Beauticians vs. Bible Teachers

Really, it's not a fair comparison in many cases. It's just that where I used to live, in Ohio, beauticians had to take a rather stringent test and be certified before they could operate, while Bible teachers did not. I'm all for beautician standards. I mean, they handle a lot of chemicals and can really mess someone up if they do things wrong.

Come to think of it, it's a lot like Bible teachers, except for the chemicals. A bad teacher can really mess people up too, starting with themselves. I know nothing about beauticians, but I've had a lot of experience with Bible teachers for about forty years or so.

I once asked a couple of pastors if there were any qualifications or tests for Bible teachers. I knew there were not, but I wanted to hear their responses. Would you believe they were a little perplexed. I mean, why would anyone ask such a silly question?

I had mentioned the qualifications for beauty operators, but they did not see any comparison. After all, these people work with ladies hair. They've got to get it right. Who wants to have their wife or daughter coming home with frizzy, purple hair?

On the other hand, a Bible teacher can't do much harm. He only works with the Word of God. About the only harm he can do, or fail to undo, is to let people fear they are going to a red hot "devils hell" upon death. There is no equating such responsibilities.

How's Your Filter?

I understand that a whole bunch of animals from clams and oysters, to whales are "filter feeders". Sea water or muddy fresh water is their supper table. All kinds of stuff drifts by or is sucked in, and the good stuff is retained. Whale bone serves as such a filter for the big guys. I think that is better than using it for ladies corsets.

I'm afraid I too am a kind of filter feeder. When I was a kid, I would visit the village dump. Once I brought home a plaster bull dog. You would plug him in and his eyes lit up red. It must have been put in the trash mistakenly by a person of exquisite taste.

People with eclectic reading habits, or those with unusual friends, are often suspected of drifting from the straight and narrow truth. After all, what could a person raised to be a good, narrow minded, pure, obedient unthinking slave gain from such associations? My answer is, much.

Is there such a thing as a hippy dippy, bohemian, fundamentalist? I aspire to be one. Almost anyone has truth I can learn from. The Bible is my filter. It saves me from adopting error.

But doesn't the Bible have an amazing cast of characters? It shows God's people from all kinds of beliefs and from all nations. I shun none of them. They have, and can, all teach me something, from Abraham, the Babylonian, and the pagan Egyptians who sheltered Joseph when his brothers hated and deserted him.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to be with Christians who would listen, and not always preach?

Two Things I'd Like to Leave Behind

I could have said "bequeath", but that sounds too much like a will. These two ideas are more of a way of telling you what I love.

First would be for folks to stand up and affirm their right (and ability") to learn the Bible on their own. Like home schooling, you're allowed to call in experts, but you should make these decisions, not a denomination or pressure of any kind.

This is so wonderful an experience and requires such minimal equipment that almost anyone can do it. A study Bible and a concordance will carry you light years ahead. How fascinating to find the agreements of ancients with people of modern times when both ground their beliefs on the Bible. This is so simple, yet so profound, you might think more would try it. Soon you will see why there are so many denominations, and often, so much haggling.

My second item is for people to grow some of God's great staple foods. Soon, if not now, it may be the only pure food around, and so much fun to do.

Now that Lou Kheemia has visited me (he has promised to never leave me until I die), I hope you believe I am sincere about these things.

Go Ahead, Eat Your Food - Of Course, It's Poison

Imagine that you're staying at a motel and on your way to the pop machine when you see the beginning of a fire. You begin to knock on doors, shouting, "Fire!" An irritated occupant opens the door and says, "Can't you find something positive to say?"

This is the reaction to those who warn about our Genetically Modified food . Actually, any reaction would be welcome. Such "claims" are usually answered with shocked silence, or with family members, a change of subject.

I'll name the company behind the effort to leave no food plant unchanged: Monsanto. The changes are justified by promises of increased yields, and a resistance to company sold poisons known as herbicides, insecticides, and herbicides.

Growing such GMO plants has been resisted on a local level by individuals in the USA, and by whole nations in Europe and Asia. This kills the export market for many farmers, which is a huge portion of their income. I believe the USA is the largest exporter of death on earth. Our multinational corporations lead the way. Depopulation here is well under way.

But the motel guests resent anyone who disturbs their rest. Soon they will slam the door and go back to sleep.

View Genetically Modified Foods in America Health Documentary.

You'll Never Find a Perfect Glass of Iced Tea

A lady I know goes to a church that she says has glaring faults. Since she is a musician, she is jarred by the music, especially that played during prayer time.

A set of big band drums is getting to be a standard fixture in many churches. This is said to be "to help bring in the young people". I suggest we appeal to young and old with Gospel preaching. Rather than our ever present animal natures we might appeal to the Holy Spirit within the elect.

I'm not against music, just mixing a night club atmosphere or "Home Depot Muzak" sound with our worship time. Aren't I an old crab though!

The lady I first spoke of, when confronted with my criticisms of the modern corporate church, would say, "You'll never find a perfect church." Guess that settles it.

But she is quick to return a glass of iced tea because it does not meet her high taste standards. You know what I'm tempted to say to her, regarding this.

Home School, Home Church

My best friend has home schooled his two children. He has done a knockout job. They have spent no time in government schools, except for a visit with friends. They have missed things, of course, like how to put condoms on cucumbers (no kidding).

Please understand, I have the profoundest respect for teachers. My wife's aunt was one and a very good one. Even I have spent a season in a classroom doing science demonstrations. It was a wonderful experience. But still, stats are building up that are heavily in favor of home-controlled education.

But what about home churches?

One of my early mentors was J. Vernon McGee, a pastor of a very successful church in Los Angeles. He had a Ph.D, was heavily educated and traveled the country with his teaching ministry. His ministry continues world-wide through his recorded messages as a Bible teacher.

His conclusion after years of such activity--the church is in apostasy. Not a severe or intolerant man usually, he once said, "If it has a steeple, it is a brothel." He made a cassette on how to have a home church. I agree with his idea completely.

People love their corporate churches though. A friend of mine said, "I have gone there so much, I feel like some of the furniture." It is often hard to break away from society in these things, but in my experience, very well worth the effort.

Things That Will Be

"Are these the shadows of things that will be, or are they shadows of things that may be?"
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

Is it that I have seen so many vain attempts to alter the inevitable that I see the pure, deluded, ego in such a question?

Now the mandatory disclaimer: yes, we can alter many things through human effort. But the mindset of whole cultures is that "wishing will make it so". Even wishing accompanied with the most strenuous effort is not enough to change the big things. We age, we die, and our sin nature is bringing us down, with all our golden dreams.

This pessimism--more than emotion or disposition--but a world view, perhaps is an echo of my genetic heritage. In "The Dark Eye in Africa", an address, later made into a book by Lauren Van der Post, the author states that the Germans have a mythology where evil triumphs. At the end of time, the Rainbow Bridge collapses. I know it is said to all start over, but the end remains the same.

As I daily scan the state of the world, I wonder, will the unrealistic optimism ever stop? This whole line of thought can be expunged by calling it "defeatist". This has always worked in the past. But I am cheered to see such terms grow silent. Finally, I do believe, we are facing that awful thing called reality. Perhaps many will see, that Pandora's evils have escaped, not to be retrieved.

Why would anyone be cheered by such grim truths? Because here is hope that many will seek a true remedy for them all. He exists and his promises are sure. I count on them every day. As I face my imminent death, it is in the expectation of "new heavens, and a new Earth, and yes, a new me.

Slow Lightning?

For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matt. 24:27

A whole bunch of (corporate) churches are promoting a kind of kingdom building. If forced to talk about the Kingdom of God at all, they will tell you that it is a work in progress. Its fulfillment will be gradual and invisible. Perhaps if you give more money you could help speed up its progress?

This progress, of course, will be imperceptible, because it will be a"spiritual" kingdom. I mean God would have nothing to do with a physical, earthly kingdom, would he?

Imagine God coming to the Earth to rule his people at a specific geographic location, such as Jerusalem. The very idea! Why it's almost blasphemous.

They will admit that when God sent His Son, he was born of a woman, walked upon the dusty old earth, ate food, drank water, performed physical miracles like restoring sight to the blind--things such as that. He also was falsely convicted, fell under the weight of his cross, gave his life, and after three days resurrected, showing proof of his physical body by inviting a skeptic to thrust his hand into his spear wounded side.

This is good physical evidence and makes good topics for the solar holidays of Christmas and Easter. But we're far beyond that now. We're much more "spiritual". This applies to the Kingdom of God, of course.

When it comes to money, real estate, and the market though, these are physical and literal--get it? To my church, prophesy meant selling short on Proctor and Gamble stock.

Tiny Tim for Christmas

Not the one in A Christmas Carol, but the singer that people laughed at, and few remember now. I love the Nativity Story, but refuse to share it with Solstice Day. Picky me.

Tim has some things to say on this occasion, to the surprise of many. You may not have heard his song and talk before. Please give him a listen.

I include another song. My friend says that it even surpasses the rendering by the iconic Doors. That is, in wildness. People hear it and comment on Tim's voice. Those who listen though hear a different message. I call it the cry of the outsiders, the misunderstood. Often I have been one of them, so I think I understand.

What do you think?

Listen as Tiny Tim takes Silent Night to a whole new level.

