Mr. Smarty Pants on Having Cancer

Dear Smarty Pants,
You comment so favorably on having cancer. Can you really see a positive side to your situation?

S.P. Yes, I can. I no longer have to worry about getting cancer, since I already have it. Also, I no longer am concerned about the effects of diabetes. When my beloved nurse-dietician (Joy Pape) demonstrated how they would start cutting off my toes, I went on an extreme diet for years. Even my very stolid doctor was impressed. But now, it's "Bring on the pineapple Danish!"

Q. You seem to be taking a light hearted attitude. Don't you have any health concerns?

S.P. Sure I do. My biggest enemy right now, is good health. It keeps me away from going to heaven, where I'll finally be happy.

New Cardinals

A news item tells us that a bunch of new cardinals are to be appointed. I must buy more sunflower seeds. Maybe these will be different. No special robes or titles. Wouldn't that be great?

Back in the John Kennedy era, there was a very visible and active cardinal, Cardinal Cushing. For me, it was hard not to like him. See how "liberal" I can be?

He complained of his bulky, showy robes. "I hate them," he said, "I look like the Queen Mary coming into the harbor. Get out of the way all you little tug boats!"

Cushing told the story of a priest who confessed to him that he was losing his faith. "Don't be ridiculous," Cushing told him. "Losing the faith is for intellectuals. You and I don't have enough brains to lose the faith."

The Cardinal visited an old folks home, where he raised his robes a little, and did an Irish jig. Then he gave out little vials of fluid to the folks. "I'm giving you some holy water," he told them, "Don't drop it on the floor!"

I have no use for the Cardinal's religion, but I think he was a sincere man.

Incomplete Fulfillment Equals No Fulfillment

Just been talking about the rush to declare prophecies either fulfilled or about to be.

A research scientist once stated that there were plenty of projects going on. So many in fact, that it was a laborious task to avoid duplicating research efforts. "What is needed," he said, "is an encyclopedia of ignorance, of things to do research on." I wonder how this would apply to the field of Bible prophecy?

It is so attention getting to declare events in the news as the fulfillment of a prophecy. The more sensational, the better. To gain instant "fame" and often money in the form of contributions or ad revenues, that is. Harold Camping would have been unknown to the public except for his repeated warnings of specific dates for "the end of the world." The infamous Millerites will be perpetually referred to as bad examples of prophecy scams. And so they were.

How credulous are the masses? What is the symbol for infinity?

Imagine someone so bold as to publish the aspects of Bible foretelling that are not presently occurring. It would really put the damper on many a career, as it should.

Briefly, must this very important realm of the Word be sensational? I believe that good Bible teaching and learning is not entertaining or exciting. It is a work of patient craftsmanship. Let the thrill seekers go elsewhere for excitement.

Someone described a partial jump over a ditch. You either make it, or you do not. There is no such thing as a partly successful jump. Likewise we must not claim that events fulfill prophecy until every event is present and in its proper order. Untrained idiots give my great love a bad name.

The Two Second Comings

To prophecy students this is a basic idea, very expertly explained in such wonderful books as Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth. That is, that there will be two returns of the Lord Jesus.

To many, this is considered as just the beginning of the teaching of prophecy--"kid stuff". But since I would like to be one who has great sympathy for those who are neglected and treated as "kids" by the Corporate Church, this is what I love to talk about.

How many faithful church goers never hear that the so-called one Second Coming--an event prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24--pertains to Israel. It is given on Mt. Olivet in answer to questions by the disciples concerning the coming restoration of the kingdom. This wonderful event is the subject of many prophecies, and is explained in detail by Jesus.

So what's the problem? Nothing, except that it concerns Israel and not the church.

Since it is about Israel and not the church, then why do almost all churches (ones that even deal with prophecy at all) use it as the cornerstone of many of their teaching? YouTube, for instance, has endless videos attempting to prove that the Second Coming is near.

The best I can say about such people is that they are ignorant. To them it seems that the Bible stops at the Gospels, as if the church epistles were written in vain. For in them we see another event, and this one is for the church alone.

How can we differentiate between one event and the other? The first Return is in the clouds. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Clouds, air--this describes His return for the church.

In contrast, His Return with the church is to the earth. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east,... (Zechariah 14:4). Is it not wonderful that when Jesus gives his wonderful prophecy, he does so on the very place to which he will return?

Mr. Smarty Pants on Wooden Weapons

Dear Smarty Pants,
I just read your pathetic piece claiming that future weapons will be made of wood! How ignorant can you be? Are you not aware of the amazing technology available to our military today?

