The Healing of the Nations

And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Revelation 22:2

Boy, is this a neglected passage! Have you ever heard a sermon on these trees? And if so, was it talking about literal trees, with literal fruit and leaves?

Must be symbolic. And why talk about it at all? This is the province of the spiritualizing boys, and they seem to neglect getting around to it. Too, too, bad, because it is such a delightful promise!

The earth is so polluted that what was created to give us life is killing us instead. Let me list some of the ways that the polluted earth is now being poisoned.

• Number one in my knowledge is nuclear radiation. Our gene pool is being degraded, and these alterations do not go away, but are passed on to succeeding generations.
• Two is atmospheric spraying, or chem trails. Among the many ingredients of these is aluminum in nano sized particles. Free, uncombined, aluminum is doing great harm to our brains and neural systems.
• Three, chemical pollution of our air, water, and food.
• Four, genetically modified food crops, which our bodies are not able to properly use.

Blissful, innocent, or preoccupied people may not think about these things, but they are deadly and require a cure which God alone can provide.

So what about "the tree"? Since it grows on both sides of the river, it is not just one tree, but a variety of trees, bearing healing fruits and leaves that have the power to heal.

There are many woes in the book of Revelation, but we should not dwell only on them. In the end we find their effects cured by the promised Tree of Life.

Swords into Plowshares, Plowshares Into Swords

Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, "I am strong!" Joel 3:10

They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Micah 4:3

These passages might seem contradictory. In fact they are, if the vital element of time is ignored. For there will come a time for rearmament, after the disarmament so desired by the coming world leader. For a time will come when Israel will seem helpless in the face of a great invasion. But God will defeat this great enemy and make his people strong.

How can we know that Israel will be disarmed? It has been already, under the rule of the Philistines. And in the future they will have to make their weapons from farm implements. Every disarmed nation faces defeat or domination by their own government.

Why such primitive weapons? Because our "wonderful" killing technology is doomed to fail. We began with swords and spears and soon we will return to them. They will be the last earthly weapons. War, then peace.

The future looks very good for blacksmiths.

A Child's Questions About What We Will Do in Heaven

If you try to find what the "experts" know about heaven, it can be disappointing. Ever notice how many times there are experts on subjects that no one knows much about?

The subject in mind is, "What will we do in heaven?" I don't need to know, or God would have told us. But, as I am getting ready to go there, I have a deep desire to know.

Experts (who apparently have knowledge unavailable to us) say brilliant things like "serve". That doesn't help much. It is so generic. I mean, serve how?

My first question is, how will it be when we first arrive? My only guide from this world is the reception center in the Army, but that is awful.

Revelation has a wonderful clue--the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Eating together in heaven. How delightful.

I'm a slow eater (I blab too much), but imagine a huge feast surrounded by our loved ones and hosted by Jesus.

In my imagination, our pets would be there.

"Here _______, try some of this. I don't know what it is, but it sure is good."

In my dreams there would be time for us to just get used to being there, time for shattered childhoods to be repaired, and failed hopes to be fulfilled. A lot of "compensating" is in order. No more aching hearts. We are in heaven now.

After getting to know our surroundings, how will we serve? Will we have earthly assignments?

How wonderful to be like Gabriel, a messenger from heaven to Earth. We could get an assignment to fly to earth to comfort and instruct someone during the millennium.

Will there be bosses (nice ones) who tell us what to do? Perhaps a giant, pearly board posted with jobs to do. "Needed: someone to ________."

Will the Spiritual gifts still be valid, as when on earth?

My dream would be for us to gather to view the face of God, as David wished to do, when he awoke (Psalm 17:15), then go for a long walk with all those we have lost, in a beautiful, heavenly, garden of Eden.

Foolish, uninformed questions--most of them. But what do you expect from a child, even a 79 year old one?

Word of Faith Movement, Tongues Movement, and a Whole Lot More, Examined Through the Word of God

I cannot recommend a better source to expose the above false teachings than the video linked below. If I could, I would. For example, Justin Peters does the finest job on tongues that I have ever heard, and I have heard a lot of them.

Just as a medical doctor fights disease by first learning as much as he can about it, so Christians can battle false teachings by studying them. If you do not watch the tv channels that promote these departures from scripture, or read the terrible books that do, you will find that they are examined and refuted in Justin's video.

He is somber in his basic approach, but has a marvelous, ironic, sense of humor also. Every one of his words is printed at the bottom of the screen to aid the hard of hearing. Besides containing valuable insights from the Bible, his approach is quiet and thoughtful. This video is pleasant to watch and to listen to.

