Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

A day after my wife died, I went to the store to get some food. I was stunned with grief. I had watched her dying from cancer, and I needed to recover and think of something else.

The store had a display of DVD's. One of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" caught my attention. I had heard of it as a whimsical fantasy, and this is just what I needed for escape from my sorrow.

Dick Van Dyke, a hopelessly impractical inventor and visionary, comes to meet Sally Ann Howes, daughter of a wealthy candy factory owner. Such escape, and nothing to do with my problems. I watched it several times in weeks to come.

When Miss Howes sings the song, "The Sad and Lonely Man", you realize there is a deeper story being shown. The inventor is a loving man and deeply sincere. But he is misunderstood by all, except his children, who return his love. When this man and woman unite in love, he is no longer alone, and no longer to be misunderstood.

It was the story of my wife and myself. I was the misunderstood man. She was firmly rooted in reality. I pursued impractical dreams. She tolerated my often outrageous ideas. Half my life I spent married to her, until death took her away.

The schemes are gone. Like my Janie, I will soon die. Neither of feared death. As Christians, we looked forward to going to be with the Lord when we received the news of our soon demise--leaving earth, going to heaven.

Oh, the message of this movie, starting out as a comedy, and ending with mutual love and understanding.

See Lovely Lonely Man(from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang).

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Note: This is the final post written by The Last Robin. For an explanation and a tribute, see "...He Being Dead Yet Speaketh".

An Absolute Dictator, Open to Suggestions

This is how Danny Thomas defined the role of a father. Though it was meant semi-humorously, I appreciated the insight. There is, of course, a balance here between being dictatorial, and suggesting and bargaining. A parent may cajole a child to try a new food with gentle persuasion. But when this child wanders into a heavily trafficked street the parent's warning must be obeyed instantly and without equivocation.

Is this true of our relationship with God? Can we, should we, try to bargain with Him? In my early studies I was surprised at those who did just that. I knew a lady who was childless. She prayed to God, "You have a son. Can't I have one also?" Soon she was pregnant with twin boys. Whether this came about through divine intervention I do not know, but we have Bible examples of just such pleas.

In Genesis, Abraham asks God about sparing Sodom if fifty righteous men are found in it. The fifty is replaced by forty, thirty, twenty and so on, in a most peculiar bargaining session (Genesis 18:24-32).

In Numbers 27:1-7 we have an example of women asking for inheritance rights from God through Moses as mediator. What follows is a modification of the law in their favor. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying, The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their fathers brethren; (Numbers 27:6-7). It pays to ask.

In Ezekiel 4:12 God tells him to prepare food using human dung for baking. Ezekiel objects and God allows him to use animal dung.

There are other examples. Hannah begging for Samuel, for example. But the word is plain upon this point. Ask of God. He is open to your requests.

Want to Start a Fight?

Purely a rhetorical question, of course. The Bible speaks against "brawlers", so I am warning against any such evil practices.

But, purely on hypothetical grounds, let's just say that a person would wish to start a fight. It would be a scientific experiment under carefully controlled circumstances, and all profits attendant to such activity would be donated to charity.

This statement was insisted upon by my legal department.

There are a couple of methods which are guaranteed to start fights. In these cases, not physical ones; but as in the academic world, career-ending brawls occur.

The first one is well established through experiment. If anyone associated with the medical profession would question the efficacy of vaccines, they would be slain, their bodies cut into pieces and thrown into a municipal land fill.

Now I realize that this would never take place. Never. This is a theoretical question only. The reason it would not occur is that no one would question vaccines. I don't know why I even brought this up.

Yet there are daring souls who read highly controversial books and articles that do question vaccines. One is even a Harvard grad who should qualify as one of the elite.

Maybe he is just deranged? In this once-free land anyone who questions orthodoxy must be deranged. Martin Luther (you know, the "soul sleeper") started a terrible train of events when he questioned Authority.

Such awful events could be avoided if we would all just shut up. My motto is, "the experts know, and are never wrong." Say this at least 100 times a day. "There are no legitimate disagreements in medicine or religion."

I once read of a trouble-making rebel who caused a lot of trouble because he ignored this simple formula. His name was Ignaz Semmelweiss. I really don't want to mention such a rebel and the problems he caused. In fact, I wash my hands of the whole affair!

Personification of the Planets

And they called Barnabus, Jupiter, and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. Acts 14:12

And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux. Acts 28:11

Jupiter, Mercurious, and the sign of Gemini--why are they even mentioned in the Bible? Perhaps to show us how deeply the planets were imbedded in the lives of the contemporaries of Paul? And there are more such references, such as Stephen's telling, in Acts chapter seven, of the true worship of Israel while forty years in the wilderness.

In the worship of materialistic science as the end all of knowledge, we have neglected many deep events that have shaped civilization. This was revealed to me as I read my first book by Velikovsky way back in the fifties. His psychological interpretation of historical events was a revelation. For he believed that myths originated in actual physical events that were put into forms more endurable to the traumatized minds of the ancients.

He put forth ideas on the nature of planets that were laughed at until he was vindicated by space probes years later. He was a multi-disciplinary genius who proved that the book of Exodus relates true events. He used parallel Egyptian texts from the Ipuwer papyrus in Leiden.

Why all my ado over mythology?

First, I believe Christians should know about everything. Knowledge is a wonderful tool for witnessing. If we establish credibility in fields other than the Bible, when we do speak of God's Word, unbelievers are far more liable to listen to us.

Second, knowledge of pagan truths strengthens our own beliefs. So many Christians will not touch much of truth because they feel it is "worldly". But Christians should never fear any knowledge. We are the only ones who can put it into proper perspective.

See the following.

• Ipuwer Papyrus, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Symbols of an Alien Sky - Official Movie

When Scientists Become Foolish Children

Who am I to make such a broad indictment? Certainly scientists are making wonderful discoveries as they gather more data and specialize in their individual fields.

Let me give you my reason for saying this. While they become "more expert", they are leaving out God. Have I conducted a poll of scientists world wide? Of course not. But name a scientist who is known as a Christian. Once they all were.

A great change in the field of Geology came when catastrophists became uniformatarians. Now every kid knows the earth is billions of years old and the evolutionary rise of man from inert matter took millions of years. Imagine trying to get an advanced degree in the earth sciences while proclaiming that mankind was created by God about 6,000 years ago.

I know there are scientist who are believers, but name one. Dr. Henry Morris was one and published extensively, but he did so after he saw the light.

When I took a course (one little course) in geology, my professor told us that the men in this field can no longer communicate with one another. They have become way too specialized for that.

Let me say, that regardless of their learning or their faith, most are slaves to their employers. In the early years of science, scientists were independent of such constraints and were educated in universities where the Christian faith was promoted or at least tolerated.

In crude terms, most scientist are non-believers or believers who are "job scared" into silence. Anyone can look into the history of science and see the change. We have gone from Baron Cuvier to Darwin.

Do I lament this? Not at all. Let the world go its wayward way. I care the same about the world as it cares about me.

Christians who believe the experts, who know more and more about less and less (and this includes "leaders" of churches), are themselves fulfilling Bible prophecy in their cowardice and unbelief.

Am I anti-science? No, I love it.

But the world view of science in general leads nowhere. It describes a course that it is seeing unfold, yet are unable to comprehend or alter. The Bible's truth will prevail. It is unfolding now, and so blatantly that the doomed world has begun using the term "apocalyptic". Such an unscientific term!

Wedding Cakes

Many people may be kept away from reading prophecy by the style of its writing. A theme is laid out, sometimes in one sentence. We may then expect a nice linear sequence of events from beginning to end. While this is true of a novel or a detective story, it is not the way prophecy is often written.

Isaiah is a good illustration. Like a wedding cake it has many layers. And like the Detective Columbo, the author keeps saying, "One more thing." A point is made, then repeated again in different ways. If we are patient, we keep learning new themes.

I have been listening to the book of Isaiah in the New Living Version. It really is so clear that way. When the author speaks of a poor harvest, instead of using old English terms, this version speaks of acres of land and gallons of wine.

My mother was invited to attend the symphony a number of times. But she described classical music as repetitious--the same theme over and over. Truly it is the layer cake of music. But its richness comes from subtle variations.

Prophecy, nowhere more than in Isaiah, keeps adding new themes and leaps from the 700's B.C. to the millennium in what can be the most confusing fashion. Local prophecies can suddenly be world wide ideas in a flash. But it is so rich that being patient can be infinitely rewarding. From ladies' fashions to the wrath and mercy of God, it is all there.

If you have yet to, please read or listen to Isaiah, and in a modern translation or paraphrase. Be ready to take notes. It is like going to Bible college while yet in your home.

A very excellent way to look at its multitude of themes is to pass over things that you do not understand at the moment, and keep moving. Though an Old Testament book, it will help you understand the book of Revelation.

Layers of cake and icing--the book of Isaiah--how sweet they are.

Are We There Yet Daddy?

Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Genesis 18:23, NIV

Some Christians are wondering when the last events leading to the rapture will take place. I am. My best friend is. Surely the world is ripe for harvest.

So why does Jesus not come and take us away? A student of the Last Day can say, "Because the Apostasy of the church is not complete, and the Man of Sin has not been revealed."

But then we may ask, "Why are these things not yet fulfilled?"