Listen as Tiny Tim sings People Are Strange.

Purifying the Bitter Waters

And the people murmered against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: Exodus 15:24-25

When Israel had no water to drink, Moses used a tree to take away the bitterness. I remember a chemist saying of this, "Cellulose is a great ion exchanger." What would we do without technicians? Some of us would have to rely on faith.

There is the straightforward literal interpretation--the report of an event that occurred thousands of years ago--which I believe. Yet much can be made of this happening. In a very dry region a multitude were saved by a miraculous restoration of undrinkable water.

I bring this up because a little talked about situation is making our water unsafe to drink also. Not only is our water under attack, but the air we breathe and the food we eat. But this contamination does not taste bitter. Yet it is very dangerous. It is spread over the sky by a process called geo-engineering. The poison is one of the most abundant of all elements, aluminum.

Naturally occurring aluminum is not found in metallic form, but is locked up in very stable and harmless compounds, such as oxides. But the high level spraying that is used to distribute it, uses nano particles of aluminum which are highly toxic and far too small to filter out.

One of the greatest experts on this subject is Dane Wigington, whose video is linked below. He believes that though filters cannot catch the nano sized aluminum, perhaps the use of carbon can keylate them, binding them so they do not circulate. There may be hope in a biological process where these particles are captured, also.

But the hazards to life in our water are not limited to the presence of aluminum (and barium). Radioactivity in oceanic water and in the atmosphere are traveling from the destroyed Fukushima reactors.

As I study this poisoning of our world, I hear no one proposing a solution of any kind. Rather there is resignation to mutations and death. If ever there was a need for divine intervention, it is now. Can the One who intervened in the wilderness, do so again?

View Jeff Rense & Dane Wigington - Geo Engineering Out of Control.

Fenced-in Evidence

Don't you become weary of great Bible truths being treated as legends told by the ignorant and credulous? Documentaries speak of such great people and events in God's book as hearsay or legends. This morning I watched a video which puts them all to shame.

I thought the marvelous discovery of Noah's ark in Turkey would be the one great event in my (shortening) life. But two men, and then a family of four, have found the Mount of Moses, altars that he and Aaron built, the split rock, which, when struck, gushed with water. These, and much more evidence, have been visited and touched by some really thorough searchers.

I promise not to go on, though I could. Rather, I invite you to watch videoed evidence by these bold searchers.

Watch The REAL Biblical Mt.Sinai FOUND. Secrets can't be kept forever.

Why Are Some Countries Not Mentioned in the Bible?

Does God care about non-Biblical nations? It might not seem so at first, but I believe the answer can be found in the history of Israel, especially in the kingdom of David.

When President Kennedy was asked in a press conference about the prototypical Mrs. Murphy being affected by a proposed public accomodations bill, he replied, "That depends on how much influence Mrs. Murphy has on interstate commerce." Everyone laughed, but they got the point.

In the same manner, a nation can have a rich culture and many people, such as Maylasia, but not be mentioned by name in the Old Testament. People try in vain to apply prophecy to the United States. Does God care about these people? If so, why are they not mentioned?

It is the question of their impact on the nation of Israel.

Small and "stiff necked" as they were, God selected them as His people, to be an example to the world. That they had no special worthiness is plainly revealed in the Bible. Like in the story "Pygmalion", and later "My Fair Lady", unworthiness was the whole idea. Election is funny that way.

One of my early texts had this inscription in its title page: "How odd of God, to choose the Jews." Yet other nations are judged by their relations to them.

Though Gentiles are referred to and their blessings are promised, it is in the book of Acts, chapter fifteen, that they come into focus. While Israel sleeps, people of every nation, language, and culture are being called out to be in the church. Here, the whole world is in view. No one is left out. Geopolitically the so called elite have chosen who rules for now, but in the end God chooses from every nation on Earth.

Puked Out by Paganism

I do rant, don't I? But I have run out of patience in waiting for the corporate churches to get it right.

Yesterday I heard a radio broad cast on a super, super, fundamentalist radio station, give out with the theology of The Little Drummer Boy! While the background music reflected the current "Holiday" season, they tell of how pure they are. Then they ask for money, of course.

Let's see. how are Christians different from the world? Some would say they know the true meaning of popular carols. Man, that is so deep!

While the commercial world waits breathlessly for success at the cash register, some of us look not at a baby, but God become man and dying on the cross.

Don't Mention the Boss's Name

There was a cartoon where a man was orienting a new employee. He said, "You'll like the boss. It's one of the rules."

My friend and I were discussing an article about who runs the world. Such writings can be very thorough, but only up to a point. That point is the top ruler. It has been said that Satan's greatest achievement is to convince people he does not exist. In this he has largely succeeded.

It seems that naming Satan has been left to the realm of so called religious fanatics, such as I am, to do so. I will say it--as the Bible does--"Satan runs the world." Until one admits this fact we are in the realm of underlings.

With only a day to live, my wife read the entire New Testament. She said that when she read where Jesus says, "I have overcome the world," she cried. At about two in the morning, this old man will not look up the exact quotations, but Luke chapter four tells the story. Satan offers the world to Jesus if he will only worship him. He could offer it because it was his.

I told you how the hymn "This is My Father's World"--so popular in my childhood church--is in reality a reference to Satan. But by the Blood of Jesus, the victory has been won. The twelfth chapter of Revelation reveals the transfer of power. This present world will be destroyed and even death will be destroyed.

We may talk about the names of those who are the minions, but the Bible plainly tells us who is at the top.

Jack be Nimble, Jack be Quick

I have probably told you that in my latest stay in the hospital, a therapist diagnosed me as having "a wandering mind". My best friend laughed and told her, "He has always thought that way."

I just listened to an audio reading of the Book of Amos. It didn't take long, of course, but oh how the God inspired prophet jumps around!

His message begins in the B.C. times of the descendants of David, leaps to the Day of the Lord, then to the millennium and Israel's restoration. There seem to be no transitions, and no timelines except in the introduction of his messages.

Amos of Tekoah was an obscure man, who sometimes was a gatherer of sycamore figs, the poorest food for flocks. There is no trace of his city yet found. Some would consign this powerful prophet to the dusts of time. Most do.

But centuries later, in the Book of Acts, his words are quoted to prove a wonderful idea. The tabernacle of David has fallen down, but it shall be raised again, after the church is complete. The first church council said that the kingdom of David, now in abeyance, will be restored.

In many denominations these are fighting words indeed. But it is a fight that those who read Amos, and the other prophets will always win.

Where Will You Be 15 Minutes After You Die?

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am.
John 14:3, NIV

The doorbell rang, and I opened the door to see two young girls who asked me this question. The teaching of a detachable immortal soul that goes to heaven or hell within minutes after the body dies, is a very common witnessing tool. 15 minutes is the time that is usually mentioned for the soul to go to heaven.

The two young ladies were so earnest that I told them I had been a Christian since I was 17 years old. They invited me to their church and gave me a picture postcard showing their church building, their pastor and his wife. I thanked them and they went on their way. I still have the card.

I could have gone to their church and had a good, worshipping experience. Perhaps they had good music too and I know that their church was filled with good people.

The one thing I ache for that I could not have is a discussion. I would have been told that I needed to be re-baptized and then instructed in the doctrine of which they were the possessors. No questions about what my beliefs or Biblical knowledge are.

One of these days soon I will find out where I will go and how long it will take me to get there. I fully believe I will go to heaven with my wife, and beloved friends, led by Jesus. We will go in resurrected bodies, not as disembodied souls.

I believe this because it is plainly taught in the Bible, despite the teachings of the church. If you read and study the Word for, say, 40 years, even a slow learner like I am can pick up a lot of things. You can shed a lot of things too.

As I prepare for my death, my biggest regret is that I was not able to have good talks and scriptural searches with many friends. My searches now are on the Internet, and the wonderful news is that people are catching on to true Biblical doctrine.

Too late for me, but some day I will awaken from my sleep in Christ and I will never be lonely again.

When David Wakes Up

As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. Psalm 17:15

David, who lived 3,000 years ago, is dead. We read about him in Acts 2:29 in the past tense as dead and buried. It is so easy to think of him as someone who lived long ago, wrote many Psalms, and lived an amazing life. All this is true of course. But no matter what we read or hear of him, no matter how he is extolled, he is consigned to the past, however glorious it was.

Have you ever heard a sermon on David's future? It is quite common in some churches to forget about a very wonderful fact. He will wake from his sleep and behold the face of God.

Maybe he will be pictured as a little boy, killing Goliath with a stone and cutting his head off with his sword. I know of a church that made a plywood likeness of Goliath to show the children. But that event was long ago. Of course God is through with Israel they say, and David is just a distant memory.

By the way, I recently saw a detailed drawing of Goliath--very impressive. But the artist pictured him with five fingers on each hand. They could have at least read the Bible account of him and his brothers before they made the picture.

David as a boy. Daniel in the lion's den. Drama about the past is what we are told about. Jesus as a humble carpenter. Or better yet, as a blond baby in a manger, oh so long ago.

But there are those who think of David, Daniel, and Jesus in their future states and roles. I confess, I am one of them. I am a futurist. Daniel sleeps in the dust, but Daniel 12:2 pictures the time when many sleepers in the dust will awake. Jesus, brighter than the sun returning with his resurrected saints to slay and judge.