Watch Spiritual Shipwreck of the Word-Faith Movement (Justin Peters) Strange Fire Conference

The Dagger vs. Fifteen Years of Bombing

What a horrible, barbaric image! A man decapitated with a knife. What kind of people would sanction such brutality?

Why don't they learn from the USA? Here, you decapitate with BOMBS. You poison an entire country with depleted uranium which causes monstrously deformed babies. If you have someone you do not like, you fly them to a country that specializes in torture.

I saw a film of a morgue that contained bombing victims--victims of our bombs. Most of the dead were women and children. There were women together with their babies, and young children.

The fact that this still unresolved "war" was not declared by congress is of no matter. What does matter is that we kill innocent people with planes, artillery, and poison. The point being that we do not use knives. One American killed with a knife is far, far worse than hundreds of people in a country which we have designated as the "enemy".

When Saddam Hussein was in power, there were 19 Christian churches in Baghdad. How many do you think there are now?

The story that Hussein's head was pulled off when he was dropped too far in hanging is probably just a made up story. We should forget it.

"Our boys" are protecting us in many remote regions. The fact that these places either have oil or are the locations of potential oil pipelines is just an amazing coincidence. Our State Department's great big heart yearns to make these places free. Some day they may even make the US free.

One of my favorite military historians, Thomas Chittum, states, "America was born in blood and will die in blood." While we are slaughtering innocent people around the world, we are dying from within. President Lincoln said America will never be conquered from without. We will fall from internal causes. I feel the USA is dead already, and we are slowly decomposing.

This is only remotely of interest to me. As a citizen of heaven, I concentrate on my homeland.

On Bellowing Preachers

Soft is the music that would charm forever.

Just heard a recording of a much younger Chuck Swindoll. His pulpit must have had a great audio system. It didn't distort him at all when he began to bellow.

Now Chuck should know better. He is good at preaching the Word. He even yells like a pro, though I like him a lot more when his voice is at an even keel. In fact, his message on self confidence could have been spoken quite softly.

I was driving with a friend, many moons ago. He was dialing for some music when he came across a frenetic preacher. He turned the volume way up so that the gasping man sounded even worse, not realizing that he was using the same tactics as the man on the air.

Some men of God catch on, lower the volume and learn to communicate with a normal voice. John McGee began as a yeller, but toned it down when he became a teacher. This latter became his greatest career, and his recordings are, thankfully, still on the air.

Is it the perception of the screamers that we are so dense and asleep that theatrics are needed to get our attention and prove their points?

McGee told of a New York City cab driver who tuned him in by accident and made a habit of listening to him just because he sounded like a yokel. But because of his quiet, conversational tone, the cabbie began to listen to his Bible teaching. Would anyone have done this to someone yelling?

We're not in basic training (and I don't see why it is needed there), we are rational beings. Of course, Chuck knows his congregation better than I do.

Gone Fission, There's a Sign Upon the Door

A friend recently told me about his worst fears, learned from watching TV. They were about a personality he had seen portrayed as a monster. Monsters calling others monsters! This is a classic case of misdirection by media. "Don't look at me, look at him!"

I have zero faith in corporate media to tell the truth. I have no TV set. Through the wonders of the Internet, I find a whole world of knowledge. True, it is a mixed bag, but that is because it is free. Anyone can post almost anything there. You have to sort it out. I love to sort it out.

Here is a simple test of the two mediums. See which one will tell you of the threats posed by corporations and your corporate-owned government. Only the Internet will.

To the TV people who frightened my friend, the enemy is some remote person or place that we need to spend billions of dollars to kill. I saw a video of a wedding reception, filled with joy, right up until everyone there was killed by a drone strike. Reason given: there might have been a suspected terrorist in the wedding party! None of them should have been killed, but they all were.

According to General Curtis Lemay, "There are no innocent civilians." Is there a bloodier nation on earth than the one in which I am writing this?

About the test, if you have not heard about the ongoing disaster of Fukushima, you have been relying on Big Media. They reported on the initial event. They could not cover it up. But who reports on it thoroughly and what government monitors and reports the truth about this horrible disaster? Which source brings you Helen Caldicot, Chris Busby, Arnie Gunderson, or Lauren Moret?

Our controlled media is owned and run by some really evil people. They are not Arabs, or Muslims, or any other people we wish to vilify and destroy. Who are they?