One of the greatest problems of being human is the difference in the perception of time we have, compared to that of God. "How long, oh Lord?" asks the prophet. Though it is not yet time for destruction, the time for judgement is drawing near. So, Lord, why do you delay?

The story of Sodom may help us here. The schedule of Acts 15, may also tell the story. Here, we are told that God is presently calling out a people for his name. Since the days of the church in Antioch, they are called Christians. Many people, but one body, called the Bride. We may accurately say that the Bride is not yet complete.

Many then will say, "We need more missionaries to go to the far reaches of the earth to find the remaining members of the Bride."

Now, this idea leaves out the idea of the unreached in the country where we live. This neglects people in our own households who do not believe. Strange, is it not, that the unsaved are often thought to be in some remote region of Borneo. The farther away the mission field the "holier" it becomes.

But there are unreached people quite nearby. The last person to complete the Bride may be in your neighborhood, or even your own household. As if everyone in (my case) the USA was not as lost as the most remote person.

I was. My mother and sister were. Yet they were long time church attendees. My mother in law was caught up in a legalistic cult that taught salvation by keeping the law of Moses. Who reached out to her?

Am I blaming the churches? Yes indeed I am! Their presentation of the Gospel, of Christ Himself, is so horribly warped that many of the elect must be reached by other means than by corporate churches. It could be a radio broadcast, by a book (as in my case), or a Gospel pamphlet.

It could be by talking with an unsaved friend. I had the privilege of reaching my best friend at the time in this way. In his kitchen.

As cynical as I am, let me say that many, many people shun the corporate church and its self serving blather. Churches can really be repulsive, repulsive, repulsive. The lost lose their identity and become part of a program. Phony friendliness just doesn't make it. Many feel they are not "good enough" to associate with such wonderful, perfect people. They may even smoke and drink!

Personally, I feel churches are competitive branch offices seeking funding for wonderful business enterprises.

So why the title? The Bride has not been completed. She is not ready to be taken to heaven. Only God knows how many are yet to be called out.

But even a lowly clod such as I am knows that we must be better at witnessing. And one of the greatest obstacles to this is the business model of the church. We dress up, we expand our huge churches, and we overlook individuals. The Bible, personally applied, reaches people. I know. I have done it.

Are we there yet Abba?

Let us not put obstacles in peoples' way.

Doing Our Part

We all know about doing our part. God gets us started, gives us the responsibility to complete His will, then it's up to us.

It is a huge honor to be needed to fulfill His plan. So big that a lot of people fail to do it. They may not listen to His call. They shrug it off, eventually die, and go to hell.

Many, many, are in hell now. I hear it's in the billions. And it's all their fault because they failed to do their part.

As for those who never hear of God's offer to do their part, somehow it is still their fault. Maybe He looked ahead and saw that they would not do their part, even if they heard about it.

But anyway, its up to us to help get ourselves born, and to stay born.

Of course, the above is total **** shit. If it were necessary for us to cooperate in our salvation, we would all fail to do it.

Parents are 100% necessary to get a baby born. Even an unfertilized ovum can't become a baby (or a fetus if aborted) by using his or her free will.

I heard a radio personality tell of bringing in a fireplace log one snowy day. His tiny child asked if he could help. "No thanks," he said. "I can get a log without you very well."

Then he remembered the song of a similar title. Maybe we should too?

Full of it Churches

And I don't mean the Holy Spirit. Wouldn't that be refreshing?

This is not an idle criticism, but is based on doctrinal statements and my own experience. A whole bunch of Christians claim that since there is no record of their origin, that they have existed since the beginning of the Christian era. It is the argument based on a total lack of evidence as proof. Kind of like me proclaiming that I am a direct lineal descendant of Charlemagne, because there is no record that I am! Must have been lost in a courthouse fire.

These people also claim that, although they are not Catholics (though they share major doctrines with them), neither are they Protestants. We have all heard about the early bird that gets the worm. Well, these people got there before the early bird. After all, Protestantism is so recent. In fact a major division of these people say they started with John the Baptist.

When the church began is actually a matter of argument. Many, like me, say that it began at Pentecost. Others, that it began with the Disciples. But, as far as I can find, only this group claims the church began with John.

I am not writing this to expose the obvious error of this group. Rather, I feel that they are in danger of over-inflation of the ego--a serious condition.

Instead of more deacons, I suggest they appoint professional truck drivers to straighten them out. These savvy drivers would have them pull to the side of the road, come to a complete stop, and check their pressure. Those who are over-inflated should let some of the air out.

These are not evil people. They are very good people. But they hurt their witness by claiming false ideas of their origin, and by following preachers instead of the Bible and the historical record.

Resurrection

I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead. Acts. 23:6, NIV

When Paul used a "divide and conquer" strategy in one of his trials, it is often treated almost humorously. As if Paul was only arguing about an incidental difference of opinion. But the doctrine of bodily resurrection is at the heart of the Gospel. A very quick search of the term in a concordance is startling, and here the NIV shines.

If I, personally, were on trial concerning this doctrine, I would ask, "What motive could I have for proclaiming resurrection as opposed to the totally pagan concept of an immortal soul?" I am winding up my days on earth. Now of all times is the time for honesty. I could say that resurrection is illustrated from Genesis to Revelation, while an immortal soul is nowhere in scripture. That should do it. But I am no longer so naive.

The Word of God loses out to superstition every day and night. Nothing I can write will alter a belief built in to human nature. But it is the witness of a (happily) dying man that we do die completely, just as we will be resurrected and given new immortal bodies. I have no illusion whatsoever that people will give up their pagan beliefs. Yet I still say it.

The Roman Catholic Church did not invent immortal souls or hell, they just passed them on from far older sources. The Protestants have retained them.

Yet the Reformation is still alive. It is even gaining strength as I lose mine. Not in mainline, corporate churches, which are lining up to kiss the Pope's Most Holy Ass, but in individuals who believe in the Bible alone as the source of truth. You can read their beliefs and arguments online. I draw great joy and comfort in their brave stand.

Struggling Against the Inevitable

the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. Daniel 2:45

Been watching a series of videos about what some think could be the future. One video purports to show the earth 1,000,000 years in the future. The general theme of them all is a call for us to engage in some activity to prevent what seems to be an inevitable future.

My particular joy is to study the parts of the Bible showing what will take place, regardless of any human (or Satanic) activity.

For those who are determined to help save the world--that is, the people of the world--let me urge them to begin with their own families. Being a Calvinist, I am quite certain that any effort spent trying to make a sheep out of a goat is 100% wasted time.

The same is true of trying to prevent the dissolution of this crumbling world. To many, this may be considered the attitude of a "quitter", even of a negative point of view. As far as trying to go against the revealed word of God, this is certainly true. To strive against what will surely be, is not only folly, it is Satanic.

I can hear the voices that say, "But it would not be inevitable if we all tried real hard to prevent it." This is the cry of those who have not read Daniel chapter 2, or Romans chapter 9. It is so relaxing to understand that God has made plans that will be fulfilled, no matter what.

We have been educated in a system that teaches things take place through human effort. The Bible tells us of the will of God that brings things about despite human effort. For those who believe that human will is supreme, let me ask, is the world getting better because of it? Are people better now?

How ironic that, long ago, Nebuchadnezzar knew the future of the world and its destruction. He was given, and believed, what most today are in complete ignorance of. The world listens to the lies of Satan, rather than to the revealed truth of God.

Celebrity Chefs--2

I was reading a list of the characteristics of empires in their last stages. What caught my attention was that from long ago until today, they all elevated chefs to a high status.

Just my opinion, of course, but when the preparation and taste of food becomes a big deal in a person's life, that person is in trouble. Not that good food is "evil", but that there is no great interest in a person's life that takes its place. It is the vacuum in someone's life that interests me.

I saw an article with pictures of a young married couple that featured their fantastic kitchen. The lead photo showed the pretty young lady working in her kitchen. Its caption read, "We believe in living the good life." Wowee, this is the good life? Had I been invited to their home, I'm sure I would have enjoyed a meal there.

But, having enjoyed the hospitality of such nice people, I do tire of talking about the asparagus and other items. Such a grouch am I that, to me, food is for eating, not talking about. I could really enjoy a toasted cheese sandwich and good conversation a whole lot more.

Since cook books are always favorites, let me propose a title. The Finest Gourmet Meal That Jesus Ever Had, and How to Prepare it. Think it would sell?

I am a defender of Martha, the one who was so busy. The story of Lazarus tells us she had very good theology. I am certain that Jesus had good food and wonderful conversation in her household. But the Bible emphasizes the deepest truths, not the joys of a so called "good life".

I see around me a multitude who do not even try to live the way Jesus showed us. They do succeed in eating better than He did.

Mr. Smarty Pants Called a "Know-nothing"

Dear Know-nothing Smarty Pants,
I just read your piece, pretentiously titled, "Truth". As if you have it and others do not.

After rambling comments about "original texts", you start into your favorite rant on "hell". For some reason hell means a lot to you. Then you finish by talking about "Easter". Can you keep your wandering mind on a topic at all?

You recommend a good study Bible, then finish with a quotation from the NIV! Is this your idea of a good study Bible?

Answer: "Hell" would not enter my mind at all if it were not continuously promoted by others. When they stop promoting it, and quoting Jesus as using the term, then I will gladly drop it.