How I love these promises. Must we always look backwards in our admiration?

Depopulation from a Doctor's Point of View

Time to get up, nine o'clock P.M. Ridiculous time to arise, but sometimes I need to turn on the computer, read and listen.

I had heard of Dr. Rima Laibow, but tonight I listened all the way through her talk, and I am so glad I did. She is not alone in her ideas, but brings an added perspective when she speaks from a doctor's vantage point. It is such a revelation when someone in a discipline learns the truth about the deeper meaning of what their collegues are doing. Simply, they are involved in killing people, most without intention. Good people, but taken over, run over, by those who follow an agenda of wealth and genocide.

Many have great difficulty in reconciling the modern view of a God who only loves and forgives, with a God who destroys a whole world system. Those who rely on what the Bible alone says, do not have this problem. They have read, and believe in the great flood--destruction and saving, in one act.

To hear what the rulers of the world are planning and doing, is to understand why Peter, for instance, tells of a future cleansing of the Earth. I invite you to listen to a brilliant and knowledgeable lady whose message shows the need for a killing of the killers.

Watch and listen as Dr. Rima Laibow Exposes Genocidal Plot.

Noah, Daniel and Job

...even if Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness. Ezekiel 14:20

Ever have the frustrating experience of trying to communicate your faith to the non-elect? I am sure we all have.

The Catholics have a term for the condition of those who will not be enlightened--"invincible ignorance". Church of England C.S. Lewis describes the ineptitude of non believers who try to discuss Christianity. However sincere they are, he said, they never get it right. It seems that even basic doctrines will always be beyond them. Even their negative arguments are off target.

In the end we find that it is not a matter of logic at all. That is, not the logic of the flesh and the world. As Ezekiel confirms, there are depths of depravity, where the greatest examples of righteousness do not prevail. Someone said that it is like trying to describe a watermelon to an Arab.

We learn to expect this from the world, but what are we to say when we are confronted with such intransigence within the church? Doesn't it seem that many of the faithful are set against even basic doctrine?

I worked with a young charismatic man who told me that he believed such knowledge was "fleshly", and to be avoided. Goodbye Paul, goodbye Peter, and even Luther and Augustine.

There is good news however, and it is online. Some people are catching on. They are deserting the error of the churches and returning to the Word.

Did We Talk About Biochar?

My best friend sent me an article about biochar, which has been called the world's greatest soil. Lincoln University in Missouri has been talking about it. But they are hundreds, if not thousands, of years behind native Amazonians who have known about it that long.

When I took a course in geology, I was surprised to learn that "jungle soil" is really quite poor in nutrition. Once it is cleared of its lush growth it turns as hard as asphalt and becomes a good surface for an airplane runway.

Yet explorers in such regions have found a local soil which is an exception to this general condition. Instead of the usual reddish soil of poor growing quality, there are regions of a black and very fertile soil near former human habitations.

When this black soil is removed, it has the ability to regenerate. Broken pots, once used as "piss pots" are found in the ancient soil and may be part of its biological source of fertility.

Now, this soil is being marketed--the original stuff and modern versions. You may start finding it in garden stores. Its black color comes from charcoal, which is a great medium or refuge for helpful soil bacteria.

I believe it is a good thing for us to live low on the food chain and raise that, if possible, ourselves. There is hope in using this wonderful substance as a "sourdough starter" to enrich soils, even if they are "piss poor".

View an article about biochar research at Lincoln University in Missouri here.

The God of Free Will

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:13

Guess that's an exaggeration, but many people do tend to worship it. "The great monarch of the universe is helpless against one man's free will."

Wow, that's dramatic, isn't it? Yet I have heard this said. What an ego boost. "I arm wrestled with God and let him win." Jacob would have something to say about this, as he limped through life as a reminder of when he "strove with God". Some day the entire nation of Israel (the surviving remnant) will learn this lesson too.

There is an additional source of pride when we say that all people have free will, but we chose to use our free will to choose God, while others failed the test. Such people are proclaiming that they were superior to these lost ones. Those who fail to opt for God will burn in hell forever, and no wonder, it's their fault. Except those who never heard of Jesus, even his name. They will burn too, and forever.

I too believe that the unsaved will burn in hell. That is, their dead bodies will be disposed of that way. I'm so thankful for Isaiah chapter 66. It showed me the way to the truth, though at the expense of being called an "annihilationist". In some circles this is a very bad thing to be called.

I must admit, I could get kicked out of almost any church, at least those who care about doctrine. My Baptist friends, in horror, would try to straighten me out, so I wouldn't spend eternity in these flames. I love them anyway.

Millet, Strictly for the Birds

At least in America, millet is often used for bird food. I don't begrudge the birds their food, but I would like to see people eat as well as they do.

It can be used in "dry farming", grown where other crops need irrigation, and it thrives on poor or marginal soil. The attached video shows how nutritious it is.

So why don't we eat more of it? Maybe because it's growing uses less of the chemicals we seem to be dependent on.

How do I like it? Cooked in a little water, like oats, topped with butter and a little honey. How sweet it is.

View Millets - The Miracle Grains.

It's Not True Until We Understand It

This was the unofficial motto in the church I once belonged to. Their Imperial Leaders were SO intellectual. They were to be revered and never challenged. Awful, how many churches are based on the idea that truth comes from preachers, not the Bible. Preachers are important, but they should be examined regularly in the manner of the Bereans, with their beliefs and teachings compared to the Word, nothing else.

This does require that the congregation is knowledgeable about the Bible though. I understand and sympathize with those who prefer the man they hire to do the study. This leaves them free to watch ball games and other more important stuff.

I was in a class that ran into some passages that implied that God, not man, was in charge! Obviously this could not be. They asked their pastor-teacher, "How do we handle this doctrine of predestination?" It sounded like a home owner asking for help from a pest control expert.

The preacher shrugged and then lamented that although his church (Presbyterian) was based on this doctrine, he objected that it made us all into robots and violated the most sacred of all doctrines, Free Will.

Now I happen to believe in free will. God's that is.

This contrived problem is the result of the Reign of the Intellectuals, those awe inspiring ivory tower dwellers that we are lucky enough to share the planet with. This disease of fake intellectualism is, unfortunately, communicable. Whole congregations have caught it. In fact, whole denominations.

It is treatable though. Very simply, see what the Bible says, even use a concordance. Instead of the sterile, and ignorant attempts at reasoning, trust in the Word. It's that simple.

As though creation from nothing could be understood. The eternal existence of God, substitutionary atonement, existence itself--do we understand them? Yet, for the most part, they go unchallenged.

Why is Predestination such a problem? Could it be that it makes God, not man sovereign? A crude, ignorant, dispensationalist,like me, who often uses a Scofield Bible to study from is considered an enemy of truth, perhaps a hopeless one.

I had no idea what I was getting into, when I joined this church. I became the victim of what the Bible calls "party spirit". At the time, I did not know that interpretation of the Scripture had caused a schism in this church. Those leaving and forming their own church, were called, oddly enough, "Bible Presbyterians".

How They Avoid Prophecy

After my wife died two ladies invited me to lunch at a nice diner. It was Wednesday, or "chicken special day". They were trying to recruit me into a program my wife had been involved in, helping the handicapped to take their college exams.

As we enjoyed our meals I mentioned that I studied and once taught Biblical prophecy. The head lady, a Phd, rolled her eyes. I could see the look of derision on her face. "Oh, one of those." As a subject of study it was, of course, not to be taken seriously.

"Things in the book of Revelation are taking place now," she said, as if to placate my supposed fanaticism.

Guess I should have asked her, "What things?" But I resisted. Hopefully, I could be induced to return to her recruiting spiel. I could have said that I had spent at least as much effort in my much aligned "field" as she had getting a doctorate in Education. Again, I resisted. I knew the thought was out there that "You can prove anything from the Bible."

I wonder how many different theories there are concerning her choice of study? I know they keep adding up. Must be hard to come up with new doctorate theses. We've come a long way from Plato's Academy, so I'm sure new ideas are there.

Since John Walvoord emerged in the 50's, the study of prophecy has come of age. Dwight Pentecost wrote Things to Come, his doctoral thesis, and in one volume, systemized the major themes of prophecy, so wonderfully and fairly that you get a good grasp of them by studying his wonderful book.

So, how do major denominations resist these intrusions into their previously exclusive domain of Biblical interpretations? I believe their approach is two fold.

Number one is to ignore it entirely--never preach on it or teach it.

But when lowly congregations clamor for the whole Bible, you can, as an exalted one, spiritualize it until it has no meaning. Muddy the waters. I wonder how many of those who strain against plain literal meaning are subject to getting hernias for there efforts.

Fighting scripture is a hopeless battle. People are catching on.

Not to worry about their hernias of course. They are non-literal. They are "spiritual".

The Braveness of Christy Fellon

Way back in 1955 (I looked it up), Kraft Theater carried what I thought at the time was a corny little play. An old man reporting to his job as a guard opens a door and knocks the gun out of the hand of a man attempting a holdup. Someone grabs the gun and the police are called. Though his action was accidental, the police and media credit him as a hero. An award is offered.

At the time I did not think much of the production. I felt it was done very poorly. Back in the days of live dramas they often were not staged very well and I was a blaise youth. But here I am, 5 8 years later, still thinking about it.

