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."

There is a time for war. It's to uphold what's right. God, although be believes that those "who live by the sword shall perish by the sword" (Matthew 26:52) leads the heart of a righteous man to protect what's righteous.

Romans 13:1 "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil."

This brings up the concept of a "just war". The "just war theory" is based on Christian beliefs; that a wrong must be righted.  For instance terrorism must be fought because the innocent get killed. War is justly fought to preserve lives because live is sacrosanct, it's a gift of God!  However, "just war theory" tells us that before force is used peace must be pursued by other means. God's will is that we shall not fight wars! However, wars are ordained by God if the fighting trumps evil. In fact before the end comes there will be an apocalyptic war called "The Battle Of Armageddon".

America, because of our Christian heritage, has fought j"just wars". We're normally not the instigator, but the protector. There are exceptions. In fighting the war against the Confederacy Lincoln failed to use all peaceful means of a solution. Whereas, the Supreme Court was to the arbitrator by law, Lincoln ignored the Constitution and became the aggressor under the disguise of the protector. Lincoln took it upon himself to be what he perceived to be the judge of right over wrong. He believed that it was necessary to battle because the courts were unjust (Dred Scott Decision). However, on the whole, America has fought just wars and has become the world's policeman. This nation is presently condemned for endeavoring to "do good".

Because we love America, patriots have fought proudly for America, not even considering that our wars are just. Few fail to even note that America fights to remedy wrong, this fighting in the army of God. Americans have always stood ready to preserve liberty. (Sidenote: They actually fight oppression better on the battlefield than they do at the ballot box. Whereas, patriots fight to overturn despotism abroad, they often vote to preserve despots domestic!). Foreign despots at one time waged war on the battlefield, but have become more wise. They fight wars from within through exacerbating crisis within America, pitting one against the other!

A patriot is one who fought for his country. In America patriots have generally fought for what's right. So then, patriots are soldiers of God seeking to allow good to triumph over evil! We should honor patriots for risking and giving their lives to fight just wars. Many members of our families have risked their lives to maintain peace. That's why we should war: to maintain peace when negotiation fails! That's just! Many of those same soldiers died in battle, but Providence allows many to return home. For those of us who have loved ones, we're blessed. There was no guarantee that our family member would live, but they did.

My own brother, Lamorris Richmond Herrin (called Rich) volunteered to serve in the USAF. He didn't do that because of patriotism, but as a vocation and a career. However, he went to war in Viet-Nam once by dictate, but then again by choice. He did this while thousands were shirking their duty and fleeing to Canada. Many felt that Viet-Nam was an unjust war, but using the tenets of a just war, Satan deceived the majority. In the face of protests and ridicule, Viet-Nam warriors waged a dignified war even while the nations leaders caused thousands to lose their lives in response to protests by students and other deceived persons at home. (Think traitor Jane Fonda).

Those who fought in Viet-Nam came home disgraced by the actions of our leaders. The cause was just, but our leaders were cowards. They faced the enemy abroad, but failed in defeating the enemy at home; those deceived by Satan.  We lost our first war because those at home neglected to see ruthless communism for what it is" a cancer on the world and the epitome of evil. The unpatriotic voices of those at home cost the lives of our heroic soldiers fighting wrong!

If I had been a soldier in Viet-Nam I would have been disheartened at the lack of support from my own nation, both officials and the public. I would have hostility for the lack of support! However, our soldiers came home and resumed their interrupted lives, most scarred forever by the deaths they'd seen and that justice failed to triumph; and for the first time! However, not one time did I ever hear my brother complain about the lack of support. Although, each time he went to the battlefield to serve the wounded as a medic, he risked his own life, he did it anyhow. He understood that freedom is precious and his job was to do what's right!

I recently stood before his grave and honored this patriot. He didn't die in war, but succumbed to the enemy anyhow. Whereas bullets were shielded from him by a loving God, cigarettes destroyed him from within. He fought for freedom abroad, but failed to recognize the battle within. His heart failed him gradually due to the effects of tar and nicotine. He had the courage to face enemy mortar, but lacked the will power to give up that inner craving.  He suffered on his deathbed as profusely as he would have on the battlefield. Surely, the war is waged by principalities and must be won wearing God's armor.

Honor those veterans on this Memorial Day who risked their lives. They deserve it! They are heroes and patriots. Rich fought so that I didn't have to. Your loved one did the same for you!

The Sky is Blue: Are we taught truth?

This is an actual Facebook Conversations. The names have been changed for anonymity, the extraneous comments redacted, spelling corrected, grammar cleaned up, but the thought remains intact:

Helen: You should pray for people whether they deserve it or not just saying...people need to stop being so selfish and bitter and get some Jesus in their hearts!

Sheila: Everyone is deserving of prayer. It's not our place to decide who is worthy, right? God already decided that we are all worthy. 

Helen:  Everyone sins, including me. My sins are no better than anyone else's and I never said I didn't sin so I don't know where you get that from. All I said is that everyone deserves prayers and everyone needs prayers. 

Permelia:: Oh no you're perfect  (sarcasm). Everyone has their own opinions and  my opinion is "no not everybody deserves a prayer".

Helen: I'm not perfect at all. No one is. Well I read the Bible and it says everyone deserves prayer. So sorry for TRYING to be a good a person. And I want good for all people.

Lacy: John 8:7b " He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." That doesn't mean that we condone sin, but that we need to examine ourselves! When I do that, I'm humbled and beg for mercy! With contrition comes forgiveness.

Permelia: Just because you read the Bible  doesn't always make you a good person. look I got my opinion you got your opinion and that's the only thing I can say.

Helen:  I didn't say that I was a good person but at least I try my best to be generous, kind, caring and forgiving to others.

Lacy:  Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour (others) as thyself.

Permelia: Ok people, we were  taught to believe in the bible, but we were also taught the sky was blue we are a product of what we was taught.

Lacy:  Permelia.. I don't know you, but we are so much more than a conglomeration of teachings, but all truth is taught as you say. We are blessed that we were taught truth in the western world. That was no accident! Christians were told to go out into the world and teach! Our early church fathers were witnesses to miracles and death defeated and as a consequence, risked their lives to spread the teachings of Jesus. Any teaching is by faith and it's simple to be joyful and at peace just by believing and accepting. Christians are happy because we don't worry about eternity! I compliment you for standing up for what you believe, but belief is best formed when a person allows knowledge to soak in. What I thought years ago was so silly. With study, it all comes together! Whatever your belief, we're all into this together and together we must be!

(It is to be noted that Permelia had self-deleted name-calling and judgmental statements. That in itself shows that she learned from this conversation. She is to be commended for re-evaluating statements made rashly. That's a sign of listening and learning.)