As for the NIV, I never said it was a study Bible; but it does correctly use the term "Passover" in Acts 12:4, which all accurate Bibles do. I am optimistic about the new translations and those who use them.

The Reformation is not over, and I try to help in my blog by pointing out errors that we have not yet eliminated. "Hell" and "Easter" are two of them.

Truth

Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? John 18:38

Truth has become an open question to many. Within my lifetime I have seen it become no question at all, as it is considered a purely personal matter. 6-1/2 billion people = 6-1/2 billion truths.

But the Bible shows that truth is a person. He became a baby to be born among us, grow to manhood, then give His life for us. His Word is truth.

So why the confusion, or pretended confusion?

Not only does the Father of Lies attempt to distract us from reading or even thinking about it, but he is aided by the various churches, his favorite target.

I do not believe in the infallibility of any Bible translation. But I do believe in getting as close to our original sources as possible. We can do that because a group of translators used manuscripts to create a New Testament in the Greek language. Its accuracy is so great that Jesus quoted from this translation. Good enough for Jesus, good enough for me.

There are more than two thousand manuscripts of the original documents. There are minor differences, but no doctrine is violated or changed by them. Anyone can buy an accurate Bible. Major bookstores sell them. Yet the church continues to promote false doctrines based on faulty translations.

To say these things makes you hated by many. I no longer care as I plan to leave this world soon. The only One I will answer to is God. To those who believe that any English translation is the most accurate reading of the Bible, let me say that some day their beliefs will be judged at the judgement seat of Christ.

If anyone promotes the false doctrine of hell, inherited from the Roman Catholic church, their works will be judged by Christ Himself. Any study Bible will reveal this error in its notes. How can you call yourself a Protestant when you teach errors from the Catholics?

May I recommend that you stay as close to the original teachings of Jesus as you can. Men died to bring this truth to us. Don't refer to church theology when doctrines are questioned. One study Bible will reveal the truth--the words of Jesus, not the differing translations and beliefs of the organized churches.

The ones who promote these differences will not be able to help you when Christ judges our works. They themselves will have their works judged.

A simple example of the insertion of false doctrine: where "Easter" is deliberately substituted for the word "Passover", which Luke wrote.

And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Acts 12:4, King James translation.

After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. Acts 12:4, NIV

Why the Vatican is Not the Whore of Babylon

If you are interested in Bible prophecy at all and realize how literal most of it is, you see how foolish is this idea. But people will read into prophecy their own pet ideas.

On the Protestant side there is the idea that Roman Catholicism embodies all the evil in the world. This is ironic, since the fiercest opponents to Rome hold on to, and promote, many pagan ideas and unscriptural practices that they share with it. The idea of a pope is imitated by a slavish following of a man's ideas, whether preacher or bishop, instead of thinking independently.

Yes, Protestants have their popes too. The claim to be "the original church" is shared by Catholics and Baptists. In the case of some baptists, they believe in a pre-apostolic church centered around John the Baptist. Not even Catholics go that far.

Yet Catholics are so caught up in their church that they believe it will become the Whore of Babylon, raising self reference to a new extreme.

In the book of Revelation it is said of the whore that "all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" (Revelation 18:3). I am aware that this statement may refer only to the end times and is not presently true. Ask any Muslim if they are part of the Catholic church.

Perhaps Rome will someday dominate all the kings of the earth. They certainly are enlarging their scope.

But I would suggest that a Universal Pagan religion which has reigned since the days of Genesis will be reorganized and moved to the physical location of ancient Babylon. It will not be in Italy, but between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It will be a seaport once again, after a sea level rise. My reference is Zechariah 5:5-11.

A Crime Never Committed

What kind of crime is never committed? It is to give too much credit to God.

Why do I label this as a crime? Because people have a horror of doing it. They scrupulously avoid it. Human nature fights to retain its "right" to claim its part in salvation--its rebirth.

I have great awe for the dedication and faithful obedience of dogs to their masters. They seek to please their masters and will sacrifice their lives for them. Nothing makes them so happy as to be with them all the time.

Just like people do for God, right?

There are some humans who possess the dedication and love towards God that a dog does for his master, but they are the material for legends. How many people do you know who feel and act this way?

Many believe that the higher the standing of a creature, the more horrible they become when they fall or miss the mark. They even maintain that women are of a finer nature than men. Thus false religion is known as an evil woman. She is called, in her most extreme form, the whore of Babylon.

Has any angel fallen so low or become so evil as Lucifer, once the covering angel over the throne of God?

So man, the finest of creation of all earthly beings, has fallen lower than the rest of creatures. While we boast of "cooperating with God", of having God as our "copilot", and thus refusing to give Him all the glory, let me make a "modest proposal". Let all of us try to be as loving and sacrificial towards God as dogs are to us. Wouldn't that be wonderful to see?

Bible Doctrine is Anti Human Nature

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Romans 8:7, KJV

The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Romans 8:7, NIV

A lady I knew paid $1,000 to take the Famous Writers course. When I asked her how it was coming, she complained, "They're trying to change the way I write!" She could have continued to write as she had and saved the money.

Wonder how many people attend a church and then complain that its teaching is contrary to what seems right to them. Anyone who can study good Christian theology and not be offended by it is a rare bird indeed.

I thought that I had a basic understanding of salvation, until I read a little booklet entitled For Whom Did Christ Die? I had been relying on what "every body knows", or collective deception. How long did it take me to learn that I had been completely wrong? One eight hour shift, alone in a Christian book warehouse.

The author anticipated all my objections to the doctrine of Limited Atonement, which the booklet skillfully presented. I was in my thirties, but very much a willful child. During that shift I had an ego-ectomy. I came to work an Arminian and left as a Calvinist. Amazing what can happen in a matter of hours.

In a number of doctrines, the truth is plainly laid out, in the Old Testament and the New. Yet men will treat it as heresy and claim it was the invention of a rogue theologian, now roasting in hell. Why? Because a doctrine offends their precious fallen nature.

Let me cite a very clear example: Predestination. Human nature blusters angrily that it makes God greater than man! It violates "free will". Nothing may be allowed to do that.

A concordance search will give 4 places where the predestination of the saints is specifically described. The King James uses "predestinated". They are Romans 8:29, Romans 8:30, Ephesians 1:5, and Ephesians 1:11.

The concept of predestination ranges from the children of Eve to the chosen of the book of Revelation. Yet predestination is considered a "hot issue", one where a preacher can lose his job if he even discusses it. Human nature rules! Fallen natures led by Satan will prevail.

We have had over a thousand years to get it right, but we will not bend or yield to the plain Word of God. I separate myself from such willful people.

Sentimental Christianity

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9

There is a growing trend to interpret God as an extension of ourselves. Emotion is the guide that is used. Haven't you heard the expression, "I refuse to believe in a God who would consign anyone to death"? Don't even try to tell them about God creating people who are meant to be destroyed, as in Romans chapter nine.

A good case can be made that God is now imagined as an extension of our earthly fathers. Dr. Clyde Narrimore proved this in a very scientifically designed experiment in Los Angeles County. As you think of your father, so you think of God. For those who do not know their fathers or who hate their fathers, this still applies. This, of course, is no way to understand God. It is 100% subjective.

The escape from this self centered way of thinking or imagining is to read the Bible. All of it would help, but as simple an effort as reading the Gospel of John or the book of Romans will give you a good understanding.

In her book The Death of the Grown-Up: How America's Arrested Development Is Bringing Down Western Civilization, Diana West addresses this mental state. There is no cure for this problem. I'm certain it will continue and even get worse.

There are no Bible prophecies about the church getting better in the latter days. It is as if the second law of thermodynamics applies even to the church.

Yet there is hope for individuals who grow up and stop thinking sentimentally, or hatefully. We can stop thinking of our way of looking at things, and see them through the eyes of God, as expressed in His Word.

False Doctrines Please Our Human Natures

Not a very pleasant topic, is it? But neither are our fleshly natures.

A mother said that when a child walks around a puddle on the sidewalk instead of splashing in it, they are growing up.

I believe that much of the appeal of compromised religion is that it appeals to our old nature. People will cling to that which pleases the flesh.

G.B. Shaw said that marriage is the most licentious institution of all. That is the secret of its popularity. Sometimes we can learn from such cynics.

Churches that contain true doctrine also include the classic false doctrines that people seem to want.

"But surely such an idea as hell does not appeal to our natures," you may say. But hell does affect our fears and thus is a primo control device. Protestants, rightly assured of salvation, may believe that by their proper use of their (fallen) wills they have escaped hell. "Oh, what a good boy am I!"

They would be shocked if accused of feeling better than others who they feel have rejected Christ and are on their way to everlasting suffering. But as long as you maintain that salvation is a result of your action, the fiction of superiority is there. An image of "I" is being worshiped. Self and one's superior denomination are everywhere lifted up.

Whoops, I forgot. Baptists say that they are not a denomination, since they are the original church. Keep these people away from encyclopedias! Even keep them from Baptist historians. The shock of truth might be too much for them.

I love Baptists, but if some of the air were let out of their egos, I would love them even more.

A little challenge. Show me a false doctrine that does not appeal to pride. Put another way, show me a doctrine that appeals to pride which is not false.