See ENENews.com.

Following the Leader, the Leader, the Leader, Following the Leader, Where Ever He Will Go

Do you feel the need of a leader? For some it seems to work out.

In my childhood I thought of authority figures as leaders. My father, of course, and the current president of the U.S. Way back when movie patrons would clap when the scene of a rippling flag would appear, we all believed in leaders. Authority equaled leadership.

Some of my early icons were baseball umpires, those mysterious men in black, and since we traveled by train a lot, conductors, with their serious demeanor, were definitely authorities.

In the Methodist church John Wesley was revered, super-pious and remote. Who could question him? Imagine anyone asking, was Wesley a Christian? They are asking it now, as in his own words, he dabbled in mysticism and was not even certain of his faith.

But hang a picture up, say someone is a leader, and what is a kid to think? It can be a geografical issue--Castro, Wesley, or the Pope. Is there an objective standard?

Authority is fairly simple, but leadership gets complicated. Presently, so-called black leaders are losing credibility. A cynic could say that when any leader "catches on" and seeks to act independently, he is killed--a kind of authentication by martyrdom.

May I say that in 79 years one can be disappointed many times. You can, in early life, be angry or upset. Eventually, you will learn not to care. You may no longer have a need for any earthly leader at all. We have one Leader, Jesus Christ, and He is everything we need.

The Gorilla Versus the Arthritic Man

He lived in the old folk's home, but he had never lost his independence. "Bring 'em on!" was his motto. He had achieved quite a reputation there. Despite what people spoke of as "The Fall", he maintained his air of hubrus.

"That fall was a long time ago, and I'm as good as ever. Oh, a little arthritis, but I'm still my own man. Nobody tells me what to do, or how to think," he would say.

So it was with great anticipation that a challenge was made by a circus owner. "Arm wrestle the Great One, and win a wonderful prize, plus the admiration of all. So far no one has won. Be the first."

"No problem," said the old man. "I have what it takes to beat anyone at anything, because I have a secret weapon!"

So the day came that he entered the gorilla's cage and locked hands with the monster. At the signal, he confidently flexed his arm muscles. For a time it looked like an even match. It even looked like the old man would win.

"The owner of the gorilla has taught him to hold back for a while," said one of the audience. "He will give the old guy a chance to use all his strength. Then, Pow! He'll bang his knuckles on the table."

And so he did. Suddenly the gorilla acted just as the spectator had said, and the match was over.

"But he said he had a secret weapon," voiced a friend.

The now defeated man stepped down from the Great One's cage. His head was bowed as he murmured, "How could I have lost? After all, I had Free Will."

Who Will Flee Babylon?

Flee from Babylon! Run for your lives! Do not be destroyed because of her sins. It is time for the Lord's vengeance; he will repay her what she deserves. Jeremiah 51:6, NIV

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Revelation 18:4, KJV

Wow! Such great topics for sermons. We can really use these! Think of the imagery that could be applied to the church. Trouble is, these references are not about "Babylonish" systems, but a real country and a real city.

"But Revelation says 'my people'. Surely that means the church."

Big surprise for some preachers and their ignorant congregations--God has other people than the church.

The first reference was about a time before there was a church, and the second will be after the church is safe in heaven as the Bride.

But what about the literal city? Today there is no Babylon. In fact, famous writers like to say that Babylon, the literal city, is cursed in scripture, never to be inhabited again. They have scriptures they say proves it.

What a mess people make when they refuse to take the Bible literally, and even if they do, they mistake the TIME when things are fulfilled. Much prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. It is future, as in Revelation, once we read past the letters to the seven churches in the first three chapters. So please let me state my case.

Jeremiah spoke of a literal Babylon, and about Israel. John,in Revelation, wrote of a literal Babylon, yet to be built (Zech. 5:5) and God's people who will live on the earth after the the rapture of the church (Rev. 3:5). Babylon will be a literal seaport city, a center of world trade.

"You mean New York City, don't you?"

Not unless New York City is moved between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers of Iraq. The city is future and so are its plagues.

Old Bibles used to contain maps, way back when people interpreted literally. Today, the only thing literal is your money offering. That should not be symbolic.

Anti-Semitic or Anti- Khazarian?

Being a persecuted minority is a major industry. Not only a lot of money, but a lot of power is involved. While we may protest against Monsanto, to criticize certain people is never allowed. It is called a hate-crime, or in the case of people who call themselves Jews, but are not, "anti-Semitic.