The statement which I want to address is what Permelia said last: ...we were  taught to believe in the bible, but we were also taught the sky was blue we are a product of what we was taught."

In short we are what we're taught. There is a philosophical term for this. It's called "Zeitgeist". "We are a product of our times." and since that thought is primarily education, it can be called "We are what we're taught."  Georg Hegel referred to it as "we are a spirit of our times." Regardless, Permelia implied just that! She had no knowledge from whence her thought came, but she believed it anyhow! That's naive and dangerous!

Let's look at us being taught "the sky is blue" which Permelia used to support her doubt of Bible credence. She believes the sky is blue and you probably do too! Never... no, never; believe what you're taught without question!

Firstly, let's look at a simple light bulb. It gives off light which is white, does it not? No, it just appears white. It's really the full spectrum of colors when viewed at once "appears" to be white!

The sky contains air. Red, orange and yellow light is not effected by air. Darker colors are. Their frequency and wavelength are scattered. What we see is all colors of light less red, orange and yellow. Although we see many colors, what we perceive is blue. The sky only "appears" to be blue. In fact as our view gets closer to the horizon, if we look closely, the sky "appears" to be white. When the sun is setting, the reddish colors are prominent and the sky "appears" to be red.

Yes, we are taught that the sky is blue! We are taught a lie. The sky contains all colors! The sky only "appears" to be blue and in fact the sky has different colors at different times depending on the angle of the sun, the time of day, the atmospheric pressure, the temperature, the angle of  view, and the relationship of the sun to the atmosphere and to the viewer. We perceive the sky to be blue because we have seen it appear that way so many times and that was crammed into our tender little brains at an early age! What we were taught as "truth" was only an illusion. We were convinced the sky is blue because of what we're taught and it seems to agree with what we see.

The "appearance" of truth appears many places. I bet most of us were taught that slavery was the reason for the Civil War and that the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves! That's the perception we get from historians. We want to believe that because in our eyes, that's "good"! First off, there has never been a Civil War in the United States! "The War of Southern Independence" is not two peoples of the same country fighting. The South had formed a new country called The Confederate States of America.

Unjust tariffs were the cause of the war, whatever we call it. The southern states were being treated as inferior states and they didn't like that! Lincoln made the was about slavery by issuing the Proclamation. Many in the north refused to fight against slavery although they had fought valiantly for the Union.

Furthermore, The Emancipation Proclamation never freed any slave under the jurisdiction of the U.S. and was invalid in another country; the Confederate States. That's right; Lincoln never freed one slave with that document. It was a ruse for English support for the Union which had been dwindling and to change the definition of the war.

Not only is the sky not blue, but historians have lied to us about the past! That's because the victor writes history. Rather than being truthful, they write of perceived truth, the war as they wanted it to be! History has the "appearance" of truth, but is not fully truth. It's tainted by those who taught us and by our preconceived notions; it's what we want it to be!

From science and history we move to religion. The Bible teaches timeless truths. Some fail to appreciate what the Bible teaches, so understanding is tainted by bias and false teaching. What's left is the "appearance" of truth. However, scripture defines itself as "god-breathed". Accepting that requires faith. According to the Word of God, religion is all about faith. We believe that what we read is truth and is straight from God.  For that reason, if we desire truth, we read scripture, not what others write about scripture!

I write a blog most days including this instant one. Should you accept this as truth? I'm honest about what I write. From day one my blog has as a sidebar and still does, the following confession:

              "WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF TRUTH

Tired of spin? Want something other than "Multiple Choice Christianity? Try biblical Truth, at least the way God leads me to see it. "

My attempt is not to fool nor deceive. It's to lead others to seek truth themselves. I might be wrong at times, but false information is not my intent. My strategy is to have people study what I say and consider it under the watchful eye of scripture. Whenever, I'm wrong the reader comes out ahead. By proving me wrong, that person has found truth. The Bible is truth. What I write is perceived truth and has the appearance of truth. However, I'm smart enough to know that God is infinitely smarter than I am!

Permelia says in the conversation above that she has her opinion and others have theirs. That's true! However, we need to look at knowledgeable opinions vs. emotional opinions. Truth cannot be "felt". Truth is not an emotion, but many treat it as such. Truth is when "whatever" agrees with reality. Believing the sky is blue is not truth because it's not. It's a partial truth since blue is only one of the thousands of colors we see in the sky. Intelligent people should never accept that the sky is blue because the truth is, it's not!

Opinion then is an expression of ignorance unless it's supported by truth. Ignorant people always have an opinion, but it's usually based on falsehoods perceived as truth. I accept scripture (and Jesus) by faith because it has never been proven to err. Likewise, prophets of old foretold the events of what's now history and never erred. The writers of scripture had no hidden agenda. The writers were inspired to write fact regardless of whether it made a favorable light or not! Truth was not concealed. All of our human traits are openly displayed in the Bible, even among the righteous in times of old.

I accept scripture as truth, not only because I was taught it, but because I've studied it myself. I've questioned scripture and it's internally consistent, unbiased toward it's teachings and favors the redemption of all people, even tyrants as Paul was! Scripture teaches organization, regulation, history, poetry, love stories, prophecy, law and prophecy. In all these areas the concept of love is embedded everywhere! How can I NOT believe a book that teaches love and understanding?

Then along comes man (and woman) and reasons out of truth with emotion. Fact is replaced by opinion! Those who are emotionally enslaved to deception fail to accept truth. Humbly admitting that on a global scale, I'm (or you are) really stupid if we don't at least look at what God says. It's likely that if one reads scripture (New Testament first) from cover to cover, change will occur! Either they'll reject God and be atheists because pride stands in the way, or accept scripture and become New Persons. They'll see how silly their opinions really are if those opinions are without spiritual enlightenment!

Matthew 28:18 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..."

Yes, we Christians believe what we've been taught! That's a good thing. It wasn't an accident, but was commanded of God. What we believe right now is Zeitgeist. We are a product of our times... what we've been taught. And blessed we are! Our eternal salvation has been made readily available if we only believe! What if we'd been as the eunuch who failed to understand what he was read:

Acts 8:30 "And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

The eunuch was then taught what he should believe. He learned from Philip who told him truth... the truth about Jesus and salvation! Yes, we do believe what we've been taught. That's why Jesus told us to teach all nations! For my sake and my eternity I'm glad that I was taught and truth is what I was taught!

On Acceptance

Someone earlier this year posted on Facebook that "Christianity is all about acceptance!" Is that right? Let's take a peek at what scripture says about this! Where else would I look?

"Acceptance" is when a person receives something with gladness or have approval of a belief or idea. The accepting person believes in the premise at hand.  Most of us are accepting, but are the things we accept the appropriate things? That's the issue at hand!