Tribulation Town and Rapture City

He found himself on a speeding train. Not certain of how he got there, he questioned a fellow passenger. "Do you know where we are going? I don't even know how I got here," he said.

"Oh, you are on the train that goes to Tribulation Town and Rapture City," was the reply. "These are the only destinations, and believe me, you don't want to go to Tribulation Town."

He had heard about Tribulation Town. All the reports were terrible. How could he be certain he would not end up there? Apparently the train was speeding towards this terrible place.

He turned towards another passenger. "Is there a way to keep from ending up in Tribulation Town?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not," was the reply.

At that moment an older woman with a serene expression turned to him. "If you have the right ticket, you'll be getting off at Rapture City," she assured him.

He thought about this. Seems like he had heard of some special ticket, but it was considered just wishful thinking. People laughed at the whole idea. "We all will go to Tribulation Town," they had said. "Rapture City comes after that horrible place."

While he mused over this idea, he saw the Conductor coming near. "I'll ask him, he's sure to know."

He looked up at the kindly face of the Conductor who was collecting ticket stubs. "Can you tell me if there is a special ticket that assures me I'll get off at Rapture City?" he asked.

Just then the Conductor lifted his ticket and looked at it. "Don't worry," he said. "You have one of the tickets that guarantees you will not have to go to Trib Town. See what it says right here?" He pointed to the letters elect. "This is your clue."

The man felt a sense of relief at this good news. He had one more question. "I'm kind of tired. What if I go to sleep and miss Rapture City?" he asked anxiously.

The Conductor smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry," he told the man. "If you should fall asleep, I'll wake you. You'll go to Rapture city, awake or asleep."

O Sola Scriptura

Forgive me for mixing Latin and Italian, but this doctrine is something to sing about. And who could put it more plainly than Luther. And who could sing it better than Italians? This wonderful doctrine of "Scripture Alone" has freed people from religious oppression like none other.

Now let me say that the Catholic church never burned anyone! They just had the secular authorities burn people by threatening them with hell if they did not. Supposedly this absolves them from guilt in the matter. For no one hates the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura more than the Roman Catholic Church. It is worse than the Declaration of Independence was to the British Empire. Imagine, bypassing the authority of the church hierarchy, even the Pope himself!

I saw an article online, "Invitation to Anarchy", that describes how some look at this blessed declaration of freedom. Two views are at war here--Tradition, and Rebellion Against Tradition. So far, numerically, Tradition is ahead, and I am sure will remain so. But I know which horse I am betting on, comes time for the Judgement Seat of Christ. We are free in the Word, yet we still allow ourselves to be bound with the cords of our own making.

Returning to my horse analogy, kick off the traces. Rely only on the Word for doctrine. It will never let you down.

The Great Escape from God

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind;
- The Hound of Heaven by Francis Thomson

Humanist propaganda would have us believe that Man has been searching for God, any god. Their spiel goes like this: "Man, evolving in a cold heartless universe has long sought the meaning of life. Where did we come from? What is the meaning to it all? He has created many religions and still continues his search, a brave but lonely pioneer in a vain search for the ultimate truth."

This, of course, is Satanic ****shit. The elect of God and those created to be destroyed, all have a built-in fear and hatred of their creator. It is only through the powerful intervention of God's Holy Spirit that His people are rounded up, separated from the herd and saved. We all are wild horses, seeking to be free.

"But," anthropologists tell us, "mankind is inherently religious!" So true. Religious, even pious, in every way except towards the one true God. In the pantheon of Babylon and Egypt, almost everything in this evil world is a subject of worship, from the scarab beetle to the sky god. But the God of the third heaven is excluded. Satan, present mayor of the world, will not have it.

So what does God's invasion of so-called autonomous man look like? We need look no further than the Book of Genesis to see it. Genesis could well be called "the book of God contacting His people. No theory here, no speculation. Jacob is the perfect example. He wrestles all night with an "angel". The "angel" renames him Israel, "one who strives with God".

Forget man's "noble search". Forget man's free will. When God wants you, oh wild horse, He will pursue you and struggle with you. The children of Cain will never find Him. The elect cannot escape Him.

Where Did Matter Come From?

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. Psalm 33:6

Now I'm not going to try to get profound. This is a very simple question, with a very simple answer, and only one--God. The Bible plainly says that God is a spirit, and so while matter cannot create spirit, spirit can and did create matter.

A little on-line research gives you such a mishmash of ideas on this that you wouldn't believe it! From Hindu theology to the infinitely all-wise Joseph Smith, everybody takes a swing at it. Smith believed (or said) that matter always existed, and those who teach otherwise are "unlearned". Eternal matter, zowee! What a concept!

But even unbelieving scientist have stated that matter has an expiration date. The death of matter? What a tragedy for materialists. So old Ger is convinced that matter, unlike God, had a beginning and will have an end.

A birthday party for matter?

"Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday dear molecules, atoms, electrons, protons, and subatomic particles,
Happy birthday to you."

It looks like you could spend all your life studying the reasoning of those who argue the question of ex nihilo creation. But maybe we should remember that this is the way many make their livings. To take endless debate away from them would be to deprive them of their bread and margarine.

497 Little Inspirational Tips on How to Be a Better Person, or the Plan of a Loving God - Which Will it Be?

Good as we are, we can still be better! Move into the biggest room in the world, the "room for improvement".

Self improvement is very popular among some crowds because it contains the magic word "self". Anything to do with self sells. Many do not want to hear that God sent his son to suffer and die in order to make us Perfect. This can sure make the self-improvers feel inadequate.

But we can do it! If we all get together, we can change the world. Maybe even make it like it was before the fall. That terrible event in Eden was just a temporary setback. Next time we'll get it right.

So, more sermons on how to be better! Who needs to be washed in the blood of the Lamb? We can do it by ourselves.

Isn't it awful how the beautiful people keep on dying though? Guess it's because they haven't reached sinless perfection yet?

A LOT of people go to church to hear "inspirational" sermons. They make you feel so good. Perhaps a little reality leaks into the paralyzed brains of these passive listeners, but that's ok. Next week you can get another positive fix.

And you'll need it, because even the secular news media doesn't keep you from the awful fact that the world is falling apart. Terms such as "Armageddon" are beginning to pop up, mostly from Bible fanatics, of course, but it is depressing--so NEGATIVE. What do these people know anyway? They keep reading the Bible. No wonder they think things are not going to end well.

Enough depressing talk! There will be another inspiring sermon next week, plenty of room too. It will be delivered in the biggest room in the world.

Scholarship

Be ready to fall on your face in worshipful adoration. You are so fortunate to be on the same planet with scholars. Genuine scholars are very useful. Every home should have at least several of them.

But worship them and their elevated positions? What for?

Tell you a little secret. The best of them died a long time ago. The new guys are really going over things that have been covered many times and long ago. It's a living for them though.

Bob Hope told about a man who had a car painted red on one side and blue on the other. He said that if he ever was involved in an accident, he wanted to hear the witnesses argue about what color his car was.

That's how I feel about modern Bible scholarship. A new theory can make your career. You might even get a book contract out of it.

For Pete's sake, it has all been done, long ago and far away. After almost two thousand years, I figure that the time for scholarship is long over. We are in the time of application, and just plain reading the results of such men as Luther, who unlocked the Bible and translated it into common language.

Once in college I was looking at a set of books on biology. I found two contradictory ideas presented. One book said that large brain size indicates intelligence. The other said that is not brain size but brain organization that was the real indicator of intelligence. This obviously was written for kids just out of high school.

A teacher of logic, a very nice lady, listened as I pointed this out. It was recreation for me. She thought I had spent a lot of time with these books to have found such a gem of senseless logic. I told her it was about as hard as finding sand at Miami Beach.

In the study of a pastor of a Presbyterian church, I mentioned that Calvin's Institutes were a perfect guide to some major doctrines. He lamented that he was no longer certain of this. Later, he said he was a reader of Kierkegaard. Now that is worldly wisdom.

I really feel that those who are uncertain of their faith often take refuge in "scholarship". They reason their way out, but can't reason back in.

The results of the learning of languages are readily available in study Bibles, in the Septuagint, and concordances. Besides these efforts lies the realm of endless speculation and contradiction. Once we have the Word, in our own language, we do not need so-called scholars.

Such Dull Fellows

For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? Romans 11:15

I should know, for I am one. They are quiet and, hopefully, patient. Many people don't like them at all. In fact, they are considered dangerous by many, and the Bible they often use is considered one of the major sources of errors, including Zionism. Their critics cannot refute them from the Bible, so they vilify them. It's a lot quicker than proving them wrong.

I heard of a large corporation that lost a contract and a lot of money because an important bid was misfiled. Accurate, careful filing is important. Yet file clerks are considered as dull drudges.

I am a dull drudge. For I am a Dispensationalist. While preachers and congregations are indulging in ecstatic experiences, guys like me are trying to get things right, and arranged in order. This does not take great brain power or education. All that is needed is patience. We actually use reference books, like concordances.

When we approach the Bible this way, we learn (and teach) that Zionism is a terrible error and presently is causing the killing of a lot of people. So why would anyone link us with this error? Because we claim that the nation of Israel will be restored--not now, but after the church is called out and goes to heaven. It is a matter of time.