Christy, modestly, did not want to accept the acclaim or the reward. "All I was doing was going to work," he told his wife. But she had the wisdom to see it differently. She reminded him of the years he had spent, doing just that, faithfully working and without any acclaim. "You deserve a reward, for this," she said. "You should accept it."

Many years passed before I saw her wisdom in this. I don't remember now if Christy got his reward, but now I see its wider application.

My wife sacrificed a potential career to work in a braille printing house because she felt it was helping people. How many of the faithful are patient drudges whose work is unrecognized, and their labor poorly paid for. Someday they will get their long awaited reward.

Inspired, Amused, or Informed?

My mother woke up in the hospital one night and heard someone screaming. She told me that she thought she was in hell. My sister was afraid she would go to hell because her church membership had lapsed. My father said he believed we were saved "day by day".

Why do I tell you these things? Because they were all church members, and my father taught Sunday school. Church attendance in my family was every week unless you were sick. My elder family members had gone to the church for decades.

Finally I rebelled. What was the point? I got zero from attending, though I was full of questions, hungry to understand the meaning of life and our faith. Any person who would have talked to me could have given me a great lift and a great start in life.

In later years, I learned that most people who go to church have very different motives than I had. I'm not sure I understand, or even know, what they are, but I am sure that learning is not what they are. To me, it was paramount. My family was clueless, and the people around me were clueless, as far as I could see, though they were very nice people.

I did not want ceremony, inspiration, or church "humor". All I knew was that I got nothing from going to church. Once, after I quit going, my parents came home glowing about a "wonderful" sermon against drinking. Did they think that is what I needed to hear? Was God impressed? Years of going to church had taught us nothing, so my family was living in fear and ignorance.

I began to listen to radio preachers and, oddly enough, philosophers and scientists, who helped me to fill the vacuum I had inside. I realize, that for many, soothing, or inspirational services are enough. But they did not satisfy me then and do not now.

So, I am considered cold and unemotional. Yet when I read the mighty words of God, I am not ashamed to cry.

My Favorite Aborigines

Maybe that is an insulting term. I do not mean it to be. But the American Indians have a history and way of life that I admire.

But I intend to go much further than that. My intentions or hopes, would be that some of us could imitate them, live as they did before the Europeans came.

Their demise, and in many cases death, was as sad and inevitable as the felling of a beautiful tree. This is not to blame anyone. The clash of cultures was as inevitable as a Greek tragedy. Before the white man came many of them fought one another, I know that.

I am not mourning the advance of the modern culture. With all its exploitation it became a great missionary culture. The first book ever printed in America was the Bible in an Indian language. Someone translated their spoken language into a written language.

I have no Indian blood. I am English-German. So this is not an ethnic rant. All I am saying is that we can learn a way of life from these people. We may soon have to live without electricity (horrors!), no food stores, no houses even. We may be hunted as they once were, as cultures totally change and collapse. Can we learn to live off the land as the Corn People once did? Can we be mobile as the Bison People were?

Does this sound crazy? To reject this idea may be what is crazy.

View Authentic Native American (Indian) Pictures from 1850-1940.

The Feet of the Great Image, Part of Iron and Part of Clay

And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be, partly broken. Daniel 2:42

As a youth I was accustomed to hear the expression, "He found his idol had feet of clay." Of course I had no idea what it meant or its origin. Like many popular idioms, it represented a garbling of scripture.

You know that I truly love the book of Daniel, and particularly the second chapter. Not as some kind of devotional or emotional lift it gives me, but because it demonstrates the continuing power and determination of God, in the affairs of men.

How many Old Testament prophecies include the church age? We start in 585 B.C. and follow history until the return of Christ. Since Jesus has not returned to the earth yet, the time frame includes our times. We live within the times of the Gentiles portrayed by this great image.

Ever heard a sermon from Daniel's chapter two? Maybe in Sunday school? "Of what practical use is it?" some may ask.

Much, because among other things it dispels the idea, now commonly held, of an emerging "New World Order". The phrase did not emerge from a speech, often quoted, by the senior President Bush, but is quite old.

So what does it tell us about the latter days--those which have yet to take place?

We have revealed to us that the final gentile kingdom will be a divided and shattered Roman empire. This last gasp of Rome will be of limited scope and power. While its strength should not be ignored, it certainly will not include the whole world nor will it be omnipotent. It's final phase will be the emergence of ten toes, or ten nations commanded by a leader whose career is cut short by the return of Christ.

They used to say, that even if you cut off a snake's head, it would not die until sundown. The revived Roman empire seems like it will not die, but its time will be cut short.

Hurt Not the Earth

Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. Rev. 7:3

This passage, of course, is about the sealing of the 144,000 out of Israel prior to the Great Tribulation. So there is no direct application to today. But it does show us that no matter what mankind is doing to the earth--and it is horrible--that a greater trial lies ahead and this one is caused by angels.

So why do I bring it up to apply to our times? Only to show that angels can both cause great judgements to occur, but also to withhold them.

Earlier I told you about my "Threats" file. The world holds its breath as Tepco attempts to remove fuel rods from reactor #4. The other reactor buildings are even more of a threat to the world, and all are presently emitting radiation and radioactive elements that are endangering Japan, other parts of Asia, and the USA and Canada. Though this is number one on my threats list, it is not the only peril we face. These are not a source of anxiety to me, but of great interest.

In Revelation 3:5, Jesus promises to take us from the earth before His great judgement begins. How close are we to that time? Perhaps it is wrong for me to speculate. But it does seem close to that time when the church has fulfilled her number.

Are angels restraining the terrible conditions which threaten us? A chemist might say that the world's reaction has not "gone to completion" yet, but it does seem to be near a critical stage.

Our Wonderful Online Study Guide

You may know all about this and use it all the time, but the concordance in the link below, is a terrific aid to Bible understanding. If the lights go out we can still use our printed model, and I have one of those. But the computer model gives you the ability to look up a phrase, which the book cannot do.

The whole chapter relating to a verse may be accessed by clicking on it, also. A number of translations can be compared on this program. Plus, the original words can be looked up in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, with their definitions. I like to use several Bibles besides my trusty and beloved King James, but many versions are available.

It really helps if you print out your findings, as when you are preparing a class. I really mean this when I say that this source, together with a study Bible will put you far ahead of even a seminary student.

An invalid, anyone in bed, with a laptop, can give you access to great knowledge. It is useful to look up doctrines online too.

People are catching on. Instead of following teachings based on tradition, you can open up your Bible as never before. True students will find an amazing fact, even those in different cultures and times will agree with one another, as man made ideas yield to the Word of God.

View Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicons.

Shinar's Beginning and End

And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.Genesis 10:10

A lady asked me if I could get her an "original" (Latin Mass) Bible. Her mother was concerned that the modern Catholic church was going liberal. The lady wanted to please her mother. I was quite naive in those days and gave her one from my bookshelf.

I had looked at the notes in the updated Douay-Rheims Bible, and saw that the teaching of those days was that Babylon, or Shinar, referred to the city of Rome. It is common in some circles to teach that everything in the Bible is symbolic, not literal. I was surprised to see, according to the notes, that the fall of Babylon meant the fall of Rome. An evil last Pope and apostasy of the church was to occur. Besides being a hopeless case of self-reference complex, it is a plain mangling of scripture.

There are eight references to Shinar in the Bible, Gen. 10:10 being the first. The last, portraying the latter days of Shinar, are in Zechariah 5:11. Babylon, a later New Testament form of Shinar, concludes in the book of Revelation. Sorry Rome, and the Roman Catholic church, but Shinar means the region and city of Babylon.

The Roman church has many similarities to Babylon in customs, dress, and theology, but in order to qualify as Shinar or Babylon, a city would need to be between two rivers. The Tiber is not the Tigress and the Euphrates. Now Rome is old, but Shinar is the oldest civilization known, far older and in a very different location. It is the site of Nimrod, and later of Abraham. How bizarre to have as the psychologists might say, a bad case of "Shinar envy".

The Amazing Table of Nations - Genesis chapters 10 and 11

Even the famous historian Arnold Toynbee, not a believer, had to admit that there is only one place in the whole world where the family tree, or origin, of all nations is given us. Of course that is Genesis chapters ten and eleven. This is no surprise to believers.

You can Google "table of nations" and get a very nice chart. We cannot substitute anything for these wonderful chapters of this wonderful book. And chapter nine tells of Noah's three sons, of whom "the whole Earth was overspread." Even non-believing historians also follow the division of humanity into the three sons of Noah.

And speaking of Noah, I see that one of my favorite actors, Russel Crowe, is starring in The film "Noah". I suspect that the discovery of the ark in Turkey has helped make people aware of our Biblical origins, as much as many would deny it. I'm sure the Hollywood guys will muck it up, but they are doing it, and that is a marvel.

The Ultimate Shopping Season

Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Isaiah 55:1

Such an invitation. The best marketers cannot match it or fulfill it.

For one who monitors food, such as I do, the outlook is grim. For African farmers, who have been doing it a long time, the latest plague is that American companies are urging them to grow American crops and export them to the U. S. So traditional plants and seeds are being deserted and alien ones substituted. It is all part of a grab for total control of the food supply. This is not only a takeover of supply, but the very seeds that produce them.