What should we accept?

Romans 10:9 'Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

From the above we know that we must, not should or can, but we must accept Jesus as Lord in our lives! That's the paramount degree of "acceptance" that we're called to have!  Why must we accept Jesus as Lord? It's so that we might be saved!  This passage also speaks of "rejection". If we reject Jesus by "failing to call on him those will "be put to shame". You ask what "shame" is? Eternal damnation. Scripture is all about accepting Jesus and it must be him:

 John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Belief in Jesus isn't enough! Even the demons believe!"

 James 2:19 "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."

So you believe in Jesus. So far you're doing as well as the demons. You're not to be commended for just  believing in Jesus let alone be "saved" from wrath! What must be done in addition to "belief"? A believer must "accept" Jesus. What must we accept?

• Jesus is God.
•  He was born of a virgin, thus is the Son of Man.
• Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, thus is the Son of God.
• Jesus performed miracles that only God could.
• Jesus was without sin.
• Jesus was crucified on the Cross.
• It's by his blood that we're saved. He paid the penalty for our sins and made the sacrifice for all our sins; past present and future; ever committed by mankind.
• Jesus made the sacrifice for all who've sinned and since all have, he died for everyone.
• We are made righteous (if we accept) by the sacrifice made by Jesus.
• Jesus is the only way to be saved and our works are in futility. We can't be saved by doing good.
• Jesus, the Son of Man, died a real death, but defeated death when he arose alive.
• Jesus was resurrected and lives today. 
• He is our mediator and only one who petitions God for our prayers.
• Jesus is "The Tree of Life" who was in the Garden and now stands in Paradise.
• All that is written by Jesus is scripture is true. Scripture is God-breathed and is God's own Word.

How are we sure that we accept Jesus? There must be some evidence that we did. If we say that we  accept Jesus, but all we do is believe, then we lie to ourselves! There must be evidence for our assurance:

Matthew 22:36 "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

We're told by God that as a Christian, we must follow his commandments! Since, these two commandments summarizes The Ten Commandments, if we love God and others, we'll obey all ten! That's not "works: because the obedience is not what is saving, but is how we love!

 Matthew 22:40 "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

That's the "works" we're to show:

1 John 2:3 "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

Yes, believing is the first part, accepting the second, but loving is the third. How could we accept Jesus if we failed to love him? It's impossible! Hence, relative to Jesus, even "acceptance" isn't the whole! Are we to accept others? Does that help? That is part of loving isn't it?

Romans 15:7 "Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God."

There's a contingency there! We're to "receive" others as Jesus loves the sinner:

John 6:37 "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."

That contingency for Jesus to "accept" a person is that the person must have come to him. Jesus accepts those who believe in him, accepts him and follows his commandments. Yes, he forgives those who disobey, but it must be done with a contrite heart and repentance!  There is some limit, only God knows to what extent, where a person is not living righteous and has drifted into apostasy. If one flagrantly disobeys the will of God continually, then the "salvation" was only belief and not acceptance of Jesus and his commands. On the other hand with salvation we do not become automatons. We choose every day whether we follow Christ or not.

 Galatians 5:1 "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

Living for Jesus is called faith:

Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God..."

Faith entails loving God and doing his will and walking in obedience. That means accepting Jesus and what he teaches. We can't pick and choose what we want to believe and reject what he tells us to do. That's disobedience, not acceptance. In fact if we're not obedient to the will of God, we pay some price. Either we're damned or we receive a lesser crown.

We know that Jesus loves all sinners:

Luke 15:1 "Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them."

Why would Jesus eat with the dregs of society; those who sin the most? Read John 3:16! He loved them so much that he didn't want them to go to hell! However, Jesus knocked on their heart's door. He wanted them to believe, accept him and change (love him and others). He wasn't there to tolerate their sins, but to save them from their sins! This is where the phrase "love the sinner, but hate the sin" is derived. That's exactly what we're to do! If we love others we'll not only tell them about Jesus, but rebuke their sin. That's what scripture is for (teaching, rebuke and correction):

 2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness..."

Jesus ate with sinners to give them a choice! That's how much he  loved them:

Mark 16:16 "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

Damning people for disobedience and grieving the Holy Spirit isn't very accepting! As such, then Holy Scripture is not only about "accepting", but also "rejecting".  This raises the question: "For what shall people be damned?" For nor believing (and accepting Jesus as I have shown) and for disobedience. Part of the obedience is witnessing to the world through the work of baptism. It's obedience! Likewise, obeying the commandments is obedience.

 Colossians 3:12 "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;  13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness."

And what we are NOT to accept:

1 Corinthians 5:11 "But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat."

We don't accept those who claim to be a Christian yet are disobedient. This correlates to the teaching that whoever accept Jesus must obey!

2 John 1:10 "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works."

ANYONE who rejects the teachings of God are not to be received! That's rejection; the opposite of acceptance. Yes, you still love them, but you are not to condone their behavior by consorting with them. Condoning wicked lifestyles is not of God, but is what they "world" calls "acceptance"! Those politically correct are not only propagating the lie that we are to "accept" sinful behaviors, but it's okay to go ahead and sin ourselves! We're never to judge, whereas the Bible says to not judge "harshly"!   Most people use "acceptance" as a means of continuing a sinful lifestyle. We're in an age of "social justice" where recognizing sinful acts is "intolerant"! Jesus came not to tolerate, but to  free from us from the bondage of sin. He taught obedience, not tolerance!

Acceptance and tolerance are most used by those who rationalize homosexual lifestyles. This includes progressive churches which teach only "Positive Christianity" and "Social Justice" and neglect salvation and the commandments! Here's what the Bible teaches about homosexuality:

 Leviticus 18:22 (ESV) "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination."

In plain English, God considers homosexuality as "disgusting". That's not me saying that. It's God! Will you call you Creator and Savior a liar? Many say that Jesus never condemned homosexuality. Jesus IS God and God is unchanging. Sin isn't a variable. What is wrong is always wrong in the eyes of God (Jesus)!

1 Corinthians 6:9 (ESV) "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

 This isn't very "accepting" is it, but it's the inspired word of God. Paul was taught by Jesus and God inspired Paul what to write. Paul said that all these were reason enough to be damned. I'm not being intolerant by telling folks what God expects, but because I love everyone and want all to be saved, I must tell them what God's word actually says, not what we wish it said!

Those who truly love will rebuke! Yes, they will be intolerant for it's better to rebuke a person than condone their sin and cause them to perish for eternity! That's tough love. That's true love.

When I was in sin a good friend chastened me when no others did. He did this because he was my friend. Others who tolerated my actions encouraged by silence my disobedience. By their acceptance, I could have eventually forgot God.  I thank God for those Christians who aren't deceived by political correctness and social justice, both tools of the devil!