I haven't figured this one out yet, but somehow to be anti-Jew, or anti Zionist, is said to be anti-Semitic. Why is the term anti-Jew not used? Since Arabs are just as Semitic as Jews it could mean either, or both.

The following videos tell you that about 90% of those who call themselves Jews are not. They are Khazarians.

When Arthur Koestler published The Thirteenth Tribe in 1976, he stirred up a controversy which has only increased to our time. According to this logic, the True Torah Jews--because they hate Zionism--are anti-Semitic.

The fake Jews are undoubtedly a super race. Though they control finance and political power of most of the world, they have convinced people that they are a beleagured, persecuted minority. They have much of the world in their hands, but in the end they have a hot date with the Lake of Fire.

View these brief videos.

• Satanic Zionism Exposed
• The Kazars

Chloe's House

For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. I Corinthians 1:11

She is mentioned in the Bible only once. But there she is in Paul's letter to the Corinthians. One of the charming features of his letters is that he mentions people's names. Paul could be so painfully learned and abstruse sometimes, he really needs to be studied over and over. Then suddenly up pops a little bit of gossip upon which Paul later bases a major idea.

Maybe I should not, but I like to try to picture the scene. First, Paul is invited to stay, either with Chloe, or members of her little group. I imagine them having a nice meal, and someone says, "Paul, I hate to bring this up, but we are having trouble among those in our group. There are divisions among us."

Paul later reflects on this, maybe prays over it, and includes it in a letter. Almost two thousand years later, millions of people have read this letter and learned an important lesson from it.

Paul could have made his point without this mention. But this great man includes an intimate detail. He has learned a troubling fact, not through the visitation of an angel or a vision, but from those of Chloe's house.

"Chloe, Paul has so honored you and perhaps your home church, by including your name in what became Holy Scripture."

Paul did not wear priestly robes and speak from an elevated platform. He was, despite his great knowledge, down to earth, and not ashamed to speak of Chloe's house.

A Wonderful Testimony from a Former Catholic Priest

Richard Bennett is so good to listen to. Irish, with a touch of Barry Fitzgerald in his speech, this former Catholic priest tells of his conversion to Christ by reading the Bible, just as Martin Luther did. He also reveals much about the doctrines and inner working of Catholicism.

I sure learned a lot about their false doctrines, promoted through the teachings of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas. There is much to learn from this good Christian man, and his manner makes it very pleasant to do so.

Watch An Overview of a Testimony by Richard Bennett Part 1.

Is Your Heart Broken Yet?

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18

During one of my rare low times, I was pulled from the fire by M. R. DeHaan's lovely book Broken Things. Never before had I realized how close we can become to God at such times.

There are the blessed ones who come to him in joy. A biography of Jonathan Edwards tells of his walking with a friend and laughing over some occurrence. They knelt in prayer and thanked God for their laughter.

More often it seems that, like Job, we must be leveled by tragedy in order to come to really know Him. Is it not true that those closest to God are strengthen by sorrow, while those who have yet to come close to him are brought low?

"Sooner or later, life will break your heart," said a French philosopher. For those so broken, may I say, sooner or later God will heal you.

Honey, Where Shall We Have Church, in the Dining Room or the Living Room?

The churches are becoming terribly corrupt. Not only do they teach monstrous false doctrines, but they avoid very important issues because of government restrictions--501(C)(3).

For decades, many people have been leaving such churches and worshipping and studying in their homes. None of my closest friends have gone to church for years, and they are wonderful Christians. Many are tired of "digging deeper" to pay for increasingly large church staffs and building programs.

Amazing things are happening within the church general. Example, the Church of England is returning to the authority of the Catholic church. All kinds of denominations and religions are uniting with Rome.

Many do not have hours to watch and study these things. But I do, and I use my time that way.

It sure looks like the Whore of Babylon is shaping up. Almost everyone is showing up for the casting call.

View the following videos.

• The Evangelical Apostasy of the Present Day
• How to Destroy the Gospel: Evangelical Christian Romance with Apostate Roman Catholicism, Part 3

The Burial of Gog

Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them, and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD. Ezekiel 39:13

Gog looms large in prophecy. It's identity is often explained depending on the political agenda of the interpreter. Whatever the current threat seems to be, that will be their Gog. If we are told to hate and fear Russia (I do not) then Russia is made into Gog.