If a mother of a seven year old girl were to say that she believes her daughter will some day be a good wife, should she be accused of promoting child marriage? Of course not. She obviously means this could take place after her daughter grows up.

Israel, in God's eyes, has yet to be perfected. She will be tested in the Great Tribulation. She has not yet grown up.

Zionists want to rule the world now. Dispensationalists and their Scofield Bible know that God is presently calling out the church. True Torah Jews know that Israel will be renewed at the return of Messiah. Presently they do not believe in a return to Israel. They despise Zionism, as I do.

Just as we would not choose a NASCAR racer to drive a church bus because he drives so swiftly, so we should not follow Bible interpretation based on a quick reading of God's Word.

The Man Doomed to Destruction

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. 2 Thessalonians 2:3, NIV

There is a whole section of scripture that deals with the time just before the Rapture. Second Thessalonians chapter two, verses 1 through 9 gives a very good outline. It proves that we are not there yet. He tells us of a time of rebellion and of the revelation of the man of lawlessness. This is a very specific time.

It is commonly taught that the Rapture can occur at any time, yet Paul gives two signs that must occur first. There is a big difference between not knowing when, and that Jesus can come at any time. This is not a popular idea.

Anyone seeking sensationalism will quote Matthew 24, which reveals the signs preceding the coming of Jesus returning as king to the earth. At the time when Matthew was written, the church was still a mystery. The disciples asked about the rebuilding of the temple and the restoration of the Kingdom of David. These are not church questions.

Paul, however, reveals a new group--the Bride, who will be caught up in the air prior to this time. Another way to look at it is that Jesus will come for us first, then return with his bride to the earth. There are two returns of Jesus--one in the air, the Rapture, and then the second, 7 years later, to the earth as King.

Daniel chapter 9 gives the details of the time before His return to the earth. Acts chapter 15, adds the church and shows that she is formed before the restoration of the"tabernacle of David" (which is fallen down).

If a person (let's just say) wanted to be dramatic and win over a lot of people who spend their time working, driving, and watching TV, he will stick with Matthew 24. But was 2 Thessalonians written in vain? Does it have a purpose in addition to Matthew?

Yes, Paul has messages for you and me. Would you wish to remain in Matthew (a very precious prophecy) or move on to revelations about the church and our catching away to be with Jesus?

Genocide for Gold - Life Doesn't Go On

One thing is certain and the rest is lies,
the flower that once has bloomed, forever dies.
- Omar Khayyam

People--whole peoples--in Suriname are being killed in two ways, cyanide or mercury poisoning. Their habitat has been destroyed. The water they drink and the food they eat are poisoned by gold extraction chemicals. They may be gone forever.

There is no way I know of to save them. The thirst for gold will win. They are a small part of a collapsing world that is terminal.

The most amazing thing about this Devil's world to me is that its occupants--most of them--do not realize that the whole system is rapidly dying. No "call to action" will save it. Nothing will save it.

As you know, I have one final Authority. Though I try to take in as much as I can from all kinds of sources, only the Bible gives me the last word.

To contrast this most pessimistic attitude, all that is necessary is to find one thing that will not die or be destroyed, and show me that the Bible supports this as true. If my total pessimism is wrong, this should be an easy task.

To tell people that the whole system is scheduled for destruction is useless, as far as convincing them. They are unreachable--genetically incapable of facing reality.

When we look at entertainment of all types, we may ask what percentage of it reflects reality in any way? Rather, its whole purpose is to help us escape reality. Wait five seconds, then expect someone to say, "Just what is reality?" proving my point. When one loses contact with reality, we say they are psychotic.

A wise man said that the term "muse" means to think. When we precede it with "a" it becomes "amuse".

For Christians, the hope is Christ, saving us and taking us out of this world. For the Devil's kids, their hope will be in Antichrist, coming soon to a town near you. His advance men are everywhere.

Watch Inside Suriname.

Lordship Salvation

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Romans 12:18

"If it be possible" and, "as much as lieth in you"! Do you get the impression that the author of Romans is saying, "Do the best you can"?

The Bible can be totally absolute at times, in our election and the security of the believer, for example. Romans chapter 8 should seal it up.

But when it comes to perfect behavior being necessary for establishing "Lordship", there is what is called allowance, or wiggle room. Can we ignore the lives of believers that were deeply flawed, yet saved?

Let me ask a question. "Was Peter saved when he betrayed Jesus? Did he have to shape up afterwords and get "saved again?"

I grew up in a Methodist church where salvation was presented as something you could gain by good behavior (things you did not do) and lose by bad behavior. Simple as that. My father said he believed that we are "saved day by day".

That such a clear teaching as election could be argued about is astounding to me. As if a misbehaving child could be unborn on the basis of its bad behavior! I no longer believe there are two sides to this issue, both honest and scriptural.

When I got out of the scare tactics religion and learned of God's unconditional salvation, I realized I had not been in an honest, heartfelt struggle at all. I had been under the domination of human EGO.

This religion says you save yourself, and keep saved on the basis of your actions. Wow! Are you important, or what?

As for Jesus and His sacrifice, they were set forth as just a good example!

There is presently much debate about something that is settled in the book of Romans and a number of other places. Those engaging in such a debate would never debate on whether their wives were whores and whether or not they were pimps. Yet the work of Christ is considered a subject open to polite questioning.

The "Lordship salvation" issue is like that to me. The Bible is so clear on this that there is no room for questioning. Since such issues have not been confirmed in over a thousand years, I know that something else is at work here. It is flesh versus the Word.

Do you get the impression that I believe in absolutes?

Get out of my way, you perfect people. I am flawed, but saved none the less.

Grass Stains on His Football Jersey

it was needful for me to write unto you, and exort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints. Jude 1:3

A little boy was suited up for his first game of football. As a pass receiver, he caught a pass and headed for the goal line. He tried to evade potential tacklers, but someone grabbed his new white jersey. As he struggled to maintain his forward momentum, he was hit from behind.

He went down, and as he did, he got grass stains on his uniform. His reaction--he began to cry, left the field, and headed for home. He ran all the way. Once there, he headed for the kitchen where his mother was.

"Mom, look at me. Someone tackled me and got stains on my jersey."

His mother tried to comfort him. "That's terrible. I hope you're not hurt. Maybe you should try another activity, like golf?"

His father in the living room put down his paper. "Before your mother tries to comfort you with milk and cookies, let me tell you that you got off easy. Football is all about violent contact. That's the name of the game, son. You don't even have blood on your shirt, and if you can still run, I figure you will be fine. Why don't you ask your sister if she wants to play tiddlywinks. That seems more like your style."

This is my idea of what some of those who argue about theology are like--petulant children. Just as things get interesting, they run home to "mama". Only in their case, mama is likely a preacher, who they pay to lie to them. Home is their denomination and its traditions, originated by Satan and passed along from Babylon, through Rome.

Am I condemning anyone? Certainly not, just the dumb things that they believe.

I watched a video of some women who were cancer survivors, and were attending a kind of boot camp. Many of them had lost their confidence in their ability to face life. They were "tapped out".

One of the tasks they were asked to perform was to carry a heavy box across a rope ladder. It was purposely made to be too heavy for one person to heft and carry along the pair of ropes. I was fascinated at how they solved this arduous task. They formed teams, two to lift and drag the heavy box, two to steady the ropes, and the remaining women to offer ideas and to cheer them on. All eventually finished the course successfully.

How I wish the men I have tried to argue (reason) with, could adopt the strategies these women used so well. But, I have seen men react like angry children when presented with such a topic as Calvinism. You can look online and see rants that say Calvin is in hell--their weapon of last resort.

When their erroneous beliefs are questioned, they whimper and run away. Hey, you guys, stop hiding in your denominations. Come out on the field. Maybe you can knock me down? Tiddlywinks are safer, but to me, men should try a more manly sport.

The Seven Year Contract

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, KJV

The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. Daniel 9:27, NLT

That did it! I just read the title of a video that proclaims that on Sept. 25th of 2014, the seven year period of the Great Tribulation began. I believe in freedom of speech--I practice it myself--but some individuals really abuse it, especially in Bible prophecy.

This field can be a real minefield for those who do not study. This, of course, is true in many disciplines. And prophecy is a discipline with its own rules and vocabulary. It can be murky, capable of variations of interpretations.

But one subject can be determined with total precision. This is the beginning of the Great Tribulation. The book of Daniel gives us the exact period. Not a date, but the exact circumstances and the person who makes an agreement with "many" in Israel. This is given in Daniel chapter nine, verses 24-27.

A man, not yet revealed, who the Bible calls the Antichrist, makes a 7 year covenant with many. Three and a half years--elsewhere in the Bible known as 42 months and 1,260 days--into this seven year period, Antichrist breaks the covenant. When he does, this begins the Great Tribulation.

The book of Revelation details this period and the characteristics of this man. Paul calls him "the man of sin". John calls him "the beast". Since this man has not yet been revealed, no covenant with him can be made. Thus, no covenant can be broken, and the tribulation has not begun.

All the parts of a prophecy must be present before we can even begin to speak of its fulfillment. People who present such false ideas should have their "interpretor licenses" torn to shreds. After all, that is what they are trying to do to the Bible.

The Only Cookbook That You Should Use

Who would follow such a rule? I sure would not say it. I don't know much about cooking, but I do know a little about publishing, and I know that cookbooks are among the best sellers. People can't get enough of them, and I am glad.