Superman? What's Your Kryptonite

Mild mannered reporter Clark Kent isn't really who he appears to be! When no one is looking he changes clothes in a telephone booth and assumes super powers, He becomes Superman!  This man of steel is from the planet Krypton, and being so, his only vulnerability is exposure to that rare element. Otherwise Superman is not only invincible, but invulnerable!

We too can be Supermen!  Given the right response we can take on the following powers:

• We can be immortal!
• We'll have perpetually perfect health.
• Nothing can injure us.
• We can foil all enemies.
• Peace can be ours.
• World defeated by love!
• Joy will be ours.
• Hope for a better world will be.
• We'll not be subject to physical laws.
• We can suddenly appear from elsewhere. 
• We'll have super strength!
• Walls of stone will never contain us.
• We'll be members of a powerful army.

How can this be assuming that after our resurrection we'll have many of the same characteristics of Christ because we will be Christlike: Matthew 22:30 "For in the resurrection they... are as the angels of God in heaven."

• Immortality: Matthew 25:46 "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."
• Healthiness and Injury: Revelation 21:4 "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
• Over Power enemies: Ephesians 6:10 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
• Peace: John 16:33 "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
• Love is supreme: 1 Corinthians 13:4 "Charity (love) suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 (Love)  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."
• Power of Joy and Hope: Romans 15:13 "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."
• Defying gravity: Thessalonians 4:17 "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air..."
• Suddenly Appear: Mark 16:14 "Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat..." (Christ seemed to have the ability to defy time and space. He's not there, then suddenly he is!)
• Super strength: Matthew 28:2b "...for the angel of the Lord (Jesus) descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it." (The Angel of the Lord is a common tern for "The Word", Jesus. Jesus rolled back his own stone with the strength of an earthquake)
• Penetrates Stone Walls: Matthew 28:6 "He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." (It doesn't seem that Jesus left the tomb through the door, but just walked or rose through stone walls as if they weren't there!)
• Power in War: Ephesians 6:12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

Truly we'll be Supermen! There's power in Jesus. We're not to seek power, but we get it as part of the "born-again" experience. If we seek salvation for power we'll fail as did Simon the Sorcerer, but if we seek Christ as a meek servant, we will be empowered!  We will be Supermen in a spiritual sense and even our bodies will become perfect, having all the characteristics as Jesus because we were formed in the image of Jesus!  Once we're saved we're on our way to a Super Life! However, just as Superman had Super Enemies, Christians have the same. Satan is to the Christian as Lex Luthar is to Superman. Satan is the Super Villain and uses dirty tricks to defeat the babe in Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:1 "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ."

Superman had powers even as an infant when he made his appearance on earth. However, as he matured he learned how to control those powers. He had self-control. He used those powers for good! However, Lex Luthar continually sought to undermine Superman. He finally realized that the material of the very world from which Superman came was what could defeat him. Kryptonite would weaken Superman and when weakened, he would expose himself to destruction!  Christians all have their own Kryptonite. Just as Superman, our own world is our Kryptonite!  The world offers pleasure. The radiance of the world is "pleasure" and it's that pleasure that's our Kryptonite!  Any and all sin comes down to seeking pleasures of the world over righteousness.

Those pleasures range from lust to power and everything in between. The ingredients of pleasure are poison to the soul. They all are sin! Yes, sin is our Kryptonite and Satan our Lex Luthar who brings forth that beautiful substance as something to be cherished, but after we get too near, it's deadly power overcomes us! The secret to a successful Christian life is the same as what Superman would do:

James 4:7 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

 Superman's power was derived from a change of world's. He was ordinary on Krypton, but was super when he came to this world. The same is for you. You're just a normal weak sinner before you enter the Kingdom of God, but once you become a righteous citizen of that world you become a New Person. You assume power because of the power of God. You're no longer alone in war with nefarious powers, but are empowered by God just as David's meek slingshot became a super weapon! To preserve our super power we flee from our Kryptonite!  We don't get near what will weaken us! Gradually just like Kryptonite, we are destroyed by elements of our own world!

Yes, we are to be Supermen! However, instead of an "S" we're to wear an "R". We're to wear a breastplate of "righteousness"!  When we become that New Person, we do have super powers, but we should be meek just like Superman's altar ego, Clark Kent. The meek shall inherit the earth! (Matthew 5:5).

Please note that we don't change in a telephone booth. The change we make is in our hearts and we clean that uniform in the baptism of water. That weak old person is buried there, the costume cleansed and the New Person arises from the water. Superman you become! The crusade of Superman is to save others from destruction. Be a Super Hero! Be a super witness to the world that all may be supermen!

Believing Your Lying Eyes

I often quote Marx in making a point against heresy, but now I'll quote Marx! This time I'll quote Groucho Marx who certainly appears to be much more intelligent than his socialist namesake, Karl Marx.

"Are you going to believe me or your lying eyes?" (Groucho Marx)

A young girl pulled out in to traffic and was hit by a fast-moving car. I rushed over, someone handed me a tire tool and I pried open the passenger door so as to rescue her. Upon entering there was nothing I could do. She died. It still haunts me to this day!

Lawyers called me for my account. They asked "Were there any cars between you and the accident?" My response was "No, there was not and I had a clear view." Another driver and witnesses contradicted my testimony. There had been another car in between me and the accident which I had failed to notice! You see I was so focused on what was happening that I failed to see the obvious. There was another car there, but my mind didn't "register" it. The better question to me should have been "Are you going to believe me or your lying eyes?" My eyes did lie to me! Sometimes we're so blinded to truth that we are in a fog.

Ezekiel, centuries ago said this to his fellow man:

Ezekiel 12:2 "Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house."

My eyes failed to register what I saw. I was not lying. I perceived actual events wrongly! Since there was no deceit in my heart, I wasn't being rebellious. I had such good intentions yet I was totally wrong!  This is called a "scotoma"  which is the failure to see what's right there in front of of our own eyes! Some people have an island with no vision on the retina, but a psychological scotoma is an island of blindness in the mind.

Therefore, "lying eyes" are possible and lying eyes are called scotomas! Ezekiel was speaking to people who had lying eyes, but also had a scotoma of the ears so to speak. They also had lying ears! However, we'll focus on lying eyes.

Jesus had just healed the blind man. Here is the conversation:

John 9:24 "Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man (Jesus)  is a sinner. 25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. 26 Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes?"

Who was blind here? Was it the blind man or the "they" (the others)?  The blind man, although blind, had faith in Jesus to obey. Jesus gave him instructions and he followed them to a tee, and consequently, regained his vision. He had a childlike belief in Jesus! (We find out that this man was not blind for any other reason than that he was to be used so that Jesus could show the works of God.)