S.P. Are you referring to weapons such as the laser beam (LAWS) device that was used by the U.S. Navy to murder the people on Flight 370? If so, I will agree that the demonically controlled government of this country does have great high-tech killing machines. But except for small arms and artillery, almost everything used by the military and their corporate masters depends on electricity and electronics. When these fail, it will be back to the old fashioned ways of slaughtering. Details of LAWS and the Russian Sunburn missiles are contained in the following video by Lauren Moret.

Watch Leuren Moret: Flight 370 downing was U.S. Navy Energy weapons demo for Putin; Rothschild.

Seven Year's of Free Fuel

" 'Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up---the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel. Ezekiel 39:9, NIV

There are those who will never, ever read this passage. There are churches where such a subject is not even allowed to be taught. I belonged to a church like that. It had a membership of about 900 people. About 400 showed up regularly, the rest for special holidays.

But let us say a curious church member had read this verse and the one following. The member was curious. He was a curator of ancient weapons and wanted to know exactly what kind were used long ago. If pressed, a pastor might say, "Well, this passage is symbolic. You see these aren't actual weapons at all. Experts in making all such passages symbolic say..."

Has anyone ever been hit with a symbolic war club, and so hard that he dropped his symbolic shield, perhaps on his symbolic foot? Or if the sincere questioner insists on a literal interpretation, he will be told that Ezekiel 39 is about a battle fought long ago. And there are no records of the weapons used, except, of course, in the Bible. The pastor would prefer that the subject not come up at all.

"I was told, 'Never teach prophecy. It divides people.'" My pastor told me that in his office. Don't you wonder who told him that? It was not the Holy Spirit.

But our questioner really wants to know. So he goes to a little husband and wife type of Bible store and asks, "Do you have a book that helps to explain Ezekiel?" They do, and soon our person is avidly reading the truth about this wonderful book.

They wonder, "How could my big limestone church with a pipe organ and a big bell tower treat God's book so poorly?" For the book explains that chapter 39 is not about the past at all, but the not so distant future.

The pastor had been wrong, except in one point. Prophecy does divide people. It is sharper than a two-edged sword. It is very possible that this former member will separate from this lying, evading church.

Now when he reads about the burning weapons, he thinks of Israelite children on a picnic some day soon. Their father will say, "Let's make a big bonfire of these shields and clubs. We're going to roast marshmallows."

A Simple Way to Understand the Bible - The Seven Dispensations

Here I go again, but I want so badly to say how simple it is to self-teach the Bible.

My best friend and I were discussing the "institutional errors" of various churches. We agreed that each church has at least one error that they promote. It's not that you can't get saved in most of them (or in spite of them), but that for various reasons they have adopted errors in their teaching by adding to the Bible, or detracting from it.

Do I have a way that I use to avoid this problem? Yes, (here he goes again!) but I go directly to the Word, using a few simple resources. Many will say they do this, of course.

A lady from the Watchtower Society told me that her religion was based entirely on the Bible. What she did not say is that the Watchtower people have their own "translation", custom-tailored to fit their beliefs.

Back to the simple plan. A couple or more kinds of Bibles,including a good study Bible (my favorite is the Scofield), a complete concordance, and any of the popular Bible dictionaries, is a good start. Online aids make study easier but are not necessary.

Of course, we all need to think, as critically as possible. Leave the denominations behind. Remember, the great men of the Bible were loners, not members of a committee.

I watched an episode of "Inspector Morse", where he was asked, rather archly, by a college faculty member, "What do you think?" Morse replied, "I don't think. I don't have a degree." Of course Morse thought deeply all the time, and so can we.

Here are the classic Dispensations that I have found so very useful:

• >Innocence--Genesis 1:1-3:7
• Conscience--Genesis 3:8-8:22
• Human Government--Genesis 9:1-11:32
• Promise--Genesis 12:1-Exodus 19:25
• Law--Exodus 20:1-Acts 2:4
• Grace--Acts 2:4-Revelation 20:3
• Millennial Kingdom--Revelation 20:4-20:6

You needn't memorize these or anything like that, but you will find each one marks a new way that God deals with man and His people.

Good luck with your private seminary.

Please see the following.

• What are the Seven Dispensations?
• Dispensationalist Theology from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mr. Smarty Pants on Purslane vs. Amaranth

Dear Smarty Pants,
Not long ago you were praising the merits of the wild plant purslane. It was the best. Now you've switched over to Amaranthus. You sure jump around a lot. What gives?