It amazes me how interpreters are so easily manipulated by current propaganda. To upset their little carts, let me say, I do not care who Gog is. It is a future threat to the land of Israel and may not even be formed up yet. An old proverb concerning interpretation says, Prophecy is not given so that we may prophesy.

Although Gog is usually presented as a terrible threat, today I wish to discuss it as dead Gog, a bunch of rotting corpses that will require seven months to bury. How many threats are presented as only living threats. Some day they will all die.

Imagine dead Goliath, no longer a threat. Death itself as no longer a threat. Let's take a better perspective on this. All "Gogs" will some day die.

Ezekiel 39 is really worth a read, not as a great battle, but as the peaceful aftermath. A job description in those days may read, "Wanted, workers to bury the remnants of a former threat."

People and Nations Who Sleep

This is not a rant about "Wake Up America". It is that, just as in nature, sleep of the dead is necessary.

The Dead in Christ are asleep, waiting for the most wonderful call to awake ever. Israel, presently asleep, will awake next, as her time of judgement occurs, ending with the opening of her eyes, when she recognizes Jesus for who He is. The Gentiles wake from the early days of Abel and Seth. The wicked dead will be resurrected for the Great White Throne judgement.

An unbelieving woman that I talked to said, "I don't want to be resurrected!" as if it was up to her. In her case, it is understandable. Who would wish to wake up for their trial and execution?

Finally, oh blessed day, there will be no more awakenings. The wicked will die, never to wake again. The Bible calls this the Second Death. The just shall never sleep again.

Two Kinds of Anxiety

One should say anxiety about two different things. First the universal concern about the next life. To almost all this means what will become of my soul after death? Within this almost universal group there is usually a belief in a form of hell, or torment that must be avoided at all costs. I'll call this anxiety (in Protestant terms) "saved or not saved".

We're talking about a huge industry, all based on this concept. How big? It's bigger than the pharmaceutical industry, and that's saying a lot. Now how would I know about this mega industry? I should, I grew up in a family wracked by it. My mother and sister dreaded being sent to hell. My father handled this first anxiety pretty well. He believed we are saved "day by day".

Lots of people believe this. Your supply of grace is in kind of a leaky bucket. Before it all runs out, you pray for forgiveness, God saves you again, and you're okay for another day. I call this "24 hour salvation."

The religion industry likes both of these views. "Keep 'em worried and they'll be good." Plus, they'll give more money to the church. Salvation for sale? Why not? Everything else is.

But what about anxiety number two? Since I got past the mountain of anxiety over salvation (You're either His child or not. There are no part-children or "temporary" children), thanks to good Bible teaching. That leaves anxiety over your works. Not salvation-buying works, but works that we do in gratitude to God for saving us. Some day we will be rewarded for them.

I must confess I am subject to anxiety number two. It's too late now, of course, but my mostly-wasted life haunts me. There is a crown for those who love His appearing. This I do. But my resistance to the guidance of the Holy Spirit has been very great. God would have us do good. Why have I not done so?

The Ancient New Age

By the time of the introduction of the modern New Age movement, I was just starting to study the Bible. But I was naive enough to think this new way of thinking was just a fad, like the hippies, and would soon fade away. Poor ignorant me. I was to learn that it is as ancient as the serpent in Eden.

This is not to be a rant, just a rave, about the best source of understanding of this Satanic movement I have found under "one cover". The video linked below is the best analysis of the "We are gods" movement I have yet found. It destroys evolutionism and shows how Paul's prophecy of the latter days has started to come true. As you watch it, you will get information that would require great effort--and years--to obtain in any other way.

Watch Demonic Spirits and Angels of The New Age Deception!.

Why Doesn't the Bible End With the Gospels?

Since many Christians believe the Gospels are the ultimate in God's revelation, and preachers like to stay in Matthew, why go any further? Is the rest of the New Testament just an inferior add-on?

I have heard an avid church goer say that he avoided the writings of Paul! After all, they say, the Gospels are the words of Jesus. Meaning that the rest of the Bible is composed of mere mens' opinions and confused interpretations. "Stick with the Gospels!" is the war cry of many.

Hark! I hear the hoof beats of the ignorant. They are gaining on us.

Thanks to the wonderful Biblical thinkers online, you can read the works of Luther on up to those departing from the myth-inspired Corporate Church hacks. You don't even need a library card. I see another Reformation taking shape. Thinking (and Bible reading) Christians are departing from traditional, thoughtless, Babylonian-Greek mythology, and getting closer to the Faith Once Delivered.