I feel this way about Bibles. I've never read one that I did not like. It can be argued that some of the Bible paraphrases are less accurate than literal translations. But sometimes a "living Bible" says things so well and clearly that its rendering is the only one a new believer can understand. And understanding is what we all want, is it not?

The King James Only people will probably stop reading at this point, but if they looked into the history of this version, they would find that even this Authorised Version has been changed from its original form. There is more than one KJV!

There is even a rumor going round that Martin Luther's Bible gave people wonderful insights into God's Word, and it was written in German. I know the textus receptus argument. it is great, but what you are probably reading is an English translation of it, not Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic. And that is my point.

There is little value in reading what you cannot understand. So keep the King James. It is my favorite translation, too.

Use any and all that work, is my motto, and use one with marginal notations that give you the literal meanings from the original languages that the Bible was written in.

Loosen up, you self righteous pretend puritans. I used to be one of you, but to look into all the resources that we have is a lot more fun, and more productive.

Pass the Pessimism, Please

Two great world views exist. One is Godless and stresses what man can and must do. When a super "negative" (inevitable) prediction arises--and there are a lot of them--the first reaction among this group may be, "We've had it!"

Then, to the rescue, come the "positive" crowd, giving us a plan of action that can--"If we all work together"--avert the threat. The remedies may vary from voting for the right political party to evacuating the planet. Whichever is chosen may depend on your credulity.

None of them work for me. I have what the World would call "terminal pessimism".

While scientists, who always need more data, have differing views, I have mine. I do not ignore the scientists. I revel in what they have to say. I ignore no one. I try to listen to them all. But I only agree with those who, consciously or not, agree with the Bible. And there are many who do. For the Bible is 100% pessimistic, if you understand that pessimism is only a world-view.

When a lady lamented what is happening to the world, John Mac Arthur said, "Wait until you see what Jesus is going to do to it!" A thorough "house cleaning" is prophesied for the world. Nothing that anyone can do will alter this fact.

Recruiters for a Save the World project should not even ring my doorbell. Preachers who have salvation of the world messages are way off-base Biblically.

God shall perform His stated will, as He did in the Flood, and as the New Testament predicts He will. The world is not the result of God's failure, but of Satan's. He was given thousands of years to succeed. Now his wretched system will be burned up, as will his children.

I know the reaction of many who replace Bible doctrine with their sentimental ideas. "But He is not willing that any should perish," they say. He is not willing that any of us shall perish, and we won't.

Who is the White Horse Rider?

And I saw and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. Revelation 6:2

The identity of the white horse rider can be argued as to who is the actual person. Is he past, present, or future?

But to identify him (a person) as the church, is inexcusable. Yet, I just heard a man make this claim. Not just any man, but a worldly wise, intelligent Christian. This person despises dispensationalism, which among other things, is a method of sorting the events of the Bible chronologically.

Calling the church "him" is without precedence, first of all. And to say that a crown has been given to the church, and that the church went forth "conquering and to conquer" is contrary to scripture as well. This mangles the Bible's message and reveals a strange view of the church's nature and role in the world.

One of the simplest ways to understand Bible prophecy is to reveal when things take place. In this case, the white horse and its rider appear after the church age, when the church is no longer mentioned in Revelation.

The church-militant, or militarily dominant church, is never in view anywhere in the Bible. This is a middle ages view--a Roman Catholic view. This was a time when popes mounted horses and led the Crusades, or were commanders of them.

The white horse rider is Antichrist. His ascent to power will begin a period when the events of the Great Tribulation take place.

The church on earth never has, or will, receive a crown. Rather, we are to submit to those with power, as did Jesus and Paul. Our crowns are given to us in heaven.

A "churchianity" view allows no room for proper interpretation of Revelation. After chapter 3, the church is in heaven as the Bride. Others are in view from then on. It is Antichrist Time, and the time for the remnant of Israel to be tested.

The man I mentioned has accepted his church's theology in place of honoring the Bible. Those listening to him, instead of studying themselves, will repeat his errors.

When you take your car to a skilled mechanic for work, do you also follow the mechanic's theology? Thomas Sowell has analyzed the problem. Experts in one area often think they are experts on other things as well.

When the Heavens Disappear

And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a fig from the fig tree. Isaiah 34:4

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Revelation 12:9

Is the Bible saying that literal stars will fall from the sky to the earth? What manner of cosmology is this? We all know that even very small stars are far too large and hot to fit on earth. Surely this is symbolic.

In fact, to everyone who scoffs at the Bible, it is all symbolic. Who could possibly take these passages literally?

Enter the Naive Literalist, non-scientific interpretors of the Bible, like me. Only I consider the Bible to be Super Scientific, beyond science. Kind of like a NASCAR racer competing with a garbage truck.

If we pursue God's Word, or allow it to pursue us, we learn Bible cosmology. Among other things, this helps us eliminate the idea of a red-suited Satan, living in hell, and laughing as he pokes sinners with a trident.

The so-called Prince of Darkness, was Lucifer, covering angel of the throne of God, a great light-giver and heavenly star. When my father was young, phosphorus matches were called "Lucifers". Even this quaint reference was derived from the Bible concept of the Devil as a light-giver.

But Lucifer and his angels as stars, actually being cast from the starry heavens to the earth--who can believe that?

On the road to Damascus, Paul saw Christ, brighter than the Sun. That's the idea. Unbelievers and weak believers will stagger at the idea, presented in a number of places in Scripture, of the occupants of the sky as sentient beings. Eventually we learn the cosmology of the Bible though.

As far as the world's children and their disbelief, I don't give a "fig" about them.

Another Attack on Dispensationalism and the Scofield Bible

I like Brother Nathanael and listen to him regularly. He is an expert on Judaism, since he is a converted Jew. He vigorously attacks Zionism, on which he is an expert. If you were on trial for being "anti-semitic" you might want Brother Nathanael to defend you. He is that good.

He tells of his conversion to Christianity when he first attended an Orthodox church, saw the candles and heard soft voices. "I knew I was home," he said.

I have always considered the Orthodox church just a split-away branch of Catholicism--the same basic theology, but with a different pope. I say this because it means their treatment on prophecy would be the same as the Catholics. I wonder if they follow the revelations of Fatima? If you were looking for a good book on prophecy, written by either of these branches of religion, you would still be looking.

This in itself is not a condemnation, just a fact. But since Brother Nathanael is so deficient in this area, it is surprising that he would attack a Bible and system of interpretation which, to me, is the finest guide to prophecy that exists. It would be as if I criticized E. Power Biggs on his playing of a Bach fugue.

Once again, there is nothing in Scofield's outline of the Bible that is pro-Zionism! Quite the opposite. It says the church is being called out now (Acts 15), and after that, Israel will be restored. This may explain Nathanael's attack of Scofield. As an ex-Jew, he hates the idea that their nation will be restored.

He has companions in this hatred--Reformed churches--who teach that they have permanently replaced Israel.

Everybody has their blind spots in theology, I suppose. But we should not teach from them. Brother Nathanael, give us just one quotation from Scofield that supports Zionism. Maybe you have been reading by candle light.

Relax, There's No Hope

An airport worker told of being sucked into a jet engine. When he lost his footing and felt himself being pulled into the air intake, he experienced terror. But once within the giant engine, he had a sense of resignation. He was kept from death by an anti-bird screen.

When we give up all hope, we often have peace. We are built to struggle; but when it no longer avails, we tend to relax.

An army nurse in Vietnam told the soldiers--average age 19--who were undergoing triage, that they would die. They could not be saved. She said that they too had peace.

Reality, the kind that only Christians know, yields peace.

Have hope for the world to "turn around"? We can do it, we've done it before! And what if, through a (non-existent) community effort, we do defy prophecy and fix things up?

Check the Post it note the medic left on your chest. You are going to die.

In Locomotive 38, the Ojibway, William Saroyan tells of an Indian riding a mule that suddenly collapsed and died. Unperturbed, he pulled his leg from under the dead mule, walked to a car agency, and bought a Cadillac. He was oil-rich. No problem.

You and I are rich also--far richer--and we have eternal life waiting for us. I hear we will some day move around, unimpeded, in three dimensions. I do not know how we will travel, but it will be far better than the rich Indian's Cadillac.

Crumbs from Their Tables

Their is a denomination in which you cannot fully participate. They have no poor churches, nor do they have churches among the poor. They were not a part of America's westward expansion. They moved west only after large cities were established and big money came in. For wealth is very much a part of their philosophy, and even their theology.

These people sprang from John Calvin, but they give the principles organized by Calvin a bad name. I am certain it started with a terrible misinterpretation of the Kingdom of God. For they teach (when they teach at all) that God's kingdom is "not of this world", but they live as though it were.

Their Replacement Theology relegates Israel to the ancient past, and gives no hope at all to the kingdom of David. God does, because the kingdom of God, on the earth, will be the resurrected kingdom of David. Does this idea shock you?

When Gabriel gave the good news of the coming of Jesus, he said that Jesus would sit on the throne of his father David (Luke 1:31-32), and of his kingdom there would be no end. In Acts 15:16 the prophet Amos is quoted as saying that the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down, will be re-established.

A voice from the Old Testament and one from the New. When contrasted with the kingdom-grabbers, the choice is clear. We will go with the Bible every time.