A. Purslane is tops for plants growing wild, even in suburban sidewalks. But for a superabundant weed or cultivated seed and leaf plant, Amaranth is extremely nutritious and has medical value too. Golden Giant can produce up to a pound of seed per plant. The seeds are easily shaken off the plant and do not need to be hulled.

Q. Is your little blog about the Bible or do you want to make it about gardening?

A. Both. Paul makes it very clear that those who do not provide for their families are worse than infidels, or unbelievers. In coming times food may become very expensive, scarce, or genetically contaminated. I can think of no better way to provide food for your family (easy too) than growing amaranth, period. Must Americans refuse to learn from the many cultures that grow this wonderful crop? I refer to the following verse by Paul:

Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 1 Timothy 5:8, NIV

The Great Cream Separator, or Replacement Theology

God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Romans 11:2

Imagine a big cream separator. You pour in the Holy Scriptures that are about Israel and turn the handle. All the blessings for Israel come out of one spout which you mark "The Church". The curses and warnings of future calamity, you label "Israel past".

Now there is a great problem in this. The judgement of God's people in the book of Revelation must apply to the Church! After all, in Replacement Theology, or Supersessionism, Israel is gone forever, to be replaced by the Church. Goodbye forever Israel, is how they think.

But is this new "replacement church" to go through the Great Tribulation? There is a way out, they think. All you need to do is say the church has already gone through the tribulation!

It was rough for a while, but we made it. Remember the sea turning red and all the air breathing creatures dying? Remember Nero as Antichrist? The angels blowing their trumpets and pouring out the wrath of God upon the earth? Remember the two witnesses (probably Calvin and Zwingli) in chapter 11?

For the church I was once in tried as hard as they could not to mention the book of Revelation, and certainly not to preach from it! It's all past anyway. When I read about the twelve (named") tribes of Israel in chapter 7, to one of their brightest worthies, he said, "That must be the church." How could the twelve tribes of Israel be the church?! Under Replacement Theology it could be!

These poor deluded souls, when asked, would not accuse me of teaching error, nor did anyone attempt to correct me. If a security guard could confound them, imagine what a real theologian could have done to them, those lying cowards!

Please see The Error of Replacement Theology.

Waiting for the Lord to Relieve the Evils

But the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.
Psalms 37:13, NIV

I guess waiting is one of the hardest of all things to do. I have been waiting oh so long for the tables to turn, for the onslaughts of the Evil One to be taken from us.

There is someone I have in mind, whose energy is waning. We talked of how in this life we are being tested through ordeals and losses. She has endured terrible traumas, beginning in childhood with molestation from her father, two rape attempts, in one of which she was able to identify her attacker by voice. For she is blind.

I understand some of her struggles in these traumas, including the recent death of her best friend. There is little I can do for her, but listen.

Yet there is a worse suffering I know of where I hope that I can help. For as long as I have known her, about four decades, I realize that she does not feel close to God. Rather she believes that God has not chosen her to be one of his. I believe that the psychological influences on our faith are underestimated and often even ignored.

Many believe that if they quote the "right scriptures"--perhaps the famous "Roman Road-- that there will be an instantaneous conversion. An old proverb says, "He laughs at scars, that never felt a wound." If we could just get to know people as individuals. Try listening that is not followed by preaching.

How many times I have heard "helpful formulas" directed towards a person with no concern for their personality or history. We are not spraying plants, where one treatment works for all.

I split up with a girl friend because I found she had no interest in getting to know me. To her I was a "Ken doll" for her Barbie Play Station.

How long must we take to get to know someone in order to help them? I believe as long as we live. As new things happen to them, we should be faithful for life.

What about my downcast friend? I am still working on it.

Letting Go of the World

"When we love one thing less, we love another more."
Aquinas

So many things and people in this world have held my interest and affection. The people still do.

My dream boats must be sold, and my books. My greenhouse will be sold, and finally my lot with the trailer on it, where my wife and I once lived. When death ended our very good marriage, I began letting go. Her love and our good times together died when she did. My own life, ebbing away, has sealed it.

I think of little things, like beloved pets that we saw die, and the big things like dreams that will be unfulfilled. Except for beloved friends, I have given up on all things, even this life itself.

But this is not my lament, but a statement of hope and happiness.