Years ago I learned of the African origin, not only of many beautiful flowers, but basic foods. An admitted seed enthusiast, I buy basic food crop seeds for a garden I probably will never plant, just to have them, just in case.

I learned a lovely way to circumvent garden restrictions in towns and suburbs. In case you have not tried them, it is the Love Lies Bleeding, or garden Amaranth. "What dazzling flowers you have!" they will say. And they are spectacular. They are drought resistant too.

But their seeds are a nutritious grain, easily harvested, without even harming the plant. Just tap the flowers and catch the seeds in a bucket or bag. They can be part of a stealth garden. I received mine yesterday. Some people grow them in large pots.

As Monsanto closes in on total control, and the poor cannot buy food at all, I see the only way out of starvation and sickness from modified plants, is the return of Christ. In His millennial kingdom the promise of Isaiah will be literally fulfilled.

Watch a video featuring one woman's first amaranth harvest.

Two Kingdoms

And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ. and he shall reign for ever and ever. Rev. 11:1

Does this passage refer to the past or the future? In my childhood church, we sang a hymn titled "This is My Father's World". Such a beautiful sentiment. How was I to know that this was a hymn referring to Satan?

The temptation of Jesus in Luke 4 proves this point. Satan says that he will give all the kingdoms of the world to Jesus, if only he will worship him. It is hard to find a more contentious point. When we state that the present world belongs to Satan, and has since the Fall in Eden, we are met with anger and scorn.

An entire segment of Christianity--a very large and powerful one--teaches in their seminaries (otherwise known as theological cemeteries) that the Kingdom of God is presently being "perfected". It is, of course a slow process, almost invisible, in fact. And of course there are setbacks from time to time, but we're getting there. That anyone can look at the world and say it is getting better, proves the power of deception, in whose throes so many are held.

Not long ago I sat in a class where sweetness and goodness just overflowed. To these people, The blood of Jesus was not mentioned. It must have been considered as superfluous. After all we're improving the world so much that it will soon be good enough for Jesus to return and say, "Well done!"

You know how I like to let people alone and never challenge their beliefs. It's a weakness of mine. But in this smiley-goodness class I said, "Isn't it wonderful how much better people are today than in the days of your parents and grandparents?"

The response was ludicrous. So many happy faces got that melted cheese look. What is more pathetic than the melting of a phoney smile? I'm sure the smiles and bright eyes have returned by now. I haven't been back to see.

But the coming of God's kingdom is best described as "striking", literally! Jesus said his return, like lightning, would be too fast to observe. It is pictured in Daniel chapter two as the "smiting stone", which first destroys the kingdoms of this world, then keeps growing larger.

God's kingdom does not coexist with Satan's kingdoms. He starts with a clean slate. The very dust of the great image is blown away leaving no traces before God's kingdom is established on the Earth. I shun the company and the churches that teach otherwise.

What Will Kill Me

Please pardon my autobiographical departure, but today I found what I will die from. I had a medical exam and found I have leukemia. Lucky me, I have cancer insurance that will cover my last expenses as they did my wife's.

I was thinking of writing a little entry and calling it "You Can't Take it With You, but You Can Sure Leave it Behind". I was told of life extending treatments, but I am not interested in them. To me death is a good way to witness to our faith. I believe we cling to life too desperately. What does that say about our beliefs and values?

Heaven sounds so wonderful that the only reason I would want to stay around is if I could be of use to my friends, and I feel that is about over. 78 years sounds like a good "run".

I believe in the resurrection of the just, though I prefer to call it the resurrection of the justified. He does it all.

I was in a gathering after Bible classes when a lady talked about how wonderful it will be to meet Peter and Paul. "But I'll be afraid to meet Jesus,", she said, and I am sure she meant it reverently. When John saw the risen Christ he fell down before him as if he were dead. Some day soon I hope to do the same thing.

Underestimating Your Enemy

"There is no greater danger than underestimating the enemy."
Lao Tsu, The Art of War

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

The devil is ignored or used as a source of humor in many parts of society. He appears on cans of lighter fluid or "deviled" meat. It has been said that his greatest accomplishment is to convince people that he does not exist. I would say rather, his primary tactic.

For years I have had the opportunity to study the evil one and his works, both in the Bible and out. I must say this, as a warning, that the passage in 1 Peter, does not refer to the loss of salvation as many interpret it. Rather than argue to the contrary of this false doctrine, I cite the whole of Romans chapter eight.

A Christian cannot lose their salvation. But being devoured as by lions or the devil can occur. It is the end of this life.

In my studies I have found the evil Peter warned of to be more than most people can believe. And I mean the evil, in type and extent, in America. Many brave people are testifying to this, with graphic and first hand knowledge. For those who will listen there is no denial possible.

I speak not of isolated clusters of evil people, but of an infiltration of our entire culture, government and church included. It is a top down phenomenon.

So many people are in denial and in an escape mode, that even conversation about this is impossible. Try talking about The Franklin Coverup at a family gathering, and see if anyone will even let you talk. Along with the truth, you will be denied and avoided.

I do not keep company with those who do not listen. Maybe that is why I am alone?

View the video CIA and Satanism.

Red Saws in the Sunset

A friend asked me to think of a tool. I said, "A saw." Then he asked, "Now think of a color," and I said, "Red." He smiled as he told me that those choices were answers that men typically gave to these questions.

In a college class--not a very deep one--we were asked to make sketches illustrating wealth, and then poverty. All of us drew the same thing. The wealth drawing showed a curved driveway leading to a mansion on a hill. The poverty one showed a store front with a broken window and a for rent sign. We were amazed that the images in our minds were so nearly alike. Why it's almost like we have been programmed to think in identical terms.

This may not be so fantastic as it first seems. Noam Chomsky has written of the power of the media to influence us, to create a "manufactured consent". TV is usually the main culprit in such discussions. But the origin of such mind manipulation really became a big deal in 1928 with E. Bernays and the Creel commission.

People in the U.S. at that time were what many called "isolationists". They were for staying out of foreign wars--for peace, actually. Though the hero Charles Lindbergh campaigned to gather public support for the anti-war movement,we were not allowed to stay this way. There were powerful forces that felt otherwise. So, long before TV became popular, the art of molding public opinion became a science.

Such influence is with us today. In fact, more than ever. The world will have its way. With the consent of the masses, who like sheep, want to be led, the art of lying will flourish.

We all know of the lion and the lamb from Isaiah chapter 11. I saw a terrible film of a lion pouncing upon a lamb and killing it. But the Bible, in Isaiah, has no such pairing of animals. It is the wolf and the lamb. Looks like we are sheep in so many ways.

But there is hope for many of us--hope that we will be rebellious sheep. I saw a film of a wolf threatening a flock of sheep. The frightened sheep were bleating and running. Then a ram reversed his course and faced off with the wolf. The wolf was stopped in his tracks. Would it not be wonderful if a herder could separate out this brave ram and have him father many lambs? Some day there might be a whole flock who would stand their ground against wolves.

"Resist the devil and he will flee," says the Word. Such a wonderful promise.

Little Helpful Hints on How to be Better

Every day in every way the world is getting better and better.
Dr. Coue

Even the title is sickening! One of my interests (it sounds better than "obsessions") is to monitor the world's rapid decline. I have a file called "Threats". It covers a list of agonizing world conditions, none of which, I am sure, mankind will overcome. When I have trouble sleeping, which is every night, I mull them over, trying to weigh their relative merits. Yes, merits, if you believe that they fulfill or foreshadow terminal events soon to come.

Now this is not necessarily the mark of a gloomy person. Gloomy describes those poor souls holding betting tickets for the world to win.

A man witnessed a baseball game between an amateur team and a team of prison inmates. He was surprised to find the inmates rooting for the outside team. An inmate explained. "We hate anything to do with prison, even their ball team." Well, shake hands inmates. I am a prisoner too. Only the stakes in this game are far higher.

Heading my list of threats is the radiation reaching our shores and skies, from the battered reactors in Fukushima. Amazing how the Greek myths describe situations such as this. Pandora's box pictures it so well--troubles released that can not be called back.

I realize that "hope" was also let out of the box, but in this case the hope, or cure, is not of this world. I sincerely hope that this horrible event will force Christians to admit that only Jesus can rescue us from this calamity. Positive thinking won't do it this time.

Children and animals are suffering from released radiation already. No one even claims that they have an answer. The poison is already spreading and its effects are increasingly being described in Biblical terms.

In the 50's there was a song, "Show Me the Way to Get Out of this World, 'Cause That's Where Everything is." True, but the Answer is coming, soon I pray.

See Yale: Chief Arvol Looking Horse at U.N. to speak about Fukushima crisis and threat to future of humanity.

Og, We All Know Him

Not Og of Bashan. He came along much later. But the prototypical cave man. You know, the "pre-hystoric" brute whose relatives had just attained the erect position.

Og wore a rough garment held up by one shoulder strap. He carried a tapered, bumpy, club at right shoulder arms. He is usually dragging a woman by her hair. Presumably they just got engaged. Though he often is shown with a unibrow, Og has no beard. Such amazing detail for someone who no one living has ever seen.

But he once lived, maybe hundreds of millions of years ago. So, besides his name, very little is known about him. It took perhaps billions of years for Og to emerge from the "primordial soup".