Did the church shake off all the devil's lies when it departed from Catholicism? Has the devil retired from his role as the ultimate liar?

Starting with the Acts of the Apostles, to the book of Revelation, we see the wonderful development of the Church. It is not a re-treaded Israel, it is a new creation, hidden in the Old Testament. The church has a New Covenant and a very separate future. She has her own special letters. Like postal letters, we see who they are for by looking to whom they are addressed--"to the church in Phillipi", etc.

Israel will wake up from her God-induced sleep soon to a glorious future, but now we need to get to know God's revelation to His church. If your (job-scared) preacher can't get out of the Gospels, get a new preacher, or a new church.

A Dwelling for Demons

She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, Revelation 18:2, NIV

Are there haunted places? Revelation 18 says there are. I was watching a site on You Tube about just such an idea. But the horrible events that occurred to people there were said to result from the operation of ghosts. I can imagine an editor writing "Incorrect attribution".

That there are haunted people and places is a matter of record, both in the Bible and out. But, through cultural custom and habit we credit these events to ghosts. The spirit of Caspar is ever with us.

There is much to be gained from this error. It supports the idea that people are immortal in their "spirit form". Maybe evil ones come up from hell to torment people? Can these spirits be consigned to hell and yet inhabit old houses? Are they "playing hookey from hell"? Sounds like a title for a Roger Corman movie.

There is a much more serious result of the "ghost theory". It distracts us from the correct interpretation, which is demons and demon activities. Now we are upon familiar territory, a body of knowledge where both the Bible and folklore agree.

There are paranormal creatures, happenings, and even places. I doubt if there is a culture that does not believe this. Of course, in our anti-Bible culture, ghosts have been substituted for demons, making us alone in our ignorance. Even pagans know the reality of demons.

But what of places where demons are most at home? In the U.S., I nominate the state of West Virginia. This state is not demonic, but it does have a history where such activity is very evident. Unique petroglyphs and ancient Indian lore testify to this.

When the Bible and common knowledge agree, perhaps we should not ignore it.

See History of Native Americans in West Virginia.

Mr. Smarty Pants on the Bread and Wine Memorial and a Great Nation

Dear Smarty Pants,
I just read your item on the bread and wine of Melchizedek being a memorial. How could this be true, since the crucifiction of Christ took place over a thousand years in the future?

S.P. In man's time, yes, but in the time of God it had already occurred. In Revelation 13:8, Jesus is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world".

Q. Where does God say, "I will make of thee a great nation"?

S.P. God says this to Abraham in Genesis 12:2 and to Jacob in Genesis 46:3. Again He says it to Moses in Exodus 32:10. This latter is a totally neglected passage, where God is so angry with Israel that He says He will destroy them and begin again with Moses. When Moses intervenes we see his true nature as one who loves Israel and intercedes for them--a strange yet beautiful moment.

Bread and Wine, a Memorial

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Hebrews 10:4

Evolutionist are everywhere, even in theology. We are told that the progress of humanity has taken us from the knuckle-dragging oafs of billions of years ago, to one of the great revelations of morality, the Ten Commandments. As if Adam and Eve were mouth-breathers.

The giving of the Law was not a giant step forward, but a revelation of God's perfection, told to those who had forgotten it. Long before the days of Moses, Melchizedek, the most-high priest, brought out bread and wine for Abraham in Genesis 14:18-20.

"You mean bread and wine as a memorial are older than the sacrifice of animals?"

Just as surely as Genesis comes before Exodus.

"What did you learn in Sunday School little one?"

"We learned that it is wrong to murder and steal."

True, but this was known from the times of Cain and Abel, from the times of Abraham. What kind of people need to be reminded of this?

The Fish Hamburger

A friend asked if I would like to go to a fast food place, and would I mind if some others went along. Of course, I did not mind , so off we went. The others were a young lady of perhaps eighteen, and a little boy of eight or nine. The girl's quiet, modest, manner reminded one of an older sister, or a governess. She was pleasant, but reserved.

I had known my friend since he was about nine. How can I describe him? He was 6 feet 4 inches tall, with a thick head of stiff red hair that stood up from it's part to give the impression of a speeding boat making waves. His voice was rather subdued and rumbling. It sounded as if it was coming from a distance.

He had a weakness for any idea that was humorous, especially in an absurd way. When I would say anything that appealed to this, he would laugh, then cry. He was a victim of humor.