Two doctor visit's ago, I told my doctor I was about ready to stop taking my prescriptions and to let nature run its course. I remember his strange, sad look. On the next visit, he told me that I had leukemia. Perfect timing! Without medical intervention it should not take long.

I feel sorry for those I will leave behind. Maybe I could have done something of use for them.

You know my belief, of which I have more than ample Biblical evidence, that we are mortal. We will live again through the power of resurrection that Jesus won for us. There was a book titled Life Begins at Forty. Pretty catchy one at that. But for me, life will begin with death.

Spring Beauties

As a child I walked through a little park on my way to school. Early in the spring, the grass would be covered with tiny flowers. Someone explained to me that they were Spring Beauties.

They didn't stay long. They disappeared as suddenly as they had appeared. They even had their own "private bees", the Spring Beauty Bee. It too comes alive for a brief time, just to pollinate these flowers. Then both bees and flowers go back to sleep until next year. The grass they grow in has the longer life, but in their brief life span they have great beauty.

Israel has a very long lifespan too. They are the grass which will cover the earth some day.

I saw a tiny hand blown vase in a shop. It was less than an inch high. I once picked some Spring Beauties and put them in the vase.

This is like true Christianity. It springs up in the midst of Israel for a short time and, like the flowers, will disappear for awhile. The grass will grow lush and green, but the flowers will be treasured in a vase.

Long Keeper Tomatoes

Most of us love tomatoes, but isn't it a shame that their season has to end so soon? What if we could have them in November? This is now possible with a variety known as Long Keeper. There are other varieties as well. Their lack luster appearance can be deceiving, often appearing as unripe when they really are. But when cut open, their red color and good taste are appealing.

How appealing? Some really good friends of mine who lived next door, had a modest commercial garden. They supplied high class restaurants with their home grown tomatoes and peppers. When cold weather hit, the eateries asked for more.

My friends had some, partly buried in a compost heap. They explained the situation, dug out the Long Keepers, washed them, and delivered them to the happy establishment and its customers. While not a recommended storage technique , this does illustrate the keeping qualities of this amazing fruit.

Many are not familiar with this plant, so surplus numbers of them can be sold to those who would like to try them out.

• Gardening forum--Long Keeper Tomatoes
• Tomatoes: Information on Storage Long Keeping Tomato Varieties
• Burpee's Long-Keeper Tomato

Trapped in Circular Thinking

but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, Philippians 3:13

If you have watched the "Niagara Falls" routine of the Three Stooges, or Abbot and Costello, you have seen a comedic rendition of this thinking. A person in normal conversation is suddenly set off by a word or idea that causes them to return to a traumatic event in their lives.

I know two people who are trapped in this behavior pattern. Both revert to childhood experiences and have immature personalities. It is as if they are doomed to repeat, not only the event's memories, but the stage of mind during which it occurred. All forward motion stops as their minds spin their wheels.

One of the troubling aspects of my friends is that they are reluctant to consider new ideas. In one case a lady will accept no new ideas. Conversations with her are about memories from the 1960's. Recently, she confided to a friend that I had slighted her about 40 years ago! Surely, I have upset her more recently than that.

I have not given up on my friends (much as they wish I had). In one case, I suggested that a lady buy a seed starter kit for her daughter who is having a low time. She pretended to consider it for awhile, then declined. My un-gentle tactic: "Don't contact me until you have ordered it." Within minutes she replied that she had.

I figure that there is so much inspiration in watching seeds germinate. It is as if they shout, "We've been seeds long enough, we want to grow!"

Mr. Smarty Pants on Amaranth

Dear Smarty Pants,
I read your entry on amaranthus and watched the video on harvesting it. In your enthusiasm you failed to mention which variety is being harvested.

S.P.. As far as I can see, the variety is Amaranthus hypochondriacus. Did you notice the ones that were not harvested? They are red and look like flowers. There are many varieties that pop up in these plants. They are extremely adaptable, and all the varieties are useful and edible.

Q. How are homeless people or released prisoners going to be able to afford seeds and gardening tools?

S.P. For as little as 3 or 4 dollars you can get the seeds. No chemicals are needed. In total poverty situations, digging sticks can be used. Then nature will take over. Each plant produces about two hundred thousand or more seeds. These could be given or bartered to other growers. I'll bet that many farmers suffering from drought wish they had planted amaranthus.

Q. Do you really believe your dreams are practical?

S,P. It depends on how desperate people become. That applies to gardeners and people with land to rent.