I have searched in vain for the recipe of "primordial soup". It must have been good though. After all, it produced all living creatures, including man. This was a slow process, taking perhaps 6,000,000,000 years.

The origin of this life giving soup is a mystery, just as is the origin of the atoms from which it was made. We could use up a lot of tea bags, some rainy day, while we figured this one out.

For Og never lived, though we all know him. He is a member of a mythical world created by artists.

I happen to like artists. One of my friends was an editorial artist for the Cincinnati Enquirer, although he was not a typical copy catter. He was much too original.

Maybe these copiers had to meet deadlines, and this explains why they copy one another. No Pilgrim ever saw a blunderbuss, though they are so pictured every "turkey day". Vikings never wore horned helmets. On and on.

These graphic lies sink into our children's minds. How blessed to open the Bible and read of the six days of creation, and the 6,000 years of history.

We live in a world marinated with lies. There was no Og, or his vanquished woman. There was no prehistoric man at all. There was no primordial soup. There was a perfect man, made from dust. This satisfies the "naive literalist", such as I am.

The Fastest Boat

It is interesting to compare the design of sailboats for the prestigious America's Cup. The British and Americans used models in a tank to find the best design. The British used a traditional design for one model, and compared proposed boats against this previous winner. The Americans used an open ended approach and just went for the fastest model they could imagine.

The racing boats were built using the results as guides. The British were no slouches, but the Americans won the race. Tradition lost to innovation.

I remember when an old man told me that Easter was in the Bible, in Acts 12:4. He smiled at my incredulous expression.

Later I told an owner of a Bible shop that I had found a flaw in the King James Bible. She checked out this text and said, "Maybe the Jews followed Easter in those days?" Even if they did, the question was, what did the Bible say? I saw the anxiety in her face. The KJV was being challenged.

As with the boat models, many use the King James as an infallible standard to which all other translations are compared. If any deviate from this translation, they are automatically wrong. Now I love my King James. It is the most beautifully written I have ever read. But it does have a cult following who elevate it to the status of infallibility.

I believe in the infallibility of the original sources of the Bible, and this is a trivial deviation from them. But I also believe in other translations, including such as the Living Bible. They open up the Word to so many. I am presently listening to Ezekiel in this version. I find it very helpful and easy to understand.

I have checked out a number of translations pertaining to Acts 12:4. All but the KJV use the word "passover" or "Pesach" in this verse, and even the original text, from which the KJV was translated, says "passover". The beautiful King James will never let you down, but I am certain that Luke, who wrote Acts, knew more than any translator.

Why all the fuss? An old man wishes that people would open up a little. There are other translations of the Word. Some are the only ones that many people can understand.

Who Shall Do Our Thinking for Us?

We live in a nation of action-oriented people. Our tasks, sports, and entertainment are truly world class. So what are we lacking? I believe it is that the population shuns independent thought.

Many times we hear of Americans being called "rugged individualists." To the contrary, I believe we fit another category often used to describe us--"a nation of joiners". After all, there is safety in numbers. This must be true, because it has been said so many times.

I heard of a nation that says of a certain person, "He is different." This is considered a curse, in some societies.

Our major news outlets are almost all owned and controlled by five corporations. This would not be so bad if they were not of so much influence. President Truman said, of the most influential media of his time, "I have nothing but the profoundest pity for those who read the newspapers and believe what is in them." A close friend, who regularly dealt with Washington affairs, agreed with this statement.

Local news is often reported accurately, but major events and government policies are often distorted at the sacrifice of truth. Shall we list other sources looked to for information? Then where do we look?

Ironicly, public opinion is often formed as an echo of itself. We hear it, then believe it.

Shall we turn to religion? Would it shock you if I said "No"? Our local Saturday paper has a section of religious institutions that we may attend on Sunday. Wicca, the religion or practice of witchcraft, is included. But surely, we can turn to preachers or priests? Some of them do pretty good, and many rely on them as a substitute for thinking.

Don't I sound picky though? Yet I invite those who have not tried it, to "go independent". I have met many dear people who are afraid of the very idea. They fear that they just can't do it.

Think of a prophet in the Bible who had public support. Most were loners, and were rejected. They relied on God, and often inquired of Him as to the meaning of their revelations. So, though they spoke and acted independently, they were never really alone.

Seven Sneezes of Life

Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 2Kings 4:35

Of all the miracles in the life of Elisha, this one touches me very deeply. Who counted the child's sneezes? Who recorded that Elisha walked to and fro? It is as if we are watching the scene, that we are there. And the mother's reaction as she received her dead child, alive again. The narrative of that day is very briefly, but very intimately, told to us.

As we read the Old Testament we can try to apply all kinds of theological significance to each event, and of course it is there. However much God teaches us about the deep things we are to understand, there is another side to these stories. There is the very closeness we feel when we realize that these are not symbolic people, actors in a morality play.

We are in contact with our Creator's heart. He cares for each detail of our lives. His word not only teaches us the miracle of resurrection, but that He even counts a child's sneezes. How many of us, in crisis, have walked to and fro?

Reading this I feel close to this long ago man of God and to his Creator.

Bumping Into Truman's Wall

One of my favorite movies was The Truman Show, starring Jim Carrey. In it, the hero lives in a giant set for a tv show, thinking it is a real world. Slowly he becomes suspicious and tries to escape by boat in a sea which is part of the set. His boat comes to the edge of the sea, bumping into the wall of the man-made set. He finally discovers he has been living in a phony world filled with actors and punctuated with commercials.

Gee, it sounds like the life of many in this world. But while Truman catches on and escapes, so many in this world cling to a reality created by the devil and succumb to the commercials which he has created. Many feel that Bible Christians are in such an artificial world of created false reality.

I study the crumbling world structure, knowing that its deception even now is being revealed. Optimism among the inhabitants of this world of lies, is getting hard to find. Words such as "apocalypse" and phrases pertaining to "the end of the world" are used even by people outside the faith.

Is the world catching on? Partly perhaps. But some even believe there may be solutions to the radioactivity of Fukushima and its pollution of the air and sea.

Believers have known that the set we now live in is being "struck". The show is almost over. Do you remember when your boat hit the wall?

Touchy, Touchy, Touchy

I was once assigned to work with a group of men, very congenial fellows, really. Except for one, that is. They warned me that when he arrived, not to mention religion. It would "set him off".

Sure enough, when he arrived he began to rave about his church."We have a preacher who is one of the 144,000," he told us. You would be tempted to ask, "Which one?", but he was not to be joked with. He continued to rave.

Strange, he looked normal, but he gave the impression of one who was--as I heard a man say--"mentally insane". This must be one of the worst forms of the disorder.

A personal friend of mine for over fifty years, could converse on almost any subject, except religion. Oddly he told me that he watched for anger in an argument, as a tip off of error. In anyone besides himself, I think he meant. But, I believe he was right on this score.

When I hear anger over my favorite subject, I think "This is the flesh getting mad", a sure give away. I once made a preacher so angry that he erupted on me, so violently that he later apologized. This is sure not bringing out the best in people, is it? Someone said of a person, "They could get shot at a Quaker picnic."

The problem I have, as I have been repeatedly told is, "You always think you're right." I wondered who in the church believed they were wrong when they spoke. Like to meet them.

I forgot to tell you that I later met a lovely woman who had been married to the "144,000" guy. I do believe I understand why they were divorced.

It seems to be true, that the weaker a person's argument, the more heated they become. They substitute feeling for knowledge, I guess. If a person knows their facts, sometimes after years of testing and making certain, they tend to be relaxed.

J. Vernon McGee said it so charmingly. "When we get to heaven you'll see that I was right."

Darken the Corner Where You Are

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning ; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. Ecclesiastes 7:4

As a child I never experienced a family get together that was not totally saturated with humor and cleverness. By this I mean there was a complete lack of anything of any worth at all. It was so bad that I could not stand it. I wanted to escape from such gatherings and often did.

Each attendee seemed to try to be more humorous than the others. Every statement was topped or twisted by the hearers. I love humor, so that is not the problem. This was not true humor, but a mask of cleverness worn by those who were not funny.

I doubt if there was not anyone in these groups who as an individual who was not worth listening to. Groups brought out their attempts at being funny. The more the merrier was the rule.

Even as a child I knew this was wrong. If anyone had had a talk with me in a serious mood it would have been like pouring water on a plant that was wilting. It was not to be.

I never had such an experience in my entire youth. It never occurred in family or in church. I came to hate small talk and the people who engaged in it. I feel this way today. I learned to be serious by hearing endless foolish talk.

Even today I shun groups. Preachers who make jokes have the same effect. I find endlessly smiling people to be suspect.

I visited a Christian book store recently. Where were the good, basic books I had come to love and learn from? Instead I saw an entire section devoted to "Christian Humor". Another told how to produce humorous skits.

How many young people have undergone the struggle of growing up without a kindly, but serious listener or mentor? As young people like to say, "Tell it like it is." Those whose struggles cannot be covered up by false humor, could be comforted by someone who may just listen, but not laugh.

I worked with young people once, some of them blind. I heard a young man mutter, "Life's a bitch, and then you die." False hope and contrived humor were not the answer for him. Just one serious person could have helped so much.