We drove to an eatery I had not seen before or since. It was illuminated with soft yellow light, sodium lamps. They gave the impression that we were actors in a dream sequence of a high school play.

As we discussed what we would order, a car pulled in with a length of bicycle tire inner tube attached to its exhaust. It flopped around while making sputtering, vulgar sounds.

The soft yellow ambiance, as from millions of fireflies, combined with a gentle moist atmosphere to put me into a feeling of unreality. This was Eden, a temperature and moisture that was the most perfect I have ever felt.

The little boy, through his gentle, quiet manner, radiated innocence. Innocence was in the car and in the parking lot. We were all touched by it, as if immersed in a pool of warm water.

We often think of innocence as the absence of evil. And so it can be. But the innocence I felt that night had a positive element of its own, like pure white sand on a beautiful beach, or freshly fallen snow.

The little lad had made his decision. "I'd like a fish hamburger," he said. We laughed and ordered him a fish sandwich.

Years later I met the young lady. "You went with us to the restaurant!" she told me.

"Yes, and every time I think of that night, I want a fish hamburger."

She was amazed that I remembered the little boy's request. How could I ever forget? I would not have been surprised if his order had been delivered by an angel.

Whose Land Was it Then?

In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates. Genesis 15:18

Here is a covenant for the ownership of land, made by God. It is an everlasting contract. Yet the land reaches from the Nile to the Euphrates, from the Arabian Desert to the Mediterranean Sea. The tiny UN-mandated country of Israel is only a small part of God's promised land.

So who owns the original land? Answer: Israel does, and always will.

But at the time of the grant to Abram there was no nation Israel to inhabit it. Four hundred thirty years of slavery in Egypt was yet to be endured. Then forty years of desert wandering over a distance that today is a cab ride. Did they walk slowly, or did something else keep them from possessing their Promised Land?

I heard a Zionist-approved broadcaster attempt to justify Israel's right to kill Palestinians by saying the land belongs to them. I suggest that Israel try to occupy all of Abram's portion on the same basis. They are trying to deny Palestinians the right to exist.

The broadcaster even made fun of the name Palestine, saying it had no validity. But it is the Roman name, and the Roman empire, in whatever form, has the right to control this area. In Luke 21:24, Jesus says so. Daniel chapter 2 maps out the territory. Luke gives us the time.

Having a title to the land does not automatically confer the right to occupy it. For example, in Jeremiah 29:4 Israel is removed from their land by the will of God. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

Who owned the Promised Land then? Israel, but they had no right to live there.

Same as today. Israel's day is coming, but until Jesus returns we are all living in the Times of the Gentiles.

Visiting the White Knight

A dear friend and I had a very restful routine. Together with her Dachshund, Skipper, we would walk among the roses in the cool of the evening. Skipper would explore a large bed of Hostas, disappearing among them, snuffling and searching, until he emerged on the other side. He never found anything, but felt he needed to look.

Our clockwise walk would take us to lone roses, individually planted. Nothing formal there. I remember a deep red rose, Mr. Lincoln, and others whose names escape me now. But the one which stands out in my memory was the pure white blossom of the White Knight, with its rolled outer petals giving it a spikey appearance.

My mother was in real estate and once visited a little lady who was about to move. Her biggest regret was giving up her tiny back yard retreat. In the midst of a busy city she had created a fenced in refuge, with green fencing and a porch swing. When seated there the city seemed to disappear, and she could be alone with her thoughts.

Both of these quiet places are gone. Someone backed over Skipper. His exploring days are over, and the properties long ago sold. I yearn for a place where there is no more death,and no endings, where the beautiful white roses will never fade.

Job Assignment

Wanted: a liar to give a false message to a king in order to destroy him. Employer-God.

"And the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?'..." 1 Kings 22:20, NIV

God is inquiring about a liar he needs to do a hit job for Him!

"Finally a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.'
" 'By what means?' the LORD asked.
" 'I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,' he said,
" 'You will succeed in enticing him,' said the LORD. 'Go and do it.'..." 1 Kings 22:21-22, NIV

But we thought the Lord and His prophets always told the truth! To us He does, but to His enemies not so.

A really huge part of the work of a Bible teacher is to undo the myths surrounding the nature of God and the Bible. Preachers are paid to tell lies. Bible teachers tell the truth, but are not paid.

Anyone tempted by poverty? They must be in the truth telling business for heavenly reward. As it is often said, "Don't quit your day job."