Queen of Heaven

The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse my anger. Jeremiah 7:18

This part of the Bible speaks of sins committed by Israel which aroused God's anger. Of course that was a long time ago, so what's the problem? Some think that now we no longer engage in such pagan practices.

Status Report: The Queen of Heaven is still with us! Only today her name is attached to "The Blessed Virgin Mary".

So now I guess it's okay to worship her? If the mother of Jesus had known what blasphemies were going to be performed in her name, how sad she would have been.

I have seen two extreme treatments of Mary. I have heard Protestants say that Mary was just a common woman of her time. Nothing exceptional about her. The angel Gabriel said otherwise. This attitude of demeaning Mary may be an attempt to compensate for Mariolatry, followed by billions around the world, many of them not Christians at all.

There is a powerful desire in the world to worship a woman. Catholicism makes Mary co-redeemer with Christ. Its adherents are told to pray to Mary who will then intercede with Jesus on their behalf. As a kind of "receptionist", Mary is the gate keeper to Christ and the Grace of God.

So we have two extremes. May I suggest we follow the Bible and what it says about Mary, and stop using her name to perpetuate paganism, or trying to debase the mother of Jesus?

See this entry on Queen of Heaven from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Coming With the Clouds

"Look, he is coming with the clouds," and "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him"; and all peoples on earth "will mourn because of him." So shall it be! Amen. Revelation 1:7

When Jesus returns, it will be with clouds. Both Old and New Testaments testify to this. Are we to believe this is just a weather phenomenon? It is true that the earthly presence of God is so pictured, but what about his coming in the clouds?

I remember my first exposure to the idea of another possible explanation. It begins in Daniel,chapter seven, verses ten and thirteen.

A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. Daniel 7:10

This wonderful scene continues.

"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. Daniel 7:13

Have you ever heard a sermon on this? I know I have not. In Corporate Churches the book of Daniel, if mentioned at all, is the Story of Daniel in the lions den, used in the childrens' department. This is consistent with presenting one of the greatest of prophetic books as stories in the past tense.

But how should we view the scene pictured above? The multitudes could be a cloud of angels. Though why the Lord is led into the presence of God at this time is not clear. We may conclude that Jesus is escorted to the Father, accompanied by his church, the Bride's members of all ages.

Daniel is ignored and despised in many of today's churches. I know from personal experience. But for those of us who really care, Daniel chapter 7 is a picture of future glory.

His Soul's Tongue

So he called to him, "Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in the fire. Luke 16:24

When my wife died, I talked to the funeral director about anyone mentioning the immortal soul. I told him of our belief that there is no such thing. He replied, "What about the rich man and Lazarus?" The director is a Baptist minister, and though he was a very nice man, I was disappointed to hear his Standard Answer.

Now who am I to "defy" anyone? What a joke. But here goes anyway.

I defy anyone to show how this story by Jesus can be interpreted literally. Imagine a man tormented by fire, asking for relief by a finger tip's amount of water being put on his tongue!

Did I say a man? I mean a man's soul. If his grave was dug up I am certain his body would still be there, so it must be a soul seeking relief.

The story also says that between Abraham,Lazarus and the rich man, there was a great gulf fixed. Now the immortal soul of Lazarus reaching across a great gulf with water on its finger to cool the rich man's soul's tongue is not a literal possibility.

Modern translations call this story a parable. Imagine Paul telling such a story to the Gentiles! Those (few) who look into such things say that this is a parabolic story, custom made for Jews. It is not to be used as a map to hell, but has another moral lesson which Jesus wants to tell. So the moral is ignored and his story is used to establish the existence of hell.

Thus, we have a nice man in Missouri (who I want to be the one who will bury me) parroting what his church believes is one of the foundations of their faith. It beats thinking. Maybe that is why it is so popular.

Mr. Smarty Pants on Falling Away

Dear Smarty Pants,
Are there theological questions that you feel should have been resolved by now?

S.P. Thank you for dropping "Answer Man" from your title for me.

Yes, I am thinking of one now. A very important issue is unresolved in the minds of some people who should know better. This concerns 2Thessalonians 2:2 and 3, where Paul speaks of the "day of Christ" and the "falling away". This is King James language. Can we trust the translation--and those who teach from it--on this point? Let us compare two translations.

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God;.. KJV

Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. NIV

What is my question? Do not both translations say the same thing?

The problem is that some very respected teachers claim that the statement "falling away" is not resolved. The NIV clears this up nicely, but those teaching from KJV (some of my favorite teachers) maintain that the "falling away" could mean either the Day of the Lord, or the Rapture!