This denomination is a two level one, the elite money and power people and their woefully ignorant congregations. A wall of elevated, man-made theology, so complex that no one is supposed to understand, divides them. Super "intellectuals" and business men, versus those who pay them out of blind trust.

Any and every church should have but one theology, available to all. Anything else is the feasting upper class, and their followers eating crumbs from their tables.

Making Hay While 80% of the Sun Shines

There are people who study the reduced sunlight that gets through our now-hazy skies.

1st man: "I'm really old."

2nd man: "How old are you?

1st man: "I'm so old I can remember when the skies were really blue." I am so old that I remember when pollution used to rise from chimneys. Now it falls from the sky. But we really did have days of intensely blue skies.

Just the memories of a sentimental old cat? Hardly. Since, in many people, opinion-propaganda is used to formulate their ideas, we'll just talk about those who measure things.

In the days of film photography, we often used light meters. We measured available light.

Those who generate solar power have noticed a decline of 20% in solar radiation reaching their solar cells. If you are living off the grid, or generating a large portion of the electrical power of an entire nation, such losses are important.

Please don't think I have a plan to make the skies blue again. "If we only get together, we can reverse this trend." That sort of thing. Write to your congressman? That is what wastebaskets and computer delete systems are for. Besides, I don't want to lose my Pessimist license.

So why write about this at all? I collect negative data on how the world is being mis-managed, and I just wanted to show you something from my collection.

I Hope You Like My New Sequence Jacket

I really mangled that one, but you know by now that I would say almost anything to get peoples' attention regarding a very important subject. I would pose in a sequin jacket to get attention to this concept: EVENTS IN PROPHECY ARE FULFILLED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.

If you have assembled a military weapon from its parts, you know that there is an order in which they must be reassembled. If you have a part left over, not only have you made a big error, but soon someone in authority will let you know about it.

However, in this era of freedom from restraint, where anyone can be an expert, there often is no order. I was just listening to a You Tube video where two self-appointed geniuses were talking about how Christians should prepare to go through the Great Tribulation. Among those who care about such things (and love them) this is known as the Post Trib Rapture view.

Some of this tribe even skip the Rapture altogether. They may teach that the great tribulation was WW2 and that Hitler was the Antichrist. No kidding.

Once you depart from the Bible's instruction manual, you can believe anything, and its happening at any time. So, unlike the military, or in industry, there is no one to correct us when we incorrectly handle the Word of God.

Jesus warned his listeners in the Olivet Prophecy, "Take heed that no man deceive you" (Matthew 24:4). Yet there are many deceivers, and people follow them , day and night.

Casting Our Crowns at the Feet of Jesus

The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne,... Revelation 4:10

Elders. Crowns. What have these to do with us? Who do we know that would qualify to be a heavenly elder? And what about the crowns?

Here we may be a little bolder, for there is a crown promised to all who love His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8). Even I can have one of these. And, casting them before the feet of Jesus? Where else did the crowns arise, than from the one who saved, and empowered us?

Herein is a miracle, in my case, for I resisted Him at every turn. Yet He led me. The more I give up on the world, the more I love His coming in the clouds. I have given up on any hope from the world. My course is nearly finished. My only hope is in Him.

Almost all my possessions have been sold. Even the property on which I had my home has been sold. I look at these things and think of the foolish dreams I had, an endless variety of attempted side trips. Such a blessing to be relieved of them.

I have only One to rely upon, only One to trust in. This is my peace. It will soon be over. If only I had done better with the gifts and opportunities He gave to me. But He is rich in mercy, and that is where I place my hope.

If You Don't Like it, it Isn't True

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9

Jiminy Cricket would not like the above concepts. He believes that you should "Always let your conscience be your guide." For we have a portable lying machine inside us that many people use to direct their lives.

Does it work? Look around you and you will see how well it is working.

But the state of the world is not my subject (aren't you glad?).

What does interest me at this time is how we choose between right and wrong, especially in Bible doctrine. I have had some experience in this, being such an old cat, and here is my summary. We believe what we like to believe and reject what we don't like.

This is an infallible guide to being fallible. This gives rise to such sayings as, "I refuse to believe in a God who would ______." If God does not conform to our way of thinking, then we just won't believe in Him. So there!

I use the term "designer gods to describe the many creations that conform to our crooked little wills. From believing in Him, we have gone to "her", then on to a "force". Now, as we are told we are all gods, there are as many as we want.

H.L. Mencken said, "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." Far from going broke, there is a lot of money being made appealing to peoples' egos and gullibility.

As this technique sweeps through the church, I don't lament. The Devil's train is right on time. Just don't get on it.

Misquoting Jesus in Order to Promote Hell

And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched. Mark 9:43

There is absolutely nothing that the promoters of hell will not do to maintain their devotion to this doctrine, including deliberately misquoting our Lord. It is not a slip up or an honest mistake when translators substitute "hell" for geena, which is what Jesus actually said in the quotation above.

Jesus uses other words also that are translated "hell". When you look up the actual words that Jesus said in any annotated Bible you will know more than 90% of slavish, unthinking preachers and their lazy, ignorant followers.

You will be shunned when you do this. Not because you have misquoted Jesus, but because you have questioned and corrected the King James and other errant translations.

To the great majority, the words of Jesus are not as important as pagan doctrines. So guess which one wins in the hearts and minds of most preachers and their congregations? It is Roman Catholic doctrine first, and the words of Jesus second.

But, armed with any study Bible (any translation), you will beat them all. Are you ready to be shunned and mocked for clinging to the words that Jesus uttered?

I am a fundamentalist. I believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, but not in the perverted translations where paganism is set forth.

As to a place where worms do not die, it must mean the immortal souls of worms do not die. Either that or Jesus meant genna, just as He said.

Please see Words Translated Hell in the Bible.

On Reading the Bible to Babies

Some fathers are reading the Bible to infants, babies that cannot talk yet, but they can hear! The practice has been dismissed as pure fantasy on the part of these men. But there is a lot of support for the idea.

First of all, I believe that babies are underrated as to their perceptions. It has been proven that they can tell if the person feeding them likes the food they are feeding them. It is as if the baby thinks, "If you don't like it, why are you giving it to me?"

There is a lot of emphasis on the visual for the young--mobiles and hanging toys, little rotating night lights--that sort of thing. I realize that such things help a child strengthen muscles as they reach for them.

But what about sound? Even animals use sound with their little ones.

Now I'm going to say something that may cause some anger. I don't want to. But male voices are more pleasing to children, and to others as well. Lower pitch is easier to listen to, even in the case of radio announcers.

Ladies could learn from old movies. Femme fatales had deeper voices. Even in parodies, a woman draws attention with a low voice. And it seems to be a recent thing, but women seem to be a little chirpy when they speak, with a rising inflection at the end of sentences, that can be tiring.

I'm really in trouble now. Mothers, nothing can ever replace what you say, but babies do respond to the lower voice of a man. But this is superficial chatter compared to the sheer love of a father who reads to a tiny one. I swear you can see it in a baby's eyes, when you speak to them instead of shaking a rattle in front of their faces.

Mother says, "Bill, will you watch the baby while I fix supper?" And Bill, instead of propping up the little one and turning on the TV set, opens the Bible and reads. Best of all, the King James, written when language was at its most perfect. Let the tiny ears hear the beautiful cadence of the old words from his father's lips.

Is this naive or idealistic? I feel that the sounds will become a part of the child's memory, along with the love of the one who reads.

Who Discovered Columbus?

Your throne was established long ago, you are from all eternity. Psalm 93:2, NIV

As a little child I one day tried to figure out when God began. Even then, I knew about beginnings. I saw my father plant a garden. Some of the plants, like grapes, could outlive me. I had been told of my own beginning. My baby picture was on the wall.

Then I turned to the thought of God's origin. It was as if I had bumped into a wall. I realized that He could not have had a "birthday", a day when he came into being. You might think this was a humbling experience for me. But rather, even then, I came to realize that the problem was too great for anyone to understand.

I could imagine my father's grape arbor with concrete posts existing forever. But it had a beginning. I felt my limitations--my inability--at such a young age. I knew that eternity was impossible to be known, for anyone. We see our limited understanding in such a thought.

Evolutionists and astronomers claim to look at how things began, but there is no mention of the origin of matter. They come into the game late, and start from there. No one dares to think of a beginning of existence itself. Ex nihilo, say philosophers and theologians--something from nothing. This explains Creation, but not the unfathomable One. The One who had no beginning, but always was.

Pray for War

That was one of my sister's mottoes. It was her way of being impish and also saying she was bored with the status quo. But there is a serious side to this. While multitudes crave world peace, God has plans for the largest wars ever.

One will be in the starry or second heaven (Revelation 12:7): And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon;... Verse 9 concludes this scene.

The final war is when Jesus returns to the earth. And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (Revelation 19:11). This last war is one of the places where the saints are mentioned after chapter three. We return with Christ to bring the great tribulation to its end.

You may object that when Antichrist appears in Revelation 6:2, that this is a war. Some say that he is shown with a bow, but no arrows. This may be straining to make a point, for war does come with the red horse (6:4). But the wording here is that he will take peace away and that "they will kill one another". It is almost as if Antichrist is a spectator, but not the warrior.