Here's the scenario. Everyone knew that the man had been blind since birth, they saw Jesus restore his sight, and yet they didn't believe what they saw! They had a scotoma to truth. "They" were the truly blind!

Jesus physically died on the Cross. He bled real blood and his intestines spewed forth real water when he was pierced. Before this many saw that real nails were used to nail a real body to real wood. They saw this! Many saw this. However, those with scotomas had lying eyes.

 Immediately there were those who said that it wasn't a physical Jesus who was nailed to the Cross, but an "illusion" called a "phantasm". Therefore, Jesus didn't die for the sins of mankind, it was only an illusion. Therefore, we have no hope because nobody really died on the Cross! Those people taught their garbage immediately! This belief is called "Docetism" and was an early threat to the real church. Docetism was derived from the Gospel of Peter which was a forged gospel written early by a man blinded from truth and written in Peter's name. It was a heresy and those people were called gnostics. They had "secret knowledge", and did what they thought was "good" although they were blinded from truth. Gnosticism was an early threat to Christianity and much of Paul's writings talk of a false gospel.

Is gnosticism still alive? Yes, it's alive and well, especially with the findings of many gnostic writings in Egypt in Nag Hammadi, Egypt in 1945. There were many false gospels. Now with movies like The Da Vinci Code gnosticm is in vogue again!  Many movie stars such as Madonna are deeply involved in gnosticism. Many cults are gnostic in nature. Yes, gnosticism, although not a threat to Christ, is death for those who see, but are blind!

Early Christians saw the vicarious death of the real Jesus yet they were blinded to what they really saw. They believed others over their own "lying eyes". Today, we study the testimonies of those who saw Jesus die and spoke to him as he died. However,many believe those who deny what witnesses saw and accept lies as truth. "Are you going to believe them or the eyes of witnesses?"   When you accept truth, you'll be as the blind man and shall say "I was blind, but now I see!" That's grace. That's truth!

Today many deny the events of the gospels, especially his miracles. Logic tells them that those miracles could never happen. Reason fails them! God is not bound by the knowledge of man nor our feeble logic! Miracles are supernatural and the supernatural has no place for the logical person. However, no one has ever said that reason will save you, but faith in what's supernatural will. Jesus is supernatural! He is beyond the confines of nature. He lies outside the bounds of science. Jesus IS God!

Everybody Loves a Mystery!

I love a mystery. As a young married I loved to read Alfred Hitchcock novels. He was the master of suspense!  Most of you enjoy watching a "whodunnit" movie. We enjoy sitting on the edge of our seats, guessing who the killer may be and feel the rush when we are foiled again! There's a certain satisfaction we get by guessing right and amazement when we guess wrong. A good mystery is when we know for certain the outcome, but miss it entirely. A good writer knows how to tantalize the reader.

There's a great mystery in the Bible. Anyone can take a shortcut and look in the back of the book, but even there, without reading part one; part 2 may entirely mislead us. I read part 2 (The New Testament) many times, but still failed to solve the puzzle presented in part 1 (The Old Testament).  When I solved the mystery I was driving to Detroit by myself. I nearly ran off the word when the mystery revealed itself! All along I thought I knew it all, but suddenly my ignorance was revealed to me. Maybe it was a revelation from God or perhaps I just used my head!

Here we see a passage from the Old Testament which revealed a mystery:

Ecclesiastes 11:5 "As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. "

Early on it was revealed that there was more to scripture than what the Jews could see!  They were God's chosen people! He traveled with them as they "progressed" through history until they had established themselves as a great nation in a land of milk and honey. Surely, their days were to be prosperous! However, Ecclesiastes, if read carefully, makes it obvious that the reader (Jews) may be missing the point! Well, what is the point?

Genesis 22:15 "And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;  18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice."

I had read this many times. Here's what I believed: Because Abram was willing to obey God, God stepped in and provided a ram. As a consequence, Isaac life was preserved and the Jews were to grow into a great nation. That's true, but and epiphany came to me!  That's not the rest of the story! The writer very cleverly concealed the real truth in writing this. God allowed me to solve the mystery within the story of Abraham, but if I had been discerning I would have solved it much sooner! I was much as the Hebrew people. I had eyes, but failed to see and ears, but failed to hear!

Actually, the mystery was in three parts. I had, at that time, solved the fist part only! I finally realized that by the faith of Abraham, his willingness to sacrifice his only son, was a picture of God's willingness to sacrifice his only son!  Abraham was born about 2018 B.C. His name at birth was Abram (meaning "Many"). It seems that at his birth God had plans for him! Upon encountering God his name was divinely changed to Abraham ("Father of Many").  At the time of his birth few knew of the coming Messiah, not being announced until the time of the prophets much later. Abraham not only knew of the Messiah, but spoke with him!

The second part of the "mystery" I came to realize, is that Abraham was speaking with "The Word" as had Adam and Eve in the Garden. It's obvious from Abraham's grandson, Jacob, that Jacob wrestled with God, who was "The Word" manifest". Who is "The Word"? John Chapter One tells us that "The Word" is God in the flesh; Jesus! Hence, part two of the mystery is that Jesus spoke with Abraham and guided him in his sacrifice and provided the grace (the ram) as a substitute sacrifice. That ram is likened to the Lamb who was sacrificed by his Father much later; Jesus the sacrificial Lamb! The "Angel of God" is Jesus before he took on flesh and became the "Son of Man"! So, from the first two parts I realized that Jesus abided with man since day one back in the Garden and that the Old Testament is "The Story of Jesus"! Now for the third part: I realized that God is not only the God of the Jews, he's the God of everyone! The Gentiles were to be the avenue of salvation. There had been a  chosen people, but since the Jews rejected Christ, Christ was there for the Gentiles.

The Gentiles are any people who are not Jews. The Jews, in their pride, had a "God of the Jews". They completely misunderstood the grace of God and failed to accept the sacrifice of the Son that Abraham clearly understood to be Jesus!

Colossians 1:26 "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:"

That's part three of the mystery!   "... made manifest to his saints: 27 "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory..." The mystery is now solved. The saints are Gentiles. They accepted Jesus. All along God's plan was for the Gentiles to accept Christ with his foreknowledge that the Jews would complicate their own belief with rules added to The Law.  Verse 28 goes on to say "that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus"! God is no respecter of persons. He died for everyone. Although the saints are gentile, the Jews still have the opportunity to believe, some do now and many will after the rapture of the Saints! Here's more:

Ephesians 3:3 "...How that by revelation he made known unto me (Paul) the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6 That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: ... 9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:  ... 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, ... 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 

The mystery solved lies in Ephesians 3: 1) Christ is for the Gentiles too, 2) It was intended that way in the beginning, 3) Christ is the Way to salvation. 4) That Christ is in the heart, not the mind nor The Law, and 5) that salvation is by faith in Jesus! An additional revelation of the mystery is 6) that we all can know the love of Christ by indwelling of the Spirit of God.