The Great Treaty

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, Daniel 9:27

There are many stories and videos about strange things going on in various places, that have caused many to ask, "Are we in the great tribulation spoken of in the Bible?" Some ask, "Perhaps this is the 'beginning of sorrows'?"

It's easy to see how they might feel this way. When you observe the extreme weather and other phenomena that are happening world wide, you may come to these conclusions. Those who have not really studied Bible prophecy, see videos of rivers that have turned blood red, and see massive fish kills and fear that these are things predicted in the Book of Revelation, may be forgiven.

But we are not in a gun fight where the quickest draw wins. Rather we are in a long distance target match. Accuracy is what is vital. Even a slow learner, such as I am, can understand that the answer to questions about the events of Revelation can reply with a simple "No". We are not in the midst of the great tribulation.

"But," they may say, "these events are in Revelation's prophecies." Among believing Christians are there any more vilified Bible students and teachers, than those engaged in the study of prophecy? "Wild eyed fanatics" comes to mind. It is very popular. I have seen the rolling of eyes when you announce you are a teacher of prophecy. Ministers often deride such study.

But a good student is a very careful person--so slow and careful, in fact that he takes years before he speaks of the truth or falsehood of an interpretation. Especially his own.

A friend of mine was able to dismantle and automobile, repair it, then reassemble it. I watched as he had almost completed such a task. He was about to put the engine head onto the block, when another man said, "You forgot the push rods." In his haste, he had.

Now let me say to those who skip ahead in their interpretation of Bible events, "You forgot Daniel chapter nine verse twenty-seven." It's in there for a reason.

Daniel is the first book of Scripture to introduce us to Antichrist. Not only is he presented, but in chapter nine we are given a precise time table of his actions, down to the day. Until this most evil of men concludes a treaty with "many" in Israel, the Tribulation has not begun. A good Study Bible will rightly divide such times.

An engine will not run without all its parts, and the Bible is misunderstood without its vital scriptures. When we see what is taking place--and it is horrible--we must not skip over this wonderful and revealing passage.

Prophecy Triple Distilled - Joel

The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and their stars shall withdraw their shining. Joel 3:15

Immeadiately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. Matt. 24:29

And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood. Rev. 6:12

In times long ago, I understand, when amphora were loaded with wine and sailed in ships, someone had the idea that some of the water could be removed and the concentrated wine could be shipped instead. This saved weight and space. Later, water was added to this concentrate and the wine was reconstituted. This reduction was achieved by distillation, which has long been understood.

Many of us have as much as one verse in the Bible which carries a great message in concentrated form. The little book of Joel does this for us. Joel is a short book, but packed with power. Peter quotes from Acts 2:20 in Joel to solve a controversy in the day of Pentecost. Of course the New Testament was not yet written, but the explanations of strange phenomena of that day were explained by quoting from the Old.

By carelessness or design, this portion of scripture has been referred to as the fulfillment of the prophecy in Joel. As if the day of the Lord began at that time. The passage refers to tongues, not to the Day of the Lord.

Partaking of this wonderful book can be--and is--used to confuse the unwary. Revelation, written much later, speaking of the darkening of the sun and moon, shows that Joel is yet to be fulfilled, even in our day. The concentrated Word, like the distilled wine, needs the addition of the water of the Word to be best understood.

The Doll That Flunked

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Romans 8:30

When my wife was a little girl she loved to play with dolls. I have her doll chest from many years ago in which she packed them away carefully when she grew older. One of the games she played was doll school with her as teacher. She must have had very high standards because in every school session she flunked one of the dolls. The same doll each time.

I asked her, since it was all pretense, why she picked a doll that would fail. She told me that her doll school was like real life. Someone would fail. I think of her as so realistic as a child that she played this way. Perhaps the failing doll didn't do her home work. Maybe she didn't pay attention in class, but the teacher decided who would not pass.

I speak of this endearing fantasy to illustrate one of the Bible doctrines that many do not accept. Perhaps most people do not, as it seems so harsh and condemning. That is, that the Creator determined the fate of each of us before we were born, before the world was made. Some "dolls" would fail. The Eastern concept of Kismet expresses it well.

Oh the howls of protest! I know, because I once was one of the howlers. I believe Americans are particularly prone to objecting on the basis of our bred-in idea of Self-Determination, one of the most sacred of sacred cows.

That many otherwise nice people will not even discuss the matter, to defend it with other than anger, indicates fear to me. It is as if anger, or reluctance, is our turtle's shell in which we withdraw for safety. After all, do we not have a "constitutional right" to determine our own courses?

Some say, like one of my dear Baptist friends, that God fore sees how we will use our free will, as if to try to comprimise with the sovereignty of God. Scripture is definite on the subject for those willing to believe it. I know the robot argument, as I once used it myself.

Also in my wife's doll chest is a walking doll which she really loved. She would hold its hand and it would walk with her. There is a doll I can identify with. For I cannot walk unless God provides the power and guidance. His hand guides me, as He does with us all. Without Him I would never have walked at all.

Zest for Death

We like to sing Nearer My God to Thee
But we keep on taking vitamin B.
- Nipsy Russell

In the comic story "After Hours" a psychiatrist says of his wife, "That woman makes Hamlet's death wish sound like the happy laughter of a freckle faced boy!" In the play version, this line gets a big laugh.

However if you were to say that the apostle Paul had a death wish, people might think you had grossly misinterpreted him. But I do say it. This is based on his statement, "For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better." (Philippians 1:23).

"Far better"! What has Paul chosen? What does he desire, but death and his presence with Christ? Yet for the sake of his charges he will remain with them. Paul's escape, and his prolonging of his life, are not from fear of death, but to complete his mission on the earth. How many today can say the same?

I knew a lady who had her funeral performed before she died, to celebrate her soon departure. My wife faced her death with total peace. I hope to do the same. What a great example, for both believers and unbelievers alike, we can make by the manner in which we look at our deaths.

The sorrows and evils of the world threaten us with death. But Paul's example promises us eternal life and its rewards.

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:8

Like a Drunkard

The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and be removed like a cottage; Isaiah 24:20

Surely we don't mean the whole physical planet. This passage couldn't be literal. The spiritualizers must find a non literal meaning for this part of Isaiah. Or better yet, ignore it entirely.

If we are now in the kingdom of God, such a drastic fate surely cannot be in store for the planet. Why, it's a matter of our faulty theology vs. the Bible, and we know how that will come out. I was in such a church for a while, though I never honored their "kingdom now" interpretation.

For those who see the Earth as in store for just such a physical upheaval, we find support for this catastrophic event in--of all places--physical science, both past and future. Only these folks refer to such an occurance as a "pole shift" and not only champion such a shift, but maintain that one is due any time now.

For one who studies and believes Bible prophecy, the Earth is a seething instability of physical change. In the history of geology we find that the original scientists believed the Bible, and positing violence on a world wide scale was not at all contrary to the physical evidence they discovered. These original scientists were aptly named "catastrophists".

With the progression toward atheism there arose a school of thought called "uniformatism". Isn't it amazing how these latter deniers of the Word resemble the men Peter described who claimed there never was a flood? Many would say that Bible theology makes for bad science. But I say that bad science makes bad theology.

More and more, even unbelievers, see that the globe is fated for great violence, including the well documented pole shift. Since I believe Isaiah, speaking through the Holy Spirit, was right, I recommend that those who are left behind at the Rapture, invest in East-West compasses.

Pike's Mysterious Letter a Hoax

It has long been held that the Civil War general Albert Pike wrote a letter to Mazzini telling about three world wars that would not only occur, but be planned and caused. Some say that Pike was a prophet. Others that he was a part of the great cabal that would foment them. In which case it would be like an arsonist predicting a fire that he would set. But the British Museum denies they ever had such a letter.

The third world war was to be stirred up between Christians and Moslems. Or as they say now, Muslims. Like the gingham cat and the calico dog, these nations would destroy themselves, leaving the world open for a new universal religion, maybe even including so-called space aliens.

It is such a relief to know that this letter is a hoax. Once again I can believe that wars are not planned, but are mere happenstances on the road to a better world. The idea that bankers and other members of occult religions conspire to foment terrible uprisings in places like Syria, sounds like the conspiracies that are the province of total nut cases. I certainly don't wish to be identified with such people as that.

Let me affirm my belief that evil forces do not plan to cause conflicts and financial disasters. Some even think that evil people in the very highest places--even the music industry--are working for Satan. No wonder that some individuals believe God will judge an ever increasingly evil world and set up His Kingdom on the Earth. Imagine that.

The safe and moderate way to look at the world is to maintain that governments do not lie, that politicians are honest, and that--though there are setbacks--the world gets better and better. Think of how much nicer and kinder people are than in the days of your parents or grandparents.

There is a religion that teaches the opposite of such terrible thoughts though. It is called Christianity.

View a video on the one eye symbol in the entertainment industry here.

The Man Who Didn't Know He Was a Saint

But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. Romans 15:25

I had prayed a short prayer asking God to bless his saints assembled to study the Bible. We went ahead and did just that. At the end of our study an old man spoke to me.

"I'm not so sure about that saint stuff," he told me. Turns out he was not certain that he was a saint or "saintly" as some say. And true enough he did not have a halo or a glow about him. He looked like a regular man who had come to a Bible study.