Those who are never surprised by sermons or teaching--I mean unpleasantly surprised--should change preachers, teachers, or churches. Would you attend a college class where you did not hear any new ideas? But people line up to hear insipid sermons that stay to one safe pattern.

Never depart from what people already believe! Your job is on the line.

The story from 1 Kings chapter 22 is really good for us to read. Some day churches may get beyond the parables and the sermon on the mount, but I doubt it.

Meet Your New Father

A dear friend of mine was telling me about some people she knows who are having trouble getting "close to God". She wonders why. "Why do people have to work so hard at it? You either believe or you don't believe."

As far as being saved, that is true. But may I say that feeling close to God is a very different matter. This may sound strange coming from a fundamentalist, but these troubled people are having difficulties with their psychology, not with God. Sometimes we forget what complicated emotions are behind our perceived relationship with Him.

A wonderful Christian psychologist, Dr. Clyde Narrimore, once worked for the Los Angeles school district. This means a lot of people. He ran an experiment on school children. He had them write an essay on how they felt about their fathers. Later he asked them how they felt about God.

When the results were tallied he found a correlation between the two--in the high nineties. How children feel about God depends on their feelings about their fathers.

All conversions are miraculous interventions by the Holy Spirit, but our early experiences still cling to us. I will even say that we are not free of early events and relationships that we had while children. If your father was authoritarian you will see God that way. If your father was cruel and unforgiving, the same results.

I tried this idea on myself. My father was a very good man, and loving, but in a distant way. He was busy with more important things. So I grew up with a feeling of non-importance, or insignificance. Each time I have used Narrimores results, they have worked out.

A critic wrote about the play, "The Odd Couple", that it was not about crazy sex, but about crazy people. Our problems in feeling close to our Heavenly Father may well arise from how we got along with our earthly one.

Since Once Saved, Always Saved, Why Can't We Just Sin and Sin?

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
Romans 6:1-2, NIV

A simple answer to the question about sinning after we are saved, is, yes, we can and do sin, once we are secure in Christ. There apparently were those who believed in deliberatly sinning to increase grace. Perhaps that is who Paul refers to.

It can be very useful to examine the objections to a doctrine such as the Security of the Believer. Perhaps the biggest objection is that those who learn you are saved forever will feel they now are free to sin because there is no loss of salvation. And some do.

But loss of salvation is not the only thing to be considered. Imagine a child who said, "Now that I'm born and can't be unborn, I can be as bad as I want." Mother and Father will have something to say about that. And a good child will want to please his parents out of love for them.

I really believe there is in us the fear that if we do bad we will be lost. This despite our knowledge that the Bible teaches otherwise. Since we are not saved by "being good", does it make any sense that we can lose our salvation by "being bad"? We are trapped by the false idea, promulgated by those who would try to control us by Fear and Guilt.

So what if we go ahead and sin abundantly? Are there serious consequences? Certainly. Disrupted fellowship with God, loss of heavenly reward, and in extreme cases an early death.

Thankfully the Holy Spirit helps us by turning our thoughts and desires away from sin. Though we are free from loss of salvation, we wish to please the God who gave us this security.

So Much I want to Leave Behind, So Much I Want to Go To

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

Personally, the only "glory" I can associate with myself is that I love Morning Glories. I have never had glory directed my way, or done anything to merit it. I have spent years in the Discard Bin.

But Paul says "we", and I must honor this and believe it.

As for the sufferings of this present time, I find they are of two types. Terrible things that happen to us, and wonderful things that don't. My life has been full of the latter.

I greatly admire the fortitude of those who have endured great sorrows and hardships, especially those who survive them with courage and faith. My sorrows have mostly been of missing out. Even tragedy has seldom noticed me. Ever noticed that the greatest people so often suffer the most? I feel that is why I have been left out of the battle.

Thank you Lord, for having Paul say "we", instead of only the great ones.

While the Morning Stars Sang and the Angels Shouted

While the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Job 38:7

When I was a little boy I read that in older times, it was so quiet you could hear the angels sing. I remember standing in the garden and listening for them.

My sister, who knew music, but had a small voice, somehow managed to be invited to sing in the chorus of Cincinnati's May Festival. It is quite a big event each year. Ladies in formal gowns, jewelry glittering everywhere. I was just a kid, but I saw her in the huge group of singers and was impressed.

Imagine a heavenly chorus, in majesty and joy. I think of this when I read the passage in Job. No weak voices there. Job tells of a time long, long ago. But our chorus will be in the glorious future, hopefully not far away.