When this mystery was revealed to me, I wondered why that no one had ever told me that the Old Testament is all about Jesus! I was angry! Preachers weren't doing their job! They did not reveal to me the mystery as they taught biblical "stories". Even today few relate what any of the timeless Bible stories has to do with Jesus. Now, as I read the Old Testament, I asked myself "What's this got to do with Jesus?" Guess what? The Old Testament ceases to be trials of conflict, disobedience and history, It comes alive. It's all a promise. It all points to Jesus!  Not only that,  but when our patriarchs were speaking with, seeing, standing in the fiery furnace and even wrestling with the Angel of God, it was Jesus with whom they were communing!

It's obvious at the transfiguration that Jesus knew Moses and Elijah. There was  no introduction. He had met them before! Jesus stood there talking with these two  patriarchs when the apostles saw  them! Jesus was renewing old acquaintances! Moses and Elijah had seen Jesus as he was about to be... transfigured. He was changing from the Son of Man to the Son of God! He was now entirely God!

Mystery solved! Paul was given the clues then Jesus inspired him with the solution. Salvation was never about the Jews, The Law and a vindictive God. Salvation is about grace, faith and Jesus and it's available to all! Man, I love that mystery. I'm sorry, God, that it took me so long!

Why we were born. And you wondered why!

Did you ever wonder why? Why me Lord? Did you ever wonder why you're here? If you were never born the earth would never be the same!  Those who are conceived, but never born, leave a void in the world. What would life be like if they were here?

(Psalm 139:13-14 KJV) "For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." 

Covering us in our mother's womb is the protection that God offers to us so that we might be born. Yes, he knew us in the womb and protects us from harm there. Others can interfere, but it's God's will that what he has joined together shall not be torn asunder. (That applied to everything, not just marriage!)

I study genealogy. On the Jewish calendar this is the year 5774. Most theologians agree that a biblical generation is forty years. Hence, mankind has existed for 5774 / 40 = 144.4 generations or 145 to the closest generation. If a person never had a repeat ancestor then each of us would have 2.2300745e+43 (that's 2.23 with 43 zeros.  It's greater than our deficit multiplied by itself! That's more people than ever lived!) However, our ancestors married other ancestors of ours and truncated that family tree. As we move backward our own quantity of ancestors diverge until there is not enough people then converge back to Adam and Eve! They are my ancestors and yours!

1 Timothy 1:4 "Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do."

Calculators hadn't been invented, not even modern mathematics. Logarithms were invented in 1614 in order to handily calculate exponential equations. However, as we can see from above, Paul, in his letter to Timothy, realized the "endless genealogies" of mankind without using higher level mathematics!

What's the point being made? Each of us have ancestors without end, but we are a composite of all those ancestors! Pick any one of the (2.23,000,000,0000....43 zeroes) ancestors we had in theory, eliminate even one of them, and we're not here!  I'm sure we all had an ancestor named Igor some time back. If Igor had tripped and fell and was killed by a bear giving chase,  __________ (your name here) would not be in existence! That's profound. Thank you Igor for procreating before you were eaten if you were.

Assume your name is Janice. If Janice loses her baby that counts as a life. A person lived for a spell. However, that child will never have descendants. Not only is the child lost to posterity, but so is all of the child's potential line. With the loss of Janice's baby the world will be a much different place!  Do you disagree? Consider Abraham and his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac:

Genesis 22:16 "And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou (Abraham) hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son (Isaac), thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice."

Abraham by faith was about to make a living sacrifice of his only son to God! He was willing to obey God because he believed so strongly in the majesty of his Creator. God called off the execution, Isaac lived and God provided the sacrifice in the place of Isaac. Because Abraham had great faith, God multiplied his descendants as numerous figuratively as all the stars in heaven. Abraham is my ancestor as is Isaac. If Abraham had sacrificed Isaac, I wouldn't be here. Neither would you! What's more Jesus would never have been born because Jesus' fleshly genealogy includes Isaac!

The world would be much different if Isaac had been sacrificed. I cherish me and the world would be much different without me. However, my humble life has made a pin prick in the balloon we call the world. However, Jesus made a difference! A humongous difference! Without the faith of Abraham God would have allowed the sacrifice of Isaac. Without Abraham's faith, we would never be here to have faith in Jesus. In fact Jesus would never have been here for us to be the object of our faith for us to be saved! We are re-born because Jesus was born. We have salvation because Abraham had faith!

Isaac lived! He multiplied. Jesus lives, he spiritually multiplied, leaving no human heirs. However, because of Jesus the promise to Abraham has been fulfilled: 18 "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice."

I'm blessed. I have accepted Jesus and my blessing is eternal life! You have the same chance. Just as I am blessed by the faith of Abraham and the faith which I have in the blood of Jesus, I am the spiritual father to all who I lead to Christ!  Even if only one other person is reborn because of my own rebirth, the angels rejoice in heaven, because The Great Commission calls me to become the spiritual father of many! (Abraham is a picture of what each of us are called to be!)

I will never be the ancestor of God as Abraham is to Jesus. However, I will be the ancestor of many yet to be born and to those who're born again! How many people will result from my seed? That depends! My biological seed depends on my grandchildren and their proclivity. My spiritual seed depends on how many people I reach for Jesus! That's my ministry; to reach others; to reach the nations! That's why I write this blog.

Are you spreading spiritual seed? That's our calling! We're to tell the story of Jesus so that his sons may be as  numerous as the stars in heaven! That was the faith of Abraham. That's why Isaac lived. That's why Jesus was born! That's why Jesus died and was resurrected. That's why Jesus yet lives!

Dancing with the Stars: In Jeopardy

As I was sitting tonight working on one of my many hobbies with my wife watching "Dancing With the Stars", I heard the moderator say "So and so is in jeopardy!" meaning that their time is limited. Their days are numbered. It may be tonight that they go the wide road; the road most taken! Their act is near the end!

Dance teams compete and are gradually eliminated. Each week the "stars" improve and the judges and public vote on whether they stay or go. Near the end the stars who are not quite up to par are in jeopardy.  Jeopardy is the risk of losing. In this day of self-esteem "being in jeopardy" seems so passe'.  However, most of the dancers will lose and nearly all will be in jeopardy!