Now who would do that if they were not a saint? For, to a Protestant like myself, each and every one who believes in Jesus is a saint. After all, that is the Bible definition of a saint. It is a simple, but miraculous, work of God that we become saints.

To an unbeliever looking on, it would be so ironic that a person reared in a system that defined a saint Biblicly, would adopt the definition of a very different church, one they had rebelled against. I am not picking a fight with those who define saint differently. But I am so sad to think a member of a Protestant church would not know this definition and teach it to the congregation.

I once served under a Captain in the National Guard who ended each assembly with these words: "Any questions, any bitches or complaints?" Well I have a big complaint against such churches. Tell your people who they are in the eyes of God. Tell them how blessed they are to be separated out and be called saints.

But, as I was informed, the church I left, spent more on floor wax than on Biblical education. What a price to pay for shiny floors!

Redeemed from the Earth

And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
Revelation 14:3

I am a slow learner. I picked my way through this wonderful book. The one hundred forty-four thousand were such a mystery to me. While concern for their identity consumed me, I neglected what God did for them.

Each person's denomination bring's its own interpretation to the study under the formula: first confirm your prejudice, then proceed to "interpret". It is like a number of people speaking a language, but each with an accent, some so strong as to mispronounce the words.

I have told you of reading about this group in Rev. 7 with a very bright businessman. When we read of 12,000 from each tribe, he said, "Of course, that is the church." I was amazed that he would apply a passage describing a select group of Israelites to the church. Is the church composed of 12 tribes, all Jews?

But his preconceived ideas kept him from even a basic understanding. We did not even proceed to this redeemed body's wonderful rescue by the Lord. He did not believe in a Rapture of the church and certainly not one of Jews! For in his church the Jews had long ago been transformed into the church and had no more national identity or future restoration.

How wonderful it is to be free from denominations. With such freedom you may read the Bible without the boundaries imposed by formal organizations.

Need I say that his church had never taught John's blessed book, though it includes a blessing on those who read it. I was finally allowed to, after much examination by those who feared it. They would have been horrified had I gone into such details as the identity of the 144,000 as actual, real Jews. Imagine 12,000 from the tribe of Judah, not being Presbyterians!

But though I may be offending some, let me say that redemption from the earth is not a soterilogical salvation, it is literal rescue from the planet. Winds are held back until this rescue. Put these two ideas together and we have a Jewish Rapture.

It is as if there were no sign in heaven saying "No Jews Allowed". Our Savior, who came as a Jewish lamb went there, serves as our High Priest there, still bearing the marks of His crucifixion. A body out of Israel will be taken to heaven before the Great Tribulation.

Jews do not believe it. Many, many, churches do not accept it, but the Woman's Manchild will be so rescued. Praise be to God!

All Whom the Father Draws

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. John 6:44

It is certain that the Father does not draw all men. Think of all the people who have died, never being drawn by the Father.

On my one trip to the Holy Land, I traveled with a man who headed a world wide missionary organization. He told of a man who spent 25 years as a missionary in India. At the end of his tour of duty this missionary admitted that he had not even one convert.

How can this be? A very inept missionary, preaching the Word, should have converts. Atheist preachers have changed lives because the Word is living and has the power to reach people even when preached by those who regard being a preacher as just an occupation. This is not so rare as you may think.

When the head of the missionary organization was asked why the missionary had no converts, he said that this man was working apart from the will of God. To some this is too shocking to even think about. Those who believe it will certainly go to hell.

Why this is the much maligned doctrine of Limited Atonement! It is the "L" in TULIP of Calvin's teaching.

According to many--I think most-- Christians, God loves everyone and wants to save them. It is often said by them, "I can't believe in a God who doesn't want to save everyone." As if the truth is defined by what they can believe.

Let's look at their belief. God wishes to save all people, but He can't do it. He depends on human effort to accomplish His purposes, and people are not able to do it. There aren't enough missionaries. Even if there were some people would use their free wills to say no to God. Man's (so called) free will overcomes God's purpose. God arm wrestles with some people, and these people win. No wonder they will be tortured in hell forever.

I grew up with this belief. It was not until I was in my thirties that I broke free of it. Some wonderful people helped me to learn that God, not man, is sovereign.

But what about John 3:16? This all time favorite verse of many is considered a talisman that proves that God loves everyone. Isn't that what "world" means, everyone?. As if goats are not sheep because of free choice. Goats are goats from conception.

I urge people who misinterpret the term "world" to look it up online. There are seven major definitions of world in the Bible, including the world of the elect.

An old gunfighter said "A quick draw is not so important as accuracy." I believe this applies to Bible study too.

View "The Meaning of 'Kosmos' in John 3:16" here.

True Jews vs. Fake Israel and Zionism

Being old, I repeat myself a lot. But this time I do it conciously. A number of Christians say that they love Jews and even try to use Jewish terminology in their attempt to identify with them. It seems that Zionists are leading churches away from Christ instead of Christians leading Jews to Jesus.

And how do they do this? By claiming that the modern state called Israel and created by the United Nations, fulfills Bible prophecy. Those in the churches are made to believe that Israel should be created first, before the advent of Messiah. It is hard to overestimate the ignorance of such people concerning this order of events.

First of all, the Bible clearly states that Messiah will lead scattered Israel to the Holy Land. True Jews, shown in the accompanying video, understand this very well. Their oft-stated belief is that the Jewish people should remain among the nations and be good citizens of their respective home countries. In this they illustrate an understanding of the Old Testament totally lacking in many churches.

I will say this, as one who loves the Word of God and his true people. Zionism, promoted by those who are not even Jews, is a pure power grab, not a religious belief at all.

Bless God's true people, his remnant, temporarily unable to recognize who Jesus is. They are faithful to the extent that they know and hold to God's revelation of the true Israel and it's glorious future. How I wish that Biblically illiterate churches and their pastors could do the same. Please forgive me for repeating myself, but as I say, I am old.

Watch "Judaism VS Zionism - Naturei Karta Jews speak out!"

These Kids May Not Be as Good as Gold, But They Are Platinum

Attention has been centered recently on a number of children, worldwide, who not only have unusual physical characteristics, but messages beyond those normal to children. Oriental children with blue eyes, African children with white skin and straight blond hair. The first impulse may be to say they are albinos, but this is not the case, nor are they traditionally of mixed parentage.

I say traditionally, because many claim they are "star children", partly human and partly of extraterrestrial origin. Some feel they are ambassadors of a new race with messages of peace, preparing the world for a takeover of space benevolence. I wouldn't be surprised that half of this could be true.

Not that they are of space origin, as of alien planets. Anyone familiar with Genesis six, or Daniel 8, is not unaware of such spirit mixtures. I don't take a stand.

These could be innocent children with no other genetic material than that they have received from Eve. I just believe that Christians should be aware and should try to understand things that could deceive.

The Indian tradition of the white buffalo, indicating great change, has been fulfilled. So perhaps great change is in order.

Find out more about these children here, here and here.

Tradition or the Bible?

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. Col. 2:8

Can I speak from experience? As a child, I grew up surrounded by such traditions. You expect them in schools and in society in general, but in church! It was not until I was much older that I began to understand the "elemental spiritual forces" part of this warning.

Far beyond mere error, children are deliberately taught many things of the devil. There, I said it. Really old Christians--historically old--understood this.

While moderns are careful to monitor their child's intake of food and television, they let them take in the very worst of these forces--SPIRITUAL ones that is. You can understand parents who park their young ones in front of a TV baby sitter while they eat junk food more than to deliberately teach evil teachings, as I was taught. One is neglect, the other is indoctrination.

Much is made of the Russian leader, Putin. Whatever he is, he celebrates the resurrection of Christ with his people and bans open displays of immorality. He has banned such programs as the Simpsons. I watched only one episode. In it Jesus was referred to as "the guy with a beard".

The world is not neutral. It swarms with spiritual forces. It's leader is Satan, though soon to be deposed.

View the difference between Russia's Putin and President Obama here.

Wormwood

And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. Rev. 8:11

Have you noticed that in this so called secular age, where media mentions of the Bible are reserved as the province of fanatics, how many scripture references are emerging in news reports? Perhaps none more than comet Ison.

Many discount the importance of comets because they were deluded into believing accounts of the "comet of the century", Khahoutec, which was a cover story in several magazines prior to its appearance. This comet was nowhere near what it was hyped up to be, so many people are skeptics concerning Ison. But perhaps Ison is not to be so easily dismissed? We are said to know in December, both about the comet and the effects of its extensive space debris.

It seems logical to many people to equate this phenomena with the account in Revelation chapter 8. If it turns out to match these predictions, could it not fulfill this prophecy? There is much mention of the trumpet judgements, for instance.

But this old, conservative, dispensationalist says that, just as the notes in a musical composition must be in proper sequence, so must the unfolding of prophetic events. For prophecy is more than a listing of events. It is a revealed time line concerning these events.

How boring! Can't we get into the exciting fulfillment of prophecy without the restraint of the limitation of time?

The answer is "No."

To misapply events of today to a Biblical basis has caused much derision and discredit to the church.

Could Ison cause great havoc? Certainly. We could lose electrical power, and this could devastate our nation. Its effects are hard to exaggerate. But for those who may some day be reading God's word by candle light, the rapture of the church, in Revelation 4, precedes the events, trumpets, and bowls, of later chapters--thanks be to God.