Showing him as a man of false peace may be the answer. Like a campaign promise that does not hold up, his rule degenerates into war, though he comes in peace.

The book of Daniel--often neglected as a guide to Revelation--may help. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: (Daniel 8:25).

It looks like Antichrist is so overwhelming that he intimidates the kings of the earth. and they worshipped the beast,saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? (Revelation 13:4).

Once again, the world seeks peace. They will worship one who promises to bring it, but a false peace will bring war and destruction. Only the return of Lord Jesus will bring peace. But when he does come, it will be with blood stained garments.

The Greatest Adventure of All

I want to know Christ--yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. Philippians 3:19, NIV

The world offers so much. I knew a young lady who wanted to taste it all. We loved each other once. She had bopped around the world, hitch hiked through Israel. She knew all the best foods--the good things. She told me that she had eaten bread with a Spanish peasant.

By then I had heard enough. I asked her if it was not true that people all over the world are basically the same. She readily agreed. "So" I asked, "what's the point of travel?" Soon we parted after she made one final appeal for me to join her in her travels.

I had seen the superficiality of her beliefs and had even learned of the ache inside her from which they arose. How good that we learned of our incompatibility.

Just before we parted, I took a self portrait as I walked beneath a marquee that said, "Adventure is not outside a mam, it is within." Parting of the ways, parting of two world views. I was just learning of the great adventure, knowing Christ and learning His Word.

The Apostle Paul, the ultimate adventurer, shows us the way. He knew it because he lived it. I was learning that each of us has a unique way of coming to Christ, and a unique role to fulfill in His service. We do not wear uniforms. We do not march in lock step. Like in a real love affair, we draw closer to our Savior in different ways.

However differently, we come to Him and soon will rise to meet Him in the clouds. The world has nothing like this to offer.

What the Church is Not Warned About, But...

Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. Jeremiah 30:7

The faithful are warned about many things in the church epistles. Some are present evils, and some, like the great apostasy, refer to our future. But one thing we are never warned of is the great tribulation.

The New Testament gives us many details of this terrible time, but never any warning that applies to the church. Anyone who does not believe this--that we will not be on earth during this 7 year period--can seek a place in the Bible that says we will be.

Obviously, the book of Revelation is the most detailed description of the tribulation period. In its account, there is not one reference to the church. Yet there is an industry devoted to warning us otherwise.

There is a large group that agrees we will be raptured before the great tribulation, yet says we will go through the first half of the tribulation--the 3-1/2 year period known as the "beginning of sorrows". This is the mid-trib position. So, let them find us mentioned in the Bible during that period of time.

They never quit. They seem to have a burning desire to put Christians into a period that Jesus has promised to deliver us from (Revelation 3:10). As Lewis Sperry Chaffer would say, "The only flaw in their theory is the complete lack of evidence in its support."

Christians have many warnings. Must we have non-church warnings added to them?

The Chauffeur-Driven Life

And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. Luke 9:58

An investigation into the extremely lavish lifestyles of tv's so-called preachers revealed the extent of their wealth. An aerial view showed the palatial home and complex of one. I'll just call him Benny Hinn, Rhymes with Sin. He owns a number of jets--one, the fastest plane available to civilians. When a lady reporter asked how many jets he owned, he retorted in anger and walked away.

Not only is this travesty a result of the "Prosperity Gospel" racket, but it is allowed by the non-tax status provided by the IRS for religions of any sort, including witchcraft.

Texx Marrs gave up his protection. In return he won complete freedom in his preaching, and his contributions have increased. He is legitimate in his content too.

Mobs are waiting to play the slot machine game with these hoaxers. "The more you give me, the more God will give you," is the appeal.

What is the difference between these people and those who buy lottery tickets? Once in awhile, the lottery folks win.

Antichrists and the Antichrist

even now are there many antichrists, whereby we know that it is the last time. 1 John 2:18

At least two important ideas are in this partial verse. The term "last time" causes arguments, depending upon one's principle of interpretation. Reform people use it to prove that, since the "last time" was said to exist, almost two thousand years ago, then Antichrist has come and gone. Almost certainly, they say, he was one of the Caesars.

Many things in Revelation fail to be fulfilled in this grotesque misinterpretation. Reform people have as much ability to interpret prophecy as I have to pilot a Boeing 747. I don't fly, and they should not interpret with their present knowledge and mindset. While these horribly mistaken people attempt to show that Antichrist has already come by citing historical evidence, they leave out powerful scriptures that just plain flatten their point of view.

And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. 2Thessalonians 2:8

Has this occurred in the past?

So what is the "last time"? It is the last period of a series of events that occur before the return of Christ. If you believe in the immanency of His return, then you believe we are in the last time.

What I am very concerned about is the increasing use of the title Antichrist in connection with someone whose doctrine and actions are similar to those of the coming Antichrist. It would be as if a soldier in a battle with the troops of an evil emperor were to describe each of his foes as the emperor. The troops fight for the emperor and share his values, but each is not the top man.

It is common to refer to popes as the Antichrist. Sir Isaac Newton thought the pope of his day was the Antichrist. The pope returned the charge against Sir Isaac. A Reform Baptist preacher, whom I admire, has leveled the charge against a former pope.

There are many--some good Christians--who throw this title around without study to support it. He will not be just a bad man. He will be the most evil man who has ever, or will ever, live.

Life in the Future Tense

Old people are supposed to sit around and recall the days of yore, their golden years. Lucky ones can even live in the present.

I saw an advertisement for a retirement home. Lots of activity there. They might stretch a little net the length of a big table and the dwellers there could bat balloons over it. The big point in the ad was "You can always find a card game to get into." A scene was shown of beaming oldies playing cards.

Kill me, please, before this could happen to me.

As the body starts to die, I hear a rumor that for a lucky few, the mind continues to function. It helps if you use it. Of course, a whole bunch of people have never used their minds, except to make a living. Most of these have done a great job of it, far better than I have done. But as the curtain starts to lower, hard work is not much to think about or talk about.

I have seen people, including my father, rapidly lose their mental faculties upon retirement. Some have watched tv for hours a day, an effective way to rot the mind at any age.

I once was fascinated by raising chrysanthemums. There was a saying among breeders that these people had a long life span. They kept looking forward to next season's new blooms. That may be true, but I have a far better expectation. I am immersed in it like a great river.

I have ever been a futurist. Early on it was the near future, but now it is the eternal future that we all have. My present is shot to sheol. No surprise there. All I desire now is to get out of this world as soon as I can, and really live in eternity.

A Man at the Bus Stop

When I was a young man, I remember waiting in a crowd at a bus stop. A man, head down, came shuffling along, until his path intersected a lady's shopping bag. Rather than walk around it, he murmured, "Lady, will you please move your shopping bag. I never stop walking in a straight line."

The lady blushed at his strange request, but moved her bag. The man never raised his head, just shuffled on his way. Obviously, he was a disturbed individual--one in a million.

But I bet we all know people with such a rigid, unvarying attitude, in the social or religious world. I have a theory--just a theory--that the more rigidity people exhibit, the less secure they are in their beliefs.

I read of a man of the gentry who gave a formal dinner, and when a guest used the "wrong" spoon, he arose and left the room. I was amazed that the host was watching to see which utensils people used. Wow, he was so propper!

I personally believe in correct doctrine, but the only distinction I make in the matter is between Christians and non-Christians. Not to shun the latter, but to adjust my understanding of those involved.

I have been hammered in God's foundry enough so that I have become tolerant of people. Maybe I will judge how straight others are when He has pounded on me some more, but I don't think so.

The Sleeping Calf

But I have calmed and quieted myself. I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Psalm 131:2

My wife and I once lived in the country opposite a dairy farm. One late afternoon as we drove home, we passed an empty meadow. Empty except for one sleeping calf. The other cattle had gone to the barn for their evening milking.

The little one who was asleep was doing just what I wish to do soon--sleep. Though she would soon awaken, I shall sleep on until Lord Jesus comes. Those I leave behind will continue to work and to be immersed in the sufferings of this world.

But dead or alive we will all be answering the call to go to our real homes before long. I have so much more peace now, trusting in His mercy, than I ever had in my early years.

Body and Soul

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:26

Got me! Here I am, saying there is no hell or immortal soul, and this verse proves that there are both.

If only Jesus had said "hell". And if only he had not said there is one who can kill the soul. The word translated as "hell" is really "geena". As far as destroying an immortal soul, it seems contradictory, does it not?

I know how the hell people answer this. They say the soul is immortal (Thou shall not surely die), but it can be separated from God, and that is what death of the soul means. These people are slipperier than a bucket of oiled eels.

All I have is persistence and a few questions. Here is one. How can one be separated from God if they are not first united with Him?

Since Eden we are all born in sin, already separated from God. No further separation is needed to condemn us to death.

Separation is not a future threat, but death is. So, I figure that the death of the soul that Jesus speaks of is eternal death. Man can kill the body, but God can destroy both body and life, forever.

How many people have looked up "soul" in a Bible dictionary? It means the breath of life, simple as that.

One way to say what the threat of Matthew 10:26 represents is to say, man can kill, but you will be resurrected. When God kills, you will never breathe again.

Please see the following.

• What Does the Bible Say About the "Immortal Soul"?
• Words Translated Hell in the Bible