The stars learn to dance and end up dancing well. The "goodness" of their dancing or their excellence doesn't guarantee success, but one team consisting of an amateur who's a star and a professional dancer will win the prize. The analogy here is how some endeavor to be Christians. People start out as amateurs in regard to knowing and loving Christ:

1 Peter 2:2 "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby..."

Peter is speaking to the newborn Christians  in Asia Minor. They became Christians the right way which is by faith. However, a new Christian doesn't make a perfect Christian. They are just as babies. They have much to learn. However, liberal Christianity tends to teach that Christians become so through social justice; by doing good things and being good. They're just like the dancers!  When those Christian want-to-be's seek a position in the church, they just start doing good things. Each day they do more good things. At some point in time they hope to impress their fellow do-gooders and the Supreme Judge well enough that they are no longer in jeopardy! They're on the way to winning. Winning means that they'll have eternal life if they are the best of the best. They in effect, mimic the dancers by dancing their way to self-improvement. "Dancing With the Stars" judges are impressed. God is not! The public is impressed. Discerning Christians are not!

Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast."

The dancers who perform better each week do often boast. Others are a little more insecure and leave room for failure. However, they all get puffed up with high scores and dismayed with lower ones. Want-to-be Christians are the same way. Many relish the flattery they get for doing good. Just read the obituaries!  You'd think that most people who die were ambassadors of God for all the good they have done. Surely if we do good all our lives we're good enough for God. Not so!

Galatians 2:16 "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

That means that God isn't impressed by "good". That's stuff we do! If we do "good" second rate, we're in jeopardy. If we do "good" par excellence we're still in jeopardy! As Ephesians 2:8 says, we're saved by "grace" through faith! It's nothing that we do ourselves!  If we are just as loving as Mother Teresa, but have not faith, we're in jeopardy of losing. The judge won't be pleased with our performance and others won't be impressed by our "goodness" because no matter how good we are, we're sub-standard.

James 2:10 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

Let's look at the dancers. Even the professionals make mistakes. Although they are "really really good", they still make errors.  The stars are even less perfect, but get pretty good before they're through. Let's say that they win if they get through all weeks without a flaw. They have to be perfect! However, the best of the best in dancing gets careless and missteps. If the judges used God's rules, not only do the losers lose, but the near perfect dancers lose as well. That means all the dancers are always losers! They can never be good enough to be perfect because they're mere humans!

However, gracious judges overlook errors and some win. That's grace, but that's not how God works. God can take the lousiest dancer who has faith in him for help and overlooks the missteps. The poor dancer who's meek, contrite, and loving who believes in the Supreme Judge and love him, gets an excellence award!  They don't deserve it, but that's God's rules. He has a right to love us anyway he desires!  What's more, the poor dancers tend to love God more because he overlooked so many of their missteps. The near excellent dancers, even if they love him, are still in love with their own performance as well. If they love God at all, they don't love him as much because they can't empathize with grace:

Luke 7:47 "Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little."

It seems then that our love for God is proportional to the number of missteps we make. The more flaws we have in our dance, the more we're forgiven and the more we love God!  You can see that in the faces of dancers who are sub-par. When they get praise from the dancing judges they beam. Likewise, I beam when I think that in spite of all my own missteps that someday God will say to me because of his grace:

 Matthew 25:23a "His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant..."

God will say that to me not because I was "good" but because I was faithful. That's "good"  in God's Lexicon!  Doing good is an effect of being faithful. Being "good" is not a pre-requisite to faithfulness. Indeed, if we count on being "good" for justification (Gal 2:16) that puts our justification in jeopardy. That's not the way to win the contest! We're justified (Christ paying the price for our sins) for doing nothing "good"! We can be complete Bozos on the dance floor and as long as we have faith in the grace of the judge, we win!

Aren't you thankful that your performance determines whether you have eternal life. Most religions believe that God carries scales and puts your "good" and "evil" on opposing scales. If the good deeds have more weight than the evil, then you get your reward. Even if you try to be good, consider your thoughts and your deeds. The scales would still balance toward the bad because most of us live for ourselves, at least until we submit to God. All the dancers would be in jeopardy all the time.

Being in jeopardy means our hope is dim. You can see that in the dancers faces when the moderator makes the announcement "You are in jeopardy!"  The dancers can work harder and do more "good" in their routines with the hope in doing well enough to move from jeopardy to winning. We can't do that!  There's only one thing that takes the do-gooder out of jeopardy. That person must admit that they're not really good at all, but indeed fail most of the time in their dance before the public. Poor performers, which we all are, must admit to our poor performance.

Then we must believe that one of the judges went through what we do, only that judge made no missteps. He danced in our place without even one flaw! Although that one judge danced perfectly, the audience boo'd at him, spat on him and even had him killed. He danced no more, but he ascended!  That judge won the prize for our poor performance. We look to that judge for hope and because we know that he took our place we love him. We know that we deserve the ridicule for our dance, but he took it for us. We love that judge because he loved us so much that he took all the penalty which we deserve for our own poor performance.

Loving that judge will take you out of jeopardy. That's the only way to see the prize! Run that race. Dance superbly! You need only to believe.

1 Corinthians 9:24 "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain."

Wrong Thinking in the Name of Science

I've heard people say that doctors have found that if you drink a glass of wine a day you'll live longer. Others say that smoking marijuana is no more dangerous than cigarettes. Then we move into other areas of our life. Scientists say that we are offspring of beings from another planet to explain our origins without explaining where life on those planets originated. You've heard the expression "If it's on internet it must be true!"  The same goes for science: "If science says it's true, truth it must be!"

People had faith in the truth of God for thousands of years. Yes, many times they misunderstood what God said and did, and sometimes hard-headed people, although Christians, just refused change; that having no relationship to God's truth. Then came "The Enlightenment"!  In the 1600s Bacon, Hobbes, Descartes, Hume, Smith and Kante; humanist philosophers; convinced the world that religion is for fools and reason the tool of light. The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy explains "The Enlightenment" this way: "The period of European thought characterized by the emphasis on experience and reason, mistrust of religion and traditional authority, and a gradual emergence of the ideals of liberal, secular, democratic societies."

Basically, "The Enlightenment" was the beginning of the death of Christianity in Europe and the rise of secular humanism. At the same time the political arena was divided into conservative and progressive thought and the church from tradition to liberal thinking. Liberal thinking within the church is a combination of reason and faith with reason more canonical than faith!

"Reason" is best defined as ones ability to consider ideas using their intelligence, using logical and rational thought. Note that history and God are not part of "reason"!  By taking God out of all thought man has created a new God, what Paul referred to as "The Unknown God" in Acts Chapter 17. There were monuments to that "Unknown God" who someday would be known. That God is the "God of Reason" ,practiced by those who believed in or were forced to convert to the "Cult of Reason" during the French Revolution. "Reason" was identified as "truth and liberty". The churches were converted into dens of iniquity where sexual promiscuity and pleasure was the ceremony of liberty!