So disappointing, that after all these centuries, such an important point is not settled. The whole second chapter is so illuminating. It was written to clear up confusion, oh so long ago, and to some it is still a problem.

Pins on the Map

Leuren Moret is an expert on radiation and allied threats. To her the much laughed at "black helicopters" are no laughing matter. She has seen them up close and on the ground. While Linda Moulton Howe pioneered investigation into the phenomenon of animal mutilation with her book Strange Harvest, and may be the world's greatest expert on the subject, Leuren Moret has really nailed the significance of these "harvests".

She saw a map with two sets of pins. One was of mutilation sites. She asked what the other pins represented and was told they were reactor sites. Conclusion: the animal parts were taken to monitor radiation.

Poor Leuren, she gets so involved that sometimes she forgets the question she is answering, but her knowledge and insights are so valuable I forgive her. She starts where others leave off.

See the following items.

• Leuren Moret: USA, UK Monarchy behind Fukushima radiation genocide
• Cattle mutilation, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• New Mexico Cop Says Military Responsible for Cattle Mutilations
• Google search results for Cattle Mutilations

Elect and Election

And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24:31

I love this whole chapter of Matthew for bringing prophecies together in such an understandable fashion. But some will say, "Elect, just His elect?" To some, this idea, like predestination, sounds so unfair.

Does God "play favorites?" Let me say, in the most solemn theological terms, "Boy, does He!"

Democracy may be a great political idea, but as theology it is rotten. More to the point, equality in the Bible does not mean everyone. It is limited to groups such as Israel or the Church, and even then there are greater and lesser. Why would anyone be offended by this?

Chris Hedges, a proud liberal, says many so-called liberals champion the rights of the down trodden, but neither know them or mingle with them. Seems like some people are just waiting to accuse God of something, and they think that God choosing some and not others is a perfect example.

Where is the extreme joy in being among the elect? Maybe they feel that this doctrine leaves them out?

Talk About Bread

I just received a charming e-mail. A lady told me of eating a new kind of bread. It has eight grains in it: wheat, oats, triticale, barley, amaranth, flax, corn and rye. I was happy that she printed amaranth in bold type. She knows I am fascinated by this pseudo grain. She will be growing some this season to store in canning jars.

Found out that a regular sized loaf weighs 3 pounds. You can see how people once lived on such bread. It is said that at one time amaranth was 80% of the Aztec diet. When this grain was denied them, they began to sicken and die.

A famine is anticipated, not just a shortage of food, however high-priced. This famine will be of pure food, unmodified genetically. Yesterday I heard that the market for such food in the US has reached 12% of our food budget. It is a rapidly growing sector, being demanded by people who have become awake.

What about this wonderful bread? It is called Innkeeper's Bed and Breakfast Healthful 8 Grain Bread. There web address is www.bread.com.

I am a sucker for anything baked. I'm going out to the kitchen and get some now.

Calvin, the Non-Inventor

I told you about how many people hate John Calvin, or at least "his" invention, Calvinism. But a careful search of the Patent Office will reveal that Calvin invented nothing.

Then where did he get this notion of the Five Points, and where did the Tulip Doctrines come from? To prove that John was not the great inventor he is supposed to be, I will now reveal where so-called Calvinism, and the Reformed doctrine represented by the tulip came from: the Bible.

I love John, because, though he was not an inventor, he was a wonderful organizer. In the midst of fierce opposition, he revealed and wrote about the subjects often represented by the tulip. They are: Total depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Persistence of the Saints. These are amply verified in the Bible. John did not invent them any more than he invented tulip flowers.

That he and the doctrines he organized are controversial at all, is an illustration of the perversity of man. I thought that would sound better than "pig headedness". When you argue these points, or even mention them, you run into the wrath of wounded human nature. Calvin in hell is a theme used by some.

I really think doctrines are accepted or rejected according to how they please people--how they inflate or deflate the Infinite Ego. God, greater than man, unthinkable!

See The Five Points of Calvinism.

Extraterrestrial or Pre-flood?

My mother was a rebel, quiet and gentle. When she was admitted to a hospital, she gave her religion as Jehovah's Witness and her political party as Socialist. She voted for Norman Thomas the Socialist. Such a departure from the norm of a Methodist Lady of those times!

Later, I found that she did so in rebellion against what she felt were the evils in both religion and politics. She was open to minorities and social outcasts too.

When I read the words of Solomon about there being nothing new under the Sun, she got angry, and said, "I suppose they have always had television too!" Now my mother in law took a different tack, and one in conformity with the Bible. She was convinced that there was indeed "nothing new under the Sun." She believed that pre-flood civilization held all these things and perhaps more.

As a young man I was shocked to find that my then-worshipped science was not the realm of objective truth. Within geology, biology, and archeology, for instance, there is a law of "conform or perish". That is, conform to a Godless world view, or be left out of those disciplines.

Today there is much talk of "extraterrestrial artifacts". As if, according to these people, beings from outer space came to the Earth and piled up stones in order to worship the Sun. I believe in beings from the starry heaven. Three places in the Bible--Genesis 6, Daniel 8, and Revelation 12--confirm them.

But what is ignored by many, is the giant relics of a pre-flood civilization. Structures we could not replicate today are visible all over the world. They do not conform to the idea of mankind slowly working its way up from amoeba and are thus ignored.

Rather, our so called upward climb has been a recovery from the Flood of Noah's time. What existed before the flood is a forbidden subject.

Watch Artifacts of the Last Global Civilization.

Mr. Smarty Pants Answer Man on God and Gods

Dear Smarty Pants Answer Man,
How do you interpret Genesis 3:5? Is God saying "They shall be as gods", or "They shall be as God"?

Answer man: The King James says "gods", while almost all other renderings use "God". The much respected New American Standard says "God". Scofield does too, with brackets showing the KJV rendering.

As the king of Siam said, "Is a puzzlement."

I have run off a bunch of online commentaries and translations to study. Many are ambiguous, even including the definition of "gods", "angels" or "divine beings". It is hard to resist trying to apply the context of the situation, which I feel eliminates the oft used "judges", later used in Psalms and John, in answer to the Jews, to whom it could more likely apply there.

I will get back to you on this. I am working on it.

By the way, must you address me as "Answer Man"?

Make it Complicated, It's Easier

I was watching a video on the planning and construction of an aircraft. Its design was to be extraordinarily complex. It seems that modern airplanes may have 6,000,000 parts, often made by a number of manufacturers, to be assembled in carefully designed processes. The number of brainy people and skilled workers is very impressive. To look at the cockpit of one of these craft is dazzling. Yet it is accomplished, and very well.

I have been in tiny churches of a few families who could not agree on basic theology. Bees can make honey and wax, that still evade the skill of man, operating on instinct alone, yet we can't convey the simplest concept to a bee.

It seems that the more complicated the task, the easier it is to perform. Whole religious systems have been formed that defy analysis. What color of fish hat to wear on each occasion, which Latin phrase to say while incense is burned, and worst of all, complex theology!

If it is complicated it can be performed, but simple truth evades billions of people. Did God really give us a complex religion for our salvation? Did the thief on the cross go to seminary?

Truly, I believe it is simple faith that trips us up. Abraham, "the father of all who believe", had a profound, but simple theology.

My pastor told a story of his youth. He had secretly bought an automobile while under aged. Later he decided to sell it, but his father read the ad. He grabbed his son and demanded, "Do you have a car?" His frightened son replied, "What kind?" This is such a typical response of those seeking escape from a "tight" situation.

When religion is confronted with the Bible, people throw up hurdles of complication to avoid it. I believe that complicated religion is false religion.

How to Kill a Woodcock

They are quiet, secretive little birds. They do no harm. I am amazed that anyone would want to kill them.

As a child, I read of a method used by hunters to distract them and then shoot them. A piece of bright cloth is tied to a thread and dangled from a tree limb. When the line is jerked the cloth dances. The birds are curious and come out of their concealment to investigate. When a woodcock is still, their natural camouflage makes them nearly impossible to see, so this strategy brings them into the open and makes it possible to kill them.

There are hunters and killers that are killing us, covertly now, but with plans for open action. Instead of a piece of bright cloth, they mesmerize with distractions beyond the imagination of those who lived a few generations ago.

I used to listen to Coast to Coast, and especially John B. Wells. Recently he was fired for going beyond the controlled media's boundaries. Since his firing, I have not listened to the program and intend never to again.

More than that I have lost interest in the controlled and edited news, except for a verifiable weather report. I am ashamed that, even skeptically, I ever listened at all. Those in the business call what we are subjected to "limited hangout". So-called controversial radio commentators seem to give us the truth about issues. This creates the illusion of freedom and hope.