Democracy is a product of reason. Even Christians adhere to democratic institutions  more staunchly than they do Christianity. "Free speech", in democratic societies, is more sacrosanct than is "freedom to worship". The latter freedom is even considered and impediment to free speech. Yes, Christians in their ignorance and naivete, worship the God of Reason! Libertarians are even more at the altar of that false God and many Christians spew forth libertarian thought without even realizing the lawlessness and anarchy resulting from too much freedom!  God made laws, the church taught the law, but the Cult of Reason replaced the law!

Let's examine "reason" from a scriptural standpoint. Worship of the God of Reason started with Eve's deception in the Garden of Eden. She ate of the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" although the "Tree of Life" was right there in the midst of the garden. Those trees were metaphors for Reason and Godliness, respectively. Jesus was the "Tree of Life" and Satan the God of Reason represented by the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil". Mankind, figuratively eating of that awful tree, chose the God of Reason over the One True God. The fruit they ate wasn't an apple, but they ate the fruit of emancipation from God. In their confusion they chose a false God over Truth, and Reason became a false truth.

With the God of Reason came liberty. With liberty comes pleasure!

Judges 17:6 "In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes."

I pause here a second for an example: Reported this instant on Fox News is that scientists have shown that cursing effectively relieves stress.  Millions will accept this false knowledge and now do what's pleasurable; what's right in their own eyes!  Science propagates sin and people blindly accept the precepts of science without question. I'm thinking right now where liberty has taken American families. With liberty people ignore God in their lives and shacking up has replaced marriage, abortion is accepted over life and same sex marriage is encouraged in spite of genetics, tradition and Truth.

2 Timothy 4:3 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears..."

We're all students of the lie!  Most of us accept false knowledge over Truth each day and we do it routinely because it's ingrained in our minds. From the day we're born we're bombarded with Satan's lies. Schools teach falsehoods as facts. Theories are taught as truth and we eagerly fall for what the authorities say. I was told by an honest, but atheistic college professor that "Our job is more than to teach; it's to remold!" Science has more to do with remolding everyone into the "Cult of Reason" than providing bonifide knowledge!

Jesus died on the Cross and  his death and resurrection was immediately disputed by those "who knew better"! Some so-called Christians were worse than the heathen. They said that Jesus wasn't a physical man, but a phantasm. A spirit was all that was on the Cross, not a true man who just happened to be God in the Flesh!  Their "reason", influenced by philosophers, persuaded them that man could not die yet live again. Those naysayers took away the hope of millions because if Jesus wasn't truly resurrected, man had no chance of it!

I've read the writings of Asimov and Sagan. God drew me to them for a reason! God wanted me to see the deception of Satan in the name of science. Recently, I read that even a Nazarene scientist accepted the "Big Bang Theory" as congruent with the Bible!  That theory nowhere mentions the miraculous work of God, so this Nazarene, who is supposed to be doctrinal, misleads even those who are children of God:

Matthew 24:24 "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

False prophets teach against the Truth of God. Scientists who teach another gospel, the Cult of Reason, are false prophets! Yes, there are "good" in the findings of science. That's how Satan deceives. The Great Deceiver has no problem with giving Jesus "partial credit". Most false knowledge is spewed forth intermingled with truth and even the usage of Christ's name!

I was nearly a victim of false knowledge myself!  As a result of my son successfully being treated for drug dependence by a "Christian Psychologist" I chose a new profession. I started work on my graduate degree in "Family Counseling" a specialized field in psychology. Because I was discerning I noticed that EVERY psychological technique conflicted with what God had shown me, but I became lax in my belief! For some reason, the Holy Spirit led me to reread my Bible and while I was obtaining my degree, I completed reading it.  I found that psychology is another religion and even asked my professor that very question. She responded "Psychology is a religion!" yet many accept it as science. The word itself means the "study of the soul"!

Answers.com says this about psychology:

"In old greek texts, you find that the word "psychology" can be broken into two terms: psyche & logos. logos is generally accepted as "the study of", but can be traced back further to mean "the word", or "reasoning". psyche can be traced to "the breath of life", or "the soul as separate from the body", and is generally accepted today as "the mind". so, in a nutshell, psychology is the study of the mind. "

This is in line with what I was taught in getting my education.  Although psychology is a religion we buy into it as science!  Yes, some psychology has some "good", but again, that's the way Satan works:

1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour..."

Many people "justify" actions and behaviors using reason. "How could God be so cruel as to send people to Hell?" "Why would homosexuals choose to be that way?" "There's nothing wrong with smoking marijuana!" "Alcohol is healthy and doctors recommend it!"

Such weak deceived people aren't "justifying" anything. They are merely rationalizing rebellion from God! By rationalizing they are kneeling to the "God of Reason" just as the cultists did at the time of the French Revolution and as did Adam and Eve back in the garden! "Surely this fruit is pleasing and good to eat!", Eve rationalized! Look at where deception got her... and us! Now we have to look for the devil in every tree and time and again we eat of that awful, but beautiful pleasurable fruit!

Falling for lies is using Reason as a means to obtain self-pleasure. This is just as the churches became sex havens and places for drunken brawls in France because the worship of Reason (science) doesn't require obedience, but pleasure. Everyone did what is right in their own eyes!

Rules are good! That's why the western world has historically been civilized! Our rules are based on Natural Law handed down from Mosaic Law; things God told Moses to have us do!  Even more stringent than The Law of the Bible is the Grace of Jesus!  We are to do things, not to be obedient, but because we love Jesus! It's not that I don't like the taste nor want to go to hell that I don't drink alcohol.  I don't drink alcohol because I love Jesus! I want to show him that I love him enough to be sober-minded and I will never take the chance of drunkenness! I don't smoke dope because I love Jesus. I don't buy into psychology because it's mingled with lies. I don't accept evolution because it's irrational to think that it all "just happened" and because it tries to convince me that God is a liar! Yes, evolution is irrational in spite of the being based on reason!

Belief in Reason (reason) is an act of faith! That's why the French formally named the "Unknown god". It takes more faith to believe in reason than it does in believing in God. Those who accept reason say that they are more intelligent than God, the Supreme Knowledge!  God time and again shows mankind our fallacy and time and again we rebel! In the quest for knowledge the known world, who spoke one language, were confused and spread afar at Babylon, after trying to reach the heavens and know its secrets. Because scientists are searching for the origins of life as I speak right now, I have faith that prophecy will be fulfilled. We will be destroyed by the findings of science! Atomic weapons will someday melt even the rocks of the earth! That's knowledge! I'm ready for that because "for me and my household, we choose God!"