I am not in doubt about America's future, any more than I am about the health of a person long dead. The Internet is not dead yet, but I am sure it will be soon, if only for technical reasons.

The victims of the Distracted Culture make it easy for their destroyers. The last words of Orwells 1984 are, "He loved big brother." Only a minority remember this. Today, instead, we love the dancing red rag manipulated by those who will kill us.

Mr. Smarty Pants Answer Man

Q. Dear Mr. Smarty Pants, Do you really believe God made the Earth in seven literal days?

A. I once subscribed to this theory, but no longer believe it. Now I know that God made the world in six literal days.

Q. Doesn't radio carbon dating prove that the earth is much older than around 6,000 years?

A. Carbon dating assumes that the ratio of C12 and C14 has not changed through time. This is typical of the belief by many scientists that "all things remain the same". When the fallacy of this assumption was pointed out to Dr. Willard Libbey, who founded carbon dating, he was trouble by it. In college I read Libbey's book on this dating method, which spoke of these reservations.

Q. If Noah only took two of each animal on the ark, what happened to the genetic line of the animals that he sacrificed in Genesis 8:20, after the flood abated?

A. Actually, Noah took seven pairs of clean animals, suitable for sacrifice (Gen. 7:2).

Q. You have been described as a "lone wolf" type of Christian. How would you answer this?

A. I have never thought of myself as a wolf of any kind. In my youth, I did aspire to be a lone Irish Setter, but now I am content to be a lone Cocker Spaniel.

If You Are Reading This, You Are Tough!

Now how would I know that? Maybe because I know how hard it is to hear about such topics as I send to you. They have been in my experience, too--believing in them, then, sometimes painfully, getting away from them. To do this I was forced to fight with some troubling scriptures, many of them fatally flawed translations.

I am aware that some refuse to even look at scriptures that put their beliefs in jeopardy. Did I tell you how I was rescued from doing that?

It was by reading a delightful book on plants, by Donald Culross Peaty, called This Flowering Earth. The author, studying to be a botanist at Harvard, was told to test his favorite ideas by doing his best to destroy them! If they were false they would be found so. Only the true ones would survive.

It seems revolutionary, but the Bible said it first: "Prove all things, hold fast that which is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21). I understand that the word "prove" here means "test", as in "proving grounds".

So, timidly, I learned to try my ideas for falseness. I had inherited the standard ideas that the Catholics had retained from the Babylonians and passed on to the Protestants. I began to find out if they were true to the Bible. Using the Bible, in pure form, as a guide, I found the Old Ideas (the ones that everyone "knows" are true) fell away.

There is a Viking story about a boat builder who had completed a craft along traditional lines. The next morning he found that someone had cut deep notches in the gunwales. Outraged he said "Find the one who cut up my boat! Another builder confessed that he had done it. "Trim your boat along the lines of those notches and you will find your boat, once fat as a cow, to be a beautiful swift horse." When this was done, the beautiful and swift Viking Boat was born.

So when we cut away the doctrines that man, guided by the Devil, has invented, our doctrines become beautiful and true. This of course, is done only by the tough, like you are.

Souls That Die

I don't mean "being separated from God", but dead. I admit to being caught up in this subject. Not because I fear my imminent death, but because I want to say these things while I may. If no one is stirred to look them up (online or paper concordance search) or no one cares, I am free from responsibility.

There was once a lady who put on a show of singing at Carnegie Hall. I believe her name was "Mrs. Miller". She would come on stage dressed in a Spanish costume and sing from "Carmen". She was not a trained singer. She was awful. People applauded to cover their laughter. Lines went around the block waiting to get in to hear her.

Mrs. Miller knew that she could not sing well, and that people mocked her. She said this: "People can say that I didn't sing well, but they can't say I didn't sing."

So it is with me. All I care is that people look things up for themselves, and not follow the traditions of the world.

The Temporary Victory of the Grave

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1 Corinthians 15:55

Once again, Paul does not seem to know that the grave has no victory. As soon as we die our souls go to heaven. That's what I have been told, so it must be true.

But Paul has a very different point. It is when we are resurrected that we have victory over the grave. He says it very plainly in verse 54. I realize that this is a very upsetting idea to many. It would be to me also if I had not read the Bible's answer to the victory of the grave.

This is quite personal to me. My wife lies in her grave, not far away. Soon I will join her. We will sleep in Christ until he comes. No 15 minute trip of our immortal souls to heaven, but His resurrection will take us to heaven.

Am I "resurrection happy"? Yes, very happy.